"Village Chief, you know why I am here," Zhu Yanyi said directly. "My master is missing. She cared deeply about your illness. As her disciple, I must help her finish this mission. May I check your pulses first?"
"Of course. Come to my house. I will call the villagers." The chief did not stop her.
"Thank you for your hospitality." Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly and followed the chief to her home.
The island was not poor. The people lived well. Each family had its own courtyard. The buildings mixed Eastern and Western styles, looking very unique.
The chief’s house was the same. Zhu Yanyi walked into the yard. She saw many flowers and a few cherry trees. The atmosphere was very relaxed. "This place is really nice," she said.
The chief smiled. "Yes. Our ancestors never treated themselves poorly since they came here. Each generation has its own style. I have no other hobbies, so I planted these cherry trees and flowers. When the red rash does not flare up, I go out to sell local specialties and buy food. We have lived like this for generations."
"What are the local specialties? Seafood?" Yan Aohan asked casually.
The chief invited everyone into the living room. He asked his wife to serve a drink. "Here. This is one of our specialties. Please taste it."
Zhu Yanyi saw a wooden bowl in front of her. It held a pale yellow drink. It smelled faintly sweet and powdery. She sniffed it. The scent made her feel refreshed. Then, she took a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise. There was a trace of spiritual energy in the drink. An idea flashed through her mind.
"It smells good and tastes nice," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. "What is this?"
"We do not know exactly. We call it 'Milk Yellow Powder.' It is made from the fruit of a special tree on this island. It is one of our main sources of income. When we first arrived, we sold it ourselves every week. Later, customers came to buy it directly. Now, we rarely sell it ourselves. Most of it is bought by others." The chief did not hide anything.
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. She did not continue the topic. Instead, she asked, "Chief, do your red rashes appear at the same time, or at different times?"
The chief knew this best. "They are different. Babies under one month old do not get the rash. After one month, the rash appears once every seven days. It lasts for seven days, then clears for seven days. So they do not appear together, unless the people share the same birthday."
Zhu Yanyi listened carefully. She said, "Please find seven sick people for me. One who has had the rash for one day, one for two days, one for three days, and so on, up to seven days. Then, find seven people who are currently healthy. One whose rash cleared one day ago, one two days ago, one three days ago, and so on. That makes fourteen people in total. Is this possible?"