Yun Hao took out a document from his pocket: "This is an official dispatch from Lord Wang. How is Miss Liu's situation?"
"Oh!" Liu Cai'er's gaze never left A Jiu's face. "We'll know the situation once we look. Jiu'er, your acupuncture techniques are useless for this disease. I've tried. Is Lord Wang blind? Why did he send you? Don't you know how harsh the environment in Nanzhou County is." Kuai Shu Ge
A Jiu had already figured out most of it.
The entire county town should have been prosperous, but along the way, A Jiu hadn't seen any greenery since leaving Nanming City.
It seemed that Grandma's rain hadn't reached Nanzhou County, so how could the environment be good?
"Sister-in-law, I have actually found a method. I will explain it to you properly later. Auricular acupuncture would be more stable as an auxiliary."
After all, it was a potent poison. The acupuncture technique could be used to unblock the liver and gallbladder meridians, at least to expel excess toxins.
"Really?" Liu Cai'er's dust-covered face showed surprise. "Quick, let's talk at the post house."
The sky was already dim, and a day's journey had left A Jiu utterly exhausted.
The post house was within the county town, a place that used to be frequented by escorts.
"There's no one in this post house now. All the patients have been transferred to the mortuary. We need to wash up and eat some coarse grain cakes before heading to the mortuary."
Upon hearing "mortuary," A Jiu's heart sank. As her sister-in-law explained the situation there, her pressure grew, and she hadn't spoken a word all the way.
"Little Sister A Jiu, tell me quickly, what is this method?" Liu Cai'er rummaged around, placing a few coarse grain cakes on the table.
Carrying the half-full water pitcher, they each poured themselves half a cup:
"A Jiu, please don't mind. This little bit of water was sent by Lord Nanming's men. I've mostly given the water I received this time to a few mildly ill patients who can still drink.
You know, they ate the flesh of the dead because they had nothing else to eat. Sister-in-law is afraid that this vicious cycle will affect the treatment progress, so only this much water is left.
But don't worry, in a few days, it will be time to deliver more food. When that happens, Sister-in-law will make something for you to supplement your strength."
A Jiu had already taken a bite of the coarse grain cake. It was so dry it scratched her throat. Without this half cup of water, she wouldn't have been able to swallow it.
After eating and drinking, A Jiu explained her method. Liu Cai'er was so startled that she stood up, looking at A Jiu in shock:
"You mean using poison to fight poison?"
A Jiu explained the situation, including her clinical experience of poisoning those blood worms:
"It's true, sister-in-law. The blood was full of worms, so when people ate the flesh of those who died from the disease, they were directly infected."
"You... you are so daring. Didn't you consider what would happen if you poisoned someone by mistake instead of curing them?" Liu Cai'er, despite having dealt with the dead for so long, was still utterly shocked by A Jiu's actions.
"I also thought about poisoning the worms in the blood, but sister-in-law, didn't you forget that auricular acupuncture can detoxify? The two can work together perfectly."
"I think Jiu'er's words make a lot of sense. Miss Liu might as well give it a try," Yun Hao interjected:
"After all, Miss A Jiu has successfully treated the first person with this disease."
At these words, Liu Cai'er sat down with a dejected expression. After a long while, she murmured, her face etched with fatigue, "There's a shortage of herbs now, let alone the venom of the King Cobra you mentioned."
"Miss Liu, you've been here for over a month, and yet more than twenty people have died. We also heard that another patient has appeared in Heba Village outside Nanming City. Do you think I should report it quickly?"
At this moment, a person walked in through the door, speaking in a high-pitched voice. A Jiu looked up and saw a eunuch with a pale, beardless face.
Yun Hao recognized the person and quickly stood up to bow: "Eunuch Zhou, this is Meng Jiu'er, Doctor Meng, who was dispatched by Lord Wang to support Nanzhou County."
Liu Cai'er slammed the table and stood up: "Eunuch Zhou, can you stop suppressing me with death statistics every day? Haven't I been doing my best? My father died from the epidemic in Nanzhou County. My elder brother and I haven't slept for five days, and now you've brought my sister-in-law's sister here. Do you want the entire Liu family to be buried with them?"
With a bang, the driven-to-despair Liu Cai'er grabbed the water pitcher and smashed it to pieces.