Chapter 120 - 85: Fairy, Don’t Be Impulsive

Chapter 120: Chapter 85: Fairy, Don’t Be Impulsive

"That’s good. Let’s go take a look."

"Let’s go!"

The townspeople gathered in twos and threes around the open clearing.

Kan Luotang deftly brushed her pen across paper, writing out a prescription. She handed it to the ashen-faced woman before her and said gently, "Don’t worry. There’s nothing seriously wrong with you, but you do have a buildup of toxins. For now, stick to a vegetarian diet and avoid meat. Take this medicine to help detoxify, and you should start feeling better in a few days.

Be more careful in the future. Toxins accumulate more readily in meat, especially from carnivorous prey.

A young person’s body can handle it, but you must be more cautious as you get older."

"Thank you, Fairy! Thank you so much!"

The woman thanked her profusely. After taking the prescription, she couldn’t help but complain to the burly man beside her, "I told you! My inability to have children isn’t because I don’t eat enough meat. From now on, don’t force me to eat the game you hunt. Just sell it for money instead!"

"Who would’ve thought eating meat could ruin your health!"

The man scratched his head in frustration, then bowed to Kan Luotang in thanks. "Thank you, Fairy. If you hadn’t pointed it out, I really might have ruined my wife’s health."

Kan Luotang smiled, then turned to Fan Li Zheng. "Lord Fan, the reason there are so many patients here is likely because the common folk are unaware of many things. In a few days, I’ll write a booklet. Have a few people read it to the villagers several times, and the number of sick people should decrease significantly."

"The Fairy is right!"

Fan Li Zheng nodded repeatedly, a bit ashamed. "It’s mainly because I’ve only been in this post for a short time, and I have few literate subordinates. But rest assured, Fairy, I will do my utmost to carry out your instructions."

Kan Luotang smiled and nodded, then called for the next patient.

The new patient was a middle-aged man. He had been bitten by something unknown while hunting in the woods, and his lower leg was covered in festering sores. If left untreated, the leg would be lost.

Kan Luotang’s brow furrowed. She ordered someone to boil gauze in water, then took out a small knife and sterilized it in a flame before beginning the debridement.

Throughout the procedure, the crowd of onlookers gasped and cried out, clearly disturbed by the gruesome sight of the wound and its foul stench.

Kan Luotang, however, showed no sign of disgust. She just carefully cut and scraped away the rotten flesh. Her technique was exquisite; throughout the operation, there was no significant bleeding. Only after all the necrotic tissue was removed did she apply medicine, dry the gauze with her True Qi, and wrap the wound.

"F-Fairy, will I be able to keep my leg?"

"Don’t worry. Rest well for a while, and remember to change the dressing on time. The gauze must be boiled in water and dried before use. Once new skin and flesh grow back, you’ll be fine."

"Thank you, Fairy. Thank you."

The middle-aged man was so overcome with emotion that he wept. Supported by his wife and child, he left the medical stall.

Kan Luotang saw patients until evening. Seeing how late it had gotten, she could only treat the most severe cases, sending the rest home to wait for her next visit.

By the time she packed up her stall, it was already the first watch of the night.

Fan Li Zheng was deeply moved. "Fairy, you’ve been seeing patients for hours. You must be exhausted. I’ll have my wife cook a few dishes. Please, you and Doctor Shen, come and eat with us!"

"There’s no need!"

Kan Luotang wiped the sweat from her temples and took some dry rations from her pack. "I have to get to the next town."

Fan Li Zheng was surprised. "Why are you in such a hurry, Fairy? Won’t you rest for the night?"

Kan Luotang took a bite of her rations, then uncorked her waterskin and took a swig. "I have urgent business today! Lord Fan, in the coming days, the Court will be transporting a batch of Qi Cultivation Pills. Five thousand of them were procured by the Tenth Prince for the common people and will be distributed among them. Are you aware of this?"

"Ah? So that was true."

Fan Li Zheng was pleasantly surprised. "I heard people talking about it when I went into the city a few days ago. At first, I thought it was just a baseless rumor, but I never expected it to be real."

Kan Luotang nodded. "It is indeed happening. If I’m not mistaken, someone should have already notified you to compile a list of the young people in town, right?"

Although this town was in Chiling County, it was quite close to Qingyang County.

The Court’s edicts usually arrived in Qingyang County first, then the other two counties, before spreading to the surrounding villages and towns.

Therefore, this place should have been among the first to receive the news.

"Compile a list?"

Fan Li Zheng was puzzled. "No! When I was in the city, I did hear they were compiling a list over there, but I didn’t know it had anything to do with us at the time."

"Hm?"

Kan Luotang’s brow twitched slightly.

Fan Li Zheng quickly added, "Those officials from out of town are always so slow. It’s not impossible for them to delay things by a few days. The notice will probably reach us in a day or two."

Only then did Kan Luotang’s expression soften slightly.

This was because there were many officials in the Northern Three Prefectures. Most who held the rank of official were at the Physical Body Realm or above, while those below it served as junior officials. They were largely responsible for maintaining stability in the Northern Three Prefectures, and would generally not take up posts as junior officials in small villages and towns like this one.

When various government directives were handed down, there was often a lack of coordination between the upper and lower echelons.

So, sluggish bureaucracy wasn’t anything particularly strange.

But...

’I came to the Northern Three Prefectures early this time precisely because I feared there would be errors and omissions in the census. That’s why I visited the remote villages and towns first, to have them prepare in advance.’

’But it was one thing for the Government Office not to have notified the remote areas. After so many days, how could even this place not have received the notice?’

A sense of unease spread through her heart.

Still, she said, "Regardless of when the order from above arrives, start compiling a list for the town now. Prioritize those under eighteen who are chronically ill and those who have developed Qi Sensitivity.

This matter concerns the future of the Northern Three Prefectures. If we can cultivate a batch of local junior officials, life will be much better for the villagers in the future.