Chapter 44 Zhang Zhongjing and Li Bing
Lu Xiaoqi opened the system notification; she hadn't even had a chance to tap the little red dot yet.
[Congratulations, player! You have completed ten weekly tasks in a row, which activates the basic maintenance function for the ancient town.]
【Activate now?】
Lu Xiaoqi decisively pressed "Yes".
The ancient town model, which originally existed in the system space, suddenly rose into the air, magnified in her consciousness, and lit up with a faint light.
She could feel her connection with the ancient town had become stronger. She had a clear understanding of every building, every tree, every paving stone, and even every pipe in the town.
After this mysterious feeling lasted for a few seconds, a line of small red text appeared in Lu Xiaoqi's vision:
[Your basic maintenance functions are now enabled. Would you like to perform a full check-up for the ancient town?]
Providing a health checkup for an entire town—that's novel!
Of course, she chose to have it.
The sand table began to slowly rotate in mid-air. With each rotation, Lu Xiaoqi could see that the scenery on it became more detailed. What was originally just a rough miniature had now been replicated so vividly that even a single flower or tree was lifelike.
After the 360-degree rotation was completed, the ancient town's medical report came out:
Your ancient town's rating is D, indicating significant room for improvement. Please continue your efforts.
Lu Xiaoqi didn't look at anything else. She asked the system, "Is this what you mean by upgrading? As long as I upgrade from D-level to C-level, I can unlock the NPCs' freedom and increase their levels?"
System: "The energy gained from upgrading from D to C is at most enough to unlock the freedom of R cards; forget about leveling up. Ratings below A have no effect on NPC leveling. If players can upgrade to A, all NPCs will benefit greatly."
Lu Xiaoqi understood; in short, she had been dreaming too much.
She thought for a few seconds, then chuckled: "Upgrading to C would unlock some freedom, which is great. Let's take it slow."
One day she'll be able to get promoted to A.
She continued reading, and the report was indeed like a physical examination, raising many issues regarding the current state of the ancient town, or rather, providing detailed maintenance suggestions:
[I: The houses in your ancient town are in serious condition. Basic repairs can be carried out to address issues such as damage, aging, peeling paint, and wall corrosion.]
[II: Your ancient town's roads are poorly maintained. Basic repairs can be carried out to address issues such as cracked stone slabs, rotten wood, and slippery moss.]
[III: The green environment in your ancient town is in poor condition. Basic restoration can be carried out to address issues such as overgrown weeds and rampant root systems.]
[IV: The water environment in your ancient town is inadequate. Basic restoration can be carried out to address issues such as water pollution and unpleasant odors.]
......
Lu Xiaoqi counted them; there were eleven maintenance suggestions in total, covering everything from buildings and landscaping to waterways and various details—a very comprehensive list. She wished she could execute all the suggestions with a single click.
"If you had opened this up for me earlier, Qinghe Ancient Town would be open by now!" she said, quite dissatisfied.
Pointing to one of them: "Look, this one is about pipeline repair, which completely conflicts with the weekly tasks you posted. I think there must be a bug, and I demand compensation!"
If she had known this feature existed, why would she have spent so much money hiring a plumbing company to repair it?
The system countered: "Based on the AI's calculations, bugs are impossible. Players clearly don't have a sufficient understanding of the basic maintenance functions yet."
It told Lu Xiaoqi that the key to this function was "maintenance," not "creating something out of nothing."
"Just like the third point about greening, it can only clear weeds and the roots spreading underground to keep the greening at its best level. But it can't conjure up all kinds of crabapple trees, magnolia trees and landscape trees that players want out of thin air. Players still need to do these things in the real world."
Lu Xiaoqi understood.
Just like the first point about repairing buildings, it can only fix the poor condition of existing buildings. But if the shape is wrong or the workmanship is rough, then it can't do anything about it. Yuwen Kai can only lead the craftsmen to replace it with better and more exquisite components.
"I understand." She sighed, but quickly cheered up, still quite pleased. "That works too."
It can still save her a lot of money and time. For example, those slightly cracked pieces of wood and stone that would normally need to be replaced or repaired can now be handled by the system. No wonder the system kept saying that a budget of 100 million was enough in the early stages.
