Chapter 395: Dual Lines Proceeding

The new emperor, Chen Hong, sat on the wide throne, feeling the weight on his shoulders almost bending his young spine.

Days of sleepless toil gave him heavy dark circles under his eyes.

But when his gaze swept over the similarly fatigued officials below who persisted in reporting affairs, his sense of duty flared up again.

He knew he was not truly fighting alone.

This thought was like a tiny fire in the dark night, warm and steadfast.

"Your Majesty, the resettlement of disaster victims in the seventeen counties surrounding Bian Liang has been preliminarily completed, epidemic prevention has been launched, and no large-scale plague outbreak has been seen yet."

The Minister of Revenue's voice was hoarse, yet carried a hint of relief at completing the task.

"The repair progress of official roads and relay stations across the regions has exceeded sixty percent, and the efficiency of message delivery and material transport is recovering."

The Vice Minister of Works then reported.

"Northern Frontier General Who Pacifies the North Shi Shouxin reported that the border defenses are stable; although False Song has sent occasional scouts to spy, there is no major troop movement."

The Ministry of War officer's voice carried the distinctive clang of military service.

Each piece of news was like a faint light seeping out of the end of a dark tunnel.

Chen Hong nodded slightly, striving to make his voice sound steady and strong.

"You ministers have worked hard. The disaster has not yet fully subsided; we must never let down our guard."

【15) He paused, then turned his gaze to the ever-silent head of the Jing'an Office.

He paused, his gaze turning to the ever-silent chief clerk of the Peace and Stability Bureau.

"Regarding the reports from the prefectures, how is the investigation into the abnormal numbness of some disaster victims' emotions, as well as the abnormal withering of livestock and plants, progressing?"

The head of the Jing'an Office stepped forward, brows furrowed.

"Your Majesty, preliminary inquiries by local officials all attribute it to post-disaster trauma and changes in earthly qi. However, I find this suspicious and have dispatched capable personnel for further investigation; so far…… no clear conclusion has been reached."

Chen Hong's fingertip lightly tapped the armrest of the throne.

He understood the difficulties of the Jing'an Office; amid natural disasters, manpower and material resources were stretched thin, so many matters could only be postponed.

But that inexplicable sense of unease, like a tiny ice shard, quietly spread in his heart.

He recalled the secret report known only to him, that certain actions in the shadows had already begun.

"Issue my decree."

Chen Hong's voice rang clearly through the hall.

"Order the Imperial Medical Bureau to select medical officials skilled in regulating mind and spirit, form a team, and visit the aforementioned areas for checkups, focusing on observing the people's mental state."

"Also, command all local offices: if they detect an expanding area of abnormal plant withering or a sudden spike in livestock deaths, they must immediately report by express horse, and not treat it as ordinary disaster circumstances!"

He did not directly utter the two words 'bone-eroding', but these two edicts clearly expressed his concern and paved the way for possible cooperation from the shadows that might come.

"We obey your orders!"

The officials chorused their assent; although some were puzzled, none doubted the new emperor's decision.

This young emperor, in his own way, is striving to grasp control of this vast yet scarred empire.

Under the same sky, inside a secluded mountain villa far from the prosperity of Bian Liang,

Chen Wen, bare-chested, his bronzed skin beaded with sweat, swung a heavy iron hoe, breaking up the hard wasteland behind the house stroke by stroke.

The hoe rose and fell.

The motion was standard and steady, carrying a unique rhythm.

Sweat droplets fell onto the freshly turned soil, instantly blooming into a small dark patch.

He shut off his fine perception of external energy, pouring all his spirit into this pure physical labor.

His mind focused on the sensation of the hoe head breaking the soil, on muscle contraction and extension, and on the rhythm of his breath.

The state of 'earnest self-forgetfulness' quietly descended.

A familiar warm current surged from deep within his body, gently permeating his limbs and bones.

