Shen Xuan realized what was happening and said to Gu Jiao, "No, Doctor Gu, I’ll stay behind, you all go first!"
Gu Jiao said, "You’re not fast enough on your feet, you won’t be able to catch up later, and you also cannot understand the secret signals left along the way."
Shen Xuan had nothing to say in response.
"Let’s go," Gu Jiao said.
Shen Xuan reluctantly agreed but then thought of something and asked Gu Jiao, "Where are we supposed to go?"
Gu Jiao said, "We’ll find a safe place to settle you all down."
"What about our families?" a man in his thirties asked.
Gu Jiao looked at him and said, "Experts from the Gu Family’s army have already infiltrated the city and will take them out before the battle begins."
"Can we go home after the battle is over?" another patient asked; he was the oldest among them, forty years old this year, and was once a wealthy merchant, surnamed Zhao.
When Gu Jiao had handed him the mask earlier, she had noticed that his body temperature was higher than the others, and his symptoms were more severe.
Gu Jiao did not rush to answer his question but asked, "Are you the one who didn’t get better after taking the medicine?"
"Ah?" Zhao Yuanwai was taken aback, clearly not understanding how the topic had shifted so quickly.
Gu Jiao had no time right then to carefully search for the reason why he wasn’t getting better and only said to him, "You can go home after you’ve recovered."
Zhao Yuanwai asked, "Recovered? How long will that take?"
Gu Jiao folded her arms and said, "It depends on how quickly you recover."
Zhao Yuanwai’s face changed in an instant.
The patients locked up here totaled thirteen people, excluding the dead, and out of the remaining twelve, except for Zhao Yuanwai, none showed improvement; the others were all somewhat better than before.
Although they were anxious to see their families, they also understood that they had the plague and returning home without recovering would undoubtedly bring harm to their families.
More importantly, they saw the dawn of recovery.
Zhao Yuanwai, however, did not think so.
Suddenly stepping back a few paces, he walked onto the wooden bridge, warily looking at Gu Jiao, "Your medicine doesn’t work at all! If we don’t get better, does that mean you’ll keep us locked up for a lifetime!"
With her fingertips tapping lightly on her folded arms, Gu Jiao looked at him indifferently and said, "After the battle in Lingguan City is over, I will give you a different medicine."
"What if the other medicine also doesn’t work! What if you can’t cure me! What if you’re just trying to deceive us into going outside!"
Shen Xuan frowned and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! Doctor Gu is sent by the imperial court! She came here with the young master of the Gu Family’s army that day! You saw it with your own eyes!"
"We’ve never seen the real Gu Family’s army! Who knows if what she’s saying is true! For all we know, that could have been a fake young master! She might just be trying to lead us out to kill us!"
While he vehemently spoke, he looked towards the other patients, "The plague is incurable! Her medicine can only alleviate the symptoms, but in the end, we will still die! She knows! She’s a doctor! She knows everything! She just wants to deceive us into leaving! She wants us to infect Prince Yi’s soldiers! She wants to throw us into Prince Yi’s military camp!"
No sooner had he spoken than the patients were immediately filled with panic!
Shen Xuan’s frown grew deeper; looking anxiously at him, then at his companions who clearly had also grown vigilant, he said frustratedly, "Doctor Gu is not that kind of person!"
Zhao Yuanwai retorted sarcastically, "How do you know she’s not that kind of person! Are you very familiar with her! Or maybe... you’ve been bought off by her!"
Shen Xuan angrily said, "Zhao, don’t slander people!"
"If you don’t want to go, fine," Gu Jiao said calmly and composedly, "the bodies can stay behind."
The patients’ expressions changed dramatically!
Zhao Yuanwai pointed his finger at Gu Jiao, "Ah! The fox’s tail is finally showing! You’re here to kill us!"
Gu Jiao ignored him, took the Armor from the shadow guard, and walked onto the wooden bridge indifferently. To the patients behind her, she said, "Does anyone want to stay?"
All six shadow guards drew their cold and intimidating swords from their waists in unison.
Frightened, all the patients collectively shrank their necks.
Such is the nature of people; given the choice, nobody chooses death when they can live a moment longer.
Watching Gu Jiao approaching with a weapon on her back that was even longer than he was tall, Zhao Yuanwai felt an inexplicable jolt of fear, and in the moment when Gu Jiao drew near, he dashed out!
He hid behind Little Shitou, Shen Xuan.
Gu Jiao had no intention of laying a finger on Zhao Yuanwai, but he scared himself into such a state.
"Take care, Doctor Gu," one of the shadow guards saluted Gu Jiao’s retreating figure.
Gu Jiao didn’t look back but casually raised her right hand.
The group left under the escort of the shadow guards.
Due to the heavy snowfall, the footprints on the ground were quickly obscured by snowflakes.
Gu Jiao sat in the dead soldier’s cabin, resting with her eyes closed.
As dawn began to break, two soldiers of the former dynasty’s remnant forces came with food and medicinal soup.
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