Chapter 76 The voice of Akamatsu interrupted the backyard…
Akamatsu's voice interrupted the conversation in the backyard.
The figure in the courtyard looked up at the sound, and a pair of delicate eyebrows furrowed after seeing Chishong's face clearly, complaining:
"Senior Akamatsu, you've finally arrived."
She put down the rooster carcass with its belly cut open, and the small knife in her right hand turned into a silver light and disappeared into her sleeve. With a wave of her hand, the bloodstains on her hands and clothes disappeared.
Akamatsu, addressed as "Old Man," showed no surprise or displeasure on his face.
Although he looked a few years younger than Xie Zhuo, he was a demon from the same era as Lin Zhechun, and was probably old enough to be Xie Zhuo and Cheng Ling's ancestor.
He entered the backyard, his gaze sweeping over the several dissected poultry carcasses on the ground. The moment his shoe touched the ground, the bloodstains on the ground flowed away automatically, clearing a place for him to step.
Xie Zhuo brushed past the person who had just received Cheng Ling's orders, his gaze lingering on the tray in the person's hand.
The tray contained reddish-brown, fresh-looking entrails, which likely originated from the poultry on the ground.
Xie Zhuo withdrew his gaze and turned his attention back to Cheng Ling, who had spoken.
“These sick poultry…” Cheng Ling paused and changed his words: “They are actually no different from ordinary healthy poultry. Rather than saying they are sick, it’s more accurate to say that someone has taken away their vitality.”
"You dug up so many poultry, and this is all you found?" Chishong frowned and asked in return.
"It's better than Senior Akamatsu handing things over to me and then washing his hands of them."
Cheng Ling retorted, then explained with a serious expression:
"At this point, we can only see that these poultry have no spiritual energy left, which is why they are showing signs of lethargy and then die suddenly within a few days."
However, the reason for the disappearance of the spiritual energy within the body, or rather, where it went, remains unknown.
As she spoke, a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes. "After the first day of inspections, I went to the shed where the sick livestock were kept. It didn't look much different from a regular duck shed, and I didn't find any spiritual energy fluctuations there. But coincidentally, only that one household in the neighborhood was infected..."
Cheng Ling's voice gradually faded as she fell into deep thought.
"Miss Cheng, may I ask what you mean by the poultry you just mentioned having no spiritual energy? Why would ordinary poultry need spiritual energy?"
Xie Zhuo's voice rang out, and Cheng Ling seemed to only then notice that there was another person in the courtyard. He glanced at Xie Zhuo with a calm gaze and uttered two words:
"mortal?"
"A person sent down by the imperial court," Chishong introduced from the side. "His surname is Xie."
Cheng Ling looked puzzled: "Didn't we already send Senior Chishong?"
Chishong's expression was ambiguous, and he said disdainfully, "The emperor is a human being."
Having said that, he didn't care whether Cheng Ling could understand or not, and turned to Xie Zhuo to introduce him:
"This is Cheng Ling, who studied under the former Junior Envoy of the Anti-Evil Division and now occasionally helps the Anti-Evil Division with odd jobs."
Cheng Ling's gaze turned cold as she looked at Xie Zhuo, but she began to explain Xie Zhuo's problem:
“The environment we live in is filled with spiritual energy, which enters our bodies with every breath we take.”
Every living organism possesses some form of spiritual energy. A creature's physical health is closely related to the amount of spiritual energy within it.
The biggest difference between mortals and cultivators is that cultivators can transform spiritual energy into their own spiritual power and store it in their dantian through breathing exercises, while mortals cannot do so.
The reason why sorcerers cannot have the same long lifespan as cultivators is that sorcerers can only manipulate spiritual energy through external means, rather than storing it within themselves.
Cheng Ling's explanation was very clear, and Xie Zhuo understood the importance of spiritual energy:
"I see, thank you for clearing up my confusion, Miss Cheng."
Cheng Ling glanced at the pouch at Xie Zhuo's waist: "Senior Chishong's pouch only provided a huge amount of spiritual power to prevent ordinary people from turning into the state of the front yard after their spiritual energy was drained."
Until a solution is found, Lord Xie must be careful not to catch the disease; it would be best to stay indoors.
If it weren't for the last sentence, Xie Zhuo could have taken Cheng Ling's words as concern, but with the last sentence, it sounded more like disdain.
Cheng Ling was clearly angry with Chi Song because of his previous words. Xie Zhuo didn't hold it against him, but was just amazed at where Chi Song had found someone with such a similar temperament.
Chishong looked away from Xie Zhuo's teasing gaze:
"It's just in time that Lord Xie has arrived. Tomorrow, I will go with Lord Xie to find the source of this illness."
After the two said goodbye, Cheng Ling suddenly caught up with them slowly.
Cheng Ling had been standing in the courtyard without moving, and with his clothes covering him, no one noticed anything amiss. But now that Cheng Ling had started to move...
Xie Zhuo then noticed that Cheng Ling walked with one foot deeper than the other, her right leg dragging behind, making her limp.
His gaze shifted rapidly, landing on Cheng Ling's face:
"Is there anything else, Miss Cheng?"
Cheng Ling remained calm, showing no signs of inferiority despite the exposure of his physical disability, and asked:
"If those people in the front yard die, can I dig them up?"
Chishong glanced at Xie Zhuo's relatively normal expression: "No."
"If poultry can dig it up, why can't those guys in the front yard?"
