Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Intent on attacking Chen Qing...

The thing that intended to attack Chen Qing started to burn with flames and started rampaging in the courtyard of Zhou Mansion.

Whether intentionally or not, it specifically circled around the osmanthus trees in the Zhou Mansion. Wherever it passed, every osmanthus tree was instantly engulfed in flames. The branches and leaves quickly curled up and charred under the high temperature, as if they had been touched by a demon, and all vitality was lost.

It was not until the fire from the osmanthus tree was about to set the entire Zhou Mansion on fire that the servants who had been hiding in the dark and had not appeared for a long time came out one after another and hurriedly picked up buckets to put out the fire.

Even so, it was still a step too late.

After the fire, the sweet-scented osmanthus tree, which was supposed to be fragrant next month and symbolize reunion and auspiciousness, turned into broken branches and fallen leaves in a moment, leaving only a scene of misery and desolation.

.

Zhou Zhishan was bent over a desk, quietly handling official business. The lingering fragrance of osmanthus from the Boshan incense burner spread all over the floor and filled the entire house. Song Yuxi was sleeping soundly in bed, and even the deafening noise outside the yard could not wake her up.

With a stroke of the pen, the maid hurriedly pushed the door open and knelt on the ground.

"Master! The attic is on fire!"

Zhou Zhishan didn't even raise his head. "It's on fire, so what? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"But the fire is too big--" He was interrupted by Zhou Zhishan in the middle of his words.

"So, did those two people escape?" Zhou Zhishan asked with interest.

The maidservant was so anxious that she almost cried. She said, "The fire is too big! The Madam's favorite golden osmanthus has all been burned!"

Zhou Zhishan's hand suddenly trembled as he held the brush, leaving a crooked "I" on the rice paper. He stood up and cursed, "Didn't I tell you to be careful when doing things? How could a golden osmanthus tree catch fire just across a stone path from the attic?! What a bunch of rubbish!"

Under the shadow of error, Zhou Zhishan's face turned extremely pale, beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and his hands and feet trembled slightly unconsciously.

Wu Niang loved the golden osmanthus in the yard very much. She devoted almost half of her life to it. When the golden osmanthus was burned, she was almost panic-stricken and at a loss.

What should I do if Wu Niang finds out?

No, she can't know, she will die!

Zhou Zhishan hurriedly stood up, not even noticing the corner of his clothes soaking into the inkstone. He only knew that Wu Niang had just recovered from a serious illness and could not bear any more stimulation.

"Where is my incense? Where is my incense?!" His eyes were bloodshot.

The maidservant, with tears on her face, found the cinnamon incense.

Zhou Zhishan took one piece—no, two pieces, three pieces. He wanted to take more, but suddenly the words of Medicine King He Chong rang in his mind:

"This incense calms the mind and helps you sleep. Madam, you will fall into a deep sleep when you smell it. But remember not to use too much at once, otherwise, it will endanger your sick body."

"Excuse me, sir. I often handle official documents late at night. What if the patient is awakened by the incense after it is lit?"

"Haha! Relax and be at ease. If you are healthy, smelling this fragrance will invigorate and calm your mind. If you are sick or weak, smelling this fragrance will help you sleep peacefully, even if it's thundering. Remember, use no more than three pieces at a time. Any more will harm your body and mind."

Looking at Song Yuxi's sleeping face, it seemed as if the whole world was pressing down on him at this moment, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest, as if it was about to burst through his chest.

With trembling hands, he placed three pieces of incense into the Boshan incense burner and lit them one by one. The thick cinnamon fragrance almost drowned people. Zhou Zhishan sniffed the rich cinnamon fragrance at the tip of his nose, and his wandering heart finally settled down a little.

Then he raised his eyes and strode out of the house.

"Fire!"

The maid followed closely behind.

The candlelight flickered wildly, accompanied by the uncertain flames. The person who was originally sleeping soundly on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, and there was clarity in his clear eyes.

She blankly opened the quilt, stepped on the ground barefoot, her nightgown draped on the ground, her unbound black hair hanging down behind her. She looked at the Boshan stove emitting smoke, and then looked out the window.

The window was illuminated by a rosy glow, as bright as day, and a faint heat emanated from it. She hesitated, reaching out her hand toward the window frame. Just as her hand touched the window, someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

A pungent smell of burning washed over her. The visitor blew a breath into her ear and chuckled, "Thanks to your good husband who set the attic on fire, I had the chance to burn your damned golden osmanthus tree and escape. Good Wu Niang, it's time to settle our grudge."

"Hehehe——" The woman's charming and sharp laughter was melodious and crisp.

Song Yuxi's eyes narrowed, and her five fingers formed into claws as she suddenly reached behind her. The person behind her quickly withdrew, but the sharp fingertips left a series of bloody scratches on the side of her face.

Bright red blood beads slowly slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground, like a blooming red lotus, but it did not make her retreat in the slightest.

This person, or should I say this human-shaped charcoal monster, stretched out his pale pink tongue to lick the blood from his fingertips, looking very happy.

"Your blood is still delicious~"

Without blinking, Song Yuxi turned around and approached the thing. Her palms whistled, and wherever they passed, the air seemed to be cut by a sharp blade, making a slight hissing sound.

The thing seemed to be frightened by her aura, and its body paused slightly, then it made a move to resist. For a moment, the figures of both sides intertwined and the battle became stalemate.

"Hahahaha—you're already a piece of crap. You can't kill me. Besides, the golden osmanthus tree is burned. What else can you use to set up a formation to trap me?"

"Wu Niang, you can only become my meal like your useless clansmen--" She kept whispering, and every word she said was harsh, turning into a sharp blade that stabbed into Song Yuxi's heart.

Song Yuxi's breathing suddenly became disordered, her eyes were filled with tears and hatred, and the moves in her hands kept changing, heading straight for its vital point.

