Chapter 33: A Shock
As he spoke, he sprinkled the powder evenly around everyone. The fine dust raised by the powder emitted a unique pungent smell in the miasma.
Lin Mu also gripped the crossbow tightly, with the arrow already on the string. He scanned the surroundings with his eyes like a falcon, and the arrowhead flashed coldly under the dim light of the forest.
He said in a deep voice, "Don't panic, everyone. If there's any movement, I'll shoot a few arrows at it to test its strength."
Lin Xiyan calmed down, picked up a thick branch from the ground, and carefully pushed aside the grass, saying:
"Let's be careful and try not to startle them. Let's quickly pick the patchouli and leave."
At this moment, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Just as everyone was concentrating on dealing with the snakes, a low roar suddenly came from the bushes not far away.
Like the roar of a tiger or a bear, the sound echoed in the quiet and gloomy forest, startling the birds and causing them to scatter and the branches to rustle.
"Oh no, there might be other ferocious beasts!"
Xu Yichen's face was pale, and he held the small hoe for collecting herbs tightly in his hand.
Everyone stood back to back in a circle, staring nervously at the source of the sound.
I saw the branches and leaves shaking, and a huge black shadow slowly appeared. When I saw its appearance clearly, it turned out to be a sturdy black-striped cheetah.
Its eyes were dark green, like will-o'-the-wisp, and its muscles were tense.
Jiang Moyu took a deep breath, held the sword horizontally in front of him, lowered his body, took a defensive stance, and squeezed out the words from between his teeth:
"This beast is not easy to deal with, everyone please don't act rashly."
The cheetah stopped a few steps away from the crowd, arched its body, ready to attack, and let out a series of intimidating snoring sounds from its mouth.
Suddenly, it pounced like an arrow, aiming directly at Lin Xiyan.
Lin Muyi was quick-witted and shot an arrow with a whoosh. The arrowhead brushed past the cheetah's shoulder blade. Although it did not seriously injure it, it successfully led it off course.
At this time, Jiang Moyu threw a bomb, causing the black panther to howl in pain.
"Hurry up and pick some patchouli!"
Taking advantage of this gap, Lin Xiyan shouted, bent down and quickly picked the life-saving patchouli plants.
The tender stems and leaves of Patchouli were pulled out by the roots in her hands, and the dirt fell off.
Xu Yichen also hurriedly squatted down to help pick the fruits, while paying attention to the movements around him.
Jiang Moyu and Lin Muyi continued to brandish their weapons, dealing with the cheetah that pounced on them again. Swords flashed, bowstrings rang, and every confrontation was fraught with danger.
The cheetah was enraged and its attacks became more fierce. Its sharp claws swept through the air, causing a whistling sound, and it almost scratched the two men several times.
Just when Lin Xiyan and Xu Yichen had collected enough patchouli and stood up to leave, the ground under their feet suddenly became loose, as if something was moving underground.
"This might be a swamp!" Lin Xiyan shouted.
Fortunately, Lin Xiyan was not trapped too deeply, and everyone worked together to pull her out.
"We have a solution! We will lure the cheetah here, and it will be trapped in this swamp!"
Xu Yichen suddenly had an idea, "You guys go first, I'll lure it here."
Lin Xiyan's heart suddenly tightened when she heard this:
"Master Xu, absolutely not! That cheetah is extremely ferocious. This is too dangerous!"
Jiang Moyu also frowned, grabbed Xu Yichen's arm, and said solemnly:
"Brother Xu, don't act rashly. We can find another way. How can we let you take this risk alone?"
Lin Muyi also looked at him with concern.
Xu Yichen, however, looked determined and said comfortingly:
"Please don't try to persuade me any further. The epidemic in the city is raging. We cannot afford to delay any longer. If we delay for a moment, more lives will be lost.
I've been collecting herbs in the wild mountains and ridges since I was a child, and I'm quite familiar with the paths in this wild forest. I have some confidence in luring this beast away. Take Huoxiang away quickly, and don't let my efforts go to waste."
