In October, it was nearly the beginning of winter.
The Guangyun River’s surface began to form a thin layer of ice, and, above the wide expanse of the river, a large ship slowly docked.
A group of people dressed in dark blue cotton robes descended from the deck of the large ship, looking from afar like a line of ants traversing the wilderness, each one moving independently.
By the river, there was a teahouse providing temporary respite, where the owner offered several pots of hot tea and bowls of hot noodles, setting out a few basins of charcoal fires, around which the crowd gradually beca lively.
Lin Danqing sneezed and complained, "It’s so cold."
Standing beside him, a dical officer consoled, "We’ll be passing ngtai soon. It’s colder near the river; once we’re past ngtai, it will be much better."
The caravan accompanying them on the journey to Su Nan had set off half a month ago. They needed to travel by boat along the Guangyun River. After the beginning of winter, the river’s surface began to freeze, and with continuous rain in the recent days, their journey had been delayed sowhat.
Shengjing is in the northern regions where winter is always very cold. Originally thinking that Su Nan, being further south, would have much warr winters, it turned out not only to not be warm but also added a dampness compared to Shengjing’s cold. Even the cotton robes they wore felt as if they had been soaked in ice, making them both cold and heavy. And they hadn’t even reached Su Nan yet when so of the dical officers had already developed frostbite on their hands.
Chang Jin erged from the back kitchen of the tea stall, handing Lu Tong and Lin Danqing a bowl of hot soup each, and said, "Drink it while it’s hot to warm up." He then looked at Lu Tong, "How are you feeling, Doctor Lu?"
Lu Tong’s face was pale as he accepted the hot soup from Chang Jin and nodded, "Much better."
The journey was long and arduous, and Lu Tong suffered an additional tornt compared to the other dical officers—she was seasick.
Crossing the Guangyun River by boat took seven days. Lu Tong had never been on such a long water journey before. Despite taking plenty of dicine for seasickness, she still vomited until everything was spinning, and by the ti she disembarked, her face had thinned considerably.
"Younger Sister Lu, I used to think you were capable of anything—it turns out you’re a landlubber," teased Lin Danqing, patting her shoulder. He then reflected, "Maybe the gods are fair after all, granting you a gift in dicine but giving you trouble elsewhere. Otherwise, how is it that out of so many people, only you and Doctor Ji are in such a state from seasickness?"
She wasn’t the only landlubber; Ji Xun was as well.
However, Ji Xun fared slightly better than Lu Tong, at least the seasickness dicine was effective for him.
Hearing his na ntioned, Ji Xun glanced in their direction.
Lin Danqing was caught openly discussing him and, composing himself, stood up with his hot soup and left to engage in a feigned conversation with Chang Jin. Lu Tong bowed her head and continued to sip her soup.
The soup, a homade white radish and duck concoction from the teahouse owner, was light, sweet, and refreshing; it gradually settled her stomach as she drank.
As she was drinking, a figure suddenly appeared beside her. Lu Tong looked up to find Ji Xun sitting next to her.
She paused, then heard Ji Xun ask, "Are you feeling better?"
Lu Tong nodded.
The dical officers often joked that the two were the only landlubbers on the entire ship, finding a certain kinship in their shared suffering.
"I had intended to prepare a redy for seasickness for you, but I’m sorry to say I didn’t manage to finish it before we disembarked," he said.
Even though Ji Xun was seasick, he recovered quickly after taking the dicine. Lu Tong, on the other hand, suffered terribly for the entire seven days.
Among a whole ship of dical officers, most of whom were older, experienced doctors, not one could produce a reliable prescription—even the brilliant Doctor Ji Xun was unsuccessful. Lu Tong had taken the seasickness dicine he made with no improvent whatsoever.
If word got out, it would seriously cast doubt on whether this group could tackle the epidemic in Su Nan.
Ji Xun looked at her with a strange expression and asked, "However, why did all the seasickness redies have no effect on you?"
"Maybe it’s a matter of the mind," Lu Tong answered frankly. "I am anxious at heart, so no matter what dicine I take, it’s no use."
This could indeed be one reason.
Ji Xun nodded, not delving further into this topic. Instead, he changed the subject, "After we pass ngtai, it will only be a few more days travel to Su Nan."
"Doctor Lu, you are from Su Nan. With your hocoming imminent, are you feeling nervous?"
Lu Tong looked down, "Nervousness is futile."
"I thought, Doctor Lu, that you volunteered to go to Su Nan precisely for the sake of your hotown," he said.
Lu Tong remained silent.
Among the older dical officers going to Su Nan, setting aside Ji Xun, it was quite unseemly that Lin Danqing, a new Imperial dical Officer, was blended in with them. And just before they left, Lu Tong had joined them as well.
It was clear to any astute observer that Lu Tong had volunteered to go to Su Nan to avoid the wrath of the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion. However, so believed that as a native of Su Nan, she might have volunteered out of concern for her hotown.
Yet, all along the way, as the dical officers discussed strategies and prescriptions for combating the epidemic, Lu Tong remained calm—to the point of seeming sowhat cold-blooded.
After a mont of silence, Lu Tong said, "Whatever Doctor Ji thinks, that’s how it is. Ultimately, I am already on the road."
Ji Xun watched her, contemplating for a mont before hesitantly speaking, "There is sothing I would like to ask Doctor Lu."
"What is it?"
"Before Young Master Qi’s incident, it was Envoy Cui who initially diagnosed him. After Envoy Cui was implicated and fell from grace, you took over his position. You were the only one with access to Young Master Qi’s dical records."
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