As a doctor, I have seen life and death, and I know that one day I may face a life-threatening illness myself, but if I don't have to die, who would want to die?
The thought of nearly being hit by a powerful blow sent a shiver down Gu Zhaobei's spine.
Gu Qingcheng said that after hearing the young prince's words, she asked her father if he knew Ge Hong.
"Ge Hong? I know him, and I've even met him at Prince Xia's mansion. Ge Hong is an alchemist and a Taoist priest.
He was treated as a honored guest by Prince Xia. Besides discussing the way to maintain health with me, he often discussed the secret of eternal life with Ge Hong."
Gu Zhaobei sighed.
"So that's how it is. When it comes to pursuing eternal life, things get chaotic. Then this Ge Hong is no ordinary person?" Gu Qingcheng said.
"Yes," Gu Zhaobei replied, "he often boasts that he can refine the elixir of immortality."
"I understand. That's why Prince Xia's illness developed that way. Perhaps the elixir Ge Hong gave him played a crucial role.
I guess he must have refined some elixir that invades the nerves and contains toxins. After feeding it to dying animals, the animals' nerves would still function even if their brains were dead, just like frogs, giving people the illusion of resuscitation at first glance.
Thus, Ge Hong presented this elixir as a treasure to Prince Xia, claiming it could bring the dead back to life and the like, in order to gain wealth and more rewards."
Gu Qingcheng's imagination ran wild.
But Gu Zhaobei praised, "It's eight or nine out of ten, pretty much like that."
Combining their experiences on Prince Xia's ship, the father and daughter analyzed the situation, getting closer to the truth.
Gu Qingcheng said with some worry:
"Heavens, in that case, has Prince Xia truly turned into a zombie or a vampire?"
"That's hard to say, we need to observe more. But this Ge Hong, we must find him, at least to understand the properties of the drugs he uses. Otherwise, if I become like that one day, it will be trouble." Gu Zhaobei said with concern.
"The young prince said Ge Hong also escaped. Let's go back to Phoenix Village first. I'll issue a reward, hoping someone can provide clues about this Ge Hong.
I guess the altitude in the north is so low, and now with the flood, everyone fleeing will surely head south. Ge Hong must be doing the same.
As long as we post this reward among the refugees, it shouldn't be difficult to find Ge Hong."
Gu Qingcheng considered and said.
Gu Zhaobei was very pleased. His daughter had formed her own complete thinking system and had her own way of handling things. Letting her go out for half a year had truly not been in vain.
At her age, his daughter was far superior to him back then.
When he was her age, he was still foolishly reading books, preparing for final exams.
He didn't expect his daughter to be able to think independently and find solutions to problems.
Now, even if he and his wife were to depart first, they could do so with a smile, because their daughter had the ability to protect herself.
Seeing her husband's pleased expression, Hu Lanfang could roughly guess what he was thinking. The couple exchanged glances, both filled with relief.
"Dad, Mom, I really need you. Please don't leave me."
Unexpectedly, Gu Qingcheng was also sharp. From their lingering, almost sticky gazes, she sensed an ominous feeling.
"Daughter, don't worry, your father and I will always be with you. We used to worry about how a weak woman like you would survive in this chaotic world. Now that you've become smart and can support each other with Mi Guo, we are naturally much more at ease."
While the family was talking, Gu Qingcheng had already released the yacht from its mooring and was heading towards Phoenix Village.
A day later, they reached Wangchun City. After passing Wangchun City, there was no waterway available, so they brought the yacht ashore.
What worried Gu Qingcheng was that upon reaching Zhanchun Town, the situation was even more dire than when she had left more than ten days ago.
Dead bodies were scattered along the roadside, unattended. Even wild dogs had their eyes red from feeding. They could even occasionally see wild wolves, which usually roamed only in the mountains, tearing at the corpses.
There were also people on the roadside, gasping for breath, occasionally letting out helpless moans.
Gu Zhaobei frowned and said:
"The situation is not good. After the flood, there have been countless casualties. Without professional disinfection and treatment, I fear there will be a pathological disaster."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but wonder if Village Chief Dai had followed the instructions in her letter. If not, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She was a little worried about Phoenix Village, wondering if it would be implicated by Zhanchun Town below.
The four dared not linger in Zhanchun Town and hurried up the mountain.
After going up the mountain, the air around them immediately became much fresher. Hu Lanfang quickly took off her mask and said:
"Qingcheng, you chose a good location. It's remote here, the air is good, and there's no worry of flooding."
Gu Qingcheng smelled the fresh air and her mood improved, she smiled slightly and said:
"We cut this path ourselves back then. Now, to go to Phoenix Village, we don't have to hack through thorns and brambles like before."
Talking about these entrepreneurial pasts, Gu Qingcheng felt quite proud.
Gu Zhaobei and Hu Lanfang had also taken the Strength Pills, so they walked without slowing down, feeling very relaxed. In less than an hour, the four of them reached the mountain pass.
"Wow, quite imposing!"
Hu Lanfang's first impression of the village's mountain pass was good, and she quickly praised her daughter.
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and shouted to Fu Dadi, who was on duty today:
"Dadi, open the gate, we're back."
"Oh, it's Young Master Gu, you're finally back! Everyone has been waiting for you to return quickly."
Upon seeing Gu Qingcheng, Fu Dadi was so excited that he personally came to open the gate.
Last time, after Fu Dadi acted as bait and eliminated Wu De and other disloyal individuals, he was promoted to be the squad leader guarding the mountain pass.
Now, due to the extraordinary times, the mountain pass gate, which was originally open during the day, was now closed. Only when it was confirmed to be a villager would it be opened.
"Dadi, these two are my father and mother."
Gu Qingcheng introduced them.
"So it's Master Gu, Madam Gu."
After opening the gate, Fu Dadi respectfully greeted Gu Zhaobei and his wife.
As soon as they arrived at Phoenix Village, Gu Qingcheng's interactions with people made Gu Zhaobei and his wife feel that their daughter was indeed highly respected and held a significant position in the village.
"How is the observation area in the village now?" Gu Qingcheng asked immediately.
"Young Master Gu, they are all there. Too many people have come to seek refuge in our village, so we've expanded the makeshift shelters to accommodate them."
Fu Dadi pointed to a row of neat makeshift shelters on the right.
"Oh, good," Gu Qingcheng nodded.
"Village Chief Dai said to strictly follow your instructions. Outsiders must stay there for 7 days first, and only then can they enter the village if there are no problems."
Fu Dadi said.
"What's the situation in our village now? I see that people in Zhanchun Town below are already falling ill."
Gu Qingcheng asked deliberately, wanting to gather information from various sources first.
"Our village is doing well, everything is normal. We did find some outsiders with symptoms of illness in the observation area before, so we didn't let them in.
However, Doctor Zhu gave them medicine to drink, and they all improved afterward. Those who fully recovered were observed for another 10 days before being allowed into the village.
But some did not survive. They had to be taken far away and buried. It is said that every pit dug was extremely deep, and lime was sprinkled on their bodies."
Fu Dadi said with a mysterious look when talking about this.
Gu Qingcheng heard most of it and said:
"Thank you for your hard work. We will rest at home for now. Please send someone to tell Village Chief Dai that we will come out of our house after seven days. There's no need to rush to see me."
It was daytime, and most of the villagers in Phoenix Village were working in the fields, and the children had gone to school, so the village was mostly empty. As they entered the village, they hadn't encountered anyone along the way.