Giant Ship Across the Song Dynasty: My Supplies Come from My Motherland

Chapter 21, In Purgatory, the Heart Proves Enlightenment

Just after noon, Lao Cao rushed into the shop. Cao Wenda, who had been so composed before, was now covered in cold sweat.

He knocked on the door to wake Lin Zhou, who was sleeping. Lin Zhou opened the door groggily and asked, "What?"

Cao Wenda took a deep breath and did not answer directly. Instead, he had someone guard the door, walked in quickly, and pulled Lin Zhou to sit in the hall.

"Brother, six are dead now..."

"What the hell?" Lin Zhou perked up now. "What? Six people died?"

"Didn't you take the medicine over this morning? I was thinking of asking people to try it, but who knew... in just a few hours, out of the eight people I called, six are dead, and the fate of two others is unknown... What kind of medicine is this? The Imperial Physician said... it's poison. Can this really cure diseases?"

"Six people died?!" Lin Zhou jumped up immediately. "Brother Cao, who told you to go and test the medicine yourself?!"

"I was just getting anxious... Oh dear..." Cao Wenda slapped his thigh and said, "The plague is like a tiger, and I also want to help my master relieve his worries."

"Damn it..." Lin Zhou cursed, "It's my fault, it's my fault. I was confused this morning and didn't explain clearly to Brother Cao who...who were the dead people?"

"Oh, they're all poor wretches who're about to die. They've got the plague and have no money for treatment. I figured they were all going to die anyway, so I might as well call them over and give it a try. I gave each family five taels of silver for every one of them who died, so it wasn't a waste of their lives, was it?"

When Cao Wenda talked about how the medicine was useless, he broke out in a sweat, but when he talked about dead people, he looked relaxed. Lin Zhou felt a wave of nausea rising in his eyes when he saw his expression, but at this moment he had no better options and could only continue down this path.

"That's alright, at least five taels of silver will get someone to collect the body, they got off easy."

"Who says otherwise?" Cao Wenda chuckled dryly twice. "Brother Lin, this medicine..."

"We still have to try." Lin Zhou placed his hands on his knees. "I forgot to tell Brother Cao this morning that there's another ingredient in this medicine. I didn't expect Brother Cao to be so impatient."

Cao Wenda just chuckled. He was also feeling guilty at the moment because he clearly didn't trust Lin Zhou, and Lin Zhou's words were basically mocking his behavior.

"Brother Lin, this drug trial... won't kill anyone else, will it?"

"It's hard to say, but I'll try to control the dosage and see how it goes." Lin Zhou rubbed his fingers together. "But it all costs money."

Cao Wenda frowned and pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said, "Brother Lin, I, Cao, am convinced. They say old ginger is spicier, but it seems that you, young ginger, are the ruthless one."

"Ha, a bunch of poor, lowly people. So what if they're dead? I used talismanic water to save them out of kindness; if I couldn't, it's just bad luck. Who can they blame?"

"Yes, yes, yes... Brother Lin is right. Then I will wait for Brother Lin's good news. If you need anything, just say the word."

Cao Wenda walked out of the shop, turned back and took a deep look at the shop. His heart was still pounding a little. But as the saying goes, people die for money and birds die for food. If he didn't go for a big deal with this hothead, he would miss this opportunity.

As evening fell, with the help of Cao Wenda's men, Lin Zhou put on a Taoist robe and had his several vats of "talismanic water" dragged to the South City.

With his eyes lowered, he walked into that chaotic place, made a snap decision, then raised his head and gestured to his "little assistant" to strike the broken gong.

"The Celestial Master has shown mercy, and his talisman reaches the heavens! He commands water from the Eastern Well to cleanse calamities and cure diseases! Now, a sacred talisman transforms into holy water, to relieve the plague and alleviate suffering. Believers from all directions are welcome to come and pray for blessings and protection from the epidemic!"

Reciting the words prepared by Cao Wenda and shaking the Sanqing Bell in his hand, he felt that it really made sense.

"The Plague God spreads malevolent energy, while the talismanic water protects the primordial spirit! This water is commanded by the Three Officials; wearing it can protect one's body and home, and drinking it will soothe the internal organs!"