The rate of increase in strength, endurance, and even muscle memory all received a slight boost at this moment.

At the same time, his consciousness's deep-seated, near‑nonexistent 【Growth Progress Bar】 inched forward with great difficulty.

That progress bar glowed with an extremely faint white light, utterly unlike the previous interface showing concrete WP values; it was more like an intuitive manifestation of essential growth.

Although the increase was minuscule, almost negligible, it was indeed an increase.

"As expected…… any form of 'effective effort' will do."

Chen Wen stopped moving, leaned on his hoe, breathed lightly, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

Having lost the massive 'administrative labor' that came with his imperial identity, he must now seek an efficient way to accumulate growth.

This most basic, primitive physical labor, though slow, is solid and reliable.

Moreover, he faintly felt that, after this system reset, the growth accrued from the same labor seemed a bit faster than when the system was first activated.

It was as if the system itself had undergone an iterative optimization.

"Your…"

Qian Gui's apparition appeared like a ghost at the field's edge; as he opened his mouth he paused, a faint embarrassment flitting across his face, then he corrected himself, his tone tinged with inquiry and probing.

"Lord."

Chen Wen looked at him, nodded, and accepted this new form of address.

"From now on, let us address each other this way."

He explained, his tone calm yet weighty.

"We, dwelling in the shadows, guard the realm of Great Chen; we are the 'lord' who leads this world, not merely the 'emperor' seated atop the hall."

Qian Gui's expression grew solemn, and he replied respectfully.

"Yes, Lord."

He quickly entered the state and reported in a low voice.

"Based on cross‑checking clues from all sides, it can basically be confirmed that Heishan County, subordinate to Hejian Prefecture, is a core node in the spread of this 'bone‑eroding' phenomenon."

Within its territory, several villages exhibit the most severe 'dead silence' phenomenon, and the range of withered vegetation is also the largest.

Chen Wen picked up a cloth nearby, wiped his sweat, his eyes sharp.

What's going on over at the Imperial Court?

The new emperor has issued an edict, sending medical officials from the Imperial Hospital to conduct inspections, and ordered localities to strictly monitor abnormalities.

Qian Gui's tone carried a hint of approval.

Your Majesty's response is appropriate, but…… it may be difficult to reach the root.

Chen Wen nodded.

Get ready, we're going to Black Mountain County.

Qian Gui froze.

My lord, you're going personally? The situation there is unclear, possibly dangerous. Why not let your subordinates take people…

Precisely because the situation is unclear, we need to go ourselves.

Chen Wen interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Although the Lv. 1 ability is weak, applying it to myself is enough for self-defense. Moreover…

He looked toward the north, his eyes deep.

Only by personal experience can we more accurately grasp the characteristics of this new 'bone‑eroding' phenomenon and find a countermeasure. Shutting oneself away and theorizing will never truly solve the problem.

He needs 'effective effort'—personally going to the front lines to investigate, analyze, and possibly confront—undoubtedly a more efficient 'growth' path than mere land reclamation.

That night, two seemingly ordinary cargo carriages silently departed the mountain villa, merging into the deep darkness, heading north toward Hejian Prefecture.

Inside the carriage, Chen Wen closed his eyes to nurture his spirit; the faint warm current within him continued to circulate, continually strengthening his perception and thought, analyzing all the information about Black Mountain County provided by Qian Gui.

Deep in his consciousness, the Growth Progress Bar, as a result of this focused 'mental labor,' once again showed an extremely slow but real increase.

Several days later, on the outskirts of Black Mountain County, there was a place called Withered Leaf Village.

Even before approaching, a chilling aura of decay swept over them.

At the village entrance, the trees' leaves were withered, yellow, and curled, with no trace of green.

The fields were barren, and even the weeds looked listless.

What was even more unsettling was the village's silence.

It was afternoon, when there should have been a wisp of cooking smoke or some human voices, but now it was deathly silent, like deep night.

