38. Useless

"Sir, please take a break."

The servant looked at Liu Yu beside him with heartache. Probably because of the daily porridge distribution, his skin had become a lot darker, which made the servant feel extremely distressed.

At the age of getting married, he was giving out porridge every day, exposed to the wind and sun. How could he win the heart of Lady Yun?

That night, Liu Yu stayed in bed and talked to him about her joy for a long time.

The rich young man was in love for the first time, his eyes full of admiration for the county magistrate, but he blushed when he spoke, and then buried his head and ignored him.

The personal servant laughed secretly at his shy appearance as a young man.

Liu Yu scooped up another bowl of porridge and handed it to the people in front. The attendant next to him sighed.

"Madam Yun loves the people as if they were her own children. Since the government has distributed food, fewer people have come to our stall."

"After a while, the wealthy merchants all agreed, and everyone was able to eat their fill."

The limited food was first provided to those who were sick, and then it was the turn of these uninfected victims.

Liu Yu was probably thinking of her lover, she pursed her lips and smiled softly, her handsome face seemed to make the old woman holding the porridge embarrassed for a moment.

Longcheng has been particularly prosperous these days under Madam Yun's care, and some people began to laugh.

"Mr. Liu is handsome and kind-hearted, truly beautiful. It is hard to find such a kind-hearted man in the world."

"It is even more fitting for the kind county magistrate who is compassionate and sympathetic to the people."

Liu Yu paused, lowered her head shyly, and was unable to say anything.

He was not too worried about his safety because he had the protection of his personal bodyguards.

Besides, he gave out porridge every day, and his kindness was known to everyone in Longcheng...

How could someone repay kindness with enmity?

In order to get the porridge, he used his jewelry to bribe the servants in his family's granary, and also put down his monthly salary in the warehouse, which was considered as buying the food.

As a result, he now dresses very plainly, even his hairpin is made of wood. He doesn't look like a rich young man at all.

Like a beautiful girl next door, smart and gentle.

The sky in Longcheng is a bit gloomy today. Even at noon, the dark clouds cover the sunlight, revealing a dim and fragmented light.

"The sky is so cloudy..."

Liu Yu muttered to herself, and a drop of rain suddenly fell from the palm of her hand.

Ice cold.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and people fled, leaving them to pack up their stalls in a panic. The remaining half of the porridge was dripped with raindrops and splashed onto his face.

Liu Yu reached out and wiped the porridge off her face with her jade-like fingertips.

...It's going to rain.

Perhaps she thought of something and her face suddenly turned red.

If it rains, he can stop by the county government office to take shelter... and then look at the person he has been thinking about day and night.

The wind blew, making the branches sway randomly. The branches collided with each other, making a tiny sound that mixed with the sound of the wind. It was as sharp as crying and wailing, tearing the air.

The rain began to fall, hitting the body extremely sharply, and hitting the ground with a "pa pa" sound. In an instant, the rain was pouring down, and the dark clouds covered the last ray of sunlight. It was damp and gloomy. The guards were packing up their stalls while cursing.

The rain soaked Liu Yu's clothes and her hair stuck to her face, but she was not unhappy even though she was wet from the rain.

He was still smiling, with the corners of his lips raised, a hint of anticipation, and the sweetness in his heart flowing out.

He could go to the county government office to take shelter from the rain and see her again.

He had always been dignified and polite, and had never been so happy with a woman.

Perhaps the man's head is full of strange romances, and he might marry her...

perhaps.

Whenever Liu Yu thought of Yun Zhihe's face, she could see the big red "囍" character.

His face flushed with shame, but he couldn't suppress the joy that flowed from his chest.

He cursed himself lightly, being truly shameless.

But she clenched the handkerchief embroidered for Yun Zhihe in her hand.

The handkerchief has exquisite stitching, and beneath the distant bright moon are clusters of narcissus roses, which are particularly elegant and beautiful.

Like her.

He embroidered this himself, and it took him several days to complete. He wanted to give it to her today.

Liu Yu lowered her eyes.

Then a cry was heard from afar, and dark rain poured down, blurring his vision. He couldn't see clearly in the distance, but the coldness of the heavy rain eroded his body.

Liu Yu was a little confused. He turned his head and vaguely saw a group of blurry figures.

“Huff—Huff—”

A freezing cold wind blew, and all the rain hit Liu Yu's face.

He heard the crowd shouting.

Mixed with the sound of the wind, it was like... a horn calling for an advance on the battlefield, deep and unclear.

…

"Thunder and lightning! God help us to overcome the calamity and break the curse—!"

The witch stepped on a group of people, and her shouting continued. She shouted loudly, opened her arms and raised them high, like an ancient god calling the wind and rain.

A melodious, harsh, and gloomy voice came over, mixed with wind and rain.

