nucmednet 012 Echobug
012 Echobug
During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Goujian of Yue, in order to rapidly increase the population, established a national policy of "ten years of recuperation and ten years of growth," encouraging men and women to engage in frequent sexual relations. As a result, the Chu and Yue regions became known for their licentious and decadent lifestyles.
In 211 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang made an eastern tour and erected a stone stele on Mount Kuaiji, in the former territory of Chu. Among the inscriptions was a stele concerning chastity: "To prevent the separation of the inside from the outside, to prohibit licentiousness, and to ensure the purity and sincerity of men and women."
This mainly includes prohibitions such as prohibiting widows with children from remarrying, prohibiting promiscuous relationships, prohibiting husbands from committing adultery, and prohibiting wives from abandoning their husbands and remarrying.
During the Han Dynasty, the rites and ethics flourished. First came the "Biographies of Exemplary Women," followed by the "Admonitions for Women." The "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" were initially established, and the practice of "chaste women following their husbands" became prevalent. At this time, the interaction between men and women was not as harsh as the "starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a great matter" mentality of the Song Dynasty, but signs of this change were already evident.
However, besides the impact on their lives, the players' journey to this place also brought a shock to their thinking. Slogans such as "Women hold up half the sky" and "Gender equality" reached the ears of Han women across millions of square kilometers.
Wang Zhang heard that a princess of the Han Dynasty, Princess Yangdi Liu Xiu, had been "bewitched by a strange man" and refused the marriage bestowed upon her by Emperor Liu Hong of Han. Together with Princess Wannian, she aspired to be like Fu Hao and studied swordsmanship and archery under Wang Yue, the Tiger Warrior of the capital, and Taishi Ci from Donglai.
It is said that the two are also planning to open a girls' school in Jingluo, but it is unknown what they will teach.
………………
Chenwangli, Wangjia.
Upon hearing the commotion outside, Wang Zhang knew it was his youngest daughter, Wang Rong.
The women of Chenwang Village were less affected by the "extraordinary thought" because the village head had long ago dug ditches and built walls to isolate them from the outside world. However, Miss Wang recently made a "supernatural friend." Eavesdropping by the window today was truly impolite; it's hard to say whether she was influenced by the supernatural.
Wang Zhang frowned, disliking his daughter's "strange friend".
The woman outside fled like a startled deer. Li Yu, who looked up at the sound, only saw a youthful and beautiful figure disappear in the courtyard in an instant.
When he came to his senses, he saw Wang Bin's hostile gaze.
Wang Zhang recounted Li Yu's feat of "slaying the python," but Wang Bin was still somewhat skeptical. After Xiong Ba nodded in agreement, he changed his mind somewhat, but still stubbornly insisted, "If I were to enter the python's mouth, I could also slay it."
Wang Zhang immediately felt annoyed and cursed, "You brat!"
Wang Bin quickly changed the subject. Seeing the room full of bamboo scrolls, he asked the housekeeper beside him, "Why are you moving books?"
The steward said, "Young Master Li needs this medical book to cure the master's illness."
Wang Bin was taken aback: "Isn't this like treating a seven-year-old illness with three years' worth of moxa?"
The Mencius, Book 4, Part 1, states: "Those who aspire to be kings today are like those suffering from a seven-year illness seeking three-year-old moxa. If they do not cultivate it, they will never attain it in their lifetime."
Only after being ill for a long time do they seek out dried mugwort leaves to cure the disease; only when preparing to unify the world do they think of practicing benevolent governance. Just like this strange man before us, needing medical treatment only now do he think to read medical books—where were he all this time?
Wang Zhang felt even more suffocated and scolded, "You brat, get out!"
Wang Bin reluctantly left the house. Wang Zhang turned to Li Yu and apologized, "You've been quite unruly, my dear nephew, please forgive me."
Li Yu didn't care and began to treat the illness.
He didn't use the traditional "observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation" method. He claimed to treat illness but didn't even look at Wang Zhang's records. Instead, he flipped through those scrolls of books and letters.
The characters on the bamboo slips were either in seal script (both large and small) or clerical script (Han dynasty clerical script), and all were in traditional characters. After flipping through them, I could only understand about one percent of them.
"[System]: Congratulations to the player for reading the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic and gaining 1 point of Intelligence Experience."
"[System]: Congratulations to the player for reading the 'Huangdi Waijing' and gaining 1 point of Intelligence Experience."
"..."
"[System]: Congratulations to the player for reading the "Compendium of Materia Medica" and gaining 1 point of Intelligence experience."
A flurry of actions, but the experience level is only 5.
Li Yu was speechless.
That's discrimination against illiterate people!
Finally, Li Yu picked up a volume of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" and handed it to Wang Zhang: "Lord Boqing, please read out the names of the medicinal substances recorded in this volume one by one."
Holding the first volume of the "Compendium of Materia Medica," Wang Zhang asked, "Just read the names of the herbs?"
Li Yu nodded, and Wang Zhang did as he was told.
The Materia Medica, also known as the Shennong Materia Medica.
"Shennong" is a pseudonym, and this medical book has no connection to Shennong. Some say it was written by Bian Que, the "divine physician" of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. However, such claims cannot be verified.
