"Is anything missed?" Wan Duzi asked in a hoarse voice.
Xiao Man thought carefully, "I have asked many people. They eat a variety of things, and I have checked them all. There are no omissions."
"Not food, could it be water?"
"After the flood, there is no clean water source here. It's not a water problem."
Wan Duzi was silent for a moment, then ambled over to the bedside of an elder infected with the plague and started making small talk. He Qingyi, meanwhile, was busy instructing the doctors to categorize patients by severity, which would facilitate treatment.
Ye Qing glanced at Wan Duzi and felt a surge of irritation. "At a time like this, he still has the leisure to gossip!"
"Brother Ye, have you found anything?" Xiao Man ignored Wan Duzi's behavior. In her opinion, Wan Duzi's methods were unconventional, and perhaps he could find a way to cure the illness.
Ye Qing shook his head. "All the medicinal herbs outside with any value have been gathered and tested. I've also examined the condition of these people; some are improving, some are worsening. I've also checked on the guards, and many of them are showing symptoms..."
Seeing Ye Qing staring at her, Xiao Man immediately touched her face. "Is there something dirty on my face?"
"No. Third brother, are you feeling any discomfort?"
"No."
"Not even a single symptom?"
"No."
Ye Qing took Xiao Man's pulse that day and was convinced of her excellent health. A suspicion began to form in his mind. "Third brother, don't you think you are the biggest variable?"
"Me?" Xiao Man was extremely perplexed. "Why?"
"Almost everyone in Zhang County has symptoms, yet you do not. Even those whose symptoms have lessened have still contracted the plague, but you haven't."
Xiao Man suddenly understood. If there was a cure, it was highly likely to be found within her!
"Is it because of my special constitution?"
"It's possible. If we can find a way to inhibit the plague, we can buy more time."
Xiao Man nodded and left with Ye Qing. They had been unable to find any medicinal herbs to inhibit the plague for so long, and now even Wen Mohan had fallen ill. If they couldn't find a solution soon, Wen Mohan might perish here.
"I'll go see Wen Mohan," Ye Qing suggested. After all, Wen Mohan was Xiao Man's friend, though Xiao Man only harbored this one-sided thought.
"Alright, thank you, Brother Ye," Xiao Man said with a gentle tone. "By the way, Brother Ye, I heard A Yu mention that your master died from the Seven Insects Seven Flowers Poison?"
Ye Qing's expression flickered, and a hint of hatred flashed in his eyes. "Yes, the Seven Insects Seven Flowers Poison is a unique poison of my martial uncle, Wan Duzi. No one else possesses it."
"Does no one else truly possess it?" Xiao Man asked softly.
"What do you mean by that, Third Brother?"
Xiao Man looked at Ye Qing. "I knew someone who also died from a peculiar poison. Everyone thought her adopted child had poisoned her, but that wasn't the case."
Ye Qing looked at Xiao Man, puzzled. "What are you trying to say, Third Brother?"
"I'm saying that sometimes, people are easily blinded and easily misled," Xiao Man said gently. "But I have always believed one thing: the person who benefits the most from someone's death, even if not the mastermind, is an accomplice."
"Are you suggesting that my martial uncle is not the murderer of my master?"
"I'm asking you to think carefully about your martial uncle's motive for killing your master. There must be a reason for murder, right? If there's no motive, then the killer might be someone else."
He Qingyi wandered around Zhang County, occasionally rummaging through the grass and getting covered in dirt, but she paid no mind and continued to search.
"Madam, what exactly are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for something that has been overlooked," He Qingyi said without looking up. "Perhaps it is the key to inhibiting the plague."
"Why doesn't Madam ask others to help search?"
"Because I'm not entirely sure, so I'm looking myself first." He Qingyi knelt in the grass, meticulously searching through it, her clothes stained with mud, yet she paid it no mind.
A moment later, she unearthed an inconspicuous wild grass from the thicket. "Found it! I've really found it!"
"Madam, you were looking for wild grass?"
"This is no ordinary wild grass, this is life-saving wild grass!" He Qingyi said excitedly. "I carefully questioned the plague-stricken villagers. They said that when they were extremely hungry, they had also eaten wild vegetables. This grass grows around wild vegetables and is inconspicuous. Even if it were mixed in with wild vegetables, it would be difficult to spot due to its plain appearance."
He Qingyi immediately gathered all the inconspicuous wild grass she found and took it back. Although there wasn't much, she still managed to fill half a basket.
Wan Duzi had been staying in the patient tents, monitoring their conditions. He Qingyi, based on the information provided by Wan Duzi, rewrote a prescription, adding the wild grass she had discovered. She brewed it into medicine and took it to Wen Mohan to test.
"The newly adjusted prescription is ready. Let's give it to Lord Wen to try first." He Qingyi was not confident, but Wen Mohan's condition was already severe. It was a last resort, but perhaps it would work.
After the medicine was administered, He Qingyi dared not stay in the room, nor could she stray too far. After all, if Xiao Man found out she had secretly tested the medicine on Wen Mohan, she might fly into a rage.
However, she also needed to know the effect of the medicine. If it worked, they could buy a significant amount of time to research a cure. Thus, He Qingyi waited outside, closely observing the movements inside the room.
Xiao Man came to check once. After confirming that Wen Mohan's pulse was stable, she went back to busy herself with concocting new prescriptions. Nangong Yu trailed behind her like a little shadow, handing her whatever she needed at the opportune moment.
"Are the wounds all healed?"
A smile flashed in Nangong Yu's eyes. She finally had a pang of conscience and asked about him.
Nangong Yu immediately pulled open his collar a bit. "See for yourself."
Xiao Man raised her eyebrows and glared at Nangong Yu before burying her head in her work of mixing medicine. Nangong Yu, meanwhile, ground the herbs she had selected into powder. "Man'er, the old monk sent a message."
"Someone has trespassed into Gan Ye Temple's forbidden area."
"Mmm," Nangong Yu said while grinding herbs. "Guess who it was?"
"Someone from the State Preceptor's faction or Yun Qi's faction?"
"It was Murong Sheng Rui."
"Ah." Xiao Man lost her concentration, and her finger was pricked. A bead of blood emerged from her fingertip, and she quickly put it in her mouth to suck on it.
Nangong Yu lowered his gaze. 'Just hearing his name makes you so flustered?'
"Are Ying Xue and the others alright?" Xiao Man asked in a low voice.
"They are fine. He only trespassed into the forbidden area to assess the situation; he didn't harm anyone." Nangong Yu looked up at Xiao Man. "Man'er, you've always said you want to conquer Yun Qi and unify the world. Can you really bring yourself to act against him?"