“…It’s okay.” The voice was deliberately suppressed, and it came out through the layers of white gauze and veils covering the mouth and nose, becoming dull, vague and unreal.
Wen Qingci’s gaze involuntarily fell on Xie Bufeng’s palm.
New and old scars intertwined there, which had long been scarred.
“Good.”
Seeing Wen Qingci looking down at his palm, Xie Bufeng casually hid his hand behind him.
He didn’t want Wen Qingci to see his weak side.
Having long been accustomed to a world without pain, Xie Bufeng, who has no concept of injury, instinctively raised his hand to block the sharp blade at that moment.
It was not until the pain came slowly that he realized what he had done.
The wooden window of the room was already badly damaged.
People outside saw in through the large gap made by the sickle.
——In the middle of the room, there was indeed a damaged corpse lying on the wooden board.
The physician from Songxiu Prefecture still held a silver knife in his hand, and his moon-white robe was also stained with blood.
All this was done by him!
At a glance, someone outside couldn’t help but bend over and vomit.
Even the hands holding the farming tools trembled and lost strength.
“……You, you came to our Lianhe, is it just to do this kind of thing? Where is a decent doctor, doing this kind of crooked way!”
“Yes! Give us an explanation!”
People outside raised their voices and shouted at Wen Qingci.
They shouted loudly in anger, wishing to drive Wen Qingci out of here immediately.
And the Lianhe county soldiers who had gathered around, after seeing the scene inside the room, also had fear and hesitation in their eyes.
They are all fellow villagers with the people opposite.
Compared with Wen Qingci, a strange physician from outside, they obviously favor their own people more.
Some people couldn’t help but put down their weapons.
“No problem, stay here first.” Xie Bufeng gently patted his shoulder, then turned around and pushed the door to go outside.
Wen Qingci was stunned for a moment before realizing that Xie Bufeng just seemed to…comfort him?
Xie Bufeng in a black robe walked out slowly.
Seeing him coming, Song Junran pulled the white gauze again and walked aside slowly.
He originally wanted to stop these people at a distance.
But for fear of revealing his identity, Song Junran did not use his best hidden weapon.
So it didn’t take long before he was forced here.
Xie Bufeng had no swords in his hands, and even suffered a lot of injuries.
But as he approached, the people gathered outside instinctively backed away.
The sun had unknowingly risen to the top of the head.
The scorching sun in midsummer fell from the sky, making people dizzy.
The smell of blood in the air became heavier and heavier.
The leading people gritted their teeth and clenched their farming tools, staring at him and said, “Sir, are you helping the tyrant?”
“……Helping the tyrant?” Xie Bufeng suddenly laughed and repeated this word in a low voice, as if he had heard some interesting story.
In the end, he raised his eyes with a smile and said, “What if I tell you that everything today is what I asked him to do?”
“This, this……”
“You, you are an official of the court, how can you do such a thing?”
Without the wall to block, Xie Bufeng, who was close to the crowd, clearly heard their inner voices.
“We must drive this so-called physician out of Lianhe!”
“……Does the county magistrate know about this?”
But these voices are not loud.
Even less than the shouting in the mouth.
Xie Bufeng slowly squinted his eyes, and his pupils were illuminated by the sun like shallow gold.
He realized that these people were just timid.
Everything in front of me is just a stress response after fear.
“Come here–” Xie Bufeng suddenly frowned and said sternly, “Put those who attacked the court officials in Lianhe County Prison temporarily! After the matter is over, send them to the state government for trial.”
The face of the leader turned ugly in an instant.
The Lianhe county soldiers instinctively clenched their swords, but still hesitated and stood still.
Xie Bufeng slowly looked over from the crowd.
The cold and careless gaze deepened the fear and hesitation of the people invisibly.
There are many people here with yellow faces and weak bodies, obviously they are also infected with the plague.
“If you want to cure the plague, you must first find the cause of the disease, determine which organ it depends on, and then prescribe the right medicine,” Xie Bufeng’s gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, fell on those who were obviously infected. On the person, he paused for a few seconds and said, “If you think this method is cruel and contrary to human relations, you can also refuse to take the medicine at that time, so as not to ‘help the tyrant’ yourself.”
Xie Bufeng simply no longer concealed it and directly stated his purpose.
People outside don’t understand medical theory.
They only read one meaning from Xie Bufeng’s words–the physician in the room did this in order to prescribe a special medicine for the plague.
