Chapter 84 Chishong followed the servant who was leading the way…

Chishong followed the servant who was leading the way, and they walked around the winding corridor to a small hall.

The small hall had all its doors and windows open, making it bright and airy, with a faint smell of dust in the air.

Two guards carried a scroll about half a person's height and a long table into the room.

Chishong watched the guards coming and going, and became even more confused about Xie Zhuo's scheme.

Without waiting for the servant to go in and report, he entered the newly prepared small hall first:

"What urgent matter brings you here, Lord Xie, that you have someone prepare another room?"

As he spoke, Akamatsu looked around the empty room. The long table that the guards had just carried in was placed by the open window, and the light coming in from outside shone on the scroll placed on one corner of the table.

A hand, glistening in the light, pushed open the scroll, and the yellowed parchment slowly unfurled, soon covering the long table.

The bright sunlight shone so hard that the contents of the parchment were impossible to see from where the red pine stood.

He looked up following the hand, and saw a figure leaning halfway in the light turning its head to the side:

"You've arrived." He explained cheerfully, "The study I originally prepared couldn't accommodate this long table."

Xie Zhuo dismissed the servants, placed one hand on the parchment, and said to Chishong:

"We've made some progress, come and take a look."

Those who served have withdrawn, and those who remain have become clear.

When Xie Rongjing's face, which was standing next to Xie Zhuo, came into Chisong's view, he also noticed the items on the tray that the latter was holding.

Paper, ink, brush, and inkstone were all provided, and in addition, there was a book.

Xie Rongjing withdrew his gaze from behind Chishong, where there was no one, nodded to Chishong as a greeting, then placed the tray he was carrying on another small table that had been set up and stepped aside.

As Chishong approached, he saw that Xie Zhuo did not intend to drive him away, tacitly acknowledging that Xie Rongjing already knew about the epidemic, and turned to look at the parchment spread out on the long table.

The surface of the kraft paper is covered with intersecting black lines, with text or symbols marked at intervals, clearly forming a map.

Chishong glanced at the familiar characters above and affirmed:

"This is a map of Luozhou City."

"That's right."

Xie Zhuo spoke frankly, picked up the brush on the small table, dipped it in vermilion ink, and drew several circles on the map.

"According to the information we've gathered, these are the areas with the highest number and most severe cases of illness."

He then drew an X above several circles with a red pen: "And this is where the disease was first discovered."

Several circles are scattered around the fork, forming a semi-encircling pattern. According to the map, most of them are located in the western part of the city.

The information was presented clearly before him. Chishong rested his chin on his hand. He could have obtained the same information from Cheng Ling, and even more detailed data.

His eyes shifted to the side, his gaze landing on Xie Zhuo's profile as he stared at the map. He knew that Xie Zhuo was about to say more than just what was in front of him.

As expected, Xie Zhuo put down his vermilion brush and parted his thin lips slightly:

"This information was obtained from Miss Cheng through someone else, so you should already know about it."

Chishong couldn't help but grumble inwardly, but he patiently waited for Xie Zhuo to continue.

Xie Zhuo paused for a moment, gave him a bad look, and slowly opened his mouth:

"Thanks to Lord Akamatsu, on the way back, I stayed for a while at the house of the family where I borrowed the oxcart."

That family had been farming for three generations, so I asked them some questions about crops.

Chishong avoided Xie Zhuo's gaze. He naturally realized that Xie Zhuo's first words were not a thank you. Xie Zhuo had a reputation as a gentleman in the capital before he became an official. Was it necessary for him to hold a grudge like this? Humans are indeed annoying.

Xie Zhuo ignored Chishong's reaction and continued:

"This year, Luozhou has enjoyed favorable weather and no locusts or grasshoppers. However, the crops in the city have all withered and died within a few days. The locusts covered a large area and came on fiercely, leaving no crops alive."

Although we have guessed the cause of the disease, we have not found anything unusual near the crops, which is the medium for the ritual you mentioned.

Unlike humans and animals, plants don't have legs to travel to other places, proving that their medium must be something they can access on a daily basis.

Akamatsu's confident voice broke through Xie Zhuo's words: "You found it."

Xie Zhuo's gaze lingered on the vermilion circle, and he didn't speak too definitively:

"It hasn't been confirmed yet."

He picked up the book from the tray, skillfully flipped to the last few pages, and spread it out in a corner of the map.

Chishong's gaze followed Xie Zhuo's movements and landed on the open pages of the book.

He quickly glanced at the tiny print on the left half, focusing most of his attention on the drawing on the right that resembled the map above.

Xie Zhuo's voice rang out at the right moment: "This book records the course of waterways within Luozhou."

The answer was presented almost bluntly by Xie Zhuo, causing Chi Song's pupils to contract, directly revealing Xie Zhuo's guess:

"You mean the medium is related to the water source."

"Just a guess," Xie Zhuo said, though he was already eight or nine parts certain in his heart.

"Crops must come into contact with things like light, water, humans, and animals."

If the medium is light, then I'm afraid this disease will not only ravage Luozhou City.

As for humans and animals as the medium, the epidemic would not be transmitted through contact with infected individuals, and it is unlikely that so many crops could be infected within half a month.

All that's left is water, and not only crops, but also people and animals need drinking water.

While Xie Zhuo was speaking, Chishong had his own calculations in mind. Although using water as a medium was absurd, the thoughts of someone who could use such evil magic could not be fathomed by ordinary people. He began to plan how to verify Xie Zhuo's speculation.

Xie Zhuo then revealed the source of his conjecture:

"Moreover, when I talked to that family, they mentioned that in the past, they would occasionally find the carcasses of wild birds that had fallen to their deaths in the mountains. Also, there was a rumbling sound in the mountains half a month ago. Although it was not serious, it might still cause the original water flow to change course, diverting the water containing the medium to the irrigation water source."

