Chapter 144: Scam
"The common bicolor grass that can be found everywhere?" The old doctor of Xinghuatang asked in disbelief, "Is this the secret of the pill? This is impossible, this is ridiculous!"
"The two-color grass is hot in nature, and its medicinal properties are mild, almost non-existent. This is a dangerous epidemic, something that can change at any time and anywhere. How can a mere two-color grass deal with such a problem! County magistrate, are you kidding me?"
All the doctors in Songcheng gathered in Xinghuatang, including the new medical school that used knives to cut people's flesh in recent years. After such a wide range of ideas, they still couldn't find a prescription to deal with the epidemic. Now the county magistrate told them that a person who had only been sick for many years and learned medicine actually came up with a prescription? This is simply a fantasy!
This might as well be like the eight-year-old boy selling pigs at the village entrance killing the plague ghost in the city with one knife!
In an industry like medicine, experience is not everything, but even a genius needs to be nourished by experience.
How old is that blind kid this year? How many illnesses has he seen and how many people has he cured? Do you know how many deformities and strange diseases a person can have?
A doctor said coldly, "I do believe you, sir, but you don't know anything about medicine! How can you let this kid mess with the prescription?"
"But she did cure the diseased sapling. Even the grandfather of the sapling who was also infected is getting better," the county magistrate said directly.
The doctors hesitated for a while, but when the facts came into view, they were speechless.
He looked at the bewildered doctor.
The doctor was very young, with his eyes covered. Judging from his movements, he had obviously been blind for many years. He was frail and his legs and feet did not seem to be in good condition.
"You never know, it might just be a blind cat catching a dead mouse." A doctor muttered.
The county magistrate took a deep breath and said loudly, "Everyone! I brought Doctor Zhang here for a reason. Yes, everyone knows that the magicians are looking for the evil ghost. As long as they kill it, Songcheng will be relieved. It is obviously unnecessary for me to bring Doctor Zhang here."
"But everyone, Nanzhou has almost no experience in treating diseases such as epidemics. Is this a fact that we all acknowledge?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the pharmacy fell silent.
This epidemic is indeed changeable, but in addition to its own strength, the weakness of Nanzhou’s medicine when facing the epidemic is also one of the reasons why Songcheng was defeated.
Imagine that when a country faces a spreading epidemic, the first thing it thinks of is to burn it down to prevent the disaster from escalating and leading to the destruction of the Southern Province. Does it have the time, energy, and calmness to study the epidemic?
As for the remaining 19 days? That was not a time for rescue, but a countdown to destruction.
More than a decade ago, if you were infected, you were doomed to die. The only way to survive was to sneak out of the infected city while the imperial court was mobilizing forces to destroy the city. Why was it possible? Because if you were discovered by the people who cleaned up afterwards, you would die regardless of whether you were infected or not.
All this created a gap in disease prevention and control in Nanzhou. The county magistrate was able to isolate the epidemic area so decisively because of his experience in elementary school. These prevention and control methods were included in the textbooks, and I wonder how the experts who wrote the elementary school textbooks knew about them.
"This is a great opportunity! An unprecedented opportunity!"
The county magistrate said firmly.
The faces of the doctors were either gloomy or they lowered their heads in shame. They knew each other. They had experienced the despair of not being able to research a prescription and could only watch people die, and they had also experienced great ups and downs. Now they were ecstatic when the epidemic was solved by the means of gods and ghosts. As a result, they fell into a slack mood. After all, with those wizards backing them up, they could also take a break, right?
But the county magistrate's words did wake them up. If they didn't try to find a cure when there was no one to back them up, then when would they be able to find a cure?
The county magistrate continued speaking.
The people around him became increasingly absorbed in listening.
Jingwen, who was pushing Liuwei's wheelchair, couldn't help but be drawn into the county magistrate's words.
She suddenly heard vaguely that the person in the wheelchair seemed to be saying something.
"...Next, it's all about making empty promises." Liu Wei, who was sitting in the wheelchair, whispered.
Jingwen approached suspiciously and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong, Sister Yuan, what did you say?"
Liu Wei seemed to have just woken up from a dream and turned his head with emotion: "The county magistrate is right!"
As he finished speaking, the county magistrate's "impromptu speech" also reached its climax: "I guess that in the future, when people mention you, they will probably only think of a few words..."
He spoke each word with emphasis: "Healing the world with his medicine! A modern-day miracle doctor!"
Liu Wei and the doctors around him grasped their clothes excitedly.
——What a born liar!
Liuwei thought with interest.
