Chapter 36 Blocking the Road, Mistakenly Turning Benefactor into a Blood Spider Plague. Mad Wood Plague. ...
Blood Spider Plague. Mad Wood Plague. An ominous symbol. The origin of nightmares.
Blood spider plague: those afflicted with this plague will have their entire bodies covered in blood-red spiderweb-like patterns, dense, fine, and raised, a truly terrifying sight. Initially, they appear on the back, causing no sensation and being transparent, making them difficult to detect. The longer the plague persists, the clearer and denser the spiderweb becomes. By the time people notice it, the blood-red spiderweb has spread throughout their entire body, even filling their eyeballs.
He eventually bled from all seven orifices and exploded, dying instantly.
Mad Tree Plague: Those afflicted with this plague develop skin that hardens like tree bark. It commonly appears on the neck, causing intense itching. People often scratch the affected areas until they are raw and bleeding, with old scabs forming alongside new skin in a recurring cycle. This leads to irritability, and the more irritable people become, the faster their skin hardens.
They eventually became tree-people, or, unable to endure it, killed each other.
Along with these two epidemics came the power of all spirits, which was feared throughout the three realms.
Because of its appearance:
The ghosts of the underworld devoured it;
Human suffering was widespread;
The gods of heaven have fallen;
The era of the Four Gentlemen of Tianji has come to an end.
......
Strangely, after the power of all spirits disappeared, both diseases also disappeared.
No one offered an explanation.
What exactly is this unknown, powerful, and terrifying force? Where does it come from? Why did it suddenly disappear? Will it reappear in the future?
They came and went in a hurry, suddenly like a dream. Looking back, all that remains is devastation, and it all seems so real.
Seven hundred years have passed, and they have reappeared.
This was no small matter, and the four of them dared not delay for a moment. Feng Xi cast a spell, and in an instant, they arrived at the settlement of the Keqiang tribe.
The four were shocked by what they saw.
There was complete chaos here.
The tents, made of wooden frames and tree bark, were scattered and disorganized. Almost all the livestock had contracted the blood spider plague, their fur covered in bloody streaks, their eyes bulging, lying in various positions, convulsing incessantly. The people here, on the other hand, had contracted the mad wood plague, their limbs stiff and their tempers violent. Some were gnawing on tree bark, some had collapsed in the snow due to their inability to move, grimacing and struggling to move, while others were using animal bone knives to cut their still-unaffected skin, the blood dripping down and melting the snow...
But no matter who it was, even if they had lost their minds, it was as if an invisible thread was pulling them, ensuring that no one harmed their own people from beginning to end.
Mi Qing immediately summoned the Xiaochen Qin, and her ten fingers plucked the strings rapidly. The music was infused with her magic power, and as soon as the melody flowed out, everyone and the livestock instantly stabilized and fell into a coma.
The other three rushed forward to check on him. Judging from his condition, Yan Chao realized that the illness had not been long since it started, but the symptoms had come on suddenly. Fortunately, the illness was curable.
Yan Chao took out a large jar from his bag. The jar was full of pills wrapped in white oil paper. However, the pills were different from the usual ones, and were the size of a large apricot.
Yan Chao hurriedly called Feng Xi and Yao Xu for help, saying, "Give one pill to everyone and every animal here. Remember! One whole pill for everyone, whether human or animal." After saying that, he took out two jars from his bag and gave one jar to each of them.
Yao Xu looked at the pill, which was as big as an apricot, and slowly swallowed it. He felt a sudden choking sensation, but it only lasted for a moment. Saving people was the priority now.
The four people worked together, and before long, the people and animals here gradually regained their senses.
Yan Chao's medicine was indeed very effective. The symptoms of the epidemic had been relieved. Although it had not been completely eradicated, they would be able to fully recover after a few more days of treatment.
When everyone slowly came to their senses, they suddenly found four unfamiliar faces in front of them. They quickly picked up their swords, staggered to their feet, and looked at the four people warily.
The leader of the group shouted, "Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want?! Speak! Now!!!"
