Chapter 3: Hua Tuo Suddenly Appears at Tiger Trap Pass

  Early in the morning, the servants loaded their luggage onto the horse carriage. Lü Rui and Cao sat on the carriage, driven by the servants, heading to Luoyang. Along the way, Lü Rui looked at the scenery on the road, very excited. This was Lü Rui's first time leaving the Cao Mansion, his first time getting close to the natural world of the Han Dynasty. The air in ancient times was really fresh and unpolluted, with a hint of sweetness. Lü Rui couldn't help but indulge in this nature, often going to play by the stream, while Cao also happily followed Lü Rui to play, occasionally revealing an ugly smile, leaving Lü Rui speechless. Ah, Father-in-law, you don't look very good, so it's better not to smile, it's a pity for your eyes!

  After a half-month journey, Cao's group finally arrived at the border of Luoyang, the first pass of the Great Han Dynasty. Standing in front of the Tiger Trap Pass, Lü Rui saw an ancient pass for the first time. The Tiger Trap Pass was built on a steep mountain, winding and bumpy, with walls over 20 zhang high. There was only one gate less than five meters wide to enter or exit the pass. Indeed, it was a situation where "one man guards the pass, and ten thousand men cannot open it." Lü Rui jumped off the carriage and said to Cao: "Uncle Zhong, shall we play here for a while?"

  Cao looked at the lovely Lü Rui, patted his head and said: "Alright, Rui'er, since you like it here, we'll stay for a few more days. We're not in a hurry to enter Luoyang anyway, so let's just accompany you and play for a few more days." Cao stayed at Hulao Pass with ulterior motives. Although He Jin had invited him to the General's Mansion, Cao was still unclear about the situation in Luoyang. Recalling Lü Boshe's death, Cao still had lingering fears that it was someone he had offended in Luoyang who did it. He suspected that the grand feast at the Lü residence was a ploy to kill him, using the mountain bandits' raid on the Lü residence as an excuse to slaughter the guests and cover their tracks. If not for Lü Boshe's sacrifice, Cao Mengde might not be alive today. Thinking of this, Cao took Lü Rui's hand and checked into a local inn.

  At night, Lü Bu slept beside Cao Cao. Suddenly, the door of the inn moved slightly and a man in black walked in. Seeing Cao Cao, he knelt down and said: "I pay my respects to your lordship." This person was a member of Cao Cao's intelligence agency, known as Hei Ying (Black Shadow). Cao Cao looked at Black Shadow and asked: "What is the situation like in Luoyang?"

  The black shadow looked at Lü Rui on the bed and said, "Speak, there's only a child here, what can't be said?" The black shadow paused for a moment and said, "Master, Lord Cao has already made arrangements for you in Luoyang. When you arrive at the General's mansion, the General will take care of you. Lord Cao is preparing to resign and return to his hometown, this is his last effort for you." Cao Song was still the Imperial Chancellor, although he had no military power, but his influence was still very strong. He had already felt that the great Han dynasty was about to collapse, so he decided to resign and return to his hometown, waiting for an opportunity to act.

  At this time, Lü Rui kicked the quilt, and it turned out that Lü Rui was awake. Since childhood, Lü Rui had been learning some martial arts from Cao Chun in addition to doing some spoiled things as a young master of the Cao family, laying some foundation. Seeing Lü Rui kick the quilt, Cao hurriedly touched Lü Rui and pulled the quilt to help Lü Rui cover himself well, then looked at the black shadow and asked: "Is there anything else?"

  Hei Ying was taken aback, looked at Lü Rui and said: "Master, the clue about the assassination attempt on you at the Lü residence has been found, it should be Zhang Gonggong from the palace." Cao heard this and immediately signaled Hei Ying to shut up. After probing Lü Rui and seeing that he was still asleep, he felt relieved and asked: "Have you investigated clearly?"

  "Hei Ying nodded and said: 'After investigating, it was found that the group of people had been following the master all along. Originally, the master was going to Dongjun, if they arrived at Dongjun, they wouldn't have made a move. However, the master suddenly went to Lüfu, so they harbored murderous intentions.' Zhang Rang? How could this old thing think of killing himself? He and I don't seem to have any deep grudges. I offended many nobles in Luoyang, but not Zhang Rang. The one with the deepest feud should be Kan Ze, his uncle was killed by me, why? Why do they want to kill me? Thinking about this, Cao fell into deep thought."

