With the hospitalized patients gone, the estate became very quiet, and the disciples didn’t know what to do for a moment.

“We still have many things to do,” Qi Yue said. “First, some of you must continue investigating for acute abdominal symptoms and data on recent deaths. This time, our scope is the villages—villages near the city.”

The disciples assigned to investigation responded affirmatively and went to prepare.

“The remaining disciples will be divided—some will continue penicillin extraction with me, others will continue preparing supplies, including lime, liquor for disinfection, isolation clothing, gloves, caps, and so on. We must have an extremely abundant supply,” Qi Yue said.

Hu San nodded.

“Master, it’s just that lime is getting harder to find,” he said with some difficulty. “We don’t have enough manpower, and transporting it from outside will take a long time.”

“The Marquis Manor has people,” Chang Yuncheng said.

Qi Yue nodded.

“Then let’s borrow Lord’s household staff for now,” she said.

Hu San responded affirmatively.

After arranging everything, everyone in the courtyard went about their busy tasks.

Qi Yue came to the back courtyard, where Liu Pucheng and Dr. Zhu were discussing a prescription.

“The disinfectant drink should have another ingredient—half lotus…” Dr. Zhu said.

Liu Pucheng thought for a moment and nodded, picking up his brush to write it down.

“Dr. Zhu, why haven’t you gone back?” Qi Yue asked.

Dr. Zhu smiled.

“Well, I still feel safer here,” he said.

Qi Yue also smiled.

“Then thank you, Dr. Zhu. We’re exactly short on manpower right now, especially internal medicine doctors,” she said, bowing formally.

Who said this woman was disdainful and arrogant toward colleagues? Dr. Zhu chuckled to himself—if you’re polite to her, she’ll be so courteous she’d practically treat you like family.

“I can’t help much. I don’t know much,” he said with a smile, returning the bow.

“Dr. Zhu, don’t be so modest,” Liu Pucheng smiled, then looked at Qi Yue. “Old Physician An sent a reply. He hasn’t found any such acute abdominal symptoms yet. He also sent several prescriptions, which Dr. Zhu and I are considering.”

Qi Yue nodded.

“Then I’ll leave this to you, Master,” she said. “I’m going to the laboratory.”

When she came out, Chang Yuncheng was sitting on a stone in the courtyard, playing with weeds he’d pulled from under the stone. Seeing her emerge, he stood up.

“I’m fine now. You should hurry back,” Qi Yue said.

“I’m fine too,” Chang Yuncheng said. “I’ll wait a few more days.”

“Are you really okay?” Qi Yue asked with a frown, somewhat worried. “Won’t people talk about you at work like this?”

Chang Yuncheng smiled, twirling the grass in his hand.

“Loyalty and filial piety are hard to balance. My family has many affairs lately—there’s no help for it. As for whether they talk, what does it matter?” he said, then smiled at Qi Yue. “Don’t you also not care what others say?”

“How can you be like me?” Qi Yue started walking forward, saying quietly.

You’re a person of this place, this is your world, everything about you is inseparably connected to it, while I am just a passerby. Good or bad, what does it matter? In the end, I’m just a lonely soul.

Chang Yuncheng followed behind, sensing the woman’s sudden melancholy.

“This is for you,” he said, instinctively holding out the grass in his hand.

Qi Yue turned to look and saw that Chang Yuncheng had actually woven the grass into a small rabbit, the fluffy dogtail grass perfectly lifelike.

“Oh my, you know how to do this!” She showed surprised delight, reaching out to take it, looking at the rabbit then at Chang Yuncheng. “With your rough hands, you can actually weave this?”

Chang Yuncheng smiled somewhat embarrassedly and looked away.

“In the army when there’s nothing to do, just playing around. I learned it from Jiang Hai—this is the only thing I can make,” he said.

Mentioning Jiang Hai, he remembered the miscellaneous items that young man had asked him to bring to this woman, still piled under the bed in his quarters. There were probably many little things that women would like among them…

He couldn’t help but look at Qi Yue, wanting to see her reaction to this name.

Qi Yue had no reaction, smiling at the little rabbit in her hand, her smile making her eyes bright and sparkling, completely dispelling her earlier melancholy.

“Hey, hey, make two more,” she said, patting Chang Yuncheng’s arm.

Chang Yuncheng made an affirming sound, bent down to pull up another handful of grass, and began weaving as they walked. Qi Yue walked beside him, watching seriously.

A’Ru watched the two figures walking shoulder to shoulder, slowed her pace, and finally turned around.

