Chapter 72: Meeting an Old Friend [Update 1]
This discovery made everyone in the group suppress the relaxation that came from the imminent arrival of their goal, and an ominous premonition lingered in their hearts.
Are they suffering from ordinary seasonal coughs, or are they suffering from an epidemic similar to that suffered by the people in the village?
Several people wanted to huddle together and keep as much distance as possible from the people queuing outside the city.
The big boss walked up to the guard at the city gate and stuffed a large bag of money into his pocket, in exchange for the opportunity to enter the city early. No one dared to stop at all, and hurriedly mounted their horses and trotted into the city. They did not dare to take a deep breath until they were away from the crowd.
Wang Li steered his horse closer and lowered his voice, "We didn't dare to speak outside the city just now. Are they...?"
Weishengxue looked back and saw a huge crowd of people through the wide-open city gate. Most of them were poor people who couldn't even afford medicine. It was the busy farming season after spring plowing, but those who relied on the fields for their livelihood were not working in the fields but were running into the city instead.
This alone is weird enough.
But because they were concerned about the people in the village, they did not delay here and rode their horses directly to the nearest pharmacy.
“A lot of people.”
There was a huge crowd in front of the pharmacy, almost breaking down the threshold.
"Is the doctor here holding a free clinic? There are too many people." Wang Li pulled the reins and took two steps back.
The eldest master's face was already very ugly. "No, this family is notoriously stingy and would never allow a doctor to do such a thing that doesn't make money."
It is obvious what these people who come to the pharmacy are doing.
The situation down the mountain might be worse than they expected.
"Haven't you been down the mountain for a long time?" Otherwise, how could they be so ignorant of these things? Considering the scale of the village, they are more or less the local tyrants.
The eldest leader said, "During the spring plowing season some time ago, the strong laborers in the village were busy in the fields. They've only recently been free, so they came down the mountain to add some unexpected wealth."
He spoke so openly about the robbery that they didn't even bother to ask any further questions.
The fake doctor dismounted and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve. It was filled with the missing medicinal materials that he and Doctor Yao had sorted out after working all night.
"No matter what, we have to replenish some medicinal herbs."
He is a regular customer here. Sometimes he would send the extra medicinal herbs he dug up in the mountains here for exchange. Besides, as they are both disciples of a medical family, they have some kind of relationship.
The fake doctor walked into the pharmacy. The medicine boy he saw at the door every time he came was no longer there. Instead, his delicate voice came from behind the counter. From what he heard, he was dispensing medicine for the customers.
Oh, it’s similar medicine, most of which promote sweating and prevent cold.
As an experienced doctor, he only needed to listen to a few of the herbs used to roughly deduce the patient's ailment. He stood there for a while and then walked out. "Most of the ailments in these families are similar to those in the mountains. We need to buy medicine as soon as possible, otherwise I'm afraid there won't be even a scrap left."
The eldest boss pondered for a moment and looked at Wei Shengxue: "I suggest that we split up into several groups and go to all the pharmacies in the city and buy as much as we can."
This was a good suggestion and everyone agreed. Since the people in the convoy did not know the locations of the major pharmacies, they separated and formed teams with the people from the mountain village, to supervise each other and also to lead the way.
This is a fairly prosperous city, but medicine has its own entry threshold. After learning, it takes a long time just to accumulate experience. Therefore, there are not many pharmacies and clinics in the city, and it only took them about an hour to walk back.
A few people looked at the small packages in each other's hands. They couldn't even make up a big bag when added together. Compared with the gaps in the village, it could be said that even if they hit them, they wouldn't make much splash.
"What should we do? We don't even have medicinal materials. How can we treat those patients?" The copycat doctor looked at the few medicinal materials on hand, and pinched the list with such force that his knuckles turned white.
"Where in the city is the place that sells vegetables?"
Wei Shengxue recalled a recipe she had seen in some document. "Some spices can also be used to induce sweating. Bringing some back with you is better than nothing."
As soon as she said that, the fake doctor also remembered the information, and his originally gloomy expression instantly brightened up. "Yes, I remember now, there is such a prescription. Let's go to the vegetable market!"
So the group went to the vegetable market again.
They spent most of the day in the city, and only returned to the agreed location dragging their bags as the sun began to set.
At this time, the city gates were not far from closing, and they could not spend another night in the city, so they did not stay and drove their horses out of the city.
When he was halfway through the race and about to turn, the cottage doctor suddenly pulled the reins.
“Ouch—”
"I know there's an uninhabited village at the foot of a mountain. Herbalists often stop there, and there might be herbs that haven't been delivered to the city. Why don't we try our luck there?"
Everyone else looked at Wei Shengxue. As the mainstay of the team, although she had been reducing her presence along the way, at this time, everyone subconsciously sought her advice.
"Herbs are essential for curing illnesses, and just for the possibility, it's worth the trip."
Wei Shengxue spread his spiritual consciousness in all directions, but it expanded without direction and gained nothing except increasing consumption. "Doctor, please lead the way."
There is still some time before dark. If the distance is not far, maybe we can still make it back to the village tonight.
"Okay, let's go this way." The cottage doctor didn't waste any words and turned his horse around and galloped forward.