  Lü Rui was lying in bed when he heard the report from the dark shadow. For Lü Boqi's family, Lü Rui had complex feelings. Although he only stayed at the Lü manor for three months, it was still Lü Boqi's family that gave him life and allowed him to come to this era of the Three Kingdoms. He didn't have any familial or emotional ties with Lü Boqi, but Lü Rui still felt a sense of attachment that he couldn't shake off. Especially when Lü Boqi entrusted him to Cao Cao, his words showed the concern of a kind father for his child. If it weren't for Lü Boqi taking the blame for Cao Cao, Lü Rui wouldn't have become Cao Cao's adopted son, and Cao Cao might not have cared about him so much. Just for this reason, Lü Rui made up his mind to avenge Lü Boqi's family.

  Lü Rui's heart was also filled with doubts after hearing Hei Ying's report. Zhang Rang wanted to kill Cao? Why? Cao, as a eunuch in the Eastern Han dynasty, was considered a young representative of the eunuchs group. Due to his identity, he was despised by the aristocratic families of the Eastern Han. As the leader of the eunuchs, Zhang Rang would actually kill Cao, which was suspicious, very suspicious indeed. Was it a case of borrowing a knife to kill someone?

  Cao was also at a loss at this time. If it were someone else who was dissatisfied with him and had resorted to violence, he could still understand. But Zhang Yan was impossible! Thinking of this, Cao looked at the black shadow and said: "I know, you can go down." The black shadow nodded and retreated. Cao looked at Lü Rui, touched his forehead, and went to sleep with the lights out.

  The next day, Cao took Lü Rui to the market in Hulao Pass. Although Hulao Pass was a strategic pass, it was also a major town near Luoyang, so there were many new and interesting things compared to Qiao County. However, these things had no appeal to Lü Rui, who had come from modern times, where there were many more toys. Originally, Lü Rui wanted to make up for his childhood and play with more things, but in this era, there really wasn't anything fun to do.

  Lü Rui and Cao walked on the main street, looking at the bustling market, eating while walking. Although the toys of Tiger Pass did not attract Lü Rui, the food attracted him. Luoyang is still very prosperous now, with merchants coming and going from all over the country, so it's still very attractive in terms of food, with delicacies from all over the country and even around the world, such as roasted lamb, roasted pork, sliced sauce dog meat, braised horse whip, cured lamb, sauce chicken, sauce belly, stewed lamb, sweet tofu brain, quick-fried carp slices, braised small deer meat, pan-fried fish roe sauce, fried stir-fried quail with orange silk, and steamed soft-shelled turtle. These delicacies made Lü Rui linger and forget to leave, and Cao could only follow behind him, paying the bills with a smile.

  After a morning of walking around, Lü Rui and Cao arrived at a tea house, sat down, and prepared to rest for a while and have some tea. Just as Cao had called for a pot of good tea, they suddenly heard a group of people shouting downstairs, "The living god doctor has come! The living god doctor has come!" Then they saw a group of people surrounding an old man, slowly walking up. The old man had white hair but looked youthful, and although his hair suggested he was over 50 years old, his appearance made him look like he was still in his prime. Cao was also taken aback by the sight of this old man, as in all his years of traveling around, he had never seen anyone like him before.

  Lü Rui looked the old man up and down, then saw his disciple beside him. Lü Rui's heart skipped a beat - could this be Hua Tuo? Thinking of this, Lü Rui pulled on Cao Cao's clothes and asked: "Uncle, who is that?" Cao Cao was taken aback too, he didn't know either, why did Lü Rui ask this question? Cao Cao had to call over a subordinate to inquire. Cao Cao asked: "Young fellow, do you know who that old man is?"

  The fellow glanced at Cao, seemingly a noble, then tossed his towel over his shoulder and said: "This honorable guest, that old gentleman's name is Hua Tuo, he's a divine doctor and our benefactor here at Tiger Trap Pass. He just cured a small village outside the pass of an epidemic, truly a godlike person! You don't know how many people died in our village from the plague, all thanks to this old divine doctor!" Cao nodded after hearing this and said: "Alright, I understand, you can go now." The fellow tossed his towel and retreated.