Xie Bufeng said as if guessing what they were thinking in their hearts: “Lianhe has become a dead city, and no one will bet on their lives and come from afar just to destroy a corpse.
…Yes, that physician is also a mortal.
Since he dared to come to Lianhe, he must be confident of curing the disease.
Maybe he can really prescribe a prescription?
If their position is too firm at this time, when there is medicine, they can’t ask for it…
Xie Bufeng’s ears gradually quieted down.
He didn’t want to make a big deal of this matter, but if it really made a big deal, Xie Bufeng was definitely not a person who was afraid of things.
Xie Bufeng laughed again, and said lightly: “As an official of the court, what I can guarantee to you is that if you die of illness, the corpse will not be like the person just now, being dissected, but will be properly buried.”
Xie Bufeng’s words sounded reasonable and generous, but they implied a threat.
Compared with anger, these people have more fear in their hearts.
Several people with the plague couldn’t help but imagine their own scene of being buried in the yellow soil along with Xie Bufeng’s words.
…Morality and human relations are nothing in the face of life and death.
Those who are still healthy may be able to be indignant, but they may not have time to pay attention to these anymore.
A man with a yellow face and looking sickly slowly threw the iron hoe in his hand to the ground.
Then, two more people learned from him and put down their farming tools.
After a few seconds of silence, the soldiers of Lianhe County who had been standing still finally stepped forward and arrested the few people who were standing at the front and had the most fierce momentum.
The dry summer wind blew Xie Bufeng’s black hair like a cloud.
He walked slowly, stopped beside the few people who were arrested by the soldiers, and said: “These righteous men must prefer to die rather than ‘help the tyrant’.”
After speaking, he slowly turned around and went into the house.
The more “generous” and concessionary Xie Bufeng is, the more fearful people are.
“No, no! Sir, please spare our life, sir, spare our life–” One of them immediately struggled and screamed.
He was still muttering in his mouth, as if praying for something.
But before he finished speaking, he was already pulled away by the soldiers.
Seeing his appearance, the rest of the people also gave up resistance one after another.
The crowd on the open ground immediately scattered.
He’s afraid he is the next one to be taken away.
Wen Qingci in the room witnessed all this.
When he came back to his senses, Xie Bufeng had already picked up the pen and paper again, and said to Wen Qingci as if nothing had happened: “Continue.”
“Wait,” Wen Qingci unexpectedly put down the silver knife at this time, he came back to his senses and took out the strong alcohol to clean his hands from the medicine box on the side, then lowered his voice and said unclearly, “First bandage the wound.”
As soon as the voice fell, Wen Qingci took out the bandage and wound medicine and walked to Xie Bufeng, pulling his left hand hidden behind him.
“Don’t move yet,” he said softly.
Without thinking too much, Wen Qingci took out a cotton ball soaked in strong alcohol to clean Xie Bufeng’s wound.
But as soon as the cotton ball touched Xie Bufeng’s skin, his arm tensed up violently, revealing a patch of bulging veins.
…What is this?
A physiological reaction caused by pain, it’s not something that can be faked.
Wen Qingci hesitated and looked up at Xie Bufeng through the veil of his hat.
Dressed in black, Xie Bufeng pursed his lips, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Before Wen Qingci could react, Xie Bufeng took the cotton ball and the strong alcohol from him and hastily wiped it over his wound.
Then he skillfully picked up the wound medicine and poured it into his palm.
He was putting on a brave face, not wanting Wen Qingci to discover that he too was afraid of pain.
For Xie Bufeng, who had been on the battlefield, dealing with such a small injury was very simple.
He bit the end of the bandage with his teeth and quickly wrapped it around with one hand. A simple knot was tied, and the dressing was done.
“Alright, continue,” he said lightly.
Wen Qingci, unknowingly, clenched his teeth along with Xie Bufeng’s movements.
His gaze involuntarily fell on the fine beads of sweat on Xie Bufeng’s forehead.
Then he looked at Xie Bufeng’s left hand, which was holding the rice paper and trembling slightly because of the pain.
…You should know that Xie Bufeng, when he was young, was bitten by a trap on his shoulder and never frowned.
The dazzling sunlight penetrated the broken wooden window and shone on the bandage that had already seeped blood.
Did Xie Bufeng… actually regain his sense of pain?
Before he had time to delve into the reason, Wen Qingci’s heart suddenly felt empty.
As if to verify this, Wen Qingci took out a porcelain bottle from the medicine box and put it on the table. He lowered his voice and said, “Wait a moment, this is a powder for pain relief and numbness.”
