A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 355: A Year-Ending Friendship

Mr. Zisang was originally from Liunan. He was weak and sickly since childhood, but he was born into a poor farming family with many brothers and sisters. He should have been taken care of, but because of his weakness, he could not do farm work and did not receive much love from his parents. In their eyes, this sick son could not live too long, so they mostly let him fend for himself.

He endured this precarious life until he was nine years old. He was weak and not even half as tall and strong as other children of the same age. It was during this year that he met a Taoist doctor who was traveling here. He felt sorry for him and wanted to take him to practice and cure his illness. His parents were naturally overjoyed to see someone willing to take in their short-lived son. In any case, it was better than watching him die of illness at home, so they agreed with many thanks.

In a poor family, the nine-year-old boy was already half-grown. He watched his parents breathe a sigh of relief when they sent him away, as if they were not sending away their own son, but a burden. Although he knew that he would be a burden to the family if he stayed, he could not help but feel resentful, blaming his miserable fate and his parents' cruelty. It was not until later that the Taoist doctor's patient guidance made him understand that from birth to death, one's life is all about practicing Taoism.

Human life is like a white horse passing by in the cracks of a lightning bolt, it is gone in a flash. To know that there is nothing we can do about it and to accept it as fate is the highest virtue. To realize that we can act freely and without fear is the ultimate Tao.

Since then, Mr. Zisang has devoted himself to learning from Taoist doctors and practicing self-medication. After a few years, his health gradually improved. Seeing that he had a talent for learning, the Taoist doctor gladly accepted him as his apprentice. Later, Mr. Zisang followed his master to the mountains and forests to learn medicine and enlightenment for more than ten years. It was also under the repeated urging of the Taoist doctor that he reluctantly bid farewell to his master and went down the mountain to practice. At that time, he was already over 30 years old.

After coming down the mountain, Mr. Zisang became famous in Liunan Country for his superb medical skills in just one year, and people came to him for medical treatment every day. The common people came to him for treatment, but some nobles who wanted to know how to live forever also came to him frequently, which made Mr. Zisang very annoyed. So he had to learn from his mentor and travel frequently, so that he could be quiet and avoid those powerful people.

Lianzhou of Jingsong State was adjacent to Liunan State, and Mr. Zisang had lived in seclusion and practiced medicine in Lianzhou many times. Therefore, his name as a miracle doctor was still known to everyone no matter how many years had passed.

When the plague broke out in Lianzhou, Mr. Zisang suddenly appeared in Guicheng, just like a god descending to the earth, instantly giving hope to the people of Guicheng who were waiting for death in despair. The officials and doctors of Lianzhou cried with joy when they first heard the news, and the local doctors all bowed down to Mr. Zisang, so they all wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn from him.

Therefore, in Guicheng, Lianzhou, wherever Mr. Zisang was, some doctors would follow him like a tail, which annoyed him a lot. So after inspecting a courtyard of a seriously ill citizen, he could no longer bear it and turned around and advised helplessly:

"I say, everyone. Since you are doctors, you should do what doctors should do. The plague has not been eradicated yet. Although the patients in Guicheng have been relieved of their symptoms, you still have to take care of their aftereffects. In your eyes, are these patients less important than my teachings? If so, why do you still study medicine?"

After hearing what Mr. Zisang said, the doctors left with red faces in shame.

"Sir, a patient has started to experience bone pain all over his body again." At this time, a medicine boy ran to Mr. Zisang and reported anxiously.

"That's the cold poison. The wrong medicine was given before!" Mr. Zisang frowned when he heard this. As he spoke, he hurriedly followed the medicine boy to another disease-stricken area.

When Mr. Zisang arrived, the patient was rolling on the ground, hunched over in pain, with cold sweat on his pale face. The doctor, who was helpless at the side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Mr. Zisang coming.

"The Yang is deficient and about to collapse, and the pulse is weak and about to stop. We should first use Sini Decoction to restore the Yang and rescue the patient." Mr. Zisang took the patient's pulse and turned to give instructions to the doctor beside him.

