Pei Du was startled to see several thousand civilians from Wuling suddenly appear outside the Northern Garrison Army’s camp. Fortunately, Zhu Jingzhe was fairly articulate and explained the whole situation to him.
His gaze settled on the thousands of civilians.
“Everyone, please wait here for a moment.”
With that, he turned and hurried into the camp tent, where he found Shen Jue taking stock of the military supplies.
“General Shen,” Pei Du called.
Shen Jue straightened and glanced back at him. Seeing the gravity on Pei Du’s face, he set down the ledger in his hands.
“Zirang, what’s the urgent matter?” he asked.
Pei Du stepped forward and said concisely, “The people of Wuling City have all come to Rocky Shoal. I suspect this has something to do with the Divine Lady, but I don’t know whether She intends for us to provide for these people or has some other purpose.”
Trying to divine the will of one’s superior was never easy, much less the will of a goddess.
Shen Jue understood how difficult the situation was. “The military supplies we have left probably wouldn’t be enough to feed an entire city. As for the literary arts and poetry that the Divine Lady taught us—the words that can become reality—Yu Ran, who has the best aptitude, can only conjure a few small things. The others are even less capable.”
His brows drew together slightly.
If he explained the situation to the soldiers, he was confident that every man and woman in the Northern Garrison Army would be willing to spare a portion of their rations. But he could not do that. The soldiers of the Northern Garrison Army were all good men and women who protected their homeland. They deserved to be treated well.
Pei Du sighed. “From what I saw of those civilians, every one of them is emaciated. Even if we helped them cultivate the land, I’m afraid they wouldn’t live long enough to see the harvest. For now, the only thing we can do is have the army physicians treat their injuries and illnesses.”
Estimating that there were at least several thousand civilians from Wuling, Shen Jue was worried that chaos might break out.
“I’ll go with you,” he said.
The two of them walked out of the tent together.
“The young gentleman who was speaking just now is here…”
The people of Wuling, who had been waiting anxiously, saw Pei Du, and the hope in their eyes nearly overflowed.
“Everyone, please quiet down and hear me out,” Pei Du said. “The Divine Lady has always cherished all living beings. We are Her followers, and since you have come to the territory of the Northern Garrison Army, we will not stand by and do nothing.”
A wave of murmurs passed through the crowd.
“There really is a Divine Lady…”
“So the porridge She bestowed is real too…”
Shen Jue’s gaze slowly swept over the crowd, pausing briefly on their gaunt, emaciated faces. He then turned to the messenger behind him and said, “Go call Military Physician Liu. Have her bring every army physician here.”
“Yes, sir!”
The messenger turned and ran.
Shen Jue looked at Pei Du again.
“Zirang, arrange for the civilians to be separated according to age and condition—the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the children. Have the physicians examine those who are in the worst shape first.”
He paused, then continued, “I’ll see whether we can spare any more grain. We’ll add extra water and let each person drink a bowl first, so they can make it through tonight.”
Neither Pei Du nor Shen Jue had considered asking the Divine Lady for help, because they did not want to trouble Her.
The Divine Lady had already endured Heaven’s punishments for the sake of mortals time and again. Anyone with even a shred of conscience would not keep begging Her for aid.
As mortals, they naturally knew nothing of the laws and regulations of Heaven. They did not know what the Divine Lady might do that would count as breaking those laws.
Thus, they dared not take the risk. If they brought all these people to ask the Divine Lady to bestow porridge upon them, would She suffer because of it?
Military Physician Liu arrived faster than expected.
She wore a wrinkled outer robe, its sash tied in a haphazard knot, and came running over breathlessly. Behind her followed four or five young military physicians, all of them around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Every one of them looked anxious.
“I’m here, I’m here!”
Military Physician Liu rushed up to Pei Du and, after panting heavily, straightened with her hands braced on her knees.
“Where are the wounded?”
Pei Du raised a hand and pointed toward the civilians from Wuling.
“Start with those who are seriously ill, whose hands or feet are ulcerated, who are coughing blood or running fevers, and the young children.”
Military Physician Liu followed the direction of his finger and froze for a moment. She had assumed that soldiers from the Northern Garrison Army had been injured. She had not expected to see a crowd of ragged civilians. At a glance, all she could see was how thin they were. Every single one of them was painfully thin.
Her eyes reddened despite herself. Without saying another word, she led the physicians into the crowd.
A little boy of three or four was being held in his mother’s arms, his cheeks flushed with fever and his eyes half-closed.
When Military Physician Liu crouched down to take his pulse, the child’s mother instinctively shrank back, clutching him tighter. Her eyes were filled with wariness and fear.
“Doctor… we… we don’t have money for treatment…” Her voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible. With reddened eyes, she held her child even more tightly. “Our village was flooded last year. We fled to Wuling City, but we have nothing left…”
Military Physician Liu’s fingers paused on the woman’s wrist.
Then she looked up at her.
“We don’t charge,” she said, her voice hoarse. “The Northern Garrison Army does not take money from civilians. Let me examine the child.”
The woman stared at her blankly, her lips moving twice as though she could not believe what she had heard.
The child in her arms let out another faint whimper. His dry, cracked lips moved as he called for his mother in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
Military Physician Liu said nothing more. With gentle movements, she took the child from the woman’s arms and settled him on her lap. One hand supported the back of his head while the other lifted his eyelids for a look. Then she pressed an ear to his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
Her brows knitted tighter and tighter.
“Bring the fever-reducing powder,” she ordered. “Dissolve it in warm water. Quickly!”
The young physician accompanying her hurried to comply.
Nearby, an old man sitting with his legs drawn up heard Military Physician Liu say that they did not charge. He abruptly raised his head, seized the arm of a passing young physician, and gazed at him imploringly.
“Young doctor, you really don’t charge us?”
“We don’t.” The youthful physician crouched in front of the old man, carefully supporting his lower leg as he examined the festering wound. He drew in a sharp breath.
The wound had already begun to suppurate. Its edges were black, and the bone beneath was faintly visible. Just looking at it made one wince.
“How long have you had this injury? How did you let it get this bad?”
The old man gave a bitter smile.
“Half a month. I had no money to see a doctor, so I thought it might heal on its own. Instead, it just kept getting worse.”
The young physician’s eyes reddened at once.
He quickly lowered his head and roughly wiped his damp eyes with his sleeve. Then he opened his medical kit, took out a bottle of medicine, and said in a muffled voice, “This will hurt a little. Bear with it.”
As he cleaned the wound, he said, “Uncle, your injury is too severe. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to cure you.”
“It’s all right, young doctor. Just treat it as you see fit.” Cold sweat beaded the old man’s forehead. “A poor laborer like me has nothing but a cheap life. The fact that you’re willing to treat me is already a blessing from Heaven. If I can’t be saved, then that’s simply my fate.”
“You’re wrong, Uncle. There is no distinction between noble and humble lives. In the eyes of the Divine Lady, all living beings are equal!”
Yun Shu stood off to the side, invisible as she held Little Fox in her arms. Hearing those forceful words, her eyes filled with relief.
“Host, Chen Chao and the others are almost here!” Little Fox reminded her.