Ever since the county magistrate suppressed his ecstasy and brought him to Xinghuatang, Liuwei had been suspecting that the county magistrate was telling a huge lie. It was not ruled out that someone would really think about how to expand the territory occupied by medicine in the field of epidemics, but it was because the county magistrate used this reason that Liuwei finally confirmed his idea that the county magistrate was lying.
After all, the magistrate's job was the opposite of what he was talking about. Shouldn't he be focusing on the prescription? Shouldn't he be focusing on how to promote Jikong and his team's work of killing ghosts?
People can lie, but their actions can unconsciously reveal the truth.
The county magistrate used a banner of "blessings to all directions" to cover up his purpose, which further shows that there is something complicated going on. Otherwise, why would the head of a place go to such great lengths to scheme?
"My Lord! Something bad has happened!"
A yamen runner, covered in dust, ran into the inner hall of Xinghua Hall and reported loudly.
The county magistrate's expression froze.
"The adults who went to catch ghosts! In the fight with ghosts! They got sick--"
Everyone paused, their expressions blank.
They ran out of the inner hall in panic. In the outer hall, four or five dying people were lying in a cleared area.
The sick patients and doctors coming and going all stood there like sculptures. It was almost silent, with only the increasingly intense heartbeats as the sound.
"Help - save them quickly!"
Liuwei shouted, stumbled out of the wheelchair, and held Jingxin's shoulders to go over there.
Like a sudden thunderclap, everyone gathered together in an orderly manner in the panic.
Unrest is quietly brewing.
The county magistrate was also stunned. While the old doctors were distractedly treating the patients, he quickly pulled over the yamen runner who came to report the news, and said in a ridiculous tone: "What's going on? What's going on!"
Didn't they say there were no ghosts in the city? Who hurt them?
The bailiff was panicking and said, "The magicians blocked the evil ghosts that were trying to escape at the city gate. The evil ghosts were very powerful and had great magical powers. Several magicians were caught off guard and fell for them. The rest of the magicians threw them to us, and we hurried over to seek medical help!"
"Where is that ghost! Where is that evil ghost?" The county magistrate widened his eyes and said helplessly.
"Master Jikong and the other mages are fighting him!" the yamen runner said hurriedly. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked up. He saw that the county magistrate had stopped moving and was completely silent. He couldn't help but shout, "Sir, sir?"
The county magistrate muttered to himself, "Quick! Evacuate the people in that area! Evacuate!"
He pushed the bailiff away and ran out in a hurry.
"Oh, oh!" The bailiff also realized something and ran out quickly, but the county magistrate ran too fast. As soon as he walked out of the door, he couldn't even see the county magistrate's back in the heavy rain of the plum rain season.
***
Gu Dingbang held the octopus and followed the crowded crowd in the inn. He anxiously searched for Shi Yuan's figure among the crowd.
He didn't know whether Shi Yuan succeeded or not.
Everywhere was in a mess, with heavy rain pouring down. Everyone's clothes were soaked and their hair stuck to their faces. In this torrential rain, no one could see a way forward.
He was extremely anxious.
This plan was jointly agreed upon by Shi Yuan and him, and it almost made them rack their brains, but no one knew whether it would succeed.
Gu Dingbang was uneasy.
Will Shi Yuan be alright? Maybe he should be the one to do this.
Gu Dingbang thought with deep regret.
There were panicked crowds everywhere, shouting and cursing in fear, and extremely terrifying noises could be vaguely heard in the distance.
Golden light and Sanskrit words shot up into the sky, turned into chains that fell down, and disappeared under the layers of eaves.
Every time this happened, Gu Dingbang couldn't help but regret his own powerlessness, unable to grow three heads and six arms to protect the people he cared about.
Octopus was wrapped very tightly, so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe, but he just sensibly hugged Gu Dingbang tightly and felt his anxiety.
The continuous and undulating rain during the rainy season poured down on his clothes, almost revealing his true form.
Gu Dingbang could only hold Octopus’s hat tightly and hug him tighter, tighter!
Suddenly, an extremely sharp and terrifying cry pierced through the low murmur of Sanskrit. The scream was like some horrible spell.
Everyone stayed where they were, either voluntarily or forced to.
The blood vessels seemed to be contracting purposefully, and the blood seemed to be controlled and flowing on the faces of one person after another. They seemed to be heating up and becoming increasingly hot. There was almost a layer of burning heat in front of everyone's eyes, and the hoarse wails were locked deep in the throat.
At that moment, everyone felt as if they were in a hot pot!
