My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

On Xiaozhu Island, just as the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon, the fast boat dispatched by Han Yong arrived.

The messenger's message was concise and powerful. After listening, Xiao Heng showed little surprise, as if this was an expected outcome.

He glanced at Deng Jing, who had also been awake all night, and said only two words.

"Go to the island."

The ships hoisted their sails, broke through the morning mist, and headed towards Yuzhou Island, which had already changed hands.

Stepping onto the beach, still bearing traces of blood, Xiao Heng did not first inspect the battlefield or the spoils, but instead, accompanied by Han Yong, went straight to the west side of the island.

Then, Xiao Heng turned to Chen Jing beside him and said to Han Yong.

"Commander Han, from this day forward, Chen Jing will be the garrison commander of this island. He will be in charge of all defense, construction, and training. Your unit will take a short rest and return to Qu County with the main spoils in two days."

Han Yong's sharp gaze swept over Deng Jing. He had originally planned to wait until Deng Jing recovered before sparring with him, but now he would have to find another opportunity.

"Yes, sir!"

He then led Deng Jing to an open space in the water village, where the new recruits had already assembled.

Han Yong didn't waste any words and directly pointed to Deng Jing to introduce him.

"Listen up! This is Chen Jing, Garrison Commander Chen! From this day forward, you are all under Garrison Commander Chen's command! Garrison Commander Chen's orders are as absolute as the Prefect's orders; anyone who dares to disobey will be punished according to military law!"

Thousands of eyes instantly focused on Chen Jing, some with curiosity, some with doubt, and some with expectation.

These people haven't been having a good time lately, having to face rigorous and brutal training all day long under constant mental strain.

Chen Jing also felt the heavy gaze upon him; this was the first time he had formally stood in front of the stage since his rebirth.

He didn't say much, but simply took a step forward, calmly meeting those gazes. Then, according to military etiquette, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Han Yong and the soldiers present, looking around with steady and powerful movements, exuding an immovable aura.

He doesn't need to make grand pronouncements now; his future actions and military tactics will establish his prestige.

Han Yong left immediately after seeing this, and nodded slightly after returning to Xiao Heng's side.

"Fu-kun!"

"Take me to see those ballistae!"

On the open ground next to the former bandit leader's stronghold, more than twenty well-made large ballistae were neatly arranged, some of which were even equipped with simple turning mechanisms.

After Xiao Heng arrived and examined the crossbow carefully, he discovered the inscriptions on it.

"Qin crossbow?"

"This group has been in contact with the Qin army in Qingzhou for many years; they seem to be quite familiar with each other!"

Xiao Heng nodded and carefully examined several of them, even personally testing the power of the winch.

"Good stuff, it's a pity it fell into the hands of a bunch of stupid thieves. Disassemble it all, carefully load it onto a ship, and transport it back to Qu County. These guys will be put to good use when they're on the city wall in the future."

He then looked at the mountain of other spoils: grain, coarse salt, leather, iron, weapons...

The quantity of grain, in particular, was quite considerable.

"Leave one hundred shi of grain and all the weapons for Garrison Commander Chen, and transport the grain back to Qu County."

Xiao Heng distributed the grain: one hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) of food. This was not a large sum for those who remained on the island, but it was enough to sustain them for a while.

The captured weapons could be exchanged for quite a few bamboo spears.

After making the arrangements, Xiao Heng did not linger on the island.

He called Deng Jing aside and said only a few words to him.

"This island is now in your hands. Train your troops, repair the defenses, clear out the remaining enemy forces, and appease the original salt workers and civilians on the island. If any guests come from the north, leave them to Young Master Xu to handle!"

Chen Jing solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Jing, I understand!"

When Xiao Heng boarded the ship and left, the sun had already fully risen.

Deng Jing stood on the dock, watching the departing ships. A complex and unfathomable look flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a resolute expression.

