Chapter 278 No Saving
"Please don't run away! You'll alert the wild animals, I beg you—"
The man called out anxiously.
"Chief, we can't find her! What should we do? We can't let her get away!"
"Remove the trap first, just in case she gets hurt..."
"Chief, without the healer, our village is doomed. You shouldn't have untied her in the first place. You should have consummated the marriage first!"
"..."
As they talked, the group pulled up the rope of the trap.
Lin Ye hid behind a tree and overheard their conversation, only to learn that they wanted to capture Lu Qingqing.
She came out of the Lu family home and they mistook her for someone else.
She curled up tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably, praying that they would leave this place quickly.
Suddenly, she smelled a strong, pungent odor, like fermented feces.
Looking up, a dark shadow as big as a mountain stood in front of me.
Bear……
The black bear roared and slapped at him with its paw.
"ah--"
"She's there! We've alerted the bear! Don't move! It can't see at night!"
"Lin Ye—"
A distant sound came from nearby.
Tiny sparks appeared among the trees.
"Lu Yun—"
"Qingqing—"
"I'm here, I'm here... Waaah—"
A pair of hands covered her mouth from behind.
"Don't shout, come with me, come with me—"
The chieftain's voice was frantic and pleading, "Everyone in our village is sick, and there's no one to treat us. We need a female healer. Marry me, and we'll worship you as a goddess. I can give you lots and lots of silver, okay?"
His companion shouted, "Chief, don't be soft-hearted anymore! Quickly find a place to seduce her, then she'll have no choice but to marry you. Even if her family comes looking for you, it won't make a difference!"
The man obeyed the man's words and dragged Lin Ye toward a mountain wall.
Lin Ye stopped struggling, but when the man relaxed his grip slightly, she shoved him aside and ran forward desperately.
Unfortunately, she fell into a trap.
A sharp pain shot through my entire body, and my consciousness faded into darkness.
It sounds like I can hear Lu Yun and Qingqing's voices again.
They're here...
...
As the first rays of sunlight rose in the morning, everyone in the village was brought out.
In addition, more than a dozen iron ring knives, grain, animal hides, and all kinds of goods were found in the village.
How could a group of mountain people who had no contact with the outside world have such a wealthy life? Not a single person in the entire village could tell them the source.
It must have been stolen!
Magistrate Xu had all the people taken down the mountain.
Nearly two hundred people, men, women, and children, were present. Lu Qingqing looked at them with bloodshot eyes filled with boundless coldness.
Everyone was dressed in warm animal skins or cotton-padded coats, and they looked like they were living a good life.
There are just a few idiots.
What's most striking is that more than half of the adults and children walk with a limp, appearing weak as if they have a problem with their legs and feet, and their exposed hands also have swollen joints.
Lu Qingqing knew exactly what was wrong with them.
Incestuous marriages result in children with intellectual disabilities.
Living in the mountains year-round, in a cold and damp environment, has led to rheumatic joint disease.
Because of the pain, he was afraid to walk, and his lower limbs began to atrophy, his joints became deformed, and he developed flexion contractures.
She walked up to the burly chieftain and asked, "Do you want a female healer to treat your illnesses?"
The chieftain hung his head dejectedly. "Yes, everyone in our village is sick. The old female doctor is dead, and there's no one to treat us. I heard there's a female doctor with superb medical skills who even knows why babies are born with deformities. So, I want to marry her. I just want to marry her; I don't want to kill her."
Unexpectedly, this female doctor would alarm the county magistrate and cause him to send so many people.
He never expected it, he really never expected it.
"Ha, marry her? Do I need to marry her to cure my illness?"
"We want a female healer to stay in the village..."
Selfish! Shameless!
Magistrate Xu searched the village and found some melted silver ingots, as well as their ancestral tablets. He interrogated and investigated the origins of everything.
Their ancestors were actually several officials from the previous dynasty who were exiled seventy years ago for corruption and bribery.
During their exile, they killed the officials and fled with their families to this mountain forest in Ming'an County. There, they cleared land, built houses, and lived a self-sufficient life, never daring to come out again.
Magistrate Xu was puzzled. Exiles were usually sent to the northern border or Lingnan. How could they have gone to Ming'an County?
The villagers said they didn't know; perhaps the imperial court was also trying to intercept them at the time!
They have no household registration and dare not leave the mountains, so they want to kidnap a female doctor. They are shameless and hateful!
Lu Qingqing bent down and smiled at the chieftain: "That's a pity. You've arrested the wrong person. I'm the female doctor."
The chieftain suddenly looked up and stared at Lu Qingqing in astonishment.
She also had a round face, was sixteen or seventeen years old, and was pretty.
Just like what others told him...
You've made a mistake!
Lu Qingqing smiled sarcastically and said, "I know what's wrong with you. You're afraid of the cold, aren't you? You're weak, aren't you? You're in pain at night, aren't you? Some of you even have red spots on your body, right? Some of you are born with disabilities or are mentally challenged."
The chieftain nodded vigorously and asked urgently, "How do we treat it? How do we treat it?"
“It’s easy to cure, just one dose of medicine,” Lu Qingqing said deliberately.
"Please, please..."
"No, don't beg, you have no chance. If you want to see a doctor, then ask one properly. I'm a kind person. Even if you were the descendants of fugitives, I would have treated you if you had asked. But you've harmed my family."
Lu Qingqing looked at the chieftain and gave him two firm words: "I won't save him!"
The chieftain staggered backward, his eyes filled with deep regret.
Everyone started crying and begging for mercy.
Magistrate Xu shouted, "Not only will you not be treated, but you will also receive the punishment you deserve!"
Since your ancestors fled, then you shall continue to bear their responsibilities!
I will report this to the imperial court and sentence you to exile!
Take them all away! "
A chorus of cries and screams erupted.
For generations, they hid in the deep mountains, living for decades without ever seeing the light of day. Some never saw the outside world from birth to death.
In the end, he still couldn't escape the initial verdict.
Many people twisted their bodies to look in the direction of the mountains and forests, seemingly still longing for something.
If it were Lu Qingqing, she would rather die a quick death than live a life of cowardice!
She noticed that the village chief wasn't looking at the mountains and forests, but rather at Hulu Village.
Magistrate Xu took the man away.
Lu Qingqing asked Mo Lang, "Have these people admitted to being those bandits?"
“They didn’t admit it at first. They said they hadn’t robbed anyone, but when asked where the things in the village came from, they all fell silent.”
“If everyone in the village were healthy, we could barely gather a hundred or so people, but as you can see, there are only fifty or sixty healthy men.”
Yes, we don't have enough people!
“They might have accomplices,” Mo Lang said.
"I will take some men to check in the mountains again."
Lu Qingqing nodded.
She went to the house at the entrance of the village.
Lin Ye settled there temporarily, and Lu Yun stayed by her side.
How could Lu Qingqing possibly forgive those mountain people? They had harmed Lin Ye.
It caused her to fall and injure herself severely, especially her right wrist.
He fell into the trap and hit a rock, breaking his wrist.
It was a very serious fracture. She spent the whole night setting it. I don't know if that hand will ever regain its former dexterity.
Those are her embroidery hands!
Damn it, they still want her to get treatment.
Her father's wife isn't a saint!
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