Chapter 344: Dispelling Doubts

After the Fusang Ronin escorted a long line of the Peasant Army away, the few beggars huddled at the entrance of the inn finally dared to crawl out from their hiding spots.

Bai Wei saw that there was no one on the street, so she walked over.

"You are people from Yannan City, right? I would like to ask you about something."

The few beggars had not expected anyone to be on the second floor of the inn; seeing Bai Wei and several men in black walk down, they all panicked.

"We... we didn't do anything, please don't kill us."

Seeing them afraid, Bai Wei hurriedly explained.

"Rest assured, we won't do anything to you."

"It's just that we heard you saying earlier that there is a Peasant Army in Yannan City that opposes the Yuan Clan and resists the Fusang People, so we wanted to inquire about the situation of this Peasant Army."

"Do you know where we can find the Peasant Army? Where do they usually operate?"

Upon hearing Bai Wei ask about the "Peasant Army," the few beggars, who had been trembling just moments ago, suddenly became vigilant.

The group exchanged glances, and the middle-aged beggar who was supporting an old woman shook his head.

"You must have heard wrong; we don't know of any Peasant Army."

Seeing that the other party refused to speak, Bai Wei thought for a moment and took several steamed buns from her bosom.

"Here, take these to fill your stomachs."

"We are truly not bad people, and we have no malice toward the Peasant Army; we just want to understand the situation and talk to them about some important matters."

These steamed buns were what she had just taken from the Warehouse; although they were not hot, they were made of high-quality refined flour, and they were not only large and white but also emitted a fragrant scent of wheat.

The beggars had long been starving, and seeing the large steamed buns, their eyes could not help but light up.

One of the younger beggars could not hold back and reached out his hand, wanting to take a bun.

But just at this moment, the middle-aged beggar coughed.

Hearing the cough, the young beggar immediately pulled his hand back.

Although he still gazed longingly at the buns and kept swallowing, he no longer reached out to take one.

Bai Wei felt it was strange; they were clearly so hungry they were skin and bones, yet they still refused to accept her buns.

"Eat, these buns are a gift for you to eat."

The middle-aged beggar, however, remained cold in his attitude and continued to shake his head.

"Noble one, we do not want your buns."

"If you want to ask about the Peasant Army, go find someone else; we don't know anything."

After saying this, he tilted his head toward the other beggars.

"Let's go."

The beggars scrambled to their feet and prepared to walk away into the distance.

"What is going on?" Bai Wei was puzzled. "Why won't they tell me?"

At this moment, Xiao Moting saw the crux of the matter and spoke up.

"It's not that they won't tell you; they are afraid and dare not trust strangers easily."

"These beggars have suffered deep oppression, and only the Peasant Army dares to oppose the government and the Fusang People; they are the glimmer of hope in their hearts."

"They fear we are spies sent by the government who will bring harm to the Peasant Army."

"We must dispel the doubts in their hearts."

Bai Wei's brows knitted together. "Dispel their doubts?"

The other party's defenses were very high; they would rather go hungry than eat what she offered.

How exactly was she supposed to dispel their doubts?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Bai Wei's mind.

She had it!

She immediately walked forward quickly and blocked the few beggars who were about to leave.

"Wait."

The middle-aged beggar immediately sized her up with vigilance. "Noble one, what else do you want to ask? We already said we don't know anything."

Seeing his defensive expression, Bai Wei smiled.

She reached out and pointed to the old woman being supported.

"This elderly woman, she must be your mother, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Your mother seems to be quite ill; if you are willing, I can help examine her."

The middle-aged beggar showed a look of astonishment and stared at Bai Wei.

"You know how to practice medicine?"

"Of course." Bai Wei was very confident; she had studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in the modern world, and her grades were excellent.

She could tell at a glance that the other party's mother was not suffering from any major illness.

However, the middle-aged beggar still shook his head.

"My mother is very ill, and the well-known doctors in Yannan City cannot cure her."

"We appreciate the noble one's good intentions."

Bai Wei was also stunned.

What on earth was going on? This beggar before her was simply impervious to reason.

Whether it was food or offering to treat his mother, he simply refused.

"I really can treat your mother; you wouldn't rather let your mother stay sick than let me treat her, would you?"

Just at this moment, Xiao Moting's voice came from behind her.

"My friend, Bai's medical skills are extremely brilliant; our illnesses were all cured by her."

The middle-aged beggar showed a hesitant expression, "But... but she is a woman. Since ancient times, doctors have all been men. How can a woman study medicine and be a doctor?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Wei was almost amused to the point of laughter.

So that was it; it turned out the crux of the matter was here.

"What, since ancient times doctors have all been men, so women cannot study medicine?"

"It is not for me to boast, but my medical skills are certainly better than most male doctors."

Bai Wei was not bragging when she said this.

The doctors of the Daliang Kingdom were all practitioners of traditional medicine, and their medical skills were passed down from generation to generation.

Although traditional medicine is broad and profound, it is very difficult to master, and there are quite a few quacks muddling through.

But Bai Wei was different; the traditional medicine she studied was the crystallization of Huaxia medical arts over thousands of years, and the medical skills recorded in books like the *Thousand Gold Prescriptions* and the *Hua Tuo Medical Canon* were all written by famous physicians.

Bai Wei had studied them all, and she even had traditional medicine professors to answer her questions in person, but the ancients were not like this.

To the ancients, the prescriptions in these medical books were secret formulas!

Furthermore, the traditional medicine Bai Wei studied was supplemented by various modern high-tech medical instruments, while the ancients only had techniques like pulse-taking, prescribing medicine, and acupuncture; diagnosing and treating illnesses relied entirely on the doctor's experience.

Comparing it this way, Bai Wei was equivalent to having a medical cheat code, crushing them directly.

Seeing that the middle-aged beggar still did not believe her, Bai Wei grew anxious.

"Your mother suffers from heart disease; relying solely on drinking decoctions won't work, and her condition is already very serious and cannot be delayed any longer."

"Also, you speak with a nasal tone and sound congested; it looks like you have rhinitis, and I can treat that too."

After Bai Wei finished speaking, the middle-aged beggar was stunned.

The two beggars beside him revealed expressions of astonishment.

"You, you didn't even take his pulse, how did you know our big brother has a nasal ailment?"

"That's right, his mother has a heart condition, how could you tell just by looking?"

Bai Wei smiled faintly, "Not only can I tell just by looking, I can also cure his nasal ailment."

After speaking, she glanced at the old woman.

"Although I cannot cure your mother's heart condition in a short time, as long as she follows medical advice and takes her medicine on time, she can keep it from flaring up."

"I don't believe it!" the middle-aged beggar suddenly became agitated, "Saying that making my mother take medicine can cure her illness—it's all a lie, isn't it? You doctors only know how to swindle money."

Seeing him get agitated, the two beggars beside him hurriedly held him down.

"Big brother, don't get agitated yet. This young lady has eyes like torches and saw through your and your mother's symptoms at a glance; perhaps she really can treat illnesses?"

"Yeah, yeah! You spent all your family's wealth to treat your mother's illness, spent a lot of money, and ended up a beggar, yet your mother's illness still wasn't cured! It would be better to let this young lady try; she didn't even say she wanted any money from you."

The cold wind whistled, and the snow fell even more heavily.