One should not be too greedy.
Lu Xiaoqi decided to give it a try right away.
However, she soon discovered that this maintenance function could not select all items at once; the second item could only be started after the first one was completed.
After much deliberation, she chose the fourth method to improve the river's water quality. It's already June, and the weather is gradually getting warmer. The previously faint odor seems to be getting stronger again, and she can't allow that to happen!
After she pressed the select button, a loading icon that kept spinning appeared in her field of vision.
Two seconds later, a notification popped up:
[Repairing the water quality in Qinghe Ancient Town will take 45 days. Should we choose to proceed with the restoration?]
Lu Xiaoqi frowned. So long?
The system spoke in a low voice: "You don't actually think such a massive project can be completed in an instant, do you?"
She chuckled awkwardly, admitting that she truly believed it: "I just thought you were perfectly capable of doing it."
The system hummed in response: "Upgrade as soon as possible. The basic maintenance functions will also be upgraded after the upgrade."
Lu Xiaoqi selected "Yes," and the original prompt box transformed into a progress bar. Once this progress bar reaches its maximum in forty-five days, Qinghe Ancient Town will have clear waterways and lakes. After the water maintenance is completed, maintenance can proceed on buildings, roads, and landscaping. If the timeframes are roughly the same, several maintenance items can be completed before the town opens at the end of the year.
She was very satisfied.
"Look, this is the kind of thrill players need," Lu Xiaoqi said, giving the system a pep talk.
So could you give us more of these?
system:......
It decided to change the subject: "Let me remind you, player, you have accumulated three character cards that you haven't drawn yet."
Lu Xiaoqi waved her hand and said, "Let's draw! We'll go to the ancient town to draw today!"
She's going to have good luck today!
......
When Lu Xiaoqi arrived at the ancient town, she happened to meet groups of people from Xiangjia Village returning from the county, all with happy expressions on their faces.
"Ah Li, come here to your sister." She waved happily when she saw Ah Li.
Ah Li gave a shy smile, released Huang Si Niang's hand, and ran towards Lu Xiao Qi. Strangely enough, even when she was stunned into a special state after transmigrating, she wasn't afraid of Lu Xiao Qi. She told her mother it was because the child was clever and knew Lu Xiao Qi was the one who saved her.
"Are you so happy today?" Lu Xiaoqi teased her.
Although Ahri didn't speak, she nodded to show that she was indeed very happy.
Huang Si Niang said with a smile, "I took her to the amusement park today, and she was so happy."
She also went to the hospital, where the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her health; her weight and height were gradually increasing. The only issue was that she couldn't speak, which depended on the circumstances; her vocal cords were fine. Huang Si Niang herself also underwent a checkup.
She excitedly pulled a report from the bag in her hand, which contained an image of a baby curled up in the womb.
Today, they had a physical exam, specifically an ultrasound scan for abnormalities. Huang Si Niang and Xiang Dali had never known that you could see what a baby looked like while it was still in the womb. Lying down on the examination bed, they had to lift her clothes and apply something cold to her, which scared her so much that she almost wanted to run away. She clenched her fists and mentally encouraged herself, and finally managed to pull through.
Later, when I saw this video, my eyes immediately welled up with tears.
How wonderful!
You can even see its tiny hands and feet.
Xiang Dali also exclaimed that this technology was simply a miracle, and he wished such technology had existed in the past. One of his cousins was born deformed, bullied as he grew up, and died painfully at the age of seven or eight.
After saying goodbye to Xiang Dali's family, Lu Xiaoqi encountered other people one after another, and everyone stopped to greet her respectfully.
She noticed that seven or eight people had cut their hair short and looked no different from modern people.
For example, Xiang Dazhu.
Liniang finally bought the kitchenware she wanted, along with many cute plates and dishes, some household items, and even ordered curtains from a curtain shop. She felt that although she hadn't found the embroidery shop on her trip, it was still a perfect experience, and she was proudly telling everyone around her about it.
Of course, the most stylish people in this group were those who bought the phones.