  Cao looked at Lü Rui and then smiled, saying: "You know, Rui'er is an old divine doctor who cured a village's plague. You don't have any questions anymore, do you?" Cao sometimes couldn't handle Lü Rui's strange and curious questions, such as why people urinate. How would you answer that? This was still a small problem. Once, Lü Rui ran to ask Cao, "Uncle Cao, why were you riding on top of Auntie in the room?" At that time, everyone in the Cao household was present, and Cao Song glared at Cao with anger. Cao had an innocent face, thinking, "This kid asks too many questions! How can I answer this?" The Cao brothers and Xiahou brothers covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. Cao really wanted to find a hole to hide in at that moment. If Cao knew Lü Rui was asking on purpose, he would probably have spanked him until his buttocks were red. Lü Rui's strange and curious nature made the Cao family like him, and his position rose steadily. Even Cao sometimes had to follow Lü Rui's mood.

  Lü Rui nodded and then lowered his head to eat the shaobing, but a thought arose in his mind. Hua Tuo, this famous doctor of the Three Kingdoms era, was killed later because of Cao Cao's reason. As a legendary figure in Chinese medical history, Lü Rui didn't want him to die. If he hadn't died, many historical events might have changed. If he were to assist Cao Cao himself, it would be much more convenient. Thinking of this, Lü Rui decided to deceive Hua Tuo.

  Just as Lü Rui was calculating Hua Tuo in his heart, an old man walked up, and many people gave way to him. It is estimated that this person is a prestigious old man. A strong man said: "Old Village Chief." Then he brought over a stool for the old man. It seems that this is the village chief of the village where Hua Tuo cured the plague. The village chief looked at Hua Tuo, grasped Hua Tuo's hand and said: "Doctor Hua, thank you, thank you for saving the villagers, you are an old divine doctor, I have something to ask of you." After finishing speaking, he was knelt down by Hua Tuo.

  Hua Tuo was startled when he saw the old man, and hastily helped the village chief up, saying: "Old village chief, what's wrong? Just say it, as long as I can do it, I'll definitely help you." After finishing speaking, he and his disciples quickly helped the old village chief up and sat him back in the chair.

  The old village chief looked at Hua Tuo with a sad expression and said, "Hua Doctor, you cured the plague in our village, I'm very grateful to you. However, my son died from the plague, and now I only have one grandson left. If there's another outbreak, will it take away my grandson's life too? There have been many plagues over the past few years." The old village chief then burst into tears. Originally, in the twenty years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there had been frequent outbreaks of plague near Tiger Trap Pass, and after a major epidemic, the once-thriving descendants of the village chief were now reduced to just one small grandson. To preserve this last descendant, he wanted to ask Hua Tuo for a way to avoid future plagues.

  Hua Tuo was stunned, this is indeed a difficult task for himself. Preventing the plague, he really didn't have the ability to do so. When the plague occurred, Hua Tuo would search for the cause of the disease and then prescribe medicine for treatment, which usually took several months. During this period, some people with poor physical condition or severe illness, especially children, would die. This was unavoidable. Thinking of this, Hua Tuo shook his head, he really had no way to do it.

  Hua Tuo looked at the old village chief and said helplessly, "Sorry, sir, I also have no way to prevent this. I can only treat patients who have contracted the plague. As for how to prevent the plague, I really don't know, sorry, sir, I'm unable to help you." The old village chief looked at Hua Tuo in disappointment, hoping to get an answer from him. He also knew that it was almost hopeless because he had lived a lifetime and never heard of a way to prevent plagues.

  Hua Tuo's disciple, Wu Pu, seeing his master's embarrassed appearance, also stood up and bowed his hands, saying: "Old village chief, my master indeed does not know how to prevent the plague. If he did, it would be a great blessing for our Great Han! We have followed our master for over ten years, traveling throughout the land of Han to practice medicine, all in search of a method to prevent the plague. Unfortunately, we, master and disciple, still have not found a way to prevent the plague."

  Lü Rui watched the conversation between the three, smiled to himself, and thought: "Preventing plagues? Smallpox is the simplest plague. The method of inoculation only appeared in modern times. If you can prevent plagues, unless you are doctors who have traveled through time, haha! Inoculation? It seems I can fool Hua Tuo."

