Chapter 59 Plague: The Pharmacy
benefactor!
The three of them thoroughly searched the inn from top to bottom, but apart from the accumulated dust and the occasional small insect, they found nothing unusual.
Dejected, the group returned to the main hall on the first floor.
"Yueying is truly despicable!" Wang Shanyue angrily slammed his fist on the white wall, then turned and said, "Since we have confirmed that this plague is related to her, why don't we just go to Nanyue and eliminate this scourge!"
Tang Yu looked around and shook her head calmly: "She only left us with the words 'See you in Nan Yue,' which was meant to lure us there. But we know nothing about where Nan Yue is or how powerful she is. Going there rashly would not only put us at a disadvantage, but also put us in a passive position."
“That’s absolutely right.” Xiao Fangliang nodded in agreement, tapping his palm lightly with his folding fan. “Now that Xia Nan is plagued by the Gu, she has taken the initiative to leave clues. Whether it’s a conspiracy or a provocation, we should deal with this matter first, which will at least give us some initiative.”
Wang Shanyue frowned: "But we have no leads on this inn. How are we supposed to investigate next?"
Tang Yu pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "This inn is the earliest origin of the Gu plague. The corpses have been dead for a long time, and the Gu worms are long gone, so the information we have is indeed limited. Now, perhaps we should start with those who are still alive and those who have recently been in contact with people from the Southern Frontier. We should be able to find some new clues."
“That’s right!” Wang Shanyue immediately perked up and suggested, “Then let’s go back to the palace now and ask Prince Xia Nan to help us find out who has recently crossed the border.”
“That’s not appropriate.” Tang Yu shook his head helplessly. “You saw it yourself. It was already difficult for us to find someone to guide us today. Although there were old servants in the manor, it was only because of the prince’s pressure that they did it. It wasn’t their own choice. This shows that the Xia Nan Prince’s manor is short-handed. With everyone in a state of panic, it would be really difficult to force people to go to that place that might be the ‘source of poison’.”
“Indeed…” Wang Shanyue nodded as he listened, but then scratched his head and asked, “It makes sense, but if we don’t ask King Xia Nan for help, how will we find the person who carried the Gu poison? Or… should I go door to door asking?”
“No need.” Tang Yu’s lips curled up slightly, the heaviness in her expression fading away, and her usual smile finally appeared. “We can just look for a pharmacy that’s still open, or a doctor who’s still on duty.”
"Why?" Wang Shanyue asked, puzzled.
Xiao Fangliang countered, "In this time of great turmoil and fear for the city, who would dare to risk going out to seek medical treatment?"
Tang Yu nodded and explained, "Aside from a few who are truly terminally ill, at this point, only those who have been to or have been to the southern border are willing to take the risk in order to survive."
"I see!" Wang Shanyue exclaimed in realization.
Tang Yu looked up at the gray sky outside the inn and sighed, "We should not delay and go to the main street to investigate immediately."
The two nodded and immediately left the desolate inn together.
*
The streets of Xia Nan were deserted, like a ruined city.
The wind swirled withered autumn leaves across the ground, while the three of them searched along the long street.
Unsurprisingly, most shops had their doors and windows tightly closed, and even those few that still had signs indicating they were open had their doors half-closed.
After knocking on the door, the people inside didn't dare to open it to customers, only speaking through the door, very wary. Upon learning that the group wasn't there to make purchases, they slammed the door shut, waving their hands repeatedly, unwilling to say anything more.
In the vast city of Xia Nan, the three searched for nearly half an hour before finally finding the pharmacy with its door slightly ajar in a somewhat secluded back alley.
Peering through the crack in the door, the pharmacy was small, with neatly arranged wooden cabinets and a pleasant aroma of medicine. A slender young doctor, his face covered with a white cloth, stood in front of the cabinets, dispensing medicine with his head down.
Hearing the knock, he looked up at the door and, seeing that a guest had arrived, hurriedly went to open it.
Unlike the shopkeepers who had previously closed their doors in fear, he did not inquire through the door, nor did he intend to drive them away. Instead, he stepped aside and invited them into the shop.
His voice, muffled by the fabric, was slightly low: "May I ask if you are here to inquire about medicine or to seek medical help?"
Although only half of his face could be seen, the man before him had deep-set brow bones and distinct features, clearly characteristic of people from Southern Xinjiang. However, his eyes and hair were black, suggesting that he was of mixed Southern Xinjiang and Great Xia descent, consistent with Tang Yu's disguise.
Perhaps that's why he's not afraid.
"Thank you, doctor." Tang Yu bowed slightly and said politely, "Actually, we didn't come here for treatment, but rather to ask you about some things."
The doctor was slightly surprised, but still politely returned the greeting: "You're too kind, young lady. May I ask what brings you here?"
"Recently, a plague has spread throughout the city. We, travelers on the martial arts world, have come here to investigate its source," Tang Yu probed. "I wonder if anyone has come seeking treatment or medicine recently?"
Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed in the young doctor's eyes, and he sighed, "So that's why. To be honest, fellow chivalrous men, while some other shops are still open for business, almost all the clinics and pharmacies in Xia Nan are now closing down to protect themselves."
Wang Shanyue frowned: "But what if someone really gets seriously ill?"
"I can only leave a note and some money with the shopkeeper and come back to pick up the medicine the next day." He sighed with a hint of sadness in his expression. "I only risked opening the shop because I was afraid that patients would have nowhere to turn."
“It’s a pity… I have half Southern Xinjiang blood. If I weren’t truly desperate, ordinary people wouldn’t bother coming to my door.” He thought for a moment, then continued, “However, in the past few days, a few patients have indeed come. Among them, three of them didn’t buy ordinary medicine for colds and flu, but asked me to get them some medicine to treat the epidemic.”
