Chapter 4
With the imperial court’s regular distribution of food and Song Ling’s free medical treatment, the lives of the disaster-stricken refugees gradually improved. Furthermore, the court announced that officials would be dispatched to assist the people in rebuilding their homes, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the hardship.
Song Ling and Li Xinjun’s benevolent actions in the refugee camp earned them widespread praise and admiration. Word of their deeds spread like wildfire, eventually reaching the ears of the imperial court. To encourage more people to step forward and contribute to the nation’s recovery, the court sent an envoy to reward Song Ling and Li Xinjun with a hundred taels of gold each and bestowed upon them a memorial archway inscribed with the words “Reincarnated Guanyin.”
Guanyin (觀音) is the goddess of mercy and considered to be the physical embodiment of compassion
The recognition brought Song Ling immense popularity. Even high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital heard of the two young women’s accomplishments. Some even offered exorbitant sums of money and sent their servants from afar, hoping to invite Song Ling and Li Xinjun to their homes in the capital to treat their families. However, Song Ling politely declined all such requests.
Song Ling had never aspired to be a famous physician. Her sole desire was to help those truly in need. If not for the severity of the disaster, she wouldn’t have been sent down the mountain to offer her assistance. Nevertheless, the reward from the imperial court replenished their dwindling funds, which had been depleted from providing free medical treatment.
They took the opportunity to purchase more medicinal herbs from the herbalist. The herbalist, already familiar with them, offered generous discounts and even gave them some herbs for free, considering it his small contribution to the relief effort.
“Thank you, Master Ye. I express my gratitude on behalf of the refugees for your kindness,” Song Ling said, bowing respectfully to the herbalist with Li Xinjun by her side.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Compared to what you two young ladies have done, my contribution is insignificant,” Master Ye replied, hastily helping them up.
“Master Ye, you can’t say that. If everyone were willing to contribute like you, I believe we could overcome this difficult time much faster.”
This time, they purchased a substantial amount of medicinal herbs. To make things easier for them, Master Ye sent two helpers and a handcart to deliver the herbs to the Li residence. After much discussion with Li Xinjun, Song Ling decided to convert the former Li residence into a medical clinic for the convenience of treating patients. They cleared out the main hall and furnished it with suitable furniture for medical consultations, cabinets for storing herbs, and added several medicine pots and charcoal stoves in the courtyard for brewing medicine.
Once everything was ready, they visited the refugee camp one last time to inform the refugees that they could now seek treatment at the Li residence. After all, the number of people staying at the camp had decreased significantly, as many had gradually returned to their homes. Therefore, it would be more convenient for them to receive treatment at the residence in the city.
As usual, Song Ling diagnosed patients while Li Xinjun prepared the medicine. They worked together seamlessly, anticipating a relatively relaxed day. However, cries suddenly erupted from outside the camp.
“Waaah, Doctor Song, Doctor Song, please save my son! He suddenly went mad at home, scratching things and banging his head.”
Hearing the desperate cries of the woman, Song Ling quickly stood up and rushed out to investigate. She saw Aunt Liu, who had happily moved back home with her son just a few days ago, kneeling outside and wailing.
Song Ling immediately ran over and helped Aunt Liu up. “Aunt Liu, please don’t do this. What happened? Get up and tell me slowly.”
Aunt Liu, seeing Song Ling as a savior, clutched her hand tightly.
“Waaah, Doctor Song, my son, Shitou, started talking nonsense this morning for some reason. Then he kept crying and saying his head hurt. He started hitting his head with things, and I couldn’t stop him no matter what I did. Can you please come and take a look? I beg you, Doctor Song.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll come with you right away. Please get up.”
Song Ling turned to Li Xinjun. “Jun’er, I’ll go with Aunt Liu first. You can bring the medicine chest and follow us later.”
“Okay, go ahead. I’ll finish up here and come find you immediately. Be careful,” Li Xinjun said, her face etched with worry.
Song Ling followed Aunt Liu, hurrying to her house. As they approached the door, they heard frantic shouts from inside.
“Argh!”
Even Song Ling was startled by the loud shouts. Shitou was usually a gentle and introverted boy who spoke softly. She had never heard him make such wild noises.
Song Ling pushed open the wooden door and saw Shitou being held down on the bed by three strong men. Shitou’s eyes were bloodshot, and his head had multiple bleeding wounds, likely caused by hitting himself with hard objects. She stepped forward and pressed two fingers against the carotid artery in his neck.
His pulse was erratic. Song Ling frowned in thought. She had never encountered such a situation before. The three men struggled to restrain the thrashing Shitou. Song Ling realized that this couldn’t continue. She pressed several acupuncture points on Shitou’s body, and he instantly fainted. The room became quiet.
“Doctor Song, what’s wrong with my son?”
“I’m not sure yet, Aunt Liu. Shitou’s pulse is very irregular. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Can you tell me what he did today? Perhaps I can find some clues.”