"The talisman is not merely cinnabar paper, but the vital energy of the land, mountains, and rivers; the water is no ordinary spring, but the essence of the Big Dipper's radiant light! The holder of the talisman remains untainted, and the sincere receive protection!"

As he burned the talisman and plunged it into the water, Lin Zhou loudly recited the words he had added himself. Since that's how it was done in the movies, his version was sure to be correct: "May the Supreme Lord Laozi's command be swiftly fulfilled!"

As this elaborate and mysterious performance came to an end, people quickly gathered around. Along with the influx of people came a stench that filled the air. The old ancestral hall of the Xu family in Lin'an was now just a few broken walls and eaves. It seemed that Xu Shang had indeed demolished his own ancestral hall...

What a real man!

"Guiding in turn, believers receive the talismanic water!"

Lin Zhou kept chanting incoherently, and the people around him were initially hesitant to approach. But when people are in despair, they won't give up any hope. Soon, a woman holding a child stepped forward and knelt in front of Lin Zhou.

"Immortal, save me... save my little child..."

Lin Zhou didn't say much, but he frantically stirred the vat of "talisman water" with a bamboo stick, then scooped up a cup from it with a small wine cup and handed it to him: "Let him drink it."

The woman took the talisman water and, with deep gratitude, poured it into her child's mouth. And once the first person did this, another followed, and soon the line waiting for the talisman water stretched for a very long time.

Cao Wenda watched quietly from the corner, secretly praying that the drugs would work and that a few people would die, but not a large number, or his head would be moved along with this hothead...

Thousands of people lined up to receive water, and by the time it was all distributed, it was already late at night. Lin Zhou was so exhausted that he collapsed to the side. Someone handed him water, but even though he was starving, he dared not drink the water from this godforsaken place.

Damn it... fecal-oral transmission! How could he dare drink this water? The water quality here is comparable to the Ganges River, and who knows if it was even boiled?

The people who had drunk the talisman water lingered for a long time, and Lin Zhou sat there with them, waiting for the effect. One group was waiting to take revenge on the "fake Taoist priest" if something went wrong, while the other group was waiting to see if modern medicine could work on ancient bacteria.

The outcome of this battle was unsurprisingly a victory for modern technology. With specialized drugs and fifth-generation antibiotics, wouldn't they wreak havoc once inside the body? Against these drug-free Shigella bacteria, they're unstoppable...

Its effects are even more pronounced than those seen in modern people. The first child to drink the talisman water has not had diarrhea for almost six hours now, and the rest of the people have also clearly felt their symptoms lessen or even disappear.

Seriously, this effect would be like a god descending to earth in this day and age.

Soon, those who had fainted from diarrhea began to wake up after drinking the talisman water. With the addition of the salt water boiled by Xu Shang, their spirits improved significantly, and some who had been waiting to die were even able to eat.

As long as you can eat, you can live! This is a simple scientific belief, and as more and more people feel hungry and start eating, everyone knows that this stuff works.

"A god! A living god!"

Suddenly someone shouted, and a huge crowd surged towards Lin Zhou. The various gaunt faces stared at him, startling him.

Then, like waves of wheat swaying in the wind, the people here knelt down one after another, their heads hitting the broken road with loud thuds.

"Gods..." The wailing grew louder and louder.

Lin Zhou leaned back, looking at the people in front of him. He took out a cigarette and lit it, but in their eyes, the little deity in front of him was praying to the heavens with incense and candles in his mouth...

"well……"

"This little deity exhausted his divine power for us!"

At that moment, someone even shouted "Long live the little immortal!" which almost made Lin Zhou wet his pants, not to mention Cao Wenda next to him.

He quickly appeared, grabbed Lin Zhou, and escaped while everyone was bowing in worship, leaving behind only two empty jars and a fussy altar...

Before leaving, Lin Zhou glanced back at the group and suddenly understood what Zhang Jiao meant by "scattering beans to create soldiers." It was just like saying, "I'll scatter a handful of beans for you, and you'll become my soldiers."

Ah... I, Lin Zhou, beg the Great Song Dynasty to die?

Hmm? Thinking about it that way doesn't seem so bad, but... forget about it. He doesn't have that kind of ability. Right now, if he dares to raise his hand in the air, this little punk won't even see the sun rise tomorrow...