However, only the other party knew that her state of mind had become unstable.

It laughed softly, and when the time was right, it grabbed Song Yuxi's shoulder. Strings of blood beads fell and spread all over the ground.

Song Yuxi's lips became paler and paler.

"Wu Niang, you lose."

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yuxi's hands were broken at a hideous angle. It seized the opportunity to flash behind her, pressed the back of Song Yuxi's neck and slammed her to the ground.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, and Song Yuxi's head split open like a cold melon, with blood and white liquid splattering all over the ground.

It laughed triumphantly, "You're getting weaker and weaker. I guess it's because you've been living too comfortably in the mortal world these years."

As soon as the words fell, a cold light suddenly flashed, and it felt a chill in its throat. It wanted to speak but couldn't. It looked down with stiff eyes, and saw a pitch-black sword that had broken through the door and pierced its throat.

At the same time, Song Yuxi slowly pulled out a blood talisman from the ground and stuck it to her abdomen.

Suddenly, an unbearable burning sensation came from the abdomen and throat. It wanted to scream, roll over, and dig out the flesh and blood in its throat and abdomen to get rid of this pain that was worse than death.

None of them work.

It was nailed to the spot, unable to move, and could only watch its body turn bit by bit into a pool of dirty water, evaporating and dissipating.

Finally, the monster disappeared completely.

The door was kicked open, and the people who came in were Li Daoxuan and Chen Qing, who looked gloomy.

Obviously affected by the thick smoke, Shen Qing's mental state was worrying and her steps were almost unsteady. She saw Song Yuxi's miserable body and widened her eyes slightly.

However, at this moment, Song Yuxi on the ground stood up in a strange posture, and her arms snapped back into place. Her bloody head was covered by a layer of ripples, and could not be seen clearly. After a while, the blurred vision of the ripples dissipated, and Song Yuxi regained her original bright appearance.

After Song Yuxi recovered, he bowed slightly to Chen Qing and said, "Thank you both for saving me."

She looked like an ordinary woman at the moment, and was wearing pajamas. Li Daoxuan simply called back Qiu Renjian, turned his back to look at the moon, and said nothing.

Chen Qing's mind was in a mess.

Seeing that Chen Qing was still wearing a thin nightgown, Song Yuxi took the initiative to take out a cloak and handed it to her.

Chen Qing didn't answer. She had already been roasted half-cooked in the attic, with smoke almost coming out of her head. There was no need for her to do anything unnecessary.

Looking at the blazing fire on the other side of the wall outside the door, Chen Qing's face darkened slightly, and his voice was cold and questioning: "How should Wu Niang explain this fire?"

The fire came strangely and spread without any warning. The attic where Chen Qing was was even more bizarre. The fire was so fierce, but no servant came to put out the fire for a long time. Everyone in the mansion seemed to be deaf and blind, and there was an unusual silence.

It was not until the osmanthus tree was licked by flames that servants appeared in waves. Tonight was abnormal, and every incident pointed directly at Zhou Zhishan, the owner of the mansion.

If Li Daoxuan had not returned in time after examining the body, this day next year would probably be his death anniversary.

Song Yuxi's mind went blank when she heard this, and she suddenly remembered what it said: "Thanks to your good husband who set the attic on fire, I had the opportunity to burn your damn golden osmanthus tree and run away."

It was Alang who wanted to kill someone.

Song Yuxi's heart ached, and he subconsciously raised his hand to cover his mouth, vomiting another mouthful of blood.

She could no longer deceive herself. Song Yuxi leaned against the window, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were filled with confusion. She stared out the window and said, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

The area south of the Wei River is the most prosperous. The river flows slowly, and over the years, there are rarely floods or severe disasters.

The rice and millet here are plentiful, the granaries are full, the people live and work happily, the streets and alleys are bustling with people, and laughter and joy can be heard one after another day and night.

It is indeed a paradise on earth and a prosperous area in the Li Dynasty. Its splendor often attracts the attention of neighboring counties and amazes distant visitors. Its reputation spreads far and wide and is admired by the world.

However, places with a large crowd of people are bound to attract the covetousness of monsters.

Twenty years ago, people along the Wei River were suddenly struck by an insect plague, which was caused by eating a strange kind of fish.

This fish is pitch black all over, with eyes like copper bells. When it sees people, it does not hide but instead approaches them.

Everyone was curious about this thing, so they picked it up and ate it.

Seeing that the meat was delicious and easy to catch, this move completely aroused the greed of the people. Afterwards, everyone came to the banks of the Wei River and caught this strange fish in large numbers, eating it every meal and every day.

Little did they know, this was the incarnation of the ancient monster, the Hungry Bug. Originating from extremely cold lands, the Hungry Bug craves heat and prefers to parasitize the human body, sucking its blood and flesh.

It looks like a meat ball with tentacles. It is said that it originated from a weapon made by alchemists in the Warring States Period based on the strange parasites in Yunwu Lake. It can parasitize the human body by infecting the human body with its eggs and grow wildly by sucking blood and flesh.

It looks like people are eating fish, but in fact it is insects eating people.

For some unknown reason, these hungry insects escaped from the extremely cold land and flocked to the banks of the Wei River, disguised as fish. The people suffered from the insect plague. All those who were infected became thin and yellow, almost skin and bones, with an abnormally swollen abdomen like a heavy tumor.

Their stomachs are like bottomless pits, and they always feel hungry no matter how much they eat.

As a result, there was a shortage of food for a while, and the tyrants and unscrupulous merchants hoarded food and raised the price. Everyone was so hungry that their eyes were bloodshot, and they fought fiercely for a grain of rice.

In serious cases, a child's wife would often go missing, and by the time they were found, they had been eaten alive and become food.