Chapter 18: Hearing Buddha's Compassion

Guanghua Temple was only eight miles away from the capital. Not far from the city, a checkpoint had been set up on the official road, along with a notice directing those afflicted with smallpox.

The carriage sped along the road and soon glimpsed Guanghua Temple standing atop a hill.

Guanghua Temple covered a vast area and, positioned on high ground, it could prevent the patients from wandering off.

When the convoy arrived at Guanghua Temple, Seventh Chen had already brought people to greet them. Upon entering the temple, the families of the sick children were lined up at the gate. Seeing Miss Jun and her group enter, they surged forward all at once.

"Divine Doctor, save us!" someone cried loudly.

Seventh Chen immediately clicked his tongue at that person.

"Isn't that exactly why we're here?" he said, glaring.

"Thank you, Doctor, thank you, doctors," other people hastily shouted in succession.

Compared to the folk outside the city who were merely worried about their children contracting the disease, the emotions here were much more tumultuous, as the children were already sick, and many people were crying and fainting on the ground.

This scene stirred the doctors, leaving them simultaneously exhilarated and heavy-hearted.

"Given such great expectations, what if we fail?" a doctor said, looking at the people being persuaded to leave.

This remark sank everyone's heart further.

Indeed, along the way, they had only been caught up in their fervor, forgetting that the task they were to undertake was uncertain.

Now that the enthusiasm of the people was thoroughly aroused, in their eyes, these doctors were the ones who could save them. If by any chance...

The doctors who had just entered the main hall of Guanghua Temple all fell silent.

The monks inside had been asked to leave, and the imposing, majestic Buddha statue sat tranquil, flanked by wall-length paintings of land and water scenes.

Guanghua Temple had once been a temple of the imperial family in the previous dynasty. The Buddha statue and the land and water paintings, in terms of standards, brushwork, coloring, style, and scale, surpassed those of other temples in grandeur.

In the past, this place was bustling with devout believers and monks, filled with noise, but now, the quiet hall exhibited an unprecedented solemnity and reverence.

A faint sound of footsteps arose in this tranquility, drawing everyone's gaze to see Miss Jun walking along the wall to the paintings, looking with a touch of curiosity.

"This represents the Nine Buddhas, Ten Bodhisattvas, Ten Bright Kings, and Sixteen Arhats," she said, sweeping her gaze across the hall. "It truly is a marvelously solemn sight, vividly lifelike."

The land and water paintings of Guanghua Temple were known far and wide, but now was not the time to appreciate them.

The doctors watched Miss Jun with complex expressions.

After viewing the murals, Miss Jun withdrew her gaze and stood again in front of the central Buddha statue to look up intently.

The hall fell quiet once more, but the doctors couldn't calm their minds.

What was this all about? Arriving here, shouldn't she at least speak about the plans? Why was this girl admiring the scenery?

"Miss Jun," Doctor Feng, who was most acquainted with her, took the initiative to speak.

As he began to speak, Miss Jun turned and gestured for silence.

"Listen," she said.

Listen?

Listen to what?

Doctor Feng and the others were perplexed, but they fell silent and attentively strained their ears, each holding their breath in concentration.

The hall grew even quieter, as if everything else had ceased to exist.

Not knowing if it was the effect of holding their breath or the solemnity of the surrounding Buddha statues, they all felt their hearts gradually quiet down.

But...

"What are we listening for?" a doctor couldn't help but ask.

"Haven't you heard the Buddha speaking?" Miss Jun said.

The Buddha was speaking?

The doctors looked surprised. What was this about? They were all doctors, and although they didn't worship saints like students, being professionals who dealt with life and death, they naturally didn't indulge in superstitions.

What was the Buddha saying?

Miss Jun looked at them and smiled.

"You didn't hear it?" she said.

If we had heard it, that would be something.

The doctors looked at her, a few unable to contain their impatience as they frowned.

Miss Jun pressed her palms together and lowered her eyes slightly.

"Then let me tell you," she said. "I heard the Buddha say, 'Just do good deeds, do not inquire about the future.'"

The Buddha says just do good deeds, do not inquire about the future.

The doctors in the hall were stunned, pondering this phrase internally, then their expressions transformed.

They understood what Miss Jun meant.

"Yes, indeed, but when doing good deeds, one shouldn't worry about the future," Doctor Feng said, with a hint of a sigh. "It's sufficient to know what we are doing and what we should do; whether we can achieve it, we do our best and leave the rest to fate. As long as we have tried our best, we will be guilt-free and have no regrets."

