On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month, the first snow of the year came very late, adding a spoonful of New Year's atmosphere to this small town.
The town is called Fenggan County, and every year at this time of year, the people in the town will hold a grand worship ceremony to pray for the safety of the people and the elimination of disasters and diseases.
Wei Dongming is a jianghu langzhong, his medical skills are not high, but he likes to brag to people, "Last night there was an old immortal who dreamed of giving me a dream and passing on my skills", "There is no incurable disease under my hands", "Yan Wangye can't rob me of the person who let him live" and so on. Dongming had not married for forty years, and naturally had no heirs under his knees, but he picked up a cheap apprentice on the side of the road on the twenty-eighth day of last year's Waxing Moon and named it "Southwest".
Southwest is a girl, wei Dongming picked her up when she was crouching on the side of the road to nibble sweet potatoes, the small face is black, but can not stop the clear eyes of the pool to release the aura. The southwest had no parents very early, and survived tenaciously by picking up food. At this time, the two masters and apprentices hung behind the crowd and walked toward the only temple within a hundred miles outside the city.
The first snow was not big, but it did not stop for a day, and the snow on the ground was scattered with messy and long footprints, following the crowd to the outside of the city.
"Master, why does our town go to that broken temple every year to worship?" Southwest nibbled on the sweet potato as he walked and said vaguely.
"Lao Tzu knows! A broken bronze statue is about to be polished every year to worship a hammer! Wei Dongming pulled on his straw shoes and muttered, "There is a disease looking for Lao Tzu to see, looking for a god, if the god is capable, the people in the town will still be sick every year?" Still have to eat? “
The temple is on a hill ten miles outside the city, just halfway up the mountain, lonely, the only building in the whole mountain bag, not big or small just wrapped up in the sky. There was a dead tree outside the temple, the middle of the trunk was almost empty, and a few branches were hung with stories, and it knew the history of the temple.
The wind on the mountainside was stronger than at the foot of the mountain, and the southwest tucked several patches of cotton clothes on his body, which was also the only cotton coat. Dong Ming glanced at her, "Lusa? You prefer to follow, roasting charcoal at home is not better than here!? Southwest sniffled hard, "It's not fun at home, I don't." ”
The temple was full of people, and the two masters and apprentices could only stand at the door and look at the situation inside. I saw the only priest in town standing on the front platform, behind him was a person about three meters high, because of the age, his face was almost invisible, and his rusty body was probably showing off his contribution to the world.
"I have not observed the long river; the sun, moon, and stars, I have not followed." May we rejoice and be healthy, and bless me with no vainness or misfortune. "The multitude prostrated three times, and the ceremony was completed.
...
In the spring of the next year, everything was born, and all life seemed to wake up after a winter, but Fenggan County was dead.
"Master, this plague is so terrible, no one has come out," Southwest said abruptly as he sat on the threshold staring at the empty street.
"Afraid of a hammer!" Every year is not worship of the gods, the gods will save them. Wei Dongming leaned on the door frame Yin Yang Strange Airway.
An inexplicable plague swept through Fenggan County, breaking the town's decades-long peace. The plague harvested people's lives like a yama, and the smell of terror hung over the town, and the haze made people panic. Yamen ordered that the city gates be closed, that no one should go out, and that the sick were locked up in a temporary circle under the city walls, with no one asking whether they were alive or dead, and even eating had to be settled by themselves.
"My lord, in the past few days, many people in the town have been infected, and the small place under the city wall is almost impossible to live with people!" Two people in official uniforms in the Yamen were frowning and talking, one was the Master of the Yamen and the other was the county order.
"I know, but I can't help it, I reported it to the imperial court for several days, and the court just asked me to wait a little longer. Alas...."
"My lord, why not... It is better to bury the sick people by the river twenty miles north of the city, although the means are slightly cruel, but they are also for the sake of the overall situation. ”
"Shut up! The dead are buried, but what about the living? How, do you want to bury alive!? This matter must not be mentioned again... What is the method of Lang zhong in the town? The county commander said fiercely.
"Yes, sir, there are three langzhong in my town, and none of them are willing to go under the city walls to find the cause of the disease, for fear of contracting the plague." Master hurriedly leaned forward and whispered a response.
"Alas... How good is this... I only ask Heaven to bless my Fenggan County through this calamity. ”
"I'm gone, you're staying home."
Southwest was holding a steaming sweet potato and nibbling on it, when he heard Wei Dongming's words, he looked up and said, "Where are you going?" “
Wei Dongming opened the door bolt, stepped over the threshold with one foot, and whispered, "Go and treat the disease." Southwest Hu Teng bounced up from the ground, "Can't go, it will kill people!" ”
"Hammer! Your master is so powerful, why will he die, rest assured, I will come back if I can't be cured." ”
"Then I'll go with you!"
"What are you going to do?" You haven't learned anything since the year you were with me, and you're making a mess of it, and you're honestly staying at home nibbling on sweet potatoes. “
When the words fell, Wei Dongming strode away. The southwest hurried out of the door, and when he looked at it again, Wei Dongming's back had disappeared into the alley.