"Do you want to increase the dosage?" Mr. Zisang reminded the doctor. The doctor suddenly realized the situation and cursed himself for being stupid. Why didn't he think of using Sini Decoction?

“Double the aconite.”

After hearing this, the doctor hurried outside to prepare some medicine and had someone boil it. About half an incense stick of time later, the patient's pain all over his body was relieved soon after taking the medicine, and he fell into a deep and tired sleep.

"Go ahead, tell them to pass the message to the doctors everywhere to carefully diagnose whether the patient has cold poison or heat poison. If it's heat poison, use cold medicine, and if it's cold poison, use hot medicine!" Then, Mr. Zisang came to the desk at the gate of the courtyard, wrote a few lines on a piece of straw paper, handed it to the two book boys behind him, and gave instructions.

The book boy took the piece of paper with the method of distinguishing cold, heat and poisonous diseases and left in a hurry.

Xiao Hongzhong and his son rushed to Guicheng from the military camp. They saw that the city was no longer filled with cries of grief as it was yesterday, and there was obvious hope in the eyes of the people. Xiao Hongzhong could not help but wet his eyes again. He finally did not have to watch the people die one by one from illness.

When the people in the city saw General Xiao, they came up to him with tears in their eyes and praised Mr. Zisang for his miraculous medical ability. Xiao Hongzhong comforted the people with a few words to show his encouragement before hurriedly going to see Mr. Zisang.

But when Xiao Hongzhong arrived at the Guicheng County Government Office, he learned that Mr. Zisang, who had been up all night, had just gone to bed. Naturally, he could not disturb him, so he took his son Xiao Pengyue to continue patrolling the city.

The origin of Xiao Hongzhong and Mr. Zisang should be traced back to when he first arrived in Lianzhou ten years ago. The southern border of Jingsong State is a humid and hot place. Xiao Hongzhong used to live in the north, and it was difficult for him to adapt to the humid south. He was not aware of it and contracted malaria.

Fortunately, he met Mr. Zisang in a hurry and he cured his malaria. Xiao Hongzhong was very grateful, but he also knew that Mr. Zisang liked quietness, so he waited until the Mid-Autumn Festival half a month later before visiting him with his son, bringing gifts.

When they first met, Mr. Zisang admired Xiao Hongzhong's upright character, his flexibility, and his ability to combine firmness and flexibility. Xiao Hongzhong also admired Mr. Zisang's humility, and his superb medical skills as well as his compassionate heart.

After talking, the two of them hit it off immediately and became close friends despite the nearly eighty-year age difference between them.

It was not until dusk that Mr. Zisang woke up. He was surprised and happy to see Xiao Hongzhong waiting silently outside the door. Then the two of them smiled at each other. Although they seldom met in the past ten years, they still got along well every time they met again.

"Thanks to your return this time, sir, otherwise the people of Lianzhou would have to continue suffering from this plague." On the wall of Guicheng, Xiao Hongzhong and Mr. Zisang walked side by side. Looking at the city gradually becoming orderly, Xiao Hongzhong expressed his gratitude to Mr. Zisang beside him.

Mr. Zisang did not say anything, but lowered his head with regret. He arrived half a month after the plague broke out, and he was still too late to save more people.

"What do you think about the war in Liunan Kingdom?" After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Hongzhong couldn't help but ask.

"The Guzhu Dynasty will eventually be destroyed." Mr. Zisang was reluctant to talk about state affairs. He had lived for one hundred and twenty years, and had not only witnessed the lives and deaths of countless people on this land, but he had also witnessed with his own eyes that it was the common people who ultimately paid a heavy price in the power struggle. However, he was powerless to stop people's greed.

Xiao Hongzhong felt a chill in his heart after hearing what Mr. Zisang said. Although he had expected that Liunan Kingdom could not stop Xiyue's army, he still had illusions. But now even Mr. Zisang said so, Liunan Kingdom might be helpless. He also knew that Mr. Zisang had always been indifferent to the affairs of the court. Although Xiao Hongzhong sighed in his heart, he did not ask any more questions.