Behind her, a group of disciples were making faces at each other.

“What are you doing?” A’Ru scowled. “I’ve given each of you a syringe. How’s the injection practice going? I’ll be checking in a moment—anyone who still can’t do it will practice on themselves!”

The disciples stuck out their tongues.

“Sister A’Ru is getting fiercer and fiercer,” they said, quickly scattering.

After a night of busy work, Qi Yue stretched and walked out of the laboratory.

The early morning of hot summer was still quite cool, and she unconsciously strolled toward the lake, planning to exercise a bit—good health was necessary for good work.

“Hey,” Wang Qiao’er’s voice came.

Why is this child here again? Qi Yue was startled and looked around following the voice, seeing a small girl sitting by the lake in the light morning mist, her legs dangling down.

“Hey, little girl, stay away from the water,” Qi Yue called out urgently, taking several steps to grab her shoulders and pull her back.

Wang Qiao’er was grabbed so hard it hurt.

“Oh, you woman are terrifyingly rough!” she shouted.

“You’re not much better,” Qi Yue laughed, finally pulling her to the lakeside path, then asking in rapid succession: “Where are the people with you? Why are you always running around? So early—are you living here? How can you live here? It’s very dangerous here now. Don’t your family members care?”

Wang Qiao’er rolled her eyes at the nagging.

“Enough, you talk too much,” she said with a pout, waving her hand impatiently, then pointing. “My father built me a small courtyard over there. It’s mine alone.”

Qi Yue looked in that direction but naturally couldn’t see anything through the courtyard walls.

“You have your own estate at such a young age?” she laughed, reaching out to pat Wang Qiao’er’s head. “Such a rich person.”

“But I don’t have a mother,” Wang Qiao’er looked up at her and said coldly.

Qi Yue’s hand didn’t stop, patting her head once more.

“There are plenty of people in this world without mothers,” she said. “Nothing to be sorrowful about.”

Wang Qiao’er glared. Wasn’t what she said something very sad? Didn’t other people cry and try every way to comfort her when they heard it? How could this woman look so unmoved?

But this was nothing unusual, considering this woman dared to curse all the people in the city who didn’t believe her to die—she certainly wouldn’t be courteous to herself.

“You don’t have a mother, but you have a father. You have grandparents, great-grandparents, money, status, and… you’re so pretty…” Qi Yue smiled, reaching out to touch Wang Qiao’er’s face. The little girl’s cheeks were smooth and tender, and Qi Yue couldn’t help pinching them a few more times.

Wang Qiao’er dodged with a disgusted expression.

“Some people have no mother, no father, no other relatives, can’t eat their fill or dress warmly, have nothing at all, and can only find ways to survive. They don’t even have time to be sad,” Qi Yue continued. “But so what? Fate is like that—what happens, happens. It’s just that merciless, rolling forward relentlessly. It won’t care about our sorrow and grievances.”

Wang Qiao’er listened with partial understanding, saying nothing.

Qi Yue sighed and did a stretching exercise.

“Hey, you’re so unfeminine like this,” Wang Qiao’er frowned.

“So don’t learn from me,” Qi Yue laughed, doing a large sideways bend.

Wang Qiao’er’s eyes lit up.

“Wow,” she exclaimed in admiration, about to praise her when she saw the woman’s face contort in pain.

“Don’t ‘wow’ me—I have a cramp. Quick, help me up,” Qi Yue called out.

Wang Qiao’er was stunned, then burst into giggles.

The clear childish laughter scattered across the lake in the early morning.

“Don’t worry. My great-grandfather has already written to the higher-ups, speaking well of you.”

After settling back down by the lake, Wang Qiao’er suddenly said this.

Qi Yue, who was rubbing her back, made a sound of acknowledgment.

“Then thank your great-grandfather very much,” she said.

“Weren’t you afraid at the time? When you scolded people like that?” Wang Qiao’er looked at her with curiosity.

“Not afraid. What’s to fear?” Qi Yue said.

“Why not?” Wang Qiao’er asked with even more curiosity.

“Because I knew what I was doing was right. I have no guilt in my heart,” Qi Yue said.

Wang Qiao’er tilted her head slightly in thought.

“Just feeling that what you’re doing is right?” she murmured.

“Hey, hey,” Qi Yue bumped her with her elbow. “This kind of ‘right’ isn’t the selfish kind you might think. Like when you broke my thermometer—that wasn’t a right thing to do. It’s the kind of thing that’s for the good of more people.”

