Gao-Yuan and Li Shengli pulled the wheelbarrow along. With so many items loaded, they had no choice but to travel slowly, not arriving at the village deep inside the forest until dusk.

Even Li Shengli, with his strong physique, was utterly exhausted.

"Good grief," Li Shengli gasped, feeling as though his soul was about to escape from his body.

Gao-Yuan suggested, "Let's head into the village and get something warm to drink."

"Right," Li Shengli agreed, and the two of them pushed the wheelbarrow into the village together.

As soon as they entered, they saw a middle-aged man holding a bowl, rushing out in a hurry.

Gao-Yuan called out, "Uncle, where are you going?"

The man glanced at Gao-Yuan, coughing loudly, and waved him off dismissively, clearly in a rush. He hugged the bowl tightly and ran off.

"Huh?" Li Shengli looked confused.

Soon after, a woman holding a five- or six-year-old child, also clutching a bowl, hurried toward them.

"Auntie," Gao-Yuan quickly stepped forward to stop her. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

The woman tried to sidestep Gao-Yuan, too anxious to respond.

But Gao-Yuan blocked her path again, asking, "Auntie, why is everyone carrying bowls?"

She looked flustered, saying, "Who are you? Don’t block me! The Immortal is about to bless us with divine water! We’re all bringing bowls to collect it. Move aside!"

Seeing Gao-Yuan wasn’t moving, the woman skirted around him and continued on her way.

“What’s going on, Dr. Gao?” Li Shengli asked, shaking the dazed Gao-Yuan.

"Divine water?" Gao-Yuan suddenly turned, a chill running down his spine. In his past life, many had died because of this so-called “divine water.” This time, he had rushed to Huo County as fast as possible to prevent the tragedy from repeating.

To his shock, in this remote village, there were still charlatans preying on people. Furious, Gao-Yuan trembled with rage.

"Let’s go! Follow them quickly! Some frauds are burning talismans and making 'elixirs' to harm people," Gao-Yuan yelled, chasing after the crowd.

"What?" Li Shengli was startled and hurriedly pushed the wheelbarrow after him.

Outside the village, on a flat piece of land, a large group of sickly villagers gathered, holding bowls and watching an "immortal" perform a ritual.

The so-called immortal stood in the center, his eyes closed, gesturing with his fingers. dressed in attire resembling the City God statues in temples. Several other "immortal children," dressed in Taoist robes, were performing mystical acts. One male disciple was boiling a large pot of “divine water,” which bubbled and emitted a strange, pungent smell.

A female disciple walked around with a basket collecting money, followed closely by a burly male disciple.

"Boundless blessings, eternal paradise! Burn a talisman, light incense, and stay free from illness! Three yuan for a talisman, two yuan for incense! Burn them, pave the way to the heavens, and receive divine protection!" The female disciple changed while collecting money.

“Can… Can you make it cheaper? We don’t have much left. just a few coins,” an elderly woman pleaded.

The burly disciple immediately glared at her, barking, "No money? Then why are you here? causing trouble? The gods don’t bless those who don’t pay! Get lost!"

Trembling, the elderly woman begged, "My daughter suffered a severe hemorrhage after giving birth; she's on the verge of death. Please, Immortal, show some mercy and save her."

She knelt, continuously bowing her head to the ground, her eyes filled with tears.

As the burly disciple prepared to hit her, the female disciple intervened, saying, "It's not us asking for money; the heavenly road must be paved with gold and silver for the gods to send divine water. If you don’t pay, you’ll leave a gap, and the divine water will flow through it, ruining everything. You’ll doom everyone! Do you want to kill everyone?"

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Terrified, the elderly woman stammered through her tears, "N-no, no... I just need a bowl of divine water to save my daughter. She’s only twenty… just gave birth..."

The female disciple exchanged a glance with the burly man, who promptly shoved the elderly woman, making her tumble backward, shouting, "If you dare insult the gods again and delay others, I'll beat you up!"

The elderly woman, now lying on the ground, wanted to stand but was too frightened to move forward, instead collapsing in despair and sobbing.

Gao-Yuan and Li Shengli arrived just in time to witness this scene.

“You son of a—!” Li Shengli’s temper flared, and he stormed toward the platform, confronting the so-called immortal seated at the center. "Are you a god?"

Everyone froze, shocked by his outburst.

The “immortal” opened his eyes to glance at Li Shengli, then disdainfully closed them again.

The male disciple brewing the "divine potion" pointed at Li Shengli and shouted, "How dare you disrespect the immortal!"

Li Shengli raised his hands defensively, saying, "No, no, I wouldn’t dare be disrespectful. I just want to ask something. Since you claim to be an immortal, you must be all-knowing, right?"

