Having obtained the travel pass, a stone lifted from Bao Zhu’s heart, and she slept soundly until daybreak.

In the morning, after washing and dressing, she stood by the window for fresh air and spotted Zhou Qingyang burning something in the courtyard. Curious, Bao Zhu craned her neck to look and saw her frequently worn, filthy Taoist robe burning in the fire. Knowing old clothes could be sold to used clothing shops, and that most wandering martial artists were quite frugal, Bao Zhu found Zhou Qingyang’s clothes-burning strange.

When everyone gradually got up and gathered for breakfast, Bao Zhu triumphantly announced she had obtained the travel pass and they could leave Zhaoyi for Chengde.

As they discussed where to lodge after crossing the border, a traveling merchant suddenly appeared at the inn entrance, loudly hawking charms to ward off plague demons. To attract business, he deliberately spread mysterious rumors about plague demons haunting the city. In no time, guests were opening their purses, even the innkeeper came to buy several pieces.

Yang Xingjian, whose beloved daughter had died from epidemic disease, took this extremely seriously and rose to buy some. Zhou Qingyang pressed him back down, saying: “I can write these charms myself—it’s all throwing money away. Why spend it on outsiders?” She immediately took out yellow paper and cinnabar, drawing with flowing strokes.

This stole the traveling merchant’s business, and he made several unpleasant sarcastic remarks. Zhou Qingyang opened her mouth to retort with uniquely colorful language, loudly cataloguing the merchant’s baldness, bad breath, impotence, athlete’s foot and other ailments, including greetings to his ancestors in the underworld. Within just a few exchanges, she sent him scurrying away in disgrace.

Turning to see Bao Zhu listening attentively nearby, Zhou Qingyang said to her: “When emotions are disturbed and melancholy accumulates internally, it’s most harmful to the body. Years of swallowing anger in silence causes blood stasis and phlegm turbidity to stagnate, easily forming internal abscesses in the chest and breast area. So when you have anger in your heart, you must vent it thoroughly through scolding to prevent future troubles.”

Bao Zhu nodded with partial understanding.

Zhou Qingyang’s charms were beautifully drawn and inexpensive, quickly attracting many onlookers. While drawing charms, she casually inquired about plague demon news from locals, confirming within a few words that the disease source came from Dunye Ward.

Zhou Qingyang packed up her stall and called her companions to a secluded spot. Unlike her usual carefree manner, her expression seemed somewhat grave as she said: “Zhongqiu is about to have a plague outbreak. Since we’ve obtained the travel pass, we should depart quickly.”

Bao Zhu asked: “How does the Taoist Master know the illness in that ward is plague?”

Zhou Qingyang replied: “The city is now overcrowded with accumulated filth—perfect conditions for breeding epidemic diseases. Yesterday I repeatedly saw fresh corpses being carried out wrapped in mats without proper wake ceremonies. I followed them out of the city wanting to examine the corpses’ condition, but before I could figure anything out, soldiers drove me away. Plagues usually outbreak during high summer temperatures. Disease occurring in such cold weather is rare, but anything that can emerge must be extraordinary.”

Yang Xingjian, hearing there was truly plague, immediately turned pale with fear, trembling as he strongly demanded they leave Zhongqiu at once.

After brief consideration, Bao Zhu frowned: “The Taoist Master says plague breeds where people are crowded. If epidemic qi spreads through military camps, won’t the Zhaoyi border be left without troops?”

Zhou Qingyang hadn’t expected a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl to think of such things. Quite surprised, she couldn’t help examining her again.

Bao Zhu muttered to herself: “I need to inform Han Jun about this—it’s no small matter.”

Hearing she wanted to see Han Jun again, Wei Xun immediately felt agitated and quickly said: “That Han fellow already knows. Last night he sent people to the prefecture requesting medical doctors for treatment.”

Zhou Qingyang snorted mockingly: “Small prefecture medical doctors have about the same level as charm sellers. Though this commander does have some insight. A single spark can still be controlled. When wildfire spreads across the plains, everything will be too late.”

Hearing this, Bao Zhu said urgently: “In that case, could the Taoist Master assist Zhongqiu by blocking the epidemic qi in advance? If plague spreads and Chengde forces exploit the opportunity, casualties might be more severe than the disease itself.”

Zhou Qingyang stared at her without speaking for a long while, as if seeing shadows of old friends in her.

Yang Xingjian was anxious to leave while Bao Zhu wanted to stay and assess the situation. Forgetting hierarchy, Yang Xingjian cried out that plague demons were fiercer than tigers—if not for Zhou Qingyang’s presence, he would have knelt to beg Bao Zhu to leave immediately.

“If you stay indoors, there’s no immediate danger. Remain honestly at the inn, stock up on grain and water, close the doors and avoid contact with anyone. Let me go meet this plague demon and see what it’s made of.”

Zhou Qingyang stood up, her demeanor returning to its usual relaxed casualness. She efficiently packed a bundle, shouldered it, and strode out.

