Chapter 350: Sick Spore (Three-in-One)

Xu Yuan looked at Gao Guanzi with a puzzled expression: Could one truly discern the traces beneath the ground merely by "listening"?

Yet Gao Guanzi drew the axe from his waist, pressed his ear to the ground, and struck the earth heavily with the axe's back.

Relying on the subtle differences in the underground echoes, he identified the traces left by roots burrowing beneath the surface.

After spending a little over half an hour, they stood by a river.

"That root must have grabbed something and slipped away into the river."

Recalling what Deng Linyue had said, Xu Yuan thought this Ghost Root Tree was likely drifting down from upstream along the canal.

"Does this tree love water? Or does it simply find it more convenient to move via the river channel?"

Dense forests grew on both banks of the river; Xu Yuan activated "Gazing at Fate" to check, finding no evil spirits hidden within.

In other words, the Ghost Root Tree was not here at this moment.

While Deng Linyue found it difficult to see through the Ghost Root Tree's "thousand transformations," it posed no problem for Xu Yuan.

In the eyes of the two mountain runners, this clue ended right here.

Yet Xu Yuan felt this clue was extremely important.

My Lord Xu deduced: The Ghost Root Tree will appear again in this river, or perhaps even in this very stretch of the channel.

To find that thing, the most reliable approach currently is to wait in ambush nearby tonight.

Someone had previously seen the Ghost Root Tree beneath Pig-Call Rock.

That was why Deng Linyue had come.

Last night, a root emerged from beneath Pig-Call Rock and took something away.

The root's origin was likely the Ghost Root Tree.

Perhaps even the "Hehuan Tree" seen by the Miao family was the Ghost Root Tree in disguise.

In other words, if last night's root truly belonged to the Ghost Root Tree, then whatever it sought upon entering Ghost Wushan lay beneath Pig-Call Rock.

With no other clues available, waiting here for whatever might be the Ghost Root Tree to appear was undoubtedly the best choice.

Xu Yuan glanced around and said to Gao Guanzi: "We shall stay here tonight. Build a shelter, and make it as concealed as possible.

If it truly is the Ghost Root Tree, that thing possesses thirteen tree-eyes; do not let it detect any flaw."

"Yes, my lord," Gao Guanzi replied.

Xu Yuan then said to Bai Laoyan: "We shall split up. First, take me to Guofeng Ridge."

He had made an appointment with the Dragon last night.

Bai Laoyan was unfamiliar with the terrain here and took some time before locating Guofeng Ridge.

Xu Yuan looked from afar, saw no trace of the Dragon's fate, but spotted Tian Jing.

Tian Jing's "fate" was becoming less and less human, instead growing infinitely closer to that of an evil spirit!

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly; while he admired Tian Jing's character, he also felt deep sorrow.

Accompanying the Dragon on Guanghuo Street, Tian Jing had inevitably gradually transformed into a true evil spirit!

Tian Jing's abilities had also become increasingly bizarre.

He was crouching in a patch of wild grass, where several large bluestones protruded from the vegetation.

Tian Jing's back was also a patch of bluish-black.

Crouching motionless there with his head down, he looked exactly like the other bluestones.

Had Xu Yuan not activated "Gazing at Fate," even walking right past him, he might not have recognized him.

A strange bird with a long scorpion tail flew low over the grass tips.

Its scorpion tail plowed through the grass.

If there were wild rabbits, small snakes, or similar creatures in the grass, they would be hooked by the tail and then eaten by this strange bird.

As the strange bird passed nearby, Tian Jing suddenly extended a hand.

His arm shot out half a zhang, grabbed the bird, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it up.

Xu Yuan quietly pulled Bai Laoyan back and waited silently for a moment.

After Tian Jing ate the bird, he wiped the bloody stains from the corner of his mouth.

Only then did Xu Yuan deliberately heavy his footsteps and walk toward him.

Tian Jing likely did not wish for Xu Yuan to see his true form at present.

"My lord," Tian Jing said cheerfully as he stood up.

His voice carried a hint of relief, barely perceptible.

The moment he stood, his "mimicry" vanished.

He returned to roughly seventy or eighty percent of a normal human's appearance.

Xu Yuan smiled and said: "You've worked hard. How has it been on Guanghuo Street these past days?"

