Chapter 57 Plague: Gu?
Using blood as a brush, a crescent moon was painted.
For those in officialdom, death is not a rare occurrence.
Even if everyone in the inn died, all they got in return was a sigh of admiration for the murderer's ruthlessness.
But this matter horrified them. Because these people didn't die at the same time, but rather, as the days went by, one by one, they all died.
After discovering that more people were dying, the government has increased security, even assigning guards to each room.
Even so, they could not be prevented from dying one after another.
At first, these people died in similar ways, all with oval-shaped, fist-sized wounds on their bodies, and their internal organs had been completely devoured. But in the days that followed, the people who died were completely different; no external injuries could be found on their bodies.
Now that things have come to this, the officials no longer believe that this was the work of a human being, but rather they have come to the conclusion that—
insanity.
“Originally, I held no official position in criminal cases and it was inconvenient for me to interfere.” King Xia Nan sighed, then looked up at Xiao Fangliang, his eyes filled with sorrow: “But, Young Master Xiao, do you still remember the blood well disaster from before?”
“Of course.” Xiao Fangliang nodded, closing his folding fan with a serious expression.
"Thanks to your help and your friend, we were able to find the source of the insects. After that, I asked someone to find two sorcerers who were quite skilled in the Gu magic of the Southern Frontier. A few months ago, we were able to completely get rid of the insect Gu in the mine."
He paused, then continued, "It was because of this that the government quickly realized that this matter might be related to the Gu worms. Therefore, they specifically asked me to lead people to investigate."
Xiao Fangliang tapped his fan slowly against his palm and asked, "What has Your Highness discovered?"
"I took two sorcerers to the inn. Sure enough, they were convinced that it was caused by Gu worms, and they could tell that it was caused by two completely different types of Gu. I thought that with the help of capable people, this matter would eventually be resolved, at most requiring some effort. But..." At this point, an uncontrollable fear rose in King Xia Nan's eyes.
He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, "But the next night, the two of them died in the Prince's mansion."
The room fell silent instantly.
As the sun was setting, the gradually dimming sunlight could not fully illuminate the entire front hall, leaving the surroundings shrouded in a gray haze that subtly gave people a sense of unease.
After a long while, King Xia Nan said in a low voice, "Their deaths were the same as those of the people whose internal organs were completely devoured at the beginning. Although I was frightened by their deaths, I also knew that this was caused by Gu worms, and it was not like they were just headless flies. Therefore, I immediately ordered people to find another Gu master to solve this case."
“But unexpectedly, instead of continuing to harm people in the palace, the Gu poison spread silently throughout Xia Nan… Every day, dozens of people die suddenly, and the dead are scattered all over Xia Nan, with no connection whatsoever.” His expression was desolate, his voice was low and hoarse, and he couldn’t stop trembling.
He continued, “We urgently sealed off the city, cut off trade, and ordered the people to stay home, not to go out, not to drink well water, and not to eat foreign food. But even so, the number of deaths… did not decrease.”
Tang Yu listened in silence, a chill running through her heart.
Thinking of the grandfather and grandson at the grave-sweeping ceremony in Ghost Cry Village, I dare not think further about how many families have been ruined and destroyed by this plague.
Xiao Fangliang still had questions: "Since the city was once sealed off, why are we able to enter Xia Nan now?"
King Xia Nan gave a bitter laugh, his voice trembling and his eyes filled with tears: "Because I'm afraid."
"Afraid?" The three looked at each other, all puzzled.
Although the plague was indeed strange and terrifying, it shouldn't have caused a regional prince to be so terrified; it was truly bizarre.
But immediately, King Xia Nan gave them an answer.
“What I fear is not the plague itself.” He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and terror. “What I fear are those people from the southern border who use the Gu.”
The three of them gasped.
Even Xiao Fangliang frowned, his tone slightly urgent: "What exactly happened?"
“A week ago, a group of villains from the southern border broke into the Xia Nan Prince’s mansion and massacred dozens of my servants and guards…” The Xia Nan Prince’s voice trembled even more violently, with a sob in his voice, and his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.
