"Who are they?" Zhou Fugui asked, pointing at the group behind Ge Rufeng in the prefectural office of Donghai Commandery.
"Monks, Taoists, and nuns," Ge Rufeng replied.
"Nonsense, I can see they're religious people! I'm asking why they're here?" Zhou Fugui shot Ge Rufeng a glare and asked again.
"You're the one talking nonsense... To help the people in the plague-stricken area, what else? Not enough doctors, so we call upon the Buddhists and Taoists, wasn't that what you said?" Ge Rufeng glared back at Zhou Fugui.
"Go on, get out of here and prepare for the rituals to ward off evil..." Zhou Fugui, too lazy to argue, pushed Ge Rufeng aside. He then cupped his hands towards the group of monks, Taoists, and nuns, "I am the Prefect of Donghai Commandery, thank you elders and Taoist masters for your righteous assistance, thank you!"
"Namo Amitabha." He bowed to an old monk, "Although you are not of the Buddhist faith, you have a compassionate heart. Your actions are benevolent. As a follower of Buddhism, I should do the same. You need not be so polite."
"Thank you!" Zhou Fugui thanked him again, then said to the monks, Taoists, and nuns from all the surrounding villages, "However, elders and Taoist masters, you need not be in such a hurry. Please rest at the government office for now and await my news."
"Saving lives is like extinguishing a fire, what do you mean by this, Great Governor?" a middle-aged Taoist asked.
"What is the plague? How severe is it? How many people are infected? I know none of these things. If you rush there blindly, and some elders or Taoist masters suffer casualties, would that not be my fault?" Zhou Fugui replied.
Everything must be done in an orderly and systematic manner, this is common sense.
"What the benefactor says is very fitting!" The old monk nodded with a smile.
Even Deng Qingzhai and his twenty disciples nodded, secretly approving.
Zhou Fugui, so young yet so composed and serene, made people doubt his age... Those who cultivate the Tao or immortality know that at the peak of cultivation, even an old man in his eighties can have the appearance of a youth. Could this Hu barbarian Great Governor be such a person?
No wonder he holds such a high position at such a young age, though most people thought so.
...
"Immortal Elder, we have kept you waiting, kept you waiting..."
In the backyard of the prefectural office, Zhou Fugui and a large group including Deng Qingzhai were eating their meals, some squatting, some sitting. There weren't even tables and chairs, and the so-called meals were just thick porridge with a few pieces of vegetables and pickles. Thus, Zhou Fugui said apologetically to Deng Qingzhai.
As for Zhou Fugui's current situation, no matter how tight things were, he could still put on a banquet to entertain Deng Qingzhai and his party. The reason for such a simple meal was that Deng Qingzhai and his group had requested it, and besides, Zhou Fugui had no intention of hosting a feast.
Before the meal, he had ordered everyone to wash their hands, including Deng Qingzhai and his disciples.
"It's fine, Great Governor..." Deng Qingzhai said, "Are we, old folk, here for food and drink? And... Great Governor, you don't need to call me Immortal Elder. Does an Immortal Elder eat mortal food?"
"Slurp slurp..." Zhou Fugui ate heartily. He downed a large bowl of thick porridge in a few gulps. Wiping his mouth, he smiled, "Heh, that's good. Old sir, you don't need to call me Great Governor either... I'm not interested in this so-called Great Governor position... My name is Zhou Fugui, my courtesy name is Hancang, and I am from Lumen Village, Yan Yun."
"Not interested in the position of Governor? Then what are you interested in?" Deng Qingzhai, unlike Zhou Fugui who ate like a starving ghost, was meticulously "counting" his rice grains. As he "counted," he said, "I have something I don't understand, please enlighten me, General."
A Han traitor who knows shame for being a Hu governor is not beyond redemption, Deng Qingzhai and his twenty disciples thought in unison.
"I also have something I don't understand. You go first, old sir," Zhou Fugui said, scooping another large bowl of rice and eating it with a "slurp slurp."
"Hmm..." Deng Qingzhai nodded and said, "My disciples and I entered the city before you went into seclusion, General. I have seen what has happened these past few days. What I find puzzling is, why did you go into seclusion?"
"To impose a ban, don't you know?" Zhou Fugui countered.
"I am aware of the ban..." Deng Qingzhai sighed, shaking his head slightly, "But you have also cut off the livelihoods of the people of Donghai Commandery."
"It's a temporary measure, it won't last long, we'll open the gates in a few days..." Zhou Fugui asked, "Do you have anything else, old sir?"
"Why are your subordinates wearing white robes and white cloth masks over their mouths, and why are the people of Donghai Commandery expected to do the same? What is the meaning of this?" Deng Qingzhai asked, looking at Zhou Fugui.
"What do you think the plague is, old sir?" Zhou Fugui replied with a question.
"The plague in Donghai Commandery?" Deng Qingzhai shook his head, "I haven't been to the three counties yet, nor have I seen any infected people, so I don't know what kind of plague it is. However, I have heard some market gossip these past few days, and I suspect it's malaria."