Only a few villagers moved like ghosts through the village, their eyes hollow, showing no reaction to the arrival of Chen Wen and his party of strangers.

Indeed, it's formidable.

Qian Gui lowered his voice, his expression grave.

Compared to the incident a few years ago, the mind‑eroding effect is stronger and more concealed.

Chen Wen said nothing, took a deep breath, and deliberately focused the Lv. 1 (2×) effect entirely on his own 'perception' and 'analysis' abilities.

In an instant, he felt his five senses sharpen slightly, and the speed of his thought increased a bit.

He carefully observed the numb villagers, noting the rhythm of their steps and the subtle changes in their eyes.

He crouched, pinched a bit of soil from the village entrance, and lightly sniffed it at his nostrils.

Besides the soil's own foul smell, there seemed to be mixed in an extremely faint, almost imperceptible chill.

It's not a simple poison or miasma.

Chen Wen slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the village's layout.

It's more like…… a continuous energy field that subtly drains vitality and warps the mind.

He tried to focus his spirit to 'capture' the source of that cold energy.

But with the 2× perception, it was like looking at flowers through a thick fog—he could only vaguely sense that the area was shrouded in an ominous atmosphere, unable to pinpoint the core precisely.

The Growth Progress Bar again trudged forward a small notch, roughly a one‑percent increase.

This confirmed his conjecture: labor involving 'exploration' and 'analysis' does indeed bring growth, and its efficiency seems slightly higher than that of pure physical labor.

Go check the village well, and…… the shrine or similar central location.

Chen Wen ordered Qian Gui.

Qian Gui received the order, taking two agile subordinates and sneaking into the silent village like civet cats.

Chen Wen remained outside the village, continuing to use the enhanced perception to carefully sense every hint of abnormality in the surroundings.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Qian Gui returned, his face even grimmer.

My lord, the village well shows no abnormality. But the shrine…… as soon as my subordinates approached, they felt a wave of nausea; it seems something unclean is enshrined inside, emitting a strong chill.

The source appears to be right there.

A cold light flashed in Chen Wen's eyes.

Can it be dealt with silently?

My subordinates have secretly set up a 'Disturbing Crystal Plate'; though its effect is inferior to the Ministry of Works' genuine article, it should temporarily block the energy's spread. Direct removal might startle the snake, so it's steadier to have Zhao Lao Nian develop a targeted device.

Chen Wen nodded.

Just do as you said. Relay this situation and our preliminary judgment of the energy field's characteristics through secret channels to Zhao Lao Nian and Zhang Cheng and the others.

Yes!

That day, Chen Wen's party did not linger long in Black Mountain County.

After Qian Gui's men set up a makeshift interference device at the shrine of Withered Leaf Village, they quietly withdrew.

On the carriage back to the hidden mountain villa, Chen Wen watched as the Growth Progress Bar deep in his consciousness finally broke the five‑percent barrier, and slowly exhaled a turbid breath.

Personally investigating, analyzing, judging, making decisions…… this series of actions brought 'growth' far surpassing mere land reclamation.

Although still slow, the path is now clear.

Notify Zhang Cheng and Wang Ru.

Chen Wen instructed Qian Gui, already accustomed to the new title.

"We can begin guiding the Imperial Court's medical officials and resources, tilting them toward Hejian Prefecture, especially Black Mountain County. The reason…… is that the post-disaster psychological trauma there is especially severe, requiring focused appeasement."

"Understood."

The open and covert lines completed their first silent coordination at this moment.

The new emperor, on the surface, mobilized resources to stabilize morale;

And the guardians hidden behind the scenes have already locked onto the location of the malignant tumor, and begun trying to apply the first dose of soothing ointment to it.

The confrontation unfolds in silence; the growing seed sprouts quietly in the mire.

Chen Wen clenched his fist, feeling the weak yet continuously burning power within his body.

This is only the beginning.