Yan Chao wiped the sweat from his brow and said helplessly, "I'm not saying this to be mean, but you're asking so many questions and telling us to hurry up. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Besides! We just rescued this whole bunch of you, people and animals, it was tough for us, can't you let us catch our breath first?! Do we look like bad guys?"
Just then, a man standing at the back of the crowd suddenly clutched his neck, coughed a few times, and said in a short, indistinct voice, "Did they poison us? Why is it so hard for me to speak? Wait! Why does my jaw hurt so much..."
Upon hearing this, many people in the crowd suddenly felt the same way, and in an instant, a chorus of "uh" sounds filled the air.
Seeing this, Yao Xu scratched his head awkwardly. In his haste, he had forgotten to use magic to deliver the pills into their bodies, and instead used the simplest and most brutal method: dislocating their jaws and forcing the pills in. But the pills were too big, and swallowing them took time, and he had forgotten to put their jaws back in afterwards.
Yao Xu stepped forward, bowed to everyone, and said, "I'm so sorry! The situation was urgent just now, and I had no choice but to resort to this tactic to save you." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and added, "I can help you put your chins back in place."
Upon hearing this, everyone retreated.
Then, a "snap" sound was heard, one after another, as they pressed their chins back into place.
Yaoxu: "..."
The other three: "..."
Another man said, "You're lying! We were perfectly fine. If you hadn't come, how could we have ended up like this?!"
Yan Chao remained silent, thinking to himself, "This is the first time I've heard that Blood Spider Plague and Mad Wood Plague can cause people to lose their memories."
Mi Qing stepped forward and said loudly, "You were all infected with the Mad Wood Plague. You either had tree bark in your mouths or blood dripping from your hands. Don't you have any recollection of that?"
Those who were called out belatedly realized what was wrong with them, and one by one they froze on the spot. After a long while, as if they suddenly remembered what had happened, they all collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by a wave of lingering fear.
Feng Xi asked, "What exactly happened between you?"
Unexpectedly, they suddenly went berserk, pointing their knives at them with fierce eyes, and approached step by step, shouting: "You are of unknown origin! You are foreign invaders! Leave here immediately! The Keqiang do not welcome you!"
Yao Xu said, "No, you must have made a mistake..."
The crowd shouted in unison, "Get out of here!!! If you don't leave, don't blame us for having no eyes for our swords!"
Yao Xu tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen to reason. They shouted, "You won't destroy Keqiang! The Keqiang people have sworn to protect the mountains and forests for generations, and will never be disturbed by a single soldier! We will fight to the last man, and never surrender!!!"
Seeing that their explanations were fruitless, the four gave up. To avoid conflict, they had no choice but to leave.
The Keqiang people were still worried, so they sent five or six people to follow them until they drove them out of the forest before they stopped.
Yao Xu thought about it the whole way but still couldn't understand what had happened, how they were kicked out like this?
Yao Xu asked Mi Qing, "Do you know what happened?"
Mi Qing shook her head.
Yao Xu asked Yan Chao, "Do you know what happened?"
Yan Chao also shook his head.
Just as Yao Xu was about to ask Feng Xi a question, Feng Xi sealed his mouth shut.
Feng Xi said, "Shut up."
Yaoxu: "......"
Mi Qing asked, "So what do we do now?"
Yan Chao lay down directly on the snow, sighed, and said, "Since they don't welcome us, why don't we just go back? What do you think?"
Feng Xi laughed a few times and said, "Chao Chao's idea is good, I think it's great."
Mi Qing still asked with some concern, "Is it really okay for us to go back like this? Won't that spirit cause some trouble?"
Seeing her serious expression, Yan Chao laughed and said, "Ah Qing, Ah Qing! I was just joking. I'm not really going to leave. Why should we just do as they please just because they kicked us out? Absolutely not!"
“The virus in their bodies has not been completely cleared, and they need to take medicine for several days in a row. Although they may very well try to tough it out, I will not let that happen.”
“I’m very generous. They don’t need to invite me. I’ll go back tomorrow. But it’s still early today, so I want to take a good stroll around this area.”