"Malaria? What is malaria?" Zhou Fugui asked, not understanding what malaria was.
You don't even know what illness it is, yet you've issued so many orders as governor or prefect? Deng Qingzhai shook his head speechlessly and replied, "Malaria arises from wind. Lingnan has much miasma, and this disease is often caused by miasma, that is, external evils invading the body. Folk sayings say it is caused by the appearance of 'miasma mothers' and 'plague ghosts' in the human world. General, although this place is not Lingnan, years of war and piled-up corpses, left uncleaned, can also produce miasma."
Zhou Fugui nodded repeatedly, his gaze somewhat lost, so Deng Qingzhai continued to explain, "To treat malaria, one must first distinguish what kind of malaria it is before administering the correct medicine. Malaria is divided into five types based on the time of its onset: nocturnal malaria, chronic malaria, tertian malaria, quartan malaria, and irregular malaria. It is also divided into eight types based on symptoms: cold malaria, warm malaria, miasma malaria, wind malaria, female malaria, six-channel malaria, and five-organ malaria. It is further divided into three types based on the cause of onset: ..."
"Wait, wait, wait..." Zhou Fugui was completely bewildered, his gaze becoming increasingly lost, so he hurriedly interrupted, "Mr. Deng, can this illness be treated or not?"
"Of course, it can be treated!" Deng Qingzhai replied, "Malaria like cold malaria, warm malaria, miasma malaria, wind malaria, and female malaria are relatively easier to treat. Some people can even recover without treatment. However, if it's six-channel malaria, five-organ malaria, etc., it's dire, almost a dead end. Even if cured, one would only have half a life left..."
"Wait..." Zhou Fugui interrupted again, "What did you just say?"
"Half a life?"
"No!"
"Six-channel malaria, five-organ malaria?"
"Not that either!"
"Malaria, including cold malaria, warm malaria, miasma malaria, wind malaria..."
"Right, it's malaria..." Zhou Fugui suddenly realized, threw down his rice bowl, and clapped his hands, laughing, "So it's this?"
Zhou Fugui had already finished three large bowls of rice...
"What? You recognize malaria, General?" Deng Qingzhai asked in surprise.
He even looked elated. Could he have suffered from this illness before? Deng Qingzhai mused inwardly.
"Of course, I recognize it!" Zhou Fugui nodded, "What 'miasma mothers'? What 'plague ghosts'? Utter nonsense! Old sir, why do you think I ordered people to cover their faces with cloth? Isn't it to block the wind?"
"To block the wind? How can wind be blocked?" Deng Qingzhai couldn't finish the remaining half bowl of rice. Putting down his chopsticks, he asked unhappily.
"Heh heh, don't be anxious, old sir. Please listen to me explain slowly..." Zhou Fugui said with a smile, "Covering the face with cloth is to block things in the wind, or rather, this thing is not in the wind, but in food like rice and vegetables, in cups, bowls, gourds, and basins, even in filth like feces, and in insects like snakes, rats, ants, fleas, etc. And this thing is the source of the disease. Therefore, washing hands frequently, maintaining hygiene, and exterminating rats and insects can prevent this illness. Old sir, do you... understand?"
Zhou Fugui could not explain the terms bacteria or virus, so he could only describe them at length.
"Hmm..." Deng Qingzhai nodded as if he had an epiphany.
Deng Qingzhai had been a physician for decades, treating countless patients and saving countless lives. He had naturally seen countless diseases and had the reputation of being a "living Hua Tuo." He had already had some insights, but he was unable to verify them. Zhou Fugui's lengthy explanation made Deng Qingzhai feel enlightened, clarifying the vague impressions in his heart, as if a window had been opened for him.
"General, what is the evidence?" Deng Qingzhai then asked.
"There's no immediate proof..." Zhou Fugui spread his hands, "But... in a few days, I will make something that will serve as proof..."
"What is it?" Deng Qingzhai asked.
"A microscope!" Zhou Fugui replied.
Microscope? Deng Qingzhai and his twenty disciples turned to look at Zhou Fugui, not knowing what a microscope was.
"Under the microscope, all ghosts and monsters can be revealed..." Zhou Fugui said proudly, then asked, "Mr. Deng, I also have something I don't understand. Please enlighten me, Mr. Deng."
"Please speak, General," Deng Qingzhai nodded.
"Mr. Deng, and your disciples, how did you know from a thousand miles away that there was a raging epidemic here and come to Donghai Commandery so early? Do you have the ability to foresee the future?" Zhou Fugui asked.
"As an immortal elder, an immortal elder naturally has the ability to foresee the future!" Deng Qingzhai winked and said with a smile.
"Haha, let me guess, let me guess..." Deng Qingzhai, who was humorous and witty, made Zhou Fugui laugh heartily. He thought for a moment and then said, "Could it be that you, Elder Deng, were just traveling here by chance?"
It had only been a few days since Zhou Fugui received the news of the epidemic, yet Deng Qingzhai from a thousand miles away had arrived in advance.
"General, you are truly remarkable, you guessed correctly in one try!" Deng Qingzhai also laughed.