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The man was startled, his fear palpable, “How can there be a dead person here? People seldom come to these deep parts of the mountain, and this person isn’t from any nearby villages.”

Chu Qingzhi inquired, “Have you hunted in this area before? How can you be so sure he isn’t from the village?”

“We don’t hunt deep in the mountains, usually sticking to the outskirts for small game. Entering deep requires several hunters together; we wouldn’t leave someone here alone. Recently, there’s been no word of anyone missing from the village. Plus, his clothes might look ordinary, but they’re actually quite expensive, something villagers can’t afford.”

Examining the clothes, Chu Qingzhi confirmed they were indeed made from high-quality fabric.

After inspecting the clothes, she examined the body, which was already skeletal, its flesh eaten by birds, making it difficult to discern any details on the surface.

Around the corpse were some dead vultures. Wearing gloves, Chu Qingzhi examined one that had recently died and found it also succumbed to smallpox.

Looking at the body, she surmised this must be the true source of the disease.

How did this body end up here? And who was he?

Chu Qingzhi then noticed a jade pendant on the man, examining it closely, it had a single character “Ming” engraved on it.

If a name was engraved on a jade pendant, it usually included the last character of the person’s name.

Pondering over the character “Ming”, Chu Qingzhi delved into a deep thought, later meticulously examining it further.

The man, stretching his neck to see, asked cautiously, “Miss, have you discovered something?”

Chu Qingzhi turned, “Go notify the authorities that there’s a significant discovery here.”

The man, concerned for Chu Qingzhi’s safety, suggested, “Let’s go back together. It’s too dangerous for you to stay here alone.”

“I’ll be fine. Go quickly and do what needs to be done.” With a slight exertion of pressure, the man hurried back, complying with her directive.

Chu Qingzhi continued her examination…

The deceased was a young man, about twenty-two years old, approximately eight chi tall, with the name “Ming” part of his identity, died from smallpox, and had been dead for roughly three months, based on the condition of the body.

Soon, officials arrived at the scene, led by Chu Xujin, who had been entrusted with all matters related to the epidemic by the County Magistrate upon leaving the county office.

Chu Xujin, furrowing his brows at the skeletal remains, asked, “Sister, can we move the body now?”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, sharing the information gleaned from the remains with

Chu Xujin, “Post a notice offering a reward for information.”

The mysterious appearance of this individual as the source of the epidemic felt unusual to her.

Chu Xujin solemnly agreed, “I’ll handle it right away.”

Returning to the village, everyone went their separate ways.

The village, now suffused with the smell of vinegar and mugwort, would normally be unbearable, but under the circumstances, it offered a comforting sense of security.

Yuan Hongjun, Bao Linjiang, and the other physicians approached Chu Qingzhi, providing her with data on the diagnosed conditions. After reviewing it, Chu Qingzhi identified six symptoms and formulated a corresponding treatment plan for each, organizing the physicians into six groups, each responsible for a specific regimen. Once the medicine was prepared, it would be administered to those with matching symptoms.

The resources Chu Qingzhi requested were swiftly delivered.

Chu Qingzhi instructed, “Fumigate the entire village with mugwort and vinegar, covering every corner.”

“Yes.”

“The rest of you, help me prepare the medicine and tend to the fire.

“Yes.”

With her guidance, the village regained a semblance of order, replacing the previously pervasive sense of doom with a glimmer of hope.

However, as the situation began to stabilize, news arrived that several other villages had outbreaks, and there were isolated cases in the county town as well.

Chu Qingzhi calmly ordered, “Quarantine them all.”

Given the contagious nature of smallpox, she wasn’t surprised by these developments. Isolation was the only immediate solution.

“Yes, Miss Chu,” the messenger said, departing with a grim expression.

After about five days, those who took the medicine would begin to show improvement. With the community now knowledgeable about the procedures, Chu Qingzhi toured the village before leading half of the physicians to the next affected village.

Yuan Hongjun stayed behind in Yun Village, while Bao Linjiang accompanied Chu Qingzhi.

They arrived at Xia Village, where the situation was dire, with seven or eight dead and an ominous pall hanging over the village. The village had already been locked down by officials, preventing further spread of the disease. Chu Qingzhi and her team immediately began diagnosing and treating the villagers.

However, they soon faced a critical shortage of medicinal herbs. With the epidemic spreading, local supplies were insufficient, and external purchases were being snapped up by wealthy families using Chu Qingzhi’s prescriptions, leading to a severe shortage.

“Master, we’re running out of herbs,” Yuan Hongjun reported, having already reached out to friends for help, but to no avail.

Unfazed, Chu Qingzhi revised the prescription, opting for more effective but significantly more expensive herbs.

“Yuan Hongjun, how is Yuru doing?”

He nodded, “Much better. Master, what was in that pill?”

“I’ll tell you later. For now, you wouldn’t be able to replicate it anyway.’ Accepting this, Yuan Hongjun took the new prescription to act on it.

Chu Qingzhi inquired of Chu Xujin, “Any news about that person?”

“No,” he replied, concern etched on his face. “Sister, could he be from another place?”

“Possibly,” she pondered, then suggested, “Let’s involve the surrounding cities and counties in the search. And, where does the official newspaper come from?”

“From the ‘Imperial Memorial Institute’ in the capital,” Chu Xujin answered.

Chu Qingzhi wrote a letter for the County Magistrate to send to the Emperor, requesting the inclusion of “Ming” in the search throughout Daling, believing it crucial to identify his identity.

Upon receiving Chu Qingzhi’s letter, the Emperor immediately instructed his closest eunuch to publish the information and initiated a secret investigation.

The Emperor closely monitored the epidemic’s developments, aware of its mysterious origins and considering the unidentified man as the key to unraveling the mystery.