PNB Chapter 424: Finally, it's brewed successfully!
Chapter 424: Finally, it's brewed successfully!
Li Shizhen sighed softly and continued to work diligently, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.
He probably thought that the young woman in front of him had only read a little bit of the classic book, Compendium of Materia Medica, and had not grasped the key points.
The soup in the casserole in front of me was getting thicker and thicker, almost turning into a lump of black mud, which looked really hard to swallow.
The black, mud-like medicine constantly emitted a nauseating odor, an odor so strong it could kill a person.
Li Wan'er, who was about to doze off, suddenly smelled the aroma and immediately sat up and frowned.
"Hmm~ Xiaoxiao, did you poop in your pants? It smells disgusting."
"..."
Upon hearing this sound, Fang Xiaoxiao, who was about to check the contents of the medicine pot, frowned slightly and looked at the princess.
Li Wan'er was still in the early stages of waking up, and was still muttering to herself.
The disheveled Taoist priest found it quite amusing, which dispelled the previously rather dull atmosphere.
Fang Xiaoxiao stopped focusing her attention on the princess and instead concentrated on studying the problem of brewing medicine in the medicine pot.
A short while later, she discovered the problem.
It turned out that the odor was caused by adding the mint too early. Realizing this, I quickly informed Li Shizhen about the problem.
Li Shizhen nodded, indicating that this was indeed the issue.
The two of them started making Banlangen again.
Outside, thunder still roared and rain poured down, as if trying to wash everything clean.
late at night.
A deafening sound echoed throughout the dilapidated Taoist temple, startling the princess who was having a sweet dream. She suddenly sat up, patted her chest, and looked to the side in a trembling voice.
"What, what's wrong?"
"It's done! It's finally cooked successfully! Hahaha!"
Fang Xiaoxiao, who hadn't slept for three days, was overjoyed as she held the medicinal soup in her hands.
Her face was covered in soot, and her eyes looked like a panda's; from a distance, she really looked like a beggar.
Even the slovenly Taoist priest next to her wasn't as conspicuous as her.
Fortunately, Fang Xiaoxiao stopped talking after a short while.
"Master Li, look, this is the best medicine to treat this plague. As long as we have enough medicine, we will be able to save all the people of Suzhou."
Upon hearing this, Li Shizhen looked at the brownish-red medicine in her bowl and asked in surprise.
"Is this the Isatis root that Miss Fang mentioned?"
"That's right!"
Fang Xiaoxiao confidently strode towards Li Wan'er.
Before Li Wan'er could react, she pinched her nose and forced the medicine down her throat.
Li Wan'er was startled by this sudden action and flailed her arms, enduring abuse that was unbecoming of her age.
Fang Xiaoxiao smiled after feeding the medicine.
"How is it, Princess? This isatis root tastes good, doesn't it?"
You should know that she made Banlangen based on her memories from her previous life, which is completely different from the way people used to brew medicine in ancient times.
Back then, our ancestors didn't consider whether the medicine tasted good or not; they only told you that good medicine tastes bitter.
She added a lot of flavorings like icing sugar and honey to the pot, with the aim of making sure that sick patients could not only get treatment but also not dislike taking medicine.
Seeing that Li Wan'er didn't feel too uncomfortable after drinking the medicine and even seemed to want more, Li Shizhen also got hungry and made himself a bowl to try.
Although I was not infected by the plague, I still need to take precautions.
Soon, as the sweet taste of Banlangen slid down his throat, he, who had been calm, immediately felt full of energy and even thought about having another bowl.
Fortunately, Fang Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her, saying that this was meant to be distributed to sick people, and if they drank it all, it would mean one less person would be saved.
Upon hearing this, Li Shizhen had no choice but to give up and reluctantly put down the broken bowl in her hand.
The night was long, but Fang Xiaoxiao did not stop brewing medicine. What she needed to do now was to brew as much Banlangen as possible so that she could save more patients when she went to the city tomorrow.
The morning sun was bright; summer days are characterized by early sunrises, and it was already quite bright before six o'clock.
Fang Xiaoxiao took Li Wan'er and the slovenly Taoist priest to Suzhou City.
At this time, Suzhou was still as terrifying as a dead city, with corpses everywhere and constant wailing and crying, like a living hell.
Li Shizhen, who was walking at the front, kept chanting "May you have boundless blessings" while pulling an old donkey she had met by the roadside.
He remembered that Suzhou used to be a bustling city, with vendors hawking their wares and people constantly talking.
But now it's so heartbreaking, it's simply unacceptable.
Fang Xiaoxiao accompanied the princess, following behind her.
The medicine they brought this time is estimated to save dozens of people, which is quite a large amount.
But as soon as they reached the city gate, they were stopped by a group of soldiers in armor.
"Halt! Who are you, and why are you here!"
A young soldier, so thin he was practically skin and bones, reached out to block their way.
The soldier looked to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, but his face showed a maturity beyond his years.
Li Shizhen was a Taoist priest. Although he was dressed in tattered clothes, he was still a person of status.
He smiled as he looked at the young soldier.
"May you be blessed with good fortune. I am the abbot of Longshan Taoist Temple in the western suburbs. I have studied some medical skills and have come here to treat the sick and save lives."
The young soldier first looked him up and down to confirm that he was indeed a Taoist priest, and then his tone softened slightly.
"Master, do you know that Suzhou is currently ravaged by plague? It's a place where no one who goes in can come out alive."
"Even if you know some medical skills, it will be a waste of your time. I advise you to take a detour."
"Our general has said that in order to prevent the plague from spreading to other places, no outsiders are allowed to enter."
No entry?
Li Shizhen was somewhat puzzled. Even though many people in Suzhou were infected with the plague, this ancient capital had a population of around ten million, making it one of the largest cities in the Great Yu Dynasty.
Preventing people from going in to rescue them would be utterly disastrous.
He immediately inquired.
"Sir, is your general joking? This city has tens of millions of people. If you don't let us medical practitioners go in to save them, are you just going to watch Suzhou disappear from the map?"
The young soldier was about to say something more when he was interrupted by a gruff voice.
"Oh, Daoist Master, you are truly a savior from suffering. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself for righteousness is a blessing for our Great Yu Dynasty."
Li Shizhen, Fang Xiaoxiao, and the others followed the sound and saw a burly man with a thick waist, a full beard, and a sword at his side walking slowly towards them.
That big man was at least two heads taller than Fang Xiaoxiao.
Fang Xiaoxiao is about 170cm tall, so this big man must be over two meters tall.
As he spoke, the burly man waved to the city gate soldiers, signaling them to be quiet.
"I am Zhong Zicheng, commander of the Zhong family army. Greetings, Daoist Master."
As Zhong spoke, he turned to look at the pretty Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er.
A hint of greed flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it, making it completely imperceptible.