In the latter half of the night, the sick woman regained consciousness and was able to speak. By dawn, she was hungry and out of danger.

Gao Yuan and Li Shengli had fallen asleep at the woman’s home. Although there were still patients outside who needed treatment, they were utterly exhausted. It had been a relentless week with no rest. After travelling such a long distance, fighting off those charlatans even when their strength was depleted, and then staying up through the night to save a life, their bodies could hardly hold up.

Even someone with iron resolve would struggle under such demands.

Despite feeling like his entire body was falling apart, Gao Yuan woke up just as the sky began to lighten.

“Ah...” he groaned tiredly, stretching his arms though they barely moved. He glanced at Li Shengli, who was still snoring. Gao Yuan braced himself and got out of bed, planning to step outside for some fresh air.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a large crowd standing outside.

“Huh?” Gao Yuan was slightly startled.

Seeing him, the group displayed mixed expressions of joy and awkwardness.

The elderly woman of the house stepped forward and said, “Doctor, you’re awake! But you all, why are you here so early? At least let the doctor sleep a bit more and have breakfast.”

The crowd outside looked even more embarrassed.

Gao Yuan scanned them; they all appeared sickly, coughing continuously. A few looked visibly anxious and out of sorts. Clearly, they had severely ill family members and were here seeking medical help.

“Are you all here for treatment?” Gao Yuan asked.

Everyone nodded in unison.

Gao Yuan said, “Alright, don’t just stand around here. Go to your village's assembly hall. Take any sick relatives who can be moved. For those who can’t, I’ll visit them at home.”

The elderly woman said, “Doctor, at least have breakfast first.”

Gao Yuan asked, “Do you have hot water? I brought some dry food. Just warm it up for me.”

The old woman replied, “Doctor, you saved our lives. How could we let you eat that? I’ve made some white bread rolls and corn porridge. You must have some.”

Gao Yuan looked at the malnourished family, their faces gaunt and pale. This was a remote, impoverished village, the poorest in the entire county. He shook his head. “No, save it for the new mother. She needs nourishment.”

Seeing that the old woman was about to protest, Gao Yuan gently stopped her, “No need to argue. We’re grown men. We can handle it. Focus on the mother.”

The woman was deeply touched and nodded.

Li Shengli, who had woken up at some point, stood at the doorway, grinning widely.

Gao Yuan checked on the recovering woman. After eating, she had fallen asleep next to her newborn daughter. Mother and child slept peacefully.

Gao Yuan smiled softly, not wanting to disturb their rest. He planned to return in the afternoon for a follow-up.

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After a quick bite of the warmed bread, Gao Yuan and Li Shengli pushed their wheelbarrow to the assembly hall.

Upon arriving, they noticed that the group of charlatans from the day before had been tied up like mummies and left there. Despite their situation, they were still stubbornly proclaiming they’d unleash divine power to spread a plague and destroy the village.

Before they could finish, they received another two slaps to the face.

The villagers had completely lost faith in them.

Even the village officials, one using a cane, approached Gao Yuan and Li Shengli with looks of embarrassment and apology.

Li Shengli glanced at the charlatans and said to the villagers, “You should never believe in these frauds. Their incense and charms are harmful, not helpful. They not only fail to cure illnesses, but they can cost lives.”

The villagers looked even more ashamed.

An elderly man spoke up, sounding angry. “We didn’t want to believe them, but we had no choice. We didn’t have any doctors.”

At that, both Gao Yuan and Li Shengli fell silent, feeling a sense of helplessness.

“Sigh...” Gao Yuan let out a long sigh. “Everyone, come here for treatment. I won’t leave the village until I’ve seen all the patients.”

The villagers gathered eagerly to be treated.

Li Shengli, sensing the situation, began helping with consultations. By now, Gao Yuan was seen as a miracle doctor—far beyond Li Shengli’s level—so none of the villagers asked for Li’s treatment anymore.

The village had many sick people. In addition to colds and fevers, there were a variety of other ailments. Usually, they would have to endure such illnesses because they had no medical care. Now that a doctor was here, they rushed to get treatment, knowing they might not see one again for years.

By evening, after a long day, Gao Yuan realised they were running out of medicine for various conditions. He had to get creative, substituting remedies. Eventually, their supplies were so low that Gao Yuan resorted to acupuncture as a last resort.

This reminded him of his experiences in his previous life, when he had honed his acupuncture skills during the extreme hardships of famine. Back then, there was barely enough food, let alone medicine, so Gao Yuan had no choice but to master acupuncture, using needles instead of medication whenever possible.

In such a poor and barren era, personal preference or passion didn’t matter. What mattered was what the people needed. Whatever the people needed, that’s what they studied and developed.

By evening, they finally had a moment to rest.

Gao Yuan checked in on the sick woman again. The loss of vital blood couldn’t be replenished quickly, so she remained extremely weak and bedridden. Gao Yuan prescribed a large dose of Angelica Blood-Replenishing Soup, with added herbs, and handed the prescription to her family, instructing them to get the medicine.

As night fell, they prepared to leave for the next village.

“Let’s go,” Gao Yuan said, waving to Li Shengli.

Li Shengli followed behind, pulling the now empty wheelbarrow.

Just as they stepped outside, they heard someone calling out behind them.

“Wait!”

They turned to see people rushing towards them.

Gao Yuan and Li Shengli exchanged a glance.

The village secretary, still using his cane, hurried to catch up, holding a bundle. “Doctors, this is a small token of our gratitude from the village.”

“This is...” Gao Yuan opened the bundle to find it filled with white bread rolls.

The secretary explained, “We’re a poor village, and you’ve done so much for us. We don’t have much, but every household contributed a bit of flour, and we made these rolls for you to take on your journey.”

Both men were taken aback. They knew this was the best the village could offer.

Sensing they were about to refuse, the secretary quickly added, “Please, take them. Don’t look down on them.”

Gao Yuan looked up to see the villagers watching them, eyes filled with hope and reluctance.

Holding the bundle, Gao Yuan nodded solemnly.

The secretary smiled in relief.

As they walked out of the village, the villagers followed. Even when they reached the outskirts, the villagers wouldn’t turn back. They knew that once the doctors left, it could be years before they saw another one.

“Doctor Gao,” Li Shengli whispered, clearly struggling with emotion.

Gao Yuan held the bundle of bread, paused, then turned back and handed it to Li Shengli. He walked towards the villagers, saying, “Everyone, I know your village desperately needs a doctor. I have an idea. I’m not sure if you’re willing to consider it.”

Without hesitation, the villagers nodded eagerly.

Gao Yuan continued, “Go back and select a young person who wants to become a doctor, someone who can read and write. Send them to Zhangzhuang, and I’ll train them myself. They can stay at our clinic, though they’ll need to handle their own meals.”

“Your village can record a basic work point for them. It’ll take about three to six months. Just like you all gathered your strength to make these bread rolls, together you can cultivate a doctor—one who belongs to your village!”

The villagers were stunned.