Chapter 16: Chapter 16: How Did It Come to This, How Did It Come to This? August, Year 2339 of the Yaoqing King Calendar. The devastating flood had only just receded. The people received no aid from the Imperial Court, nor any mercy from the heavens. Along the country roads, the bodies of humans and livestock were left untended. As they rotted, they triggered a plague. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 At first, the plague was only a small-scale epidemic in the few disaster-stricken counties along the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers. But due to the corruption of the Yaoqing Imperial Court and the incompetence of its officials, they were utterly unable to control the raging plague. Before long, it had spread throughout all of Sanhuang County. Countless people fell ill. The infected suffered from ulcerating skin and unrelenting high fevers. The weak often couldn’t last a week, bleeding from all seven orifices before dying in agony. Even the strong could only endure for about ten days before succumbing to organ failure. Villages swept by the plague were left with less than one in ten survivors. A thousand li of land became a desolate wasteland. It was a scene of utter devastation, of widespread misery and suffering, just as the history books described. Li Chang’an was no Saint, but neither was he cold-blooded. The horrific sight pained him deeply. But his power was limited for now; all he could do was protect his own village. Li Chang’an knew the flood would happen. But due to the time-display limitations of his Rebirth Mark, he didn’t know the exact time of the flood. He only knew it would likely happen during the annual plum rain season. Thus, to get news at the earliest possible moment, Li Chang’an had his disciples of convenience—those who practiced under him—stand guard on the river dikes day and night. Because of this, he received word the moment the flood began. He led the villagers of Li Family Village in a swift evacuation to high ground, successfully saving hundreds of families! Undoubtedly, this act further elevated Li Chang’an’s status and reputation within the village. Now, his word carried even more weight than that of the village chief, Li Xiao. Of course, Li Xiao already had great faith in Li Chang’an’s judgment. Even when Li Chang’an had first predicted a flood during the rainy season, Li Xiao, despite his disbelief, had chosen to take precautions and made considerable preparations. Now, Li Chang’an was affectionately called ’Little Sir’ by the villagers! His disciples addressed him as ’Sir,’ and now the village adults had adopted the title as well, making it an honorific unique to Li Chang’an. After the flood, Li Chang’an acted on the old wisdom that ’a great disaster is always followed by a great plague.’ He had the residents of Li Family Village organize themselves to bury and burn the bodies of humans and animals washed in by the floodwaters. He also instructed everyone not to drink unboiled water and ensured all water sources were strictly disinfected. Li Chang’an issued his commands with methodical clarity. These measures successfully minimized the losses in Li Family Village. This made Li Family Village one of the few settlements along the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers to maintain a sense of rules and Order. It stood out as a beacon amidst the chaos and rampant plague of the disaster-stricken region. ... While Li Chang’an was still busy managing village affairs, the young Daoist Lü Changning suddenly appeared at his door one day. His eyes were bloodshot and he was covered in dust from his travels, a medicine chest nearly half his height strapped to his back. He entered Li Family Village and, without even pausing to catch his breath, asked directly, "Xiaochang’an, how are things in your village? Are there any patients who need my help?" Li Chang’an stared at the exhausted young man before him, his expression one of utter astonishment. Technically, Lü Changning was something of a Senior Brother to him. ’In my memory,’ Li Chang’an thought, ’this guy has always been the laziest person I know—the type to never stand if he can sit, and never sit if he can lie down.’ The old Daoist had scolded Lü Changning about it more than once, but it always went in one ear and out the other. Lü Changning’s guiding principle seemed to be the Dao of ’sitting and forgetting.’ He’d often infuriate the old Daoist, who would be left stroking his beard, glaring, and sighing with a hand clutching his chest. Later, after seeing Li Chang’an train diligently every day and advance with incredible speed on the Martial Dao, Lü Changning started to feel his own reputation as the Senior Brother was at risk. Only then did he start to put a little more effort into his own practice. But really, it was only a little. Most of the time, Lü Changning was the picture of a carefree, happy-go-lucky man, though he could be a bit of a shameless rogue at times. But the Lü Changning standing before him now was a completely different person! His eyes were webbed with red veins, his hair and beard were a tangled mess, and he gave off a faint stench of sweat. He looked as haggard as someone who had gone without sleep for two straight days and nights! Shaking himself from his stupor, Li Chang’an quickly poured Lü Changning a cup of water. Lü Changning didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the still-scalding teacup and drained it in a single gulp. He set the cup down, let out a long breath, and said, "After I heard about the flood, Master gave me some prescriptions to combat the plague and ordered me to travel and heal the sick..." "I’ve come all the way from the lower reaches of the Three Yellow Rivers, and my herbs are running low. If things are bad here, I might need your help finding more medicinal supplies!" Li Chang’an looked him up and down for a moment before replying, "After the flood hit, I had the surrounding bodies of people and animals burned. The plague hasn’t reached Li Family Village yet!" Hearing this, Lü Changning froze. A moment later, a bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped him. "If only those parasites in Sanhuang County had been as decisive as you... this disaster never would have reached this point. It never should have come to this!" As he repeated the phrase, his voice was filled with such sorrow that it began to choke. He was one of the first to arrive after the flood broke out. What he had witnessed while treating the sick along the way... ’horrific’ and ’devastating’ weren’t strong enough words to describe it. Seeing that Li Family Village had been spared the flood and plague, Lü Changning did not linger. He shouldered his medicine basket, ready to head to the next afflicted village. Watching his hurried back, Li Chang’an felt a stir in his heart for some reason. "Senior Brother," he called out, "I know some basic medicine too. Let me go with you!" Over the past several months, operating under the principle that you can never have too many skills, Li Chang’an had acquired a number of books from Li Xiao. These included tomes on medicine, military strategy, the Four Books and Five Classics, and more. He had originally intended them as a means of self-preservation, but he never imagined they would come in handy like this! Lü Changning paused, his expression clearly hesitant. After a long moment of deliberation, he said, "Junior Brother, maybe you should stay here. If you insist on helping, we can split up. You go to Zhang Family Village, and I’ll go to Wang Family Village!" It wasn’t that he distrusted Li Chang’an’s medical abilities. On the contrary, it was precisely because he knew of Li Chang’an’s heaven-defying talent that he didn’t want him to get involved. After all, with talent like Li Chang’an’s, his future accomplishments would be unimaginable if he were just given some time. But he and his master were both fugitives on the Imperial Court’s most-wanted list. Getting involved with fugitives like them would lead to no good end. This was the real reason for his hesitation and reluctance. But Li Chang’an gave him no room to refuse. After turning back to give some instructions to Li Xiao, Li Dashan, and the others, he resolutely shouldered his pack and set off with him. ...