Chapter 205 Exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Don't assume everything you encounter is sorcery...
The old doctor, his hands trembling, touched the patient's forehead, his eyes shining brightly. "It's really not hot anymore, sir! The fever's gone down! This medicine is so effective! It's a miracle drug!"
The old doctor carefully held the small bottle with many pills left in his hands, his eyes filled with eager anticipation as if it were a rare treasure.
For many seriously ill or injured patients, this statement is indeed perfectly reasonable.
Lu Xuan said nonchalantly, "Now we should be able to administer the medicine to the other patients, right? If we delay any longer, a few people might really die."
Liu Wenchi and the old doctor suddenly realized what was happening. "Yes, quick, quickly give the medicine to the other patients."
Liu Wenchi knew that there were many patients with fever in the clinic, not just in the courtyard where they were now, but also in the other courtyards, there were hundreds of people in total.
To speed things up, the officers were also mobilized: "You all go to the other courtyards and administer the appropriate medicine to the patients!"
The officers, their faces beaming with excitement, shouted, "Yes, sir!"
As the amount of antipyretics Lu Xuan took out decreased rapidly, more and more feverish patients' breathing became stable and their temperatures returned to normal. Several patients who were almost delirious from the fever miraculously recovered.
With hundreds of examples before them, Liu Wenchi and the old doctor no longer had any doubts about Lu Xuan's medicine. After inquiring about the usage of other medicines, they immediately took action.
For patients with festering and pus-filled wounds, administer antibiotics first, spray with anesthetic, then remove the necrotic tissue from the wound, and spray with wound spray.
For more serious cases, Lu Xuan directly used a treatment device to treat them.
Liu Wenchi watched as Lu Xuan used the strange object in his hand to shine a light on the patient's wound. The wound, which would normally take three or four days to heal, began to scab over visibly. Liu Wenchi was so surprised that he secretly gasped.
"What... what is this? Its effects are even better than medicine!"
Lu Xuan said, "It is a divine artifact bestowed by the gods, which can accelerate the treatment of various injuries and illnesses."
Liu Wenchi: "???" What kind of magical artifact? He just thought the other party had real skills, how come they suddenly started using the tricks of a swindler?
However… Liu Wenchi glanced at the treatment device,
Forget it, whether it's a celestial artifact or some other treasure, as long as I know it's useful, that's enough.
Lu Xuan lent the old doctor the extra medical devices so that he could use them to treat other people.
Cheers erupted from the 'ward' filled with the smell of blood and desperate wails. Some unconscious patients woke up just in time to find their relatives visiting them. Upon discovering that their injuries had mostly healed, they excitedly embraced each other and wept.
For the first time, the dull and lifeless clinic came alive. A ray of sunlight shone into the room through the open window, and both the patients and Liu Wenchi felt a sense of exhilaration and joy at finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Because there were so many patients, it took a group of people an hour to settle all the patients on most of the street.
Some injuries were too severe to be cured quickly with the help of medical equipment, and the treatment only provided life-saving care. But that was all the patients had hoped for, and no one was dissatisfied.
When Lu Xuan finished his work and walked out of the clinic, there were already a group of patients' relatives kneeling on the ground outside.
A group of men, women, and children were so moved that tears streamed down their faces. They kowtowed to him, laughing and crying, saying, "Thank you so much for saving my father!"
"If it weren't for your timely appearance, young master, my master would probably be dead today. I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. I kowtow to you here!"
"Thank you so much for your miraculous medicine, sir! It saved me from having to bury my child. Thank you so much! You are a living bodhisattva who saves us from suffering!"
Lu Xuan: ...I appreciate the sentiment, but I refuse to be a male bodhisattva.
Liu Wenchi, who came out after Lu Xuan, was also deeply moved by this scene, and saw that Lu Xuan's expression had truly softened.
·
When I left the clinic, the sun had already set.
Liu Wenchi brought Lu Xuan to the government office and was about to have someone prepare dinner to entertain Lu Xuan when the latter said, "I'll treat you to this meal."
Liu Wenchi was surprised. "Isn't this inappropriate?"
Regardless of whether Lu Xuan's origins are true or not, he has saved the lives of hundreds of people in the city.
The other party left the remaining medicine to the clinic, which will surely save more people in the future. It is only right that he host a banquet to entertain them.
Lu Xuan said, "The city has a large population, and no food has come in since the disaster began. Your supplies must not be plentiful. I am used to enjoying life and do not want to deprive myself."
Liu Wenchi: "..."
Liu Wenchi paused for a moment before saying, "If Young Master Lu provides the ingredients, I will have the kitchen prepare them?"
Lu Xuan waved his hand, "No need for that trouble. I have ready-made food. Just lead the way to the dining hall, sir."
