Chapter 156: The Plague Rises
Tian You Calendar Year 1, June. On the passage from Bo Prefecture to Yan Land, the three stations built by Zhao Cheng a year ago had already fallen into the hands of the Yao Army.
The defensive stations set up by Zhao Cheng here were taken over unceremoniously by Wu Fei, who also reinforced them. Many walls were studded with shell fragments. The patches of barbs made anyone attempting to climb them shrink back in fear.
As the climate warmed, Wu Fei began personally overseeing the logistics work here. The key tasks he focused on: leading a group of doctors to conduct a round of physical examinations on the soldiers withdrawn from the North, to prevent cross-regional plague transmission into Bo Prefecture.
Because in May, when Bo Prefecture accepted slaves, many slaves were found to have ultimately died from plague.
For example, many died from a strange disease that dried out their skin. It caused them to shed skin like snakes.
Xuan Chong attached great importance to this. Because according to previous life East-West Exchange history, all plagues occurred under conditions of large-scale trade exchange. Once a plague crosses regions, it kills on a massive scale.
Historically, some simple diseases from the East became the Black Death in the West. Similarly, some mild illnesses from the West became severe typhoid in the East (end of Eastern Han Dynasty, end of Ming Dynasty). Meanwhile, the South Asian subcontinent in the middle was recognized as having the strongest plague resistance.
From previous life popular science knowledge obtained by Xuan Chong: A “pandemic” often occurs when East-West fixed pathogens and biota form a stable balance, where all species in the ecological chain have resistance to symbiotic diseases. The diseases merely clear out the old and young individuals in the ecological chain, remaining latent and symbiotic in strong individuals, which fits the virus’s gene continuation.
But upon arriving in a new territory and entering a completely new ecological chain, the diseases mismatch the ecological chain. As long as one species in this ecological chain is breached, it mutates into a virus capable of mass-killing healthy populations, then spreads to other species through contact with corpses after death, mutating repeatedly, ultimately mutating to spread within the human species—this is a pandemic.
The foreign race slaves brought by Hao State died en masse from beriberi, their bodies covered in dense dry cracks. Even after treatment, there was still a 10% mortality rate.
Previously, Bo Prefecture’s population had dispersed to the countryside without large-scale contagion, but now Bo Prefecture was resuming trade.
In response, Wu Fei began worrying whether their side would also spark plague transmission, so he established inspection stations in the three grain station areas to isolate, inspect, and tally the soldiers’ physical conditions one by one.
To this end, along the border line, a large group of simple pulse-taking barefoot doctors was transferred over to teach apprentices hands-on practical operation.
However, implementing management across the entire plague area was extremely difficult; most frontline arrogant generals were unwilling to be restrained, especially some soldiers whose scalps under their hair clearly had massive red swelling and lice, yet they were unwilling to shave their heads.
So Wu Fei came. Upon arriving at the grain station, he confined all twenty uncooperative non-commissioned officers and forcibly shaved and medicated the infected.
…Of course, the most rebellious troublemakers were often the toughest…
When Wu Hengyu’s iron cavalry arrived from the rear, the dust they kicked up made the No. 3 grain station area tense for a moment. The troops bringing up the rear quickly built blocking positions in front of the rear wooden fence as per drills.
Only after the forward cavalry completed communication exchange, and a specific person (Zhao Tu) completed the handover, confirming that the one in charge of the pass was Wu Fei, did the soldiers outside the pass relax half a breath. But seeing that the arrival was Wu Hengyu, their hearts rose again.
Wu Fei waved the command flag to lead the army to the east side military tent. Then Guiche, who had come north with the army, descended from the sky with a gale. It obediently entered the bird’s nest that could accommodate its massive body.
Wu Fei sat at the pass with a group of white coats. Wu Hengyu arrived aggressively on horseback with fifty cavalry.
Seeing the scene, Wu Fei said: “Tsk tsk, Wu Da Lang has arrived—everyone make way for him.” —Since he couldn’t beat Wu Hengyu as a child and was forced to be a supporting role, Wu Fei used the mental victory method to mock him.
