Qi Yue had always felt she was overlooking something, something she couldn't quite grasp until this very moment, seeing the old man approaching. A brilliant flash exploded in her mind.

The man who had been brought into the clinic shortly before, lying on a door panel with extensive skin necrosis, and then quickly carried out dead! The man she had diagnosed with septicemia! What could cause septicemia! What could cause acute abdomen! What could kill so rapidly! What could make penicillin effective! “I… I think I know…” she said, pointing a finger at the old man’s neck, just three or four steps away, where the large, translucent swelling on his neck was now clearly visible. “It’s Anthrax! It’s Anthrax!”

Anthrax?

Chang Yuncheng and the old man didn't understand the word, but Qi Yue’s expression told them it was serious. “Old man, stay right where you are,” Qi Yue calmed down quickly, reaching out her hand. Chang Yuncheng immediately handed over the medicine box he was carrying on his back. Qi Yue put on a mask, gloves, and a protective gown, then handed the set to Chang Yuncheng, who slipped them on deftly. “Little lady, what are you two doing?” the old man watched curiously as the pair instantly changed their attire, startled in broad daylight. “Old man, your illness is very serious. If you don't get treatment immediately, you likely won't be able to get up tomorrow, and you could die the day after,” Qi Yue explained. The old man started, startled. “Isn't it just a rash?” he asked, eyes wide. “This isn't a rash; it’s a contagious disease,” Qi Yue said. She walked over to the old man, asked him to sit down for an examination, and inquired where he had been recently, what he had eaten, and what he had touched. “…Do you keep any large livestock at home?” Qi Yue asked. The old man chuckled softly. “We’re so poor we can barely feed ourselves, how could we afford livestock…” he shook his head. “…I just go work for others tending pigs…” Qi Yue had already decided to conduct a thorough investigation of the village, especially of all livestock, after hearing the first part of his statement. Upon hearing the second part, she paused. “Pigs?” she asked. The old man nodded and pointed to the east. “Shihezizi Village raises a lot of pigs. Many people from our village go over to tend to them—they provide three meals a day, and we get five wen a month. But lately, a lot of pigs have died, so they sent a lot of us home… Feeding myself is becoming an issue now…” he rambled on. Qi Yue followed the direction he pointed, momentarily stunned, a single word echoing in her mind. Pigs… So familiar, as if from a long time ago… Pigs…

The scene before her shifted, and she seemed to be standing outside Qianjin Hall, watching a funeral procession pass by on the street. “…It’s the Hua Zui Po [Flower-Mouth Granny], the pork seller…” “…How could she suddenly die… Wasn't she fine just before…”

So… it had started back then! This meant the pork served at Qingfeng Lou that caused diarrhea must have been infected too! Therefore, those cases weren't simple acute diarrhea at all, but Intestinal Anthrax! Because the probability of human-to-human transmission of Anthrax is low, it appeared to be an outbreak triggered by food affecting various unrelated people, which is why she could never establish the connection!

“Old man, I am a physician, a doctor from Qianjin Hall,” she turned and told the elder. The old man nodded. “There is a disease right now, just like yours, very dangerous, and it’s contagious. That means if you are sick, you can spread it to people close to you,” Qi Yue continued. The old man’s eyes widened in horror, and he staggered back abruptly. “Th-then, little lady, you two quickly move away from me…” he shouted. Qi Yue was taken aback. Since suspecting a contagious disease, she had encountered various reactions—doubt, terror, anger—but this reaction from the old man was the first of its kind… He was telling her to stay away…

“Old man, I am a doctor, and I can cure you.” For some reason, her eyes felt a little moist. Facing so much doubt, facing the humiliation of being driven out of the city, she felt no sorrow at all, only rising spirit, but facing this old man with whom she had exchanged only a few sentences, she felt deeply unsettled. Chang Yuncheng naturally noticed Qi Yue's expression. He hadn't understood at first, but when he saw the old man step back again as Qi Yue approached, he suddenly grasped it. This woman, when faced with resistance, never yielded; if you stepped on her, she would stand straight and fight you to the death. But if you showed her even a little bit of kindness, she would instantly become so soft she seemed ready to turn her belly inside out for you… So, in truth, who didn't long to receive kindness from others… But if there was no kindness, she could still live just fine.

He stepped forward to approach the old man, intending to help him up. “Don’t move,” Qi Yue stopped him, moving several steps to support the old man herself. “You have a recent wound; don't make contact.” Chang Yuncheng nodded and obediently stepped back a few paces. Qi Yue finally persuaded the old man to go with her to the isolation hospital. “What should I do? I’ve been moving around the village these past few days. People felt sorry for me and gave me food. I might have harmed them…” The old man was deeply anxious. “I will settle you in the hospital, and then I will immediately bring people here to conduct comprehensive epidemic prevention. Don’t worry; cutaneous anthrax is relatively mild. As long as it’s treated in time, there’s no danger to life,” Qi Yue reassured him.

The old man was slow on his feet, and the three of them took quite a while, stopping and starting, before they finally returned to the isolation hospital. They were startled even before they got close. Outside the isolation hospital, a dense crowd of people was gathered. “What’s going on?” Qi Yue exclaimed in shock. Had they been moved here only to be driven even farther away? Let’s see who dares!

