Jiang Qiao sat down and looked up at Song Shutian. "Speak, what news have you received this time?"
Song Shutian smiled and shook his head. "You kid, you're not funny at all. How did you know I had something to do?"
Jiang Qiao snorted, "You came all this way covered in dust and wind, and you still ran out with me. The car even stopped for a rest, and you're not tired yet? There must be something wrong. Tell me, what is it? Are there enemy agents on the move?"
Song Shutian shook his head. "I just received news that the number of missing persons has increased recently."
Jiang Qiao said dismissively, "Is this strange? Our place is so big, with a large population. Some people visit relatives, some live in seclusion, some go out to beg for food, and some run away from home. There are all sorts of situations. This is not strange, is it?"
Song Shutian took a sip of water. "The situation you described certainly exists, but it's strange that people are disappearing without a trace, and that it involves children, the elderly, and adults of all ages."
Besides, there's no other reason; they just disappeared for no apparent reason. And the number is significantly higher than before. Don't you think that's suspicious?
Jiang Qiao is someone who returned from the war years, so relatively speaking, she doesn't know much about this situation.
"Were all the cases reported by family members on their own initiative?"
Song Shutian nodded. "Moreover, this area is quite large, not just a problem in one place. There are about a hundred or so of these people, and they've disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. That's what's strange. Think about it, could it be related to the human experiments conducted by the Japanese?"
At this, Jiang Qiao's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "The possibility you're talking about isn't nonexistent; in fact, it's more common than in previous years?"
Song Shutian nodded. "The refugees who were supposed to go back have all gone back. Under normal circumstances, since it's not mainly a criminal case, there shouldn't be so many cases all at once."
Logically, this matter shouldn't have reached our side yet, but I only found it strange after hearing about it from someone else.
"If it's really what I think, Jiang Qiao, what do you think they're up to, and where would they be?"
Jiang Qiao frowned, lowered her head, and remained silent for a long while. "If they are testing the drug, I really can't imagine where it is."
Normally, in the city, with people coming and going and neighbors all around, it's unlikely that you wouldn't attract attention if so many people suddenly appeared.
That can only be a remote place, an area they can control. That raises the question of food. With so many people, they can't possibly go without eating or drinking at all, right?
Where would they go in such a remote place that would be convenient for them to travel to, yet not pose a threat to their safety?
I honestly never expected this place. After all, I haven't traveled to that many places, and I've never seen anything like this before.
"Then where do you think these people might be?"
Song Shutian shook his head. "Well, I can't say for sure. In a little while, I'll have someone notify them to check where the population disappearance is concentrated and have them investigate."
Jiang Qiao snorted, "Have someone investigate as soon as possible. This is no small matter. If these people really discover some kind of monster, it will be too late to regret it then."
You've seen what's going on with that old Japanese devil—"
Jiang Qiao felt a bit restless and irritable, especially after hearing the news. She felt so stifled.
It's been so many years since liberation, yet these people are still allowed to continue to harm the people. No matter how she thinks about it, she finds it hateful and wishes she could just bleed them dry. Killing them would be too lenient.
Song Shutian picked up the book on the table, glanced at it, and said, "This is the book you mentioned that was left behind by our sect?"
Jiang Qiao nodded. "Take a look, can you understand it?"
Song Shutian gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I'm not a scholar of writing. These characters are like gibberish to me. You should study them yourself. As long as you figure them out, I'll benefit from it. Jiang Qiao, when can my brother leave you?"
Jiang Qiao thought for a moment and said, "It will take at least ten days. I'll leave some medicine and have the medical staff help with it. A month later, the new flesh on your brother's wound will slowly grow back. Remember, tell him not to rush. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone."
No matter how skilled I am, or how good my medicine is, his body is still made of flesh and blood. It takes time for him to think things through. I don't think I'll leave any aftereffects, including the wound on his chest.
In the next few days, I'll take this opportunity to get more medicine. The soldiers on patrol might be able to use it. That's all I can do for now. I'm just one person, and no matter how much I try, I can't supply much more.
You can use the remaining prescriptions as a guide. I'll write down a few more; if you have a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, it would be best to have them prepare them. They're not particularly rare prescriptions; I've only modified a few of the ingredients, and the effects are much better than the traditional ones.
Jiang Qiao stood up, took out a few sheets of paper from her backpack, and handed them to Song Shutian. "Here, you can hand these in. This is all I can do for now. I'm going to visit Fu Tiancheng's house tomorrow at noon. If anything comes up, we'll talk when I get back."
What Jiang Qiao didn't expect was that she would unexpectedly see two people at Fu Tiancheng's house.
"Master Hou, Brother Chunming? Haha, what are you doing here?"
When she ran into an acquaintance here, not only was she surprised, but Hou Diankui and his apprentice were even more astonished: "You little girl, what are you doing here?"
Tell me, isn't our fate as father and son amazing? Before, when I went to Hu Yong's house, I almost missed you, and I regretted it for a long time. I never expected that we would meet here.
Haha, you've come at the perfect time, I just happened to need to talk to you—"
When Jiang Qiao and Hou Diankui, master and apprentice, met, they almost forgot they were at someone else's house. The main reason was that the three of them had always been close, and after so long, not only Chunming but even Hou Diankui felt as if he were seeing a relative. It was truly heartwarming.
Fu Tiancheng hadn't expected there to be two other guests at home. His father had mentioned inviting old friends over, but the timing was uncertain. He hadn't anticipated that these two groups would end up together, knowing each other, and judging from their demeanor, their relationship seemed quite special.
Jiang Qiao brushed her bangs aside. "My god, isn't this a coincidence?"
Fu Tiancheng's elderly father clapped his hands in delight, "Oh my, no wonder there were magpies chirping at the door today. It turns out we have some good news to celebrate today. Come and sit down, everyone. Old Hou, is this the young doctor with such high medical skills that you mentioned?"
Hou Diankui didn't even need to explain. Fu Tiancheng pulled Jiang Qiao to the old man's side and said, "Dad, this is Jiang Qiao, the child I lost back then."
Jiang Qiao bowed to the old man and said, "Grandpa Fu, I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble because of me."
The old man didn't even have time to introduce Jiang Qiao to his old friend and son; he just pulled Jiang Qiao up and down and looked her over.
"Yes, you're a good child. No wonder my son has been so bothered by losing you all these years. If it were me, I would feel guilty too."
Jiang Qiao smiled sheepishly, "So, I have to come here in person to apologize. Because of me, Uncle has been struggling with that hurdle all these years. Now that you've seen me, you can all rest assured."
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