Especially since Wu Hengyu couldn’t clearly explain the “sarcastic” meaning behind Wu Fei’s words, the elders always sided with Wu Fei when mediating.
The personal soldiers cleared the path. Wu Fei personally came forward to greet him, and Wu Hengyu’s anger subsided somewhat at the sight. After all, anyone daring to stand before him had no ill intentions.
Wu Hengyu: “After you sealed the checkpoint, you also detained my soldiers.”
Wu Fei: “Come on, disinfection first.” With that, he led Wu Hengyu through a special passage. As for the officers behind Wu Hengyu, the blockers
Wu Hengyu watched Wu Fei walking ahead. Within three steps, he was quite confident. The petty reports from his subordinates saying to “be careful of Wu Fei” would disappear as soon as Wu Fei moved in front of him, along with all his guard.
The two sides arrived in front of the bathhouse just like that, frank and aboveboard.
Wu Hengyu looked at the wooden clogs and bathrobe that had been prepared long ago, then changed clothes and followed Wu Fei into the bathhouse.
The two leaned by the pool and talked. Wu Fei: “The battles in the North are going very smoothly, right?”
Wu Hengyu: “You’ve seen the battle report. I captured fifteen cities at the frontline. Why are you suddenly holding back my soldiers at the rear?”
Wu Fei: “I’ve told you already, it’s epidemic prevention. Yao Capital Imperial Court reported that a great plague has appeared in all directions now.”
Wu Hengyu: “So you cut off my retreat, causing my morale to waver.”
Wu Fei: “How is it called cutting off the retreat? The returning people are isolated for twenty-five days, and look, aren’t they all eating well, drinking well, and resting? How exactly did it spread in your military camp?”
Wu Hengyu: “Why suddenly do this.”
Wu Fei looked up at him and slowly said, “A letter came from back home. A Yellow Spring has appeared in the earth vein over in Zhenzhou; both people and livestock who drink it all fall ill.”
Wu Hengyu: “How is the family?”
Wu Fei took a deep breath and slowly said: Uncle is over there, and for the time being, he hasn’t caused any trouble.
Wu Fei remained silent in his heart, as all of this seemed to be related to his uncle.
Wu Fei had a vague premonition that his uncle was about to run into trouble at home. So he gave Wu Hengyu some advance notice.
As for why Uncle had to have an accident? Wu Fei couldn’t say. It might be because of his own “familial affection” bias, and he was unwilling to say it.
Those matters of Uncle, in terms of Spring and Autumn brushwork, are “harming Heavenly Harmony”; more realistically speaking, they are “it’s not that there’s no retribution, the time has not yet come.” Wu Fei’s understanding of this sentence is: “When one offends multiple parties’ interests, and this uncle now involves various sides that are not to be trifled with, previously uncle relied on concealment methods to escape retribution, but one can deceive for a moment, not for a lifetime, and ultimately will face joint sanctions from multiple parties.”
Wu Fei wanted to go back, but his uncle sent him a letter. Asking him to quickly help Wu Hengyu resolve the northern warfare.
Wu Fei knew that Wu Hanluan was actually planning for what would happen after his death.——Having committed too many unrighteous acts, he would surely bring about his own demise; he had created too much evil karma, knew he couldn’t endure it himself, and only hoped not to implicate his descendants. As for how to ensure his descendants wouldn’t be implicated? It was impossible for them to simply admit fault and surrender—the people coming for revenge wouldn’t listen. The only way was to help his descendants establish a firm foothold, then integrate them into cooperative interests.
Wu Hanluan was not worried about Wu Fei. Wu Fei, as the founder with business acumen, was like a spring eye, surrounded by living water, and would never lack forces willing to assist him.
Wu Hanluan is now worried about Wu Hengyu, so he demands: Wu Fei must help Wu Hengyu gain a foothold in Bo Prefecture as soon as possible. Only by becoming the master of that land and having a “cooperation” chip can he make those forces provoked by Wu Hanluan willing to resolve differences through cooperation.
