Wei Che clenched his fists. "No matter how difficult it is, I must find this 'Cheng Lao' and bring him to justice. He has caused the people of Southwest City to suffer, and I will never let him go!"

County Magistrate Chen patted Wei Che on the shoulder and said, "Okay, let's work together. However, before we take action, we need to collect more clues and develop a comprehensive plan."

Wei Che nodded, his expression solemn and his eyes revealing determination: "Let's first investigate the situation of the southwest garrison and see if we can find some clues."

"Since Elder Cheng has contacts with the garrison, there must be someone in the garrison who knows the inside story."

County Magistrate Chen frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. "The Southwestern Garrison has complex relationships and operates with extreme caution. We must be extremely careful during this investigation. If we are not careful, we will not only alert the enemy but also endanger ourselves."

Wei Che took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "Don't worry, County Magistrate Chen. I will proceed with caution. No matter what, I will find this Elder Cheng and give justice to the people of Southwest City."

So, in the following days, Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen began to secretly investigate the southwestern garrison.

They disguised themselves as ordinary people and walked through the streets and alleys near the garrison camp, visiting everywhere and not missing any possible clues.

They first came to a tavern near the garrison camp, which was a place the soldiers often came to in their spare time. Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen thought that they might be able to get some useful information from their casual conversation.

They found a corner to sit down, ordered some food and drinks, and pretended to listen casually to the conversations of the people around them.

"Have you heard? It seems that someone in our garrison is infected with the plague." A soldier said in a low voice.

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't talk about this. The higher-ups have issued a gag order, strictly prohibiting any outside spread of the information." Another soldier looked around nervously, his expression panicked.

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen looked at each other in shock. They had not expected that a plague had broken out within the garrison.

This situation may be inextricably linked to Cheng Lao's conspiracy.

Wei Che picked up his wine glass and calmly walked towards the two soldiers. "Two brothers, from what you just said, someone in the garrison has been infected with the plague? What should we do?"

The two soldiers looked at Wei Che warily, and one of them snorted coldly: "Why are you asking about this, kid? Do you have any other motives?"

Upon seeing this, County Magistrate Chen quickly stood up and walked over with a smile. "Don't be surprised, my brothers. I'm just curious. We're all ordinary people. Hearing about the plague makes me worried. After all, this plague is highly contagious. If it spreads to us, it would be disastrous."

The two soldiers' expressions softened slightly after hearing this. One of them sighed, "Well, who says it isn't true? I don't know how the plague got to the garrison. We sent in several doctors to treat them, but there's no improvement."

Wei Che's heart moved, and he asked, "Do you know where these herbs come from?"

The soldier shook his head. "How would I know? This is all arranged by the higher-ups. You have a lot of problems, kid."

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen had no choice but to return to their seats and continue observing. They stayed in the tavern for a long time but heard no useful news.

Afterwards, they tried to talk to the vendors and servants near the garrison camp, but most of these people knew little about the internal affairs of the garrison, and even if they occasionally revealed some information, it was all insignificant trivial matters.

The southwestern garrison is heavily guarded, with numerous checkpoints around the camp, making it impossible for non-garrison personnel to get close.

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen tried to approach the camp several times, but were stopped by the guards.

"Stop! This is a garrison camp, no outsiders are allowed to approach!" The guard shouted seriously, holding a spear.

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen had no choice but to leave. They knew in their hearts that if they continued the investigation blindly, it would be difficult to make any substantial progress.

"County Magistrate Chen, this is not a solution. The garrison is on such tight security that we simply cannot conduct an in-depth investigation." Wei Che frowned, his face full of anxiety.

County Magistrate Chen pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps we can start with those who deliver supplies to the garrison. They can enter the camp and may know some of the internal situation."

Wei Che nodded. "County Magistrate Chen is absolutely right. We'll go investigate right away."

So they began to pay attention to the teams that delivered supplies to the garrison. After a few days of observation, they found that a team delivering food would enter the camp on time every day.

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen secretly followed the team, and when the team left the city to purchase, they stopped the leader.

"Brothers, please stay." Wei Che said with a bow.

The leader looked at them warily: "Who are you? Why are you stopping us?"

County Magistrate Chen stepped forward and said with a smile, "Don't panic, brother. We just want to ask you something. We heard that someone in the garrison has been infected with the plague. We want to know if there is anything special about the supplies delivered to the camp."

The leader's expression changed slightly. "Why are you asking about this? This is the garrison's business. We ordinary people dare not say anything."

Wei Che took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it over: "Brother, this is just a small gift. I hope you can do me a favor."

The leader hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the silver. "Alright, since you're so sincere, I'll tell you. The medicinal herbs delivered to the camp recently were all shipped from a mysterious place. I don't know exactly where. Moreover, these herbs are received by a special person, and we can't even touch them."

Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen exchanged a glance, their minds growing ever more certain that these herbs were definitely connected to Elder Cheng. They pressed for details, but the leader's knowledge was limited.

The clues found therefore came to a halt.

There is only one way at the moment, which is to join the army.

Only close contact can thoroughly investigate this matter.

At the same time, Su Huaiyue never slacked off for a moment.

Ever since the Southwest City was ruthlessly shrouded in the shadow of the plague, the painful groans and sad faces of the people were like sharp knives, piercing her kind heart as a doctor.

She knew very well that Wei Che and County Magistrate Chen were working tirelessly and bravely to uncover the truth of the conspiracy and catch Cheng Lao, the mastermind behind it. The enormous pressure they were under was like a towering mountain.

Although he could not rush to the front line of the investigation like them, he could still contribute to this land that had suffered so much with his superb medical skills. He might even find key clues inadvertently and lend them a helping hand.

The darkness before dawn is the thickest, but Su Huaiyue has already stood up, carrying a medicine basket filled with all kinds of precious medicinal herbs, and like a ray of warm dawn light, she shuttles through the winding and deep streets and alleys of the southwest city.