Aunt Liu nodded eagerly. “We woke up as usual this morning and went to the mountain to gather wild vegetables. Shitou was fine at the time. Then he told me to go back first, saying he wanted to check the cave for wild mushrooms. Mushrooms often grow there, so I went home first. After an hour, I saw that he hadn’t returned, so I went to look for him with a neighbor who was also heading up the mountain. We found him lying unconscious at the cave entrance. We immediately carried him back. After he woke up, he started talking nonsense and kept saying his head hurt. He kept hitting his head with things.”
After listening to Aunt Liu’s detailed account, Song Ling couldn’t discern anything that could have caused Shitou’s sudden change. She had a hunch that the problem might have originated in the cave. She decided to investigate the cave herself.
“Aunt Liu, do many people usually go in and out of that cave you mentioned?”
“No, it’s a very hidden cave, not everyone knows about it. Shitou only discovered it when he was running away from a pack of wolves on the mountain. And the cave is very deep. We usually just gather mushrooms near the entrance and never dare to venture further in.”
“Alright, I understand. Now, while Shitou is still unconscious, let’s tie him up with ropes. I’m afraid he might go berserk again when he wakes up. When Xinjun arrives with my medicine chest, I’ll treat his head wounds.”
The three men, hearing Song Ling’s instructions, readily fetched ropes and helped tie up the unconscious Shitou. Soon, Li Xinjun arrived with the medicine chest.
“Sister Ling, how is the situation?”
“Let’s treat his external injuries first. Then you’ll come with me to the mountain.”
“To the mountain?”
“Yes, to the cave. I can handle this here. You go outside and ask if anyone has torches and water bottles that we can borrow. We’ll need them for the mountain.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll go right away.”
Li Xinjun rushed outside and asked the three men for torches and water bottles. When they heard that she was going into the cave, they also gave her an extra roll of rope and placed everything in a bamboo basket that she could carry on her back. Li Xinjun thanked them and returned to the house to find Song Ling.
“Sister Ling, everything is ready. We can set off.”
Song Ling nodded at Li Xinjun. After bandaging Shitou’s head wounds and securing the gauze with a knot, she stood up and headed out. Before leaving, she instructed Aunt Liu to give Shitou the herbal concoction she had prepared if he woke up and went berserk again. It would help calm him down temporarily. After giving all the necessary instructions, Song Ling followed Aunt Liu’s directions up the mountain, arriving at the cave entrance.
“Jun’er, this isn’t like the forest where I usually take you for training. I don’t know what monsters or magical beasts might be lurking inside. If we encounter any danger, remember not to be reckless. Stay behind me and follow my instructions, understand?”
“Jun’er understands. Jun’er won’t act rashly or hold you back.”
“Good. Take out the torches and light them. Let’s go in.”
Song Ling drew her sword from her waist with one hand and held a torch to illuminate the path with the other, cautiously entering the cave. Li Xinjun followed close behind, also drawing her sword. The cave was indeed as spacious and deep as Aunt Liu had described. They slowly made their way deeper inside, navigating the winding and treacherous path.
After turning a few corners, Song Ling noticed strange scratch marks on the cave walls. They looked like human fingernail scratches, but how could an ordinary person scratch the stone walls with such force? Song Ling was puzzled but didn’t say anything. She continued forward, reaching a narrow passage. The passage was so tight that only a slender person could squeeze through sideways.
She turned sideways and carefully made her way through. Before entering, she gestured to Li Xinjun behind her to be silent. Li Xinjun nodded in understanding, and Song Ling slowly entered. Inside, the cave opened up a bit. Although not as wide as the entrance, it was spacious enough for two adults to walk side by side.
She stood aside, patiently waiting for Li Xinjun to squeeze through the narrow passage. Apart from the light emitted by her torch, the cave was pitch black. Once Li Xinjun emerged, Song Ling whispered in her ear.
“I sense a strong demonic aura deep within the cave. You haven’t mastered magic yet. If anything happens, run out immediately and don’t worry about me.”
Li Xinjun’s face showed disagreement, but she chose not to argue. She silently resolved to do her best to escape with Song Ling, no matter what happened. Song Ling cautiously moved forward. The closer they got to the depths of the cave, the stronger the demonic aura became. Although she had often accompanied her master on demon-slaying expeditions, this demonic aura was unlike anything she had encountered before.
She knew that the demon inside would be formidable, but she had to assess its strength to devise a strategy for dealing with it later.
They reached a wide open space. A faint candlelight flickered ahead. Song Ling frowned, a thousand questions swirling in her mind. Why would a demon need candlelight? But how could she explain the heavy demonic aura she sensed?
Song Ling extinguished her torch and took out a flint from her clothes to light her way, fearing that the torchlight might attract attention. She slowed her pace further, trying to avoid making any noise. She knew they were getting closer to the unknown creature inside, and she believed the opening ahead was its lair.
She approached the candlelit opening, put away her flint, and gripped her sword tightly. Slowly, she peeked inside. Li Xinjun crouched behind her, also peering into the opening.
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