Narration: Most forces in the East that established themselves during times of warfare obtained their first pot of gold through plunder, but none were willing to let later generations follow their old path. They required educating descendants to be kind to the local people and achieve reconciliation, ensuring integration. In this way, blood debts would be eliminated before the next generation had to bear the consequences.
As for those who enshrine plundering as traditional glory. After climbing up, they treat external cooperation as their own charity, and will basically be dragged out with old debts in the thirty-year Hexi shift, eradicated all at once. After the Wei-Jin Period, after the Tang Dynasty, those foreign races who surged into the Central Plains would all face cleansing in the fluctuations of each era.
Miles away, Wu Fei understood Wu Hanluan’s intention. In the bathhouse, he said to Wu Hengyu: “Pandemic prevention must be carried out; this is a correct approach.” (Only by insisting this correctness can the boundary of righteousness be delineated when the Wu Hanluan incident occurs)
Wu Hengyu frowned, then nodded: “Must the soldiers have their heads shaved?”
Wu Fei: “Shaving the head for those infected is necessary. Officers can resolve it through fumigation, but officers should take the lead and shave their heads together with the soldiers, receiving three silver leaves as subsidy. Ordinary soldiers can receive twenty copper coins daily as meal allowance.”
…The perspective shifts to a thousand miles away…
In Chong Land, disciples of Wangheng Sect are arriving in this countryside to investigate the plague phenomenon currently appearing in the village. Qingliu Village’s morning should have been serene and peaceful. After major sects issued the “Search for Pestilent Qi” mission, disciples proficient in prospecting from various sects are all paying attention in the human world.
At this time, Shen Qing stands under the village entrance’s sacred tree, his brows tightly furrowed. Logically, this season should have lush branches and leaves, but the branches of this century-old tree before him are withered and yellow, drooping low, devoid of vitality like an elder on the verge of death. Clearly, pestilent qi is present here.
Suddenly, the spiritual talisman in his hand flies over, its paper arm pointing at him human-like. Shen Qing walks to the village well, but his expression changes slightly upon approaching, as a strand of baleful qi emerges from the well, along with some mosquitoes in the well.
A circle of villagers with terrified faces has already gathered by the well platform. Seeing Shen Qing arrive, they automatically part to make a path, their eyes full of hope. Hoping this god-like person can help solve their problem.
“Immortal Master, please take a look. The water drawn up this morning is even yellower than yesterday!” The village head tremulously hands over an earthen bowl.
Shen Qing takes the bowl and sees the liquid inside presenting a strange yellow-brown color, emitting an ominous faint glow under the morning light. He forms a spell with his fingers, condensing a wisp of cyan spiritual energy at his fingertip, and gently touches the water surface. “Sizzle—” With a light sound, a strand of black smoke rises from the water surface, and the spiritual energy is instantly corroded away.
Shen Qing’s pupils contract slightly. He originally thought there was only faint plague qi here, because from the villagers’ symptoms, it was dizziness, blurred vision, and weakness in the limbs; but now he is stunned, because this is clearly the source of the plague. There are no deaths here, but downstream in Chong Shui, in the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers where the river channels converge into the Great River and finally enter the sea, many cities along the river have seen vicious plagues.
Although those who died are all mere peddlers and walkers, now in Yao Capital, at the Pill Fighting Conference, each sect has brought out their own plague-dispelling pills, yet after these disciples use their spiritual objects to display supernatural powers, they still cannot eradicate the source of the plague.
“Rise!” Shen Qing forms a spell, and after the gourd at his waist opens, a Purifying Evil Pill turns into a beam of cyan light and shoots into the well. Moments later, the well is like it was pricked with a needle, as countless maggots crawl out from it, densely packed.
The watching villagers let out a cry of alarm and retreat one after another. The village head kneels down with a thud: “Please save our village, Immortal Master!”
The well water cannot be drunk, so they can only walk five li every day to fetch water from the river to drink. The round trip is a great ordeal. The villagers take advantage of the Immortal Master still being here and all kneel down, begging the Immortal Master to resolve this matter. Shen Qing hurriedly helps up the elder, assuring him he will get to the bottom of this.
