He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 110 Prevention of Plague

After spending two days on Mount Siqing, the situation at the foot of the mountain was quite different from what it had been two days prior when I descended again.

Whether it was because they lingered too long on the mountain, or because an earthquake had claimed many lives, there were fewer refugees on the official roads leading south, but more corpses lay by the roadside or in the weeds.

Even when there are large groups of refugees, their first reaction upon seeing their seemingly endless convoy is no longer to steal, but to flee.

The convoy of several hundred people, adults and children alike, were all masked. Anyone who saw them would think they were ruthless highway robbers.

In this situation, as long as you don't run into them unnecessarily, you'll avoid them.

Meng Fuqing drove the carriage, multitasking while keeping an eye on the unusual things happening by the roadside.

After descending the mountain, rats became increasingly common, as if an earthquake had overturned their nests. They even dug up and gnawed on corpses hastily buried by the roadside. When vehicles and horses passed by, they would only watch warily with their dark eyes, showing no fear of people.

Just now, she had overheard two women whispering about how scary the way rats looked at people was.

It was as if, in the cunning eyes of the rats, they were nothing more than moving food.

During the lunch break, Meng Fuqing found Doctor Zheng, who was treating Niu Da's wounds.

Niu Da's leg was injured, with a long gash on his ankle. It was fine for the first two days, but today it started to swell and turn red, and he also developed a fever.

Meng Fuqing stood aside watching Doctor Zheng and Meng Ranran treat the wound.

She had observed that Dr. Zheng always carried a thin thread made of some unknown material, as well as a beryllium needle for suturing wounds. His suturing technique was different from that of modern doctors, but he was very skilled.

At that time, she knew that Doctor Zheng's claim of being the most skilled healer in the Great Yan Dynasty was probably not an exaggeration.

When she saw Dr. Zheng rinsing the wound with saline solution, she couldn't help but look at Niu Da with sympathy.

We used salt water because we had managed to get enough. I had heard Meng Ranran nagging me before that scallion water or tea could also be used, but they were scarce right now.

Meng Fuqing didn't know how effective these were, but they certainly couldn't compare to alcohol or iodine.

They didn't come across a proper place to buy alcohol along the way, otherwise Meng Fuqing could have found a way to get some alcohol from his spatial storage.

"Ah-"

Niu Da could endure the pain of having his wound cleaned with saline solution, but when the pus was scraped from the wound, the veins on his face bulged and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Dr. Zheng, is there no other way? It looks so painful!" Niu Er couldn't bear to see his brother suffer and couldn't help but ask.

Dr. Zheng continued his work, grunting, "Does it still hurt? Luckily, his wound isn't deep, otherwise I'd have to use a fire needle to pierce it."

Those around them felt a chill run down their spines.

After scraping away the pus, he cleaned the area with saline solution and applied ointment. While Niu Da was in too much pain to pay attention to anything else, Meng Fuqing squatted down and summoned vines in a corner where no one could see him. The tips of the vines pierced into Niu Da's neck, and a small amount of healing power was transferred into it.

After everyone finished their work, Meng Fuqing called out, "Doctor Zheng."

Meng Ranran then noticed that Meng Fuqing was also there, and immediately called out happily, "Sister!"

"I'm going back to eat now."

“I need to speak with Dr. Zheng. If you’re not hungry, you can listen in here.”

Meng Ranran immediately stood obediently beside the two of them.

Zheng Yi had already noticed Meng Fuqing standing nearby. While everyone else was grimacing at the sight, the two sisters remained remarkably calm.

"How come such a busy person has time to visit an old man like me?"

"I came here to see Dr. Zheng's superb medical skills."

Meng Fuqing offered him a few perfunctory compliments before getting to the point, "The number of rats on our journey today is unusually high. Has Doctor Zheng ever encountered a plague before? How should we prevent and control a plague outbreak in the army?"

A vertical line appeared between Zheng Yi's brows; Meng Fuqing's words had touched on his worries.

As he walked toward Xie Jin, he said, "What can we do? Gather them together, treat them if they can, and if they can't, we'll just have to burn them."

He himself had contracted an epidemic when he was young, but fortunately it was not serious and he somehow managed to pull through.

Meng Fuqing: ...

She thought that Zheng Yi would have some experience in dealing with the plague because of his experience at the border, but she didn't expect it to be so simple and crude.

On second thought, given the ancient fear of plagues, the best approach was naturally to eliminate the source.

"I once read a book, but I don't know if the methods in it will work."

Zheng Yi, who considered himself to have read many medical books and even studied how to prevent and control plagues, immediately asked upon hearing this, "What books?"

"forget."

Zheng Yi stopped and looked at her suspiciously. "You've forgotten the book title? Do you remember the details in the book accurately?"

"We'll try anything, even if it's a dead end. After all, even you, the only legitimate doctor, can't do anything about it?"

Zheng Yi: ...

He chuckled softly, "Why don't you two sisters come to my place and have something to eat?"

Meng Ranran immediately said solicitously, "Thank you, Master."

"Thank you, Dr. Zheng."

Dr. Zheng was all alone, and the meals he ate were prepared and served by Xie Jin.

Meng Fuqing pondered for a moment before speaking: "In short, you consider the 'poisonous evils' that spread the plague as living things too small to be seen with the naked eye. The book calls them germs. If they are hiding on rats, and the rats come into contact with people, the germs can be ingested by people unknowingly, and then people will get sick, and then the disease can spread from person to person..."

Zheng Yi was captivated by her explanation and listened intently, even asking with great curiosity, "How do you know those things are alive if you can't see them?"

Meng Fuqing found a ready-made example, "Just like Brother Niu's wound is oozing pus. If a single germ takes root in the wound, it will naturally be invisible. But if there are many, won't it become visible pus? How can an inanimate object produce so many pus in such a short time?"

Many germs that bring plague are invisible because they are rooted within the human body.

"You mean, the heat toxin is also caused by what you call germs?" Zheng Yi pressed. "Then why doesn't it afflict others like a plague?"

"There are many kinds of plants, some of which prefer shade and some of which prefer sun. Naturally, there are also many kinds of pathogens, each with different preferences."

Zheng Yi was stunned for a long time. He wanted to refute it but didn't think it made any sense. He pressed his temples and became even more curious about the book that Meng Fuqing had read.

"A book like this shouldn't be unknown. It sounds... a bit outrageous, but it's easier to understand than the invisible and intangible 'poisonous evil'."

Meng Fuqing felt a little guilty. "Perhaps someone shares your idea and thinks it's outrageous, so it gradually gets lost."

After pondering for a moment, Zheng Yi pointed to the mask he was wearing, "You made me wear this to protect against... germs?"

Meng Fuqing nodded, "Besides that, fumigation with Atractylodes lancea and Artemisia argyi can kill them, as can steaming with vinegar and fumigating with sulfur. Wash your hands before meals, and make sure the water you drink is clean and boiled before consuming it."

It's best to avoid contact with corpses and rats, and stay away from refugees, especially those who are injured. They are already weak, and if their wounds become infected, they are highly likely to contract diseases.

The looted provisions were used for military supplies, so sulfur was also present.