Chapter 40: Plague

In the depths of the cave, Jiang Xiaomu stood with his hands behind his back.

He took the secret manual from the woman's hand, his thin lips parting slightly: "Thank you."

This woman was the former chief of the Ghost Face Army—Ye Ying.

She gave a slight nod, her tone indifferent:

"From now on, the Ghost Face Army will obey only your orders."

Jiang Xiaomu opened the secret manual; on the flyleaf, the four large characters "Mysterious Gate and Strange Techniques" were written.

A glint of sharp light flashed in his eyes—this was exactly the power he wanted.

"Starting today, the Ghost Face Army must establish new rules."

Jiang Xiaomu closed the secret manual, turned, and swept his gaze over the crowd, his tone icy,

"First, no indiscriminate killing of innocents;"

"Second, no oppression of the common people;"

"Third, all actions must follow my orders."

The crowd exchanged bewildered looks—the Ghost Face Army's infamous reputation for burning, killing, looting, and every conceivable evil—now the new chief demanded they turn from wickedness to righteousness?

A burly man with the characters 'evil ghost' engraved on his mask stepped forward:

"Chief, our Ghost Face Army has always taken pleasure in slaughter; now you want us to lay down our butcher's knives—isn't that asking for our lives?"

Jiang Xiaomu's eyes turned cold, a killing intent instantly spreading, leaving everyone unable to breathe.

He said coldly:

"I don't want to repeat myself a second time. If anyone disagrees, step forward."

The crowd fell silent as cicadas in winter, no one daring to speak again.

"Very good."

Jiang Xiaomu withdrew his aura, his tone returning to calm,

"Ye Ying, continue leading the Ghost Face Army in mountain training; without my order, do not act on your own."

"Yes."

These past days, he has forgotten sleep and food, immersed in the world of Mysterious Gate Escape Technique.

In this chaotic age, only by possessing absolute power can one protect oneself and those one wishes to protect.

"Report—"

A hurried shout came from outside the tent, breaking Jiang Xiaomu's train of thought.

A burly soldier lifted the tent flap, his expression panicked:

"General, a large group of refugees has arrived outside the city, requesting shelter within!"

Jiang Xiaomu set down the bamboo slips in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed:

"Refugees? How many?"

"About a thousand people, many of them suffering from serious illness……"

The soldier's voice grew softer and softer.

Jiang Xiaomu rose, walked to the tent's entrance, and gazed into the distance.

The city's food supplies were already scarce; taking in these refugees, coupled with the spread of disease, would be unthinkable. After a moment's thought, as he was about to order the refugees turned away, a clear voice came from behind him.

"Brother!"

Jiang Xiaoyu ran up to him, her face anxious:

"Brother, you must save them!"

Jiang Xiaomu looked at his sister, his heart softening.

"Xiao Yu, the city's food is nearly exhausted; if we take them in, we ourselves will fall into hardship……" Jiang Xiaomu tried to persuade his sister.

"But brother, they have nowhere else to go; if we don't take them in, they will die!"

Jiang Xiaoyu's eyes reddened, tears welling up.

Jiang Xiaomu sighed, he ruffled his sister's hair, his tone helpless:

"Alright, I'll go take a look."

Outside the city gate, thousands of ragged refugees had gathered.

Their faces were sallow and emaciated; some lay on the ground, coughing incessantly, obviously seriously ill.

Jiang Xiaoyu looked at the scene before her, she walked up to an old woman coughing nonstop and asked softly:

"Elder, are you alright?"

The old woman weakly opened her eyes, a flicker of gratitude appearing in them.

"Miss, thank you…… we haven't eaten anything for several days……"

Jiang Xiaoyu pulled a steamed bun from her bosom and handed it to the old woman:

"Elder, please eat something first."

The old woman's trembling hands received the bun, and she began to devour it voraciously.

Jiang Xiaomu watched the scene, his feelings a mixture of emotions.