When he leaves the village and flies two li away, he takes out a command flag and inserts it into the ground, stimulating the flow of the underground water vein.
Shen Qing wants to trace the direction of the pollution in the water vein, but as the command flag is inserted, earthworms immediately emerge from underground one after another, as if encountering something terrifying.
Strands of yellow springs emerge from underground, and the pond and ditch water visibly turn into turbid yellow, with plants and vegetation beginning to wither yellow, just like bursting a large pustule.
At this moment, a group of patrolling cavalry passes by and, seeing this, shouts loudly: “Bold evil cultivator releasing such evil arts in my territory!”
Despite Shen Qing explaining that he is only investigating the underground pollution of the water vein and offering that the villagers from that village can vouch for him, these knights refuse to listen. Helplessly, he can only draw his treasured sword and unfold a small paper boat to try to fly away, but as this team of cavalry shouts loudly, the paper boat under his feet begins to waver unsteadily left and right, finally “poofing” into self-immolation, turning into a wisp of cyan smoke and dissipating, and he falls down to be bound five-flowered.
Afterward, Shen Qing is escorted into Lelang City. The closer to the city center, the clearer the surface river water becomes.
But after he is imprisoned in the large prison, Shen Qing discovers a concealed drainage pipe, from whose mouth yellow-brown liquid drips continuously. After taking out the gourd hidden in his ear to test it, he finds the pollution even more severe. However, just as he does this, he feels a sudden heart palpitation. He looks up sharply and finds that the surroundings have unknowingly been filled with black-armored soldiers, each holding a crossbow bolt gleaming with cold light.
“Wangheng Sect Immortal Master.” The leading Wu Hanluan lifts his faceplate, revealing a face as cold and hard as iron.
Due to the extremely thick killing intent, Shen Qing secretly circulates his spiritual power, but finds his meridians blocked, unable to mobilize even a bit.
Wu Hanluan gives him no chance to explain, simply ordering the sect disciple to be shackled and strictly guarded (killing intent suppression) before leaving.
…Helpless dividing line…
Wu Hanluan naturally knows there is a problem in his territory. When he took over the entire region, that great power in Golden Bucket Realm demanded he provide feedback, namely to extend the “Golden Bucket Veins” throughout the mountains and rivers of the entire region.
Wu Hanluan naturally refuses to do so. Using Golden Bucket Realm to suppress other evil beings in the Southern Border is fine, but he is very clear that Golden Bucket Realm is the greatest evil itself. Thus, he deeply buried the Golden Bucket under the city and mobilized the power of the local mountains and rivers for suppression. It was fine a few years ago, but after Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu both left, or perhaps due to the Evil Moon in the Sky, the suppression has gradually failed, first polluting the various water veins.
Now, although Wu Hanluan has isolated himself from the Golden Bucket, whenever the aura inside the Golden Bucket overflows under the underground mountains and rivers’ seal suppression, Wu Hanluan can sense the location of the “Golden Bucket overflow” first.
And after Wu Hanluan confirms the overflow of “Golden Bucket power,” he mobilizes the power of mountains and rivers to seal the water veins and earth qi, preventing the Golden Bucket power from further spreading.
For example, with that village’s well water drying up, if the villagers continue digging deeper and contact the yellow springs polluted by the Golden Bucket veins, he senses it. He also sends people in advance to notify them to relocate the village elsewhere, but after all, it’s hard to leave one’s native soil, and the village people will recruit masters, thinking they can solve the problem.
The order Wu Hanluan gives to the cavalry is that any cultivator appearing there is using magic indiscriminately, disrupting Zhenzhou feng shui. And they must bring these masters back, and upon return, imprison them.
Wu Hanluan looks at that underground prison already built with a full seven levels. However, he is unaware that from the windows of each level in this underground prison, moonlight can be seen, and the deeper the level, the brighter the green moonlight.
Wu Hanluan: The heterodox path cultivators in the territory have all been rounded up, and now Righteous Path cultivators have appeared. How much longer can this be concealed?
He gazes toward the northeast and murmurs: Children, quickly achieve your own careers.