"Wind, rain, thunder and lightning—obey my command—"

The crowd was already advancing in a mighty stream, and Butler Liu followed with a limp, a look of madness on his face.

The rain soaked her thin, dry body, as if forcing her to kneel down in front of the gloomy world.

She doesn't kneel.

The smile deepened.

She held a sharp knife, soaked by rain.

Walking with a limp, stumbling and yearning.

"God help me—God help me—"

The voice of an old woman with a strange singing voice came over. Liu Yu was stunned. Looking at the dark crowd, fear suddenly appeared on her face.

The guard drew his sword and muttered, "What, who?!"

"Sir... let's go..."

They frowned and turned around, asking the young man behind them to leave quickly.

They are afraid.

Because of the horrific disease, some people began to rot. The strong stench could not be washed away by the rain and pierced the nose. Combined with the gloomy sky and earth, it was like... the evil spirits of hell.

Especially frightening.

"Go!"

The guard yelled.

Liu Yu quickly turned around, picked up her clothes and ran.

Then he heard someone shouting from within the rotting crowd, sharp and piercing, filled with a mixture of relief, pleasure, and venom.

"He is the most perfect being—! His flesh and blood can break the curse!"

In an instant, the crowd surged and shouted.

"That's Master Liu Yu!"

“…Stop!”

The dark crowd quickly covered the guards, drowning them out with a scream. Liu Yu still had a look of confusion on her face, and then -

Being caught by the ankles by the falling crowd.

He fell to the ground.

"don't want!!!"

Sharp screams echoed throughout the neighborhood.

——He was lost in the crowd.

Evil spirits pounced on him one after another, quickly covering his body, his hair, and his cheeks. He lay on the cold stone road, his body soaked by the rain.

…He could no longer see the light.

…

Yun Zhihe frowned as he watched the rain outside the window suddenly get heavier.

Qingzhu waited on her and brought her tea, then stood by meekly. Perhaps seeing her serious expression, he asked softly.

"Madam Yun, what's wrong?"

Yun Zhihe's breathing was a little difficult. "It's probably because of the heavy rain, and my heart is a little flustered."

She took a deep breath and took another sip of tea to suppress the discomfort in her chest.

Finally, he stood up uneasily and looked up at the dark clouds outside the window.

“Help—help—”

Suddenly, someone stumbled in, soaked by the rain, and she screamed loudly.

"Sir! The sick residents rioted, and the palace soldiers were injured! They kidnapped Master Liu!"

Yun Zhihe suddenly paused, the surging emotions in her heart almost drowning her. She immediately ran away, shouting loudly to the soldiers and guards in the county government office.

There were enough soldiers in the palace, and they immediately formed a team and rushed out.

There was a stain of blood on the street, and the guard who had just reported the news was panting and still had fear on his face.

"Sir, those mobs are crying out that Young Master Liu is so kind and beautiful that his flesh and blood can heal diseases. Please, please, please, please go and save him quickly."

She couldn't help but start crying, tears streaming down her face, the rain soaking her body, her voice trembling and her words unclear.

"The Jining witch even yelled at them that they had caught the wrong person and wanted to eat their flesh. But no one paid any attention to her. Then, they all dispersed after scrambling for Young Master Liu."

"Please save Master Liu!"

Yun Zhihe suppressed the turmoil and anxiety in his heart, picked up the sword beside him, quickly mounted his horse and galloped away with the cavalry.

The thick black tide almost overwhelmed her. Yun Zhihe grabbed the reins tightly, her muscles tense, trying to maintain her composure.

It's only been a while since he was kidnapped, so he's calm... he shouldn't be in danger.

Yun Zhihe, calm down.

Don't lose your mind...!

Her eyes were red and she bit her lower lip until it turned red, bleeding and then washed away by the rain.

The horse galloped wildly to the area where the sick people were.

She gave orders quickly, her voice rising.

"Quickly find Master Liu! If the mob resists, kill them without mercy!"

Yun Zhihe held the sword and staggered as he searched. His fingertips trembled and he could hardly hold the sword.

She was breathing heavily, the rain blurred her vision and the cold was biting.

How could she not know the whole story from these few words?

It must be that Jining witch who was unwilling to be exposed, spreading lies to confuse the people and incite them to riot, saying that flesh and blood can cure diseases!

Yun Zhihe panted, walked past the corpses of the mob who died in the fight with the palace soldiers, and stepped on a pool of black blood that splashed on his body.

Found it——

"Get out of here!"

A group of people were busy gathering in one place. When they saw the bloody swords in the hands of the palace soldiers, they were terrified and immediately scattered and fled.

"Get out of here!"

Yun Zhihe quickly ran up, waving the sword in her hand, blood splattering on her face, and blasting the crowd away.

