Chapter 2: The Divine Doctor Hua Tuo

  Yunzhong was originally a major town in the northern part of the Han Dynasty, along with Jiuyuan, forming a barrier for the north. During the time of Emperor Wu, the Han generals Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Li Guang joined forces to fight against the Xiongnu here, forcing them to retreat northward and establishing the current territory of the Han Dynasty. It was also in this battle that Li Guang died, and his son Li Dang believed that it was because of Wei Qing's failure to save his father that he was killed, so he assassinated Wei Qing. As Wei Qing's nephew, Huo Qubing avenged him by killing Li Dang, but was exiled by Emperor Wu and died of illness on the way. Two of the Han Dynasty's top three generals had died suddenly, leaving only the aged Wei Qing, who no longer had the strength to support the Han Dynasty's prestige.

  Nowadays, Yunzhong City is a place where Hu and Han live together. There are Xiongnu people who stayed in the Han Dynasty, the strongest Xianbei people outside the pass today, and the declining Han people. They trade here. The Han people buy horses and furs from the Xiongnu people, the Xiongnu people buy gold, silver, and wood from the Xianbei people, and the Xianbei people buy grain, iron tools, and salt from the Han people. The three sides maintain a unique neutrality in this city. No matter which merchant team enters Yunzhong City, all armed forces will not come to rob. Therefore, Yunzhong City has become the most prosperous place outside the pass.

  Although Yunzhong City was still under the control of the Han Dynasty, there were three forces at play, and Yunzhong was also divided into three parts. People from each part lived in their own territory and only contacted each other during transactions, otherwise they kept a strange relationship with little interaction. When Long Fei and his group entered the city, the sky had just turned dark, right when the city gates were about to close. The day's trading had already ended, and the streets were empty and quiet, without a single pedestrian, except for those inns, taverns, and brothels where people were bustling with activity.

  Che Ba Shi was a seasoned traveler, and without waiting for the people in the carriage to give orders, he directly drove the horse-drawn vehicle into the Han people's territory. When they arrived at the entrance of an inn, Che Ba Shi asked: "How is this Yun Zhong Inn? This is the best inn in Yun Zhong City, why not stay here tonight?"

  The inn was a three-story building, with lights shining brightly from top to bottom. The lobby was bustling with people coming and going, boasting and chatting loudly, with dialects from all over the place filling the air. What Long Fei heard most surprisingly was his hometown dialect. That Qin accent, which sounded like it was on the verge of a quarrel, was so familiar and endearing to him. After a moment's thought, Long Fei understood. Although it was now the Eastern Han dynasty, the influence of the Western Han still lingered. Wasn't the Qin accent just the official language of the Han dynasty, just like Mandarin is today, which everyone can speak?

  The woman sitting in the front of the car heard this and got angry: "Do you think I'm a rich person, living in this place and sleeping for one night costs 1,000 yuan? I'm a poor person, hurry up and change! Find a cheaper one, isn't it just for sleeping? Why bother with money?"

  The rickshaw driver let out a cold laugh and continued to pull the vehicle forward, with several mocking voices from the inn's servants coming from behind. Long Fei asked in a low voice, "Hey, what is 1,000 qian? Is it expensive?"

  "Luomaru" nodded: "The most I've ever seen is a hundred coins, that's a whole bag. In our village, buying an ox costs only five hundred coins!"

  "Oh......!" Long Fei nodded. Calculated at market price, a cow is worth over 2,000 yuan, which is equivalent to 500 US dollars. One thousand US dollars is roughly equal to 4,000 yuan, and the money here is really valuable.

  The car turned into a small alley, the alley was dimly lit, and it was clear that few people came. In the innermost corner, a lantern was swaying back and forth in the wind. On the outside of the lantern, there was a large character for "guest", and it was obvious that it was an inn. It's strange that business can be good in such a place. The driver seemed to be familiar with the situation in Yunzhong, and he could find this kind of inn in such a place.

  "Whoa……!" The carter pulled the reins, and the horse stopped in its tracks. He stuck his head in and said with a smile: "How's this place? Zhang's old shop is pretty good. For one night, three people don't need to spend more than 300 bucks. Add our horse, it's just 500 bucks, cheap enough, right?"

  "What? You want one or two silver coins here too?" The woman was still angry: "This place doesn't even have a toilet, and we're charged 500 coins for just one night's stay. He might as well be a bandit!"

  "Sister, this old shop is the cheapest place in Yun Zhong. Other places are more expensive than here. If you don't believe me, go find it yourself, I couldn't find a cheaper one!"

  The woman snorted: "Forget it, just stay here. We've been running around all day and are almost falling apart. Go knock on the door!"

  After knocking on the door for a long time, a middle-aged man finally opened it. Seeing that guests had arrived, he immediately became enthusiastic, introducing his small shop while helping to lead the horse to the backyard. Che Baishi was very familiar with him and they exchanged some jokes. The woman got off the carriage and walked straight into the store. "Luwan" shouted from the carriage: "Sister, what's going on?"

  "What a nuisance!" The woman said angrily: "Forget about him, it's fine to bring him in, but bringing him along is really troublesome."