Tian Jing smiled and replied: "It's been alright. The shop just opened, so naturally it's been a bit strenuous. Fortunately, the Dragon is in command, and with you and Lang Xiaobai as our backing, we will surely persevere."

Since his true years in this mortal world far exceeded Bai Laoyan's, when he said "Lang Xiaobai," Bai Laoyan could only accept it.

Xu Yuan nodded and said: "That is good. Tell me anytime if you need anything."

After all, this was a joint venture.

Tian Jing said: "We have already sold quite a bit of the goods we brought. In a while, we will truly need my lord to help us contact suppliers."

"No problem."

Tian Jing said mysteriously: "My lord, guess who our biggest buyer is?"

Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Could it not be the great evil spirits on the street?"

Tian Jing smiled gently: "Before I came, I held the same thought as you. At the beginning, we indeed sold our goods directly to those great evil spirits—but later, we gradually discovered that those great evil spirits, after buying our goods, were merely acting as middlemen!"

Tian Jing lowered his voice and said: "They... sell them outside the mountains!"

Xu Yuan let out an "Oh," and suddenly understood everything: these great evil spirits had actually all reached a bottleneck.

It was extremely difficult to improve further.

Just like that "Lord Ruan Tian," how could He improve any further?

Even if He improved, He would lack the power to break out of the mountains and contend with the Canal Dragon King.

So they had purchased vast quantities of materials they could not use themselves.

"We secretly investigated, and it turns out that over these years they have been doing business outside the mountains," Tian Jing said. "For instance, regarding the True Seeds your lordship desires, Jiao has checked, and indeed, there have been no great evil spirits cultivating True Seeds on the streets recently.

Actually, if they were the ones cultivating them, this matter would be even easier to handle. We could agree on a price and buy them directly for you.

Over these years, more than eighty percent of the True Seeds that leaked out from the various borderlands were cultivated by great evil spirits.

Regardless of how those who obtained the True Seeds boasted to the outside world that they had fought through arduous battles to seize them back,

the truth is that more than half of them were simply negotiated with the great evil spirits and bought with money."

Xu Yuan frowned again and asked, "What use do the evil spirits have for money?"

"Not just money; most transactions involve living humans or fresh human blood," Tian Jing said. "The latest I heard is that those great noble families have connections to buy prisoners from the front lines!"

Xu Yuan nodded; so that was how it was.

"And there's more," Tian Jing said. "It is said that people in this province have even connected with the Red-Haired Barbarians, buying slaves directly from them!

But the rumors are somewhat sinister, claiming that the humans bought from them are black all over as if smeared with ink, just like the ancient Kunlun slaves, and no one knows where they found them.

I find it somewhat hard to believe, but those great evil spirits were very earnest, even saying those living humans were not tasty and smelled too strong..."

Tian Jing suddenly stopped speaking.

Because at that time, the great evil spirit had even drawn a comparison for Tian Jing, the difference between a domestic pig and a wild boar...

Tian Jing feared that if he spoke it out, Lord Xu would change his expression right there.

After finishing their general situation, Xu Yuan asked again, "What exactly is the situation with the evil spirit Ju Ya?"

"We investigated Guanghuo Street, where there are evil spirits capable of cultivating True Seeds," Tian Jing said. "Ju Ya is among them. But the True Seeds this fellow cultivates are always somewhat strange. It is said that the Rank Dan Xiu who bought his True Seed back then, although he advanced to the Fifth Rank, subsequently became very prone to illness. Even after he refined medicine pills himself, ate them, and the illness healed, he would fall ill again within a few days.

He persisted for ten years, but ultimately could not hold on and died of sickness."

Although Rank Dan Xiu are not known for physical toughness, a Fifth Rank cultivator should by no means have only ten years of lifespan left.

Tian Jing continued, "The core of Ju Ya's eerie abilities is the 'Great Sickness.' If his sickness truly activates, one spreads to ten, ten to a hundred, and it can easily kill an entire city's population.

It is said that in earlier years, before he went to the street, he often caused havoc in the counties surrounding Ghost Wushan.

After going to the street, he no longer left the mountains, focusing solely on collecting various diseases.

He can even transform himself into various diseases.

As long as he wishes, any living creature infected with his diseases will become his eyes, ears, and nose.

