Chapter 203: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Forty-Three) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"A lot more?"
Chu Yao and Qi Shan made their moves at almost the same time.
One person takes the pulse with one hand.
Shen Tang couldn't help but feel embarrassed and said, "...You two are being so serious, I thought I was going to die soon."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Wu Lang!" Chu Yao withdrew his hand, his expression grave. "Who curses themselves like this so early in the morning? Your pulse is fine, and your literary energy is flowing smoothly, indeed stronger and more powerful than before. How is your dantian? Is there anything unusual about your literary heart?"
The accumulation of literary talent is not something that can be achieved in a few days.
This was an extremely long and tedious process. The sudden surge in literary energy reserves made Chu Yao's first thought that Shen Tang had gone astray, or had prematurely exhausted her future potential at some cost—either way, it would severely damage her foundation and lifespan.
but--
Given Goro's temperament, he or she had no reason or motive to do such a thing. Chu Yao's worries didn't subside; instead, they intensified.
Qi Shan investigated repeatedly but found nothing unusual.
“The Danfu is perfectly normal, and Wenxin is also very upright—uh, not quite normal—” Shen Tang said, then lowered her head and looked at the Danfu. She blinked as the two of them were shocked, and after a long while, she asked a serious question, “Danfu can also grow stones?”
Qi Shan, not understanding, asked, "What are gallstones?"
Shen Tang frowned, looking worried.
"They're solid, rock-like growths that grow from certain human organs, sometimes numbering in the dozens or even hundreds. These things grow inside the body, causing pain, bleeding, and infection... With current medical technology, I personally feel I can basically say goodbye to this world..."
Others have stones in their kidneys, gallbladder, and bladder...
When it was her turn, she became the one with gallstones in her Danfu.
Is the Danfu (丹府) considered a human organ?
Shen Tang was completely baffled.
Her words startled both Qi Shan and Chu Yao. After calming down, their reactions differed.
Chu Yao asked, "How can stones grow on a person's body?"
Refugees desperately lacking food might go crazy and eat clay or small pebbles, but Goro is a walking pancake shop, so there's no way he would eat that stuff. Therefore, there's only one truth!
Qi Shan turned her head and teased Chu Yao.
"Did you add stones to your food?"
Chu Yao's face turned ashen instantly: "Qi Yuanliang!"
The usually amiable man revealed a murderous smile, as if he would give Qi Shan a taste of his magical power if he continued to spout nonsense.
Shen Tang's face darkened.
"...That's not a stone, it just looks like a stone."
She felt that Qi Shan was subtly referring to her.
Chu Yao, who added stones to his food, was immoral. So what about me, who couldn't taste the stones in my food and still ate it? Was I stupid?
The two, no longer relaxed, exchanged a knowing glance.
Qi Shan said, "Find a doctor to take a look."
Their medical skills are only good for treating minor ailments like headaches and fevers; they're helpless when faced with serious and stubborn diseases. If, as Wulang says, there really is a stone in the Danfu... no, a gallstone, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. The Danfu and Wenxin are like a second life; they cannot be lost!
Qi Shan approached Gu Chi without any hesitation.
Upon hearing that Shen Tang was in trouble, Gu Chi readily offered to lend him a man.
Shen Tang: "..."
The doctor, with his graying temples, was clearly a highly skilled and reliable physician. He carefully examined Shen Tang's pulse several times. Hearing that she had stones in her body, the doctor asked, "Does your rib area hurt?"
Shen Tang shook her head.
The doctor then asked, "Do you have abdominal pain?"
Shen Tang continued to shake her head.
The doctor then asked, "Do you have lower back pain or night sweats?"
Shen Tang shook her head in response.
The doctor asked several more questions, but there were no problems at all.
He packed his medicine box: "Young man, are you perhaps making fun of this old man? Your health is excellent, your pulse is strong and powerful, your blood and energy are abundant, and you show no signs of stones forming in your body. If you are worried, young man, you can drink more water, find a martial arts master to learn martial arts to strengthen your body, and eat less oily and meaty food..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang felt that this doctor was quite capable.
He asked, "Will this cure it?"
The doctor said, "It's hard to say."
Shen Tang: "Huh?"
The doctor explained, “My method has limited effectiveness. Most of my previous patients died from the pain or from a sudden high fever. The location of the growth stones in their bodies varied. The previous patients were all ordinary people, but young master is a scholar with a literary heart, and the growth stones are located in his dantian. That’s why I said it was hard to say.”
Before leaving, he even wrote a prescription for Shen Tang.
She glanced at it and saw words like moneywort, poria cocos, plantain, atractylodes macrocephala, alisma plantago-aquatica, and golden hairwort... Shen Tang's expression visibly turned awkward—good heavens, they're all diuretics, used to treat edema and weak spleen and stomach...
