Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The dense forest of Yaoshan is indeed worthy of its reputation. The further you go in, the more eerie and strange it becomes.

The tall ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the light could only cast faint spots on the ground through the thick layer of leaves. Even the wind felt a bit cold when it blew past.

Yuanbao and I were walking on thick fallen leaves, and occasionally we could hear some strange bird calls, which exuded a mysterious atmosphere.

"Master Yang, what do you think... can we find the medicinal herbs safely this time?" Yuanbao followed behind me with a look of anxiety on his face.

I glanced at him and couldn't help laughing in my heart: This kid is getting more and more timid.

"Don't worry, Yuanbao. We are walking so fast, isn't it just to find the herbs earlier and go back earlier? The Empress Dowager is still waiting." As I said this, I walked forward with firm steps, but I was also thinking about the next plan in my heart.

This Yaoshan is indeed a challenge.

Although I am a doctor who traveled from modern times and saving lives and curing illnesses is no problem for me, this is ancient times after all, and I have to find ways to use all the medical tools and herbs myself.

What's more, I couldn't bring modern first aid kits and antibiotics with me, so I could only rely on my modern medical knowledge combined with ancient herbal medicine to deal with it.

Seeing me walking fast, Yuanbao quickly quickened his pace, muttering to himself, "Master Yang, don't you think this place is a little weird?"

"Weird?" I glanced back at him and said with a smile, "Are you afraid of encountering some monster? Don't worry, if a monster comes, I'll prick it with a silver needle!"

Yuanbao shrank his neck, obviously not finding my words convincing.

But he still nodded and said, "Master Yang, you are so powerful that even the monsters are afraid of you."

I couldn't help laughing and thought to myself: If there really were monsters, I would probably be scared first.

But then again, these dense forests in ancient times really do exude a sense of mystery everywhere.

Just as I was about to continue joking, a strange noise suddenly came from the front.

It sounded like something heavy had fallen to the ground, or like some animal was running fast.

I immediately became alert and waved to Yuanbao to stop: "Don't move, something's wrong."

Yuanbao stopped immediately, not even daring to breathe.

He approached cautiously and asked me in a low voice, "Master Yang, did you hear that? Was it...was it a beast?"

I frowned and listened carefully to the sound, feeling a little confused: it didn't sound like a wild beast, but more like someone running fast.

Moreover, this sound... is getting closer?

"Hide!" I whispered, pulling Yuanbao and hiding behind a big tree.

Yuanbao's face turned pale and he clutched my sleeve tightly: "Master Yang, do you think it could be bandits?"

"Bandits?" My heart tightened. No way? There are bandits in this place?

But then I thought, it’s not uncommon for bandits to be rampant in ancient times. As long as they are not monsters, I can still deal with them.

Just as we were both holding our breath, there was a loud noise suddenly coming from the bushes in front of us. Then a figure stumbled out from the bushes and fell to the ground.

Yuanbao and I looked at each other and were both shocked: It turned out to be a human!

I hurried forward and took a closer look. I found that there was a young man in cloth lying on the ground. He was pale and breathing rapidly. He was obviously injured.

There was a deep wound on his leg, and blood had stained his trouser leg red.

It seemed that he had escaped from somewhere.

"Master Yang, he seems to be injured!" Yuanbao also saw the man's injuries and said nervously.

I nodded and squatted down to examine his wound. It was a serious injury and needed to be treated immediately.

"His wound needs to be bandaged. We need to stop the bleeding quickly." I took out the cloth I brought with me from my pocket and bandaged it while saying to Yuanbao, "Help me hold him. Be careful not to let him move."

Yuanbao quickly did as he was told. Although he was a little flustered, he was still obedient.

I quickly bandaged the man's wound and secretly rejoiced in my heart: Fortunately, I have some experience in first aid. A wound of this severity should not be serious as long as it is handled properly.

The man groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked at me with a look of surprise on his face: "Who... who are you?"

"I'm a doctor passing by." I said calmly, "You're injured, don't move."

The man was still dazed, but soon realized the situation he was in. He struggled to sit up, but gasped in pain from the wound on his leg.

"Don't move, your wound hasn't been treated yet." I frowned and held his shoulder.

"Thank you...thank you for saving me." The man forced a smile, his voice weak.

"Don't thank me. How did you get so badly injured? What happened here?" I asked while continuing to check his injuries.

The man gasped a few times, obviously frightened.

He whispered, "I... I'm from the village at the foot of the Medicine Mountain. I was just collecting herbs on the mountain when I suddenly encountered a group... a group of ferocious beasts! They chased me so hard that I had no choice but to run away. As a result, I fell and got injured."