The crowd scattered, and the only thing left was blood mixed with rainwater on the ground, and... corpses.

Yes, a corpse.

She was stunned.

"Bang——"

Yun Zhihe suddenly knelt down weakly. His knees hit the cold ground, which was extremely painful, and the hem of his clothes was stained with blood.

His expression was still one of disbelief.

The once lively and gentle young man was completely unrecognizable, lying on the ground, naked, with his body full of pits and flesh dug out.

Blood was flowing on the ground and everyone was unconscious.

Because time was running out, the victims could only use knives to dig out the flesh and blood. Master Bai Jie's body was covered with holes, scratches, and bite marks from teeth tearing away the flesh and blood. The white bones and bloody flesh were visible.

The organs also flowed out from the broken stomach, and the other soldiers could not bear to watch it anymore.

beyond recognition.

"How could it be... like this..."

She lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, hunched her back, and then sobbed, squeezing out the sound from her throat.

“Woo, ahhhh—”

His eyes were covered and he stared blankly at the sky. Two lines of blood flowed out and were then filled with rainwater.

Yun Zhihe seemed to remember something, panting, and tore off his clothes to cover him.

The young master's voice, appearance and smile are still vivid. They have become more familiar with each other in the past few days. Liu Yu often goes to the county government office to look for her for matters big or small.

After Qingzhu's reminder, she knew Liu Yu's joy.

And because it was difficult to repay his friendship, I deliberately kept my distance and pretended not to see his affection.

He also asked her to make another sword flower, talked to her about the pleasure of revenge, and... gave her porridge every day and was dedicated to doing good.

Why! Why is God so cruel!

Foolish people! Foolish people!

Yun Zhihe covered him with her body tremblingly. She looked up, her eyes were red and her voice was hoarse.

"Some of the body parts have been dug out with a knife. Find the remaining body parts quickly before it's too late!"

She staggered to her feet, her steps floating, and her clothes covered Liu Yu's body, soaked in blood.

Yun Zhihe picked up the sword that was dropped nearby, suppressed his grief, and rushed into a house covered in blood.

"Peng——"

With a loud bang of kicking the door, the man inside trembled violently, and a strong stench poured out from the door.

His hands were bloody and he was clutching a piece of corpse. His face was tense and crazy, and stained with blood.

The man looked back and saw the palace soldiers rushing in. He saw Madam Xiaoyun in the lead, and the palace soldiers next to her rushed over to try to take back the body parts.

He was so frightened that he trembled, staggered to his knees, and mumbled incoherently.

"County Magistrate, Your Excellency the County Magistrate!"

The palace guards tried to snatch the piece of meat from his hand, but he quickly put it in his arms, curled up his body, knelt down and kowtowed.

"Please, please let my child eat this meat!"

The sound of "bang bang bang" of kowtows continued, and blood was splashed everywhere. He was still in shock and didn't seem to feel any pain.

"Please, please!"

The child behind him was lying on the bed, his lower body rotten to the point of being stuck to the mattress, black flesh and blood surging, and as he kowtowed, a bunch of worms swarmed out and squirmed on the child's body.

The child could only be seen breathing faintly, his chest rising and falling slightly, and maggots slowly climbing up.

The man was still kowtow- ing , his forehead bloody and mangled , and he was muttering and shouting .

"Sir, I know I have committed a grave sin. Please, my child is innocent. I am willing to go to hell, but I only ask that you let my child eat this piece of meat!"

He cried and trembled all over.

"My child is dying, please—"

Yun Zhihe paused, then she rushed forward, and a glimmer of hope flashed in the man's eyes.

Then she took up the scabbard and drew away the man's kneeling form.

The man was whipped aside.

...This was the first time in her life that she hit a man.

"No, that's unreasonable!"

Her voice was trembling and hoarse, her eyes were red and tears were falling.

The man staggered to his feet quickly, and the piece of meat slipped out of his hand and was picked up by the palace soldier. He cried and tried to get it back, but was held down again.

He looked up at Yun Zhihe, his back bent, and cried out for mercy humbly.

"Sir, sir! I am willing to be cut into pieces and tortured! Let my child eat this meat and I, the pariah, will commit suicide immediately. Please—"

The man cried out in despair, scratching his fingertips until they bled as he tried to crawl forward. He then struggled and kowtowed. The sound of his skull hitting the floor was crisp, and blood splattered everywhere.

“Bang, bang, bang—”

Blood splattered on Yun Zhihe's feet.

Blood splattered on the soldier's feet.

Some of the palace guards turned their heads away reluctantly.

The child on the bed was almost eaten by maggots, emitting a foul stench.

Yun Zhihe trembled, looked at the child, and then looked at the man begging for mercy.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked down at him.