Xie Zhuo closed the book with the map and handed it to Chishong: "Taking water for inspection is not my forte, so I'll have to trouble you."

The book handed to Chishong vanished into thin air, transforming into a streak of light that flew out the window.

"I have already sent out a letter and dispatched people to fetch water. We will be able to verify whether my guess is true in the next two days."

Xie Rongjing, who was standing by, took a few more curious glances at Chisong's magic, but did not interrupt Xie Zhuo and Chisong's conversation.

Xie Zhuo nodded and sighed, "If the facts are as I think, before we solve the problem of the medium, we need to investigate the direction and branches of the water flow and prohibit the people from using it."

As if he had just thought of something, he asked, "This matter still requires the cooperation of the prefect. Speaking of which, we haven't seen the prefect since we entered the city. You were the one who came to pick us up on the day we entered the city. What happened?"

Chishong's expression darkened slightly, and his tone was no longer as amiable as before; his vertical pupils revealed a dangerous aura.

"Don't even mention you, I've been here for so many days and I haven't seen the prefect at all."

“I remember that the prefect of Luozhou used to work at the Taifu Temple. He was transferred to Luozhou Prefecture a couple of years ago. I think his name was Luo Shengyu,” Xie Zhuo recalled, stroking his chin.

Following Xie Zhuo's words, Chishong finally remembered a face from some obscure corner: "So it was him. His transfer seems to be related to someone under you, right?"

"His position is inherently lucrative, and many people are eyeing it. He's not the type to be discreet, so he won't be able to hold onto that position."

Xie Zhuo extricated himself from the accusation of forming a faction under the Chishong clique in a few words, while simultaneously sneering:

"I never expected that Lord Akamatsu would have time to care about other people's affairs."

Chishong didn't respond, but sarcastically remarked, "It seems that Prefect Luo has been claiming illness and refusing visitors these days. Could it be that he has a mental illness?"

"Claim illness?" Xie Zhuo repeated in confusion.

"That's right. When I arrived, I was received by the officials below. I heard that he had been ill for some time." Chishong noticed that Xie Zhuo's tone was serious, so he regained his composure and truthfully told him what he knew.

"The prefect is not sick."

A hand appeared out of nowhere and took the oranges that were placed next to the tea on the small table.

"Qiong'er?!" Xie Zhuo looked at the head that suddenly appeared beside the table, his face showing surprise:

"When did you arrive? And how did you come to know about the prefect's health?"

The other two were not surprised by Xie Baoqiong's sudden appearance. Chishong had sensed Xie Baoqiong's approaching presence long ago, while Xie Rongjing watched his younger brother squeeze through the crack in the door.

"Father, I've been here for a while now," Xie Baoqiong complained, before Xie Rongjing pulled her out from the corner by the small table and dusted her off.

Xie Baoqiong broke open an orange, releasing a fragrant aroma. He shared half with Xie Rongjing and continued:

“I met Young Master Su, who was taking me to the capital. He said that the prefect had discussed the matter of distributing porridge with his family a few days ago.”

Xie Rongjing accepted the food from her younger brother with a smile on her face. "Yes, Young Master Su did mention it."

Xie Zhuo pulled the two aside to find out what had happened. He glanced at Xie Rongjing, who had lowered his head and avoided eye contact after speaking. Although he was worried about the two going out, seeing that they were safe and sound, he knew that there was something more important at hand. He and Chishong exchanged a glance:

"Aside from the Cairo governor, I haven't seen many sorcerers stationed in the city."

Chishong was aware of this problem. He suppressed his anger and said, "When I brought in more people, they were all transferred to the prefect's office."

"It seems necessary to pay a visit to the prefect's office after the water source results are available." Xie Zhuo's eyes were cold.

Chishong agreed, glanced at Xie Baoqiong who was engrossed in peeling oranges, said goodbye, and turned to leave.

The tangy, refreshing fragrance filled the room once again. As the two talked, Xie Baoqiong peeled off the remaining half of the orange's green and yellow peel, carefully picking out the white pith from the orange segments.

Xie Zhuo's gaze fell on the orange, which was now even more golden after the white pith had been peeled off. The anger that had been building up inside him because of the person who had gone out without regard for their safety dissipated, his heart softened, and the coldness in his eyes melted away.

He reached out and tidied Xie Baoqiong's messy hair, which had been darting around everywhere.

Where did Qiong'er go after she came back?

Xie Baoqiong had just finished peeling the orange pith and broken off a segment when she heard Xie Zhuo's voice. She looked up, passing over Xie Zhuo, and gazed at Chishong's departing figure outside the house.

"I was just with Lord Akamatsu."

Xie Zhuo looked suspiciously in the direction Chi Song had left. He naturally believed Xie Baoqiong's words, but what did Chi Song want with Qiong'er?

Just then, Xie Rongjing also confirmed Xie Baoqiong's words, stating that it was Chishong who took the person away.

Xie Zhuo's doubts deepened. Looking down at Xie Baoqiong, whose attention was entirely focused on the oranges, his anxiety remained. He probed indirectly, "Aren't you bored being with him?"

Xie Baoqiong had just popped a segment of orange into her mouth, and the sourness of the early autumn orange made her eyes water. After recovering, she finally spoke:

"Lord Akamatsu told me a story about a yokai, which was quite interesting."

Xie Zhuo's expression was strange. He knew Xie Baoqiong liked listening to stories, but he really didn't expect Chishong to be the type to tell stories to children.

Chishong recounting his past was, in a way, a tale of monsters. Xie Baoqiong tugged at Xie Zhuo's sleeve, pulling him back to reality:

"The story isn't finished yet, Father. I'm going to find Lord Chishong now."