The return boat did not sail directly back to Qu County, but stopped at a small bay in Cangwu Mountain where it could barely dock.

Xiao Heng brought only a few close followers and hiked up the mountain.

Yuntai Temple is located in a secluded spot on the main peak of Cangwu Mountain. It is not large in scale, but it is full of ancient charm.

The abbot, Master Xu, was about sixty years old and seemed unsurprised by the sudden visit of the prefect.

Xiao Heng did not display his official authority, nor did he mention the offense he had committed last time.

Seeing the armed guards behind Xiao Heng, Master Xu wisely agreed to Xiao Heng's request.

That afternoon, Xiao Heng's fleet returned to Qu County.

In the town of Qu County, dozens of people who were seriously poisoned were taken in a makeshift clinic.

In the innermost compartment, Lu Dajiang lay on the bed, barely breathing, while Jiang Qianzhi and several other minor leaders were also there.

Xiao Heng stood by the door, watching silently.

He was very curious about how the old Taoist priest would save people. If he dared to use any talismans or water, Xiao Heng would send people to kick him out.

At this moment, Xu Xianzhi also came to accompany him. Xiao Heng then remembered that this guy's name had the character "zhi" at the end. In this Jiangdong region, those with "zhi" in their names are mostly followers of the Celestial Masters sect. Xu Xianzhi was probably no exception. He would have to have a good talk with him later. These followers are not simple.

Inside the room were several local doctors, as well as Dr. Sun's only son. These old folks admired the boy's talent.

The child clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, but his eyes were fixed on Lu Da, who was dying on the bed, and Master Xu of Yuntai Temple, who had just been personally invited down the mountain by Xiao Heng.

Master Xu stood slenderly in front of the bed, his gaze sweeping over Lu Da.

He then bent down and opened Lu Da's eyelids to take a look, and then very gently probed the side of his neck and wrist.

"The poison has penetrated deeply, obstructing the heart meridians and causing a sudden loss of yang energy."

The Taoist priest's words made the other doctors gasp in shock; this was precisely the critical situation they were at a loss for, deeming it hopeless.

Xiao Heng also breathed a sigh of relief. In chaotic times, people would ask for a bowl of talisman water to comfort their souls. That water probably contained at least a few grains of rice.

At this moment, the Taoist priest moved slightly, his two fingers already touching Lu Da's wrist, and he closed his eyes and began to chant.

"Rapid and disordered, sometimes present and sometimes absent, like a sparrow pecking at food, or like water dripping from a leaky roof—these are precisely the sparrow-pecking pulse and the leaky roof pulse, indicating that vital energy is dissipating and the heart meridian is about to break!"

Fortunately, there is still a glimmer of hope.

After chanting, the Taoist priest withdrew his finger, took out an antique leather sheath from his sleeve, and unfolded it to reveal dozens of silver needles of varying lengths.

Seeing the silver needles, Xiao Heng was completely relieved, as none of the doctors left in the city knew acupuncture.

"Hold him down!"

The Taoist priest shouted something, and several doctors immediately stepped forward to stabilize Lu Da's limp body.

The Taoist priest moved with lightning speed, piercing the philtrum with the first needle.

"Deeply penetrating the bone surface, providing strong stimulation!"

Suddenly someone spoke up, and everyone looked over to see that it was Dr. Sun's son.

Master Xu was also curious and very satisfied, so he asked a question.

"You're quite something, little one. How about the second shot?"

"Strongly puncturing the points Suliao and Neiguan, and then the Yongquan point, can draw qi and blood downwards, and also awaken the mind!"

Daozi did not answer, but still stabbed at Suliao and Neiguan.

Then, he lifted up Lu's trouser leg and gave him another heavy needle prick at the Yongquan acupoint!

After these few needles, Lu Da's originally weak breathing suddenly turned into a long, painful cry, and his eyelids trembled violently, as if he was about to wake up!

"Not enough! Little ones, watch closely!"

