newbobooks Chapter 51 Big Twist
Chapter 51 Big Twist
The figure on the roof jumped down and landed steadily in front of Hu Bugui. In the moonlight, Hu Bugui saw the person clearly, it was the young man in white they met in the restaurant that day.
"It's you!" Hu Bugui blurted out in surprise.
The young man in white smiled slightly and nodded to him as a greeting, then turned to the group of thugs who were knocked to the ground and asked in a cold tone: "Tell me, who sent you here?"
The thugs were intimidated by the young man in white's aura and dared not hide anything. They stammered and revealed the mastermind behind the scenes - Qian Baiwan, the largest medicinal material merchant in the city.
After hearing this, the young man in white's face darkened. He snorted coldly, turned around and said to Hu Bugui, "It seems that this Boss Qian won't cry until he sees the coffin. Let's go meet him now!"
After saying that, the young man in white took Hu Bugui and went straight to Qian Baiwan's mansion.
However, when they arrived at Qian's house, they found it in chaos. The servants were running around in panic, shouting words like "plague" and "dead people".
Hu Bugui and the young man in white looked at each other, and suddenly a bad feeling rose in their hearts. They didn't have time to think about it, and rushed into the mansion, only to see many people lying on the ground, all with purple faces and shortness of breath, obviously infected with the plague.
"Go and get a doctor!" The young man in white made a prompt decision and ordered the people around him to go and get a doctor, while he and Hu Bugui began to treat the patient.
However, the plague was fierce and the condition was complicated. Although they tried their best to rescue, they had little effect. Seeing that the number of patients was increasing and the condition was getting worse, Hu Bugui and the young man in white felt helpless and filled with anxiety and uneasiness.
The news of the plague spread quickly to the capital. The emperor was furious and immediately ordered the Imperial Hospital to send its most capable medical officers to the epidemic area to control the epidemic at all costs.
Several horse-drawn carriages drove into the village, with flags of the Imperial Hospital on them. Several medical officers in official uniforms walked into the Qian Mansion surrounded by villagers. They all looked solemn and walked hurriedly, forming a sharp contrast with the panic atmosphere around them.
The leading doctor was named Zhang, and he was the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital. He was highly skilled in medicine, experienced, and had great prestige in the palace. He looked around, frowning, and a strong herbal smell mixed with a nauseating smell hit his nose, making him cover his mouth and nose.
"Are you Hu Bugui and Wu Tao?" Judge Zhang's gaze fell on the two people who were giving acupuncture to the patient, and there was a bit of scrutiny and suspicion in his tone.
"It's us common people." Hu Bugui and Wu Tao put down their work, stood up and saluted.
"How dare you! Why don't you kneel when you see an official appointed by the imperial court?" A young medical officer behind Zhang Yuanpan shouted harshly.
Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other and ignored the young medical officer. Instead, they looked directly at Zhang Yuanpan and said calmly, "Human life is at stake. Saving lives is the most important thing. We can discuss etiquette later."
Court Judge Zhang waved his hand, signaling the young medical officer to leave, then walked to the bedside, carefully observed the patient's condition, and looked through the residue of the medicine the patient had taken. His expression became increasingly ugly.
"Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous!" Judge Zhang slammed the table and pointed at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao's noses, angrily scolding, "Do you know what disease this is? How dare you use these folk remedies to treat it recklessly? If the disease is delayed, can you afford it?!"
Hu Bugui replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Zhang Yuanpan, the medicines we use are all proven to be effective, and we are not treating patients randomly." Wu Tao also added: "Yes, we have treated many patients. If you don't believe me, ask the villagers."
The surrounding villagers nodded in agreement, indicating that Wu Tao and Hu Bugui had indeed treated many patients.
Judge Zhang snorted coldly, "What nonsense! What do you know about medical skills? Do you know the cause, symptoms, and treatment of this disease?"
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were speechless for a moment. Although they wanted to save lives, they were not professional doctors after all and had limited knowledge of pathology.
Just as the two sides were deadlocked, an old voice came from outside the crowd: "I have a different opinion."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man with white hair and wearing coarse linen clothes walking slowly with the help of villagers. Although the old man was dressed simply, he was energetic, with sharp eyes, and exuded an aura of majesty without anger.
