Chapter 15: Li Tianyang Seeks Qingyu

Qianluo Town

Si Qingyu rushed to Qianluo Town at the fastest speed, without even resting on the way, finally arriving after a day and a night. As soon as she stepped into the town entrance, she felt that the atmosphere was off. Now, due to this strange disease, there were very few people walking on the streets of this town, and every face was numb and decadent.

Si Qingyu observed the surroundings while following the female constable.

“Doctor Si, we have placed all the patients in one place to prevent the disease from spreading faster,” the female constable explained as she walked ahead and turned her head to Si Qingyu.

Si Qingyu nodded. This method was correct.

Following the female constable, they walked through some alleys, and she led Si Qingyu to a secluded courtyard. From a distance, Si Qingyu heard a series of painful and suppressed groans coming from the courtyard.

Si Qingyu quickened her pace and ran over. When the female constable opened the door of the courtyard, the scene inside made Si Qingyu’s pupils slightly contract. She didn’t expect it to have reached such a serious stage.

The people in the courtyard were lying on the ground haphazardly. Some were still struggling and moaning in pain, while others were already lying on the ground motionless… The air was permeated with a faint stench.

Si Qingyu walked to the woman closest to her, grabbed her hand, and took her pulse. Si Qingyu’s brows were tightly furrowed. She turned over the woman’s tightly closed eyes and used her hand to pry open her mouth to check her oral cavity and tongue coating.

The female constable stood beside her, covering her mouth and nose, looking at Si Qingyu’s furrowed brows with some unease: “Doctor Si, can you tell what disease it is?” Si Qingyu did not answer. She picked up the wrist of another person on the ground and took their pulse, doing the same examination on them. She put down the hands of the two people and carefully stepped over the groaning people on the ground to examine the eyes and mouths of those who were already motionless.

Si Qingyu stood up and went to the female constable’s side: “Where is your magistrate?”

“The magistrate is at the yamen. Now the magistrate is at her wit’s end because of this matter. We have reported the case to the Emperor, but the Emperor only sent doctors to take a look… Now the Emperor has decreed that no one is allowed to leave the town.” No wonder there were officials guarding outside the town. It turned out to be to prevent people from leaving.

“Then how did you go out to find me?”

The female constable scratched her head: “There is a secret passage in the back garden of our magistrate’s residence that leads outside, so…”

“Take me to see your magistrate first.”

“Yes, please follow me.”

Si Qingyu nodded and followed her out of the courtyard.

When they arrived at the yamen, they saw that it was already in chaos outside. The townspeople were clamoring outside the yamen, and some were crying out as if they were driven to desperation with nowhere to vent. Si Qingyu could feel their unease and fear.

The female constable looked at the townspeople with a sorrowful face: “They have been like this for several days, but what’s the use of being like this…”

“Perhaps they just want to seek some comfort. After all, you are their last reliance now.” Unable to leave the town to seek survival and with no way to alleviate the illness, it was natural to easily have an emotional breakdown.

The female constable lowered her head and rubbed her sore eyes, leading Si Qingyu into the yamen through the back door.

Inside the yamen, Luo Jinhua was sitting at the desk with a worried face, listening to the cries and pleas of the people outside, making her head a mess. She had been rubbing her temples for two days now, waiting for news from the constable to see if they could invite Doctor Si.

“Magistrate!”

This voice was like heavenly music to her. Luo Jinhua suddenly looked over and saw Si Qingyu behind the constable. She stood up excitedly and walked over, clasping her hands to Si Qingyu: “You… Are you Doctor Si?”

Si Qingyu also returned the greeting: “Yes, I am Si.”

“Great! Doctor Si, you’re finally here! Quick, let me take you to see the patients!” With that, she was about to lead the way in a hurry.

Si Qingyu stopped her: “No need. Constable Zhang has already taken me there just now.”

“Oh… Then have you figured out what illness it is…?” She looked at Si Qingyu with hope on her face.

Si Qingyu shook her head slightly: “The patients’ pulses are extremely chaotic. I can’t tell what illness it is for the time being.”

The hope in Luo Jinhua’s eyes dimmed. Was the heavens really going to drive their Qianluo Town to a dead end?

“However…” Si Qingyu paused slightly.

Luo Jinhua raised her head again, and a glimmer of hope rose in her eyes once more.

Si Qingyu said, “However, you can give me some more time.”

Luo Jinhua heard there was hope and couldn’t help but nod eagerly, looking at her excitedly: “Whatever Doctor Si needs, just tell me, and I will do my best to cooperate!”

“I want to do a thorough examination again. I need a basin of clean water,” Si Qingyu said as she rolled up her sleeves.

Luo Jinhua nodded repeatedly and told the female constable to prepare it.

………

Huixiang Town

In the clinic of Huixiang Town, Zhao Sixi was lying on the table, staring blankly at the door in boredom.

Doctor Si had been gone for two days, and she didn’t know how she was doing. These past two days, the people who came to the clinic were all looking for Doctor Si. Seeing that Doctor Si was not there, they would rather run to the capital than let her see them. Hmph! They all looked down on her and didn’t believe she could treat illnesses!