  Just as Hua Tuo and the old village chief and villagers were muttering to themselves, a voice suddenly came over, "Can't even prevent plagues, and yet you're still considered a divine doctor? Looks like you're just another charlatan." As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. Cao's piece of meat stopped at the entrance of his mouth, and it wasn't until then that Hua Tuo and the others looked over, and Cao realized that this was Lü Rui speaking. In his heart, he cursed: "Oh no, my little ancestor, what are you doing now? Does this have anything to do with you?"

  Wu Pu saw that it was Lü Rui, just a three-year-old child, and scolded: "You little kid, what do you know? My master is the great Han doctor Hua Tuo, how can you slander him like this? Preventing plagues? This is the way of the gods." Seeing Wu Pu scolding Lü Rui, Cao's personal guards immediately stood up and drew their swords.

  Cao was taken aback, "Little ancestor, what are you doing? Do you want to fight? This isn't how you play the young master card. Although Cao had done many absurd things in his youth, he rarely sought out trouble on his own initiative. Lu Rui's words were indeed provocative. Even someone like Cao, a spoiled rich kid, couldn't help but feel annoyed at being targeted by Lu Rui. He could only turn his head away, after all, it was just a small child, and this group of people didn't dare to do anything too extreme. If things got out of hand, he could always rush out and show off his identity at the county government office to settle the matter. He had done this kind of thing before, and now he would teach Lu Rui a lesson, being a young master also required reason. It seemed that he needed to educate Lu Rui properly later on. This was Tiger Trap Pass, so it didn't matter too much, but if Lu Rui continued like this in Luoyang, someone would end up getting hurt! Thinking of this, Cao regretted bringing Lu Rui out with him. Little demon king, you're really good at finding trouble for me.

  Hua Tuo and the crowd saw Cao's personal guards, stunned for a moment, thinking that this must be a wealthy family, and should be a noble family, otherwise there wouldn't be these guards protecting them. Thinking of this, Hua Tuo stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "This young friend, you are absolutely right, without preventive measures against the plague, one cannot be considered a good doctor. Young friend, you are right, the title of divine doctor, Hua Tuo truly does not dare to assume." Hua Tuo knew that Lü Bu's identity was extraordinary, as the saying goes "common people do not fight with officials", if Lü Bu were to take action, he would definitely be the one to suffer.

  Wu Pu saw Hua Tuo's appearance on the side, extremely angry, and then said to Lü Rui: "You ignorant child, my master doesn't know how to prevent plagues, do you? Humph, ignorant child." As soon as Hua Tuo heard this, he glared at Wu Pu. This kid really didn't know his place. Thinking of this, Hua Tuo was about to apologize to Lü Rui.

  Lü Rui smiled and said, "I'm just a child, but this young boy has some insights on preventing plagues. Old Hua Tuo, if you follow me, you'll definitely benefit greatly. How about it? Come back to the mansion with me and become a famous doctor?"

  Hua Tuo was taken aback, and this child, could it be that he wants to recruit him into the mansion as a doctor because of his superb medical skills? Wu Pu heard this and burst out laughing, saying: "You little brat, you're really talking nonsense, do you know the method to prevent plagues? What a joke."

  Lü Rui looked at Hua Tuo and said: "Hua Tuo, old man, have you heard that diseases enter through the mouth? When a plague occurs, is it not easy for wealthy and noble families to contract the plague? Why do snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the plague area not die? Humans are the most intelligent of all creatures, why did these lowly creatures not die, while humans died?"

  Cao Cao shook his head helplessly upon hearing this, and Lü Bu raised some more headache-inducing questions. Hua Tuo and the others were stunned after listening, fell into deep thought, and after thinking for a moment, it seemed that Lü Bu was right, they couldn't find any reason to refute him. Wu Pu shouted from the side: "You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting here?"

  Wu Pu's words had not finished, and he was interrupted by Hua Tuo. Hua Tuo is not a fool, and what Lü Rui said makes sense. Why are people from rich families less likely to be infected with the plague? He didn't know himself, and the last sentence of Lü Rui's words sparked Hua Tuo's interest. A child who can say such things must be an extraordinary child!

  Hua Tuo cupped his hands and asked: "Young friend, I don't know what method you have to prevent the plague, can you tell me? Hua Tuo thanks you." After finishing speaking, he bowed, indicating that he was willing to ask Lü Qi for advice.

