Ye Qingcheng had no intention of dwelling on yesterday's matters with them, immediately stating her opinion upon arrival.
The symptoms she mentioned were precisely the red rash.
Only when the red rash appeared did the patient's condition fully erupt, so it should be possible to halt the illness before the rash manifested.
This was Ye Qingcheng's initial thought, and the physicians did not refute it, nodding in agreement sporadically.
However, there were still those who disagreed. An old physician with a face full of wrinkles and a very proud demeanor stepped forward, accusing her.
"According to your statement, wouldn't this be a plague? A mere child should not speak recklessly!"
Upon seeing the old physician step forward, the other physicians were startled, their expressions shifting uncertainly.
This old physician, surnamed Qi, had ancestors who had served as imperial physicians. His own medical skills and reputation were extremely high; even Luo Qin Quan would have shown him respect.
The physicians present basically followed his lead, but because this old physician had not offered any concrete suggestions, he had been overlooked.
Now, upon hearing Ye Qingcheng's words, Physician Qi assumed she was claiming the outbreak of the strange illness was a plague and immediately voiced his objection.
Throughout history, every plague outbreak had resulted in countless deaths across the city, with no survivors.
The strange illness in Fengdu City had merely left people unwell. In his opinion, very few people had died from the illness, and it could not possibly be a plague!
Facing Physician Qi's words and accusations, Ye Qingcheng opened her mouth, momentarily unable to think of any retort.
The onset of the symptoms was too rapid; she had not had enough time to conduct thorough examinations to confirm what this illness was.
She also could not guarantee that it was indeed a plague.
However, she was very certain that it was contagious.
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, she thought for a moment and said with pursed lips,
"Since you do not believe my suggestions or my medical skills, we can make a bet. We bet that within three days, I will be able to control the number of people falling ill!"
Although Ye Qingcheng had not yet figured out the root cause of this illness, in terms of infectious diseases, the methods for controlling the spread of infection were generally the same.
Physician Qi heard her statement and smiled mockingly, his disdain unconcealed.
So many physicians had been researching this for days without being able to control the number of people falling ill in the city. Ye Qingcheng, appearing to be no more than twenty years old, dared to make such a bold claim!
Physician Qi, who already looked down on Ye Qingcheng, agreed without hesitation, raising his chin and saying extremely arrogantly,
"Agreed! If you fail, then you will obediently kneel down and kowtow to me three times to prove you are wrong."
At these words, Ye Qingcheng's expression changed, and a surge of anger rose within her.
She had never intended to have any conflict with this interfering old physician. She had only made the bet to prove her own innocence.
She had not expected him to be so arrogant and overbearing, demanding that she kneel and kowtow at the slightest provocation!
Ye Qingcheng gave a cold smile and retorted without any politeness.
"No problem. But if I succeed, then you must obey my every command. If I tell you to go east, you absolutely cannot go west. How about that?"
Even though she was very angry, she did not intend to say anything too harsh in front of so many people.
Yet, even so, when her words reached the ears of the physicians present, they felt displeased and stepped forward one after another to criticize Ye Qingcheng.
"As a young person, how can you be so disrespectful to your elders? You dare to speak so boldly to Physician Qi!"
"Indeed! You look quite good for a child, but I didn't expect you to be so ill-mannered!"
In an instant, all the physicians in the room sided with Physician Qi, speaking out to mock her.
Physician Qi was highly respected in Fengdu City, and these local physicians naturally sided with him, feeling that Ye Qingcheng's words were excessive, selectively ignoring how outrageous the old man's initial demands were.
Seeing this situation, Ye Qingcheng merely sneered, looking at them indifferently, refusing to back down.
"Physician Qi, do you dare to agree?"
Since the other party was disrespecting his elders, why should she give him any face?
The old physician, who was one of the focus points, was equally unyielding. He straightened his back and arrogantly nodded in agreement.
"Fine! I am just afraid that you, a young brat, will refuse to honor the deal then!"
Physician Qi already held Ye Qingcheng in contempt, and since she had also mentioned that she only had a basic understanding of medicine, he became even more dismissive.
Just an upstart, Physician Qi, who had practiced medicine for decades, truly did not take her seriously.
"Good! Then it's a deal!"
With the agreement made, Ye Qingcheng immediately went back to find Xiao Wang Ye and told him about the bet. He naturally supported it wholeheartedly.
With Xiao Wang Ye's support, she gathered the patients and housed them separately.
Each type of patient was separated, with those showing clear symptoms, meaning they had developed the red rash, and those without the rash housed in two different residences.
Patients with symptoms were also separated based on the severity of their illness.
Patients with only the red rash on their limbs were housed in the left side of the residence, while those with the red rash on their faces and entire bodies were housed on the right side.
Xiao Wang Ye carried out her instructions, and only then did he realize that the number of patients in the entire city was not that large, considering a significant number had already died.
This situation was also concealed by Luo Qin Quan until he conducted a thorough investigation.
The bodies of those who had died were all burned in an attempt to destroy evidence.
It was precisely because he held this leverage that Luo Qin Quan did not dare to say much when facing his orders and could only dispatch his subordinates to carry them out.
After gathering all the patients in the city, Ye Qingcheng further instructed Xiao Wang Ye to have the families of these patients burn everything they had used.
To prevent anyone from hoarding or being unwilling to part with items, Xiao Wang Ye specifically ordered the soldiers to personally witness the items being burned before reporting back.
In addition, as per Ye Qingcheng's instructions, every item, including food, clothing, and daily necessities, for the patients residing in the temporary isolation zones had to be sterilized with hot water each time.
Some more private belongings needed to be disinfected with alcohol before being washed and used.
All the soldiers and personnel, while handling these matters, followed Ye Qingcheng's instructions, wearing veils and gloves.
This behavior was observed by the citizens of the city, and they all began to imitate it.
From gathering the patients to settling them in the isolation areas, burning their belongings, and disinfecting new supplies, Ye Qingcheng personally oversaw and strictly controlled every single task.
After a full day of such relentless work, Ye Qingcheng herself could barely lift her arm, her clothes soaked with sweat.
Xiao Wang Ye saw this and felt distressed. But he also knew that Ye Qingcheng was doing this to defend her medical skills and to save the entire population of the city.