“Sigh…” It was Zhao Sixi’s fifth sigh today. When would Doctor Si come back? She even started to miss the times when Doctor Si coldly lectured her.

Just as Zhao Sixi sighed, footsteps sounded at the door of the clinic. Zhao Sixi’s face lit up. Finally, someone was coming. She quickly straightened her posture and looked towards the person. When she saw clearly who it was, her whole body froze.

How… how could it be that Young Master Li??

The person who came was indeed Li Tianyang. He walked in expressionlessly and looked around, making sure that person was really not there.

He looked coldly at Zhao Sixi: “Where is she?”

Zhao Sixi looked at him in a daze. Who?

Seeing her not answering, Li Tianyang’s face showed great impatience: “I’m asking you where she went?”

Zhao Sixi’s mouth twitched, stammering: “Are… are you asking about Doctor Si?”

Li Tianyang looked at her with disgust and impatience: “Nonsense.”

“Doctor Si went on a long trip for some business…”

Why did his contemptuous look resemble Young Master Luo’s so much? She wasn’t that annoying, was she?

Went on a long trip?

“What long trip? Where did she go?”

Zhao Sixi saw that he looked like he was very familiar with Doctor Si and felt a bit puzzled. Didn’t Doctor Si say she didn’t know him? “I don’t know…” Even if she knew, she didn’t want to tell you, she silently added.

“You don’t know?” Li Tianyang narrowed his eyes at her, his voice carrying a hint of danger.

Zhao Sixi was so scared by his look that she shook her head even more firmly: “I… I really don’t know. When Doctor Si left, she only told me to take good care of the clinic. She didn’t tell me!” She wasn’t lying. When Doctor Si was talking to that woman at the time, she didn’t hear clearly at all.

Seeing that she indeed didn’t seem to be lying, Li Tianyang couldn’t help but feel a bit vexed. How could this person be so useless, even though they were in the same clinic? Li Tianyang seemed to think of something and left without looking at her again, flicking his sleeves.

Seeing him walk away, Zhao Sixi patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief, couldn’t help but mutter: “Nowadays, why are all the good-looking young masters so scary…”

……

Li Tianyang left the clinic and quickly walked back home. As soon as he returned home, he stopped a servant: “Where is my mother?”

“The family head is in the courtyard…”

Before he could finish, Li Tianyang immediately walked towards the courtyard. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw his mother talking happily with another middle-aged woman.

The Li family head also saw him and waved at him: “Tianyang is back. Come here quickly.”

That woman also turned her head, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.

Li Tianyang walked over with a dark face. The Li family head pulled him to her side and introduced him to the woman opposite: “This is my son.”

The woman looked at Li Tianyang with a smile, staring at him straightforwardly and saying: “So this is Young Master Li!” Her tone was flirtatious.

Li Tianyang looked at her with undisguised disgust.

The Li family head coughed lightly and tugged at Li Tianyang: “This is Magistrate Wei from Huixiang Town. Quickly greet her!”

“Oh, Magistrate Wei looks like she’s almost sixty years old, right?” Li Tianyang’s voice was full of malice, as if wanting to anger her to death.

Sure enough, the woman’s face turned red with anger. The Li family head beside her tugged Li Tianyang hard and apologized to the woman: “Magistrate Wei, don’t take offense. The child likes to talk nonsense. You are a superior, don’t mind the words of an inferior. This Li apologizes to you.” Although it was an apology, there wasn’t much sincerity in it.

The woman’s face alternated between red and black, gritting her teeth: “It’s nothing… How could I, an official, stoop to the level of a child?” With that, she stood up with a dark face and clasped her hands to the Li family head: “I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”

The Li family head also stood up and returned the gesture: “Then I won’t see you off.”

After the woman walked away, the Li family head looked at Li Tianyang with a face full of disappointment: “You little brat, what are you trying to do again?”

“Mother, I want to go find her. Send someone to find out where she went.”

“Who? Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about Doctor Si?” The Li family head looked at his matter-of-fact appearance and couldn’t help but laugh angrily: “Look at you, causing all sorts of trouble for me outside every day. Do you even resemble a man? And still thinking about Doctor Si. If you don’t change your temper, you’ll have a hard time getting married in this lifetime! I can’t take care of you forever!”

Li Tianyang listened to her nagging again and frowned impatiently: “Are you going to help me find out or not?”

“No!” The Li family head turned her head away, clearly not wanting to help him.

“Fine.” With that, Li Tianyang turned and walked in a direction.

The Li family head saw him walking towards the study where she collected famous paintings with the corner of her eye. She was startled and hurriedly stopped him: “What are you trying to do?”

Li Tianyang ignored her and walked around her, continuing in that direction.

The Li family head stepped forward and grabbed him: “Oh my, little ancestor, I’m afraid of you. Okay, okay, I’ll send someone to help you find out!” She was indeed afraid of him, born just to give her trouble.

Only then was Li Tianyang satisfied. He said to her: “The sooner, the better.”

The Li family head nodded a little helplessly, thinking to herself: In the end, is she his mother or is he her father? It’s all because she spoiled him!