Young men’s tempers naturally run high, especially when confronted with such a beautiful woman. In a small village , it’s no surprise she attracts the attention of other young men, many of whom have their eyes on Tong Tong.
Thankfully, Tong Tong’s father enjoys a high level of respect in the village and is also a fighter, so although Tong Tong is the goddess in their hearts, no one dares to disrespect her.
Now, with Lao Li locked up in the Miao Clan Ancestral Hall because of that strange illness, the village’s young men are naturally becoming restless. Xiao Lin was beside Tong Tong earlier, chatting with Bei Bei, drawing anger-filled glances his way. However, Xiao Lin arrived by helicopter, and the angry glances were tinged with helplessness. They may not be well-educated, but they’re not foolish, and given the current emergency, who knows what this young man is here for?
Xiao Lin was not indifferent, but the glances held no threat for him. They were just ordinary young men in their twenties, full of youthful vigor, so he did not investigate why these hostile glares were aimed at him.
Bei Bei, being shrewd beyond his years, whispered a warning to Xiao Lin, "Big brother, you have to protect Sister Tong Tong. Look at those people not far behind Master Miao — they’ve got designs on Sister Tong Tong. Some of them even know martial arts and can supposedly leap over rooftops."
Bei Bei spoke with an unusually serious tone, like a little adult, and whispered it in Xiao Lin’s ear, so even Tong Tong walking ahead didn’t hear.
Xiao Lin gave a slight smile, unconcerned, and said, "Don’t worry, brother will definitely protect your Sister Tong Tong!" Meanwhile, his gaze turned to the few young men not far behind Elder Miao. When his eyes met theirs, Xiao Lin was somewhat surprised. Among them, three young men appeared exceedingly tall and robust, with a rebellious aura. Their muscles were exceptionally well-developed, especially their slightly protruding temples, indicating calm breathing. These were unmistakably trained fighters, and skilled ones at that.
It was unexpected to find such young men in a small village. Given their physique and slightly bulging temples, even though Xiao Lin hadn’t sparred with them, these young men certainly qualified to join Dragon Soul, and with some training, they’d definitely be formidable warriors.
Rather than feeling anxious, Xiao Lin felt excited and eagerly asked Bei Bei, "Bei Bei, who taught them martial arts?"
"I don’t know that!" Bei Bei shook his head.
Xiao Lin approached the elderly, bearded man, focusing intently on him and the middle-aged men surrounding him, yet he didn’t see any sign of martial training. If the bearded elder could perhaps conceal his skills, the middle-aged men nearby couldn’t possibly hide theirs. As for the surrounding villagers, they didn’t seem to be practitioners either, leaving Xiao Lin even more curious about how these few young men acquired such profound martial arts skills.
Soon, led by Tong Tong, Xiao Lin reached the elderly man’s side. Tong Tong affectionately greeted him, "Grandpa Miao, what brings you here to join the fun too!" She stood beside the bearded elder with a playful smile turned toward Xiao Lin, introducing, "Grandpa Miao, this is Dr. Xiao from our school clinic. He came to check on my parents’ illness; how are they now?"
The bearded elder’s gaze rested on Xiao Lin, nodding slightly with intrigue, until he was addressed by Tong Tong, upon which he turned his gaze to Tong Tong with a kindly smile, saying, "You little girl, you didn’t come back all summer. Do you still remember Grandpa Miao? Your parents’ condition isn’t severe compared to other villagers, much better actually, but..." Elder Miao didn’t continue, instead, he looked at Xiao Lin and directly asked, "Does Dr. Xiao understand the importance of this pandemic?"
"Hello, Grandpa Miao!" Xiao Lin echoed Tong Tong’s greeting, then confidently replied, "If I didn’t understand the significance and severity of this pandemic, I wouldn’t have come with Tong Tong. Elder Miao, can you tell me about the current situation in the village?"
Although Elder Miao still had doubts about Xiao Lin’s medical skills, the fact that he had arrived in an armed helicopter, coupled with the two pilots now disembarking with sizable medical boxes, and what Tong Tong had said earlier, diminished his doubts. Despite being a school clinic doctor, he’s far better than the village’s barefoot doctors, so Elder Miao explained, "The situation is bleak. This pandemic, according to Xiao Jiu, our village’s barefoot doctor, seems linked to the outbreaks from previous years. Whether this is true remains unclear; the pandemic only erupted a few days ago, and Xiao Jiu reported it yesterday. Hopefully, the hospital will send people in these coming days!"
Elder Miao, despite nearing his nineties, displayed remarkable vigor in both speech and thought, showing none of the expected frailty, which surprised Xiao Lin, leading him to strongly suspect that Elder Miao was no ordinary figure.
"This pandemic only erupted in the last few days?" Xiao Lin asked, startled after hearing Elder Miao’s account.
"Yes, specifics of the timing aren’t clear to me, but the first victim died the night before last, and three more have followed in the past couple of days. Reportedly, deaths are higher in other villages nearby; our village is one of the later ones!" Elder Miao commented with some sorrow.
At this point, Xiao Lin noticed the white cloth wrapped around Elder Miao’s arm and scanned the surroundings, seeing almost everyone’s arm similarly wrapped, with some even dressed in white, which in rural areas indicates a family member’s death. Xiao Lin continued, "Elder Miao, can you take me to see the deceased’s bodies?"
But Elder Miao shook his head, saying, "I’m afraid of contagious spread; once someone dies from this strange illness, they are immediately cremated, leaving no remains!"
Xiao Lin felt a wave of disappointment but quickly managed his emotions, asking, "Would you take me to see Xiao Jiu, Elder Miao?" While he could directly examine the patients, having an extra perspective meant extra strength, so hearing Xiao Jiu’s analysis first seemed prudent.
The bearded elder looked at Xiao Lin with a bit of confusion and straightforwardly said, "There are patients right here, why ask Xiao Jiu?" He pointed toward the group surrounding Lao Li at a distance of a few dozen meters. (To be continued. If you enjoy the story, you’re welcome to recommend it on Qidian.com with votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)