"Where is Doctor Xiao? How is Doctor Xiao?" Nangong Yu asked urgently.
"Doctor Xiao has been taking care of Lord Wen..." Before Su Cheng could finish speaking, a figure swiftly broke into the city, so fast that he didn't have time to stop them.
"That person..."
"Never mind him," He Qingyi said immediately. "Please, Commander Su, have your men carry the medicinal herbs inside. Prohibit anyone from leaving the city. These are all doctors who have volunteered to come and help. Have your men lead them to tend to the patients."
"Yes, Madam."
He Qingyi also worried about Xiao Man's safety. She signaled to an elder in the group. The elder, hunched over, followed He Qingyi towards where Xiao Man and the others were.
Xiao Man was brewing medicine. Wen Mohan's condition was worsening, and he woke up less and less often. Now, he couldn't even drink the medicine. If this continued, Wen Mohan would die of exhaustion within a few days.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, startling Xiao Man. Turning around, she saw a person standing at the door, dressed as a guard. It was none other than Nangong Yu.
"Weren't you told to stay..."
Nangong Yu strode forward and, disregarding everything, pulled Xiao Man into his embrace. When he learned that Wen Mohan had contracted the plague, he was terrified that Xiao Man might also be infected. Seeing that Xiao Man was unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't you dare leave me again."
"You rushed in here. What about the outside?"
"There are people guarding outside. It will be fine without me," Nangong Yu said in a low voice. "But I cannot bear to lose you again."
Xiao Man felt that Nangong Yu's words were somehow wrong. What did he mean by "lose her again"?
"A'yu, you're hurting me."
Nangong Yu quickly let go and pulled Xiao Man to look at her. He frowned deeply as he looked at her increasingly sharp chin. "You've lost weight."
Xiao Man turned to look at the medicine simmering on the small stove. "People fall ill every day. We're severely short-handed, extremely busy, and don't get enough rest. How could I not lose weight?"
"He Qingyi has arrived."
Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief. "Has Eldest Brother also come in?"
"He's a doctor. Even if you asked him to stay outside, he wouldn't. He's already gone to the patient camp to check on the patients. If you had let him in earlier, perhaps a treatment method would have been found by now."
Xiao Man smiled and did not retort. She had her reasons for keeping Ye Qing outside the city. After the flood, the city had nothing. To find medicinal herbs that could counteract the plague, they had to search outside. Besides her and Ye Qing, no one else in the city was skilled in medicine, so Ye Qing naturally needed to provide support outside.
Xiao Man poured out the brewed medicine and carried it into the inner room. Wen Mohan lay inside. Nangong Yu followed her like a shadow, his gaze falling on Wen Mohan, who lay unconscious on the bed, and he asked,
"How is he?"
"Very bad." Xiao Man gestured for Nangong Yu to help Wen Mohan sit up. "The onset of the plague has shortened. If we don't find a treatment method soon, he's likely to..."
"We will find a way," Nangong Yu reassured Xiao Man. "Don't forget, the divine doctor Ye Qingtí has already arrived."
Xiao Man nodded worriedly. "I hope we can find a treatment method as soon as possible."
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's worried profile, feeling a pang of bitterness in his heart. She worries so much about Wen Mohan, doesn't she worry about me? Now that I'm here, aren't you afraid I'll get infected?
When He Qingyi entered with Wan Du Zi, Nangong Yu was still feeling a bit jealous.
"Doctor Xiao," He Qingyi walked in slowly. However, his gaze lingered on Xiao Man for a long time, as her face was now completely unfamiliar. "I've brought someone to examine Lord Wen."
Xiao Man's gaze fell on the elder behind He Qingyi, and then she moved aside, inviting the elder to sit down and examine Wen Mohan.
Wan Du Zi's peripheral vision swept over Nangong Yu, and then he sat down to examine Wen Mohan. Wen Mohan's pulse was very weak. "Has he developed a rash yet?"
"Yes, he's developing a widespread rash. This should have been a symptom of the middle stage of infection, but he's showing these symptoms in the early stages."
Wan Du Zi nodded. "Do any other patients have similar symptoms?"
"I've examined the patients infected recently. The onset time has shortened. They don't have the vomiting and diarrhea symptoms of the early stage patients. It starts with a low fever, dry mouth and throat, then dizziness and blurred vision, followed by the appearance of a rash."
Wan Du Zi frowned. "I'll go and see the other patients first."
"Please, Senior." Xiao Man immediately led Wan Du Zi straight to the patient camp. He Qingyi also followed them, leaving Nangong Yu standing alone, unsure of what to do.
When Wan Du Zi entered the patient tent, he saw the people moving back and forth among the patients, his expression changed slightly. Then, pretending not to have seen anything, he went to check the condition of the patients.
"Third Brother, you're here." Ye Qing sensed someone entering and looked up to see Xiao Man walking in. He immediately called out, "I've examined the symptoms of these people. Some who have been infected with the plague for a longer time have milder symptoms compared to the guards."
"Speaking of this issue, I also have a question," Xiao Man replied immediately. "The survivors in Zhang County are all commoners."
"Is there something wrong with commoners?"
"There's nothing wrong with commoners, but what's wrong is that even those who are physically weak, when infected with the plague, have better conditions than the guards. What does this indicate?"
Ye Qing frowned, thinking carefully. What does it indicate? That commoners have better physical condition than the guards?
"It's their diet," Wan Du Zi said slowly. "What they eat is different!"
"But after the guards entered the city, everyone ate the same food, the grain and white flour brought in by Mo Han."
"Meaning, something they ate before the guards entered the city could inhibit the plague!" Ye Qing asked excitedly. "Did you find it?"
Xiao Man shook her head. "No. After the flood, the entire city was submerged. The commoners didn't have much to eat. Most of the remaining food was rotten. To survive, they had to eat it, but that rotten food couldn't possibly inhibit the plague. On the contrary, it's very likely one of the reasons for the infection."
"Did you ask the patients?"
"They don't know what exactly they ate. They ate whatever they could, wild grass, bark, roots, anything that could fill their stomachs. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted until the guards arrived."
"Could the substance that inhibits the plague be in some of the bark or roots they ate?"
"It's possible, but I've listed down what they ate and checked them one by one. I haven't found anything that can inhibit the plague."