Chapter 249: Plague and the Plea for Help

Zhou You is refining Secret Medicine in the basement!

This residence has a cellar for storing vegetables, fruits, and ice; with a little tidying up, it is a ready-made laboratory.

The basement has ventilation and water access, and the waste water and gas produced by refining medicine are discharged outside the city through pipes, which is both discreet and convenient.

I have to say, life right now is truly too convenient.

The progress on the Ten Thousand Poison Heart-Attacking Pill has suddenly increased significantly, and the dawn is clearly in sight.

He has also stockpiled quite a lot of medicinal herbs on hand, so he does not fear a shortage of raw materials when refining, nor does he need to go to a pharmacy to purchase them.

Suddenly one day, Du He somehow found the place and came to the door to request an audience.

"Du He, what is this?"

After Zhou You opened the door, he saw Du He's face full of anxiety and panic; seeing Zhou You, he immediately knelt down.

"Master Zhou, the Young Mistress is trapped in the plague zone, I beg you to save her!"

The plague zone, what place is that? Zuo Shier, who was practicing fist techniques in the corner, stopped upon hearing this and explained, "Half a month ago, a plague broke out in the city and quickly swept through. Zhou You had been obsessed with refining medicine and had not been out for a long time, so he actually did not know that a plague was raging outside.

From this, it can be seen that the Inner City and the Outer City are two completely different worlds.

Yiyao Jie, where Hua Youxing is located, was originally independent of the plague zone, but she insisted on investigating the situation on the ground.

"Don't the medical halls have experts guarding them? Didn't they go together?"

Du He explained with a bitter face that Xingren Tang is currently moving to Fucheng and has almost finished moving.

Du He and Hua Youxing were the last batch, and before leaving, they wanted to figure out the origin and inside story of this plague.

The plague zone is full of dangers; the air and flowing water are everywhere sources of plague infection, and there are countless patients in a dying state who have lost their sanity, completely falling into the madness before extinction.

"Master Zhou, you owe the Young Mistress a favor, please take action to save her."

Zhou You glanced at Du He and discovered that he was shrouded in an unusual aura, carrying death and ominousness.

Could it be that this is the trace of the plague?

"Stand steady, don't dodge."

Zhou You drew in a breath, channeled his peak Qi and Blood to his fist, and struck down at Du He's head.

Du He only has the Jinli Level; being hit by the power of the late stage of Qi and Blood would absolutely result in him being left without a whole corpse.

But he also had some courage and stood where he was, not moving or yielding.

The wind of the fist was mixed with a soul-stirring tiger roar, blowing the flesh on Du He's face until it rippled like water, trembling incessantly.

Under the impact of the Tiger Aura, that ominous and deathly aura quickly shrank and withered, finally turning into the size of a needle tip and vanishing into nothingness.

Du He felt his whole body lighten; the oppression he had felt since entering the plague zone disappeared, and his spirit also became invigorated.

He looked at Zhou You with eyes of reverence and awe, having heard that when Martial Dao is cultivated to an extremely high realm, one can repel the plague demon and the god of death with bare hands.

Zhou You's action just now was undoubtedly using Qi and Blood to disperse the aura of the plague, clearing away the hidden danger for him.

Although it was not as legendary as the rumors, it vaguely had a bit of that demeanor.

"Zuo Shier, you stay and watch the house, I'll go and return shortly."

Zuo Shier patted his chest, indicating, "Leave it to me, go ahead without worry."

Zhou You pointed forward, "Lead the way."

Du He was overjoyed and immediately turned to run wildly, "It's right at..."

Zuo Shier watched Zhou You's back, showing no signs of worry.

The plague is a death warrant for ordinary people, but it has little effect on martial artists; the more vigorous the Qi and Blood, the more one can isolate the sources of plague infection from the outside, and even strike and extinguish the root of the disease from a distance.

Zhou You is now at the late stage of Qi and Blood; going to the plague zone and back is just like paying a visit.

The plague originated from the southeast corner of Gongliang City and in just over half a month has swept through most of the city; from old men to infants, none have been spared, and all have shown symptoms of varying severity.

