Chapter 25: Asking for an Explanation

A safer pox poison?

Pox poison can be safe?

The Buddhist Temple quieted down.

"Arsenic is also a poison, but it can be safely used in medicine," Miss Jun said, reaching for the thin copper pipe again, "This is actually the same principle."

This sounds similar, but, but this pox...

The Doctors' expressions were complex.

"Is this pox poison really safe? Miss Jun, have you verified this?" a Doctor suddenly thought of the key question and asked.

Right, has it been verified? If it had been verified, then there wouldn't be a problem.

The Doctors' eyes suddenly lit up and converged on Miss Jun.

Miss Jun's expression remained calm.

............….

That man stopped in front of her, panting and patting his chest.

"It's alright, no need to run anymore, we've shaken them off," he said, turning his head to look at her, "Ling Jiu, did you see that? How dangerous."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"What's so dangerous about this? Couldn't you just explain things clearly to them? Why did you run?"

The man shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"Some things become even more dangerous when you try to explain them," he said, looking at the reed he was still clutching, "How to explain? Explain that your family's cow has pox poison, but don't be scared, this pox poison won't harm people; instead, it will save people. Come on..."

He gestured as he spoke.

"Let me inoculate your family with the pox poison, so your family will never fear the sickness of the pox."

After speaking, he turned his head, his face shrouded in shadow against the sunlight, showing a vague smile.

"Little Jiu, do you think they would beat us to death then? Would we still have time to run?"

She looked at the man who smoothed his sleeve and tossed the reed stem into the sunlight, where it floated down.

"What's the most terrifying thing in the world? The unknown is the most terrifying."

"To turn the unknown into the known is very difficult."

That's why he refused to do this thing.

"The origin of this method is very cruel and gruesome," he turned away, leaving her with his swaying back, "It's the survival of people driven to a dead end, beyond desperation. It's hard to say what's right or wrong, hard to discuss good and evil—it's difficult, very difficult."

But what else could be done, wait for death?

"Of course not, we are humans," the man looked back, "Humans, in the eyes of heaven, are no different from pigs and dogs, yet ultimately humans are not the same because they refuse to give in, refuse to accept fate."

He looked at her with a smile.

"So, Little Jiu, when you find yourself free one day, you might give it a try."

Free one day to give it a try.

Miss Jun watched the gradually fading figure and smiled.

Being idle could also mean having nothing else to do.

Besides this matter, she had nothing else to do right now.

"Miss Jun, has this truly been successful? Is it infallible?"

More Doctors in the Buddhist Temple were asking.

Others were very puzzled.

"Since you had this earlier, why only bring it out now?"

Right, the questioning voices grew louder.

Miss Jun looked at them and shook her head.

"First of all, I didn't have this before, I only began collecting it yesterday," she said.

At her words, a Doctor thought of something; his expression turned stunned.

"Yesterday? Collecting?" he blurted out, "Could it be those cows?"

Cows?

Everyone's gaze turned toward Miss Jun.

"Yes," Miss Jun nodded, "The cows."

The Doctors were in an uproar.

"What are you saying? This pox poison was taken from cows?"

"Cows can get the pox too?"

"Cowpox used on humans?"

Miss Jun's words this evening were simply overturning their cognition and challenging their capacity for acceptance over and over again, to the point of suffocation.

"Both humans and cows are living beings, and some diseases are not exclusive to humans."

"Cows also get pox, but cows are different from humans. For cows, pox doesn't have such a significant impact and is not life-threatening."

"Yes, it is exactly that which must be applied to humans, because the virulence has been removed by the cow, hence it is mild enough to be used on humans."

Miss Jun answered the doctors' questions one by one.

Compared to the earlier stiffness, the atmosphere in the Buddhist Temple had become lively.

Seventh Chen, standing not far away with ears perked up, turned his head again.

"The debate sounds intense," he muttered to himself. "Could it lead to a fight?"

Liu'er yawned.

"Who would dare to lay a hand on my Miss," she said dismissively.

No sooner had her words fallen than the noise from the Buddhist Temple ceased.

Liu'er smiled smugly and gave Seventh Chen a nod of her chin.

"See, how about that?" she said.

What else can I say, Seventh Chen shrugged silently. What did Miss Jun say to quiet them down?

Seventh Chen pricked up his ears, although he couldn't make out the specifics; it was somewhat comforting.

Doctor Feng stopped the other doctors' questions, looking at Miss Jun.

"Let's not talk about the origins," he said, "I'll ask the most critical question. How effective is this... cowpox? Has Miss Jun ever tested it before?"

Well, regardless of how inconceivable cowpox was, they were doctors who had seen many unimaginable remedies. As long as they were effective, they too were brave enough to use them.

The Buddhist Temple quieted down, and all eyes once again converged on Miss Jun.

In truth, the question was easy to answer, and the situation easy to resolve, if she just nodded and said yes.

Miss Jun looked at the doctors.

"No," she calmly replied.

The Temple remained silent, as if no one understood her words.

"What do you mean no?" stuttered a doctor.

"As I said before, I didn't have it before; I only collected it yesterday, so..." Miss Jun looked at him, "so it has never been tested before."

Silence enveloped the Buddhist Temple, everyone staring at her, understanding this time, but their minds blank.

"Miss Jun, are you joking?"

Finally, a doctor came to his senses and yelled out.

This statement was like water poured into hot oil, causing the hall to instantly erupt.

Seventh Chen, with ears pricked up, was startled by the sudden noise and even stepped back despite the distance.

"I think they've started fighting!" he exclaimed.

The doctors in the Buddhist Temple didn't come to blows, but they all surged towards Miss Jun, gesticulating and looking incensed.

"Miss Jun, what on earth do you mean?"

"Miss Jun, can you please stop messing around?"

"Heavens, what time is it? What on earth are you doing?"

"Miss Jun, you haven't tested anything, how can you assertively bring this method forward?"

Countless questions bombarded her; that single statement from Miss Jun had been the last straw that triggered all the carefully restrained emotions of the doctors.

Their fear, worry, grief, and joy erupted in an instant, desperate to be vented out loud.

What were they doing? Was their effort worth it?

There was a snap, accompanied by the jingling sound of thin copper pipes.

The noise didn't completely silence the doctors, so Miss Jun raised her voice at the same time.

"What's so strange about this?" she said.

What's so strange? The doctors looked even more agitated.

"Why do you say that this pox can prevent and treat pox without verifying anything?" a doctor shouted, trembling.

Miss Jun looked at him and slightly lifted her chin.

"Because my medical skills are exceptional, because Jiuling Hall specializes in curing the most challenging diseases, bringing the dead back to life and medicating diseases away," she said.

These words...

Here we go again...

The Buddhist Temple fell silent, everyone looking at this girl, for a moment at a loss between the past and the present.