At the summit of the barren mountain, the camellia tree's crown is like a magnificent canopy.

Yu Luo lay on her side on the thickest branch, her moon-white skirt draped down, as if she were one with the moonlight.

She was fast asleep, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows under her eyelids.

Suddenly, a faint yet incredibly clear prayer, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippled through her consciousness.

This was Chen Yan's voice, filled with anxiety and respect.

Yu Luo slowly opened her golden eyes.

These eyes are flawless, yet they seem to contain the flow of stars.

As she awoke, the golden butterflies that had been perched among the surrounding branches and leaves, like fragments of a startled dream, fluttered into the air.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, making the butterfly wings shimmer and sparkle.

Yu Luo sat up, her wide sleeves slipping off the branch, untouched by a speck of dust.

She gently raised her hand and pointed it in the air.

The air in front of me rippled like water, and a clear picture slowly unfolded, showing the scene on the other side of Black Wind Mountain.

Chen Yan was bowing deeply in prayer before a simple wooden carving, his expression solemn.

Behind him stood a group of emaciated, numb-eyed bandits, yet with a strange, yearning look in their eyes.

They were ragged and emaciated, but their eyes shone with a bright light—a desire to live.

“Plague…” Yu Luo murmured to himself, a knowing glint in his golden eyes.

A slight thought stirred within her, and her fingertips traced the path once more.

The scene shifts to the capital of the Liang Kingdom, thousands of miles away.

The majestic palace still shone with gold and jade, its vermilion walls stretching endlessly, exuding a somber atmosphere in the drizzle.

However, in the neighborhoods where ordinary people lived, cries of weeping could be heard one after another.

Occasionally, a bailiff dressed in official robes would rush past, carrying a straw mat, as if something was chasing him.

The scene rotates again, revealing a government office.

Several officials dressed in round-necked robes and black gauze hats were pacing anxiously, like ants on a hot pan.

"What are we going to do!" A fat official kept wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

"More than a dozen more cases have been found in the south of the city! They all have persistent high fever and red rashes on their bodies!" Another sharp-faced official said, his voice trembling.

"Medicinal herbs! There are simply not enough medicinal herbs! The warehouse is almost empty!"

"Where are those people from the Imperial Medical Academy? Haven't they come up with a cure yet? If this continues, we're all doomed!"

Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone outside hear!

The officials were so anxious they were practically bubbling at the corners of their mouths, blaming each other, yet they were at a loss for what to do.

Yu Luo watched all this quietly, golden light emanating from her fingertips.

Using the divine abilities she had previously drawn, she trained the birds around the capital to search for the source of the plague.

…

Meanwhile, inside Shuhua Palace.

The main hall was deserted and cold; the palace maids and eunuchs had been deliberately driven out.

The smoke from the agarwood lingered around, so thick it was hard to breathe.

Consort Shu was pale and sat weakly on the chaise longue, her nails unconsciously pressing against her brow.

The General Who Protects the Nation stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his back as imposing as a mountain, yet he remained unusually silent.

"Father, there's an epidemic spreading in the capital too." Consort Shu's voice trembled noticeably, her slender fingers tightly gripping her embroidered handkerchief.

The Grand General slowly turned around, his face ashen.

He had been worried about the Chen family army that was rebelling some time ago, and now he was worried about the epidemic. He was now covered with a thick layer of dark circles: "I already know that the south of the city and the west market are the most severely affected."

"Those useless people at the Imperial Medical Academy! They still can't figure out the cause of the illness! All they know is that it's an acute illness and highly contagious!"

Consort Shu bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with fear: "How can we resolve this predicament? This plague is different from before; it's far too bizarre. It can spread to half a city in a single day! If this continues, the entire capital..."

The consequences would be unimaginable.

If even the capital falls, the power and influence they, father and daughter, possess will vanish in an instant!

The father and daughter fell silent again, with only the patter of rain outside the window like a death knell.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. The footsteps were extremely hurried, indicating that a new discovery had been made!

A lieutenant general, dressed in black armor and with a sharp, wiry face, strode in. He didn't even have time to perform the proper kneeling salute, and hastily touched the ground with one knee.

His face was covered in sweat, his breathing was unsteady, and his eyes were filled with terror!

"General! Your Majesty! We've found it! We've found the source of the plague!"

The Grand General suddenly looked at him, his eyes flashing with fierce light: "Speak quickly! Where is the source? Who did this?"

"Is there some kind of evil spirit, or some strange and unusual person causing trouble?"

The lieutenant swallowed hard, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, his eyes darting away, unable to look directly at the general.

"Reporting to the General, the plague seems to have originated from the National Preceptor's follower we brought from the border of Yan a few days ago..."

"What?!" Consort Shu exclaimed in shock, her hand trembling so much that she almost knocked over the teacup next to her.

The Great General's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had been stabbed by an invisible needle, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!

"Is he still in the capital?" he asked sharply, his voice trembling slightly as a storm raged within him.

The lieutenant lowered his head even further, his voice barely audible: "He's still in the capital. You said you'd treat him well, so we took this distinguished guest to many places for sightseeing..."

The stern face of the General Who Protects the Nation almost collapsed. He remembered the fanatical follower of the National Preceptor of Yan!

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