After saying this, he pulled out a dagger from his backpack and held it tightly in his hand.
Lin Muyi gritted his teeth, put the arrow on his crossbow, and said in a deep voice, "Master Xu, I will cover you from the side."
After saying that, he flashed and hid in a bush, ready to strike.
The cheetah seemed to have noticed something unusual happening here. Its dark green eyes fixed on everyone, and its snoring became more and more rapid.
Jiang Moyu suddenly raised his hand and threw the explosive pack in his hand towards the cheetah.
The cheetah was frightened and roared.
Xu Yichen took the opportunity to shout loudly, waving the dagger in his hand to attract the cheetah's attention, and ran towards the swamp.
"Come on, you beast!"
The cheetah was completely enraged. It swung its long tail and chased after Xu Yichen like black lightning.
Lin Mu also seized the opportunity and shot an arrow with a whoosh. The arrowhead accurately pierced the cheetah's hind leg. The cheetah felt pain and roared so loudly that the birds in the forest fled in panic.
But it only paused for a moment before rushing towards Xu Yichen like crazy again.
"Mr. Xu, be careful!"
Lin Xiyan was extremely anxious.
Seeing that the cheetah was close to the swamp, Xu Yichen deliberately slowed down his pace, causing the cheetah to fly towards him.
Just as the cheetah leaped into the air with its claws extended, he rolled to the side with all his strength, and the cheetah's huge body rushed into the swamp due to inertia.
His limbs instantly sank into the mud, and he let out bursts of desperate roars.
Lin Mu also rushed to Xu Yichen's side, stretched out his hand to pull him up. Both of them were panting, their clothes soaked with sweat and mud. They looked in a mess but laughed at each other.
"Brother Xu, you are so brave!"
"Brother Lin's archery skills are amazing, and he has helped me a lot!"
After everyone left the wild forest, Lin Xiyan ignored her fatigue and hurriedly sorted and organized the patchouli she had gathered. She handed it to Xu Yichen and said solemnly, "Master Xu, please return to the city to rescue the people. If you need help later, please come find me."
Xu Yichen took it and bowed deeply: "Miss Lin is so kind. The people of Nanyan City will remember your kindness in their hearts. I will take my leave first. When the epidemic subsides, I will repay you generously!"
"Remember, patients and doctors must wear masks to cover their mouths and noses during treatment!"
"Okay, thank you Miss Lin for the reminder!"
After saying this, he mounted his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.
Lin Xiyan looked at his receding back, her heart filled with worry and expectation, silently praying that the epidemic could be contained as soon as possible.
When they returned to the camp, before anyone could catch their breath, they heard the sound of hurried horse hooves coming from afar.
Everyone stood up alertly, only to see a horse galloping to the front of the camp. The man on the horse dismounted and it was Jin Yunci.
He was dressed in official uniform, and his expression was hurried, yet it could not hide his usual cunning. His eyes swept across everyone's faces, finally landing on Lin Xiyan, and he said with a forced smile:
"Miss Lin, it's been a while since we last met. I heard you helped the Xu Clinic find patchouli to treat the epidemic, so I, the treasurer of this prefecture, came to express my gratitude. However, the epidemic in this city is of great importance, and I still need your assistance in many follow-up matters."
Although his words were polite, the depths of his eyes seemed to conceal endless calculations, which made people's backs chill.
"Okay, then I'll go with you to the city to take a look." Lin Xiyan was not at all shy. She got on her own carriage and prepared to enter the city.
Jiang Moyu was riding a horse in front of the car, while Lin Muyi was analyzing the flu with Lin Xiyan in the car.
However, the disease spread faster than expected, and some elderly and weak people became increasingly ill and bedridden.
These people were sent to quarantine camps for centralized management.
Lin Xiyan arrived at the quarantine camp and immediately saw Xu Yichen busying around in the crowd.
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