Chapter 155
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Lin Qingyang lifted the curtain and intercepted a white-robed youth who rushed out, surrounded by a lingering medicinal scent.
“Lord…” The physician who had been chasing from behind hastily saluted upon seeing Lin Qingyang and Pei Jin.
Pei Jin felt a headache coming on and her temper flared. “So many people are waiting for you to save their lives, and you still have the mood to cause trouble.”
“No, Lord, it’s all because of this brat. He’s no physician at all. Even letting him be a medicine boy’s assistant is too much. He’s simply causing chaos for us.” The physician wore a pained expression as if he had been thoroughly exhausted by the situation.
Lin Qingyang looked down at the young man. In fact, he had already let go of the young man, but the latter still clung to him, or more precisely, he kept sniffing something on Lin Qingyang’s clothes.
What… is this issue?
“You…” The young man lifted his head, revealing a clean and delicate face with a pair of sparkling eyes that looked incredibly bright. “The scent on your body is so familiar.”
Lin Qingyang: … Is it a man’s scent? He doesn’t use perfume, though.
Pei Jin felt a bit uncomfortable with the scene. Why were two men embracing each other like this?
She directly stepped forward and pulled the young man away, giving Lin Qingyang a stern look. “You… Are you called Mu Huichun, right? Someone just informed me of your discovery. You…”
“Oh, right, you’re in charge here. I’m telling you, the treatment shouldn’t be done like this. I found out that using medicine for treating dysentery would actually accelerate the patients’ death. I need some patients and medicinal herbs for my research. Arrange it for me.” Mu Huichun spoke directly, showing no reverence for Pei Jin’s status in his tone.
Pei Jin originally came with suppressed anger, but hearing Mu Huichun’s tone, she burst into laughter on the spot. “Experiment? You really dare to ask. What if they die? Can you bear the responsibility?”
Mu Huichun, this name, never appeared in the original plot. If he isn’t a hermit, could he be an expert? Lin Qingyang was originally quite intrigued, but now he felt uncertain. In this situation, it’s hard to agree to randomly pick some patients for him to experiment on, especially considering that they were already on the verge of death from poisoning.
“They’re supposed to die from the poison anyway. Experimenting with me might actually help them survive.” Mu Huichun retorted.
“You…” Pei Jin was about to refute when Lin Qingyang intervened. “Why don’t you explain to us? If what you say makes sense, we will cooperate with you.”
“It’s poisoning, confirmed by my silver needles. Your silver needles are ineffective, and the smell of their blood is abnormal when I sniff it.”
Upon hearing this, a group of physicians immediately objected.
“All of this is just your claim, making it hard for people to believe,” Pei Jin stated directly.
“Then I’ll examine the corpses for you.”
“The bodies have already been burned, how could we leave them for you to examine?”
Wood Hui Chun became impatient. “Why can’t you understand? Is there someone more competent in charge here? Even the one who didn’t manage anything before is better than you.”
This remark implied that Cheng Yi was better than Pei Jin, immediately provoking Pei Jin. She waved his hand and ordered, “Since he’s of no use, throw him out.”
Saying that, someone stepped forward to rudely pull Mu Huichun out.
Mu Huichun became furious. “I’m leaving. Everyone here is going to die! You can’t save them!”
Lin Qingyang felt a growing unease, unsure whether Mu Huichun was intentionally saying this or if he genuinely knew something. After all, in the original plot, none survived.
“Wait, I have an idea,” Lin Qingyang suddenly spoke, “When we entered, we passed by a tent. You told me that it was abandoned by the physicians who gave up on treating patients completely. Those patients can be handed over to him. A desperate measure, but it’s better than doing nothing.”
Pei Jin was taken aback, “Aren’t you afraid of causing the death of this ignorant youth?”
Lin Qingyang looked down at Mu Huichun.
Mu Huichun tilted his head up, “I think it’s a good idea. I’ll take responsibility for my own life. What are you afraid of?”
Since he wasn’t afraid of death, Pei Jin agreed and provided enough medicinal materials and tools for Mu Huichun to take into the tent where patients were left to die.
Lin Qingyang thought about it and decided to accompany them, “Are you really okay? What if you get infected…”
“I’m immune to all poisons; I won’t get infected at all.” Mu Huichun proudly declared.
