Mythical Three Kingdoms

"If there's no important matter tomorrow, please do not leave the main house, as Marquis Chen and Assistant Officer Mi will need to visit for some matters. Please prepare in advance," Li You advised the remaining heads of the troubled aristocratic families before he was about to leave, turning his head to remind them.

After finishing his words, Li You departed, leaving the heads standing there, feeling the bloodlust in the air, a sorrow shared by all who are doomed.

It was only after Li You had left that the remaining heads realized what his last words meant. Chen Xi and Mi Zhu would come visiting—how could they not understand what this meant? Clearly, Mount Tai didn't wish to delve into last night's incident and intended to quickly suppress and gloss over it.

With this thought, the sorrow of the heads of the aristocratic families dissipated, and after this incident, those standing here clearly felt that the distance between them had considerably decreased.

Li You put those he had captured into a prison designated for each family, one by one. Except for a few families that had resisted too fiercely and suffered great losses, the rest didn't endure significant harm. As for executing all ten thousand plus people, he was no longer the ruthlessly cruel Li Ru of the past.

"Wen Ru, it seems quite a few have been caught," Chen Xi said, tiptoeing to peek into the prison.

"I actually think too few were caught. These are all members of various families from Fenggao. If it were up to me, I would have arrested all members of these families from the Qing Xu Region," Mann Chong said grimly, egging Li You on from the side.

"No need for that. Just clean them up and make sure they understand the message. Of course, some families indeed need to be purged," Li You turned and said indifferently, "As for pursuing further in Qing and Xu, there is no need. Executing the ringleaders to set an example is enough. Being too harsh and severe isn't good either. Balancing grace and severity is the best approach."

"What's going on here?" Jia Xu asked puzzledly, observing the soldiers scattering white ash on the main streets and others sprinkling water to clean, tilting his head in question.

"Preventing the epidemic," Qu Qi suddenly piped up. "Can you not let Hua Yuanhua be my neighbor again? With this opportunity, as Fenggao is being replanned, could you move him somewhere else? He's always collecting herbs in my place, even though I've told him those are mine. He always dismisses it with a snort."

"Can these methods prevent epidemics?" Jia Xu asked, turning his head to look at Qu Qi.

"Though I really dislike that old man, I must admit that when it comes to medicine, he is beyond reproach. If he dares to say this will prevent an epidemic, then it will. However, that old man insists on collecting herbs in my yard!" Qu Qi was the kind of person who, even if he didn't like someone, wouldn't disparage their abilities and would speak truthfully.

"Why don't you plant them somewhere else? Why must you plant in your own yard?" Chen Xi said helplessly, as it was partly Qu Qi's own fault that Hua Tuo was harvesting herbs in his yard.

Qu Qi himself was a fanatic; he insisted on planting them there and no amount of persuasion from others would work. Furthermore, with Hua Tuo collecting herbs there, Qu Qi stubbornly kept planting more. Now, his yard was completely filled with medicinal herbs.

Of course, a reason for the proliferation of herbs in Qu Qi's yard was that Hua Tuo only harvested mature plants, never depleting Qu Qi's cultivation. This was an important reason why the herb garden in Qu Qi's yard kept growing, and also why Hua Tuo enjoyed harvesting there more and more—his selection of herbs was becoming increasingly complete.

"Why should I plant it elsewhere, why should I hide from him!" Qu Qi said discontentedly, but his voice lacked confidence.

"Why don't you just plant the herbs in his courtyard, you have so many apprentices after all. Take them with you and cover Physician Hua's place with herbs, see if he believes that. This way, it's all because you run and hide as soon as you see him, not daring to explain properly," Chen Xi said in an exasperated tone, offering him a piece of advice after a long glance.

"I fainted last time and he woke me up with such a long needle, how could I not be afraid when I see him." Qu Qi said with a look of horror, "That wasn't acupuncture at all; it was stabbing to wake me up and force-feed me medicine."

"But you got better very quickly," Chen Xi said, curling his lip. Hua Tuo's methods prioritize efficiency and speed in saving lives, "Who asked you to run about recklessly, ending up with heat stroke, and getting carried back?"

"The problem is that when I woke up that day, I was still weak, watching as he cut open a man's belly and then stitched it back. Whats more, after over half a month, I saw that very guy who had his belly cut open jumping around alive." Qu Qi tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Just seeing him makes me shiver; he cuts people open, sews them up, and they're still alive!"

"Ah, I can't take it, I avoid seeing him, it's too horrifying…" Qu Qi clearly seemed crazed, and anyone from this era witnessing Hua Tuo's methods would not be able to accept it.

"That's why he's considered a divine doctor, capable of doing things others can't," Chen Xi consoled, patting Qu Qi on the shoulder, "I'll find you some sturdier apprentices, the kind with a height of nine feet and a waist of eight feet, to embolden you. Then you can go and plant the herbs in Physician Hua's courtyard, which will surely amaze him."

After Qu Qi was sent away, Hua Tuo suddenly appeared, which made a lot of sense. Qu Qi's reason for leaving without discussing conditions must have been this.

"Physician Hua, what brings you here?" Chen Xi asked kindly. The pharmacopoeia depended on him to be completed; he only knew some basic preventive measures, beyond that he had no good solutions, and it was up to Hua Tuo to do the research. At least for now, his mind had run dry of related knowledge.

Hua Tuo appeared rather embarrassed, hesitated for a moment, and then still spoke up, "I need some corpses; I want to study them. Some practices may be hard to understand, but I feel I can't miss this opportunity."

"Sure, no problem. I've already sent quite a few complete corpses to be stored in the underground ice cellar. If you need them, just help yourself and return them to the guards afterward for disposal," Chen Xi said expressionlessly. He knew Hua Tuo's research would eventually involve corpses.

"Thank you, Marquis Chen, for understanding," Hua Tuo began to say, and then, after a pause, he silently gave a ceremonial bow. His methods were no longer something he expected people from this era to comprehend, but Chen Xi had calmly acknowledged them.

"Understanding what? Living people are more important than the dead, and good people are more important than bad ones, so there's really no need to worry. It's all about One Heart," Chen Xi sighed.

Most people in this era simply could not understand this viewpoint. Even someone as ruthless as Mann Chong, who wouldn't hesitate to harm the living, still held a sense of reverence for the dead, an entirely different kind of boldness compared to Hua Tuo who dares to dissect corpses for study.

"Thank you, Marquis Chen, for your understanding," Hua Tuo gave Chen Xi another deep bow and withdrew. But before Chen Xi could go look for the Grand Craftsman to inquire about the progress, Hua Tuo came back again. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)