And so, Li Chang'an began following Lü Changning, and together they traveled around to treat the afflicted commoners.
At first, all of Li Chang'an's knowledge came from books; he had no real experience treating the sick. So he could only help by brewing medicine and assisting, while Lü Changning was the one who did most of the work.
But within a few days, Li Chang'an had swiftly taken the lead.
Li Chang'an could diagnose illnesses that Lü Changning couldn't.
Li Chang'an could save people whom Lü Changning couldn't!
Many ailments that seemed undoubtedly fatal in Lü Changning's eyes often had miraculous outcomes under Li Chang'an's skilled hands!
Lü Changning, after all, had studied Daoist Techniques under his master since childhood. While medicine wasn't his primary focus, his skills were far beyond what any village doctor could hope to match.
Yet in front of Li Chang'an, he felt completely outclassed, as if he existed on a lower plane of existence. There was simply no comparison.
Even in such a dire situation, Lü Changning couldn't help but feel his heart race every time he witnessed Li Chang'an's terrifying efficiency at diagnosing patients.
'This junior brother of mine seems to know everything and be capable of anything. He's truly like one of the Immortal Gods descended to the Mortal Realm!'
'For the plague-stricken to encounter him at a time like this... it might be the last shred of compassion Heaven has to offer.'
...
As they treated the sick and saved lives, the two witnessed one heart-wrenching scene after another. Li Chang'an felt a heavy weight in his chest, as if struck by a sledgehammer, leaving him speechless.
If even he felt this way, it was far worse for Lü Changning, who could barely sleep at all.
No wonder his eyes had been completely bloodshot when they last met, as if he had a bad case of pinkeye.
These scenes, like a living Hell in the Mortal Realm, would move anyone with a shred of decency.
The two traveled upstream along the river. The closer they got to where the dikes had burst, the more severe the devastation in the villages became. At first, they were deeply affected, but after a while, they began to grow numb.
Happy lives are all alike.
But every unhappy life is unhappy in its own way.
In every village they reached, Lü Changning would set up a stove to brew medicinal soup, distributing it for free to the victims.
Meanwhile, Li Chang'an held down the fort, focusing on formulating a specific remedy in an effort to eradicate the plague.
But even after poring over every medical text they could find and trying every relevant prescription recorded, they still couldn't find a definitive cure for the plague.
They could only watch helplessly as people died in agony before their very eyes.
In his quest to find a cure, Li Chang'an began poring over medical texts night after night, combining their wisdom with his modern knowledge of epidemic prevention. Aided by the Eureka Moments that came with his Heaven-defying Comprehension...
Finally, after countless failures, he formulated a prescription!
[With your Heaven-defying Comprehension, you have tirelessly studied medical texts and combined this knowledge with the symptoms of the afflicted. You have successfully created the prescription: Sweet Dew Antipyretic Soup.]
Under the dim flicker of an oil lamp, seeing the message appear on his retina, Li Chang'an finally let out a long, heavy breath and closed his weary eyes.
It was the first time he had shut his eyes in three days.
In the village, people were dying with every passing moment. Outside, so many bodies lay silently by the roadsides that even the carts couldn't haul them all away.
Li Chang'an dared not delay for even a moment. The instant he had the prescription, he burst out of his room and called to Lü Changning, who was still seeing patients next door. "Senior Brother," he said urgently, "I just formulated this prescription. It should be effective against the plague! Let's split up. I'll take the formula to the Government Office, and you use it to treat the sick!"
Staring at the small slip of paper in Li Chang'an's hand, Lü Changning's eyes lit up with intense, joyous surprise.
After all this time together, he had come to admire Li Chang'an's character and abilities immensely. He also knew that despite his youth, his junior brother never made empty claims.
'If he says the prescription works, then it must really work!'
Thus, without a shred of doubt, he took the prescription and went to prepare the medicine.
Li Chang'an couldn't afford to rest either. Grabbing the prescription, he hurried through the darkness toward the Three Yellow County Magistrate's Office.
But when he reached the County Magistrate's Office, he found its great doors shut tight. He found a half-dead beggar lying by the road and asked, "Why is no one here? Where is Magistrate Chai?"
The beggar, weak with hunger, rasped, "The County Magistrate took his wives and concubines and fled for safety long ago. Whatever grievances you have, save them for the next life!"
Li Chang'an was speechless.
He glanced up at the towering, imposing County Magistrate's Office, then at the white funeral banners hanging on either side of the county town. Without a word, he turned and left.
'Since I can't rely on the Government Office, I'll have to rely on my own strength.'
Li Chang'an and Lü Changning split up, setting up cauldrons to brew medicine in the hardest-hit towns.
Hearing the news, people from all around flocked to their makeshift clinics, clinging to a final sliver of hope. Most had assumed they were doomed, but to their astonishment, a few bowls of the medicinal soup actually cured many of them!
This caused an uproar throughout the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers.
The people's spirits soared. Many began to hail Li Chang'an and Lü Changning as "divine doctors."
Li Chang'an took it in stride, but Lü Changning was mortified. He repeatedly waved his hands, insisting that he hadn't created the soup—it was a prescription his junior brother had poured his very heart and soul into developing.
Regardless, the news that someone could cure the plague spread like wildfire. More and more suffering people from the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers flocked to them upon hearing the news.
Of course, the ones willing to travel great distances for a slim chance of survival were almost all poor and desperate.
The wealthy households mostly had their own private physicians and wouldn't deign to rush over and crowd in with a bunch of "mud-legs" based on a mere rumor.
It was beneath their dignity!
Li Chang'an didn't keep the cure a secret. Not only did he brew medicine for the people, but he also freely distributed the prescription, telling them to gather the herbs and prepare it themselves at home. His only wish was to save as many people as possible.
「Three months passed in a flash.」 The plague along the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers was finally brought under control. In the hearts of the local people, Li Chang'an had become a saviour, a god-like figure.
As for Li Chang'an, though he was utterly exhausted, his rewards were substantial.
[Success in Defying Fate!]
[At six years of age, you used the Sweet Dew Antipyretic Soup to save the masses from immense suffering, successfully rewriting the destinies of countless people in the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers!]
[Rebirth Evaluation has increased. Reward: 1,000 Rebirth Points!]
[Success in Defying Fate!]
[At six years of age, you cultivated the Martial Dao to rewrite your fate of being killed by a Dog Demon, and you have now made a name for yourself in your home county by curing the sick and saving lives!]
[Rebirth Evaluation has increased. Reward: 2,000 Rebirth Points!]
Looking at the messages on his retina, Li Chang'an let out a long sigh of relief. By Defying Fate, he had not only rewritten his own destiny but also the destinies of many others. Best of all, he had gained considerable renown in the process.
'Talk about a major win.'
However, just when Li Chang'an thought the plague was finally over and he could take a well-deserved rest, a group of fully armed officials appeared, causing his heart to sink.
...