The weak could not hold on and had already passed away, while those slightly better were struggling to support themselves, lingering on their last breaths. The physicians and pharmacists in the city were like a drop in the bucket when faced with such a massive plague-stricken population.

The higher-ups simply stopped caring, blocking roads and building walls, closing off the plague zone and letting the local residents fend for themselves.

Entry is allowed but exit is forbidden; anyone who dares to disobey is executed on the spot.

Zhou You and Du He arrived at the border of the plague zone and saw sturdy martial arts hall disciples guarding the defense line.

Guarding this defense line were disciples of the Panshi Martial Arts Hall, led by a Qi and Blood Disciple on patrol.

On the nearby wooden pillars hung residents who had been beaten to death for trying to break through; their corpses swayed in the wind like weightless leaves.

Through this thin defense line, one could see the smoke from burning the dead inside the plague zone, and hear the desperate and hair-raising cries drifting with the wind; this is the darkest side of Gongliang City.

People inside cannot get out, but people outside can go in.

Many people still had family and relatives inside and, disregarding the danger to their lives, wanted to go in, but while entering is easy, coming out is impossible.

The two great families, the Xu and Qi families, conscripted disciples from all the martial arts halls in the city to guard various parts of the defense line, and authorized them to kill without guilt; anyone who dared to charge the defense line was to be killed without mercy.

……

At a certain checkpoint on the defense line, a carriage sped over, and a voice came from inside.

"I am the father of the sixth concubine of the Qi family's third master, hurry and let me out."

The martial arts hall disciples guarding the defense line did not dare to be negligent and, after verifying the identity, respectfully let them pass.

Entry allowed but exit forbidden, huh? The father of a concubine of the Qi family made the martial arts hall disciples not dare to make a sound, and the Qi and Blood martial artists sent them off with smiling faces—differential treatment?

It is too ironic; there is absolutely no scale in this world that can measure the difference in the value of human lives, because it is too disparate.

The carriage passed by the pillar where the corpse was hanging, and the splashed mud wetted the stiff soles of the feet.

"I am Du He from Xingren Tang, I need to go in to find my Young Mistress."

The three large characters "Xingren Tang" carried quite a bit of weight! The leading Qi and Blood martial artist of the Rock Fist cupped his hands and, while ordering them to be let through, suddenly noticed Zhou You.

"Hmm?"

The first sound was curiosity that Zhou You was actually following Du He into the plague zone—was the relationship between the two so deep? "Hmm?"

The second sound was surprise!

Because he sensed that the Qi and blood within Zhou You were bottomless, far surpassing his own, and a world of difference apart.

Rumor had it that Zhou You was at the middle stage of Qi and blood, but a mere middle stage of Qi and blood could never possibly exert such terrifying suppression upon him.

Could it be... the late stage of Qi and blood?

"Senior Brother, what's wrong? People are still waiting."

The Strength Apprentice beside him kindly reminded him.

"Oh, oh, let them through, let them through quickly."

He looked at Zhou You with a complex expression and sighed inwardly.

After Zhou You left Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall and lost the protection of Wang Laohu, he was by no means the stray dog that outsiders imagined.

An expert at the late stage of Qi and blood could get by anywhere at any time, and could live very well indeed, being a guest of honor for wealthy and powerful families.

Didn't you see that Zhou You had already established a connection with Xingren Tang? Behind that is the Medicine King Sect!

"Come out as soon as possible within 3 days. After this period, there will be a rotation of guards. It won't be our martial arts hall here anymore; if it's someone else who doesn't understand the situation, they might not let you out."

The Qi and Blood Disciple from Panshi Martial Arts Hall kindly reminded him.

Zhou You cupped his hands in a salute toward him, indicating that he accepted this kindness.

In the martial arts circle, such normal human interactions are countless; why not take the opportunity to build a good relationship? Perhaps one day, he might receive a kind return.

It is still that classic saying: the pugilistic world is not just about killing and fighting, it is about human relationships and worldly wisdom.

(End of this chapter)