"We've finally reached the village." Li Shengli let out a long sigh of relief.

Everyone else also smiled.

Huo Township was truly far away. They had walked all night. In the latter half of the night, they found a flat spot on the mountain road to sleep for a while. Now it was already morning, and they had finally arrived.

"Let's go." Gao-Yuan waved his hand. "Let's head over and see if we can get a bowl of hot water."

Everyone nodded excitedly.

The four had just entered the village, passing by a house, ready to knock on the door and ask around, when they saw an old man pouring out a basin of something. It almost splashed on them.

Li Shengli said, "Sir, be careful. What are you dumping out?"

The old man rinsed the basin in the gutter in front of the house. Seeing that these people were unfamiliar faces, he said, "Dumping? It's vomit. Someone in my family is sick, vomiting and having diarrhea. By the way, who are you?"

Li Shengli quickly replied, "Sir, we are doctors."

The old man looked them up and down, noticing they were even more ragged, dirty, and smelly than he was. Suspiciously, he asked, "Are you beggars fleeing a disaster?"

The four who had been excited suddenly darkened in unison. They looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.

Gao-Yuan smiled bitterly. "Sir, we really are doctors from the Zhang Village Joint Clinic. We've traveled a long way to come to your township. We slept in the fields last night, so we're a bit dirty and smelly. Look, our wheelbarrow is full of medicinal herbs."

Li Shengli quickly opened the sack to show.

The old man hurried over, grabbed a handful of herbs to inspect, and his hands began trembling. The basin he had been holding dropped to the ground with a crash, but he didn't even notice. He looked at Gao-Yuan and the others, tears suddenly welling up in his eyes.

Like a child, the old man began to cry, overcome with emotion. "You... you’re doctors? You've finally come. You've finally come. So many of us are sick. My whole family is sick."

The old man grabbed Gao-Yuan's arm tightly, refusing to let go, as if afraid the doctors might disappear.

The four doctors were at a loss for what to do.

The old man quickly wiped away his tears and called out to the back of the house, "Come out, everyone! Come out! The doctors are here! The doctors from Zhang Village are here! Everyone, come out!"

Soon, more and more people gathered, many of them looking sickly. The villagers, with tense and excited expressions, gazed at the four doctors who had come to provide aid.

Faced with this scene, the doctors were stunned.

Zhao Huanzhang said to Gao-Yuan, "Huo Township is so remote that usually no doctor is willing to come here. The last time a doctor came was to administer smallpox vaccines and treat sexually transmitted diseases, but that was years ago."

"They are severely lacking in medical care and supplies. It’s not just the flu—many other illnesses have afflicted them. When someone falls ill, they can only endure it."

Gao-Yuan placed his hand on the wheelbarrow and said, "Looks like we'll need a lot more medicine."

...

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

News that the doctors had arrived spread quickly.

More and more people gathered. To centralize treatment, they didn’t linger in the village but went straight to the township government.

After making contact with the local officials, they set up a treatment station right in front of the government building. The officials responded swiftly, spreading the word to nearby villages and urging the sick to come for treatment as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Gao-Yuan and the others finally got a chance to eat something warm.

Before they even finished their meal, patients had already lined up, and they had to eat faster.

Gao-Yuan looked at the scene, deeply worried.

"What’s wrong, Dr. Gao?" Zhao Huanzhang asked.

Gao-Yuan pointed ahead, "Look at this. So many patients, and more are coming. There are people being carried in, too. If the outer villages are this bad, the inner ones must be even worse."

Zhao Huanzhang looked at Gao-Yuan, and a hunch began to form about what he intended to do.

Gao-Yuan said, "The patients in the inner villages can’t come this far to the township, especially the critically ill ones. We must go in. But we can’t abandon these patients here either. So I plan to split into two teams. Li Shengli and I will go to the innermost village, while you and Dr. Shen stay here."

Hearing this, Zhao Huanzhang’s breathing quickened.

Gao-Yuan locked eyes with him and said, "After I leave, these critically ill patients will be your responsibility."

Zhao Huanzhang's face showed signs of nervousness. He swallowed hard, wanting to say he should go with Gao-Yuan, but reason held him back.

Gao-Yuan said to him, "You can’t run away from this forever!"

Zhao Huanzhang looked at Gao-Yuan, his gaze faltering.

Gao-Yuan placed a hand on Zhao Huanzhang's shoulder and said, "I’ve heard that students of the Menghe School of Medicine recite the ‘Oath of the Great Physician’ every morning. 'A great physician must be calm and composed, with no desires or personal motives, driven only by compassion and the desire to relieve suffering. Whether rich or poor, noble or lowly, young or old, beautiful or ugly, whether they are enemies or friends, natives or foreigners, wise or foolish, all must be treated as equals, like one’s own family. There should be no hesitation or concern for one’s own safety."

Zhao Huanzhang, breathing heavily, continued, "'...and all patients who seek help, regardless of their background, must be treated with the same care. A physician must never prioritize their own safety or fortune above the well-being of their patients.'"

At first, his voice was shaky, but as he recited, it became steadier and faster. It seemed as if he had returned to his youthful days of studying with great ambition. But when he reached the final sentence, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He looked nervously at Gao-Yuan.

Gao-Yuan finished the last line for him: "In doing so, one can become a great physician for the people. If not, they are nothing but a thief to the suffering souls of the world!"

At the words "thief to the suffering souls," Zhao Huanzhang trembled.

Gao-Yuan stared intently at Zhao Huanzhang. Earlier, when Gao-Yuan had used Zhao Huanzhang's prescription to save that critically ill child, it was to show him that he could do it. Now, by invoking the "Oath of the Great Physician," he was telling him that he must do it.

Zhao Huanzhang's breathing grew more erratic, his face filled with struggle and discomfort. He looked at the increasing number of patients outside, their eyes filled with desperation and hope, and his heart quivered.

Gao-Yuan said earnestly, "I heard that you became a doctor because your mother died when you were young, and you vowed to save others. You once swore to relieve the suffering of all beings and not to hesitate or worry about your own safety. Does that vow still hold?"

Zhao Huanzhang breathed heavily, staring at the patients outside, his fists clenched tightly.

Gao-Yuan glanced at the long line of patients, his brow furrowed deeply, and said, "For the sake of the patients in Huo Township, we must split into two teams. We need to head out now. Can I entrust these critical patients to you, Dr. Zhao?"

Zhao Huanzhang grated his teeth and nodded vigorously. His voice trembled as he said, "I am not a thief to the suffering souls."

"I believe in you," said Gao-Yuan.

Zhao Huanzhang nodded fiercely.

Gao-Yuan then looked at Dr. Shen and asked, "Dr. Shen..."

Shen Congyun waved her hand, resolutely saying, "Go on, don't worry about us. This is a rare opportunity. Even if you tried to chase me away, I wouldn’t leave!"

"Alright," Gao-Yuan replied firmly, then turned to Li Shengli and said, "Pack up. We're heading to the innermost village right away!"

"Yes, sir!" Li Shengli shouted, immediately pushing the cart.

The two of them set off quickly, heading towards the deepest parts of the village.

An official hurried over, asking anxiously, "Doctors, more patients have arrived. A few more critical cases were just brought in. What should we do?"

Shen Congyun looked at Zhao Huanzhang.

Zhao Huanzhang closed his eyes, inhaled deeply as if trying to draw all his strength inward, then exhaled forcefully, as if expelling all his pressure and burdens. He opened his eyes, straightened his clothes, and adjusted his glasses.

He turned to the official and said resolutely, "Bring me the most critical patients!"