The one who rammed the door was the one who had broken free of the rope and was attracted by the noise outside, wanting to come out.
The shopkeeper staggered and fell to the ground, his voice filled with great unease, "I have been practicing medicine for thirty years and have never seen this kind of illness before. No medicine works for them. They have all gone mad."
In a large, eerily quiet room, the door was ajar. A dozen or so people lay side by side, their fates unknown.
"What's wrong with the people inside?" Lin Yinan asked.
"They had food poisoning and were brought here several days ago, but the medicine they received had no effect."
Lin Yinan had some doubts, so she kicked the door open and went inside.
The room reeked of foul odors, and there was a lot of colorful vomit on the floor. Some people were unconscious, with a puddle of water flowing out beneath them.
Yun Mo and the others also wanted to follow in and find out what was going on.
"Don't come in! Stay away from this room, I suspect it's the plague," Lin Yinan said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing that it was a plague, everyone quickly retreated.
"Anan, it's dangerous inside, come out quickly!" Lin Yiheng said anxiously, worried about his sister.
The shopkeeper didn't believe him and stepped into the house.
"Plague? How could it be a plague?"
Lin Yinan had already looked everyone in the room. Her expression behind her mask grew increasingly cold, and her delicate eyebrows, which were visible, were slightly furrowed.
A moment later, her icy voice rang out, “These people are vomiting and having diarrhea, their skin is dry, their cheeks are sunken, and they are severely dehydrated. They are all now in a coma with high fever and are unconscious.”
Yun Wu came in with a cloth covering his face. After examining each of the unconscious people, he said, "It is undoubtedly the plague."
"How can it be a plague?" the shopkeeper murmured, puzzled.
Lin Yinan gave him a cold glance, then turned and walked out of the house.
Seeing the shopkeeper come out, Yun Mo's expression turned serious. "How long have these people been here?"
"It's been two or three days," the shopkeeper replied truthfully.
Yun Mo frowned and said seriously, "There is a plague here. We must leave immediately and discuss everything further."
The shopkeeper stood frozen in place, muttering to himself, "Retribution! This is Heaven's punishment for Luo Chu City!"
Lin Yinan looked at him, "Shopkeeper, would you like to come with us?"
Where to?
He had never left the city. He had heard that the outside world was full of refugees. Staying here to treat the city lord's men would at least give him a full meal.
However, the illnesses of people in the city are becoming increasingly strange, and medicine is ineffective; moreover, the medicinal herbs he has saved up are almost used up.
The shopkeeper was momentarily confused.
"Hurry up and pack your things, let's get out of the city first and then discuss it." Yun Er pulled him forward.
The shopkeeper was pulled back into the shop by Yun Er. Only then did he come to his senses, pick up some important things and put them into a large basket, and hurriedly followed Yun Mo and the others out the door.
Passing through the center of the street again, Lin Yinan looked up at the palace in the northwest corner.
"Shopkeeper, where is that?"
The shopkeeper glanced at it and quickly lowered his head. "That is the City Lord's Mansion, where the City Lord lives."
Yun Mo noticed that many eyes had appeared around them, watching their every move from the shadows.
"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go back first."
The group returned the way they came, crossed the main street, and hurried toward the city gate.
A passing vendor saw the shopkeeper carrying a basket on his back and a medicine box, scrutinized him for a moment, and then called out, "Doctor Lü, are you leaving the city?"
Doctor Lü hurried along and replied perfunctorily, "Yes, someone on their team is sick, and they asked me to make a house call to take a look."
"Oh! Then go early and come back early."
"Yes, yes." Doctor Lü nodded hurriedly.
The vendor gave a slight nod to the person standing on the street corner, and the person turned and ran.
Inside the palace.
The city lord leaned lazily against the soft couch, listening to his subordinates report on Lin Yinan and the others' movements.
"You mean they went to every street in the city, didn't buy anything, and even took Doctor Lü with them?"
"Yes."
The city lord glanced sideways at his subordinate and slowly asked, "How is the person sent to Doctor Lü?"
"I checked this morning and there is no sign of improvement. It seems to be getting worse. Doctor Lü said that there is a shortage of medicinal materials, and the efficacy of many prescriptions will be reduced."
"Since it can't be cured, let's just drag it out and kill it. What a waste."
The city lord lay there with his eyes half-closed, seemingly asleep but not quite. After a while, he noticed that his subordinates were still kneeling on the ground.
"Is there anything else?"
The subordinate asked, "Sir, should we send men to ambush that group tonight?"
"Alright, let's take some men to scare them, so we can make our move tomorrow morning."
"Yes, I will arrange it immediately."
Lin Yinan and the others finally returned to the camp as the sun was setting.
Seeing the children rushing to the front, Lin Yinan shouted, "Don't come any closer! There's a plague in the city!"
Upon hearing this, Yunye immediately ordered his guards to stop the crowd and set up a small tent.
Doctor Lin found some mugwort, lit it, and set off the tent. Lin Yinan, Yun Mo, and the others went into the tent to fumigate with the mugwort.
Then they brought each person a bowl of herbal medicine to prevent infection.
Dr. Lü looked at her and quietly shook his head at her.
Lin Yinan drank it, then made up a reason, "I have a cold constitution, so I shouldn't drink this."
Yun Mo frowned slightly when he saw her and Doctor Lü's secret actions. After taking her pulse, Doctor Lü was somewhat worried about her health.
To avoid wasting time, Yunye called everyone outside the tent and discussed the matter with them through the tent flap.
"The situation inside the city is complicated, and leaving the city tomorrow won't be too smooth," Yun Mo said.
Doctor Lü's eyes were filled with worry. "You still need to be careful tonight. They will definitely send someone to launch a sneak attack."
Yunye recognized his voice as the voice of the man his third brother had brought back from the city.
"May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"
Doctor Lü said, “My surname is Lü, and my given name is Chengzhi. My family has been running a pharmacy in the city for generations. After the king abandoned the city and fled, the bandits on the mountain received the news and came down to occupy Luochu City. The capable people all left, the incapable people either died or survived. Those who survived became accomplices to evil and became neither human nor ghost.”
"Doctor Lü, how are the people in the city getting food?" Lin Yinan asked, voicing her doubts.
"All the food in the city was either stolen or bought from other places by the city lord and his men. The people in the city can receive thirty catties a month. As for the rest, you have seen it yourself—they eat people!"
When Yun Mo asked about the few people who had gone mad, Doctor Lü shook his head. "Many of the city lord's men are like this. Only a few were sent to the pharmacy. Most of the seriously ill ones were killed. We call it madness."
Lin Yinan rubbed her temples wearily and said in a low voice, "It's a virus. People who get this disease develop rashes all over their bodies, have fever, and their eyes become red. When stimulated, they will shout and scream, and eventually go crazy and die."
Doctor Lü suddenly realized, "Yes, that's it. There's a special street in the city where people who are killed are dragged there to be sold."
Yunye, standing outside the tent, said in a deep voice, "Tell them that everyone entering the city tomorrow must wear a face mask to prevent infection with the virus."
"I want to explore the city lord's mansion tonight."
After much deliberation, Yun Mo decided to go into the city again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
