Holding the steaming hot pheasant and mushroom soup in her hands, feeling the warmth in her palms, Lu Qiqi realized that the tall soldier had stopped her to cut in line and give her a bowl of hot soup.
"Thank you," said Lu Qiqi, her eyes stinging from the white mist.
The tall soldier raised his chin and said casually, "They should thank you for the dried mushrooms you gave them."
Lu Qiqi glanced at the doctors queuing up to receive hot soup, said nothing, and carried the soup back to the carriage.
The soup made with pheasant and dried shiitake mushrooms was delicious and not greasy. After drinking a bowl of the soup, Lu Qiqi felt extremely comfortable.
She drank the last mouthful of hot soup with gusto, and Li Changlong and Zhou Yicai each returned with a bowl of hot soup.
Lu Qiqi glanced at the soup in Li Changlong's bowl; there wasn't a single piece of meat or bone, nor any dried mushrooms.
Thinking back to the meager amount of mushrooms and chicken in her bowl, she felt a little ashamed. She should have left some for herself.
Li Changlong and Zhou Yi witnessed Lu Qiqi accept the hot soup offered by the soldiers, so they didn't refuse it to Lu Qiqi anymore. They sat down on the ground and ate the soup with a bite of flatbread and a sip of hot soup.
As night fell, Li Changlong urged Lu Qiqi to get into the carriage to rest and recharge. Before they even reached Heshun Prefecture, the cool night breeze had already knocked them over.
Lu Qiqi wasn't that delicate, but Li Changlong treated her like a precious flower. It was nice to be pampered, so Lu Qiqi didn't say anything more and got into the carriage.
It was inappropriate for two grown men, Li Changlong and Zhou Yi, to squeeze into a carriage with Lu Qiqi. It wouldn't sound good if word got out, and it would also damage Lu Qiqi's reputation.
So the two grown men took a thin blanket from the carriage, wrapped it tightly around themselves, and spent a cool night together.
The next morning, the officers and soldiers urged everyone to continue their journey.
Lu Qiqi slept soundly last night and felt incredibly refreshed today. Taking advantage of a moment when everyone was available, she went into her spatial dimension to wash up.
When she came out, she had a water bag filled with spiritual spring water, which she gave to Li Changlong and Zhou Yi to drink.
The spring water has detoxifying properties, and hopefully it can boost their immunity before we reach Heshun Prefecture.
It took Lu Qiqi and her group more than two days to escape from Heshun Prefecture to Luzhou Prefecture. The journey was slowed down because everyone in Lijia Village walked on foot and they were accompanied by a group of elderly, weak, women and children.
Nowadays, to get to Heshun Prefecture, one either rides a horse or takes a horse-drawn carriage, which greatly shortens the time, and one can reach the destination in just one and a half days.
Lu Qiqi and her group were ordered off the carriage by the soldiers.
After getting off the carriage, Lu Qiqi saw a gatehouse with a plaque that read "Tianxin Village".
There were also rows of soldiers, wearing black masks, standing guard in perfect unison.
Lu Qiqi handed the masks she had prepared to Li Changlong and Zhou Yi.
Even Wangcai was given a black mask by Lu Qiqi.
Wangcai had never been restrained like this before. After struggling for a few moments, he was calmed down after Lu Qiqi tapped him on the head and obediently put on the mask.
Lu Qiqi found it amusing to see Wangcai's resentful little eyes.
The carriages lined up and were led away by the soldiers. Lu Qiqi and her companions' carriage had driven itself there and was not under the jurisdiction of the government, so it was left behind.
Among the group, only Lu Qiqi and her group had a carriage beside them, which drew scrutinizing glances from many people.
The tall soldier spoke a few words to a man sitting on the fence, who was about thirty or forty meters tall, and then walked back to the fence.
"I'll take you this far. The room is full of patients with infectious diseases. We'll have to rely on you doctors from now on!"
The tall officer solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute; this scene would move even the most ruthless person.
What's more, these doctors who are about to go to their deaths!
Fortunately, the tall soldiers had prepared plenty of food and water for them.
The doctors, carrying food and water, strolled into Tianxin Village after the soldiers released the fence.
As she passed the tall soldier, Lu Qiqi paused and asked, "If there's a way to treat this, how can I seek help?"
The tall soldier's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "Write down what you need on a piece of paper and post it under the gate tower. We will provide it as quickly as possible."
Lu Qiqi nodded and said, "How should I address you, sir? If there is any emergency, I can ask you to come here by name."
"He Jun!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi didn't linger any longer and followed the others into Tianxin Village.
As you walk into the village, it’s easy to see that Tianxin Village is a prosperous village.
White walls and green tiles, even the two-story wooden houses are carved with exquisite floral patterns.
They entered the village and walked for quite a while, but didn't see a single person.
Even if there is a plague, as long as the village is not wiped out, it is impossible for not a single person to be seen. There must be a reason for this, and there must be something strange about it.
Further in, everyone saw a building that looked like an ancestral hall, which was very grand and magnificent.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Qiqi smelled a smoky, fiery odor.
Not only Lu Qiqi smelled it, but the other doctors also smelled it.
Among the younger doctors leading the way, one of them, dressed in white, mustered his courage and said, "Let's all follow the smell and go take a look. Wandering around the village like headless flies like this isn't going to work."
Upon hearing this, the other doctors also agreed.
The situation is unclear, so Lu Qiqi and the others naturally just follow what everyone else does.
Furthermore, she also wanted to know where this strong smell came from.
The smell was a bit strange, somewhat like the smell of incense burning and praying in a temple, mixed with something else.
However, they could not detect the presence of any sleeping pills or poisons.
With so many doctors gathered, none of them found anything unusual, which piqued Lu Qiqi's curiosity.
As we approached the ancestral hall, the smell grew stronger.
Immediately afterwards, a large group of people rushed out of the ancestral hall, frightening the doctors into hiding.
The leader was a burly man with his shirt off, followed by a line of strong men, the elderly, women and children.
The only thing they all have in common is that they all have a cynical and outrageous face!
The burly man at the head of the group clearly saw Lu Qiqi and her companions, but he merely glanced at them indifferently, as if they were inanimate objects, without any change in his facial expression or any unusual reaction.
He strode forward, heading in the direction where Lu Qiqi and the others had entered the village.
Lu Qiqi watched the villagers of Tianxin Village walking by, and two of them caught her attention.
A seven or eight-year-old boy was being led by a woman. They were both pale-faced, their legs felt weak, and they walked unsteadily.
In the dim light, Lu Qiqi heard the little boy ask, "Mom, will we die?"
A woman with disheveled hair and dry, chapped lips lovingly patted the little boy's head and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go a little further back, you won't die."
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