Another doctor nodded in agreement.

"Yes, indeed, the saint also said not to avoid danger, cold or hot, day or night, hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Rush to the rescue wholeheartedly, without any pretense in the heart. Only then can one truly be a great physician for the people," he said respectfully with a bow of his hands. "Since we have taken on the treatment of so many patients, we should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to this task."

The doctors also nodded one by one, their expressions not excited but also free from anxiety. They looked up at the Buddhist Temple, just as Miss Jun had done earlier, not knowing if it was truly the serene majesty of the place that calmed their minds. Each one instinctively let out a sigh.

That sigh was accumulated from yesterday when Miss Jun had come to ask for their help, the persuasions by Doctor Feng throughout the night, and the journey from the city to Guanghua Temple.

The sigh contained shock, excitement, fear, quiet joy, and other mixed feelings, all stirring and chaotically filling their minds.

Now that they had exhaled, they felt completely transformed.

"Miss Jun, what should we do first?" Doctor Feng asked, looking toward Miss Jun.

"Let's first examine these sick children," Miss Jun said. "Then, we can discuss the treatment methods together."

The doctors nodded in agreement and followed Miss Jun out of the Buddhist Temple.

Seventh Chen was waiting outside with others.

"Accommodations for everyone have been arranged," he said, personally pointing the way. "The patients are all arranged in the back temple."

Following his lead, Miss Jun and the group of doctors headed toward the back temple.

"Manager Chen, these doctors seem to be in a strange mood," one of the workers said in a low voice, standing next to Seventh Chen.

"What's strange about it?" Seventh Chen responded, giving the worker a sharp glance. "Call me Manager Chen."

The worker chuckled and watched as the group approached the back temple, where the excited families of the patients led them into a room.

"They seem to be in a bad mood, with grim expressions," he whispered.

Seventh Chen spat.

"You understand nothing," he retorted. "That's obviously composure. Have you ever seen a doctor treating patients with a frivolous smile? Empathizing, being compassionate, calm, and not showing emotions of joy or sorrow is what comforts the patients and is also part of the treatment."

The young worker chuckled.

"Manager Chen, you sure know a lot," he said.

Seventh Chen ignored him, stroking his chin as he watched the doctors walk from one room to another.

It really was strange; the doctors' expressions had indeed changed, now looking truly professional, unlike their prior reluctant attitude.

It seemed that praying to the Buddha before treating the patients was really effective. No wonder Miss Jun led them straight to the Buddhist Temple upon arrival, instead of seeing the patients first.

............…..

After visiting the children with smallpox in over a dozen rooms, the doctors gathered again in the Buddhist Temple.

"We will discuss the prescriptions and treatment here in the future," Miss Jun said.

Is this temple too big? Why hold it here? There are several empty rooms in the back temple.

The doctors instinctively glanced around, noticing the tables and chairs already set up in front of the Buddha statue, which looked somewhat odd.

But there was nothing too strange about it. This place wasn't a medical clinic after all, and every setup could seem unusual, so one shouldn't fuss over such minor details. The most important thing was to focus on curing the disease.

"Regarding this smallpox, most of these people have been sick for more than three days; their conditions are indeed critical."

"Then their medication must be different."

"Let's use the honey-hemp treatment."

The doctors discussed among themselves, and Miss Jun picked up a pen.

"Besides the honey-hemp, I have another prescription," she said.

Indeed, she had a plan.

The doctors breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her, but Miss Jun didn't write immediately and paused for a moment.

"However, this method will cause the patients great pain," she said.

The doctors gasped.

"Miss Jun, don't worry about that now," they responded.

"If it can cure and save lives, that's already great. Could it possibly be more painful than dying?"

Miss Jun smiled.

"Indeed," she said. "But here's what we'll do, use this method for those sick less than three days, as they still have enough strength to endure. For the critically ill, who've been sick for more than three days, let's stick with the honey-hemp treatment. We'll improve their condition with medication first, then use my method."

The doctors nodded.

Miss Jun began to write the prescription, and the doctors gathered around to observe.

"This prescription is indeed something I've never seen," they said, excited. "A new method must be effective," and they promptly moved to prepare and administer the medication.

Miss Jun watched them briskly leave, then turned back to look at the towering Buddha statue and walked out with her eyes downcast.

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Thanks to Zixing Qiyue, Jing San Shao, Little Rabbit Mom, Diu Diu Jian Jian, Last Shot, Southern Ice One, and md12 for the rewards and He's Bi.

Thank you all, love you, bowing deeply.