Cheng Yao only recognized two kinds of medicinal herbs: plantain and cogongrass root. She pulled up a large handful, added some mugwort and other herbs, washed them clean, then took a small knife from her space and chopped everything up. She packed the herbs into a large cloth sack and carried it on her back.
The moment everyone saw her approach, their listless eyes lit up, and they unconsciously straightened their backs.
Cheng Yao went to Zhan Liqing first.
The girl had been fairly lucky. She had found a large bowl with a chipped rim, and the ginger water she had boiled was enough for both her and her mother to drink.
Cheng Yao grabbed a handful of herbs and said to her—and to everyone else, “I went through a lot of trouble to dig up these herbs. Not a single drop of the broth you brew with them is to be wasted. Drink every last bit.”
“We won’t leave any,” everyone promised hurriedly.
As she sprinkled the herbs in, Cheng Yao secretly added two drops of spirit-spring water.
Zhan Liqing’s mother was seriously injured. Those two drops of spirit-spring water would be enough to keep her alive and help her slowly pull through.
“Thank you, Big Sister-in-Law.”
Zhan Liqing burst into tears of joy and fell to her knees.
She moved so quickly that Cheng Yao did not have time to stop her.
“You silly girl,” Cheng Yao scolded gently before continuing to distribute the herbs.
For those with severe injuries, she added two drops of spirit-spring water. For those with minor injuries, she added only one drop. Those who were uninjured did not receive even a single drop.
Even though she was being so frugal, it still felt as though her heart were bleeding.
When she reached Second Madam Zhan’s family, she had originally intended not to give them any spirit-spring water. But after thinking it over, she added one drop after all.
Keeping the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law alive meant she would have two more cannon fodder when trouble came.
After making the rounds, she had distributed all the herbs.
Several elderly, sick, and disabled people who were alone or widowed had no strength to find containers and boil ginger water. They lay on the ground, moaning in pain, looking utterly miserable.
Cheng Yao fetched ginger water from her own group and brought each of them a bowl.
One elderly man had a deep gash across his arm from a wild boar’s tusk and was burning with fever. He was too weak to sit up, so Cheng Yao helped him upright and personally fed him.
The old man had been barely conscious, but after swallowing a few mouthfuls of warm ginger water, he slowly opened his eyes. Even his breathing seemed to grow steadier.
Zhan Mang, who was beside him, asked, “Seventh Uncle, are you feeling any better?”
“I think… I’m a little more comfortable…” he murmured.
The others could not help chiming in.
“I was just about to say—the ginger water really works!”
“My wound has stopped bleeding, and it doesn’t hurt as much!”
“Big Sister-in-Law’s medical skills are incredible. I feel stronger after drinking this…”
The hot, spicy broth first drove away the chill. Then the spirit-spring water mixed into it quietly began to take effect.
Although it could not heal their wounds immediately, it stopped the bleeding and eased the pain.
Those with fevers were no longer burning up, and their exhausted bodies regained some strength.
Everyone looked at Cheng Yao with gratitude.
Watching the people surround Cheng Yao like the moon surrounded by stars, Zhan Qingrou snorted unhappily.
“Earlier, Sister-in-Law kindly warned you not to provoke the wild boar, but you refused to listen and even hurled insults at her. Now she’s giving you medicine and treating your injuries, yet you can’t even offer her a word of thanks. You’re truly heartless.”
Everyone was overwhelmed with shame.
“Rou’er, it’s not that we don’t want to thank her. It’s just that such a huge favor can’t be repaid with a lighthearted ‘thank you.’ We’ll remember it in our hearts.”
“That’s right. We were wrong. We know our mistake.”
Some of them even knelt down to repent.
Cheng Yao paid them no mind and continued doing whatever needed to be done.
It was not a matter of whether she forgave them. Some words, once spoken, could not be taken back. An apology and an admission of guilt could not simply make everything disappear.
Besides, she had never taken their actions personally. She had given them spirit-spring water for two reasons. First, they did not deserve to die, and she was willing to spare their lives. Second, she wanted to accumulate merit.
When she had entered the space just now, she had discovered that the spirit spring was flowing a tiny bit faster. Tender shoots had also begun to sprout along both sides—perhaps spirit herbs.
That meant the more people she saved, the faster the spirit spring would recover!
