Chapter 19 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Disease Among Military Camps

The war gradually cooled down after nearly a month of fierce fighting - the Dong Lam army repelled a major attack by Bac Dich, although at the cost of heavy casualties. Long Mon Pass still stands, but the military medical barracks are now filled with wounded soldiers, sanitary conditions have seriously degraded after weeks of overloaded operations - running water is scarce, medical waste cannot be processed promptly, thousands of people are crowded into tight spaces in the sweltering late summer heat.

It was under these conditions that a new danger began to emerge — not from the enemy's swords and spears, but from within the barracks itself.

"Master, there are three more people with high fevers, accompanied by red rashes all over their bodies." Tinh Yen reported, her voice filled with anxiety as she found Master Lieu Nguyen examining another wounded soldier. "Symptoms are identical to yesterday's cases."

Master stopped, his face flashed with extreme alertness - a feeling that Tinh Yen was all too familiar with from the days of the July epidemic in Lach Dua. "Immediately isolate those cases to a separate area, don't mix them with other wounded soldiers. I'm afraid this is not a common cold."

Over the next three days, the number of cases jumped from three to more than twenty — high fever, rash, some accompanied by coughing up blood. Master Lieu Nguyen worked tirelessly, combining his profound medical knowledge to find ways to control the epidemic, while Tinh Yen became an indispensable supporter, shouldering most of the direct care for patients.

"This could be a type of respiratory epidemic that is easily spread in crowded, unsanitary conditions like the barracks right now." The Master explained during a rare evening of short rest, his voice was hoarse from having to talk continuously for many days. "I have seen this type of disease once before, many years ago, at..." He stopped, not finishing his sentence, just shaking his head as if to dispel an unwanted memory. "It's not important. The important thing now is to strictly quarantine, boil all water sources, and find the most suitable detoxifying medicine."

The two teachers and students along with the remaining military medical team worked hard day and night, building makeshift quarantine areas, training soldiers on hygiene and epidemic prevention, and mixing hundreds of medicines every day from the remaining medicinal herbs in the stockpile, which had been depleted after weeks of fighting.

Lu Bat, even though he had to worry about strengthening the defense line after the big battle, also paid special attention to the epidemic situation, understanding that if it were allowed to spread uncontrollably, the consequences could be even more devastating than a defeat on the battlefield.

"Medicine doctor Lieu Nguyen, just let me know if you need anything, I will try my best to provide it." The deputy general said, worry clearly showing on his face. "If this epidemic spreads to the entire army, we will no longer be able to withstand if the North Dich launches another attack."

"I need more heat-clearing herbs, and more importantly, I need more clean water, as much as possible." The Master replied, his voice clearly exhausted after many days of non-stop work. "Boil thoroughly before serving, no exceptions, even if you have to wait longer."

Tinh Yen noticed that his master was getting thinner and thinner, his eyes were dark due to lack of sleep, but he still kept working, even volunteering to take care of the most serious and dangerous cases, always taking on the most difficult responsibilities for himself.

"Master, you also need to rest." He said, when he saw him wobble a bit when he stood up after examining a seriously ill patient. "I haven't had a full night's sleep for three days."

"I'm fine, Tinh Yen. Don't worry about me, focus on the job at hand." The master waved his hand, his voice still trying to maintain the familiar calmness, but Tinh Yen - with his observational eyes honed over many years of apprenticeship - noticed something wrong in the way he breathed, in his unusually pale face whenever he thought no one was paying attention.

One night, while helping his master examine a series of new patients, Tinh Yen accidentally saw his master put his hand over his mouth and cough, then quickly turned away and hid his hand in the sleeve of his wide cassock.

"Master, did you just cough?" He asked, worry rising in his voice.

"Nothing, just dust." Master replied quickly, somewhat unusually hastily, avoiding his eyes. "Go help me prepare medicine for the next shift."

Tinh Yen did not completely believe that explanation, but amid the constant busyness of work, she temporarily put aside her doubts, telling herself that perhaps she was worrying too much after what she had experienced with Mrs. Khue last year. But deep in my heart, an uneasy premonition still smoldered and refused to go away, just like the premonition it had before the July epidemic broke out violently in Coconut Creek.

In the following days, the number of new cases showed signs of leveling off thanks to the strict quarantine and hygiene measures that the teacher and his students had established, but the price was not small - eight people did not survive, most of them were soldiers who were already weakened from previous battle wounds, and their bodies were no longer able to cope with a new disease.

Late one afternoon, when the sunset dyed the sky orange behind the mountains surrounding Long Mon pass, master Lieu Nguyen was sitting under the tent checking his medical records. He suddenly stopped writing mid-sentence, and a sudden violent cough made him bend over, unable to hide it anymore.

Tinh Yen rushed forward, and in that moment, he saw on the palm of his master's hand that had just covered his mouth, a small dark red streak of blood clearly spread out.

"Master!" He screamed, his heart pounding in his chest, the fear from the bottom of his heart suddenly flared up more intensely than at any time since the night Mrs. Khue fell in his arms. "Teacher... what's wrong with you?"

Master Lieu Nguyen looked down at his palm, then looked up at his disciple's panicked face. His eyes clearly revealed a helplessness that Tinh Yen had never seen in the teacher who had always been calm and steadfast in the face of all adversity over the past months.

"Perhaps," he said, his voice unusually hoarse and slow, "I have contracted the very disease we are trying to prevent, Tinh Yen."

"No way." Tinh Yen stammered, holding her master's hand with trembling hands, checking his pulse, touching his forehead - the unusual warmth had been smoldering for some time without her realizing it because she was busy worrying about dozens of other patients. "You have a fever. Since when? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't want you to worry more when you're already overloaded with work." Master replied, his voice still trying to remain calm even though his breathing became somewhat more rapid. "Besides, I hope it's just normal fatigue, not the plague. I was wrong in delaying to tell you sooner."

Tinh Yen quickly helped her master lie down, calling for more help to set up a separate isolation area immediately. Her heart sank every time she remembered the night Mrs. Khue fell just a few months ago. It cannot, must not be allowed to let history repeat itself again.

"You must try, I will find every way to cure you, just like you taught me." He spoke, his voice choked but determined, his hands starting to search through the medicine bag for the strongest remaining heat-clearing and detoxifying ingredients.

Master Lieu Nguyen looked at it, a weak but warm smile appeared on his face, which was much paler than just a few moments ago. "You have learned enough to manage on your own, Tinh Yen. No matter what happens to me, you must remember that."

"Don't say that, I'll be fine." Tinh Yen interrupted, not wanting to hear anything more like a last word. "I won't allow you to give up, do you hear me?"

That night, news of Master Lieu Nguyen's infection quickly spread throughout the camp, making the already tense atmosphere due to the war even worse. Many soldiers, who had been personally treated by him for nearly a month, volunteered to take turns guarding the quarantine area, bringing water, carrying firewood, doing whatever they could to support Tinh Yen in this new war - the fight for the life of the teacher who saved the lives of so many of them.

Tinh Yen almost never left her master's bedside all night, taking turns wiping her body to reduce fever, mixing each medicine according to the recipe he taught, her eyes never took her eyes off every single change on the face of her teacher who was fighting a terrible disease in the middle of a strange military camp, hundreds of miles from her hometown of Lach Dua.