Wei Dongming walked out of the East Street, muttering as he walked: "Immortal board, the three Langzhong are all provocatives, Lao Tzu, the half-hanging Langzhong who has the ability to do so, dares to go!" hammer! Usually the price of seeing a doctor is expensive, and when you encounter big things, it is like a turtle with a shrunken head! ”
Several van soldiers stood at a distance of about 50 meters from the city wall, saw the people coming, and asked: "Who?" Answering Lang Zhong, he asked again, "Can you think about it?" If you go in, you may not be able to come out" and answer "I know", and let it go.
"Report~ My Lord, a famous man entered the plague area under the city wall."
"Lang Zhong? Where did Lang Zhong come from? Didn't all three of the langs dare not go? The county order wondered.
"I heard the neighbors say that it was a half-hanging langzhong named Wei Dongming, whose medical skills were not high, but he liked to talk big."
"My lord, there is indeed such a person, this person is not very skilled, all day long on the street, since receiving an apprentice has not made much appearance." Master Shi bowed to the side.
"Hmmm... Leave him alone, let him go, the good guys will do some means. I have to continue to ask the court for help, preferably a doctor. “
Tents are scattered around the plague area, and there is an ordnance room near the city wall, which has been abandoned and converted into a kitchen, and infected people live off the vegetables that their families throw in outside the walls every day. It was as lifeless as hell, young and old, most of the lesser symptoms sat in front of the tent and leaned on the wooden pillar to catch their breath, and the heavier ones could only lie in the tent and wait for the black and white impermanence to take them away. In the distance, there are piles of recently dead and buried corpses, and flies fly around, which is chilling.
Everyone's eyes were full of numbness, and even if someone new person came in, they would no longer pay attention.
A dirty little girl saw Wei Dongming, even if the clothes on her body were like rags, but she could not resist the light in the girl's eyes. "Uncle, are you sick too?" The little girl looked up and asked.
"I don't get sick, I'm Langzhong, I've come to treat you." Wei Dongming squatted down and smiled at the little girl.
The little girl's smile was like a rare color in this hell on earth, melting Wei Dongming's heart. She turned and ran, shouting as she ran, "Mother! mother! Come out, there is Langzhong to see us! We have salvation! We can go home! This voice not only alarmed the little girl's mother-in-law, but also everyone in the plague area. The plague area, which had been dead and silent, instantly became noisy, and everyone got up one after another to move closer to Wei Dongming.
An old man who seemed to be a little majestic in his old age walked forward trembling and asked, "I recognize you, you are an old Wei family boy who lives in pan alley next to West Street, will you cure the disease?" ”
Wei Dongming helped the old man's shaking body forward and said, "I don't dare to say that the magic hand is rejuvenating, but I also know a little bit." ”
Many people at the bottom recognized Wei Dongming and muttered, "This is not Wei Dongming, he is a liar, he can only brag, how did Yamen send him here?" "Yes, yes, Dr. Sun of East Street is the Holy Hand of Fenggan County, should he come, what is the matter with a charlatan?" "Didn't he even deceive the official master?" "Don't talk nonsense, I think eighty percent of those serious men didn't dare to come, and Yamen could only send him." ......
Wei Dongming put his hands behind his back, stood in front of the crowd, cleared his throat, and raised the tone: "Let's be quiet!" I know that people don't trust me, but now I'm the only one here who knows a little bit of medicine, so I might as well understand everyone's condition before making plans. Wei Dongming was right, although the crowd did not recognize his medical skills, they still honestly lined up and waited for him to check.
In the night, everyone set up a temporary tent for Wei Dongming, Wei Dongming crouched under the candle to sort out the condition, "the lungs are cold and coughing, the heat is endless" Wei Dongming picked up a brush and wrote these words on rice paper. Jianghu Langzhong held a few cases in his hand, buried his head in contemplation, and did not notice that a person suddenly appeared at the table, his whole body was dark and yellow, and he could not see his face clearly, which was clearly a bronze statue of the gods in the temple! Wei Dongming looked up at him and asked, "What are you going to do?" The man wondered, "You're not afraid of me?" "Afraid? Afraid of a hammer, Lao Tzu is not afraid of anyone. "Interesting, why are you here?" Aren't you afraid of death? "Of course, I'm afraid, there's no way to do it, the villagers are sick, they can't help it." "I'll save them." "You save? Now that so many people have died, what have you saved? "That's their fate." After hearing this, Wei Dongming slapped the table and shouted, "Fate? Lao Tzu does not believe in fate! Although Lao Tzu's medical skills are not high, but also have to fight with this day, the people worship you every year, but you do not care about their life and death, this is the immortal sect? Day you a fairy board! After a moment of silence, the bronze man said, "Are you really going to disobey the Mandate of Heaven?" Wei Dongming stood up, and his voice was unusually loud: "Since ancient times, mortals have lived in the heavens, the gods have no heart, and abandoning the heavens is the destiny of heaven." The healer's benevolence, today Lao Tzu Wei Dongming resisted the gods with a mortal body, your destiny, I will disobey! The copper man was silent, the candle was extinguished, and when it was lit again, it was gone.
Chaotianmen Buns