  Don't look at "Lu Wan" being short and thin, Zhang's bones are like firewood, but his strength is quite big. Long Fei, who is 1.8 meters tall, has a muscular body from years of training, and when he was weighed during the physical examination, he was over 200 pounds. "Lu Wan" actually used all his might to carry Long Fei on his back. Long Fei gritted his teeth in pain, but didn't make a sound.

  The small shop was indeed small, with only two or three tables in the main hall, but it was tidy. Without any assistants to help, the boss was busy attending to a few customers while pouring water for them. Long Fei lay on the back of "Lu Wan", looking at everything inside and out. Unlike what's shown on TV, who says the Han Dynasty didn't have chairs? The long benches in this main hall were just that - square tables with long benches. And then there was the floor paved with green bricks. There was one difference though - the inn didn't have a counter, all the wine was stored in jars and placed in the corner of the wall. TV really is misleading! Long Fei let out a soft sigh.

  "Alright, alright, stop all this nonsense and hurry up with some food. We need to eat and sleep, we still have a long way to go tomorrow!" The woman got angry again seeing the driver and the shopkeeper talking endlessly.

  It wasn't until then that Long Fei saw the woman's face clearly for the first time. She was actually just a 16 or 17-year-old girl. Thin eyebrows, high nose bridge, thin lips, big eyes, and she was actually a beauty! Along the way, listening to her voice, Long Fei had always thought she was an ugly, pockmarked old hag, but it turned out to be so unexpected.

  "What are you looking at? Be careful or I'll dig out your eyeballs!" The girl saw Long Fei staring at her without blinking, and her fiery temper immediately flared up. She shouted at "Luó Wán": "What's the point of carrying him around? Throw him away! Give him something to eat later, as long as he doesn't starve to death!"

  "Lu Wan" responded. Seeing a recliner by the wall, he walked over and wanted to put Long Fei down. Just as he turned around, his waist hadn't even bent down, a thick voice sternly stopped him: "Can't put! If you put him down, he'll be beyond saving!"

  "Rokuro" was startled and stood there, unsure whether to let go or not. He turned his head to look at the girl.

  It was only then that everyone noticed that in the darkest place, inside, there was actually another person. The upper half of his body was hidden in the shadows, sitting inside the table, and the lower half was blocked by the table. No one saw him when he came in.

  "Whoosh!" A sound was heard, and the girl's hand had a dagger. Coldly staring at the figure in the corner, she asked: "Who are you? Come out and speak?"

  The shopkeeper immediately moved to intervene, hastily rushing forward to dissuade: "Miss, don't, don't, he's also a customer of our store, just arrived today, don't get angry, don't get angry!" He then turned his head and shouted at the man: "Old sir, you'd better come out! To avoid spoiling the harmony!"

  "Hahaha..." A thick, hoarse voice laughed and said: "When it comes to using a knife, what's important is precision. If we're talking about precision, I'm not boasting, but there probably isn't anyone in this world who's more skilled than me! The only difference is that my knife is used to save people, whereas your knife is used to kill people!" As he spoke, a withered figure emerged from the shadows. His hair and beard were completely white, yet his face was rosy and his teeth were still intact, and he walked with a strong, metallic sound, which didn't match his age at all.

  The old man didn't go find the girl, but instead walked towards Long Fei. The girl took a step forward, blocking the old man's path: "What do you want to do?"

  The old man smiled: "Is the injured person one of you?"

  "Mind your own business!"

  The old man chuckled and said, "I've traveled the world for years, but what I dislike most is when others are ill. Whenever a patient passes by me, I get an itch that's hard to scratch. Based on my decades of medical experience, your friend's injury is not light. If he doesn't receive timely treatment, I'm afraid he won't be able to stand up again in this lifetime."

  "Right, right, right......" "Shikamaru" hastily said: "It's not a light injury, and it's a miracle that you didn't die from falling off such a high cliff. You're a doctor, so take a look quickly!"

  Long Fei took a glance at the girl, and she was indeed very beautiful. Just her back figure made him think wildly. Since the girl was unwilling, Long Fei also gave up his life to accompany the gentleman. He interrupted "Luwan"'s words: "It's just a fracture, right? Two broken ribs, left tibia fractured, slightly concussed, and internal organs... probably a ruptured spleen. No big deal, I can cure this myself, don't need you to worry!"

  The old man was visibly startled: "Young brother is also a doctor?"

  Long Fei shook his head: "Don't worry about the doctor, we soldiers are often on the outside for many years and more or less know some wound healing methods. The most serious injury I have is my tibia. As long as the bone is connected and splinted with a wooden board, resting for a month or so should be fine!"

  Although everyone didn't know what the words "rib", "tibia" and "concussion" meant, from Long Fei's expression, he seemed to have a way to deal with his own injuries. "Luó Wán" was also surprised, hearing Long Fei say it wasn't serious, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face, and he hastily asked: "So you can also treat illnesses? I worried for nothing!"

  Long Fei smiled: "Alright, put me down, go find some clean water, anti-inflammatory medicine, and also get some bandages and splints. Oh, untie me, let's see how I treat my own injuries!"

  "What are anti-inflammatory drugs? Bandages? Splints?" "Rokumaru" asked in puzzlement.