Tang Yu hurriedly asked, "Do you know where these three people live?"
"I really don't know exactly where he lives..." He shook his head.
Just as their hopes were rising, upon hearing this, all three couldn't help but show expressions of disappointment.
Upon seeing this, the doctor quickly waved his hand and explained, "Please don't misunderstand, what I mean is that although I don't know, it doesn't mean I can't help you."
Tang Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Oh? What do you mean?"
"That's right. I often travel to various parts of Great Xia, so I'm not familiar with the residents of the city. Although I recognize the faces of two of them, I don't know where they live."
He first looked apologetic, then said sincerely, "However, my father has lived in Xia Nan City for a long time and is very familiar with the neighbors. Please wait here for a moment, and I will go and invite my father out. He may know."
The three thanked them, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
A moment later, the young doctor lifted the curtain from the back room, and a young woman came out to support an elderly man with white hair and beard who was still in good spirits.
The woman was about twenty years old. Although she was dressed in plain coarse cloth and her mouth and nose were covered with a white cloth, one could tell at a glance that she was a beauty from the southern border region just by looking at her deep eyebrows and clear, lake-like blue eyes.
She first helped the old man sit down, and as she turned around, her gaze inadvertently swept over Tang Yu and the others, and she suddenly froze.
Those emerald eyes widened instantly, staring at Tang Yu for a long time. A mixture of surprise and excitement washed over her as she took a few steps forward, her voice trembling slightly: "My benefactor!"
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Xiao Fangliang and Wang Shanyue looked at each other in bewilderment, while Tang Yu stood there, completely confused.
"You are..." she began uncertainly, trying to recall the woman's appearance.
The woman from the southern border hurriedly said, "Don't you remember? About three months ago, in Zhongjing, at the Beauty Market."
Tang Yu was taken aback.
Because the other person had covered their mouth and nose with a white cloth, she didn't recognize them at first. After being reminded, she immediately remembered: "You're the girl who almost got eaten by a wild beast with me back then."
"Exactly!" The woman smiled excitedly and nodded emphatically.
Tang Yu was both surprised and delighted.
It was only thanks to this girl that the monitor lizard was distracted that she had time to deal with the gray wolf; otherwise, the two of them would have likely perished in the ruins.
But then, she was overwhelmed by even greater doubts: "How did you end up in the Southern Frontier? Weren't you all taken away by Lu Sizheng back then? Why would he release you so easily?"
Given Lu Ya's ruthless and cruel nature, and his disregard for human life, he would never have the heart to easily let these innocent and pitiful girls from southern Xinjiang go.
so……
Tang Yu had a vague guess in her mind.
The girl with blue eyes nodded vigorously, her voice trembling, "You're right. After that official took us away, he tortured us severely. But we were just sold to the beauty market, how could we know any secrets related to it?"
She paused, her eyes filled with both lingering fear of the past and deep gratitude: "But fortunately, it was General Xie who came to rescue you back then. It was him who got us out of prison."
Sure enough... Tang Yu's heart stirred slightly.
"General Xie not only rescued us, but also gave each of us some money and told us not to trust bad people again, to find a safe place, and to start a new life."
At this point, the blue-eyed woman's voice choked with emotion. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and after calming herself down, she continued, "I... I am not from the Great Xia, and I have no identity or travel permit, so I thought I would head towards the Southern Frontier first. Later, I caught a cold on the way, and ran out of money. At that time, I was about to be kicked out by the innkeeper, but fortunately, I met Brother A Liang..."
As she spoke, she glanced shyly at the young man beside her.
Ah Liang smiled and continued, "At that time, she was seriously ill, penniless, and discriminated against because of her identity as a person from southern Xinjiang. I happened to be there, so it was only natural that I should lend a helping hand."
He looked at the woman tenderly: "Later, I learned that Yan Keli was all alone and would have no one to rely on even if she returned to the Southern Frontier. Since the family pharmacy needed help and my father was getting old and wanted to find someone to take care of him, I brought her back to Xia Nan with me."
Yan Keli blushed and whispered, "That's right. I'm living here now, taking care of my father and also helping out at the pharmacy."
Her voice was soft, and her eyes radiated peace and contentment, a stark contrast to her terrified and helpless demeanor in the arena.
Tang Yu looked at the blush of happiness on her face and understood. She was also genuinely happy that she had found such a home after going through so much hardship.
Even stronger than the joy was another kind of indescribable emotion and excitement.
She clearly remembered that at the time, she was dissatisfied with Xie Xingzheng for easily letting Lu Ya take away these women from the southern border. She not only resented his "inaction," but also spoke sarcastically in anger.
But later, other things kept happening, and since he was already carefree, he had long forgotten about these girls from southern Xinjiang who had "entered the tiger's den".
Unexpectedly, what everyone else had forgotten, someone else had kept in mind all along.
Tang Yu didn't know what price or method he had to pay to persuade Lu Ya to let the girls go.
But she knew it would definitely not be simple or easy.
Contrary to what they say, some people may appear cold and indifferent on the surface, but they possess an unparalleled sensitivity and gentleness in their hearts.
He really... doesn't look like a battle-hardened general at all.
I wonder how tiring life must be for someone like him.
[Author's Note]
(Yesterday was Halloween, Happy Halloween everyone!)
Author: Let me ask the male and female protagonists, what kind of ghost is the other in your eyes?
Tang Yu (quickly answers): I have a guilty conscience!
Xie Xingzheng (confused): What's wrong with me?
Tang Yu: Me, this "cute little devil"!
author:......
(Okay, no need to ask the other one :p)
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