"If you can get their family's consent, of course you can."
Chishong's surprised gaze swept towards Xie Zhuo, who had spoken, only to see Xie Zhuo calmly continue speaking:
"Just like you need the owner's permission to bring poultry home."
Cheng Ling's gaze towards Xie Zhuo softened slightly, tinged with unexpected surprise:
"I thought you were one of those old fogies in the court."
After saying that, she looked at Chishong: "Right, you old stubborn man?"
Chishong's face darkened. "Go about your business."
The corridor, now lit with candles, was once again left with only Xie Zhuo and Chishong.
The two slowly walked outside when Xie Zhuo's voice suddenly rang out:
"You don't treat Miss Cheng with the same malice you show to others."
Chishong sneered twice: "I only speak ill of wicked people."
Xie Zhuo, who had suddenly turned into a villain, realized Cheng Ling's identity. After all, Chishong treated everyone equally with harsh words. He said jokingly, "It sounds like Lord Chishong really wants to throw me into the Zhao Prison?"
In the candlelight, the red pine's eyes, now vertical pupils, glanced slightly to the side, casting a look imbued with the weight of years:
"I'm not as boring as humans."
In the candlelight, a shadow fell across Xie Zhuo's face below his eyes. His clear eyes held worry for the disaster in Luozhou, but deeper within them lay a profound peace.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Xie Zhuo was indeed someone he had watched grow up.
Xie Zhuo was already famous in the capital when he was young, and he could occasionally hear some rumors about him.
For the first twenty years of his life, Xie Zhuo experienced almost all the good things that ordinary people enjoy.
If he had that kind of luck, he would have transformed into a dragon and become an immortal long ago.
But his first twenty years were so fortunate that they made his later life all the more miserable.
Chishong recalled the little demon he had seen with Xie Zhuo earlier, and an interest flashed in his eyes. It had been a long time since something so interesting had happened.
The thought of seeing Xie Zhuo make a fool of himself in the future brought a mocking smile to his lips.
Xie Zhuo looked at Chishong, who had suddenly revealed a mocking expression, with a puzzled expression, and asked about the important matter:
"What's going on with Miss Cheng?"
"You mean her legs?" Akamatsu's expression turned serious as he asked.
"No. I'm just curious where you found this person. Her technique seems different from other doctors."
“I have some connections with her master.” Chishong briefly explained Xie Zhuo’s first question, then added regretfully, “She has a lot of skills. After her leg injury, she moved to logistics. Although she’s not a proper medical practitioner, she’s quite proficient in these unorthodox things…”
...
—
The moonlight was as clear as water when Xie Baoqiong, who was sleeping soundly in bed, suddenly sat up.
He and Xie Rongjing stayed in a secluded courtyard prepared by the prefect. After the meal, Xie Rongjing had someone take him to a room that had been prepared. He originally planned to wait until Xie Zhuo returned before sneaking out to explore the place Cao Zhuangling had mentioned.
But the newly made bed was very soft, and after lying down for a short while, his eyes closed on their own.
If it weren't for the commotion coming from the courtyard, he probably wouldn't have woken up until tomorrow.
Xie Baoqiong sat on the quilt, looking at the spacious bed where he had taken up a small part of it, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.
He sat for a while, and as he regained consciousness, the feeling of unease gradually dissipated.
Xie Baoqiong put on her clothes and shoes, walked past the servant who was napping on the side couch in the outer room, pushed open the door and went out.
The round moon hung in the sky, its soft light unlike the blazing sun, yet it illuminated the courtyard clearly.
The person in the center of the courtyard was also clearly visible to Xie Baoqiong.
Akamatsu noticed the gaze and turned to look at him.
There was no way to avoid it, Xie Baoqiong rubbed her sleepy eyes. She walked down the steps and greeted them:
"Greetings, Lord Chishong."
"You thought your father was back?" Chishong's playful voice rang out.
Xie Baoqiong didn't answer, she just looked up at Chisong.
“Your father doesn’t want you anymore; he’s gone to find Prince Xie.” Chishong said maliciously.
Xie Baoqiong tilted his head back and remained silent, his eyes turning strange. After a long while, he finally spoke:
"Lord Akamatsu, what are you still doing here?"
“Of course, I’m here to rest,” Akamatsu said.
Xie Baoqiong realized that Chishong had also been placed in this courtyard by the prefect.
He glanced longingly at Chishong, who stood motionless in place.
"Why are you looking at me? I'm not your father." Chishong seemed to remember something, leaned down, and lowered his voice:
"Forgot, the one inside isn't your father either."
Xie Baoqiong took a step back, frowned, and tried to say something, but he couldn't refute Chishong's words.
Akamatsu showed no remorse for bullying a child; a faint smile played on his lips.
"I really don't know why Lin Zhechun would cover for you. Although he doesn't meddle in other people's business much these days, he didn't expose you, a little demon, who was impersonating a mortal and wandering around in front of him."
"The Grand Preceptor naturally has his own ideas, but at least he won't coerce me like Lord Chishong."
Xie Baoqiong felt a gloved hand poke his soft face. The cool leather didn't hurt, but the owner of the hand made him uncomfortable. He blocked Chisong's hand and turned his head away.
"I coerced you?" Chishong withdrew his hand, and after Xie Baoqiong lowered it, his gloved fingers poked at the latter's fleshy face again:
"Xie Zhuo is quite good at raising piglets."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