As he spoke, Li Shengli inched closer to the "immortal."

The male disciple boasted, “Of course! The immortal knows the past and future, five hundred years each way!”

"Oh, that’s impressive. Well then, can he predict this?" Li Shengli swiftly kicked the "immortal" square in the face, sending him sprawling with a nosebleed.

For a moment, the entire scene fell silent.

Li Shengli clapped his hands, shaking his head regretfully. "Guess he didn’t see that coming."

"You... you dare disrespect the immortal?" The male disciple stammered, pointing a trembling finger at Li Shengli.

Li Shengli barked, "And I’ll disrespect you too!" He kicked the male disciple, sending him flying.

Soon, two other disciples charged at Li Shengli, and a brawl ensued.

Seeing the disruption, the female disciple collected money, and the burly male disciple rushed over to intervene. Gao-Yuan hurried to help, surprised at how much energy Li Shengli still had left despite claiming exhaustion earlier.

While everyone was distracted, Gao-Yuan took the opportunity to kick over the pot of "divine water." In his past life, this very concoction had killed many people. He wanted to eliminate the threat immediately.

“Hey!”

“Hey!”

The villagers panicked as they saw the pot overturned. Some of the seriously ill fainted on the spot from the shock.

Seizing the moment, Gao-Yuan grabbed a burning log from the fire and struck the burly male disciple on the back of the neck, sending sparks flying.

While fighting, Gao-Yuan rallied the villagers, shouting, "Folks! We’re doctors from the Zhang Village Clinic! We’ve brought medicine to treat you. These frauds are harming you! Help us capture them!"

"Doctors?"

The villagers looked around in confusion.

"Have any doctors ever come to our village?"

"No, we’ve been sick for so long, and no doctors ever came."

Seeing their disbelief, Gao-Yuan urgently added, "Look at our wheelbarrow! It’s filled with medicine. We’ve pushed it all the way here to treat you!"

Before he could finish, Gao-Yuan was kicked and sent flying.

“Ow!” Gao-Yuan winced in pain.

“It really is medicine!” the villagers murmured among themselves.

The "immortal," now bleeding from his nose, finally regained his senses. He shouted, "Don’t believe them! They’re demons! They brought the disease here. Those aren't medicines; they’re poisonous herbs meant to kill you! When has a doctor ever come to your village? These people are devils!"

The villagers hesitated again, unsure of whom to trust.

“You’re the devil!” Li Shengli cursed, lunging at the "immortal," only to be intercepted by other disciples. He took several blows as they fought.

Just as Gao-Yuan and Li Shengli seemed overwhelmed, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out, "I know them! They’re doctors from Zhang Village. This is Dr. Gao-Yuan! He saved my son when he was dying from a high fever!"

Gao-Yuan turned to see the woman who had sought his help before, cradling her child, the one he had saved from a life-threatening condition. She and her husband were from Huo County!

"He’s the famed Dr. Gao-Yuan?"

"Is he really the miracle doctor?"

The villagers had clearly heard of Gao-Yuan's reputation.

Sensing the opportunity, Gao-Yuan rallied them again: "Yes, I’m Dr. Gao-Yuan, and the man fighting with me is Dr. Li Shengli. We’ve traveled day and night to reach your remote village, bringing medicine to heal you."

"These people are swindlers, here to cheat you out of money and even your lives! Look at this poor woman—her daughter is dying, and instead of helping, they’re beating her. We’re doctors! We won’t stand by and let people die!"

“We are your doctors. We are the doctors of the people! We’re here to help you. You need to join us in capturing these criminals and stopping them from harming more people. We’re here to treat your illnesses, and we need to go save this woman’s daughter right away. Let’s catch these criminals!”

Gao-Yuan’s reputation in the village was clearly strong. The villagers exchanged glances, murmuring about how he was a miraculous doctor.

The elderly woman, trembling, cried out, "Doctor! Doctor! Let the doctor go; please save my daughter!"

The child’s mother shouted, "Let the doctor go!"

“Let the doctor go!” someone else echoed, following her lead.

“Let the doctor go!” The chant grew louder and louder until it swelled into an overwhelming chorus.

The swindlers, taken aback by the sudden surge of unity among the villagers, hesitated. They knew if the villagers banded together, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Instinctively, they backed down and stopped their assault.

Seizing the moment, Gao-Yuan hurriedly pulled Li Shengli out of the fray, concerned, and asked, “Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing,” Li Shengli said, spitting out a mouthful of blood and wiping the corner of his mouth. “Compared to what I’ve been through before, this is nothing. The only thing is, I didn’t bring a gun like I used to when I was with my old squad leader. Damn it, a doctor should always have a gun when going out to treat patients!”