Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 33 Be a Person of Character (Please continue reading)
Beside the stream.

About twenty young men had already stripped naked and were washing themselves in the water.

They believed Zhang Xian's words without question; if he said there was an epidemic, then there absolutely was.

Almost everyone in the small mountain village knows how their brother Xian started his business.

It all comes down to his medical skills.

The nights during spring planting season are much better than in winter. Although it is still a bit cold, it is bearable for these young and strong men who have recently been well-nourished.

Zhang Xian himself also came to the stream. He glanced at the young men and walked a little downstream by himself.

"Brother Xian!"

"Brother Xian!!"

"."

Compared to the past, the young men showed even greater admiration and respect for their brother Xian after the battle.

He stopped and looked at the young men: "You can't keep your clothes. After you've washed and are completely naked, go to my little courtyard. There are about ten bolts of cloth in the inner room. Tear them off and wrap yourselves in them."

"Oh, and remember to shout before you go back, so that Zhen'er and Cui Niang will stay far away and not scare them."

The young men, standing naked in the stream, burst into laughter upon hearing this.

“I know, Brother Xian. We’re all from respectable families. We can’t let women see us.”

"Go away, you talk too much."

After giving the order, Zhang Xian took off his clothes and went into the water.

The crimson stain spread out from him, mixed with bits of flesh.

The icy stream water completely calmed his mind. He raised his hands, looked at them, and remained silent.

Flames ignited in the Peach Blossom Spring, burning flesh and blood to ashes, and piles of clothing awaited boiling.

The villagers were unaware of what had happened; they only knew that thieves had come and then the village head and his men had killed them.

At this moment, their previously flustered hearts were completely at peace.

Nothing is more fortunate than being protected by a benevolent and powerful lord.

Zhang Xian's Courtyard.

Bowls of ginger soup were simmering, and the young men, draped in pieces of cloth, sat scattered around, drinking the scalding hot and spicy ginger soup.

"Brother Xian, what's wrong? You've been in a low mood all night."

Zhao Yun sat down next to Zhang Xian and asked with concern.

"Smallpox".

"Huh?" Zhao Yun asked, seemingly not having heard clearly.

Zhang Xian closed his own panel and looked at him, saying word by word, "Smallpox. Among the bandits who attacked today, one of them is carrying smallpox!"

This startled even the usually composed Zhao Yun.

"How could it be smallpox!"

Zhang Xian reached out and pressed him down: "Don't panic, I'm still here, I won't let anything happen to you."

"The dog's condition is the worst; I'll be focusing on him these next few days. You guys..."

"Apart from you who faced that person directly, the others are fine. Plus, you were outdoors and washed your whole body, so there's a high chance they'll be alright."

"So that's not what I'm worried about, brother."

"That is."

Changshan!

“These bandits are hiding here and there, and the smallpox they carry will inevitably infect others. I am worried that there will be a large-scale outbreak of smallpox in the entire Changshan area.”

Zhang Xian felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the highly contagious nature of smallpox.

Fortunately, although smallpox was highly contagious, its fatality rate was only about 30%. If it was treated properly and deaths from high fever were avoided, the situation could be controlled.

"What should we do?" Zhao Yun was also anxious. He knew how serious the smallpox epidemic was. People in the countryside often worshipped the Smallpox God and prayed for the smallpox epidemic to stay away.

"Don't be afraid. I said I'd make sure you're safe, so I'll definitely protect you."

Zhang Xian spoke with a firm tone.

"Rest well, I'll take care of everything else!"

【Medical Grade: 1 (383/500)】Outside the hospital cowshed.

The three old oxen were tied up separately.

They had some cuts on their bodies.

These are the three oxen that Zhang Xian ruthlessly selected, with the purpose of infecting them with the smallpox virus.

Now, the wounds have been contaminated by the thief's blistering flesh, and he even gritted his teeth and stuffed the meat into the old ox's mouth to feed it to him, for fear that it would not get infected.

He did everything he could to protect himself. He didn't have much contact with the villagers. Only two households that had been in contact with and cared for the dog were quarantined by him. The others remained as usual.

However, Zhou Cui and Li Zhen were moved to a house in a distant place to prevent potential infection from close proximity.

Clothes, corpses, and bloodstains were all burned.

We'll have to wait seven or eight days to see how many people in the village have a fever, and then we'll know exactly how many people have contracted smallpox.

Zhang Xian hoped that there was none.

After checking on the old ox several times and adding some hay, he headed towards the second small courtyard.

On the bed, the dog was asleep, whimpering softly.

As night fell, he was a patrolman in Stone's team and the first to come into contact with the bandits. He was also the one who shouted the scream that echoed throughout the village.

Therefore, he was one of the few injured, and the one who was most seriously injured.

A bloody wound stretched diagonally from the shoulder blade to the chest cavity.

If Zhang Xian and Zhao Yun hadn't ended the battle so quickly, Gouzi might have been the only victim tonight.

Fortunately, the injury is now under control. The wound has been cleaned and bandaged, and I was given an anti-inflammatory pill.

If anyone in Peach Blossom Spring was most likely to contract smallpox, it would be him.

Others were mostly exposed to droplets, but he was the only one who came into contact with open sores.

Seeing that he was asleep, Zhang Xian made much less noise. He went over and touched his forehead, but found no fever, so he tucked the blanket around him.

"Um... Brother Xian."

The dog is probably very light-sleeping because of its injury; it wakes up at the slightest noise.

Zhang Xian stopped him from getting up: "It's me. Rest, don't move your wound."

"well."

The dog lay back down, a somewhat embarrassed smile on its face.

"Brother Xianxian, did I embarrass you today?"

"Why do you say that?" Zhang Xian sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him with a gentle expression.

“Everyone else is fine, and they were even fighting the thieves with you. It was only me who got injured, and Brother Xian went to great lengths to take care of me.”

"Silly boy." Zhang Xian chuckled and tapped him on the head before speaking in a gentle tone.

"Dog, you're very brave. Thanks to you, we were able to react in time and prevent those thieves from succeeding."

"Really?"

"real."

"Won't everyone laugh at me?"

"How could that be? If anyone laughs at you, just tell Brother Xian. Brother Xian will back you up and beat them to a pulp."

"Haha...cough, Brother Xian, you're so kind, really. I've never met anyone as capable as you who still thinks highly of us."

The dog chuckled twice, but the rise and fall of his chest pulled at his wound, and the pain made him unable to laugh for a moment.

"Are you sure it's not because Brother Xian's food is better?" Zhang Xian joked.

Gouzi suppressed a laugh, his wound becoming even more painful: "Brother Haxian, please stop talking, my wound hurts."

"Yes, yes, that's enough. You should rest now." Zhang Xian got up and tucked the blanket around him again.

Finally, he glanced at the dog.

"Dog, you're wrong about something. We're all human. Whether you look up to someone or not depends on their character, not their ability."

"Remember, be a person of good character from now on."

(End of this chapter)