CHAPTER 1061: CHAPTER 1060: RETURNING TO THE JIANGHU

Wang Yongzhu had been watching over Xiao Qi for most of the day and felt physically and mentally exhausted. She finally returned to her room to rest.

Gu Yu had already thoughtfully prepared hot water, allowing Wang Yongzhu to take a bath and change into clean clothes.

When she came out, a few bowls of clear porridge and small dishes were already set on the table, and Old Granny Zhang and the others were waiting for Wang Yongzhu to eat.

Once at the table, Old Granny Zhang praised, "My daughter is incredible. Just a few days of learning from Imperial Doctor Du, and now she’s healing people."

Song Chongjin and Yang Zongbao nodded repeatedly, both of them hadn’t expected it.

Although they were initially unclear, the treatment methods Wang Yongzhu instructed immediately made them understand it was typhoid fever.

This disease, if not handled well, could spread, and large-scale contagion would become a plague.

This could spell disaster for everyone on the ship.

"Will this disease spread?" Song Chongjin asked with a solemn expression, still worried about this issue.

Upon hearing this, the room’s atmosphere almost froze, and everyone looked toward Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongzhu couldn’t be sure: "So far, it doesn’t seem contagious, and I’ve ordered Xiao Qi’s cabin to be isolated. Also, I see Xiao Qi has been ill for several days, and the others are still fine. I’ll check everyone’s pulse in a moment."

Meanwhile, she took out the Medicine to clear away heat and toxins given by Imperial Doctor Du and had everyone take a pill.

If typhoid fever is contagious, it would definitely first infect those with weaker constitutions. After eating, Wang Yongzhu sent Old Granny Zhang back to her room, instructing Gu Yu to take good care of her and not let her out unless necessary.

If anything went wrong, they should immediately call her.

Old Granny Zhang understood the gravity of the situation. Although she hadn’t seen it before, she had heard as a child that in some places, an entire village could die from a plague.

Her greatest worry was for Wang Yongzhu; if her daughter caught the disease while healing others, what would they do? It could be fatal.

Wang Yongzhu quickly reassured her, "Mom, don’t worry, I have the medicine from my master. I won’t get infected, and I’m in great health, so there won’t be any problems."

Old Granny Zhang, though reluctant, had no choice. They were all in this together on the ship; if anything really happened, everyone would be doomed.

Seeing her daughter’s confidence, she decided it was better to let her try; if the worst happened, at least the family would be together in it, indeed a bittersweet consolation.

The atmosphere grew somewhat melancholic.

However, Yang Zongbao stayed calm and, along with Gu Yu, escorted Old Granny Zhang back to her cabin.

Song Chongjin then asked, "Yongzhu, how confident are you?"

Wang Yongzhu hesitated, "About fifty to sixty percent. As long as Xiao Qi shows no recurrence in three days and no signs of infection appear in others, there should be no problem."

Song Chongjin nodded, pulled Wang Yongzhu to sit beside him, leaned toward her ear, and whispered, "If anything goes wrong, don’t force it. We’ll think of other methods. Rest assured, my uncle and I will ensure your and your mother’s safety to leave —"

This implied that if things went awry, he was prepared to abandon the others and leave the ship with just the four of them.

Wang Yongzhu’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to turn her head to look at Song Chongjin’s face, but Song Chongjin held her head firmly against his chest, "Yongzhu, promise me, your life is the most important. Think of mom, think of me. If anything seems off, you must tell me immediately, and I’ll make arrangements, okay?"

Wang Yongzhu was silent for a moment before saying, "Brother Song, don’t worry, I understand."

Song Chongjin hugged Wang Yongzhu tightly; the two leaned against each other without saying another word.

In Wang Yongzhu’s mind, Xiao Tiantian’s long-absent voice tentatively sounded, "Host dear, actually, I can help you scan —"

"?" Wang Yongzhu was surprised that Xiao Tiantian dared to speak up.

"Really, host dear, although the System’s other functions have been disabled by the main brain, this scanning function is the System’s basic feature. The main brain cannot disable it without the Alliance’s final verdict. So, the System can help host dear scan to see if anyone on this ship is infected!" Xiao Tiantian cautiously responded.

"Why would you want to help me? Aren’t you afraid of your superiors?" Wang Yongzhu scoffed.

Xiao Tiantian was silent for a while before explaining his reasons. Having been confined in the dark room for so long, without access to the star network or chatting with other systems, it was suffocating.

Moreover, knowing full well that ultimately, the main brain would deal with him, debt had ceased to worry him, and lice no longer itched.

So Xiao Tiantian decided to just go for it.

Wang Yongzhu wasn’t entirely convinced, but this wasn’t the time to dwell. With the ancient medical conditions, she was truly concerned—what if it was a contagious typhoid?

She and Song Chongjin might survive due to their constitution, but what about the others? Especially since Old Granny Zhang’s health had significantly declined after her illness; she’d likely be first if anything went wrong.

For Old Granny Zhang’s sake, Wang Yongzhu pondered briefly and asked Xiao Tiantian what conditions he had.

Xiao Tiantian hesitated, "No other demands, just ask that the host dear doesn’t keep me confined anymore; it’s too boring. If I stay locked up any longer, this system will go crazy! When the host dear has time, chatting with me would be nice. Even if too busy to chat, allowing me to get some air, and see the current time-space of the host dear would be best. If there’s anything you need from this system, feel free to ask, as long as it’s within my capabilities!"

Wang Yongzhu was silent for a while before replying, "Allow you to get some air? Is that your real objective? If you don’t clarify —"

Before she could finish, Xiao Tiantian immediately knelt and confessed. It turned out that being confined hadn’t been a waste. Constantly worried about his System life, he tirelessly reviewed various Intergalactic Alliance laws and regulations, finally discovering a loophole.

If the Alliance System aims for scientific observation and secures consent from survivors in another dimension or time-space as an observer, documenting their development and sending it back to the Alliance for review and preservation, then the System’s traversal becomes a scientific exploration, protected by Federation law.

Xiao Tiantian calculated endlessly and concluded this was his only chance. Now, except for his basic System functions, he had nothing, so he might as well try; perhaps he could escape this predicament.

Therefore, he needed Wang Yongzhu’s consent and cooperation to document this time-space’s development. Without her approval, everything would be futile while confined.