"The latest model!" Xiang Qi boasted.
Carpenter Li added, "The young girl said I could take pictures, make phone calls, and also..."
He couldn't remember for a moment, so he asked the person next to him, "What else could we do?"
"Watch the video!"
"Yes, yes, we can also watch that video!" Carpenter Li said with a beaming smile.
Lu Xiaoqi, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. She walked over and reminded them, "Buying phones isn't enough for you; you also need to get SIM cards. How about this: those of you who need one, go register with Assistant Su and he can handle it all together."
The group was naturally very happy to thank her.
At this moment, Xiang Ming walked over, his face showing some hesitation, but he finally spoke: "Miss Lu, there's something we'd like to ask for your permission for..."
He pulled out a black bag from behind him, which contained incense and candles, and said in a desolate voice, "We were fortunate to have the help of the immortals and Miss Lu, and escaped death. But many people in my Xiangjia Village died during that time. May we be allowed to keep the ancestral tablets and family members in our home?"
He bowed deeply.
The others also straightened their expressions and bowed down.
Lu Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment; it was indeed a legitimate request that was hard to refuse. However...
She slowly shook her head.
Disappointment flickered in Xiang Ming's eyes, which was expected; after all, Qinghe Ancient Town was primarily a tourist destination. "It's alright," he thought, "they can find somewhere outside the town..." Just then, he heard Lu Xiaoqi say gently:
"Open flame incense and candles won't work; they can easily cause fires. How about switching to electronic incense and candles?"
Most of the buildings in Qinghe Ancient Town are made of wood, so burning incense is too dangerous. Why not switch to cyber incense burning? It's becoming more and more popular these days.
Lu Xiaoqi instructed: "Apart from that, just don't put it in a public place. I have no objection to worshipping it at home."
Since it's an immersive experience street, sacrificial rites are an integral part of ancient traditional life. They could even build an ancestral hall or explore other themes... Lu Xiaoqi's imagination had already run wild.
A look of surprise appeared on everyone's faces: "Miss Lu!"
"Thank you, Miss Lu!"
After saying goodbye to the people of Xiangjia Village, she saw Xiang Erlang in the distance. She figured he wasn't foolish enough to come back; otherwise, he'd probably still be on his way.
The man saw her dozens of meters away and hurriedly bowed, his face filled with awe. Lu Xiaoqi smiled at him, but found that he seemed even more flustered.
She chuckled, wondering what the young man was imagining.
That's for the best, so he won't do anything reckless again.
She passed by the small lake in Zone 1 and looked at the water. She couldn't see any change in the color or smell of the water. She wondered if the effect of this basic maintenance was accumulating day by day or if it had suddenly changed all at once.
I hope it's the former.
Once she reached her chosen spot, Lu Xiaoqi prepared to draw a card.
The system asked curiously, "Why here of all places?"
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled: "Of course it's because I was drawing cards here and got two SSRs and one SR. It's superstition, you wouldn't understand."
Yuwen Kai, Zhao Feiyan, and Song Wu Sao were all chosen by her from this position.
This place is beneficial to her.
The system genuinely didn't understand, but it was very considerate: "Do you want to recreate the same time point? When did you draw the card back then...?"
It can certainly remember the exact time Lu Xiaoqi draws a card each time.
Lu Xiaoqi: "...No need for that."
She quickly and decisively drew three cards. Although she kept saying she wanted to get lucky and draw an SSR, she wasn't really that obsessed with it anymore. SSR or R, both are good. She just hoped the system could provide some skilled talents in different areas to enrich the business landscape of the ancient town.
A purple-gold card floated in the air.
The first card has been drawn, and it's an SSR!
Lu Xiaoqi slowly read out the text that gradually appeared: "A book on typhoid fever passed down for generations, its reputation lasting for a thousand autumns, benefiting all living beings—Zhang Zhongjing!"
By the time the last word was uttered, the tone had risen eight octaves.
She was incredibly excited and said to the system, "See, I told you this place was in my favor! It's the work of a medical sage!"
Even someone like her, who knew nothing about traditional medicine, knew the name of Zhang Zhongjing, the Sage of Medicine. This was definitely a stroke of good luck! Lu Xiaoqi was so excited that she wanted to run around the lake twice.
