The journey had not gone smoothly. After leaving Red Valley County, they had first encountered torrential rain, then been surrounded by snakes and insects. Upon entering Red Sun Mountain, the narrow mountain roads had forced them to abandon their carriages, slowing their progress. At their current pace, Hu Xiaotian reckoned he would struggle to return within ten days.
That afternoon, quite a few soldiers in their party suddenly fell ill, vomiting and suffering diarrhea, their misery beyond words. This unexpected turn forced them to make camp early. Hu Xiaotian was fine, as was the Prince of Zhou. An initial count put the number of sick men at twenty-seven, almost half the Great Kang contingent.
Qin Yutong gathered medicinal herbs in the mountains, boiled them in a large pot, and had everyone drink the decoction. This was not Hu Xiaotian's forte, so he could only help out on the sidelines. His first suspicion was poisoning. Illness entered through the mouth, and every patient had fallen sick after eating the mutton provided by the Shajia Delegation at noon. Strangely, however, the other half were fine, and not a single member of the Shajia Delegation had fallen ill.
After distributing the herbal medicine, Qin Yutong sat down on a nearby rock. Resting her chin in her hands, she gazed at the flames blazing beneath the pot and sank into thought.
Hu Xiaotian sat down beside her and said softly, "Twenty-seven. At least the Prince of Zhou is all right." He glanced at Qin Yutong. "Your herbs really work. The soldiers stopped vomiting after taking them."
"As long as no one dies," Qin Yutong said.
"Don't you think there's something fishy about this? They were fine before, so why did they fall ill after eating the mutton?"
Qin Yutong's delicate brows knitted slightly. "You