Although there was a reasonable plan, the floodwaters below the mountain had not yet receded, and Peng Wang was unable to go down the mountain to look for the county magistrate.
Faced with this situation, he could only wait patiently and hope that the flood would recede sooner.
He Zhiran had purchased enough herbal medicine last night, so things were settled on this side. She planned to arrange for the villagers to continue boiling medicine.
She didn't know if Village Chief Liu had let something slip, but those villagers already knew of their plague infection.
At this time, the villagers were somewhat agitated emotionally, and didn't even want to stay in the cave and wait to die. They desperately wanted to escape from here.
Although Village Chief Liu's mind was still relatively clear, he also believed He Zhiran’s words and did not allow those people to come out without her consent.
However, those villagers had been so frightened that they had lost all reason. With Village Chief Liu's strength alone, how could he stop them?
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye came to the mouth of the cave. What met their eyes was the scene of the villagers pushing Village Chief Liu aside and rushing out.
Mo Jiuye shouted, "Everyone stand still!"
The leading villager was startled, then raised the axe in his hand and waved it at Mo Jiuye a couple of times.
"If you want to die then stay here, don't stop us."
How could Mo Jiuye possibly let these villagers leave? He rushed ahead to block the entrance of the cave.
He Zhiran also came up to stand beside him. The couple blocked the cave entrance.
The leading villager had only wanted to scare Mo Jiuye away with the axe. Now with them blocking the entrance, he didn't dare let his raised axe fall.
So the two sides stood still for about thirty seconds.
Peng Wang also heard the commotion here. He led the yamen runners to block the entrance, flashing out their sabers at the same time.
Seeing that the other side had weapons, the villagers instantly lost their previous momentum.
"Sir, please let us leave! We don't want to die yet."
He Zhiran stepped forward, standing in front of the speaker.
"Who said we’re letting you die?"
A villager said bitterly, "Some of us have already been infected with the plague. If we don't leave here and the government finds out, they will definitely lock us up and burn us alive."
Upon hearing this, He Zhiran patiently asked, "Didn't you all drink the medicine last night?"
Not understanding why she was asking, the villagers nodded in unison.
He Zhiran pointed to Li Tiezhu, who was being supported by his wife, "Tell everyone the truth, isn't your physical condition much better now compared to yesterday?"
Li Tiezhu instinctively touched the position under his jaw.
"The swelling here has indeed gone down."
He Zhiran then looked towards the other villagers who had previously shown symptoms.
"What about you all? Have the symptoms of fever and vomiting yesterday alleviated?"
A few people nodded woodenly, "I haven't vomited again since drinking the medicine."
"Apart from feeling a little dizzy, my other symptoms are gone."
He Zhiran nodded and scanned the crowd again.
"Did you hear that? After those who have been infected eat my medicine, their symptoms have improved.
Judging by this situation, as long as you keep taking the medicine, I guarantee you will recover completely within three days.
You must have heard of the severity of the plague. Anyone who catches it basically has no chance of survival.
If you don't want to die, stay here obediently and keep taking the medicine.
Of course, if you insist on leaving I won't stop you, as long as you don't regret it."
After listening to He Zhiran's words, the villagers hesitated.
What she said did make sense. Even if they escaped from here, with no one to provide medical treatment, let alone a place to stay, it would still be death.
Soon, some people understood this logic.
"I won't leave. I'd rather die here, at least it's still in my hometown."
"I won't leave either. I can't spread the disease to more people."
Village Chief Liu took the opportunity to persuade them for a bit more before the villagers finally regained their senses and returned to the cave.
He Zhiran handed the herbs to Village Chief Liu and asked him to arrange for people to continue decocting the medicine.
The commotion here was not small, so even the exiled criminals and yamen runners found out about the plague.
At first, like those villagers, they were extremely horrified.
Gradually, under the persuasion of Peng Wang and Mo Jiuye, they slowly gave up the idea of fleeing this place.
In the Mo family’s eyes, they had reached a crucial moment of life and death.
At this time, the family must unite and support Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran even more.
The sisters-in-law and Mo Hengyue surrounded He Zhiran.
"Sister-in-law, being able to be with family even in death, I'm not afraid. If there's anything you need help with, just order me to do it!"
"That’s right, sister-in-law, we Mo family members are not afraid. If you need help just speak up."
"......"
He Zhiran was once again touched by her family's support. She smiled and reassured everyone.
"Sisters-in-law, Hengyue, you don't need to worry. My medicine not only treats the plague but also prevents infection.
You have all taken it already. I believe the possibility of infection is very small."
With He Zhiran’s words, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, they felt extremely fortunate that Ninth Brother had married such a capable wife before his exile.
The family was enthusiastic and truly wanted to help, but He Zhiran really had nothing for them to do right now.
She gently persuaded everyone to leave before turning around to discover Mo Jiuye missing.
He Zhiran only thought he had gone to relieve himself somewhere and didn't think much of it.
It wasn’t until half an hour later when the medicine had been decocted and distributed that Mo Jiuye returned carrying several pheasants and rabbits.
He Zhiran suddenly understood that this guy had gone hunting.
Having skills made a difference. In just half an hour he was able to hunt this much game.
Unfortunately, with so many people taking refuge here, what Mo Jiuye brought back could only be described as a drop in the bucket.
In times like these, they had to be a little selfish and let their family fill their stomachs first before considering others.
Mo Jiuye thought this way too, which was why he directly gave the game he brought back to his sisters-in-law to roast and share with the family.
Peng Wang and Village Chief Liu came up to Mo Jiuye almost at the same time.
At this moment, both men had pleading expressions on their faces...
"Brother, I know you’re capable. Can you go out again to hunt..."
His words trailed off as he spoke, but he had to say them.
In order not to starve, they could only ask Mo Jiuye for help.
Village Chief Liu looked at Mo Jiuye just as pleadingly, hoping he would agree to Peng Wang's request, so he could also share the spoils.
Without expecting to eat meat, at least they could drink some chicken broth at a time like this.
Under normal circumstances with Mo Jiuye’s capabilities, casually hunting some game in the mountains would be no problem at all. However, the situation today was special.
Not to mention the slippery paths, he didn’t know whether it was due to the heavy rains, but when he tried using his lightness skill to go further out, he could only find these few pheasants and rabbits.