"Those bandits from the southern border not only went on a killing spree, but also robbed my mansion of a large amount of gold and silver jewelry. They even stole the several boxes of magical artifacts that Young Master Wang had escorted here."
Everyone was taken aback.
The talismans they had previously pawned, though valuable, were difficult to sell. Pawnshops could easily tell they were stolen goods and would refuse to accept them; selling them on the black market, on the other hand, required painstakingly searching for and waiting for buyers.
So, all of these were taken away at once; the people of southern Xinjiang are really short of money.
“They didn’t kill me, but threatened that if I continued to close the city gates, they would let the Gu worms crawl into my intestines and eat me to death.”
King Xia Nan choked up and broke down as he told the truth, tears streaming down his face, revealing his cowardly side.
"It was because I was too scared, it was all my fault..."
Tang Yu and the others also realized that this was why they were still able to enter Xia Nan, the city affected by the epidemic.
King Xia Nan wiped away his tears and continued, "I dare not close the city gates again. I can only increase the number of guards and strictly check those entering and leaving. But no matter what, it is all in vain. The plague continues to ravage the people. However, we have made some discoveries. If the people have not been in contact with people from the Southern Frontier or have been to the Southern Frontier... then most of them are safe."
At this moment, the sun outside was almost setting, and the room was getting increasingly dark. Just then, an old servant hurried in and lit the oil lamps in the hall for everyone.
The candlelight shone on King Xia Nan's face, but instead of bringing warmth, it made him appear even more ashen.
Tang Yu pursed her lips.
She suddenly understood why the old woman was so wary of her in the forest of Ghost Cry Village, but let her guard down around the burly, strong Wang Shanyue with a sword at his waist.
Even though her pupils and hair are black, her appearance still clearly shows the characteristics of people from southern Xinjiang.
Tang Yu sighed softly.
King Xia Nan looked in the direction of the voice and only then saw her face clearly. A look of panic flashed in his eyes, and he hurriedly looked at Xiao Fangliang beside him and asked, "This young lady, she shouldn't be... from the Southern Frontier, right?"
Xiao Fangliang reassured her, "Your Highness, rest assured, Miss Tang came with us from Sichuan and is not from the Southern Frontier."
He patted his chest: "That's good, that's good."
After a moment's thought, Xiao Fangliang suggested, "Your Highness, could you take us to see the treasury that was robbed from the palace?"
"Excellent!" King Xia Nan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he readily agreed. "I had originally intended to entrust this matter to you all. If you find any clues and manage to save Xia Nan, I, Meng Shejia, will remember your great kindness and repay you in the future."
As he spoke, he stood up to bow to the group.
Wang Shanyue quickly stepped forward and supported his arm. Xiao Fangliang stopped him with his fan and said earnestly, "Xia Nan is also part of our Great Xia territory, and the people in the county are also our Great Xia citizens. This is what we should do. Your Highness need not be so formal, nor need you be so polite."
Afterwards, King Xia Nan led a few people through the deserted corridor and all the way to the backyard storeroom.
As soon as they pushed open the heavy warehouse door, they were choked by the dust that wafted towards them, clearly indicating that the place had not been cleaned for a long time.
King Xia Nan explained embarrassedly, "After they broke in, the servants in the manor either died or fled, and we really couldn't spare any manpower to clean up."
The group didn't mind, and Wang Shanyue, carrying a lantern, was the first to enter the room.
The shelves inside were overturned, and several large chests were ransacked. Although some items were still visible, most of the gold and silver had been taken away. The storeroom was now empty and looked extremely pitiful.
As the group walked around the warehouse, Wang Shanyue suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, someone has drawn a moon here."
Tang Yu felt a chill run down her spine and quickly walked over.
On the dark wall, a crescent moon was painted with blood.
Moon Pillar!
At this moment, Tang Yu was almost certain that the plague was related to her.
After all, this crescent moon was a mark that Yueying dreamed of destroying from herself.
*
Let's go back two days.
After several days of fast travel, Xie Xingzheng finally arrived in Zhongjing.
