Chapter 135: No Medicinal Herbs

After sending a carrier pigeon to Nanhai Town, Chu Yun carefully examined several patients. Drawing upon his experience as a special forces medical officer, he quickly diagnosed the illness and wrote out a prescription.

"Is there anyone here who can read and knows medicinal herbs?" he shouted. "Take this prescription to the apothecary and get the medicine immediately!"

A man stepped forward and bowed to Chu Yun. "Lord Earl, my name is Zhao Qing. I am literate and have studied medicine; I am familiar with herbs."

Chu Yun nodded. "Someone, take Zhao Qing to fetch the medicine at once."

A soldier from the Fierce Tiger Army jumped onto his horse and told Zhao Qing, "Get on!"

However, Zhao Qing shook his head and bowed again. "Lord Earl, the Witch Doctor Sect emptied the apothecary of all its medicinal supplies long before you arrived."

What?

Chu Yun was stunned, then roared with indignation, "That damned Witch Doctor Sect is truly vicious! Not only did they poison the Qingchuan River to spread this sickness, but they also stripped the town of its medical supplies."

"They are trying to kill everyone in Qingtan Town! There are women nine months pregnant here, infants waiting to be fed, and children who have yet to see the world... How could they be so cruel and heartless?"

When the people of Qingtan Town heard that the apothecary had been emptied by the Witch Doctor Sect, they were consumed by rage. "How hateful! The Witch Doctor Sect is truly detestable. First, they forcibly conscripted our men to fight, causing us to lose our breadwinners; then they poisoned the river to make us ill, and now they have stolen all the medicine. They are pushing us into a dead end!"

At this moment, the people fully believed that the rumors of Chu Yun poisoning them were lies and that he had been framed by the Witch Doctor Sect. They felt profound regret and shame. Some of the more proactive villagers even bound the agitators who had been leading the unrest, intending to hand them over to Chu Yun for interrogation once the epidemic had passed.

However, the families and friends of the patients could not help but burst into tears. "Without medicine, what will we do? How can this sickness be cured?"

An old woman wept most bitterly of all. "Why, oh why was I too lazy to boil the water? It’s all my fault, all my fault!"

For a moment, the entire area was filled with their wailing—a scene of deep sorrow and misery.

Chu Yun waved his hands and shouted, "Everyone, do not lose hope! I still have a way, I have a method!"

But the people were crying so hard they could barely hear him. Seeing this, Chu Wencai quickly spoke up: "Soldiers! Quickly, help the Lord Earl relay the message—tell everyone that the Lord Earl still has a solution!"

After the soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Army relayed the message, they shouted in unison: "The Lord Earl has a solution! The Lord Earl has a solution!"

The thunderous sound drowned out the weeping and the curses directed at the Witch Doctor Sect. Everyone heard it, and the families of the patients immediately stopped their wailing, looking toward Chu Yun with eager anticipation. Those who had been cursing the Witch Doctor Sect also quieted down, waiting expectantly for him to reveal his cure.

Once everyone was silent, Chu Yun said loudly, "Do not worry. If there is no medicine, it does not matter. Scallions, ginger, and garlic can also treat this."

Scallions, ginger, and garlic were common kitchen staples. In Chu Yun’s memory, garlic was introduced to China relatively late, around the Han Dynasty—certainly not in the Bronze Age. However, this world was clearly different from the history he knew; after all, chili peppers existed here, which in his world only arrived during the Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, he had eaten scallions, ginger, and garlic with the villagers just yesterday.

Hearing that these common seasonings could treat the illness, the people were overjoyed. Many shouted excitedly, "That’s wonderful! We are saved!"

Still, someone questioned, "Lord Earl, these are just cooking ingredients. We eat them all the time; can they really cure an illness?"

Chu Yun explained, "This is a folk remedy. The effect may not be as potent, but it will certainly alleviate the symptoms and buy us time to find proper medicine. The situation is urgent—everyone, start fires immediately! Gather twenty pounds each of scallions and ginger, and ten pounds of garlic. I will teach you how to prepare the treatment."

"Right, saving lives is the priority! Everyone, do as the Lord Earl says," the local administrators selected by Chu Yun chimed in.

Some people hurried to the kitchens to light fires, while many more turned and rushed to the fields to pull scallions or back to their homes to fetch ginger and garlic.

Chu Yun quickly wrote another prescription and sent it by carrier pigeon to Nanhai Town, urging them to send supplies by fast horse and instructing them to use this recipe for treatment if the epidemic had spread there. He also called for the townspeople to gather all the local herbalists and bring every herb they had. Even if some weren't on his list or couldn't serve as substitutes, he bought them all, as they might still be useful.

The people were diligent, and before long, a massive pile of scallions, ginger, and garlic sat before Chu Yun, far exceeding the weight he had requested.

They looked at him. "Lord Earl, what do we do next?"

Chu Yun directed, "One group, boil water, then set it aside to cool. Another group, follow me and crush the garlic into a paste, then mix it into the cooled boiled water to feed the patients. The rest of you, wash the scallions and ginger, chop them finely, and boil them in the pot in equal proportions. Let it cool until warm, and feed it to the patients."

"Squad leaders, have the heads of the households mobilize their members."

The administrators of Qingtan Town responded immediately, "Understood, Lord Earl!" They set off to organize the people.

Within an hour, all the patients had been given the garlic water and the warm scallion-ginger broth. Although this was only a folk remedy, those with stronger constitutions began to regain consciousness, and their foreheads were no longer as burning hot as before.

Seeing their loved ones clearly improving, they rushed to Chu Yun and knelt before him. "Thank you, Lord Earl! Thank you!"

The crowd watched in awe.

"Lord Earl, you are an immortal among men!"

"It is incredible! To be able to cure the illness even without medicine—Lord Earl is truly a descendant of the gods!"

"It is our great honor to have you as our Lord!"

"We were so wrong to suspect you of poisoning us. We are truly ashamed..."