If a cultivator is infected, he can directly turn them into one of his own 'Sickness Shadows,' similar to a clone."

Xu Yuan asked, "Since he has not revealed his true form recently, have you managed to find out what he is actually doing?"

"It might be because, a while ago, he obtained a very rare disease and is currently researching it. But... there are some things that cannot be explained, unless that disease is so powerful that it interferes with Ju Ya; otherwise, he would not be hiding continuously."

Xu Yuan also shook his head: "Ju Ya is at least Fifth Rank; what kind of disease could infect him?"

Tian Jing said, "Jiao is still investigating. However, there is another situation: a month ago, a mysterious buyer used three hundred living humans to purchase a 'Sickness Spore' from Ju Ya.

And a few days ago, someone bought a piece of 'Blood Cake' from Ju Ya's old rival, 'Hua Lingzi.'

Hua Lingzi is also a great evil spirit on the street, always boasting that his Blood Cake can cure all of Ju Ya's 'sicknesses.' The two have clashed in magical duels on the street several times, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Later, they angered the greatest one on the street, who slapped each of them once, and only then did they stop causing trouble."

Tian Jing added one more sentence: "Hua Lingzi can also cultivate True Seeds, and his True Seeds have no hidden dangers."

Xu Yuan nodded, having nothing else to ask.

Tian Jing was about to return: "Someone is coming to discuss business today; I must hurry back, as Jiao cannot handle it."

Xu Yuan: "Can living humans enter Guanghuo Street?"

"Heh! They all carry passes; not only can they enter Guanghuo Street, but they can also move freely within Ghost Wushan, and all evil spirits ignore them completely.

However, these passes are extremely scarce, and only the greatest one has the qualification to issue them. If there is an opportunity, we will get one for your lordship as well."

"Good, then you should hurry back."

Tian Jing bowed and left.

Turning around a mountain hollow, when Xu Yuan and Bai Laoyan could no longer see him, he dropped to all fours and sprinted away like a wild beast.

Xu Yuan and Bai Laoyan returned to that riverside.

Gao Guanzi had already built a framework for the hut.

Because the Ghost Willow Wood possesses "thousand changes and ten thousand transformations," Gao Guanzi dared not build the hut within the forest.

He chose the space between two huge boulders not far from the riverbank.

He dug a semi-submerged pit.

He covered the top with stones.

He arranged it to look as much like the original as possible.

It just needed to be treated with the "earthy methods" of the Mountain Runners.

If one simply dug a hole in the mountains and moved in... by nightfall, that hole might turn into a terrifying giant mouth, swallowing everything inside.

Xu Yuan was very vigilant; after returning, he climbed to a high place and scanned the surrounding forest with "Gazing at Fate."

He saw no Ghost Willow Wood.

Instead, in a forest to the north, he "gazed" upon a "Bait-Setting Ghost."

The one encountered last time had already been burned to ashes by Xu Yuan.

But there is more than one Bait-Setting Ghost in this mountain.

That Bait-Setting Ghost blended into the forest, pretending very well, showing not the slightest abnormality.

Xu Yuan pretended not to notice.

After coming down, he quietly told Gao Guanzi.

"... That ghostly thing wasn't here in the morning; it snuck in while Bai Laoyan and I were out," Xu Yuan guessed. "Could it be a spy for Ghost Wushan?"

Gao Guanzi spun the axe in his hand twice, his eyes looking dangerous. "If it truly is Ghost Wushan's spy, we can't just chop it down directly..."

Bai Laoyan then said, "I'll handle the rest. You get closer, listen to it, and figure out whether this ghostly thing wandered here by accident or was sent by Ghost Wushan."

Gao Guanzi nodded, holding the axe, and went off.

After Gao Guanzi left, Xu Yuan suddenly looked around and realized something: "This place... seems to be the only road between Pig Roar Rock and that camp of seven."

So did Ghost Wushan choose this spot by accident, or did he specifically pick this place to facilitate spying on those people in the camp?

Xu Yuan said to Bai Laoyan, "You do the work first; I'll go check on those seven people."

"My lord, please go ahead."

Xu Yuan put on the mud mask.

He moved low and stealthily, looking like a timid evil spirit.

It was the same spot where he had lurked and observed yesterday.