This description sounded too much like a recluse master. Lin Qingyang wasn’t sure if the youth was boasting, but he was a bit worried about the young man’s safety. However, seeing the determined look on his face, Lin Qingyang decided not to say much more.
Suddenly, Mu Huichun turned around and laughed, “You’re not bad. You understand me. You’re much better than that woman!”
Lin Qingyang’s eyes changed instantly. Seeing no one around paying attention to them, he quickly whispered, “What woman are you talking about?”
“It’s that Lord Pei, isn’t she a woman? Moreover, she’s in a special period, an unusually irritable woman. I was initially planning to give her a prescription to ease her discomfort, but not anymore!” Mu Huichun complained a bit.
Lin Qingyang was speechless. After all, Mu Huichun hadn’t examined Pei Jin’s pulse, and they hadn’t been too close. Could he really be a divine physician?
“You haven’t told anyone else, have you?” Lin Qingyang hurriedly asked.
Mu Huichun, seeing this seemingly gentle guy suddenly becoming serious, was also taken aback. “No, just you.”
“Then remember, absolutely don’t tell anyone else.”
“Ah?”
Seeing Mu Huichun’s indifferent expression, Lin Qingyang could only add, “If you spread this information, she and her family will definitely kill you, and those people you informed will also die.”
This made Mu Huichun serious, not because he was afraid of death, but because he valued other people’s lives. “Is it that bad?”
“This is someone else’s secret.”
Mu Huichun didn’t insist on revealing someone else’s secret. He nodded in understanding when Lin Qingyang mentioned it. He then shouldered the things he needed to bring and walked into the tent.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but say, “If… you can’t do it, just forget it. Your life is still a life.”
Mu Huichun unexpectedly glanced at Lin Qingyang, smiled, and then entered the tent.
Not exaggerating, originally, a person would be carried out of that tent every half an hour, but now half a day had passed, and not a single person had died.
When Pei Jin came to check, her expression had changed. She asked the guards responsible for this place.
The guards were also somewhat puzzled, “We’ve been in several times and haven’t seen anyone dead. Those people have needles all over their bodies, densely packed and terrifying, but they are all alive and well.”
Pei Jin looked at Lin Qingyang in astonishment, and Lin Qingyang also didn’t expect Mu Huichun to be so powerful.
Just then, someone came to report that there were many infections in the two refugee camps in the distance in the morning, and it seemed to be getting out of control.
After all, the emotions of the refugees could easily collapse, especially when their loved ones were taken away due to illness. They might not necessarily cooperate. In the past, when one person managed one area, it was relatively manageable. Now, with Pei Jin managing three areas alone, the administration was inevitably lax, and things could easily get out of control.
Pei Jin hurriedly went to handle the situation, realizing that she needed assistance from other departments. Lin Qingyang could only temporarily help her manage the situation here.
By evening, Pei Jin returned, visibly exhausted. Lin Qingyang didn’t inquire about the situation, as the smoke rising from the burning bodies not far away indicated a sudden and widespread outbreak.
In the midst of everyone’s anxiety, Mu Huichun finally emerged with the prescription he had researched.
“Use this.” Mu Huichun shouted, “Take it for three days, and the poison will be neutralized, and dysentery will also be cured!”
The physicians, who had already heard about the situation, examined Mu Huichun’s prescription and re-entered the tents to check the conditions of the patients they had previously abandoned. Eventually, they were convinced.
Driven by the urgency to save lives, the physicians, now understanding that the patients’ conditions were worsened by poisoning, swiftly took Mu Huichun’s prescription and started their work.
Mu Huichun confirmed that the sudden increase in mortality in the other two refugee camps was also due to poisoning.
In one night, the seriously ill patients had all taken the first dose of the medicine, and their conditions were instantly brought under control.
People couldn’t help but address Mu Huichun as the little miracle healer.
Mu Huichun happily took a break to eat a few mouthfuls of food. Seeing not far away, both Pei Jin and Lin Qingyang were sitting with furrowed brows, he intended to come over and say a few words to Pei Jin, but found the two of them looking serious.
“Hey, lives have been saved, what are you two doing?” Mu Huichun couldn’t understand.
“Mu Huichun, do you know where the poison came from? Was it accidental or intentional?” Lin Qingyang asked.
After confirming that the patients were suffering from intensified dysentery due to poisoning, both of them contemplated the situation. This matter would undoubtedly need to be reported.
