Was that not a snake den?
But A Jiu quickly regained her senses. The only place on Mount Qi Ming that could accommodate so many sick patients had long been this large snake den.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Ye Qing noticed this moment of calm: "There are many snakes in the bamboo forest outside the cave."
A Jiu did not explain, but merely shook her head and looked. Outside the cave, several soldiers stood guard, their postures exceptionally straight.
Ye Qing said no more, thinking to herself that this girl was indeed no ordinary person. She looked frail and weak, yet possessed such courage.
A Jiu led the way into the cave. Meng Hao called from behind, "Let them pass, let them pass. A newly transferred female physician."
The guards naturally let them through. As A Jiu stepped into the cave, she couldn't help but pinch her nose.
A rotten smell assailed her.
Ye Qing, at the cave entrance, instinctively covered her nose. She watched A Jiu’s small, slender figure disappear into the depths of the cave.
As they ventured deeper, the cave became pitch black, yet A Jiu could see clearly.
Inside, there were constant laments. There were the dead, the half-dead, and those who reached out for help upon seeing people arrive.
A withered claw suddenly grabbed A Jiu's ankle.
A Jiu let out a startled cry and stumbled back two steps.
Looking down, she saw that the person's wrist was unnaturally bent. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Good heavens, she had accidentally broken someone's hand.
A Jiu quickly squatted down. She had seen her sister-in-law set bones, but she didn't know if she could do it herself.
"I'll do it," Ye Qing stepped forward, grabbed the withered claw's hand at the wrist, and gave a sharp pull.
With a snap, the person cried out in pain, clutching their arm and rolling on the ground.
"Move it," Ye Qing instructed.
The person moved their wrist, and it was indeed healed.
A Jiu stared in astonishment: "Ye Qing, you're so skilled."
"In my eyes, those are not bones at all," Ye Qing murmured something A Jiu couldn't understand.
"Physician Meng, the snakes are here." Meng Hao placed a basket at the cave entrance.
A Jiu looked back again. The number of dead here was no less than two hundred, and there were over a hundred still breathing. Compared to the situation at the Yi Zhuang, it was much better.
A Jiu had seen her sister-in-law extract venom, but upon opening the lid, three large, thick cobra kings raised their heads.
She was troubled. She could learn to extract venom, but how was she supposed to catch them?
Even Ye Qing retreated a few steps, watching.
The military doctors accompanying Meng Hao dared not approach, running far away. "Miss Meng Jiu'er, be careful! These are venomous snakes."
A Jiu was not foolish; she knew they were extremely poisonous.
A Jiu picked up a bamboo stick and poked it into the basket. The snakes immediately exploded into action, flicking their tongues and hissing, scaring her into stepping back two paces.
"Don't you always use snake venom to treat illnesses?" Ye Qing sighed and shook her head, seeing her reaction.
"Yes, but I don't know how to catch snakes," A Jiu admitted frankly. Her back was already drenched in sweat, and the autumn wind made her shiver uncontrollably.
She truly did not want to retrieve the earth dragon's potent snake venom for use again.
Just then, Ye Qing suddenly cried out, "It's coming out!"
When A Jiu came to her senses, the cobra king in the basket had already climbed over the edge.
Her mind went blank. Without a word, she grabbed the lid and slammed it down.
Watching from afar, Meng Hao recoiled several steps in fright.
With A Jiu's lid, one snake still managed to escape.
"Meng Jiu'er, do you even know how?" Ye Qing's normally fair complexion turned pale. "If it bites someone, there's no cure."
A Jiu's eyes welled up with tears, whether from fear or the consequences, she could no longer distinguish.
With a whoosh.
A slender black shadow flashed from A Jiu's embrace.
"Ah! Where did another one come from?" Ye Qing retreated in fright.
Meng Hao, in the distance, looked like a defeated soldier, retreating step by step, wishing he could turn and flee.
He bumped into someone and, looking up, immediately knelt:
"Eunuch Zhou, Your Highness, may you live ten thousand years."