As soon as Xu Yuan entered position, before he could even stick his head out, he heard some sounds coming from below.

Xu Yuan hid and did not come out.

He put on the newly acquired red-wood and brass ear coverings.

Xu Yuan was very certain that the effect of this craft object was far inferior to Gao Guanzi's ears.

However, it was enough to deal with the current situation.

Every single one of the sounds from below entered Xu Yuan's ears without missing a trace.

Two people were conversing, but there were also some low moans mixed in.

"... Why must you wade into this muddy water?"

"Bian Lu's actions went too far."

"The war in Siam is about to end. That Ghost Wang Shen failed to reach the rebels' hands; their cause is already lost. Once the war is over, what use is the court keeping so many troops? They must continue west to seize cities and land; otherwise, these soldiers can only be disbanded and sent home, and the court cannot feel at ease about that."

"Bian Lu wants to continue fighting and seeks military merit; I do not oppose that. Let him fight openly and straightforwardly. To continue west and take Burma and India, to completely conquer Malacca to the south, or even that distant large island, I, Qiu Ningtai, admire him as a good man who seeks fame on horseback! But using plague spores to kill an entire city just to quickly open the pass into Burma is truly excessive!"

Xu Yuan already understood.

Siam was about to be conquered, yet the court's great army there did not want the war to end.

Indeed, the court did not want it to end.

In such conquest wars, the court does not need to pay the soldiers their full wages.

In fact, paying only thirty percent is sufficient.

The soldiers would not rebel, because every time a place was conquered, these proud soldiers and fierce generals would naturally reap benefits far exceeding that small wage.

But once the war stops, the full silver must be paid, after all, it is a long-distance expedition.

Sending them home, so many veteran soldiers in the villages would also be an unstable factor.

There is actually some involvement of Lord Xu in this matter.

Because of Xu Yuan, the Ghost Wang Shen failed to reach the hands of the Siam rebels.

"Why are you so rigid? What do those Burmese people have to do with my Great Ming? It seems my Shanhe Bureau and the Purification Bureau are truly confused. Why not let the Ghost Wang Shen pass? Those Siamese natives have rebelled several times already. Give them the Ghost Wang Shen, let them continue to rebel, then our great army kills a batch, and then we move the people of Great Ming there; this place would then be stabilized."

Xu Yuan couldn't help but scratch his ears: This logic... is rather vicious.

"How can we do such a thing! We should use the sages' teachings to educate them..."

"Don't talk nonsense to me! Forget it, I won't argue with you. I came to find Ghost Wushan. You arrived early; have you seen that evil spirit?"

"I haven't seen it."

"Really?"

"That thing is useless to me. If I had seen it, I would naturally use this information to exchange for what I want."

"Alright, I'll find it myself. Considering our years of friendship, let me advise you: stop contending with the Plague Crow. You are no match for it. Your idea of finding a cure for its plague spore through magical combat is too idealistic; you simply cannot do it. You might end up sacrificing yourself! This is Ghost Wushan; if you get infected by its plague, who will save you?"

"My mind is made up."

"Stubborn fool..." That voice muttered a few curses and left.

He had two subordinates; the three of them went in another direction and did not pass by Xu Yuan's location.

After they left, Xu Yuan quietly stuck his head out.

The camp appeared very desolate.

That moaning sound came from inside one of the tents.

Xu Yuan listened carefully and distinguished that there were six people inside.

That meant, besides this "Qiu Ningtai," all six of his subordinates were sick.

Many herbs were placed before Qiu Ningtai.

They were all fresh, likely just picked from the surrounding mountains.

He held a herb with both hands and rubbed it; the medicinal nature was then forced out by his "Art," condensing into a drop the size of a grain of rice.

It was as viscous as tung oil.

Afterwards, he repeated the process, forcing out the medicinal nature of other herbs as well.

Then, following the ratio, he mixed them, and afterwards cut open his ten fingers, squeezing a drop of fresh blood into the mixture.

His blood mixed with the medicinal nature, releasing a thick cloud of white vapor.

After a moment, he carried the "medicine" he had prepared through casting spells to the entrance of that tent.

A weak voice from inside the tent came: "Master, do not come in; place it at the door and we will take it ourselves."

Qiu Ningtai nodded, put down the medicine bowl, and said, "Very well, I will not enter."

