Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

The two immediately stopped their free clinic and hurried to the county government office.

The county government office wasn't far from the inn; it took about 15 minutes to walk there.

Two yamen runners were standing at the entrance of the county government office. When they saw someone coming, they stepped forward to stop them.

Xue Fuling took out her waist token from her sleeve and handed it over. The constable glanced at it, his face immediately changed, and he quickly bowed and ran inside to report.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe and with a short beard strode out from inside. He was about forty years old, with a square face and a scholarly air about him; he was Zhou Mingyuan, the magistrate of Qiandeng County.

"I am deeply grateful for the presence of Physician Xue of the Six Doors. I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner." Zhou Mingyuan greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, his attitude extremely polite.

Xue Fuling returned the greeting and went straight to the point: "Magistrate Zhou, I have come today to discuss an important matter concerning the lives and deaths of countless people."

Seeing her solemn expression, Zhou Mingyuan dared not be negligent and quickly invited the two into the back hall, ordered tea to be served, and then asked, "Please speak, Physician Xue."

Xue Fuling recounted the epidemic cases she had seen that day and explained the dangers and impacts of the disease.

Zhou Mingyuan's face grew paler and paler as he listened.

After she finished speaking, Zhou Mingyuan suddenly stood up, his chair sliding back half a foot with a jarring sound. His lips trembled slightly, and his voice shook: "Doctor Xue... Doctor Xue, is this illness... curable?"

Xue Fuling paused for a moment, then said, "I can only suppress it for now, but I have already sent a message to my master. My master is the Lord of Medicine King Valley; he will surely have a way!"

Zhou Mingyuan's face paled even further. He bowed deeply to Xue Fuling, saying, "Physician Xue, this matter concerns the lives of countless people in Qiandeng County. I will consult with the higher authorities, but the epidemic is terrifying, and we cannot afford to be negligent in the slightest. I beg you, Physician Xue, to save the people of Qiandeng County!"

Xue Fuling quickly helped him up and said, "Magistrate Zhou, there's no need for that. Now that I'm here, I will do my best, but I will need your assistance."

"Physician Xue, please speak freely. The entire Qiandeng County government is at your disposal. If there are not enough people, even I can be deployed at your discretion," Zhou Mingyuan said hastily.

Hearing Zhou Mingyuan's words, Xue Fuling felt much more at ease. She was afraid of encountering officials who were afraid of taking responsibility and insisted on consulting the higher authorities first, no matter how urgent the situation was, before taking any action.

Xue Fuling said, "I need Magistrate Zhou to gather all the doctors that can be summoned in Qiandeng County, and I will teach them the methods of diagnosing this disease and the initial treatment plan. I alone cannot see many patients; only by teaching all the doctors in this area can we control the epidemic as soon as possible. In addition, we need to purchase a large amount of medicinal materials and refine pills to prevent the epidemic."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, no problem, I'll take care of it right away."

Xue Fuling added, "There is one more thing. This epidemic is highly contagious, and if precautions are not taken promptly after contact with patients, it is very easy to become infected. I need Magistrate Zhou to arrange a place to isolate and house the patients, and..."

Xue Fuling listed a whole bunch of things to be careful about.

Zhou Mingyuan quickly took out a pen to write it down.

After a long time,

Zhou Mingyuan saw Xue Fuling and Gu Guanqi off from the county government office.

Watching Xue Fuling and Gu Guanqi walk away, Zhou Mingyuan returned to the county government office with a solemn expression.

When he arrived at the backyard, he saw an elderly man with gray hair sitting in the yard drinking tea.

Zhou Mingyuan hurried over, cupped his hands and said, "Fourth Master, Xue Fuling and Gu Guanqi have taken the bait. Just as you predicted, the first thing they did upon discovering the epidemic was to come to the county government office to ask for my help."

Fourth Master said with a smile, "Then Magistrate Zhou, you'll have to give them a good helping out."

Zhou Mingyuan chuckled and said, "Of course, I will obey Xue Fuling in everything. If any problems arise, it will be Xue Fuling's fault. I was just trying to serve the people and was being used by her!"

At this point, Zhou Mingyuan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Fourth Master, I have a question. Since the Boss knows that Xue Fuling is researching a method to treat the epidemic, which could potentially cause trouble, why not just kill her directly? Why go through all this trouble to ruin her reputation?"

Fourth Master waved his hand and said, "Although Xue Fuling is a busybody, her medical skills are truly superb and useful to the big boss, so she cannot die."