Before Xie Bufeng could react, Wen Qingci untied the bandage he had hastily tied just now and sprinkled the powder on it.
The slender and powerful fingers of the young emperor trembled slightly with Wen Qingci’s movements.
Wen Qingci paused in his movements, then picked up the bandage again and carefully re-bandaged Xie Bufeng.
The slender and cold fingers touched Xie Bufeng’s palm without warning.
Xie Bufeng’s arm muscles tensed up in an instant.
Even his breathing became chaotic in an instant.
Xie Bufeng was on the verge of losing his composure, listening to the crazy instinct hidden in his heart, and was about to grab Wen Qingci’s pale wrist.
The unintentional touch of the fingertips turned into a weak current in an instant.
And along the nerves of the arm, it spread to every corner of the body.
Xie Bufeng’s body and instinct were clamoring for possession.
But the remaining reason told him that he absolutely could not disturb the person in front of him…
Wen Qingci was like a blooming dandelion.
Gentle and fragile.
Xie Bufeng wanted to pick it and hold it in his palm.
But he was afraid that his breath would blow it away…
Xie Bufeng’s body was trembling with excitement.
He couldn’t continue to pretend, so he had to pretend it was a physiological instinct caused by pain.
At this time, the two of them were too close.
So close that Wen Qingci could clearly see that Xie Bufeng’s wrist still had the woolen bracelet that he had given him many years ago.
——It was already damaged and worn out.
The strong smell of blood dispersed the bitter fragrance on Wen Qingci’s body.
But he still held his breath, didn’t make a sound, and just put the anesthetic next to Xie Bufeng after the bandaging was over.
Then he silently turned around and went back to the wooden board and picked up the silver knife again.
The small porcelain bottle was emitting a soft light in the sunlight.
Xie Bufeng was like a stubborn wolf, unwilling to let people know that he would also feel pain.
But this porcelain bottle from Wen Qingci was tempting him like a poppy.
Tempting him to accept the gift and admit his weakness.
Not far away, Wen Qingci used a silver knife to open the organs of the corpse and once again focused on his work.
Xie Bufeng finally couldn’t resist the temptation and slowly clenched the porcelain bottle in his palm.
…Through the cold bottle, Xie Bufeng seemed to touch Wen Qingci’s body temperature again—
Time waits for no one.
After the dissection was over, Wen Qingci and his team immediately returned to the county office.
And changed their clothes and disinfected them with strong alcohol.
Wen Qingci loved moon white, so most of his clothes were that color.
But when he went out, he hesitated for a moment and put a white shirt on the outermost layer.
When he returned to the conference hall, Song Junran had also changed his clothes and was sitting at the table.
There were only two of them in the room at this time, and there was no need to beat around the bush when talking.
Song Junran picked up the stack of rice paper filled with words and quickly read it. “So… this disease mainly originates from the kidneys?”
“Yes,” Wen Qingci sat across from Song Junran, “Let’s treat the symptoms first.”
“Good, now that we know the cause of the disease, it’s much simpler,” Song Junran paused and asked him, “But… I don’t know what Junior Brother thinks about the source of the plague?”
Although he was a few years older than Wen Qingci and had studied medicine for a few more years.
But unlike Wen Qingci, who focused on studying water epidemics, Song Junran had far less experience in this area than his junior brother.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment and gently twirled the teacup in his hand.
Seeing him not speaking, Song Junran immediately understood.
Wen Qingci probably already had an idea and was waiting to verify it.
Sure enough, after a pause, Wen Qingci slowly nodded and said, “From what I see, it looks a bit like the bubonic plague.”[This disease uses fleas commonly found on rats as a vector to jump from animals to humans.]
His voice was still calm, but his mood was tense at this moment.
So was Song Junran.
The Bubonic plague was very common in ancient times, and it was Wen Qingci’s main suspect at the beginning.
And the hemorrhagic inflammation of the heart, liver, and kidneys is indeed one of its characteristic pathological manifestations.
It was also the easiest to diagnose with the naked eye.
So when he saw the appearance of the corpse’s kidneys, Wen Qingci thought of it for the first time.
“Rats…” Song Junran couldn’t help but bite his lip, “This is a bit difficult.” He murmured.
Song Junran recalled and said, “If it’s just a water epidemic, then we can first bring water from other places to eat, and cutting off the source can temporarily stop the spread. But rats…”
His words came to an abrupt halt, and the room suddenly fell silent.
