However, no matter what, since the epidemic had broken out, the best course of action was to control the situation as quickly as possible.
It was only after the county magistrate sealed off their area that the nearby residents belatedly learned that the recent increase in illnesses was not due to a change in weather causing people to catch colds, but rather an epidemic outbreak.
This naturally caused a wave of panic.
Fortunately, the county magistrate in charge of this area possessed sufficient skill and courage, and managed to control the situation in a timely manner.
At the very least, it prevented patients who were likely infected from spreading the epidemic to other regions, thus further containing its spread.
As for those who were not ill, there was no better solution.
This was because no one could guarantee that those who showed no symptoms were not infected or were carrying the disease and transmitting it to others. These were all highly probable scenarios, and as a local administrator, a parent official, one had to be prepared for such eventualities.
Moreover, in such a situation, the county magistrate also needed to report it immediately to the higher authorities. After all, the situation had been developing for some time, and it could not be guaranteed that simply sealing off their area would completely isolate the epidemic.
Epidemics were difficult to cure and had a high mortality rate, often leading to severe consequences. Therefore, controlling the situation as quickly as possible was of utmost importance.
In addition to the lockdown, the county magistrate also quickly summoned many doctors to brainstorm and find a way to quell the epidemic as soon as possible.
Besides summoning doctors from other places, the county magistrate also invited Ye Tiancheng.
After all, through his understanding, the county magistrate had discovered that Ye Tiancheng was the first doctor to identify the epidemic and the only one who had developed a prescription with some efficacy.
The doctors invited by the county magistrate were naturally not ordinary individuals.
And those with some skill naturally possessed their own arrogance.
For someone like Ye Tiancheng, who had suddenly appeared without any prior fame, gaining the trust of others was not an easy task. After all, he had appeared out of nowhere. The county magistrate, in inviting Ye Tiancheng, even hoped that Ye Tiancheng could serve as a leader and work with these doctors to research effective prescriptions.
The county magistrate did not concern himself with the internal affairs of the medical community.
In the county magistrate's eyes, resolving the problem as quickly as possible was the most important thing. Other matters were not as significant, and those intricacies were not something that people outside the same profession would understand.
Furthermore, even if they understood, from the county magistrate's perspective, he would not concern himself with them.
After all, the county magistrate only knew that the doctors currently summoned had all come into contact with these illnesses, but none of them, unlike Ye Tiancheng, had managed to develop a prescription with some efficacy, and they were unable to cure the patients.
If the county magistrate were to change his mind later, it would only be because more famous renowned physicians might arrive and offer their assistance, in which case he might act differently.
After all, the county magistrate could only discern that Ye Tiancheng was definitely much more capable than ordinary doctors, but compared to those who were already famous, Ye Tiancheng's presence was naturally insignificant.
Ye Tiancheng could also see that many people found him disagreeable and were not convinced by him, but since they lacked the means to suppress him, they had to temporarily yield.
After all, to boast without ability would make them mere clowns.
These people, though extremely concerned with their reputation and not shameless, would, out of consideration for their dignity, restrain themselves to some extent.
Ye Tiancheng did not care much about that.
Unless these people directly confronted him and caused him trouble, Ye Tiancheng truly did not mind.
After all, Ye Tiancheng himself was only concerned with the situation here. Out of his medical conscience, he chose to stay and find ways to help the people here. He was not here to engage in power struggles or promote his fame.
Therefore, matters of fame and fortune were irrelevant to Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng led these people for a period of time. Fortunately, he was indeed a very capable person, so after some time, these people saw Ye Tiancheng's abilities and gradually stopped causing trouble.
Some people, upon witnessing Ye Tiancheng's skills, were even won over and became more willing to obey his commands.
Ye Tiancheng was pleased with this development.
At such a critical juncture, it was best to have as few complications as possible. Ye Tiancheng did not have the inclination to deal with messy affairs.
As time went on, the situation began to worsen.
Firstly, the news of the epidemic outbreak and the local lockdown inevitably caused widespread panic. Moreover, there were always people who refused to obey orders, and many were afraid of death, which in turn led to a further deterioration of the situation.
Furthermore, because this newly emerging disease had no effective treatment method found so far, its terrifying nature gradually became apparent.
Apart from the prescription developed by Ye Tiancheng, which could alleviate symptoms to a certain extent, these doctors had no other achievements.