This text records 365 kinds of medicines, including 252 kinds of plant medicines, 67 kinds of animal medicines, and 46 kinds of mineral medicines. According to the different efficacy and uses of the medicines, they are divided into three categories: superior, middle, and inferior, and are discussed in three volumes: the superior, middle, and inferior texts.
The Shangjing (a classic text on medicine) lists 120 kinds of superior medicines, all of which are principal medicines that nourish life, lighten the body, and invigorate qi.
Examples include cinnabar, mica, jade spring, stalactite, talc, azurite, zeolite, malachite, calamus, jujube, ginseng, licorice, dried rehmannia root, dodder seed, bupleurum...
Wang Zhang read it aloud word by word, and a clear, repetitive sound came from his stomach. The tone and frequency were exactly the same.
After reading through the names of the 120 medicines, Wang Zhang looked at Li Yu.
Li Yu then picked up another scroll of the "Zhong Jing" and handed it over.
The Chinese Classic of Materia Medica lists 120 kinds of medicinal herbs, all of which are used to nourish the body, prevent disease, and replenish deficiencies.
Examples include realgar, orpiment, malachite, mercury, gypsum, dried ginger, scrophularia, epimedium, patrinia, sour sauce, cucumber, peony, deer antler, red adzuki bean, millet, and rat urine...
Wang Zhang read it again, the sounds in his stomach repeating perfectly.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the scroll was finished. Li Yu said nothing, and then handed over the "Lower Canon".
The Lower Classic lists 125 kinds of medicines, which are the Left Envoy used to treat diseases according to local conditions, eliminate cold and heat evil qi, and break up accumulations.
Lime, aconite, tiger paw, rhubarb, sheep's hoof, deer antler, prunella vulgaris, croton, soapberry, toad, snake slough, earthworm, centipede, leech, dung beetle, mole cricket, millipede, woodlice, firefly, silverfish, peach kernel, apricot kernel...
Wang Zhang was reading halfway through when Li Yu suddenly said, "Stop!"
Wang Zhang was puzzled and looked at Li Yu, only to hear him say, "Lord Boqing, let's start reading from the earthworm."
Wang Zhang followed his advice: "Earthworms, centipedes, leeches, dung beetles..."
This time, Wang Zhang also noticed something was wrong—when he read "leech," the sound in his stomach did not repeat!
Wang Zhang's heart skipped a beat. He read "leech" several more times, making sure he didn't repeat it. He looked at Li Yu with unprecedented fervor: "My dear nephew..."
Li Yu smiled, "That's the diagnosis!"
The *Xu Moke Huixi* records a short story about a man named Yang Mian from Huaixi who contracted a strange illness in middle age. Whenever he spoke, something in his stomach would softly mimic his voice. Over the years, the sounds from his stomach grew louder. A Taoist priest told him that this was an echoing worm, and if not treated promptly, it would bring misfortune to his wife. The priest instructed him to concentrate on reading the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. When he read a certain medicinal herb and there was no echo in his stomach, he should immediately stop, then take the medicine, and the echoing worm would be eliminated. Following the priest's method, when he read the *Compendium of Materia Medica* and reached the word "Leiwan" (雷丸), the sound from his stomach stopped. He immediately took the medicine, and his strange illness was cured.
At the banquet that day, Li Yu heard Xiong Ba mention Wang Zhang's "ventriloquism" and it sounded familiar. Upon reflection, he remembered the story of the "Echoing Insect." He tried it, and it worked!
However, unlike in the story, the creature inside Wang Zhang's stomach was "afraid" of leeches, not thunderbolts.
Wang Zhang looked expectantly at Li Yu. Li Yu said, "Let's find a physician and buy more leeches."
Having received his instructions, the steward trotted off to find Young Master Wang Bin to borrow a horse.
Although Wang Bin disliked Li Yu, he naturally dared not neglect his duty to treat his father's illness. He personally rode out to Gan Dan.
Half an hour later, Wang Bin returned home with the medicinal herbs, followed by the county's physician.
Before the doctor even entered the room, he apologized.
He had previously treated Wang Zhang for ventriloquism, but medicine had been ineffective and there was nothing he could do. Now that he heard there was an extraordinary person who could cure this strange disease, he couldn't help but follow him.
However, uninvited guests are always unwelcome, and there's a suspicion that they're coveting the other party's "secret recipe," so an apology was the first step.
Li Yu neither thought it was wrong, nor did he have any intention of keeping his own possessions to himself.
The doctor quickly expressed his gratitude.
The leeches were processed. During the Han Dynasty, they were usually boiled in warm water to remove the fishy smell.
The physician offered a helping hand and asked how to take it. Li Yu replied that it could be swallowed.
Wang Zhang swallowed three pieces in one gulp without any reaction. After swallowing two more pieces, he felt a gurgling and a dull ache in his stomach. After swallowing three more pieces, his throat suddenly itched, and he vomited up a live creature with a "whoosh".
The living creature is about an inch long, white in color, with four limbs and a tail, and is shaped like a salamander.
After the creature fell to the ground, it stood up upright and fled.
With quick reflexes, Xiong Ba grabbed the square basin that Wang Zhang had used to smash his son and slammed it down.
【echo】
[Rank] Mystic
[Attribute] Unknown.