"Then... what about Gu Guanqi?" Zhou Mingyuan asked.

"That kid is doomed this time!"

……

On the second day,

Xue Fuling then stopped her free clinic and went to the county government office. She was responsible for teaching dozens of doctors that the county magistrate Zhou Mingyuan had urgently summoned. She explained everything in detail, from the causes, symptoms, and diagnostic methods of the epidemic to the prescriptions, contraindications, and nursing care points for the initial treatment.

The doctors ranged in skill level from seasoned veterans with decades of experience to young apprentices. Xue Fuling patiently explained the concepts repeatedly, repeating the explanations twice if the patient didn't understand the first time, and three times if they still didn't understand after two attempts, until everyone grasped the meaning.

after that,

Dozens of doctors were assigned to various places to conduct screening and treatment, some in the city and some in the countryside. At the same time, the county government was responsible for contacting various places, launching a large-scale comprehensive epidemic prevention campaign. At the same time, they also began to produce epidemic prevention pills on a large scale.

You won't know until you investigate.

This investigation revealed that the scale of the epidemic in Qiandeng County was already very large, with the number of patients reported from various places every day being a chilling figure.

As the government launched its comprehensive epidemic prevention measures, a shadow fell over the entire Qiandeng County, causing widespread panic.

Fortunately, thanks to the county government's deliberate publicity efforts, the people all knew that Xue Yiling of the Six Doors could cure this epidemic.

The method taught by Xue Fuling was indeed effective.

Those who took the medicine according to her prescription all experienced varying degrees of relief from their illnesses. Although no one has been cured yet, at least their condition has not worsened.

This also made everyone aware that the disease is curable.

This eased the atmosphere of panic, and Xue Fuling's reputation spread like wildfire throughout Qiandeng County, almost to the point of being hailed as a contemporary saint.

……

That noon,

Gu Guanqi and Xue Fuling returned to the inn to prepare new medicines after they ran out of medicine.

While distributing the medicine, they suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.

The sound grew louder and closer, like many people shouting at the same time, mixed with cries, curses, and rapid footsteps.

Just as Gu Guanqi was about to go out to check, Zhao Shan rushed in from the front hall, shouting, "Doctor Xue, Physician Gu, something terrible has happened!"

Xue Fuling raised her head and said, "Brother Zhao, what happened? Tell me slowly."

Zhao Shan hurriedly said, "A lot of people have arrived, including members of martial arts sects and gangs, as well as many ordinary people. They are carrying many corpses, at least sixty or seventy, and they are coming this way."

I eavesdropped in the crowd for a while, and from what they were saying, they were all poisoned after taking the anti-epidemic pills, and quite a few doctors were tied up. "Why don't you hide first!"

Xue Fuling frowned and said, "That's impossible. We've all taken those pills, and there's absolutely no problem with them. Besides, even if it varies from person to person, at most the preventative effect would be weaker. How could it kill someone?"

Zhao Shan shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I have already sent someone to inform Magistrate Zhou, hoping he can quell this matter."

……

By this time, the area outside the inn was already packed with people.

Dozens of corpses lay in a row, their faces covered with white cloth, appearing stark and desolate in the afternoon sun. Around the corpses knelt many men, women, and children dressed in mourning clothes, wailing and lamenting, their cries shaking the heavens.

The bound doctors knelt in a row, their clothes disheveled, their faces ashen, and some with bruises and bloodstains on their faces, clearly having been beaten.

Someone in the crowd held up a white banner with the words "Quack doctor harms people, witch pays with her life" written on it.

Just as those people were about to rush into the inn,

Zhou Mingyuan arrived with the county constables to block their path, but his small force was like a drop in the ocean against the overwhelming crowd. His official hat was askew, and his voice was hoarse: "Fellow villagers, please hear me out! Physician Xue is the Physician of the Six Doors, a top disciple of Medicine King Valley, and would never harm anyone! There must be a misunderstanding; allow me to investigate..."

"Misunderstanding? My father took your pills and died in three days! You corrupt officials, how much money did that witch pay you!"

A disheveled woman rushed forward, pointing her finger at Zhou Mingyuan and cursing him. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable.

"Exactly! My husband died from taking your pills!"

"And my son! He's only ten years old!"

"What kind of bullshit medical decree is this? He's clearly a fraud!"