As soon as he entered the Xie residence, his elder brother Xie Xingming came out of the house upon hearing the sound and looked him over gently from a distance.
Xie Xingzheng stood ramrod straight and asked, "Brother, is everything alright?"
His biggest worry before leaving the capital was his elder brother, who was disabled in both legs, fearing that Emperor Wen of Chu might find an opportunity to persecute him.
"Everything is fine," Xie Xingming said, pushing the wheelchair closer to him.
Only then did Xie Xingzheng realize that the wheelchair under his elder brother seemed different from the one before.
The wooden chair was thick and heavy, with an ingenious structure and several previously unseen mechanisms and axles. Xie Xingming lightly flicked the armrest with his fingertips, and the wheelchair moved nimbly and smoothly toward him, even when encountering steps, without needing any assistance.
"This wheelchair is..." Xie Xingzheng was somewhat surprised.
Xie Xingming stroked the armrest of the wheelchair, his smile gentle: "A few days ago, the Tang Clan sent it to me, and I liked it very much. I thought it was you, Zheng, who was so thoughtful."
He paused slightly, his gaze falling on Xie Xingzheng's face, his smile deepening, carrying a hint of inquiry and understanding, and slowly said, "It seems that someone is thinking of you."
The elder brother's meaningful words made Xie Xingzheng's heart skip a beat, and his ears inexplicably began to heat up. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
As a military family, the Xie residence had a simple layout with few twists and turns, but for the eldest brother who needed to rely on a wheelchair, the steps or thresholds were still obstacles.
Although the bodyguard A-Wu used to be by his side and always able to help, for his elder brother, it was ultimately about relying on the strength of others. But this wheelchair gave Xie Xingming a completely new freedom to act on his own.
Xie Xingzheng's feelings at this moment were somewhat complicated and hard to describe.
"By the way, after you left..." Xie Xingming was about to say something when he was interrupted by a soldier who ran over to deliver the message.
The soldier knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, young general. A messenger from the palace has urgently summoned you. His Majesty requests that you enter the palace immediately!"
The two brothers exchanged a glance, both feeling a vague unease in their hearts.
When Xie Xingzheng entered the palace to meet the emperor, the first thing he did was to present the iron box that Su Muzhi had opened.
Emperor Wen of Chu carefully examined the contents of the box, sneered, and gestured for Xie Xingzheng to take a look as well.
Xie Xingzheng took it and saw that the box contained a small cowhide map. Judging from the mountains and rivers, it was clear that the map belonged to the southern border region.
"What a coincidence." Emperor Chu Wen looked at his eyes, which had regained their brilliance, and said with an ambiguous meaning, "The place marked on this map is located in the southern border. And yesterday, Xia Nan sent an urgent message that a plague had suddenly broken out in the city, which also seems to be related to the southern border."
Xie Xingzheng took the secret memorial handed over by the eunuch, quickly glanced through it, and became more and more serious as he read.
In summary, the plague in Xia Nan has become increasingly difficult to control and is spreading uncontrollably.
"Originally, I was considering who should be entrusted with this matter, but unexpectedly, Minister Xie has returned to Zhongjing today." Emperor Chu Wen said, a fake and cold smile appearing on his face. "Then... I will leave it to you to handle."
"yes."
Emperor Chu Wen stared at the kneeling man receiving the order with eyes like a hawk, and said in a deep voice, "You will lead a thousand of Xie family's elite troops, lightly equipped and swiftly, to Xia Nan. There are two tasks."
He raised a finger and said, "Firstly, we will do our utmost to assist Xia Nan in controlling and eliminating the plague."
Then, he raised his second finger, "Secondly, check what the location is marked on that map."
Emperor Wen of Chu walked down the high platform step by step, and stood in front of Xie Xingzheng, still exuding an aura of superior majesty.
His tone was icy cold, each word spoken with deliberate emphasis:
"Xia Nan, people can all die. But the plague must never be allowed to spread."
[Author's Note]
Xie Xingming (gossiping): Who is that person with ulterior motives?
Tang Yu (secretly excited): It's me! It's me!
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