The Taoist priest quickened his pace, took out a three-edged needle, and precisely pricked the tips of Lu Da's ten fingers (the ten acupoints) once each!

Several drops of thick, dark blood were squeezed out instantly.

"Get the moxa wool! The largest possible cone!"

The Taoist priest gave the instructions without turning his head.

Several people who were prepared immediately handed over the thick moxa cones they had prepared.

The Taoist priest took it and pressed it directly onto Lu Da's navel (Shenque acupoint), Guanyuan acupoint, and Qihai acupoint!

The scorching smoke from the moxa rose instantly, mixed with the aroma of ginger, filling the entire room.

Lu Da's skin was blistered from the burns, but the Taoist priest remained calm and kept a close eye on Lu Da's reaction.

Strangely enough, stimulated by this combination of punches, Lu Da's originally cold limbs began to move, and even sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Three ounces of Coptis chinensis, one liter of black beans, one ounce of Saposhnikovia divaricata, two ounces of licorice root, and half a pound of fresh ginger! Simmer over high heat until concentrated, do not cook for too long! Separately, take one ounce of high-quality Codonopsis pilosula and simmer it separately to make a ginseng soup for later use!"

"Participate?"

An elderly doctor couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"This is a great tonic for vital energy, but it's poisonous!"

The Taoist priest continued to observe Lu Da while speaking calmly.

"The toxic heat burns the Yin and further damages the Yang Qi. At this moment, the pulse Qi is about to dissipate. Only ginseng and aconite can turn the tide. Aconite is strong and may aggravate the remaining poison. Therefore, ginseng is used to protect the heart pulse so that it can work together with the detoxifying medicine. This is to seek survival in danger and to use the correct method to resist poison."

Xiao Heng felt a pang of heartache. He only had three of these ginseng roots, all of which Xu Xianzhi had seized from the Xianbei people.

The medicine was prepared quickly. After the Taoist priest personally tested the temperature, he ordered people to alternate between the detoxifying soup and the ginseng soup, and to slowly administer it to Lu Da, who still had a swallowing reflex.

A moment later, Lu Da, who was unconscious, suddenly trembled violently and made a gurgling sound in his throat.

"Help him turn to the side!"

Lu Dabian suddenly vomited a large amount of black, foul-smelling liquid.

Just after vomiting from Lu Da's stomach, another strange cry came from within. Seeing that things were not going well, Xiao Heng turned around and left.

After the Taoist priest used three needles, Lu Da excreted a large amount of dark, foul-smelling loose stool.

At this point, Lu Da's face finally began to slowly regain its vitality, his breathing became noticeably longer, and his pulse became slightly stronger.

The Taoist priest finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He slowly removed the needle, his movements becoming much gentler.

"The poison's effects have been weakened, and the heart is temporarily at peace."

"However, the internal organs have been damaged, and the body's qi and blood are severely depleted, requiring careful recuperation afterwards!"

He glanced at the other poisoned people and added.

"The remaining poisoned individuals exhibited varying degrees of symptoms. Following this principle, the dosage of medication and acupuncture were reduced accordingly to expel the toxins and stabilize their vital energy. Fortunately, these aconite roots were not fully processed; otherwise, they would have died on the spot!"

The room was silent. Several local doctors looked shocked and admiring, and bowed deeply to the Taoist priest.

The ten-year-old orphan of the Sun family watched intently.

Xu Xianzhi turned around and found that Xiao Heng was gone. He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Master Xu.

"On behalf of the soldiers of the East Sea, I express my gratitude for the Daoist Master's life-saving grace!"

Master Xu turned aside to avoid the full greeting, and simply said...

"Prefect Xiao eliminated the scourge of Yuzhou, saving many lives. This humble Taoist priest has done his small part, which is also a matter of fate!"

His gaze, however, seemed to sweep meaningfully over the boy who was staring intently at him.