"Beast?" My heart tightened. Could there really be a dangerous wild beast?

When Yuan Bao heard the word "beast", his face immediately turned even paler: "Master Yang, we won't run into any wild beasts, will we?"

I frowned, feeling a little uneasy.

Although this person is talking about a ferocious beast, I always feel that things are not that simple.

Logically speaking, the wild beasts in this dense forest shouldn't attack humans easily, unless...

"Are you sure it's a beast?" I asked, staring at the man, wanting to confirm.

The man nodded, a look of fear on his face. "Yes, they are definitely wild beasts! I even saw their shadows. They are like wolves, extremely ferocious!"

A pack of wolves? I was shocked. If I ran into a pack of wolves, I would be in trouble.

"Yuanbao, we have to leave here quickly." I made a decision immediately, helped the man up, and said to Yuanbao: "Help me hold him, we have to get down the mountain as soon as possible."

Although Yuanbao was scared, he still came over obediently and helped me help the man up.

The three of us walked back with difficulty, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Along the way, I felt a little heavy.

This medicine mountain seems to be more dangerous than I thought. No wonder those imperial doctors said that medicinal herbs are hard to find.

However, I also know that now is not the time to back down.

The Empress Dowager's life is still hanging by a thread, and we must find the medicinal herbs as soon as possible to detoxify her body.

As for these unexpected dangers, we can only deal with them as they arise.

"Master Yang, there is a cave ahead!" Yuanbao suddenly pointed to a hidden place ahead and said.

I looked up and saw that there was a small cave behind a huge rock.

Although it looks a bit shabby, it can at least provide temporary shelter.

"Let's go in first." I nodded and led the two of them into the cave.

The cave was dimly lit but relatively dry.

I set the man down on a rock and continued to examine his injuries.

Yuanbao was watching the cave entrance cautiously, fearing that some ferocious beast might suddenly rush out.

"Master Yang, you say...are we just going to hide here forever?" Yuanbao asked with a worried look on his face.

"Let's rest here for a while." I thought about it and felt that it was too dangerous to act rashly now, so I decided to make plans later.

The man leaned against the stone wall, his face a little pale, but his spirit had recovered a little.

He looked at me and whispered, "Benefactor, are you here to collect herbs in Yaoshan?"

"I guess so." I nodded. "We're here to look for some important medicinal herbs. Saving lives is the most important thing."

"Medicinal herbs?" A gleam of light suddenly flashed in his eyes, as if he had thought of something.

"What? Do you know where to find medicinal herbs?" I immediately caught his strange reaction.

The man hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "Actually... I know there's an extremely precious herb deep in Yaoshan called 'Tien Shan Snow Lotus,' a holy medicine for healing and detoxification. But that place is extremely dangerous, even people in our village don't dare to go in easily."

Tianshan Snow Lotus? Sounds like an ancient miracle drug.

My heart moved, so I asked, "Can you take us to find it?"

The man looked a bit embarrassed, but nodded. "If a benefactor saved my life, I naturally have to repay him. However, that place is indeed dangerous. I can only take you to the entrance. From then on, you will have to rely on yourself."

I knew in my heart that the "danger" he mentioned was definitely not a scare tactic.

After all, this dense forest is full of unknown dangers. If it weren't for saving the Queen Mother, I wouldn't want to take the risk.

"It's okay, you just need to lead us to the entrance, and we will take care of the rest ourselves." I smiled and said in a relaxed tone.

Yuan Bao was terrified listening to this, but he could only nod his head and say, "Master Yang, whatever you say is what I will do."

I patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm here, we'll be fine."

Although I said this, I was actually not sure.

After all, this is an ancient mountain, not a tourist attraction.

As night fell, the wind outside the cave howled, and it seemed to be getting colder.

Yuanbao, the injured man and I simply ate some dry food and prepared to continue on our way.

"Master Yang, it's getting dark. Should we really set off?" Yuanbao asked uneasily.

"It's actually safer to act in the dark, as wolves are unlikely to come out at night. Besides, we can't wait here too long." As I said this, I packed my bags and prepared to set off.

The man struggled to stand up. Although his leg was still injured, he gritted his teeth and persisted, leading us further into the mountains.

Along the way, the surrounding scenery became more and more desolate, and the grass and trees became sparse.

We walked around a rocky area and finally arrived at the entrance of a hidden valley.

"This is it." The man pointed to the valley ahead and said with a serious expression.

Yuanbao and I looked at each other and understood in our hearts: the real challenge has just begun.