Chapter 55
The river wind blew, filling the entire camp with a strong herbal scent.
Everyone set up the tents they had just packed away again.
With the caravan stalled, there was nothing for them to do, and their minds were consumed with worry about the contagious disease.
After finishing their tasks, the group gathered around the pot where the medicine was boiling, watching the bubbling liquid with restless anxiety.
"Will this medicine even work? What if taking it just makes the sickness worse?"
"Ah, in the village, we wouldn’t encounter as much trouble in a year and a half as we have in this single month."
Ji Wenliang stirred the medicinal broth with a ladle as Ji Taoyu had instructed, making sure the herbs didn’t stick to the bottom.
He glanced at Ji Taoyu, who was sitting on a rock by the river, flipping through a medical book with deep concentration.
Hearing the others fidgeting helplessly and even doubting his Brother Taoyu's medical skills, he snorted lightly. Seeing that the medicine in the pot was boiling and nearly ready, he took a bowl and scooped a small half-ladle into it.
"If you’re afraid to drink it, speak up now. You don’t have to."
The men, seeing the medicine was ready, hurriedly reached for it, afraid they might miss out if they were too late: "Of course we’ll drink it!"
"Wenliang, come on, give me another scoop!"
Ji Wenliang rolled his eyes at their behavior.
"It’s normal for everyone to feel uneasy and scared in a situation like this. But my Brother Taoyu is putting in the effort to consult medical books and find a solution. If none of you can do anything, isn’t it a bit much to make such careless remarks?"
"My stupid mouth just blurts things out when I’m anxious, no sense of proportion. Don’t take it to heart."
A villager patted his own mouth: "I’m just unsettled. Seeing Tian Fu and the others—they can’t muster any strength and are scratching like mad. It’s miserable!"
Ji Wenliang frowned and sighed.
After distributing the medicine to everyone, he brought a bowl each to Ji Taoyu and Huo Shu.
"Take some people to gather firewood and dig for wild greens around here."
Huo Shu downed the medicine in one gulp and handed the bowl back to Ji Wenliang.
Ji Wenliang quickly agreed. It wasn’t just that everyone was stuck together with nothing to do but fret—there was also no telling how many days they’d be stranded here.
Though they had some money on them, feeding over a dozen people wouldn’t last more than a couple of days. Digging for wild greens to stretch their meals as long as possible was the only option.
Ji Wenliang called the others to go foraging, and the camp quieted down at once.
Huo Shu first went to check on Tian Fu and the other two. They lay in their tent, breathing weakly, their conditions visibly worse than before.
Frowning, he returned to find Ji Taoyu still sitting motionless by the river. Aside from the occasional flip of a page, he hadn’t moved an inch from his earlier position.
"Drink the medicine first."
Huo Shu picked up the bowl he’d left on a large river stone—the wind had nearly cooled it off.
Ji Taoyu’s eyes remained fixed on the medical book, completely absorbed. Not a word reached his ears.
Seeing this, Huo Shu cupped Ji Taoyu’s chin and tilted his head back, bringing the bowl to his lips.
Ji Taoyu lifted his gaze to the man before him, then drank the medicine while Huo Shu held his chin.
"How are Tian Fu and the others?"
"Still the same."
After making sure Ji Taoyu finished the medicine, Huo Shu pressed the back of his hand to Ji Taoyu’s cheek. "Be careful not to catch a chill by the river. Read in the carriage."
"The river wind helps keep my mind clear."
Huo Shu didn’t argue. Instead, he bent down, picked Ji Taoyu up, and carried him toward the tent in long strides.
He set him down at the tent entrance and said, "Read here. Don’t wear yourself out. Ge Liang has already gone to find a doctor."
Ji Taoyu found that he could still feel the breeze here while the tent blocked the wind behind him, it was indeed warmer than the riverside.
He nodded and resumed flipping through the medical book. But before he’d turned more than a few pages, the sound of rapid hoofbeats reached them.
Ge Liang and the others who’d gone to find a doctor had returned.
Ji Taoyu, preoccupied with the heat-rash disease, immediately set the book aside and stepped out of the tent.
Before he could even ask if they’d found a doctor, the sight of only their own people returning told him the mission had likely failed.
Ge Liang dismounted and spoke before anyone could question him:
"The nearest village is completely overrun with the sick. Forget finding a doctor, anyone who could flee has already run for their lives. Only the elderly, weak, and sick remain."
"The illness starts with fever, then itching so bad people scratch until they bleed. So far, some of the elderly and weak have died, but no strong adults, from what we’ve heard."
"It spreads like wildfire. No one knows where it started or how far it’s reached, but given how things look, nearby villages probably haven’t been spared."
Huo Shu’s brow furrowed. "Did you hear of anyone who recovered?"
Ge Liang shook his head. "The villagers said those who tried to get medicine in the city were turned away by medical halls if they showed symptoms. They couldn’t even get medicine."
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