Liu Wenchi was suspicious, but he still led Lu Xuan to the side hall in the backyard of the government office.
On the way, after confirming with Lu Xuan that he didn't mind having other people eat with him, Liu Wenchi had his constables call over all his colleagues and subordinates who were still busy in the yamen.
Soon, a group of officials in their official robes arrived.
Most of them were middle-aged or elderly, except for one young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and not wearing official robes.
The first thing these people noticed when they came in was Lu Xuan, a completely unfamiliar face who was too young.
They had received advance notice of the arrival of strangers in the city, and their gazes toward Lu Xuan contained scrutiny and inquiry, as well as curiosity and goodwill.
Liu Wenchi gave a brief introduction to both parties.
The officials were ranked from top to bottom as follows: Tongzhi, Tongpan, Jingli. The two who were not wearing official robes were clerks, and the younger one of them shared the same surname as Liu Wenchi.
The viewers in the live stream were all guessing that this Master Liu was most likely a nephew or cousin of Liu Wenchi.
Audience: Tsk tsk, as expected, connections are everywhere.
Lu Xuan's face did not show the respect and fear that ordinary people have when they see officials; he simply nodded to them with basic politeness.
Liu Wenchi didn't care about these formalities, and Zhang Tongzhi, the oldest among them, was also very amiable. However, Zhao Tongpan, who was about the same age as Liu Wenchi, frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.
However, the prefect didn't say anything, nor did he voice any questions or show any overt reaction.
After introducing Liu Wenchi, he gestured for everyone to take their seats.
He didn't rush to say that Lu Xuan wanted to treat him, thinking that if the latter was just joking, saying it would only make the situation awkward.
The kitchen is always ready with food, and as long as Lu Xuan gives the order, he can have the dishes served.
Unexpectedly, as soon as everyone sat down, Lu Xuan waved his hand again, and plate after plate of steaming dishes were taken out of his spatial storage, quickly filling the table.
"Bang—" Zhao Tongpan and Li Jingli, who had just landed, were so frightened that they jumped up abruptly, their faces changed drastically, and they took a step back. The large movement not only tripped the chairs, but also almost made them fall to the ground.
The others didn't react as violently as they did, but their expressions changed slightly, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"What's this!?"
"Demon, sorcery! Help!" Judge Zhao shouted instinctively.
The officers who heard the commotion outside rushed in immediately.
Having already witnessed Lu Xuan's ability to conjure objects out of thin air, Liu Wenchi remained relatively calm. He waved to the officials, "There's nothing here, you can all leave."
Lu Xuan glanced at the prefect who was shouting about sorcery and said coolly, "Don't label something as sorcery just because you encounter the unknown. Is it possible that this is immortal magic? Haven't you gentlemen heard of the immortal's hidden universe?"
Everyone present: "!!!"
Li Jingli subconsciously said, "What kind of magic is this? Are you going to claim you're an immortal or something?"
Lu Xuan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Haven't you heard the saying 'An immortal touches my head, granting me immortality'? I'm not an immortal, so why can't an immortal bestow immortal arts upon me? Otherwise, how can you explain that I possess treasures that can quickly reduce fever and treat injuries?"
Everyone: "..."
Lu Xuan didn't necessarily want them to accept that he possessed immortal arts. He raised his chin slightly and said, "We can talk about these things later. I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry?"
At this moment, the officials, who had just been frightened, belatedly smelled the rich aroma of food wafting through the hall. When they looked closely at the dishes on the table, their eyes widened in astonishment.
Wow! So many delicious dishes!
Honey-glazed chicken, braised pork belly, stir-fried beef with scallions, steamed spare ribs, cold seaweed salad, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, stir-fried mushrooms with meat, spicy squid, garlic lobster, fish head tofu soup...
There were ten dishes and one soup in total, most of which were large portions of meat and fish. The dishes were so delicious and visually appealing that it made one's mouth water.
"Gurgle gurgle—"
The officials present soon found their stomachs rumbling with hunger.
The eyes of Zhao Tongpan and Li Jingli, who were quite wary of Lu Xuan just a moment ago, were now completely glued to the dishes on the table.
As officials, they naturally ate much better than the other people in the city.
However, due to the limited resources in the city, things weren't much better. On weekdays, when eating together at the government office, there were only four dishes and a soup, with only one meat dish, and the portions were small. Each person could only take a few bites before it was gone.
Unlike this table in front of me, the various kinds of meat alone must weigh three to five pounds!
Extravagant, far too extravagant!
Everyone noticed the enormous lobster and secretly marveled at it.
Such a large shrimp probably can't grow in rivers. Could it be a sea shrimp?
