Chapter 145: Sheep Epilepsy

Mr Zhao muttered to himself, very serious, as if no one else were present.

Gu Xixi stood at his side, not wanting to speak and disturb him, so she could only wait.

Mr Zhao flipped the sheep's eyelid, then pulled out its tongue to look.

Then he, with an unhappy expression, flung his hand and stood up, saying, "No illness."

The quartermaster soldier and Meng Chengping echoed in unison, "No illness?"

Mr Zhao impatiently said, "Right, it's not sheep plague."

Seeing he was about to leave after speaking, Meng Chengping hurriedly grabbed him, asking, "Then what exactly did you see that makes these sheep like this?"

Mr Zhao stopped, "Poisoned, but the toxin is weak; more precisely, they ate something bad."

"But I also don't know exactly what substance caused these symptoms."

Upon hearing the cause found, Meng Chengping happily said, "Indeed, as Boss Gu predicted."

He looked expectantly at Mr Zhao, "Then why don't you quickly prescribe a medicine for these sheep to take?"

Mr Zhao stared at Meng Chengping, breathless, "I already said I don't know exactly what they ate to become like this."

"Besides, they didn't eat any medicinal herbs; how could I prescribe medicine?"

"I am a doctor, a herbalist! Not a veterinarian!"

"Tell your general, kill the sheep early; it won't affect eating the meat!"

Meng Chengping was stunned by Mr Zhao's shout, unable to retort.

Mr Zhao stormed off with his medicine box.

Meng Chengping saw the quartermaster soldier's smile he hadn't managed to suppress, his sword brows rising, "Laughing, laughing, funny?"

"You, a sheep herder, don't you know humans and sheep are different?"

The quartermaster soldier almost couldn't hold back another laugh.

He trembled his lips, his face somewhat ferocious from stifling laughter.

"General Meng used to be a sheep herder too; just now, how come I didn't hear you say..."

Gu Xixi and Mu Nan Zhao glanced sideways at Meng Chengping, amused inside.

It turns out the highly favored Little General Meng once had a past as a shepherd boy.

Meng Chengping's face flushed inexplicably; he lifted his foot as if to kick the quartermaster soldier, "Get lost, get lost, get lost, if you don't go back to work, be careful the chief will deal with you!"

The quartermaster soldier covered his mouth and ran out of the sheep pen; only after running far did he burst into unrestrained laughter.

Meng Chengping felt a bit embarrassed, "Brother Mu, Boss Gu, you all know now, huh."

Gu Xixi was already squatting where Mr Zhao had been, examining that sheep.

But this didn't stop her from speaking, "Mm, I know."

"General Meng could rise from a quartermaster soldier to his present position; it shows these years he's undergone much tempering, his future is limitless."

Meng Chengping startled, actually becoming shy, "Is that so?"

"The general said I still have a long way to go."

Meng Chengping previously felt embarrassed to tell people that when he first joined the army, he was assigned to the quartermaster corps.

Moreover, because he was a newcomer then, feeding the sheep grass, feeding them, and tending to them naturally fell to him.

Actually, later the general said that back then he saw Meng Chengping as a son of a wealthy county family, with a restless temperament, eager to go to the battlefield and earn military merit.

Such rash impulsiveness is unacceptable in the army.

So even though the general at a glance saw Meng Chengping's ability, he still assigned him to the quartermaster corps.

The final outcome everyone has seen.

Meng Chengping truly did not disappoint expectations; relying on himself step by step, he seized opportunities, earned military merit, and climbed up from the quartermaster corps.

Gu Xixi finished examining one sheep, then went to look at several more that were about to collapse and those still standing.

Mu Nan Zhao saw her stand up and said plainly, "Found the cause?"

Gu Xixi did not answer directly, but said to Meng Chengping, "Let's go to the grass-cutting place to have a look."

Meng Chengping secretly gave Mu Nan Zhao a sympathetic glance, then hurriedly led the way.

Just outside the east side of the army camp there is a large expanse of wild grass.

Meng Chengping said, "This is it; I used to feed the sheep here and also came here to cut grass."

Gu Xixi had already stopped speaking.

She walked toward the grass clump, bent down to observe; nearby the grass still showed the neat stubble left from cutting.

Meng Chengping also sensibly refrained from speaking again to disturb her.

After a while, Gu Xixi calmly said, "Found it, sheep epilepsy."

Meng Chengping took three steps in two, rushed over to look at the small grass Gu Xixi held in her hand.

The grass is quite inconspicuous, a thin stem, tender opposite leaves; if not examined closely it somewhat resembles shepherd's purse.

"Sheep epilepsy? Isn't that a human disease? We have a relative who has it."

Gu Xixi smiled faintly, "This sheep epilepsy is real epilepsy in sheep."

"As the name suggests, if a sheep eats it, its limbs will go numb, then become limp and twitch."

Meng Chengping puzzled, "But aren't these livestock able to discern what they can and cannot eat?"

Gu Xixi said, "This grass actually isn't a poison; it smells without the warning odor of a toxin, and its taste is actually not bad; General Meng, would you like to try?"

Meng Chengping said with a bitter face, "I'll pass."

Mu Nan Zhao had been thoughtful since earlier.

He suddenly asked Gu Xixi, "The host said this substance isn't a poison, so why do severe symptoms appear?"

Gu Xixi said, "It's just paralysis of the peripheral nerves throughout the body; as long as one doesn't eat too much at once, it won't be fatal."

Meng Chengping nodded, "Mr. Zhao also said it's a mild poison, there's no way to detoxify."

Mu Nan Zhao pondered, "No way to detoxify, meaning the usual poison-testing methods can't detect it."

Besides, the sheep can eat it...

Gu Xixi blurted, "War horses can eat it too!"

The two exchanged a glance without prior agreement, the corners of their lips curling into a scheming smile, both seeing the same excitement in each other's eyes.

Meng Chengping stared blankly at this, then that, suddenly realized, "Oh! I get it! It's not for our war horses to eat, but for..."

He jumped up three feet high in excitement, "Great! Perhaps our army's crisis can be resolved!"

"You two go slowly, I'll go find the General first!"

Watching Meng Chengping disappear in a swirl of dust, Mu Nan Zhao said wistfully, "This kid sure knows how to snag merit."

Gu Xixi also shook her head and sighed, "He's not going to save those sheep? How ruthless."

After a little while, Gu Xixi stood outside the sheep pen, watching the soldiers make the sheep baa as they poured soap pod water.

In the army, soldiers commonly use dried soap pods to wash clothes and bathe; they can be found in any tent.

The poor sheep, unaware of what was happening, were held down, their mouths pried open, and soap pod water poured in; after a moment they began to retch and blow bubbles.

Once their stomachs are emptied of the vomit, then fast for two days, giving only water to drink, they will gradually recover.

As they left the sheep pen, Mu Nan Zhao asked, "You said you don't know medicine or veterinary medicine—how do you know this method?"

Gu Xixi gave a light smile, "Just happened to see it once—mere experience."

In her previous life, while gathering in the wild, there was sheep-madness grass nearby; in the village where she temporarily stayed, sheep would occasionally collapse unable to rise. The villagers, having seen it often, handled it with ease.

It is said that later, the village's sheep evolved, knowing to avoid sheep-madness.

A soldier trotted up to the two, cupped his fists, and said, "The General invites the honored guests to the tent for discussion!"