A hand extended from inside the tent.

That hand was already rotting, oozing pus everywhere!

The bowl was taken inside and the contents were shared and drunk.

"How do you feel?" Qiu Ningtai asked urgently.

"Much better."

Qiu Ningtai breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had solved the Juyi's challenge for today.

"Drink the medicine again later, and it should be cured."

Qiu Ningtai sat down.

Having just cast a spell, he was already exhausted; using a drop of precious blood had drained him further. Now that his mind relaxed, he immediately felt incredibly weak.

In previous magical duels, Qiu Ningtai had been able to respond with composure.

But today's illness was exceptionally fierce.

After those four returned to camp, they quickly infected the other two; only Qiu Ningtai himself resisted it.

His expression was solemn; the Juyi's "challenge" tomorrow would surely be even more difficult.

However, if he could solve tomorrow's challenge, he should be able to cure the disease within that "disease spore" and save the people of that city.

He rested for a while, then went to fetch a wild boar his subordinates had hunted that morning. Without cooking it, he tore it open and ate all the internal organs!

The four subordinates had gone out in the morning to retrieve those small beasts, while the other two had hunted this wild boar.

Xu Yuan's eyelids twitched repeatedly as he watched.

Qiu Ningtai buried his head directly into the wild boar's belly. After eating his fill, he lifted his head, his face covered in dirty blood and shredded meat!

Qiu Ningtai washed himself clean, then took off his upper garment and sat in meditation nearby.

Xu Yuan frowned; what was he doing?

Just as he wondered, he saw Qiu Ningtai's back slowly swell up.

After about half an hour, his entire body seemed hunched, with a large lump protruding from his back.

Xu Yuan focused his vision and saw clearly: the skin of that large lump was stretched extremely thin, in a semi-transparent state.

It was filled entirely with pus!

Moreover, some dark red small worms writhed within the pus!

Xu Yuan did not know what method this fellow cultivated; his father had never mentioned such a cultivation method to him.

His "method" was so sinister and cunning, yet he possessed a heart of "universal love."

He was willing to risk his own body to save the common people of other nations.

Qiu Ningtai appeared to be in great pain, gritting his teeth and enduring.

Slowly, the large lump on his back began to shrink.

But it was not that the "illness" was healing; it was getting worse!

When the lump condensed to the size of a pigeon egg, that layer of skin had become completely transparent.

The small worms inside were densely packed!

Qiu Ningtai took out a small knife, which was clearly a high-quality crafted item.

With great awkwardness, he cut the lump off his back.

He cut away a layer of skin and flesh along with it.

Immediately, blood gushed forth like a torrent.

Qiu Ningtai had no time to treat the wound; instead, he hurriedly took this "lump" to the four bamboo cages.

Those small beasts were kept inside the bamboo cages.

Qiu Ningtai selected one and threw the "lump" directly inside, then quickly covered the bamboo cage.

This time, he would not separate them; he would give the Juyi a challenge too!

Then, Qiu Ningtai hurriedly took out a medicinal pill and, still with great awkwardness, pressed it against the wound and rolled it.

The wound was covered in fresh blood, which had already flowed down to his lower back, staining his trousers red.

The medicinal pill was of very high quality; after rolling it for a moment, the wound returned to normal.

Qiu Ningtai breathed a long sigh of relief; he would need to prepare a second "medicine" after resting for a while.

Xu Yuan stopped watching and quietly withdrew. On the way, he kept thinking: If I were infected by the Juyi or Qiu Ningtai's "illness," could my medicinal pills cure it?

He felt it was mostly unlikely...

My Lord Xu suddenly felt a surge of crisis. No, he must ask the two mountain runners for some precious medicinal herbs to greatly strengthen his medicinal pills.

Returning to the riverside, he happened to meet Gao Guanzi coming back, who said to My Lord Xu, "My lord, there is trouble!"

"That ghostly thing was indeed sent by Ghost Root Wood."

The "Bump-and-Claim Ghost" had already seen Xu Yuan and the other two, along with the newly arranged shelter.

Regardless of whether it has secretly reported this situation to Ghost Root Wood, the situation is now very difficult. Even if they kill it, Ghost Root Wood will become alert and might not come tonight.

(End of this chapter)