Chapter 27: Here, use it as you like.

The hall was silent, with only the crackling of the lamp oil breaking the stillness.

The doctors' gazes were still fixed on Miss Jun, their expressions recovering from shock and becoming complex.

It seemed like everyone wanted to say something, but they either didn't know what to say or whether it was their place to speak. The doctors began to exchange glances.

Finally, it was Doctor Feng who spoke first.

"How should we do this?" he asked briskly.

"It's about vaccinating those who haven't fallen ill," Miss Jun said.

She had mentioned this before, and a doctor hesitated briefly.

"For everyone?" he asked.

Miss Jun shook her head.

"Not for the time being," she said, "Mainly for children, those susceptible to smallpox."

"We know this," another doctor said with a resigned expression, "but the key question now is how do we do it?"

"Yes, how do we explain this to people?"

"Are we supposed to tell them, 'Here, this is the smallpox virus, if you get infected, you won't have to fear contracting it again in the future'?"

"They'll run us out of town for that."

The doctors in the Buddhist temple resumed their discussion, but this time not about the authenticity of the matter, but about how it should be carried out.

The earlier interrogation, dispute, and anger seemed as if they had never happened, as if from the very beginning their discussion had always been about how to do it, rather than whether to proceed at all.

Doctor Feng revealed a smile.

"The smallpox virus is absolutely safe," Miss Jun said.

"Miss Jun, there's no use telling us that," a doctor said with a wry smile, "We are convinced of your superior medical skills, but convincing us isn't enough, the common people must also be convinced."

"Convincing the common people is simple—let them see the efficacy of this cowpox... vaccine. We need to validate its effectiveness, but how?" another doctor added.

Indeed, the doctors nodded in agreement, about to echo this sentiment when a cough was heard from outside.

"Validating it, well, that's easy."

The voice was sinister, as if suddenly burrowing up from the ground, making one shiver in the dead of night.

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the voice, and a chill arose spontaneously.

Outside the temple door, a circle of figures had appeared at some unknown time, each cloak a brilliant red, their expressions cold and dark, and the Jinyiwei sabers at their waists glinting intermittently as the cloaks fluttered.

Seventh Chen stood in front of them, a Jinyiwei officer's hand on his shoulder, his body seemingly frozen, motionless. When everyone looked over, he squeezed out a smile.

When had this grim assembly arrived?

Of course, they also knew that the very moment they entered the temple, these Jinyiwei had been shadowing them like wraiths.

But these days, they hadn't appeared inside the temple. The area in front of the temple was where the doctors discussed the disease and preventative medical strategies; it was strictly forbidden for outsiders to approach.

Well, the Jinyiwei were not mere outsiders, although they did not appear constantly in the temple—but they were definitely omnipresent. In the eyes of the Jinyiwei, no secrets existed.

The doctors exchanged glances, understanding that the Jinyiwei were probably aware of the conversation they had just had.

"What do you want?" Miss Jun asked, looking at the obvious leader standing beside Seventh Chen.

The Hundred-man commander Jiang smiled.

"We have no issue here," he said, "We just heard that Miss Jun and the others have an issue, so we came to lend assistance."

The Jinyiwei were never known for helping; their involvement usually meant ransacking homes or annihilating families. When had they ever lent a hand?

The expressions of the doctors within the temple turned pale.

They certainly must have learned about the matter discussed earlier—the smallpox virus.

Using the smallpox virus as a treatment—an idea that defied common sense—the Jinyiwei would never believe it. They might even take this opportunity to eliminate them all.

Soldiers had already surrounded the temple, allowing entry but not exit. Evidently, everyone inside Guanghua Temple had become lambs to the slaughter. Should the disease within get out of control, they would all be discarded together.

Those who came for smallpox treatment, how could they be unaware of the appalling smallpox disaster that had occurred in Lingnan? Whether infected or not, anyone who had come into contact with the infected were brutally buried alive.

In that instance, it was the Military Governor himself who bore the infamy, but this time, the dynasty and feudal authority need not take the blame, for there were these doctors who had volunteered.

They claimed they could cure it, but when they did not, was it not their fault?

Moreover, now there was this matter of cowpox.

Imagine what they were all discussing just now.

This smallpox cannot be cured, it is incurable.

It is cowpox, taken from the body of a cow.

Spreading the cowpox to people who are not ill.

Hearing this, they were nearly scared to death; if the public heard it, wouldn't they be driven mad with fear?

There was no need to wait to be charged with the crime of unsuccessful treatment; the mere suggestion was enough to have them eradicated, their entire clans wiped out, with the common people cheering it on.

Their names would indeed be recorded in history, but only as bywords and objects of scorn.

Looking at the Jinyiwei, the doctors felt a pang of regret, thinking they should not have spoken so rashly. They were still causing a ruckus inside the Buddhist Temple—if not the hidden Jinyiwei, then the entire temple would be drawn to the commotion.

This was the end.

"What help do you need?" Miss Jun asked calmly.

Hundred-man commander laughed without saying a word. With a gesture, the Jinyiwei at the door uniformly stepped aside, revealing the night scene to the doctors.

Within this night, a dozen or so men and women were lying or kneeling on the ground.

What was this about?

The doctors moved forward, using the light spilling out from the temple to get a better look at these people.

"Hey, aren't these the patients' families?" they recognized them and exclaimed in surprise.

Hearing these voices, the dozen or so men and women, who were bound at hands and feet and gagged, raised their heads and struggled, tears streaming down their faces, their expressions filled with terror as they whimpered for help.

"What are you doing?" Miss Jun frowned and asked.

"Let's verify," Lu Yunqi's voice came from the darkness.

Then everyone saw him step out from where the light and shadow blended into the night.

Lu Yunqi approached and stood before the temple gate, looking at Miss Jun.

"These people, are they sufficient?" he asked.

The doctors finally came to their senses, their expressions aghast and disbelieving as they looked at Lu Yunqi.

He... meant...

They looked again at the dozen men and women bound on the ground.

Did he intend to use these people to test Miss Jun's cowpox?

This, this, these were living people.

"Nonsense," Hundred-man commander spoke, "what is there to verify with the dead? You said you wanted to see if this... whatever cow thing, kills people or not."

Pointing at the men and women on the ground, he said, "Come on, give it a try."

Following his gesture, a Jinyiwei stepped forward and grabbed a woman.

The woman shook uncontrollably with fright, nearly passing out.

"What are you doing!" Doctor Feng could not help but rebuke, "How can this be allowed?"

As he spoke out, the other doctors also found their voices.

"Yes, how can such a thing be done?"

"These are patients' families who came seeking treatment."

"Why did you seize them?"

Hundred-man commander's gaze swept over the doctors, his demeanor chilling, silencing their questions.

Lu Yunqi, from beginning to end, paid no attention to the doctors, only watching Miss Jun.

"Not enough, there are more," he said.