  Lü Rui did not answer Hua Tuo's question, then asked: "Hua Tuo, old man, you promised to come to my mansion and be the doctor of this young master for a lifetime. I will answer your question if you do so. What do you think?"

  Hua Tuo was taken aback for a moment. Lü Rui continued, "Old Hua Tuo, I know you've been traveling the world to save people, but to save even more people, you should stay in my mansion. My mansion can provide you with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - real paper, not bamboo slips. You can record your medical experiences and pass them down to your disciples. As long as you stay in my mansion, your other disciples can continue to practice medicine outside. Isn't this a win-win situation?" After finishing speaking, Lü Rui continued eating his pancake.

  Hua Tuo looked at Lü Rui with a profound gaze after hearing his words. To be able to say such things, it shouldn't have come from the mouth of this three-year-old child. He had actually seen through Hua Tuo's thoughts. Could it be that the unassuming man beside him was the one who taught him? If there really was a way to prevent the plague, he must get to the bottom of it.

  Hua Tuo bowed his hands and said, "Young friend, if you can tell me why the rich and noble are not easily infected with the plague, I will enter the mansion to follow Young Master, what do you think?"

  Lü Rui listened, then patted the steward beside him and said: "Steward Cao, quickly draw up a written contract, let Old Hua sign it." Steward Cao looked at Lü Rui, then looked at Cao Cao, who was now pretending to be uninterested. The steward had no choice but to take out paper and pen, writing down the contract - a deed of sale where Hua Tuo would sell himself to Lü Rui.

  Cao Cao handed over the letter to Hua Tuo, who glanced at it and said to Lü Bu: "Little friend, you can tell me the reason now."

  Lv Rui smiled and asked: "Hua Tuo, old man, do you know why people get sick?"

  Hua Tuo listened and said, "The pathogenesis of diseases in the world is different, but if a person contracts an illness, it must be that evil qi has invaded the body. If you want to cure it, you must find something that can overcome it to expel the evil qi from the body, only then can you recover."

  Lü Rui listened to Hua Tuo's words, the ancients were indeed the ancients. The medical theory of the East was that evil energy entered the body, and one had to find a substance to counteract it, then take medicine to treat it, and drive out the evil energy. This was the basic principle of traditional Chinese medicine. Lü Rui smiled and said: "You only know how to drive out evil energy but don't know how to prevent evil energy from entering the body. Let me tell you, rich and noble people are not easily infected with diseases because they use practical things, including the water they drink, all boiled with fierce fire. Fire is the divine energy that drives out evil, of course it can prevent plagues! What a foolish old man!" After finishing speaking, Lü Rui took a sip of tea, looking at Hua Tuo, and thought to himself: "This old man still doesn't know he's being fooled by me?"

  Everyone listened and fell into deep thought, pondering Lv Rui's words. At this time, Hua Tuo's heart was turbulent and unpredictable, suppressing the epidemic from its source - something he had never thought of before. This point alone had a huge impact on Hua Tuo. Moreover, Lv Rui's explanation seemed very reasonable, and this phenomenon was right in front of him, yet he hadn't discovered it despite years of practicing medicine, or even noticed it. But after Lv Rui spoke, he felt as if he had suddenly awakened to the truth.

  Lü Rui glanced at everyone, then asked Hua Tuo, "Old man, I've already told you, sign the contract now."

  Wu Pu shouted from the side: "What kind of method is this? It's a joke."

  Hua Tuo interrupted Wu Pu's words and said: "Alright, young master. From now on, I will be the doctor of the young master's mansion. I hope you keep your promise."

  Lü Rui glanced at Hua Tuo, hooked? It seems that Hua Tuo wants to find a way to prevent the plague from Lü Rui. The plague, it seems, is still an insurmountable gap for Hua Tuo. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, Hua Tuo will not give up. Lü Rui nodded and said: "Hua Tuo, I'll give you a few days to deal with your disciple's affairs. Three days later, come to the largest inn in the city to find me."

  So, the Three Kingdoms' divine doctor Hua Tuo was swindled by Lü Rui and came over. Hua Tuo was originally from Xuzhou and was born into a large clan. He became involved in medicine because his family had suffered a plague when he was young, resulting in the loss of many relatives, which had a great impact on him. Lü Rui used some modern knowledge and understanding of Hua Tuo to swindle him into coming to the Lü manor, not the Cao manor. Lü Rui would grow up and leave the Cao family later.