The hidden place fell into a brief silence.

“I agree,” said the man at the head of the long table.

“I agree,” said the old man opposite the expert.

"Let's set that aside for now. You will preside over the ceremony to join the Guardians," the person at the head of the long table said to the expert. "Let's continue our discussion on how to deal with the blood sacrifice. Since there are two possible scenarios, let's discuss them separately..."

"Regardless of the possibility, I have a suggestion," the expert said first.

"Request assistance from New Songcheng."

After he said that, the other two fell silent again.

To be honest, the guardians who remained in Ash City had one major unresolved issue.

Those were the same clansmen who left their hometown of the former Song Dynasty.

Their feelings toward that group were very complex and difficult to define clearly.

"Let's ask for help," the expert said. "While there is a difference between defending the land and leaving home, ultimately, they are all doing it for the Song people, so there is no difference between them."

Upon hearing this, the person at the head of the long table finally stopped swaying.

“I agree. I will issue the sword order to Xin Song City as soon as I get back.”

The aged voice from across the room also rang out:

"Agreed. At this point, none of the past matters."

"Don't let your apprentice come to my place for the next few days," the man at the head of the long table said to the expert. "Let's continue. It would be best if they came to help, but if they don't, we need to make our own preparations. We can't rely on outsiders."

...

Dr. Mei Anming frowned slightly as he listened to the noise coming from the main hall.

She then convinced herself that she had received a lot of donations, and with that money, she could go to the ship district to buy more medicine to deal with the "flying corpse ghost" disease.

“Although there is a specific medicine to treat flying corpses, the treatment course is too long, and no one has been fully cured yet…” Mei Anming was somewhat anxious, as the family prescription did not mention this at all.

Moreover, the shops in the boat district where she sourced her medicinal herbs all raised their prices, citing the recent shortage of the herbs Mei Anming needed.

"Xiao Qiu," Mei Anming called to the busy but energetic apprentice, "give this letter to Mr. Pan for me."

While Xiao Qiu was leaving to deliver the letter, Mei Anming continued to open the ancient prescription, thinking from the perspectives of pathology and pharmacology, whether there was room for further improvement, and whether there were any medicinal materials that could be replaced.

The letter she asked Xiao Qiu to deliver was a request for help, hoping that the highly respected Mr. Pan could provide some assistance to the poor people as he had done before.

“The flying corpse ghost seems to be of the water element, and water generates metal… therefore it damages the lungs,” Mei Anming pondered, talking to himself.

"What are you talking about, 'flying corpse ghosts'?" A clear, melodious female voice came from the doorway.

Mei Anming looked over and saw the devout pregnant woman who had donated a lot of money to her, and his expression softened a little.

The pregnant woman walked up to Mei Anming.