“Bubonic Plague” is just a very general term, in fact, its transmission method and toxicity are not very similar each time it breaks out.
Eating water sources and food contaminated by rats, being bitten by rat fleas, and even close contact with sick rats can all potentially infect the disease, which is very difficult to detect.
Wen Qingci slowly put down the teacup in his hand and once again focused his gaze on the stack of paper.
“Forget it,” Song Junran sighed with a bit of a headache, “Let’s just prescribe the medicine first.” He got up and picked up the medicine box, ready to go outside the county office to see the patients again.
“Okay.” Wen Qingci also slowly nodded, and at the same time couldn’t help thinking in his heart, having a direction for treatment is of course a good thing.
But if you can’t find out the source of the plague, even if you have medicine, the effect will be minimal.
By analogy.
Although the original owner mainly studied water epidemics, the principles of treating diseases and prescribing medicines are similar.
The only problem is… With their own and Song Junran’s abilities, they obviously can’t dig out its source.
Wen Qingci subconsciously bit his lip.
…There is probably only one person who can do this.
Just at this moment, the door of the hall was gently pushed open from the outside again.
Xie Bufeng, who had also changed his clothes, walked in slowly, and behind him was a face that Wen Qingci was very familiar with.
The person who came had a worried look on his face, obviously he was forcibly called here by Xie Bufeng.
“Your Maj…” The person who came raised his head and was about to say something, but was blocked by Xie Bufeng’s gaze, and he immediately changed his words, “Sir, sir.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing that Xie Bufeng was not angry, the person finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“My name is Yu Guanlin, I am an imperial physician in the palace,” the old physician, who was over seventy years old, turned around and bowed to the two of them, smiling and saying, “If the two gentlemen need help, I will not refuse.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but let his gaze fall on Wen Qingci and Song Junran, and he carefully looked at the two of them.
…The person on the left is wearing white clothes and a veiled hat. Even in the middle of summer, he is still wrapped up tightly and his appearance cannot be seen at all.
One can only vaguely judge that he is rather thin.
The other person wrapped in thick white gauze was even more unfamiliar.
Yu Guanlin had only met Song Junran once more than a year ago. After a quick glance, he had long forgotten what the other person looked like.
Not to mention that the other party had already pulled the white veil to the top, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
The old physician has been in the palace for his entire life and knows how to judge the situation very well.
Now that he was sent by the emperor to help these two young quack physicians, he did not look aggrieved at all. Instead, he asked in a friendly manner: “…I wonder what you two are busy with now? If there is anything I can help you with, just let me know!”
Song Junran had heard of the name of the imperial physician Yu Guanlin. Seeing that the emperor had brought him here, he was no longer polite and directly ordered him to go, “Let’s go out and diagnose the people outside the county government office. Imperial Physician Yu, come with us.”
“Ah, this…this…” Yu Guanlin said it lightly just now, but now when he heard that Song Junran really wanted to go out and treat the group of refugees himself, he immediately hesitated.
At this time, Wen Qingci had already picked up the medicine box and walked out.
However, Xie Bufeng never interrupted Song Junran.
There was no other way, Yu Guanlin had to grit his teeth and follow.
When he was about to walk out of the county government office, Wen Qingci suddenly stopped hesitantly and turned to look at Xie Bufeng.
The fingers hidden under the wide sleeves were tightly twisted together.
…Should he ask Xie Bufeng for help?
Although he was wrapped tightly, Xie Bufeng could still see his hesitation and entanglement from the white shadow in front of him.
He couldn’t help but stop and look at Wen Qingci.
Xie Bufeng did not ask him about his purpose, but just waited patiently.
Time passed little by little.
The water that had accumulated on the eaves a few days ago was blown down by the wind, making a soft sound.
This sound finally woke Wen Qingci up.
Under the veil, Wen Qingci took a deep breath and said slowly, “Sir, I have a request…”
The voice muffled under the white gauze did not reveal a trace of its usual clarity.
But it was still like a stream of ice, flowing over Xie Bufeng’s heated heart.
It calmed him down in an instant.
“What is it?”
Xie Bufeng looked at Wen Qingci when his gaze fell on him.
Under the cold gaze, there was a hint of concern.
Since he had already spoken, Wen Qingci no longer hesitated.
He simply bit his teeth and said everything he had just said to Song Junran and what he thought in his heart.