Qi Yue started to rush forward, but Chang Yuncheng was already ahead of her. “Let us in…” “Save us…” “Master Qi is a divine being! Please have mercy…” Chang Yuncheng was stunned by the chaotic shouts. “What’s going on?” he demanded sternly. The guards left behind by Marquis Dingxi stood guard tightly, separating them from the crowd, so their words couldn't be heard, but the people behind them heard. “We want to be isolated!” they shouted. They turned their heads, saw Chang Yuncheng, and then spotted Qi Yue behind him. “Master Qi!” The crowd surged forward. Chang Yuncheng immediately backed away to shield Qi Yue. “What do you want?” Qi Yue asked. “We want isolation,” they yelled. What? Isolation? Qi Yue was utterly confused. Looking at these people, mostly from poor families, many with their entire families in tow, they didn't look like they were there to cause trouble, but rather like refugees… Something had happened in the city!

The atmosphere in the courtyard was clearly tense. “…From yesterday until today, no fewer than six people have died, and more are still dying…” “…This time, it’s not just diarrhea…” Liu Pucheng, Physician Zhu, and the others relayed the information they had gathered to Qi Yue. Qi Yue nodded. “I know. Whether it’s extensive skin necrosis or acute abdomen, they all die from systemic failure due to septicemia, and perhaps meningitis as well…” she stated. Liu Pucheng and Physician Zhu exchanged glances. Although they couldn't fully grasp her terminology, they could infer the general meaning from the words themselves. “Exactly, Master Qi, did you see it?” Physician Zhu asked, surprised. Qi Yue sighed softly. “I didn’t see it, but I guessed what the disease is,” she replied. “What disease?” everyone asked hopefully. “Anthrax,” she said.

Anthrax? Everyone looked bewildered. “It’s an acute, contagious disease transmitted from livestock to humans,” she explained. “The common symptom is ulcers on the skin… Everyone follow me; I have brought back a patient.”

The old man had already been settled in a ward, bathed, changed into a patient gown, and was eating the food brought by a disciple. Seeing Qi Yue and the others enter, he stood up in alarm. “Oh my, oh my, this is truly… They even provide food, baths, and clothes, it’s like a New Year’s celebration…” he said excitedly, glancing at these strangely dressed people. “I won’t… I won’t harm you, will I? I’m old; finding a deserted place to die would be fine. Look at you all, so young and vibrant…” “Old man, it’s alright, please sit down,” Qi Yue said, signaling for Liu Pucheng’s men to examine him. Liu Pucheng and Physician Zhu stepped forward to check. “It’s Yiding!” they announced in unison. This was the first time they had seen the disease in its initial stage, and they finally recognized it.

Yiding? That must be the traditional Chinese medicine term, right? Qi Yue was pleased they recognized the disease, meaning they had experience. “I followed my master to the north years ago and saw it there. It was transmitted by people from the Dongnu region, said to come from cattle, horses, pigs, or sheep!” Liu Pucheng said, tinged with excitement. “The dingchuang [boil/carbuncle] sufferer may contract the poison from dead cattle, horses, pigs, or sheep,” Physician Zhu also stated. “I never imagined I’d have the chance to see it…” His expression even held a hint of excitement. Perhaps this was the contradiction of a physician: wishing for the world to be free of illness and disaster, yet always yearning to witness more diseases. “However, this isn’t very severe,” Liu Pucheng looked up again and asked. “It can basically be completely cured, leaving only a scar.” “Some cases become severe, mainly due to delayed treatment, leading to septicemia and toxemia, which can cause death within two days,” Qi Yue countered. “Then, what about the diarrhea cases?” Physician Zhu asked. “Are they related to this?” “They are related; that is also a form of Anthrax. The diarrhea is caused by consuming infected meat, resulting in Intestinal Anthrax, which is far more dangerous than Cutaneous Anthrax because it’s hard to diagnose… That’s why no one considered this possibility for those acute abdominal cases…” Qi Yue explained, especially in ancient times without blood testing. “Inject him with penicillin, and he’ll be fine in a day or two,” she said. “The most critical thing now is to find the source of infection and cut it off completely, otherwise, we won’t be able to control this disease…” “What is the source of infection?” everyone asked in unison. “I suspect it might be pigs,” Qi Yue stated.

Pigs? “So I need to go to the place where pigs are raised in person,” she declared. “That’s too dangerous,” Physician Zhu was the first to object. “How about this, you stay here; you are familiar with this disease after all. I will go,” Liu Pucheng offered. Qi Yue shook her head. “For this disease, worrying about medicine is unnecessary; it’s penicillin. More important than the medicine is cutting off the source of infection, so I must go. Moreover, I need to confirm if it is indeed the pigs; I need to conduct a precipitation test.” Everyone looked at her, a mixture of worry and helplessness. “Alright, you go. I’ll take charge here,” Liu Pucheng agreed. Qi Yue nodded. “Everyone, prepare disinfectants and bring enough masks and gloves. Some of you will go to this old man’s village to propagate disinfection and check for suspected cases, and the rest will follow me to the pig farm this old man mentioned…” She wasted no more time and turned to her disciples. The disciples responded in unison. “Master, what about the people outside the gate?” Hu San shouted. “They are about to rush in.”