Chapter 361: Strange Epidemic

The river flowed leisurely, and the drizzle was misty.

Inside the cabin, Li Yan leaned against the window, flipping through books at will.

There were three books, namely the "Jade Sutra of the Purple Heaven Mystic Capital Thunder," the "Precious Sutra of the Thunder Jade Pivot," and the "Supreme Nine Heavens Jade Clarity Great Brahma Purple Heaven Mystic Capital Thunder Jade Sutra," which he had requested from the Daoists of the True Martial Palace.

Since an accident had occurred, he naturally had to figure out the reason.

Li Yan clearly remembered that as soon as he awakened his second ear divine ability, he heard the sound of chanting: "Sincere refuge. Nine Heavens Response Mansion, Supreme Jade Clarity King..."

After coming out of the Golden Hall, although he used his Great Luo Dharma Body to repair himself, to avoid being suspected, he still recuperated on Mount Wudang Mountain for several days.

At the same time, he clarified some things.

The Precious Proclamation he heard at the time was praising the commander of the Thunder Department, the Heavenly Venerable of the Nine Heavens Response Thunder Sound Universal Transformation.

Gaining an opportunity in the Golden Hall was not rare.

In the history of the Mystic Sect, such things happened often; some were in dreams, some were accidentally entering the mountains, and they obtained some kind of opportunity or Daoist method.

Even the "Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Hammer" he cultivated was obtained by a Mount Wudang disciple who attained the Dao in the Golden Hall.

But after checking the precious canon, he discovered that things were not that simple.

Controlling thunder was not a capability unique to one family.

The "Jade Sutra of the Purple Heaven Mystic Capital Thunder" stated: "The North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor governs the Three Realms and masters the Five Thunders. Tianpeng, Tianyou, Yisheng, and Xuanwu govern their respective divisions..."

And since the Song Dynasty, the status of True Martial had been constantly rising, from one of the Four Saints of the North Pole to one of the Heavenly Emperors today.

To this day, he is also called the "Thunder Ancestor."

The title of "Thunder Ancestor" only represents the power to control thunder. The Ziwei Great Emperor, the Heavenly Great Emperor, the Houtu Great Emperor, and the Fengdu Great Emperor have all been called "Thunder Ancestor."

In the Thunder Fire Refining Hall, there were also murals of Thunder Generals.

If what he heard at the time was the True Martial "Mystic Heaven Precious Proclamation," Li Yan wouldn't have been suspicious; instead, he would have been elated and offered incense respectfully.

But it happened to be the "Universal Transformation Precious Proclamation"!

This was a bit strange.

The Heavenly Venerable of the Nine Heavens Response Thunder Sound Universal Transformation was not Wen Zhong; that was a claim from the novel "Investiture of the Gods," which hadn't spread yet.

Its true identity could be known from the Precious Proclamation: "Supreme Jade Clarity King," the Antarctic Great Emperor of Longevity, also known as the Jade Clarity True King.

Therefore, the Heavenly Venerable of the Nine Heavens Response Thunder Sound Universal Transformation was actually an incarnation of the Antarctic Great Emperor of Longevity, just like the Northern Yin Emperor of Fengdu was an incarnation of the North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor.

The North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor governs all stars, with all stars surrounding him.

And the Antarctic Great Emperor of Longevity is called the Jade Clarity True King, and the power of all the gods of the Thunder Department originates from him, being the source of the Dharma for all gods.

Both are among the Six Sovereigns.

Although True Martial's status had risen,

he was still under the command of the North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor...

The strangeness of this accident of his lay right here!

He cultivated the "Luo Feng Sutra," which to a certain extent could be considered the lineage of the North Pole Ziwei Great Emperor, but in the True Martial Daoist arena, he was interfered with by the power of the Jade Clarity True King lineage.

Li Yan didn't understand, but he felt a chill down his spine.

Of course, he didn't dare to speak of this matter.

Thinking of this, Li Yan lightly waved his hand, and the Soul-Hooking Chain probed half a foot from his palm. It was still a formless object that could be used to hook souls.

