"The situation is that obvious?" Liu Cai'er had no time to ponder the origin of the water.
She drank aimlessly and put down the cup, saying, "My father used many detoxification medicines and insecticides, including the method of using poison to fight poison, all of which were tried."
"It was useless?" Ah Jiu interjected.
"There was a false appearance of recovery at first, but the next day it returned to normal. It seems only the potent venom of the King Cobra you mentioned can kill those parasites."
Liu Cai'er's face was filled with caution and seriousness, but her fatigue was difficult to conceal:
"Yes, it must be so."
"But sister-in-law, I only have one King Cobra, which is not enough for thousands of sick people," Ah Jiu said, her brow furrowed in distress for a while before continuing:
"I finished using the snake venom before I saw my elder brother."
"Your elder brother?" Liu Cai'er suddenly stood up, her eyes full of confusion.
"Yes, he... he told me to tell you to consider him dead." Ah Jiu told the truth, thinking that if she could cure him next time, they could be reunited.
Liu Cai'er remained silent for a long time, and only then did Ah Jiu realize:
"Sister-in-law, you've been in the morgue for so long, you wouldn't have failed to recognize my elder brother, would you?"
A further shadow fell upon Liu Cai'er's face. She shook her head slowly, as if lost: "No."
"Then isn't he in the thatched shed at the morgue?" Ah Jiu looked at her sister-in-law.
Liu Cai'er rose and paced distractedly: "I really didn't see him. I spent all my savings to have people look for him. They only said they had news, but when I arrived, they said he had run away. After that, I was constantly pressured by Eunuch Zhou to treat people, and was told that if I couldn't cure them, my son would be killed."
Speaking of this, Liu Cai'er leaned on the doorframe helplessly and looked up at the sky.
Ah Jiu could clearly see the tears in her eyes and her helpless gaze.
"Nephew... was he detained by them?" Ah Jiu asked hesitantly. When she first arrived at the Hua Lan Medical Hall in Nanming City, she really hadn't seen her nephew.
After all, the child should have called her aunt.
"Yes," Liu Cai'er said, secretly wiping away tears. "It's because of A'yuan that my father desperately treated people."
"How could this happen? Who detained him?" Ah Jiu was surprised that an epidemic had led to the detention of a babbling infant.
"Alas..." Liu Cai'er turned back, her tears not yet dry, but a smile curved her lips:
"Sister Jiu'er, don't ask too much. They wouldn't dare do anything to my son. When this disaster passes, we will be reunited. By the way, there are two main things right now."
Liu Cai'er returned to the topic, picking up a handkerchief to use as a veil, as if she was about to leave immediately:
"One is about your elder brother, and the other is the source of the King Cobra venom. If those treated with your method show improvement tomorrow, I will immediately write to the city requesting assistance in capturing snakes. I'm going to see your elder brother now."
"Sister-in-law, please wait," Ah Jiu quickly called out to stop Liu Cai'er.
"What is it?"
"You couldn't find him at the morgue, and you said to consider him dead. There's only one possibility: he doesn't want you to recognize him, so even if you go, he might not tell you the truth. It's better to rest well, and tomorrow we'll go together to see the three patients' recovery. Then you can also see my elder brother and get a good night's rest."
Ah Jiu didn't know if this persuasion would work, but she could tell that if her elder brother wanted to acknowledge her, he wouldn't have waited until now.
"Then... shall we go tomorrow?" Liu Cai'er was still hesitant.
Ah Jiu pulled her into the house: "Sister-in-law, you should get a good night's sleep. You look very haggard now, and your complexion isn't good."
"Really?" Liu Cai'er frantically touched her face.
Ah Jiu had a general understanding of the environment here. There wasn't even a mirror, and they had to wait for the imperial court to open its eyes and distribute some food and drink.
There was no time to groom herself.
"Yes, you don't want your elder brother to see you so exhausted," Ah Jiu could tell that she was thinking about her elder brother.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Liu Cai'er quickly lay down and went to sleep.
At this moment, a ding-dong... the system prompt sounded again.
Thirty points were added at once.
Ah Jiu's mood improved significantly. She blew out the oil lamp and lay down on the bed with her sister-in-law.
In the space, Ah Jiu propped herself up on the edge of the spirit spring: "Little Earth Dragon."
Ripples spread across the water surface, and the little earth dragon poked its head out, its red eyes clearly a few shades dimmer.