Feng Xi said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
Yan Chao stood up, looked at Yao Xu and Mi Qing, and said, "How about it? Want to come along?"
Yao Xu pouted and hummed a few times. Feng Xi then untied him.
Yao Xu let out a long sigh, put his hands on his hips, pointed deep into the forest, and shouted, "What's wrong with them? We saved them, and they treat us like enemies! What does this mean? Good deeds don't always get rewarded?!"
Feng Xi sighed and said, "Let's go, let's leave him alone."
After the three of them had walked two miles, Yao Xu realized that he was the only one left. He said, "Wait for me!"
The four found a small inn, which was run by an old man in his sixties who was hunched over sweeping snow in front of the door. Perhaps because no one had come for a long time, the old man was a little surprised when he saw the four and asked hesitantly, "Are you here to stay?"
Yao Xu rubbed his rumbling stomach and said, "Yes, yes, bring me whatever you have to eat or drink, I'm starving!" Then he swaggered into the shop.
The old man hadn't reacted yet and stood at the door for a long time without moving. Feng Xi looked at him coldly and said, "Is there any other problem?"
The old man snapped out of his daze, put down the broom, chuckled, and said, "No problem, no problem. Please come in and have a seat. I'll prepare some food and wine for you right away."
The four sat down at a round table. A brazier sat on the floor in the room, but the fire was dim and the room was a bit cold. The furnishings were simple, but the place was tidy enough, suggesting that no one had been here for a long time.
A moment later, the old man returned slowly, carrying four bowls of meat soup and a pot of warm wine. He put them down, then turned and picked up a basket of broken charcoal, relighting the brazier. After doing all this, the old man sat down in a chair, rubbing his chest, and it took him a while to calm himself down.
Yan Chao asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
The old man rubbed his face, waved his hand, and said, "It's nothing serious. I'm just old and useless."
Now that we've encountered this, we can't just ignore it.
Yan Chao took out a small medicine bottle from his bag, got up and handed it to the old man. He checked the old man's pulse and, after confirming that there was nothing wrong, instructed him: "Take this medicine twice a day, three pills each time, and your symptoms will gradually improve."
The old man quickly stood up and declined, saying, "No, no, I can't accept the medicine from you, young lady. I can't accept something for nothing."
Yan Chao didn't argue, but pointed to the meat soup and wine on the table and said, "This meal will be used to pay for this bottle of medicine. What do you think?"
The old man was a straightforward person, and readily agreed, saying, "Alright! Thank you very much, young lady."
Yan Chao returned to the table and continued drinking his meat soup. Yao Xu leaned closer and whispered, "Wow, Yan Chao! Your skills are amazing. You can even cure those two strange plagues! You should go up to the higher-ups!"
The above naturally refers to Tiandu, but Yan Chao was not interested in that place. He only said, "In life, if you want to do well, you have to have some skills to rely on, right?" Yan Chao paused for a moment and then said, "As for that plague, it was an agreement between me and an elder. If I see this plague, I will definitely eliminate it."
Upon hearing this, the other three fell silent.
Seeing that the group had an impressive air about them, the old man hesitated for a long time before tentatively asking, "Are you also here to find treasure?"
Feng Xi asked, "Has anyone else been here?"
The old man recalled, “That was a few months ago. In this godforsaken place, not a single person comes here for a year. A few months ago, a young man suddenly appeared. He seemed quite kind and said there was treasure in these mountains. I’ve lived here for decades and have never heard of any treasure here. But the Keqiang people living here are extremely wary of outsiders of unknown origin. They would never allow anyone with ill intentions to touch a single blade of grass or tree here.”
Mi Qing asked, "And then what happened?"
The old man continued, "I tried to persuade him, but he said it was alright. He came out after only a few days in the forest. I saw that he was in a hurry, but I didn't have time to ask. I thought he hadn't found the treasure and had returned disappointed. I had almost forgotten about it, but seeing you all today reminded me."
The four exchanged a glance, understanding dawning on them.
I'm afraid that person didn't come to find treasure, but to poison me.
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Author's Note: Dear readers, the next chapter will be on Saturday or Sunday!
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