“Definitely intentional. This kind of poison needs to be manufactured. How could it be accidental?” Mu Huichun directly provided the answer.
“So who poisoned them, how, and why?” Lin Qingyang murmured.
Mu Huichun sat down and said, “Then I don’t know. The initial patients must have been burned by you. However, I do know about the toxicity. This poison must be cultivated in patients infected with dysentery, and it spreads rapidly. The infected person will definitely die within three days.”
“Since the most severe outbreak is here, it should be spread by the patients here. I just asked the physicians here. Dysentery patients appeared ten days ago, and it suddenly became severe three days ago,” Pei Jin said.
Lin Qingyang added, “After the flood, having dysentery patients is normal, but it’s abnormal for it to suddenly become severe. If they die within three days, it means that three to six days ago, someone with the poison came here, or someone poisoned this place. If it’s poisoning, it’s impossible to trace back. So, let’s first send people to inquire about that period—find out which batch of refugees arrived here and if there are any survivors.”
Pei Jin also agreed and decided to start the investigation from here. She quickly sent people to inquire.
“I don’t understand. What’s the benefit of harming people like this? Life is already difficult for the refugees,” Mu Huichun complained while eating.
Lin Qingyang’s face turned ugly. The benefit was likely to cause confusion among the refugees, making them think that the emperor was abandoning them. But who would do such a thing?
Suddenly, a gaze settled on Lin Qingyang. He looked up and saw Pei Jin with an unfriendly expression. “If all the refugees here die, the three princes will naturally bear the blame.”
Lin Qingyang shuddered at the suspicion that the Fourth Prince’s faction might be using harm to the refugees to undermine the other three princes. His mouth twitched, hinting, “It can’t be that heartless.”
“Just because you’re not, doesn’t mean someone else isn’t. He is a ruthless mastermind; he’s capable of such ideas,” Pei Jin sneered.
Lin Qingyang felt a void inside. If it were the male lead from the original story, he indeed had done similar things, using the lives of the common people to achieve his goals. But now, with Chu Lishu…
Lin Qingyang asserted, “He won’t! I believe in him.”
“You’re blinded by your own beliefs; I don’t want to argue with you,” Pei Jin snapped.
“If he had the intention, he could have easily warned me not to come here and not to do anything unnecessary. Look at what I’ve done now,” Lin Qingyang questioned directly.
Pei Jin fell silent instantly, her expression still uneasy.
Soon, they found the group of refugees who had arrived five days ago. Surprisingly, out of the dozen or so people, only one woman seemed to be in good health. However, she had lost many family members in the past few days and was filled with grief.
Pei Jin spent quite some time questioning before extracting a strange piece of information.
Before they reached the capital, starving and desperate, they resorted to nibbling on tree bark. However, they encountered a group of bandits who, instead of threatening their lives, were looking for young and strong individuals to join them. Being law-abiding people, only a few agreed, and the bandits, surprisingly, didn’t trouble them further and even provided some food.
At that time, the woman, prioritizing her child and elderly family members, gave away all their food. In the end, they persevered and arrived at the refugee camp outside the capital.
When they came, they discovered that someone among them had already contracted dysentery.
“Bandits? Wu Xin Mountain? The food they ate.” Lin Qingyang’s expression became serious.
Pei Jin went on to inquire with other refugees, and they had also nibbled on tree bark during their journey, with the only difference being that they hadn’t encountered bandits as the woman did.
Although it might be too presumptive, this had become the only lead for now. When officials from the Imperial Court of Justice Review came to investigate, they would likely have to report based on this speculation.
Not long after, people arrived outside, thinking they were officials from the Imperial Court of Justice Review. However, they turned out to be Pei Jin’s own spies.
After meeting with them, Pei Jin’s expression turned grim. When she came back, she directly addressed Lin Qingyang, “I need to leave for a while. The authorities will take over here. You should go back too.”
Lin Qingyang immediately understood, “Something happened at Wu Xin Mountain?”
Pei Jin didn’t conceal anything, considering the matter would become public knowledge soon.
“The plan to besiege Wu Xin Mountain failed. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince were captured.”
Lin Qingyang feigned surprise, but inwardly he remained calm. Everything was proceeding as planned according to the original plot.
“The whereabouts of the Eldest Prince are unknown; he might have fallen in battle.”
Lin Qingyang: … Ahhhhh!
After Pei Jin finished speaking, he turned away, ignoring Lin Qingyang’s shocked expression, and began to leave.