But as his mind turned.

Hum hum!

Thunder light and electric arcs twisted into the shape of a chain.

"Tsk tsk!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan on the side praised after seeing this: "No wonder those Daoists were envious. Brother Li Yan's Thunder Method is extraordinary; it can be cast without forming hand seals or chanting. The future is limitless..."

Li Yan laughed dumbly and gripped his hand, and the thunder light disappeared.

He didn't say much; this wasn't any Thunder Method.

Although the Golden Hall cultivation had an accident, he also gained a massive benefit. The Soul-Hooking Chain not only increased in length and turned into two, but it was also tempered by the Thunder Method and became some kind of divine ability!

The Soul-Hooking Chain's ability didn't change and was still good at dealing with Yin souls, but it gained the ability to store thunder.

It could store it during ordinary times and release it when needed.

Not only could it enhance the power of Thunder Gang martial methods, but when dealing with enemies in the future, he could directly hook their souls and attack them with thunder.

Of course, the uses were more than just these.

The new Soul-Hooking Chain was both a divine ability and could be considered a ritual implement!

But Li Yan felt a bit panicked for no reason.

The benefit he gained this time was too great!

That lightning strike looked more like a test. He passed it by relying on his Great Luo Dharma Body and gained this opportunity.

The greater the benefit,

the greater the trouble...

Dang dang dang!

Just at this moment, heavy footsteps sounded. A soldier in full armor walked into the cabin from the deck and bowed respectfully: "Gentlemen, we have arrived at Xiangyang!"

Li Yan and the others nodded and stood up to go to the deck.

The ship they were on was a Jiujiang patrol boat, not small in size, and the cabin at the back was piled full of goods and medicinal herbs.

When they descended Mount Wudang Mountain, someone brought a letter written by Gu Yu Hanzi of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Yunyang City God Temple, asking them to help escort a batch of medicinal herbs to Xiangyang.

If possible, investigate the inside story of the Xiangyang epidemic.

Xiangyang and Fancheng faced each other across the river and were located at the hub of the Han River waterway. Because of the epidemic, the transport of the imperial court's military supplies had run into problems.

Therefore, this commission was issued by the imperial court and the Ministry of War.

Not only was the reward generous, but Xiangyang City also promised one thing: if they could resolve the epidemic, they would build a Water God Temple for the Tuo Master.

There was a reason for offering such conditions.

Over in Yunyang, because of the mountain monsters and spirits attacking, they needed a large number of people to carry out targeted strikes, and the power of the True Martial Palace was all dragged there.

As for Xiangyang, they were overwhelmed by the epidemic.

The local Mystic Sect cultivators couldn't figure out the cause.

Several experts sent from Near Wuchang and Yunyang had all disappeared inexplicably; it was estimated that they had already met with misfortune.

Judging from various signs, this epidemic was intentionally caused by someone. The Yunyang military department suspected it was the work of the Maitreya Sect and the Ghost Sect.

Li Yan's team was now quite famous in Ezhou, so they received this commission before even descending the mountain.

Standing on the deck, the group looked up.

The Han River formed a huge bend here in Xiangyang. Xiangyang City and Fancheng faced each other across the river, with wharves on both sides, making it the most important hub on the Han River waterway.

But now, the wharves were empty. Except for some masked soldiers patrolling, not a single laborer could be found.

Those large and small ships were also docked at the wharf and couldn't set sail.

Wang Wang Daoxuan's brow furrowed tightly. "The situation is much more serious than what we saw last time. Isn't the Li family of Medicine Saints handling this?"

The soldier on the side shook his head. "Reporting to the gentleman, that expert from the Li family has disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

Li Yan was surprised. "What happened?"

The soldier shook his head. "I don't know the specific situation. After going ashore, you can ask the people from the Xiangyang Prefectural Yamen."

As he spoke, he brought over a wooden box from the side.

