Chapter 250: The Lady Doctor's Crisis

The plague zone, which shrouded the better part of Gongliang City, had formed an entirely new environment in just over half a month.

The air, the soil, and the flowing water were all shrouded in ominousness and death.

Corpses of people and livestock could be seen lying dead everywhere along the roadside; some houses even had their doors and windows wide open, yet they were empty, devoid of human sound or shadow—eerie and silent.

Turning a corner unexpectedly, one could see half a corpse hanging from a doorframe, the congealed blood already turned black.

"Master Zhou, be careful. This place lacks food, lacks clean drinking water, and lacks medicinal herbs even more, but the one thing it doesn't lack is people who have gone mad."

With no medicine, no doctors, no water, and no food, being penned up like livestock waiting in despair for death—anyone would go mad.

Du He led Zhou You through the deathly silent streets with practiced ease.

Only the footsteps of the two of them were clear and forceful, drawing the attention of many hidden gazes.

Thump! From a house with an open door, a figure lunged out suddenly, only to collapse at the threshold, strength exhausted.

The figure was a woman holding a baby bundle high; sick and starving, she had breathed her last before she could even make it out the door.

Before she died, she had held the bundle up, full of hope that a passerby would take her child.

"No saving her."

Du He glanced at the bundle; the infant corpse inside was already dried out, something the woman, in her sickness and distress, had been unable to discover.

Zhou You scanned his surroundings; the sky was filled with miasma, intermingled with vast swathes of death and ominousness.

The air, the soil, the water sources, and even the wood and stone were all permeated by it.

Living people caught in the midst of it could not help but be infected by the miasma as they breathed and walked, until eventually, it seeped into their very bones and they fell completely ill.

Anyone with eyes could see that the spread of the plague was a vicious cycle; the more people infected and the larger the scale, the faster the rate of transmission and the wider the coverage area increased at a terrifying rate.

Until, in the end, no one could be spared, and it became a completely dead city.

Therefore, the noble families took the lead in sealing off the plague zone, forcing the cycle of the plague to turn inward; as long as the source of infection died out, there would be no threat.

The method was extremely cruel, yet highly effective.

This kind of epidemic prevention, which treated human life like blades of grass, was more effective than any miraculous pill or medicine.

"Why did the Young Mistress enter the plague zone?"

Zhou You suddenly asked this question.

Xingren Tang planned to relocate to Fucheng, and Hua Youxing was about to leave; why get involved in such a plague? The plague was a snob, harming only the poor while being helpless against the rich and powerful.

Wealthy families had clean living environments, sufficient food and medicine, and even martial artists to protect them personally and disperse the miasma.

Gongliang City had been hit by this plague disaster, with hundreds of thousands of people caught in it, yet the Inner City remained calm and peaceful, just as it always was.

Du He was silent for a moment. "The Young Mistress is different from the others; she has benevolence in her heart."

Fearing that Zhou You would give up halfway, he patted his chest and said, "Master Zhou, this trip won't be in vain. Once the Young Mistress is rescued, this hall will surely reward you handsomely."

"I don't want a heavy reward; I only want medical books regarding the preparation and refining of medicine."

He didn't want money? Du He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Fine."

After the agreement was made, the two quickened their pace, rushing toward the place where Hua Youxing was trapped.

Hua Youxing twisted a silver needle, picking up some mucus from a round box made of transparent crystal.

She was very careful; the miasma contained in that tiny drop of mucus was terrifying, and if it spread, it would be enough to destroy everything within a hundred miles.

An urgent warning came to her ears: "Doctor Hua, it's no good. The mob is gathering more and more; we can't get out."

Outside the brick house where they were located, a dense crowd of people surrounded them, pushing and shoving each other listlessly; from time to time, someone would vomit black blood and collapse, their corpse trampled into the slushy mud.

Those leading the charge were the infected residents; their saliva, tears, and even blood contained the miasma of the plague. Although they were so weak they would fall at a single push, they now formed a barrier of extreme toxicity. Never mind passing through this crowd—even touching them from afar could lead to infection.

Hua Youxing was completely trapped here, with a few survivors by her side.

"What are you panicking about? My attendant has already escaped to bring reinforcements."

Hua Youxing sealed the mucus into a crystal medicine bottle, then sealed the opening with mercury, adding several layers of protection before she felt safe enough to put it away.

She had entered the plague zone in person this time, and after overcoming layer upon layer of danger, she had finally managed to collect a specimen of the plague.

Her other companions were not as calm as she was; hearing the roars of the mob outside drawing closer, and the constant, noisy banging on the doors and windows, they were scared out of their wits, their legs so weak they couldn't stand.

Infection meant only one path: death. The only difference was whether it came sooner or later.

There was a martial artist with internal strength in the house, his face pale; in order to disperse the miasma, he had long since exhausted the last bit of strength in his body, and at this moment, he could only let the miasma permeate the surrounding air and cling to everyone.

When Hua Youxing first arrived, she had brought some medicine, but it was a drop in the bucket against the massive number of infected people, and it had long since run out.

Even she herself was exposed to the miasma-filled environment and could fall ill at any moment.

"My reinforcements are a very reliable person; he will definitely come to save me."

The corners of Hua Youxing's mouth curled high; she felt as if she had returned to Xingren Tang, with Zhou You visiting her.

At this moment, she gripped that seal in her hand, her heart incomparably peaceful.

Suddenly, a fat woman shrieked; she could no longer endure the despair of waiting for death.

"Let's hand the lady doctor over. The people outside want to live; give them the lady doctor, and we'll be fine."

"This is our only way to live."

Once these words were spoken, the survivors in the room reacted intensely.

"You are simply ungrateful! If it weren't for the lady doctor saving you, you would have been gone long ago."

The fat woman's shrill voice became even more grating. "She saved me, that's true, but now the medicine is gone. No matter how good her medical skills are, it's useless. It would be better to save me one more time and sacrifice herself to let the people outside leave."

She argued until spit flew, then turned to Hua Youxing, fawning and begging, "Lady doctor, please have some mercy and help us."

Hua Youxing did not speak, and the others did not speak either, watching her with eager eyes.

"?"

The martial artist with internal strength spoke up. "Have you all thought about what will happen if her attendant returns with reinforcements?"

The fat woman's tongue moved fast. "Just say she was taken away. We are old, weak, women, and children; how could we stop those people?"

"Everyone who wants to live, don't talk nonsense; let's keep our stories straight!"

The room fell into even deeper silence; no one rebuked her, as everyone was lost in serious thought.

The Force Martial Artist coughed angrily and said, "Ignorant woman, short-sighted, I am ashamed to be associated with the likes of you."

He stood up and cupped his hands toward Hua Youxing, "Doctor Hua, I shall take my leave first."

Having finished speaking, he leaped up, crashed through the door, and was swallowed by the crowd in the blink of an eye.

The main door slammed shut, and from this moment on, no one remained to help Hua Youxing or speak on her behalf.

Hua Youxing wore a smile, showing not a shred of panic, anger, or despair; her gaze remained calm as she looked at the crowd.

"Very well, at least this way, I don't have to worry about how to get so many people out!"

The young proprietor of Xingren Tang folded her hands across her chest with a leisurely attitude, as if she were still sitting in the hall of her own pharmacy, watching the masses of people coming and going.

The eyes of a healer see neither good nor evil, only sickness and disease! (End of chapter)