Ye Tiancheng was extremely frustrated.
However, even in this situation, Ye Tiancheng knew that he had to resolve the problem as quickly and with all his might, otherwise, people would soon start dying.
This was indeed an unavoidable matter.
As the disease progressed to its later stages and the condition worsened, coupled with the accumulation of patients who had been ill for some time, it was not long before people began to die one after another.
Since deaths had occurred, it only served to increase the panic among the local population.
Some people started causing trouble, while others attempted to break through the blockade and leave the area. Some patients, not wanting to die and fearing being dealt with by the government, and still able to get out of bed, tried to sneak away even with only initial symptoms.
This placed increasing pressure on the authorities and Ye Tiancheng's group.
The authorities, seeing no progress and continuously trying to find solutions, soon learned of the situation here, and renowned physicians from all over the country began to arrive with their assistants.
Upon their arrival, Ye Tiancheng had to step aside.
Ye Tiancheng had no objections to this.
After all, he had no attachment to this matter and had never intended to take on this responsibility. If someone could take over this position, he could focus on continuing to research prescriptions.
However, some of the local doctors, perhaps because they had become familiar with Ye Tiancheng and as local doctors being overshadowed by external physicians, might not have much to say about the renowned physicians, but other doctors might not be convinced.
Therefore, they began to support Ye Tiancheng and wanted to form an alliance.
While there was unrest among the lower ranks, Ye Tiancheng and the renowned physicians who arrived had interactions and exchanges. Not all of them were arrogant and condescending individuals, so upon learning of Ye Tiancheng's existing research findings, they naturally paid more attention to this young man with excellent medical skills.
Moreover, to research an effective prescription, one naturally needed to understand the disease more thoroughly.
And Ye Tiancheng was currently the only one here who had the most detailed understanding of the situation.
Therefore, it was not surprising that these people valued Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng was also happy to share his findings, even if these people later gained widespread fame with his achievements, Ye Tiancheng was not afraid.
As long as people could be saved, these matters were irrelevant to him.
Ye Tiancheng and his group worked day and night, solely focused on finding a prescription. However, as the number of deaths increased, the government's control over the populace had to become increasingly strict, and the panic among ordinary people was inevitably spreading rapidly.
Ye Tiancheng's group, at this time, unexpectedly achieved some progress.
Although it was not yet enough to cure these patients, a new prescription could, to a certain extent, reduce the mortality rate caused by the disease.
To control the situation, the authorities naturally and quickly promoted this prescription.
However, the situation did not improve significantly. After all, even with the utmost care and caution, many doctors inevitably contracted the disease in the process, thus falling ill themselves.
The situation at this time became even more dire.
Eventually, even the number of sick doctors increased.
And this entire region was soon completely sealed off, with entry permitted but no exit allowed.
Ye Tiancheng even overheard officials privately discussing.
If the situation could not be controlled, it was possible that some people would be abandoned by the higher authorities.
This made Ye Tiancheng anxious.
He did not wish for the situation to develop in such a terrible direction.
Ye Tiancheng sighed inwardly and looked towards the horizon.
While Ye Tiancheng and his group were facing such events, the little fox had been guarding outside the cave for nearly a day without seeing Ye Tiancheng emerge. She began to feel a little anxious.
As it neared dark, the little fox, unable to wait for Ye Tiancheng, showed a look of worry on her face.
She asked Qiongqi, "How long will this trial inside take? When will my elder brother be able to come out?"
Qiongqi had been lying at the mouth of the cave, guarding the place.
Upon hearing the little fox's question, Qiongqi flicked an eyelid, glanced at the little fox, and then slowly said, "Why are you so anxious? It's no use being anxious. This kind of thing depends on him alone. There's nothing we can do, no matter what we think."
"You might as well pray that no matter how long your elder brother takes, at least he can pass the assessment. That would be the best outcome."
"Otherwise, even I cannot guarantee how much longer it will take for your elder brother to undergo the assessment again, or if he will simply never have this opportunity again."
However, despite saying this, Qiongqi had a lot of confidence in Ye Tiancheng.
After all, with his status, he could sense certain things. Qiongqi knew that Ye Tiancheng's destiny was definitely not that of an ordinary person, otherwise, he would not have been recognized as a master by the White Dragon.