"Seems like you've learned your lesson," Zhao Xiyan said with a smile as he took her hand, "Don't mind it, Hei Lie has already prepared the carriage at the back door."
"Alright."
When they left through the back door, they indeed saw Hei Lie standing by a large carriage waiting for them.
"Marquis, my lord..." Hei Lie stepped forward to pay his respects, seemingly hesitant as though he had sothing to say but stopped himself.
Qi Yue glanced at the carriage and raised an eyebrow.
"Who's inside?"
"My lord, it's..."
Just as Hei Lie was about to speak, the carriage curtain suddenly lifted, and a frizzy old head poked out.
"It's your master! Who else did you think it was?"
Qi Yue chuckled and curved her lips, getting into the carriage with Zhao Xiyan's assistance.
"What are you up to, old sir? Weren't you not coming? Why are you waiting in the carriage so early?"
Huang Zai'an rolled his eyes, his mustache sticking up high.
"Not a single true word cos out of your mouth, girl. Don't try to fool this old man. Tell , what have you found out tonight?"
Qi Yue pursed her lips, giving Huang Zai'an a speechless stare.
Not fun!
This old man is too cunning; teasing him isn't fun at all.
"What could I have possibly found? You're overthinking it."
Huang Zai'an stroked his mustache and leaned in closer, whispering mysteriously, "I bet you've made so significant discovery, otherwise you wouldn't want to check out the Hu Residence again, right?"
Knowing the old man was anxious, Qi Yue stopped joking around, composed herself, and recounted the discovery of the active neurons in the Immortal Bug and the previous research findings.
Just as she expected, Huang Zai'an was also stunned as he listened.
"Could such a thing really happen?"
"So you don't have a single constructive suggestion?"
"How can I have any suggestions if you haven't verified it yet?"
"If you have no suggestions, then why are you following so eagerly?"
"I'm here to supervise you," Huang Zai'an glanced at Zhao Xiyan, "to prevent you from frolicking with this young man all day and neglecting important matters."
Qi Yue found it increasingly hilarious.
This old man is starting to lecture more and more like my dear old dad!
She deliberately turned to one side, embraced Zhao Xiyan next to her, and leaned her entire body into his embrace.
"Don't even ntion all day; I've been mixing with him all night long. That's what's truly important."
Huang Zai'an felt it was improper to watch and quickly covered his eyes, turning his head away while complaining.
"Oh my, how indecent, how undignified!"
Qi Yue laughed heartily, purposely pecking both cheeks of Zhao Xiyan to make a noticeable commotion.
Huang Zai'an was so flustered that he covered his ears as well.
"Zhao Xiyan, aren't you going to control your woman?"
Zhao Xiyan raised his eyebrows.
"I like it."
Huang Zai'an was completely speechless, turning the other way and covering his ears.
After laughing joyfully for a while, Qi Yue felt the irritability in her heart lessen slightly.
She had a habit of trying to distract herself when nervous.
The research on the water-bubble-like symptoms had made so progress, but whether the direction was correct hinged on today's findings.
If there were none, she would have to start all over, and she was increasingly at a loss for any new direction.
Doing so futile things didn't bother her, but human lives were at stake.
One day's delay could an dozens, even hundreds of lives lost.
And she didn't even know how the symptoms were transmitted or how they spread.
Otherwise, she might have been able to figure out a way to isolate it and at least stop more people from getting infected!
Zhao Xiyan, aware that the greater her stress, the more carefree she appeared, let her be playful.
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the Hu Residence.
There were no soldiers guarding the place anymore.
Since Chu Yuntian fell ill and Feng Liang was busy guarding the Governor's Office, no one really had control over this place.
The soldiers guarding the place were all afraid of catching the blistering disease and had run away.
But now, whether the place was guarded or not didn't seem to matter much anymore.
Everyone knew the Hu Residence was the source of the disease, and they all avoided it like the plague; the vast estate was empty except for a mass of sick people, not a soul in sight.
Upon entering the residence, Qi Yue saw withered branches and fallen leaves all around, desolation everywhere, and felt sowhat emotional.
She rembered how thriving and lush the garden was when the Hu Family first invited her over, fragrant scents drifting from every corner. Now, it was in complete ruin.
Suddenly, Huang Zai'an expressed a sentint.
"Alas, one must have a bottom line in life. Look at this garden, the outco of committing sins!"
Qi Yue knew the old man was indirectly urging her to hurry up and save people. Without a word, she headed straight for the courtyard where Lady Hu and the various young ladies stayed.
Three days had passed, and in the residence, with over fifty people, almost half had beco entirely stiff.
The worst affected were Lady Hu and a few of the young ladies; not only had their tongues stiffened, but their eyeballs also gradually stopped moving.
If it weren't for the fact that they were still breathing through their nostrils, they could easily be mistaken for dead.
Qi Yue conducted an examination and took so more samples for future use.
But beyond that, there was no more she could discern.
"What to do now, we must wait a bit longer," Qi Yue sighed as she looked at Lady Hu lying there as still as if she were almost dead.
The person was still alive; surely she couldn't perform an autopsy on a living person, right?
She really didn't want to do such a thing!
Upon hearing this, Huang Zai'an asked in confusion, "Apprentice, what do you an?"
Qi Yue took him outside and shared her thoughts about finding the cause of the disease through autopsy.
Huang Zai'an nodded repeatedly after hearing her plan.
"This might be the best approach. Usually, when the Governnt Office investigates a case, they perform an autopsy on the victim. I just never thought it could be applied to dicine as well."
Seeing her master's focus imdiately go off track, Qi Yue was exasperated.
"Have soone watch over them and notify imdiately if anyone dies. I'm going back to sleep now; my head hurts."
Even a robot needs to recharge after a night and half a day.
Although she was quite resilient, constant thinking made her brain easily tired and painful.
Zhao Xiyan imdiately picked her up and left, leaving Huang Zai'an to deal with the situation.
On the way back, the carriage happened to encounter Feng Liang leading soldiers on the streets, urging citizens to go ho.
"Hurry back ho. Magistrate Feng has already reported to the Imperial Court, and soon the Imperial Physician will arrive at the Capital City. With the Imperial Physician's arrival, aren't your diseases curable?"
"If you don't go ho, you will not receive treatnt even when the Imperial Physician cos!"
"....."
The soldiers, with their long spears at the ready, prevented the citizens from coming too close, loudly shouting.
Those who were out on the streets by now typically already showed symptoms of blisters.
So of them were struggling to seek dical advice, while others had given up on themselves completely, wanting to drag others down with them.
Hearing that the Imperial Physician from the Capital City would co, the citizens instantly filled with hope.
Knowing that the Imperial Physician would be arriving in a few days, they obediently returned to their hos.
Zhao Xiyan opened the carriage window to listen for a while, snorted, and closed it again.
"Hei Lie, speed up the carriage, your master needs to rest."
"Yes, Marquis."
Qi Yue watched him with amusent.
"What are you snorting at? Don't you believe the Imperial Physician will co?"
Zhao Xiyan smiled, extending his arms to embrace her.
"Why bother with these trifles? We still have a way to go; you might as well lean on and nap for a bit."
"I'll fall asleep if I doze off."
"What's there to fear? I'll carry you to bed."
"Alright, then," Qi Yue said, and her eyelids drooped, but she quickly opened her eyes again.
"Make sure you get so sleep too."
"I know, go to sleep."
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