Wang Li frowned, clicked his tongue lightly, but said nothing, and followed him with his whip.
After running for about half an hour, Weishengxue heard voices gradually becoming clearer.
She slowed down and asked, "Are there many people staying here?"
The village doctor quickly replied, "Very rarely. There are ferocious beasts in the nearby mountains. They won't stay here unless they miss the right time and don't have time to leave."
That's why he said he came here to try his luck.
"There are quite a few people gathered about two or three miles ahead." Wei Shengxue sensed carefully.
The boss guessed: "Maybe it's a convoy passing by and taking a rest?"
"Maybe." Wei Shengxue wasn't sure either. "Let's go and take a look."
…
A young woman was wearing a plain linen robe without any decorations except for a "mountain"-shaped grass leaf embroidered on the hem with green linen rope. The waist and cuffs were carefully tied with plain linen cloth. She was dressed very neatly.
She walked into the house holding a clay pot, carefully placed it on the table, and gently stirred the pot with a spoon. The unique bitter smell of the medicine spread throughout the room.
"Everyone, come and take your medicine."
The environment inside the house was very simple. The only furniture was the table on which she placed the pottery jars. However, the house was not empty at all. Instead, dozens of people were crowded together.
The flat straw mat had been tossed and turned into a mess. The people lying on it had numb expressions and blank eyes, like breathing corpses. Only when they heard the sound of drinking medicine did their chests rise and fall slightly.
The young woman at the table knocked on the edge of the pottery jar with a spoon. The slightly harsh sound made the person lying down reluctantly get up.
They floated to the table like ghosts, stood crowded together, waiting for her and her companions to fill bowls with medicinal soup and hand them to them, then drank it all in one gulp and returned the bowls. No one said a word during the whole process, and the whole room was filled with a depressing and heavy atmosphere.
When the young woman and her companions had packed up the bowls and pots and were about to leave the house, a low, self-loathing voice came from inside the house: "Doctor Xia, please leave me alone and let me die."
The young woman, Doctor Xia, turned around angrily upon hearing this. When she saw the speaker's sunken cheeks, chapped lips, and dead eyes, she finally said nothing and pulled her companion out of the room.
She handed the pottery jar to her companion next to her, carefully closed the door, and then left with her.
After she walked a distance away and made sure that no one here could hear her, she sighed heavily, and the worry between her brows was exposed without any cover.
"Sister Jianjia, we are the immortal's students, how can we lose heart? We have been here for so long, and we will definitely not be able to leave after we report. Why don't we try a few more prescriptions? If we are lucky enough to solve the epidemic, we will leave our names in history."
Doctor Xia turned her head to look at her. Her childish face was filled with the same deep frustration as hers, but she still cheered herself up and tried to comfort her.
"If only the immortal were here, it would not be so difficult."
"This matter has been reported to Xianyang. If Your Majesty knows, it is equivalent to even the immortals knowing."
"Will the immortal come here? How long will it take for the immortal to lift the plague?"
The immortals would probably despise them for not learning well. They were clearly taught how to deal with infectious diseases, but they still couldn't control the disease.
"You two are back! How did they behave today? Did they take their medicine obediently?"
"Look, the medicine jar is empty. I guess everyone has taken the medicine."
Truckloads of medicinal herbs were piled up in this small camp. Several large pots were set up with fires burning underneath. The black soup in the pots was boiling, and from time to time, the medicinal herbs floating in the soup bubbled out.
"Stop ahead! No outsiders are allowed here!" A loud shout came from the village entrance.
The entire village here has been surrounded by fences. Apart from the patrol personnel, they only set up a sentry post at the head and tail of the village. The people who were alarmed now were obviously the on-duty personnel patrolling at the village entrance.
"Who's running here? Get them out of here! They're looking for death!"
"Let Xia Jianjia come out to see me." Several people heard a very familiar voice.
…
Wei Shengxue followed the fake doctor all the way, but as the distance shortened, she realized that the small positioning she had made with her spiritual power seemed to be a little close, and it was getting closer and closer.
That was a guarantee she gave to the students in the training class. They were extremely weak during normal practice, but if they were in danger of their lives, they would send her their location information. Although they would most likely be dead by the time she arrived, at least there would be someone to collect their bodies (bushi
One, two, three...nine!
There are nine students now. She only taught 32 people in her last class! This already accounts for nearly one-third of them!
She suddenly remembered that she had heard Shao Lan say that Xia Wuqie's granddaughter Xia Jianjia had formed a medical team last year and traveled around Xianyang to treat patients, like a traveling doctor.
"After the New Year, Sister Jianjia ran away with the traveling medical team, which made old doctor Xia very angry. I heard from my grandfather that he was scolding her even before the court meeting started, and started to blame her for being willful after it ended." Shaolan's words were ringing in his ears.
Wei Shengxue thought that she must have met Xia Jianjia and her group who came here to practice medicine.
Pulling the reins to the horse, she released her spiritual sense and looked around, and several familiar faces appeared in her perception.
Riding her horse to the entrance, she raised her voice and said loudly, "Let Xia Jianjia come out to see me."
——Let me see how great my dear students are!
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