The crowd was enraged, and the shouts grew louder and louder. Zhou Mingyuan was pushed and shoved, staggering backward, and several constables barely managed to protect him with their lives.

Just then, a rough, hoarse voice suddenly rose from the crowd, drowning out all the noise:

"Gentlemen! Listen to me! That plague isn't serious at all. My neighbor's son got it too, but he recovered after taking Golden Spirit Grass for a few days, and it only cost a few copper coins! These officials are clearly just trying to take advantage of the situation to make money. That witch sells pills at cost price, but who knows how much dirty money she's making!"

That shout was like pouring a ladle of water into a pot of oil, and the crowd immediately erupted in chaos.

"Yes! She deliberately creates panic to spread rumors about a disease that can be cured by the Golden Spirit Grass, all to sell her so-called antiviral pills!"

"Exactly! She clearly had that disease, and all she had to do was spend a few coins to buy a packet of Golden Spirit Grass and eat it for a few days to recover. But she insisted on using all those fancy and exaggerated treatments!"

"It's one thing for her to cheat people out of money, but even if those pills were made of mud, at least they wouldn't kill anyone. But she's killed so many people!"

"Witch! Pay with your life!"

"Pay with your life! Pay with your life! Pay with your life!"

The sound was like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next.

Zhou Mingyuan was sweating profusely with anxiety, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Gentlemen! Those pills are made by the government, they don't make a penny, and the pill-making process is public, there's absolutely no way they could kill anyone! The accounts are crystal clear, you can check them at any time! Physician Xue has never handled a single penny, and the fact that the Golden Spirit Grass can cure the epidemic has not yet been confirmed..."

Before he could finish speaking, a brick flew out from the crowd and hit Zhou Mingyuan squarely on the forehead.

"boom--"

Blood splattered everywhere.

Zhou Mingyuan groaned, swayed, and fell backward. Several constables quickly caught him, and saw a gash on his forehead, blood streaming down his cheek, instantly staining half of his official robe red.

"Kill this corrupt official!"

"Officials protect each other; all crows under heaven are black!"

"Charge in! Make that witch pay with her life!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd surged towards the inn's entrance like a burst dam. The constables were swept away and were no match for the overwhelming tide of people.

Zhou Mingyuan, clutching his wound, was being supported by two trusted constables as he stumbled back into the inn, his voice trembling with tears: "Doctor Xue, hurry, hurry, these people have gone mad..."

Before he could finish speaking, the inn's main door was slammed shut with a loud bang, and the wooden bolt snapped with a "bang."

A large group of people rushed in.

But, the next moment,

A large group of people were sent flying backwards, crashing into the crowd and instantly knocking down a large number of them.

in an instant,

The crowd fell silent.

Gu Guanqi came out.

After a moment of silence, the dense crowd on the long street was suddenly interrupted by a shout: "Charge! This man is also an accomplice of that witch! Kill him!"

"snort!"

Gu Guanqi snorted coldly, unfastened the Autumn Water Sword from his waist, held it in his hand, and then—

Draw your sword.

The moment the Autumn Water Sword was drawn, a cold, clear sword light shot out like a bolt of lightning.

Gu Guanqi brandished his sword.

There were no moves, no variations, just a simple horizontal slash.

But that sword strike was infused with his internal energy.

A surge of powerful internal energy erupted from his dantian, flowing through his meridians into the sword, transforming into a visible sword aura—

The sword energy swept across the ground, carving a deep furrow in the bluestone slab.

The sound of the bluestone slabs shattering was crisp and jarring, sending fragments flying and dust billowing. The ditch stretched straight from Gu Guanqi's feet to the other side of the street, as straight as an ink line, dividing the entire long street in two.

Before the smoke and dust had even cleared, Gu Guanqi had already sheathed his sword.

He held the Autumn Water Sword upright in front of him, then lightly slammed the bottom of the scabbard onto the ground.

"Bang!"

The bluestone slab cracked in response, and several cracks spread out in all directions like a spider web, with the furthest one extending for more than ten feet.

Gu Guanqi raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the dark crowd. His eyes were calm, devoid of murderous intent or anger; he simply watched them quietly.

Then, he channeled his inner strength, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, yet clearly reaching the ears of everyone present:

"Those who cross the line shall die."

Four words, neither too heavy nor too light, neither too fast nor too slow, yet like four nails, each one driven into the heart of every person.

The crowd seemed to have been gripped by an invisible hand; all the noise, cursing, and wailing came to an abrupt halt at that moment.