"Who is this..." Judge Zhang asked doubtfully.
"This is Mr. Sun, the descendant of the great doctor Bian Que, who is known as Hua Tuo." The villagers answered respectfully.
It turned out that Mr. Sun traveled around the country, practicing medicine to save people. He passed by here a few days ago and heard that a plague had broken out in the village, so he stayed to help treat the patients.
After carefully inquiring about the patient's condition and examining his condition, Mr. Sun expressed his approval of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's medical skills: "Although the methods you two use are unorthodox, they are the right medicine for the right condition, which is not easy."
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were delighted. It seemed that Mr. Sun was a real doctor and not a pedantic person.
Mr. Sun continued, "However, when I was reading ancient books, I found a more effective treatment method, but it requires a precious medicinal material called 'Snow Lotus'."
"Snow Lotus?" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui asked in unison.
Mr. Sun nodded: "Yes, snow lotus grows in extremely cold places and blooms only once every hundred years. It has the effect of bringing the dead back to life and is the key to treating this disease."
"But where is the snow lotus nearby?" Wu Tao asked.
"I heard that snow lotus grows on the snow-capped peaks of Tianshan Mountains a hundred miles away." Mr. Sun said, pointing to the snow-capped peaks in the distance.
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other and had already made a decision in their hearts.
"Let's go!" Hu Bugui said firmly.
The Tianshan Mountains are rugged, covered with snow all year round, with a harsh climate and ferocious wild animals. The journey is extremely dangerous, but in order to save the lives of the villagers, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui did not hesitate.
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui trudged along the rugged mountain road, the wind was biting, the snow was flying, the snow-capped peaks of Tianshan Mountain seemed to be right in front of them, yet out of reach. After going through untold hardships, they finally found the legendary snow lotus on the cliff, which was crystal clear and exuded a faint fragrance.
After returning to the village, Mr. Sun immediately prepared the snow lotus and other herbs into medicine, and boiled them for several hours before finally making a life-saving decoction. The patients who took the medicine gradually got better, and some patients with mild symptoms could even walk. Seeing this, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were filled with hope, and the villagers were also grateful to them.
However, the good times did not last long. The epidemic was not brought under control even though some patients recovered. Instead, it intensified. People in nearby villages also became infected one after another, and the epidemic spread rapidly. When the news reached Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, they felt heavy in their hearts. They thought they had found hope, but they did not expect that this was only a short respite. Greater challenges were still to come.
The village, which had regained some vitality, was once again shrouded in the shadow of fear, with coughs and wailing coming one after another, and the joy of hope was replaced by huge pressure and anxiety. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui took care of the patients day and night, decocting and feeding them medicine, and they did not dare to stop for a moment, but they knew in their hearts that this was not a solution.
"Taoer, this is not a solution. We must find a way to control the epidemic!" Hu Bugui frowned as he looked at the increasing number of patients.
"But we have tried all the methods we can think of, even using Snow Lotus. What else can we do?" Wu Tao leaned tiredly on Hu Bugui's shoulder, his tone full of powerlessness.
At this moment, an old voice came from outside the door: "I am here uninvited, I hope you can forgive me."
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked up and saw an old man in coarse linen clothes standing at the door. The old man had white hair and beard, but he was energetic and his eyes were bright and sharp, as if he could see through everything in the world.
"Old man, who are you?" Wu Tao asked doubtfully.
"I came here while traveling, and when I heard about the outbreak of an epidemic, I wanted to do my best to help," the old man said, pulling out an old book from his arms. "This book is a medical book passed down by my ancestors, and it may be of some help to the epidemic."
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui took the medical book and opened it. They saw that it was densely packed with records of various herbs and treatments, and one chapter was clearly written "Plague Prevention and Control". Their eyes suddenly lit up, as if they had grasped a life-saving straw, and they couldn't wait to read it carefully.
"Old man, you are really a timely rain! I don't know how to address you?" Hu Bugui said gratefully.
"My surname is Zhang, my name is Zhongjing, and I only have a basic understanding of medicine." The old man smiled faintly, his tone calm and indifferent.
Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were shocked when they heard this. Zhang Zhongjing, that's the Medical Saint! They were lucky enough to see the Medical Saint in person!