Bao Zhu followed her instructions, sending Yang Xingjian to purchase provisions while worrying and having Wei Xun accompany him for assistance. Then she closed doors and windows, copying sutras in her room to pray for their wellbeing.

The older and younger men soon reached Dunye Ward, now heavily guarded with many soldiers patrolling the perimeter. Entry and exit procedures were no simpler than border crossings. Itinerant merchants, beggars and other unregistered transients had all been cleared out, with outsiders absolutely forbidden entry. The county magistrate had also invited monks and Taoists to set up altars outside to perform rituals driving away plague demons—quite a lively scene.

Wei Xun surveyed the setup and asked Zhou Qingyang: “Shall your martial nephew carry you over the wall?”

Zhou Qingyang didn’t answer, giving him a sideways glance as she rummaged in her traveling pouch. Wei Xun expected her to produce some plague-prevention pills, but after much searching she pulled out a small coin, placing it in Wei Xun’s palm with instructions: “Take this money, go buy some candy on the street. After eating it, return to the inn to guard the young lady. I won’t bring a qi-cultivation stage brat to wade through such muddy waters.”

Wei Xun, being treated like a child, was displeased and pinched the copper coin bent with two fingers.

“Old cripple, can you hop in there yourself?”

Zhou Qingyang laughed: “Master Uncle has her methods. Your cold ailment hasn’t healed—if you catch fierce epidemic qi too, I’m afraid I couldn’t save you. The ‘Way’ I follow is: with wholehearted effort, saving one person is like saving a hundred. If you can devotedly care for one well, it equals rescuing countless others. If you fall here, who will escort that child to Youzhou?”

With that, she pulled a feathered skirt from her bundle and tied it around her waist. She also took out dried mugwort, lit it, and held it in her hand, striding boldly toward the ward gate while chanting: “The Dipper’s handle returns to Yin, the primordial beginning starts operations; the Southern Dipper records births, the Northern Dipper records deaths; the three corpses lie hidden, the six excesses flee!”

The soldiers guarding the ward gate saw a white-haired witch in brilliant colorful feathered robes approaching, waving smoking mugwort and chanting incomprehensible spells—they all froze. Though the county magistrate had invited monks and Taoists to drive away the plague, none were willing to risk entering the ward; they all performed rituals outside the main gate. The soldiers assumed this witch-doctor had also come to exorcise demons and didn’t obstruct her, letting her pass directly.

Zhou Qingyang entered the ward gate openly and began searching courtyard by courtyard, inquiring about deceased residents’ homes.

Meanwhile, at the county office: Yesterday Princess Wangshou had suddenly visited in the deep night like a fleeting vision, with no trace afterward. When Han Jun awoke this morning, suspecting it was hallucination, his gray-haired servant came in panic saying his battle armor had vanished without a trace—likely stolen by thieves.

Theft at the county office with the commander’s armor stolen was undoubtedly a face-losing major case. However, upon hearing the news, Han Jun was overjoyed instead, ordering absolute secrecy. This confirmed last night wasn’t a pipe dream—the princess had indeed come.

Since she’d requested the travel pass, she intended to leave the city. He need only wait at the north gate to encounter her. But considering the Han family’s previous discourteous behavior toward the princess, Han Jun dared not be presumptuous again, forcibly suppressing his longing to remain inactive. He’d also considered sending escorts to Youzhou, but she seemed to have capable guards, leaving no room for his involvement.

Repeatedly savoring details of their first meeting, her cold words and aloof manner toward him embodied that line: “If she could speak, she’d topple nations; even heartless, she moves people.” Han Jun’s heart was completely intoxicated, while the regretful self-harm of “failing such beauty in this life” grew even more intense.

Just as he was full of remorse for not requesting a copy of the travel pass to treasure her calligraphy, personal guards reported a message delivered by flying blade.

An ordinary dining knife had pierced through fine-scale armor, embedded in the screen wall of the county office’s front hall, with an unsigned letter tied to its handle. The blade had entered stone over four inches deep—several strong men took turns straining until their faces turned red and necks thick, unable to extract it. To remove the armor required dismantling it.

Han Jun couldn’t care about the armor, hurriedly accepting the letter his guard presented. Unfolding it, he saw it written in official document format: “To Regimental Commander Han Jun of Xingzhou Office: Epidemic disease now rages, people suffer greatly. You are dispatched to coordinate with excellent physician, the female Taoist Master Qingyang, in managing plague prevention and treatment affairs. You shall provide full assistance and execute according to regulations. Urgent, immediate response required.”

Official documents commanding subordinates required seals to be effective, but on this document was a cinnabar seal in the shape of a jade comb, its back carved with exquisite flying apsara patterns. The handwriting was exactly from the princess’s hand.