Then he made a request: “I hope the sir can send someone to investigate whether there is a rat problem in Lianhe County, and if there is, where it broke out.”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Xie Bufeng’s expression became serious in an instant.
“Naturally.” He nodded and said.
After his words fell, Xie Bufeng immediately called the attendant nearby and ordered, “Go house to house to investigate the water source and granary, and then find out what the commonalities of the infected people are, or whether they are concentrated in a certain place.”
Although the source has not been found yet, Xie Bufeng is still prepared for a rainy day. After ordering the attendant, he immediately sent people to several nearby states to transport grain and grass.
“Yes!” The attendant who came with the royal procession responded, and the whole team went to the outside of the county office.
As a “patrol officer”, Xie Bufeng couldn’t do nothing. After ordering the attendant, Xie Bufeng went out with them.
In the moment of passing by, Wen Qingci finally couldn’t help but take a deep breath and said softly, “Be careful.”
“…Okay.” Xie Bufeng’s footsteps paused, and he nodded slowly.
Then he quickly disappeared in front of Wen Qingci.
…
Time waits for no one.
Wen Qingci, Song Junran, and several other physicians, after leaving the county office, took the pulse of the patients on the open ground one by one.
Finally, they gathered together to discuss the prescription.
The situation in Lianhe Town is getting worse day by day.
Patients who could walk not long ago are now lying motionless on the bed.
They whimpered and struggled, placing all their hopes of survival on the group of people in front of them.
Wen Qingci’s mood has never been so heavy.
The scene of Shan Yu Jian[] kept appearing in the depths of his mind.
All of this is urging him to hurry up.
By the time the prescription was settled, it was already late at night.
But Wen Qingci still didn’t rest, but followed to the kitchen to watch the little servant decoct the medicine.
There are also people in the county office who are sick, and there is a shortage of manpower now.
This little servant didn’t know how long he had been working in a row, and now he was actually sleeping in front of the stove.
Wen Qingci thought about it and woke him up to rest, and then he took the fan and started working here.
The night was deep, and the whole Lianhe was asleep.
Not far from the conference hall, Xie Bufeng, who had looked at the map of Lianhe County countless times, finally slowly put it down.
He picked up the porcelain bottle in the candlelight.
After a while, he carefully held it in his palm.
Then, he touched the wound on his left hand with his fingertips.
The flickering candlelight made Xie Bufeng’s features even more angular.
But no matter how warm the flame was, those amber pupils were still as cold as ever.
Xie Bufeng was like a beast lurking in the night.
His whole body was full of danger.
But he lowered his eyes at this moment, looking at the neat bandage, and laughed deeply.
In an instant, his eyes were full of nostalgia and tenderness.
After a while, Xie Bufeng in black finally pushed the door open and walked out.
The next moment he saw that not far from the kitchen, the light was still on until now.
The little servant in charge of guarding the medicine stove had disappeared long ago.
The small stove for decocting medicine was still burning, and the purple clay pot was constantly bubbling.
The room was filled with a bitter fragrance.
…There was a white figure, sleeping deeply against the wall.
Even in the summer, the small town surrounded by mountains is still very damp and cool at night.
In his sleep, he hugged his body tightly, trying to warm himself.
Xie Bufeng held his breath and walked towards him with light steps.
Finally, he stood behind the unguarded figure.
He had only dared to fantasize about this scene in his dreams.
Xie Bufeng’s heart trembled slightly at this moment.
He, who was already the supreme ruler, slowly knelt down and leaned over to put his hand on Wen Qingci’s back and leg.
At this moment, he even held his breath, for fear of accidentally disturbing the person sleeping in front of him.
Then, he gently picked up Wen Qingci.
…As carefully as holding a dandelion.
The moment he walked into the small courtyard, his fingers, which were cold in the night, couldn’t help but seek the heat source and climbed onto Xie Bufeng’s sturdy and warm arm.
The person holding him finally couldn’t help but stop, looking down at the person in his arms.
Xie Bufeng’s blood almost burned him.
Desire magnified in silence, and he desperately suppressed it.
After a while, Xie Bufeng finally slowly turned his head, and with utmost reverence and care, he placed a kiss that couldn’t be lighter on Wen Qingci’s cold, reddened fingertips.
Finally, as if as a punishment, he took a light bite.
Leaving a shallow tooth mark there.
Abyss: I am so sorry I couldn’t update recently because of some health issues. I am well now and hope to be more consistent.
I’m glad you’re feeling better and welcome back!
Thank you for the update~