She has kidney stones in her lower abdomen, not urinary tract stones.
All right--
Perhaps that thing in Danfu isn't a stone at all.
Chu Yao and his companion breathed a slight sigh of relief upon learning from the physician that Shen Tang was alright—in any case, increased literary energy was a good thing, as long as it didn't damage her foundation. As for anything else, she should inform them immediately if she experienced any discomfort.
After seeing the physician off, Shen Tang rested her chin on her hand and pondered, "My intuition tells me that the sudden increase in literary talent is probably related to this 'stone' in my Danfu."
Qi Shan asked her, "What does that gallstone in the Dan Mansion look like?"
If he hadn't known that Shen Tang wouldn't joke about his own body to scare others, he would have doubted that the so-called "kidney stones" were a complete fabrication.
Shen Tang closed his eyes and carefully sensed it.
She said, "It looks like an animal?"
Qi Shan pressed further, "An animal? What animal?"
Shen Tang said, "A four-legged beast? Like a raccoon or..."
Before he could finish speaking, both Qi Shan and Chu Yao's expressions changed.
"You mean a four-legged beast? It looks like a raccoon dog?"
Shen Tang, puzzled, replied, "Yes."
Qi Shan jumped up and strode outside.
A moment later, Gong Shuwu's voice came from outside. He said, "Mr. Qi, please slow down. Allow me to tidy myself up..."
Qi Shan dragged Gong Shuwu, who was practicing swordsmanship with his nephew Gong Cheng, into the house, closed the wooden door behind him, and cast a spell to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping. Gong Shuwu was shirtless, his shirt half off and hanging down to his waist, his well-defined muscles glistening with hot sweat.
He was pulled over from the training ground by Qi Shan.
As soon as I entered the house, I sensed that something was wrong.
He asked, "What happened?"
Shen Tang shrugged and spread his hands: "It's not a big deal..."
Qi Shan became even angrier upon hearing this.
"Isn't it a big deal that a scholar's alchemy department has produced a martial arts expert? Half-step, show it to Youli."
Upon hearing this, Gong Shuwu's expression darkened slightly.
The person involved was completely bewildered.
He hurriedly said, "Yuanliang means... that gallstone is the Martial Gallbladder??? But didn't you say before that there are examples of people who simultaneously cultivate both literary and martial talents, but without exception, they either die young, become mentally impaired, or lose all their abilities and become ordinary people?"
Chu Yao added, "He's an ordinary person with intellectual disabilities."
Shen Tang: "..."
Was she the fool herself?
Gong Shuwu dared not be negligent. He had witnessed Shen Tang's talent, and Shen Wulang possessed the Imperial Seal, was his nephew's brother-in-law, and the only heir of the Shen family… For any reason, Shen Tang could not be allowed to suffer any harm. But the test results—
Martial energy has indeed appeared in Shen Tang Danfu.
It is strong in literary skills but weak in martial skills.
However, the two maintain a very delicate balance.
The problem is—
When did Shen Tang develop his martial courage?
Gong Shuwu didn't know whether to test Shen Tang's intelligence first or question his life choices first—the threshold for a martial arts master was much lower than that for a scholar, but while it was easy to get started, mastering it was difficult. To cultivate martial arts courage, one had to temper one's body, bones, and meridians...
Only through rigorous training and refinement can success be achieved naturally.
Shen Tang, however, seems to have skipped the entire process.
The three of them, Qi Shan and his companions, looked at each other in silence.
Shen Tang is too special.
He is physically healthy, energetic, and incredibly strong... As for his mind, he seems quite normal, with no signs of mental impairment yet, completely shattering their previous common sense.
Gong Shuwu comforted the two gentlemen.
"Perhaps this matter is related to the Imperial Seal?"
The common sense they knew was gathered from ordinary people, and no previous ruler had ever incorporated both literary and martial energy into his body... Perhaps the national seal was the key to creating this special case?
Since I had no clue what to do, this was the only way I could comfort myself.
Qi Shan felt like she was about to let out all the anger she had accumulated over the year: "The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. You Li, the matter of your courage and bravery must not be revealed, at least not now. Shan was worried that it would attract unnecessary prying eyes, and also worried that someone would think of the Imperial Seal."
Shen Tang naturally understood the importance of things.
My life is the most important thing.
"Yes, you can rest assured about that."
Qi Shan: "..."
No, he can't rest easy!
Having dealt with Shen Tang, he then turned his attention to Gong Shuwu.
Given Shen Tang's current situation, it would be best to have a high-level martial artist by his side to look after him. He didn't want Gong Shuwu to leave until a suitable replacement was found. With just a glance, without a word, Gong Shuwu understood most of what was going on.
So he nodded at Qi Shan.
Some understandings don't need to be spoken.
He is not an ungrateful person. Having received so much care and help, it is only right and proper for him to help when needed.