Liu Wenchi thought to himself, no wonder Lu Xuan said earlier that he didn't want to wrong his stomach. The food that their government office could provide was indeed incomparable to what others offered.
Liu Wenchi smiled and said, "Today, thanks to Young Master Lu, I'll be able to enjoy a sumptuous dinner."
Lu Xuan nodded, then casually took out a large bucket of rice. "There's plenty of food; you can ask for more if you need more."
Liu Wenchi noticed that the rice grains in the wooden bucket were extremely large and exclaimed in surprise, "Where is this rice from? It grows so well!"
Lu Xuan: "We grew them ourselves. If Lord Liu is willing, the people of the prefecture city may also have the opportunity to grow them."
Liu Wenchi and the other officials present understood Lu Xuan's implied meaning. They exchanged glances and their assessment of Lu Xuan rose even higher.
This young master Lu seems to have quite a few good things in his possession.
I wonder if they come from some reclusive family.
After that, there was no more talking in the hall.
The officials who had been given their portions of rice were busy picking up food, with most of them instinctively taking their first bite of meat or vegetables.
Only Liu Wenchi and another Liu advisor were present, one picking up stir-fried vegetables and the other picking up garlic-flavored lobster.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Xuan took out a pot of mixed fruit juice.
I didn't bring any alcohol. Who knows if these officials are good drinkers? We still have business to discuss later, so I'll just have some juice to make do.
However, it's clear that others don't think it's acceptable.
The officials were quite astonished to be able to drink such fresh juice, and they all drank it with great relish.
The group of people buried themselves in their food for about fifteen minutes, only stopping with regretful expressions when they were so full that the food was almost up to their throats.
Zhang Tongzhi loosened his belt, which was too tight, and said with emotion, "It's been more than half a year since I've had such a sumptuous meal. I'm so grateful to Young Master Lu for spending so much today."
Others chimed in, saying, "The mushrooms in this stir-fried mushrooms with meat taste exactly like the meat! I've never had mushrooms like this before, they're so delicious!"
"The beef is surprisingly tender, completely unlike any beef I've ever had before. Could it be wild beef?"
"Is the sweetness of honey-glazed chicken really due to the use of honey? That's too extravagant."
"These shrimp taste delicious, with a unique seafood flavor. They really are from the sea!"
"Young Master Lu, are you perhaps from the coastal area?"
Lu Xuan said, "I just went out to sea and brought back some seafood. I'm from the inland."
Magistrate Zhao seized the opportunity to inquire, "Oh? May I ask where Young Master Lu comes from? I've heard you flew down from the sky?"
They had heard about the unidentified person who had fallen from the sky today long before the prefect returned. However, the story was so bizarre that it was hard for anyone who hadn't witnessed it to not suspect that some kind of illusion had been used.
“I come from Yunlu Village.”
After saying only one sentence, Lu Xuan took the initiative and said, "I have already told Prefect Liu about my background. If you are curious, you can ask the Prefect later. Why don't you tell me about the current situation in the city first?"
"This..." The crowd looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
There's nothing I can't say about the situation in the city.
But Lu Xuan wasn't an imperial envoy sent from above, nor did he even hold an official position. They were all officials, so how could they possibly tell such things to a commoner?
Liu Wenchi nodded to his nephew and said, "Then let Zimo speak to Young Master Lu."
The advisor, Liu Ziming, politely asked Lu Xuan, "What aspects of life would you like to know, Young Master Lu?"
Lu Xuan didn't stand on ceremony. "Let's start from the time after the major earthquake last year, when the summer temperatures began to rise. Tell me about how the city survived the subsequent rainy season, the extreme cold, and the polar nights and days, and what the current distribution of supplies in the city is like."
Others thought to themselves, "You really don't hold back at all."
Liu Ziming nodded calmly and began to explain slowly.
"When the massive earthquake struck, many houses collapsed, and countless people were trapped under the rubble, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries..."
Luochuan City, as the capital of Yunjiang Prefecture, had a population of over 200,000. After a major earthquake, more than 30,000 people died, and more than 10,000 others died from serious injuries, resulting in a sharp decrease of one-quarter of the population.
And this was only the beginning of the disaster.
Afterwards, because cracks appeared in many places outside the city, and the surrounding villages and towns were completely or partially destroyed, the surviving disaster victims began to gather in the prefectural city.
The lost population has been recovered, and has even grown to a number greater than before the earthquake.
However, Liu Wenxie sent messages to other prefectures by carrier pigeon and learned that there were earthquakes in various places, but he could not get in touch with the higher authorities.
With more mouths to feed in the city, but no harvest in the fields, and unable to buy grain from other regions, Liu Wenchi had no choice but to find his own solution to avoid mass starvation.
The first time, naturally, was to open the granaries for disaster relief.