Lin Qingyang hurriedly grabbed Pei Jin and said, “Let’s go together. I must go!”
Pei Jin frowned slightly, but it was a rare occasion for Lin Qingyang to look at her with an expression that brooked no refusal. “Please, take me there! My family is waiting at the gate, and I can’t leave the capital. Help me!”
Unable to refuse, Pei Jin could only say, “It’s dangerous there. Even for your cousin, there’s no need to…”
Lin Qingyang didn’t waste any more time and turned to leave. He was ready to go on his own, even if it meant conflict with Liu Jingchen. The plot had deviated so much from expectations, and it was getting critical!
In the end, Pei Jin reached out and stopped Lin Qingyang. “I’ll take you there.”
Lin Qingyang immediately looked at Pei Jin with joy, but Pei Jin’s face was full of displeasure.
“I want to go too! I’m very interested in the person who poisoned them. Didn’t you just say the poisoner is likely to be the bandits? I want to see who would do such a thing.” Mu Huichun pulled Lin Qingyang and said.
Pei Jin initially wanted to refuse, but considering Mu Huichun’s medical skills, perhaps he could be of use. So, she agreed.
Finally, they boarded the carriage provided by the Pei family, directly avoiding the people that Liu Jingchen had sent to wait outside.
With two carriages in line, Pei Jin and her people occupied the front one, while Lin Qingyang and Mu Huichun sat in the one behind.
Lin Qingyang’s mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, fearing that even before they reached their destination, something might have happened to the Eldest Prince. If that were the case, not only would this mission fall apart, but according to the plot, several subsequent missions might become impossible. Currently, various forces were in competition, and the sudden demise of one would be the most troublesome for Chu Lishu.
How could such a sudden change occur?
As he pondered, it suddenly dawned on him that Mu Huichun was sniffing around him.
Thinking about the identity of this supposed divine physician, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Your actions… Could it be that I’ve been poisoned?”
Mu Huichun blinked as if he had confirmed something and spoke, “No poisoning, just a familiar scent. I think the person I’m looking for might know you. But… you are a man, right?”
Lin Qingyang was left speechless, “You can be sure that Pei Jin is a woman, how can’t you determine that I am a man?”
“Well, it’s really inexplicable.”
How could the scent of Tianxuan Pill stick to this man’s body? Unless there was intimate contact, it wouldn’t make sense.
“By the way, who is the person you’re looking for that you think I know? I can help you find them, and I also have something to ask for your assistance.”
“I don’t know the name or appearance of the person I’m looking for, but I’ll definitely recognize him when I see him. So, for now, I’ll follow you. You mentioned having something to ask for my help, and it’s related to treating illnesses, which is perfect.”
This young man is quite clever. Indeed, Lin Qingyang needs him to check on his mother’s illness. “Then I’ll be counting on you.”
They were traveling through the night and were now approaching the vicinity of Wu Xin Mountain. As they were talking, the sound of hooves outside suddenly intensified, and the atmosphere became tense in an instant.
Just as the two were puzzled, the horses suddenly neighed and ran amok. They were thrown around inside the carriage, and they heard someone outside shouting, “Bandits!”
Lin Qingyang struggled to pull the carriage curtain, only to see dozens of horses surrounding them outside.
Suddenly, a horse-tripping rope appeared in front, flipping the horses and the carriage. The second carriage was also affected. Lin Qingyang, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed the almost-flying Mu Huichun and managed to support himself until the carriage was almost stable before rolling out. Although there were some bumps and bruises, he wasn’t seriously injured.
The sounds of battle echoed around them, and it was evident that Pei Jin’s guards were struggling to hold their ground. Pei Jin himself was nowhere to be found.
Lin Qingyang didn’t waste any time. He directly drew his dagger and cut the ropes on the carriage, releasing the horses to let them stand freely.
“Can you ride?” Lin Qingyang asked as he pulled up Mu Huichun.
Mu Huichun’s face had turned pale, but he nodded quickly.
Lin Qingyang quickly lifted Mu Huichun onto a horse and mounted another one himself, making a swift escape amidst the chaos.
However, as he rode past the front carriage, Lin Qingyang realized that Pei Jin wasn’t missing; she was injured, sitting on the ground with guards protecting her. Their horses, the first to be tripped, were already dead, making any attempt to escape impossible.
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Noooo pei jin!