Three hundred li was neither close nor far.
Without transportation, if one's physical condition was poor, it would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time, but Ding Yun lacked neither.
And when the horse grew utterly exhausted.
She could even nourish it with her true essence.
Therefore, even though she hadn't bought a celestial steed, she had still set out in the morning and arrived at Huiyang City before nightfall, only to be stopped outside the moat.
The people who stopped her had no ill intentions.
They were merely afraid she wouldn't know about the plague in Huiyang.
Upon Ding Yun stating that she was a physician from Shenyi Valley, specially dispatched to see if the plague could be treated, the guards at the moat became greatly excited. They bowed to Qiao Mu and led her into the city.
Once inside, Ding Yun politely declined an immediate audience with the city officials. Instead, after taking some protective measures, she headed directly to the area where the patients were concentrated.
Upon arrival, she saw not only a group of despairing patients but also several other physicians who, disregarding their own safety, were diligently treating the sick.
"You are..."
"Why send someone so young? Aren't you seeking death by sending someone so young? What use is that?"
Several physicians nearby saw Ding Yun and immediately expressed their displeasure. Their words, in truth, held no malice; they simply felt that Ding Yun, being so young, must surely lack skill and was venturing into a death trap.
"Please, do not underestimate me. I am, after all, from Shenyi Valley. No matter how lacking my skills, I am not entirely useless. If you would kindly step aside for a moment, allow me to examine the situation."
Ding Yun had no time for idle chatter. Any delay in dealing with the plague could result in countless more deaths.
After her reply and revealing her origin from Shenyi Valley, Ding Yun swiftly walked to a patient, took his pulse, and without hesitation, circulated her internal true essence through his body. The patient was thus smoothly cured.
"This plague is not a major issue and can be easily treated. This patient has already been cured by the true essence within me. I believe this is sufficient proof of my medical skills. I now ask you all to verify this and then cooperate with me. Let us work together to eradicate the plague as quickly as possible!"
Ding Yun's use of her true essence to treat the illness was not to imply that the plague could only be cured by true essence, but rather that its effects were the best. Treating with medication would waste several days, and others might not be convinced.
No matter how well one spoke or boasted of their medical prowess, it could not compare to the effect of curing a patient instantly within seconds.
"How is that possible? What nonsense are you spouting!"
"A touch and he's cured? Do you think you're a divine immortal descended to earth? Or do you possess sorcery?"
"Please, don't cause trouble here!"
Although most remained unconvinced, one physician, believing that someone from Shenyi Valley would not engage in such foolishness, approached with a degree of doubt and took the pulse of the patient Ding Yun had just treated. To his astonishment, the patient's pulse did indeed seem quite normal.
He showed no signs of illness:
"Old Zhang, Old Li, come and see. This person seems to have genuinely cured the plague. I don't know if it's my imagination, but Li Bohu's pulse has indeed become very normal and quite healthy."
"Impossible? How could such a thing happen?"
"Can't you even feel a pulse correctly anymore?"
The remaining physicians, though still disbelieving, humored their colleague and stepped forward one by one to take pulses.
Then, silence fell upon them.
They began to take pulses in different places, touching heads, lifting eyelids, examining tongues, checking both left and right wrists, and even examining the ankles.
But no matter how they examined.
The person seemed to have recovered his health.
The physicians then looked at each other, murmuring in disbelief things like, "Are Shenyi Valley physicians this skilled? Does internal energy work so effectively? Do we even need to be doctors?"
Because the facts were before their eyes, and the cured patient was standing right there, the physicians were forced to acknowledge Ding Yun's medical prowess. They apologized profusely and, in a flurry of words, asked for explanations. They inquired whether all patients required true essence for treatment.
To these questions, Ding Yun answered truthfully.
She even admitted that her swift treatment with true essence was merely to gain their trust quickly.
Since she possessed genuine ability, no one raised any objections. Soon, they began cooperating with her, requesting various medicinal herbs and implementing protective measures.
For those critically ill who might not have survived until the arrival of the medicinal herbs, Ding Yun, despite the drain on her internal energy, treated them. Since Ding Yun's arrival, no one in Huiyang City had died from the plague.
And with the delivery of medicinal herbs.
Within three to five days, most patients had recovered.
How to describe it? The most crucial aspect of treating illness is administering the correct medicine. As long as the treatment is accurate, recovering within three to five days is quite normal. If after three to five days there is no improvement or no positive signs, then it can only be concluded that the medicine is incorrect, or there is a problem with the diagnosis, or the medicinal herbs themselves are flawed.
A plague is not a chronic illness requiring long-term conditioning. Recovery means recovery. Therefore, as long as the medicine is correct, all patients will naturally regain their health quickly.
However, given it was a plague, an infectious disease.
Appropriate isolation measures were maintained for a period. It was not until half a month later, when all patients had recovered and no new cases had appeared for seven consecutive days, that the isolation measures in Huiyang City were lifted.
Even so, it was estimated that for a considerable time afterward, few people would dare to visit Huiyang City, and it would take at least half a year for things to gradually return to normal.
However, regardless of the circumstances, the officials and citizens of Huiyang City were very grateful to Ding Yun. The local officials even planned to memorialize her for her achievements.
Ding Yun did not refuse any of these.
While her intention to save lives was genuine, so too was her desire for fame. She not only accepted the accolades and the gratitude of the city's residents but also took the opportunity to continue conducting free clinics in Huiyang City.
The scene was undoubtedly spectacular.
Those who were sick and those who were not crowded around, completely surrounding Ding Yun's newly set up free clinic stall.
It was only when yamen runners arrived to help maintain order that a stampede was averted.
Despite the large crowds, because Ding Yun's medical skills had reached an extraordinary level, her treatment speed was still remarkable. In most cases, she didn't even need to take a pulse; a mere glance was enough to determine if someone was ill and to prescribe the appropriate medicine.
Two to three minutes per person.
The onlookers rapidly decreased at a visible rate.