Liu Wenchi was an honest official. While it's hard to say that everyone under his jurisdiction was as upright as him, at least no major problems arose within his jurisdiction. As a result, the granaries in the prefectural city were full.
By having the disaster victims from outside the city help clear the ruins and repair the damaged city walls, and by providing them with food through a work-for-relief program, the chaotic order was quickly restored.
But as temperatures rise, life in the city becomes increasingly difficult.
Just by listening to the names Yunjiang and Luochuan, you can tell that Yunjiang Prefecture is not short of water.
The vast Yunjiang River stretches almost the entire prefecture. Even as the extreme heat caused the water level to drop significantly, there was still enough water for everyone to drink.
But the weather is too hot, and the number of people suffering from heatstroke is constantly increasing. First, it was the elderly and children with weak constitutions who had health problems, and later women and some middle-aged people also began to fall ill. The population is decreasing every day.
Midway through, some grain merchants inflated prices to profit from the disaster, which angered Liu Wenchi so much that he arrested the merchants and confiscated all the grain they held.
As more and more disaster victims continued to pour in, disputes arose, and Liu Wenchi took the opportunity to issue new regulations.
After the people in the city run out of their own food reserves, they can come to the prefectural city every day to receive relief food. The amount is not much, just enough to keep people from starving.
Some burly thugs, unable to feed themselves, resort to robbing others. If discovered or reported, they are immediately expelled from the city without exception!
Such ruthless methods reduced conflict in the city and ensured that the people could actually eat the food they were allocated.
Those who were truly starving were encouraged to leave the city and find ways to gather wild vegetables, dig for mushrooms, or hunt.
If you can't get anything and the food provided by the government isn't enough, and you unfortunately starve to death, then you can only say it's fate.
Later, in order to increase revenue, Liu Wenchi stipulated that disaster victims from outside the city who wanted to enter the city needed to hand over some food, and that the subsequent accommodation expenses also needed to be paid for with food, which added a source of income to the prefectural city.
Hearing this, Lu Xuan felt that this model was very similar to some small-scale safe bases in the post-apocalyptic world.
Liu Ziming's voice was somewhat heavy, "Although order has been restored to normal overall, human power is ultimately unable to withstand the power of natural disasters. Every day, hundreds or even thousands of people die from heat and hunger, and on the hottest days, thousands of people die every day."
At this point, the other officials' expressions turned somewhat grim.
The population increase brought by the influx of migrants decreased rapidly due to the extremely hot climate. By the end of the hottest season, the population of the prefecture city was less than 180,000.
When the rainy season arrived, the temperature plummeted, and the temperature difference between before and after was too great, causing many people to fall ill. At that time, the city's stock of medicinal herbs was also running low, and naturally, many more people died.
The hailstorm that occurred in the middle of the year also caused another number of deaths and injuries in the prefectural city.
In short, people kept dying, dying, and dying again, until the officials in the government office and the people in the city became numb to it all.
If there's anything to be thankful for, it's that the city is situated on higher ground and has well-developed drainage systems. Even after continuous heavy rains, there wasn't much standing water in the city. When the flood came, only a small part of the outer areas were submerged, and apart from serious roof leaks, other areas were largely unaffected.
The flood even brought a good catch of fish to the city, giving the people who were short of food a much-needed boost.
The extreme cold of the frigid season was just as intense as the extreme heat, and many disaster victims froze to death. In particular, those who came from surrounding villages and towns did not have many supplies. Even though the prefectural city provided shelters, many people still did not survive.
The population has decreased again to 160,000.
The impact of the polar night itself is not significant; the people in the city have stockpiles of oil lamps and candles, so there will not be a shortage in the short term.
The problem of emotional anxiety arising from prolonged periods of good living, as seen in Yunlu Village, does not exist in Luochuan.
The biggest trouble still comes from attacks by large herds of beasts that appear out of nowhere.
Liu Ziming said in a deep voice, "As long as we guard the gap in the city wall that collapsed during the earthquake, the jackals and tigers won't be able to break in after the city gates are closed in other directions. The trouble will be the birds, snakes, insects and rodents."
During the polar night, the city is dimly lit, and if you are not careful, you may be bitten by birds of prey that suddenly appear. Young children may even be carried away or captured.
An adult's weight wouldn't be enough to grab them, but being grabbed in mid-air and then falling would likely result in death or serious injury.
Needless to say, snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
The city walls were no match for them. People were bitten by venomous snakes, bitten to death by swarms of rats, and covered in wounds from ant swarms. These seemingly insignificant creatures caused even more harm to the people than wild beasts.
Master Liu sighed, "If it weren't for General Chu leading the garrison to resist, the damage in the city would have been even greater."
Lu Xuan paused, "A garrison?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com