It benefited both others and herself, so why wouldn’t she do it?
Feng Xianxian watched Cheng Yao, who was surrounded by everyone’s attention. Jealousy devoured her heart like a venomous snake.
But all she could do was grit her teeth in secret. She had no grounds to say anything.
Shao Yutong and her mother had been beaten black and blue. They did not regain consciousness until late afternoon.
They struggled to get up and staggered to their feet, but no one spared them a glance.
After drinking the ginger water, everyone’s injuries had improved somewhat.
Yet with corpses lying all around them, the wounded moaning, and the air thick with the stench of blood, they once again sank into the pain of losing their loved ones.
Soft sobs rose and fell through the group.
No one spoke. The shadow cast by death pressed heavily upon every heart.
Shao Yutong’s face was swollen and bruised, and she was badly injured as well, but her mind had never been clearer.
She knew that if she collapsed this time, she would never have another chance to stand back up.
She and her mother had endured the beating. Now that everyone had vented their anger, they would not make things too difficult for her in the future.
She had to hold on!
Then she would slowly win back the people’s trust.
Shao Yutong encouraged herself, taking several deep breaths. Her cool gaze swept over each of the ashen faces.
If fear and grief could not quickly be transformed into the strength to survive, this already fragile group would soon be utterly crushed.
She cleared her throat. Her voice was not loud—in fact, it was somewhat soft and delicate—but it carried remarkably far, breaking through the suffocating silence.
“My dear friends, the dead have passed on, but the living must continue forward. Let’s pull ourselves together and do everything we can to survive!”
Everyone raised their heads blankly. When they saw that it was she who had spoken, anger surged through them once more.
“Shao Yutong, if it weren’t for you, how could we have suffered such a disaster?”
“How dare you say that? Go to hell!”
Several people lunged at her and began beating and kicking her.
“Stop!” Zhan Haochen could not bear to watch. “You’ll beat her to death!”
A young man with a ferocious expression snapped at him, “That’s exactly what we want—to beat her to death and make her pay with her life for those who died!”
“She doesn’t deserve to die!” Zhan Haochen’s eyes turned cold and dark. “She has already paid a terrible price for what happened. You should reflect on your own actions as well!”
The young man was about to say more, but his father and older brother pulled him away. That gave Shao Yutong a chance to live.
Despite the agony from the injuries covering her body, Zhan Yurong endured the pain and carried her away.
The scene fell silent once more, and the group’s morale sank to rock bottom.
Cheng Yao felt that things could not continue like this. She stepped forward and said, “Everyone, get some proper rest. Once Constable Wang returns, we’ll have to set out.”
Everyone hung their heads without a word.
A woman said weakly, “Yao'er, if the road ahead is filled with hunger, cold, natural disasters, and man-made calamities, we truly don’t have the courage to go on.”
“Don’t think about what comes next. If we can get through today, that alone is a gain.” Cheng Yao racked her brain for something comforting to say. “Look at how hard we’ve fought to make it this far. Are you really willing to give up on surviving and simply wait here to die?”
“Are you willing to accept that?”
Her voice suddenly rose, and the thunderous question echoed through everyone’s minds.
Fifth Grandfather wiped away his tears and said, “Hao Ting’s wife is right. When we reach the mountain, there will be a path over it. No matter how difficult each obstacle is, we’ll overcome it one by one. Don’t lose heart. Everyone, lift your spirits.”
“Fifth Grandfather is right!” Cheng Yao’s tone brooked no argument. “The three things we need to focus on right now are, first, treating the wounds and preventing the infection from getting worse. Ginger soup and hot water should be enough to manage that for the time being. Second, we need to fill our stomachs and conserve our strength. Third, we must prepare enough provisions for tomorrow’s journey!”
She pointed toward the hills beyond the ruined temple. “When I was looking for medicinal herbs just now, I saw quite a few wild yams and kudzu roots growing on that slope! They’re edible and will keep us from going hungry. We can dig them up and eat them on the road.”
Her words were like a stone tossed into stagnant water, sending ripples spreading outward.
“Really? They can be eaten? Madam, are you sure you didn’t mistake them for something else?” a man with one arm broken, who could stand only with his wife’s support, asked urgently. A faint glimmer of hope lit his eyes.