He spoke in a trembling voice.

"Flesh and blood...cannot heal..."

“…You’ve been deceived.”

Then she turned and left quickly, her fingertips holding the sword turning white and trembling.

"No, no!"

“Ah ...

“Please—”

The man tried to move forward unwillingly, his desperate cries almost drowning his mind. The blood gushing from his forehead wet his face, and his nails broke due to the struggle.

A hoarse voice of despair resounded through the sky.

Yun Zhihe finally couldn't hold back her tears and ran out stumbling. The palace soldiers caught the rioters, but they brought back only a few pieces of meat.

…She couldn't even gather the bones.

She trembled as she wrapped Liu Yu's body with clothes. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face, making it blurry.

Yun Zhihe lowered his head and hugged Liu Yu's bones.

Then he spoke again in the silence, his lips pale, "...detain the mob and return home."

Almost hoarse and voiceless.

She returned carrying Liu Yu's body. The blood soaked the white clothes that Madam Xiaoyun always loved. With the drizzle, it was like the return of an evil ghost.

Xuanyuan He, who was waiting at the gate of the county government office, was stunned. He stared blankly at the corpse in Yun Zhihe's arms.

Then she silently placed the body in the hands of the Liu family guard.

“My son… My son—!”

The head of the Liu family rushed over, and the moment he saw the corpse, his lips trembled, his breathing became heavy in disbelief, and he fainted.

"Master! Master!"

The Liu family servants were also in tears.

Yun Zhihe stood quietly. The rain began to stop, with only a few drops falling. Her body was covered in blood. She lowered her head, her expression dark and dirty.

Raindrops trickled down her chin, whether they were tears or something else.

The woman stood quietly in the rain, a heavy air of sorrow washing away the blood stains on her body.

Xuanyuan He pursed his lips and walked forward tremblingly.

“…Don’t come over here.”

Yun Zhihe's voice was hoarse.

Xuanyuan He did not respond.

He ran over suddenly with crisp steps and hugged her. In an instant, the warm body temperature broke Yun Zhihe's tense mind.

He hugged the woman who was taller than him and tried his best to transfer her body temperature.

Yun Zhihe lowered his head, bit his lips hard, and his chest trembled.

He was also stained with blood, and his hands were filled with her cold body temperature.

He said.

"Sister Zhihe..."

He hugged Yun Zhihe tightly.

“Hmm—”

Yun Zhihe shuddered, closed his eyes, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

She suddenly collapsed on him, and they both knelt down. Finally, unable to hold back any more, they burst into tears.

“Wuwua ...

The sound was so sad that it shook heaven and earth.

What on earth is she guarding?!

She cut her hair and swore a vow. For the people and all living beings, she went to wealthy businessmen to raise money for food. She comforted the people and even provided food to the disaster areas first.

What is Liu Yu protecting? !

He gives out porridge, he is kind-hearted, he helps the world, he is trying his best to be a ray of hope in Longcheng, he still has a future, he is still a young boy.

At the beginning, when food prices soared, he used his status as the youngest son of the Liu family to lower the price of food. Who in Longcheng had not received his favor?

The best and the most beautiful, the best and the most beautiful.

Why... just because of kindness, I lost my life...

God is merciless! God is merciless!

Yun Zhihe choked and cried.

She watched the man kowtow like a madman for the sake of his child, stubbornly believing that flesh and blood could save the plague. His screams for mercy were like thunder in her ears and kept ringing in her mind.

Shame on heaven and earth! Shame on heaven and earth!

She had a desire to save the world, but she never thought that human hearts were unpredictable. There were many unscrupulous people, mobs were surging, and they had lost all their conscience and killed innocent people.

If she had been ruthless enough to wipe out the root of the problem and kill the Jining witch, this horrific tragedy would not have happened.

If she had been more powerful, there would not have been riots among the victims.

If she...if she...

Heaven is cruel! I am so useless!

Yun Zhihe cried.

The author has something to say:

I have been thinking about this chapter for a long time, but I can't get the desired effect.

The heroine's character is compassionate and has a sense of justice. Although she is principled, she is not cruel. She can let a dog eat Song Er, but she is not cruel and ruthless. So... this is the only way for her to grow into a famous official. She must be ruthless, must be flawless before doing anything, and must suffer the consequences of her actions to overcome disasters. She can be both cruel and kind.

If she had kept a close watch on the fortune-teller or beaten her to death at the beginning, the ending would not have been so tragic. She underestimated the fortune-teller's identity, thinking that because she was well-educated, others were also well-educated and had the ability to make rational judgments.

The Jining witch originally wanted to take revenge on Yun Zhihe, but was tricked by Butler Liu to take revenge on Liu Yu. The mob hated the head of the Liu family, which led to this tragedy...