What a miracle doctor! The ancient town just happens to need a clinic.
"Hurry, hurry, finish smoking quickly, I need to pick up the old man as soon as possible."
She quickly flipped over the second card.
Lu Xiaoqi didn't think she could draw a second SSR card today. How lucky would she have to be to achieve that? She must be the luckiest of the lucky, the luckiest of the lucky!
However, the second one, when flipped over, was still purple and gold.
Faced with such overwhelming surprise, she was stunned. Silently, she picked up her shoes and examined the soles.
System: "...Why would a player want to look at the soles of their shoes?"
Lu Xiaoqi said quietly, "I want to see if I stepped in dog poop."
What incredible luck!
The text on the second image also appears: "[Upon learning of his service as governor, I realized that even Yu the Great was inferior to him—Li Bing.]"
Lu Xiaoqi's mouth opened into an "O" shape.
Li Bing—such a simple and common name. There are at least a thousand, if not eight hundred, people in this world named Li Bing. But the Li Bing who is remembered by history and can be compared with Yu the Great is only one Li Bing.
Li Bing, who built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System during the Warring States period.
Both of these are top-tier SSR characters in terms of popularity!
Lu Xiaoqi paused for a few seconds, then quickly drew the third card, wanting to see if her excellent luck could continue.
Unfortunately, this time it was a green card.
She breathed a sigh of relief—that's more like it! She felt a strange sense of peace.
Just like seasoned investors navigating the ups and downs of the A-share market, they panic the moment the market turns green, only feeling safe and secure when everything is down. In short, they're cowards!
[With slender, delicate hands, they deftly weave at their looms—the Han sisters.]
Are they sisters?
This poem is about the Weaver Girl. Could it be that these sisters are skilled in weaving? Lu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. This is indeed a craft that Qinghe Ancient Town does not have now.
She's having incredibly good luck today!
Four people arrived. She checked the map and immediately called Su Jun, explaining the situation: "Zhang Yisheng and Prefect Li are relatively close to you, go and pick them up."
She now has a top-notch assistant.
Su Jun was overjoyed: "Is it really Zhang Yisheng, the physician who wrote the Treatise on Febrile Diseases, and Li Bing, the prefect who built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "Young Master Su, your thinking is dangerous. You're questioning the system's authority?"
Su Jun: "I'll go right away!"
She could feel the other person's joy and eagerness over the phone. Indeed, anyone who has studied history understands the significance of these two figures. The *Treatise on Febrile Diseases* and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System are both treasures of the entire Chinese civilization—no, of all humankind.
Lu Xiaoqi set off on her own to find the Han sisters and found them quickly.
The two sisters were not far from where she drew her cards.
They stood there, their eyes filled with fear and panic, but they tried their best to remain still. Upon closer inspection, they looked somewhat disheveled, their hair disheveled, as if they had experienced something terrifying and unpleasant before coming here.
Seeing that expression... Lu Xiaoqi suddenly thought of the people from Xiangjia Village.
She asked the system, "Did you save this one again at the last minute?"
System: "Indeed."
Lu Xiaoqi nodded. She now understood that SSR characters were famous historical figures with predetermined trajectories, so their historical projections were usually collected by the system after their deaths to prevent them from affecting the course of history. However, R-card characters wouldn't have much of an impact even if they disappeared abruptly, so their physical bodies were often saved directly.
These two sisters probably encountered something life-or-death, and were then saved by the system.
The two women were in their early thirties, with beautiful faces, and wore narrow-sleeved, round-necked robes and horse-face skirts. The fabrics appeared to be of high quality, suggesting they were not ordinary people. Lu Xiaoqi felt that this attire looked somewhat familiar, somewhat like the court ladies she had seen in television dramas.
Moreover, they were all wearing black gauze hats, which looked like official hats.
After they stepped forward to recognize each other and inquired about the situation, Lu Xiaoqi learned that the two sisters were actually officials; they were palace ladies-in-waiting from the Jiajing era!