Shen Tang muttered to himself.
"Maybe it's not as bad as you think..."
He was a transmigrator with rare attributes, but he didn't have a portable system, a portable space, a portable spiritual spring, or a portable old man. He wasn't an invincible big shot who roamed the map at the beginning. He just had a cheat code that allowed him to cultivate both literature and martial arts!
Is this going too far?
Not at all excessive!
Very Beaver!
Looking at the absent-minded young master, Qi Shan suddenly felt exhausted. He sincerely felt that this young master was much more troublesome than all the previous "lords" combined, at least those "lords" didn't come up with "surprises" to scare him every now and then.
He said, "Don't pin your hopes on 'maybe'."
This kind of uncertainty is the most unreliable.
Chu Yao was also secretly worried.
My own destiny is truly foolish; how can this even be played?
This is why, for a long time to come, he lived in the shadow of "Goro becoming an idiot overnight".
Chen, the Shadow Maker, said, "Let's think about it from a different angle. Maybe my brain is already at the level of someone who's become mentally impaired. That way, we won't have to worry, right? Believe in yourself and believe in me!"
Qi Shan: "..."
Chu Yao: "..."
Gong Shuwu: "..."
The three exchanged subtle glances.
Listen, there's some truth to that. At times, Shen Xiaolang/Wulang/Shen Wulang does seem a bit dim-witted.
Shen Tang, who originally intended to boast about herself: "..."
But what kind of looks are those three of you giving me?
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Do they really think she's mentally challenged?!
What she meant was that she had the "intelligence-reducing halo" and the intelligence of an ordinary person. Before her intelligence was reduced, she must have been a genius among geniuses, which is why she was able to obtain the unprecedented dual cultivation of literary and martial arts!
It's definitely not an admission that I'm truly mentally challenged!
Shen Tang was so angry with Qi Shan and the others that she almost had a heart attack.
However, she quickly forgot about all of that.
Rebel troops outside the city regularly threw corpses into the city.
Although Wu Yuan and Gu Chi used the manpower left behind by the former prefect Yan Cheng to maintain order in the city, many people were still driven to the brink of collapse by this operation. In addition to the disorder, another serious problem faced them: the city was beginning to run out of food.
The price of grain in the grain store doubled in just a few days!
With food shortages and limited household reserves, coupled with instigation from unscrupulous individuals, some people soon chose to take the risk.
They would steal from and rob their neighbors, or gather to storm rice shops. Despite the constables patrolling around the clock, they were unable to suppress this evil trend.
The people were short of food, and the garrison defending the city was even more so.
Upon hearing the news, Shen Tang almost choked on his saliva: "We can't lack soldiers to defend the city just because we lack food and water. The granaries must have emergency supplies for war preparation. Can't we just use them for emergencies?"
The autumn harvest has just passed.
Even if the harvest is poor, there will still be new rice stored.
Unexpectedly, Gu Chi revealed an unbelievable truth: "Logically, that should be the case, but when I led people to inspect the granary today, I found that not only this year's new rice, but even the old grain stored in the past was less than 30% gone, which is a huge discrepancy from the accounts!"
New rice is nowhere to be seen.
The amount of old rice from previous years has also decreased by 70%.
There's a lot of shady stuff going on here.
Shen Tang asked, "Why didn't you notice it before?"
Gu Chi: "How could I possibly find out? Does Mr. Shen think I am a god with three heads and six arms? There are so many places in Xiaocheng that need to be looked after. I alone am not enough. How could I possibly have the energy to investigate the false accounts carefully balanced by others? When the food was still plentiful, I first dispatched soldiers to guard the city."
When he discovered that the existing food supplies were insufficient for seven days and that the people in the city were also beginning to run out of food, he prepared to open the granary to ease the situation, only to find that the granary was completely empty, and even the rats were too lazy to visit it.
The remaining 30% of the rice was old, and some of it was damp and moldy.
Judging from its color and smell, this batch of aged rice is already three years old.
Ha, it's fortunate that the former prefect escaped quickly, otherwise, this granary incident alone would have been enough to ruin his whole family!
Without food, the city's inhabitants would descend into chaos even without the enemy creating an atmosphere of terror and despair by dumping corpses.
Shen Tang: "...Look, I'm useless..."
Even if she were to provide enough food for dozens of mouths, she couldn't possibly feed thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians, even if she were squeezed dry.
Gu Chi rubbed his temples.
He didn't expect to get a solution from Shen Tang.
In fact, he, like Wu Yuan, didn't care much about Xiaocheng's final fate—in the face of the rebels' absolute strength, all the city's efforts were futile struggles and delays.
Why did I bring up these things with Shen Tang...?
Because it was the talkative, taciturn man who started the conversation!
Shen Tang looked distressed: "Should we rob the rich to help the poor?"
(End of this chapter)
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