A complex, murky odor filled my trachea, and my alveoli felt like they were on fire.
Qin Zhaoyue's neck was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, just like the night three years ago when she had a high fever of 41 degrees Celsius, her soaked hospital gown sticking to her spine.
Unconsciously, fingertips rubbed against the cuffs, as if they could still feel the rough texture of the emergency room curtains.
At that time, she was curled up in a plastic chair in the corridor, counting the sounds of the ventilator. When she counted to the 137th, the old man in the next bed stopped convulsing.
When the old man's huddled figure in the corner came into view, Qin Zhaoyue's calves suddenly began to spasm without warning.
Just like when the virus gnawed at her lungs, she lay in bed, her body instinctively hunched over like a shrimp.
Her chest began to itch, and that night she scratched her chest, trying to pull out her burning lungs.
The dim yellow light of the oil lamp and the white light of the ICU ceiling light kept flashing in my eyes, making my vision increasingly blurry, and I couldn't tell where I was for a moment.
"Sister...Sixth Sister...Zhaoyue!"
Her body shook violently, and her loud cries seemed to transform into a pair of hands that grabbed her sinking body and pulled her out of the water.
As all senses returned, Qin Zhaoyue's eyes gradually regained their sparkle.
"Zhaoyue, what's wrong with you!"
Looking up, she was met with Qin Zhaoqiong's worried expression, her brows furrowed, her concern evident in her eyes.
"I'm fine."
He opened his mouth and realized his voice was hoarse, so he swallowed instinctively.
Qin Zhaoyue remembered that during the global catastrophe in her original world, she had teetered on the brink of life and death several times.
Three years had passed, and she thought all the fear had faded away, but at this moment, the deeply buried memories pulled back that sense of powerlessness and slammed it in front of her.
She had been in a state of semi-consciousness, unsure if she would wake up after falling asleep, and had repeatedly struggled on the edge of life and death...
Qin Zhaoyue was lucky; she survived in the end.
From then on, she lost all ambition and stopped trying to make things happen. She gave up, lived for the moment, and was content with whatever life brought her.
"Zhaoyue, are you really alright?"
Qin Zhaoqiong is now filled with regret. Even though her sixth sister is quite intelligent, she is still a child who has never experienced anything.
She wasn't unaware that bringing her here would impact her sixth sister, but she deliberately ignored it.
He pushed things he couldn't do onto her, and seeing her pale face, Qin Zhaoqiong regretted it.
"It's really nothing."
The drowning-like depression and numbness had been suppressed again, and Qin Zhaoyue could clearly feel the "vitality" at this moment.
Just then, the white-haired old doctor Jiang Qingpu staggered to his feet from beside the old man.
The firelight cast his hunched shadow on the wall, like a taut, broken bow.
Before I could even rest, I turned around and found a crowd blocking the doorway.
He took a deep breath, walked slowly forward, and bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness, we don't have much Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, Uncaria rhynchophylla, Gastrodia elata, or Aconitum carmichaelii, and ginseng is even less available..."
At this point, Jiang Qingpu almost choked up.
His shop had long since run out of medicinal herbs; the Princess had been bringing them from other counties for the past two days. But ginseng, a life-saving substance…
Younger cells have almost no effect on these critically ill patients; only older cells can prolong their lives.
The floods affected many counties in the prefecture. High-quality ginseng was a life-saving medicine, and it was expensive and scarce. It was not easy to obtain.
Gritting his teeth, he still had the audacity to say, "It will take at least thirty years to see any effect."
Qin Zhaoqiong gently patted her sister's shoulder to comfort her, then turned around and intentionally or unintentionally shielded her behind her.
"We have found ways to purify the water and remove toxins, and the spread of the disease will be brought under control."
The medicinal herbs are on their way, but Dr. Jiang... please proceed with caution.
Qin Zhaoqiong held this white-haired old man in high esteem.
He was the first to realize that the source of the large-scale poisoning outbreak was the drinking lake water, and he remained there even after the imperial physicians abandoned the critically ill patients.
With dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot pupils, he stayed in the intensive care unit day and night. When he was extremely tired, he would take a nap on a straw mat in the next room, and he was often woken up by patients with acute attacks.
After enduring this for several days, my back became hunched and my energy was depleted. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.
Qin Zhaoqiong changed her mind at this point.
She misunderstood her sister's behavior, thinking that if Zhaoyue was confident in curing her, she would openly and honestly raise the issue in the hall, just like Jingshui.
But she never said anything, and she still looked frightened...
Therefore, Qin Zhaoqiong's original plan was abandoned, and he never mentioned his sister's matter again.
Upon hearing that the water source problem had been resolved, Jiang Qingpu breathed a sigh of relief, as this meant that the number of patients whose conditions would progress to severe illness would decrease.
However, the second half of his sentence... Jiang Qingpu looked miserable.
The patient's pulse was rapid and forceful, indicating that pathogenic heat was attacking the heart. He used formulas to clear heat and purge fire, formulas to calm the liver and extinguish wind, and formulas to consolidate the body and restore yang for the dying patient...
All the knowledge he had acquired in his life had only managed to prolong their lives a little longer, and to this day, not a single person has been cured and is out of danger.
Even the imperial physicians in the palace gave up, so his perseverance seemed meaningless.
"Act within your means," he understood the princess's unspoken meaning.
Exhausted, he could not change anything. The old man's last breath escaped, and he stumbled and fell backward.
"master!"
The young apprentice quickly stepped forward to help him up, thankfully preventing him from falling.
At his age, Jiang Qingpu was already mentally exhausted, and his spirits were dampened when he heard Qin Zhaoqiong's hint that she was giving up.
He was panting heavily, his body was covered in fine sweat that soaked through his clothes in an instant, and his eyes were dull.
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