After exchanging a few words, realizing that they had truly left their original time and space, the two sisters finally calmed down, covering their faces with their hands, tears welling up between their fingers.
Lu Xiaoqi stood aside, understandingly remaining silent to allow them to calm down. She had originally wanted to ask them what they had experienced during the Jiajing reign, but now felt reluctant and ultimately didn't speak, simply handing them a handkerchief.
Anyway, it's the same whether you ask the system or not.
The elder sister, Han Yushang, recovered first and gave a solemn curtsy: "Miss Lu, please forgive my rudeness."
"It's alright," Lu Xiaoqi asked. "May I ask who you two are...?"
“My elder sister is a fifth-rank Shangfu, in charge of the entire Shangfu Bureau. I am a sixth-rank Siyi under the Shangfu Bureau, responsible for the clothing of the concubines and noble ladies in the harem.” The younger sister, Han Yunshang, also calmed down. She seemed to have a more outgoing personality.
The elder sister, Han Yushang, was extremely respectful: "My sister and I are very apprehensive about coming here. If Miss Lu has any instructions, we will go through fire and water to obey them without hesitation. We only hope that our skills can be of help to Miss Lu."
Han Yunshang added, "My sister and I were weavers before entering the palace. I was skilled in embroidery, and my sister was skilled in weaving. In particular, the tapestry woven by my sister was deeply loved by His Majesty and the Empress."
The implication is that they were not just female officials who only gave orders, but were actually capable of doing things for her.
Lu Xiaoqi couldn't help but smile.
Excellent, as expected of a palace lady-in-waiting, she's very perceptive. Communicating with people like her is effortless. Moreover, the two of them are very quick-witted; they were able to react so readily after recovering from their turbulent emotions, which speaks volumes about their character.
"Sisters, you're too kind. Don't rush into work now that you're here. The world is completely different from the one you live in. Get used to it first, and we'll talk about the rest later."
Han Yunshang and Han Yushang exchanged a glance and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that the person in charge here is very kind.
Lu Xiaoqi led them to meet Su Jun and others in Zone 4. They occasionally encountered other people along the way, and everyone would stop to greet her and then look at the Han sisters with curiosity.
Simply put, their outfits were just too eye-catching.
The two sisters kept their eyes down, their demeanor dignified and elegant, the initial panic on their faces gone. Even when faced with what they found strange attire and scenes, they maintained smiles without any sign of unease, befitting their status as ladies-in-waiting in the palace.
A lively new employee asked Lu Xiaoqi curiously, "Boss, are these actors you hired? Are they doing something for us lately?"
She thought the two sisters were cosplayers or Hanfu models hired by the boss.
Lu Xiaoqi laughed and shook her head: "No, they are... well, Hanfu enthusiasts and Hanfu designers. They will be our colleagues in the future."
"Wow!" the little girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "Did they design their own clothes? They're so beautiful!"
It looks much better quality than those Hanfu on the market; it looks very expensive. I really want to touch it.
That's what the girl thought, and that's what she did. After hearing that they would be colleagues in the future, she relaxed and took the initiative to ask the two of them, "Hi, can I touch you? Please."
Han Yushang and Han Yunshang glanced at Lu Xiaoqi simultaneously. Seeing that Lu Xiaoqi was just smiling, they smiled back and replied, "Of course."
The little girl had a great time, praising their clothes repeatedly.
Seeing her excitement, Lu Xiaoqi suddenly had an idea: "Isn't it beautiful? Do you think it would be popular if a Hanfu experience center were opened in our ancient town?"
"Of course it will!" The girl, a Hanfu enthusiast, exclaimed excitedly. "If all the clothes worn by the ladies were of this quality, it would definitely become popular. Besides, our ancient town is perfect for photoshoots, so we could expand into that business!"
If it really opens, she wants to be the first to sign up!
Lu Xiaoqi had an idea in her mind, and her gaze towards the Han sisters became increasingly eager.
Upon arriving at the courtyard of Zone 4, Su Jun could be seen talking to two elderly men dressed in ancient costumes from afar.
Lu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up, and she ran over in two strides.
Her medical genius!
Her Prefect Li!
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