"Issue the order: open the city gate and let the refugees in!"

Jiang Xiaomu finally issued the command.

Although the soldiers harbored reservations, they still obeyed the order and opened the city gate.

The refugees seeking shelter surged in like a tide, and the granary, already low on reserves, was now completely empty.

Worse still, a plague was silently spreading among the refugees.

"Report! Sir, no food has yet been found outside the city!"

A soldier covered head to toe in snow knelt on one knee, his voice trembling as he reported.

Jiang Xiaomu waved his hand, signaling the soldier to retreat.

He rubbed his sore brow, feeling increasingly vexed.

These past days, people in the city have been dying daily from the plague; outside the city, the burning corpse pile smolders day and night, filling the air with a nauseating scorched stench.

If no solution is found soon, this city will quickly become a dead city.

"Ding! Host faces a grave crisis, triggering system mission: treat the refugees, stop the plague spread. Mission reward: one thousand Heavenly Fate Points."

The system is his greatest reliance after transmigrating to this world.

Unfortunately, it has provided no substantive help.

"What good are a thousand Heavenly Fate Points? I can't even find the most basic medicinal herbs—what can I use to cure and save people?" Jiang Xiaomu muttered with a wry smile.

Just then, a commotion arose at the foot of the city wall.

Jiang Xiaomu looked down and saw a group of ragged refugees gathered before the city gate, shouting excitedly about something.

"Sir, the refugees say… they say they can't bear the hunger any longer and want to rush into the city to seize food!"

A city guard soldier came running over in a panic to report.

Jiang Xiaomu's heart sank; he knew that if the refugees rioted, the consequences would be unthinkable.

He forced himself to stay calm and ordered the soldier:

"Close the city gate immediately and reinforce the guards! I'll go take a look."

He hurried to the city gate and looked down at the agitated crowd of refugees.

"Elders and folks, I know you're suffering now, but please believe me—I will do everything I can to help you get through this crisis!"

Jiang Xiaomu shouted loudly.

"Do your best? We've been starving for days—how can we trust you?"

Someone in the crowd shouted a challenge.

"Exactly! We're about to starve to death, and you want us to believe you?"

"We want food! We want to survive!"

The refugees' emotions grew ever more agitated, and some began shoving the city gate, trying to force their way in.

Jiang Xiaomu took a deep breath; if this continued, the situation would spiral completely out of control.

"Folks, I know you're in great pain now, but please hear me out!"

Jiang Xiaomu raised his volume,

"I, Jiang Xiaomu, swear here that as long as I draw breath, I will never let you starve to death!"

"I will surely find a way to get food so that you can all survive!"

His voice, full of strength, gradually calmed the originally restless crowd.

"But… sir, with the heavy snow blocking the mountains, where are we supposed to find food?"

Someone in the crowd asked timidly.

Jiang Xiaomu fell silent for a moment; he too had no answer to that question.

He glanced around, and his gaze fell upon a withered vine on the city wall.

"Perhaps… we can try this."

Jiang Xiaomu pointed at the vine and said.

"A vine? Sir, this vine is already dead—what use could it have?"

The city guard soldier asked doubtfully.

"Better to treat a dead horse as if it were alive."

Jiang Xiaomu gave a wry smile; he didn't know whether this vine could actually be useful, but he now had no other choice.

He ordered someone to cut down the vine, then crush it and boil it into a medicinal broth.

"This… this can be drunk?"

Looking at the dark, murky broth, the refugees exchanged glances, their eyes full of doubt.

"Please believe me; this might be our only hope."

Jiang Xiaomu said firmly.

He himself drank a bowl first, then looked at the crowd, waiting for their reaction.

Time ticked by second by second; the crowd fell deathly silent, each person staring nervously at Jiang Xiaomu, afraid he might suddenly collapse.

He was astonished to discover that his own body was actually brimming with strength.

"Could it be… that this vine is actually useful?"