novelraw Chapter 225
Chapter 225
Chapter 225: Epidemic
Wei Yu spent two days writing medical books, and in the end, he gave them to Doctor Shi.
Although Doctor Shi thought this young man was crazy and did not like him much, when he took out those medical books and anatomical diagrams, she fell silent.
No doctor would refuse such vivid and realistic anatomical charts, and no doctor would give up unprecedented advanced knowledge that they had obtained!
Even though Doctor Shi was as hard-hearted as iron, she could not resist this temptation.
At most, she just felt a little embarrassed on the surface.
Fortunately, there was Tan Lin in between acting as a mediator and a messenger, so Doctor Shi was not too awkward.
After receiving the materials, Doctor Shi’s attitude toward Wei Yu improved significantly compared to before, changing from icy cold to indifferent.
But Wei Yu did not care; as long as Doctor Shi was willing to work, it was fine. Talented people having a bit of attitude was understandable.
He was a good boss and would not blame Doctor Shi for such a minor issue! Because they were going to Qian City Commandery, Doctor Shi and her disciples at Medical Valley were packing their bags and preparing to depart.
Meanwhile, at Qian City Commandery, a two-hundred-person team led by Ding Facai encountered a considerable accident when passing through a village.
In a wild mountain valley, there was a group of people whose faces covered with black cloths. They were setting up fences at the valley entrance passage.
The valley passage was quite wide, about twenty zhang (approximately 66 feet).
The purpose of the fence was to prevent people from passing through, so the group of masked people built the fence very strictly and sturdily, from one side of the mountain wall to the other, using available materials such as stones and wood.
The group had been working for an unknown amount of time; in any case, the job was already two-thirds done.
These workers under the blazing sun worked with exceptional dexterity; no one slacked off halfway. When they were tired, they only wiped their sweat and took a short breath before continuing.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from inside the valley.
A man on horseback crossed the valley from the other side, reined in his horse, and stopped in front of the construction site.
Before the horse fully stopped, the man quickly dismounted, ran through the crowd, and approached someone squatting in the shade of a rock. With a worried expression, he reported, "Lord Ding, things at Xinghua Village have gotten worse again. Two of the people guarding the village entrance have been infected!"
Two more infected.
Ding Facai, who was squatting on the ground, frowned deeply and took a deep breath before asking, "Is Doctor Yu alright?"
The man quickly nodded, "Doctor Yu is fine; he has not contracted the plague. The two infected individuals were brought into the village by Doctor Yu."
Hearing that Doctor Yu was safe, Ding Facai sighed in relief.
That’s good; as long as Doctor Yu hasn’t been infected, there’s still hope…
But the hope was faint.
Ding Facai’s face fell; thinking about the current situation on his side, he wished he could swap places with Yi Shisan.
How did he get so unlucky as to encounter an epidemic on this expedition?!
Before departure, His Highness had repeatedly warned them to be cautious of crowds and pay close attention to the health of the people, to avoid accidentally getting infected with a plague… but unfortunately, reality was so grim.
Ding Facai genuinely thought he was being careful, but who could have predicted that while passing through this valley, the team would instinctively help a person who had fainted by the roadside, not realizing that person was infected and would pass the plague to them?
Of course, it was not Ding Facai who recognized it was the plague first, but a wandering doctor named Yu Pufan from Xinghua Village.
The person the team helped was from Xinghua Village, and nearly everyone there had contracted the plague.
Unlike Ding Facai and his team, Yu Pufan was not from Xinghua Village; he was a wandering doctor who voluntarily stayed after passing through the village, wishing to help the villagers to cure the plague.
Ding Facai led a team of two hundred people, and with large numbers, infection spread quickly. After helping the stranger, over a dozen people were infected in just one day.
There was no other way. Since it was uncertain if there were other infected people in the team, and to avoid spreading the plague to other towns after leaving Xinghua Village, Ding Facai could only temporarily stay in the village.
Fortunately, Doctor Yu was also with them and was working on treating the sick villagers, otherwise, Ding Facai really could not guarantee that this group would not just wait to die here.
If that were the case, as a man who had failed His Highness’s important mission, Ding Facai would truly be responsible beyond redemption.
Ding Facai wasn’t sure about Doctor Yu’s medical skills, but counting from their departure date, it had been four days since Doctor Yu arrived here. Instead of curing anyone, the number infected was still increasing, which made him feel uneasy.
Especially since Doctor Yu had come before him and had been researching in Xinghua Village for more than ten days with no breakthrough yet—only able to temporarily slow the death rate of those infected… the torment of just waiting to die made Ding Facai deeply worried.
Would the team be mostly dead by the time His Highness found them?
Ding Facai was not afraid of death; he was only afraid of failing the task His Highness had entrusted to him.
The man squatting under the stone’s shade looked blankly worried, while the messenger had a heart full of concern.
"Lord Ding, every day there are three or four people outside guarding who get infected. If this continues, it won’t be good. The brothers are starting to get scared."
Ding Facai looked up and immediately saw through the man’s fear in his heart, but he said nothing.
Indeed, these people had been bandits before, and even though they now served His Highness, had been trained and suppressed by Lord Fang, the time was too short for them to be completely loyal to His Highness or to act recklessly for His Highness’s cause…
Ding Facai stood up, expressionless, looking at him, "What do you want to do?"
The man hesitated and twisted for a moment, then whispered, "What if we let those brothers in the village who are infected guard?"
Ding Facai: …
He looked intently at him, approving the idea, "Well said. Letting someone weak and infected on duty is a good idea. What’s your name?"
The man brightened, "Niu Ya."
"Good. When we return, I will mention it to the villagers and say it was your idea, Niu Ya."
Niu Ya’s face froze.
Though this idea was a bit harsh, Ding Facai thought it feasible: have the infected from their team manage the village situation, preventing anyone from wandering out. The uninfected would stay outside to provide food and prepare medicine. With less contact, the number infected might indeed decrease.
After thinking it over, Ding Facai decided to return to the village together with Niu Ya.
Xinghua Village sits at the foot of a mountain; if not for the epidemic, it would be a beautiful, peaceful place suitable for retirement.
But now, this small village of just over twenty households was surrounded by fences.
About a hundred meters from the village, a group of people camped, their faces wrapped in cloths around a fire.
The fires were not for boiling medicine or porridge, just warm fires.