Wang Qiao’er pouted at her, snorted, and turned away. As she turned, facing the morning light, she saw a tall figure approaching along the path. Her eyes lit up.

“Can I call you aunt?” she quickly turned back, looking at Qi Yue.

This question startled Qi Yue. Aunt?

“Could you be my aunt?” Wang Qiao’er asked, her expression soft, with that innocent pathos of a child. “I don’t have an aunt…”

“Yes,” Qi Yue nodded quickly.

Wang Qiao’er broke into a smile and stood up.

“Uncle,” she turned toward Chang Yuncheng, who was striding over, and called out sweetly.

Qi Yue was stunned, then understood and burst into laughter.

Chang Yuncheng was startled, thinking Yan’er had come again. He quickly looked around in all directions, then heard Wang Qiao’er call out and realized it was this child calling. Seeing Qi Yue covering her mouth and laughing heartily, he somehow couldn’t help but laugh along.

What a beautiful morning.

In the city, a medicine shop opened its doors in the early morning and first welcomed a patient with diarrhea.

“Doctor, do I have acute abdominal symptoms too?” This was a middle-aged man speaking with a panicked expression.

“What nonsense—you just got chilled last night,” the woman who came with him complained. “You’ve only had diarrhea once and you’re this scared. The doctor at the gate already looked and said a bowl of ginger soup would fix it.”

The doctor smiled upon hearing this and was about to come examine him when another person entered.

“Doctor, doctor, quick, look at this sore on my neck,” This was a burly man with a greasy apron around his waist. “I didn’t pay attention—it appeared two days ago, and today it seems to be oozing pus…”

The doctor came over first to look and indeed saw a sore on the man’s neck, sunken and black in the center, with gray-green pus around it.

“This is a carbuncle!” he said. “Sit down and I’ll cut it out for you, then apply medicinal paste. It’ll be fine in two or three days.”

The man sighed with relief but was somewhat afraid.

“You have to cut it with a knife… how painful,” he muttered.

The assistant beside him laughed.

“Wang Big Head, you handle knives and slaughter pigs all day—you know fear too?” they laughed.

The patient with diarrhea also laughed.

“Treat the big butcher first, treat the big butcher first,” he called out, showing no signs of having acute abdominal symptoms.

The doctor came over with his knife, laughing.

“You’ve killed so many pigs—this is probably retribution,” he laughed, skillfully cutting the pustule, drawing out the rotten flesh, cleaning and applying medicinal paste, then patting the man who was cringing with pain and fear, nearly fainting. “Done.”

Only then did the man relax.

“I’m still busy with business. I’m leaving first,” he threw down the silver and left.

The doctor and others laughed as they watched him.

“First time seeing Big Butcher Wang so scared,” the diarrhea patient laughed.

The doctor simply washed his hands and came over to him.

“Come, let me see what’s wrong with you,” he said, examining him through observation, listening, questioning, and feeling his pulse. He also checked the man’s eyes, mouth, and tongue. After a thorough examination, he took a dark pill from behind and held it out. “If you’re not reassured, take one of these.”

“Is this the miracle pill that can cure acute abdominal symptoms?” the patient asked with bright eyes.

The doctor nodded.

“However, it’s somewhat expensive. Why don’t you wait and see? If it’s not serious and gets better on its own, you won’t need to waste the money…” he said again.

The patient grabbed it and stuffed it directly into his mouth, swallowing without even chewing.

“I feel more at ease with it in my stomach,” he said with a smile, throwing the money to the doctor.

Naturally, earning more money was good. The doctor also smiled as he saw him out. Before he’d even left the door, two or three more patients came in—some with falls, some with cut feet, some with twisted necks. There was more busy work with knives and acupuncture needles, and things didn’t quiet down until dark.

“Without Qianjin Hall around, days are really quite tiring,” the doctor said, pounding his somewhat sore back and shaking his head with a sigh.

The assistants laughed heartily.

“But it’s a happy kind of tired,” they all said.

Such scenes were happening in several medicine shops throughout the city. In any case, a joyful atmosphere enveloped Yongqing Prefecture, lasting until the morning of the third day.

As the morning mist lifted, the early-rising night soil collector was the first to discover the abnormality.

Right at the street corner, a person lay motionless.

A drunk? The early riser approached curiously. As soon as he got close, he saw the person lying face-up with a blackened complexion and blood flowing from all seven orifices.

“Dead body!” The scream tore through the street.

At the same time, one after another, screams rang out in different parts of the city, like drums and gongs announcing that the King of Hell had entered Yongqing Prefecture city and raised his soul-stealing brush.