Chapter 252: The Medical Sage

"Greetings, Duke Zhongjing!"

When Zhang Zhongjing met Su Fan and learned of his background, he was still quite shocked.

"You are truly the Provincial Governor of Su?"

Zhang Zhongjing gazed at Su Fan's youthful face, feeling very surprised, and could not help but ask again.

"I am the genuine article!"

Su Fan nodded solemnly and said, "There is nothing here to deceive anyone about."

"But... but you..."

"Haha! Does Duke Zhongjing find it strange that I, as a Provincial Governor, am not governing the people within my own territory, but have instead come out?"

Su Fan also knew what Zhang Zhongjing was surprised about.

After all, Zhang Zhongjing was not some hermit or recluse who knew nothing of the world.

One must know that the Zhang Clan from which Zhang Zhongjing hailed was the same noble family as Zhang Zhao; they were of the same root and lineage, though they belonged to different branches.

The Zhang Clan could be considered a major noble family of the Divine Han, and within the entire Divine Han, they were roughly second-tier, much like the Gao Clan.

Of course, during the reign of Emperor Ling, the influence of the Zhang Clan exceeded that of the Gao Clan; during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the Zhang Clan produced several Prefects.

Even this Zhang Zhongjing himself was a Prefect before.

Therefore, he understood quite a bit about the major affairs of the world; at the very least, he knew that Su Fan was the Yuzhou Provincial Governor and General Who Pacifies the East—a high-ranking official guarding the frontiers—though now, with the warlords contending for hegemony, he was also a warlord himself.

Yet now, he had run to the territory of Yuan Shu.

The former was naturally very shocked.

"Actually, I came this time for the sake of Duke Zhongjing."

"For me? What do you seek me for? Is there a patient?"

Ever since Zhang Zhongjing resigned from his post as Prefect, he had been dedicated to the study of medicine, and in these past few years, his medical skills had become quite famous.

Therefore, he felt that for a warlord like Su Fan to personally come to find him, it must be for someone important to the former, and it must also be a very difficult illness.

This also aroused a bit of curiosity in him.

"A patient? You could say that."

Su Fan heard this, smiled, and said, "Duke Zhongjing, there are quite a few patients this time—it is a group of people. So, I hope Duke Zhongjing can go there in person. If Duke Zhongjing has disciples, it would be best to bring them along as well."

"Many patients? How many, and what are the symptoms?"

When it came to patients, Zhang Zhongjing's expression became increasingly grave.

"Hundreds of thousands, perhaps even more?"

"What?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhongjing was instantly startled and stood up from his couch.

"So many? What exactly is it? Could it be a plague?"

"Duke Zhongjing, please do not be agitated yet."

"How can I not be agitated? If it truly is a plague, then we are in trouble. Where are those patients? Have you taken any measures beforehand? It would be best to gather those infected and isolate them first."

Su Fan was also a bit bewildered by Zhang Zhongjing, but at the same time, he felt moved; he was truly worthy of being called a 'Sage' of medicine. Just this sense of professionalism and compassion was enough to earn him the title of 'Sage'.

"Duke Zhongjing, it is not a plague. Please sit down first and listen to me explain slowly."

Su Fan hurriedly calmed him down. Zhang Zhongjing's sudden agitation caused his Divine Soul to erupt, which allowed Su Fan to perceive that the other man's cultivation in the Dao of the soul had actually reached the seventh level of Lian Hun or higher.

This terrifying cultivation in the Dao of the soul truly gave Su Fan a great shock.

One must know that the strongest person under his command was only Cheng Yu, who was currently only at the third level of Lian Hun. As for Xun Huo and the others, due to their age, most were around the third level of Lian Hun.

Of course, for people like Xun Huo, reaching the seventh level of Lian Hun was not a very difficult matter.

When these followers of Confucianism cultivated the Dao of the soul, they were actually focusing more on cultivating the heart; in the realm of the heart, the Divine Soul often improves extremely quickly.

Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, most cultivated the Dao of the soul, and disciples of Confucianism often cultivated the fastest.

Because they cultivate by entering the world, which is different from the Taoist Sect's practice of experiencing the mortal world, they refine their hearts within society; especially when tempered in officialdom, it is easiest to raise one's realm.

Therefore, the Literati of Confucianism often hold a great advantage in this aspect.

Of course, one succeeds because of officialdom and fails because of officialdom. The great dye vat of officialdom can sometimes cause one to lose control, damaging their Dao heart. Once the state of mind is broken, the final outcome is no different from falling into demonic cultivation.

There are also some Confucian disciples who often contemplate the sages, dedicating themselves entirely to the public, exhausting their mental energy for the sake of governance and the people, and eventually dying from overwork; for these people, their lifespans are often not long—refer to Zhuge Wuhou.

However, regardless of that, tempering oneself in officialdom and breaking through the barriers of the heart will inevitably lead to a rapid improvement in Divine Soul cultivation.

Just like Xun Huo under his command; when he was first recruited, he had only just broken through to the Lian Hun realm, and now he was already at the peak of the third level of Lian Hun, and it would not be long before he broke through again.

Over these past two years, all the affairs of Donghai Ling, big and small, could be said to have been handled by Xun Huo; Su Fan only needed to inquire about major matters.

Therefore, he progressed very quickly.

He would likely be the first Literati in Donghai Ling to break through to the ninth level of Lian Hun.

Moreover, Su Fan was very at ease leaving things to Xun Huo. Except for the beginning, when Xun Huo was a bit flustered facing the various government affairs of Donghai Ling, by the second year, he began to adapt and then slowly became capable of handling them with ease.

He was truly a talent of the highest order, possessing extraordinary ability; his internal affairs management was simply maxed out.

With him in Donghai Ling, the efficiency of Donghai Ling had even increased by a few notches, performing even better than Su Fan himself.

It must be said that these figures who became famous in ancient times were indeed terrifyingly formidable. Even Su Fan, who came from a later age and had experienced several lifetimes, could not necessarily compare to him.

However, as the lord, he did not need to be proficient in everything.

He only needed to control personnel and the military, and that was enough.

Confucianism's focus on cultivating the heart indeed provides a very powerful boost to the cultivation of the Dao of the soul. Zhang Zhongjing might have come from the Medical School, but he entered officialdom in his earlier years and slowly tempered himself, which was why his cultivation in the Dao of the soul was so high.

Of course, although he was a bit surprised by Zhang Zhongjing's cultivation, Su Fan did not make a big fuss about it; after all, he had encountered quite a few people with such cultivation.

When he was in Yingchuan Jun, he met quite a few, especially the Xun Clan. The older generation of the Xun Clan, the Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan, were each uniquely gifted, and their cultivation levels were not low at all.

Su Fan felt that Xun Shuang's cultivation had very likely reached the ninth level of Lian Hun.

The Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan, with Ciming being peerless, this Xun Shuang also possessed very strong abilities.

It is only a pity that Su Fan did not see that person at the time.

However, from the mouth of Xun Huo, he also learned that his uncle's cultivation was unfathomable.

Therefore, the Soul Refining seventh-layer cultivation of Zhang Zhongjing only made Su Fan slightly surprised, and immediately after, Su Fan became even happier.

The higher the other party's cultivation, then for him, if he could persuade the former to go to Donghai Ling, would that not be even more advantageous?

So, after Su Fan pondered for a while, he slowly said: "Duke Zhongjing, the patients on our side do not have a plague, nor is it any other pathology."

"Duke Zhongjing, you should know that for many commoner infants after birth, the mortality rate is very high, right?"

"In many great families, the infant survival rate is not very high, is it?"