Having received the celestial beauty’s personal correspondence as wished, Han Jun was both shocked and delighted. What made him even more ecstatic was that the princess had entrusted him with important duties and assigned him tasks. He hurriedly removed mourning clothes, changed to a red headband, and ordered horses prepared to personally handle the plague at Dunye Ward.

On the other side, Zhou Qingyang used exorcism as pretense to penetrate the alleys, personally examining patients. All symptoms showed violent vomiting and diarrhea without high fever or coughing blood—she breathed slightly easier.

Ward residents were impoverished, living in cramped, crowded quarters with sewage flowing through lanes. Open sewers for waste disposal hadn’t been cleaned for many years, still reeking in late autumn—perfect breeding grounds for various epidemic diseases.

With empty purses, even if she prescribed medicine, residents couldn’t afford it. Zhou Qingyang could only instruct families to boil salt water, continuously replenishing fluids to sustain patients’ lives. She also chanted while sprinkling charm ashes in pots to strengthen patients’ will to survive.

As she made rounds, whenever learning of a patient or deceased person, she’d paste a plague-prevention charm on door boards as markers. After thoroughly surveying Dunye Ward this way, she finally identified the area with the densest outbreak concentration.

This was vacant land in the ward’s southeast corner with a public well at its center—nearly sixty percent of the deceased had lived nearby. Zhou Qingyang waved mugwort, pacing circles around the well. Following traces, she discovered an open-air latrine in dwellings fifty paces away.

Logically, this distance shouldn’t contaminate the well. But with winter approaching and farm work ceased, excrement that should have been transported to fields as fertilizer accumulated here uncleaned. The latrine sat higher than the well mouth—recent continuous rains had caused sewage to secretly wind from latrine into well.

Zhou Qingyang, with years of rural medical experience, deduced: Ward residents were impoverished; during autumn and winter, firewood was expensive, and many couldn’t bear to make fires, much less brew tea. Daily they drank raw water and ate cold food. Combined with this sewage-contaminated well, the epidemic’s source was crystal clear.

Fortunately, the gradually cooling weather prevented the epidemic from being too fierce. Had it erupted in midsummer, deaths would likely be tenfold.

Zhou Qingyang’s brilliant colorful witch-doctor costume was extremely eye-catching, attracting many ward residents to follow and watch the excitement. She pretended the tense appearance of confronting enemies, loudly chanting: “Three corpses lie hidden, six excesses flee! The plague demon hides in this well!”

Hearing this, everyone exclaimed in uproar. The ward chief tremblingly approached, carefully inquiring: “Dare ask the witch-doctor, is your Taoist name Qingyang?”

Zhou Qingyang was slightly startled, nodded in acknowledgment, and the ward chief immediately treated her like a deity, dispatching people to report to superiors.

Soon, Han Jun arrived hurriedly with personal guards and servants, bowing respectfully: “I follow superior orders to assist the Taoist Master in resisting plague. Whatever instructions you have, please speak freely.”

Having practiced medicine for years, Zhou Qingyang had always relied on witch identity, borrowing divine power and folk superstitions to practice medicine—never before having official assistance. Seeing this young commander volunteer, she wasn’t polite, immediately selecting over a dozen strong residents to seal the well and directing soldiers to spread lime on nearby ground.

“Epidemic qi spreads because filth accumulates. Without eliminating the root cause, future troubles will be endless.”

Zhou Qingyang explained thus. Han Jun immediately dispatched people to conscript corvée labor, beginning to clean all open and hidden sewage channels throughout Zhongqiu City. With everything properly arranged, he politely inquired of Zhou Qingyang: “May I ask the Taoist Master if you have plague-prevention medicinal formulas to share?”

“Preventing disease before it starts, treating illness before it develops” was precisely Zhou Qingyang’s medical philosophy. She surveyed the surroundings, seeing many onlookers in shabby clothing, understanding that even if she prescribed medicine, they could afford at most one or two doses before being unable to continue.

So she smiled slightly, saying: “This poor Taoist has ancestral thousand-gold formulas from immortal gates, preventing and treating all diseases, requiring no precious medicinal materials.”

Han Jun showed anticipation, respectfully asking: “What is the formula?”

Zhou Qingyang leisurely uttered four words: “Drink more hot water.”

Author’s Note:

“Peony Flower”—by Luo Yin. This is a poet from late Tang and Five Dynasties period. I won’t quibble over exact years. This work’s background setting is closer to mid-Tang (early 800s AD) because of the Yuanhe Restoration, when Tang seemed to still have hope of revival.

Practicing medicine is like detective work—this counts as a small case.

“Drink more hot water” truly was a universal remedy in ancient environments—boiling drinking water for sterilization had great benefits.

The case references epidemiologist John Snow’s 1854 investigation of cholera sources in London’s Westminster district.

Of course Zhou isn’t a time-traveler and doesn’t possess knowledge of bacterial transmission. Her epidemic qi theory comes from ancient pathogenic concepts, referencing Yu Gengzhe’s “From Disease to Human Hearts—Further Exploration of Medieval Medical Social History.”