Gu Dingbang was no exception. He was just a vagrant swordsman who had learned some strange techniques and wandered around in the world.
He subconsciously lowered his head with difficulty.
The raindrops that kept falling from the sky hit his vulnerable neck that was exposed like a sacrifice.
Gu Dingbang was trembling and his breathing became increasingly difficult.
"Bang--"
I don't know which house collapsed.
Gu Dingbang's pupils constricted.
“——”
A slightly cool touch suddenly touched his neck, and the coolness made goose bumps appear on his skin subconsciously.
A head popped out from the chaotic crowd. The child quietly pulled up the brim of his hat. His cold-shouldered eyes could not wait to open in the overwhelming rain and scanned the surroundings very efficiently.
"Auntie—we are here!"
The octopus's tender voice at this moment was like a sharp arrow piercing the clouds!
Shi Yuan suddenly raised his head and stretched out the long stick in surprise.
“Uhh—”
Gu Dingbang woke up as if from a dream. He immediately raised his hand and pulled the octopus off his shoulder. He straightened his back again and stuffed the octopus into his arms.
"Bang--"
"Follow us! Take your left foot first! Then take your right foot! Hold on to the people next to you! Follow us!"
The sound of gongs and drums came from nowhere and was so loud that it shook the sky!
The bailiffs shouted at the top of their lungs: "Left! Right! Left!"
The blocked crowd finally began to move in the alley.
The sound of houses collapsing one after another was mixed with all kinds of strange noises, and the heavy rain seemed to carry a fishy smell.
The sun in the sky was obscured by clouds.
The rain rushed into the waterway reserved in Songcheng, but unfortunately due to the continuous destruction, the rubble blocked the tunnel, the rainwater accumulated into puddles, and then mixed with blood.
The injured person lay beside the sewer and spat out a mouthful of black blood with a "wow" sound, then turned his head and looked forward angrily.
The rain during the rainy season seems to never stop.
Jikong was extremely wet all over, his monk robe stuck to his body, outlining his muscles. He was breathing heavily, and veins were bulging on his hand as he gripped the staff.
There was no ghost in sight.
"Buddha," he said with gnashing teeth, "Mercy!"
***
That evil ghost is indeed quite capable.
The poison released can be said to be endlessly varied and more terrifying than any disease.
The poison causes boils to form on the body and emits a foul odor, which is like an evil spirit.
The only consolation is that at least it is not contagious.
Ever since the evil ghost was blocked by the magician, everyone's spirits have become unusually excited. Although the evil ghost has escaped, the magicians patrol back and forth twelve hours a day, so it is only a matter of time before they catch him! They are saved!
But evil ghosts are not vegetarians either. Even if you haven't seen them for two days, their poison can still be extremely spooky and hard to guard against. Many people who tried to chase them fell victim to the poison.
Fortunately...
The yamen runners looked with great respect and admiration at the thin figure in the center of the pharmacy who was taking people's pulse.
"Doctor Zhang, the medicine is ready!" Jingwen said, holding the medicine soup.
Although the doctor's face was covered by a veil, his hands were covered by white gloves, and his long hair was covered by a wig, his compassionate expression could be seen from the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, so gentle and as pure as snow.
Warm light enveloped the doctor's face, and gold fragments fell into her gray eyes, like a kiss from a god.
If there is anyone in this world who deserves to be favored, it must be this person.
In just two days, we witnessed the rise of a genius, saw life being forcibly pulled back, and saw the traces of a doctor's struggle with death.
All this is proving to everyone what a miracle doctor is!
No matter what kind of poison it is, in front of those hands it is like the simplest lock in the world facing the world's top locksmith. It can be opened with just a slight flick.
The light continued to flow backwards with Liuwei's movements. The aroma of medicine lingered at the nose of the esoteric practitioner like a painkiller. The fragmented light finally stopped at the tip of his nose, which was covered with sweat.
The esoteric sect member subconsciously said: "Doctor Zhang..."
The person who was called bent down following the voice, and gentle hands supported his waist and back.
The doctor came closer, his exposed face was like white jade that could not be desecrated. It seemed that he couldn't grasp the distance well for the moment. The esoteric sect member held his breath, and he could almost see the tiny hairs on the doctor's face.
The doctor's gray but extremely beautiful eyes curved like crescent moons, and he seemed to be able to see the joy and excitement in the eyes of the cultist. The doctor gently coaxed in a low voice: "Take the medicine."
Can you see it?
Maybe you can see it, maybe you can't.
But you will definitely find something shining in the eyes of the esotericists.
And that shiny thing...
The name is trust.
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