After opening it, a strong smell of vinegar rushed into their noses. Inside were all face towels soaked in aged vinegar.

The soldier said in a deep voice: "The most effective method for this epidemic now is to use vinegar cloths for prevention. Gentlemen, please." Li Yan's eyes twitched. "You guys wear them; I'll pass."

His sense of smell was extraordinary. If he covered his mouth and nose with this thing, he feared he wouldn't be able to do anything.

Wang Wang Daoxuan and Lu San didn't care and covered their mouths and noses directly, and even Wu Ba was no exception.

Only the little white fox and the two mice couldn't stand it either.

After the ship docked, a green-robed official immediately brought a large group of laborers, all wearing vinegar cloths, to move the medicinal herbs.

He was tall with a full beard, and on the chest of his official robe was a water bird pattern similar to a mandarin duck.

This water bird was called a Xichi, representing a Rank 7 civil official.

Sure enough, seeing Li Yan and his group disembark, the official hurried forward and bowed: "Is this Benefactor Li? This official is Wu Wu Maoze, the Judge of Xiangyang Prefecture. Under the orders of the Prefect, I have come to receive you all."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Li Yan nodded and led the group to follow behind him.

Their team configuration was now vastly different.

!.

When they were in Near Wuchang City, Sha Sha Li Fei made a special travel bag, with all the bags and bundles tied on it, carried by Wu Ba, the human beast.

Sha Sha Li Fei was responsible for guarding Wang Wang Daoxuan, and together with Wu Ba, they formed the supply team. Lu San was responsible for reconnaissance, and Li Yan, who had the strongest combat power, served as support.

Depending on the situation, they would deploy separately.

And to be honest, their group was already very eye-catching, and now with Wu Ba, they were the focus of the crowd wherever they went, so their way of acting naturally changed.

…………

Xiangyang City had been a place of a hundred battles since ancient times, known as the "Iron-Walled Xiangyang" and the "First City of China," so it was naturally large in scale.

Not to mention anything else, just the moat outside was two hundred meters wide.

The city walls were towering and majestic, with many guards on the battlements.

This ancient city of Xiangyang had six city gates, namely the Zhenhua Gate, Linhan Gate, Gongchen Gate, Yangchun Gate, Xicheng Gate, and Lord Wenchang Gate.

They came from the Han River wharf, so they naturally walked through the Linhan Gate.

Along the long bridge, checkpoints were set up every so often, with masked soldiers patrolling from time to time, and thick smoke rising.

As Li Yan and the others approached, their brows furrowed immediately.

Near the checkpoint, there were piles of firewood, with flames roaring and the stench of corpses filling the air. One could vaguely see charred remains.

Judge Wu Wu Maoze explained when he saw this: "This was a rule set by Benefactor Li when he was still here. All infected corpses must be thoroughly burned and then filled and buried with lime."

"In the past few days, I don't know who spread the rumor that the imperial court wants to find all infected people and execute them on the spot to block the epidemic."

"The commoners in the city are afraid and often rush the checkpoint regardless of anything. Among them are people from the martial world. After being killed, they can only be burned on the spot."

Li Yan frowned. "How did that Benefactor Li disappear?"

Judge Wu Wu Maoze smiled bitterly: "This matter is also strange. Benefactor Li disappeared in the Prefectural Yamen."

"He was organizing files in his room, and it was broad daylight. The soldiers found he hadn't come out for a long time, and when they went in, the person had already vanished..."

While speaking, the group had already arrived at the Linhan Gate.

They saw corpses hanging on the city gate, all dressed in brocade and fine clothing, including men, women, old, and young.

Seeing Li Yan and the others' questioning gazes, Judge Wu Wu Maoze looked around and said in a low voice: "The spread of the Fancheng epidemic is actually a man-made disaster."

"There were unscrupulous merchants responsible for epidemic prevention supplies. Not only did they use rotten vinegar cloths to pass off as good ones, but they also secretly sold city exit quotas at high prices, causing the situation to spiral out of control."

"The person behind this unscrupulous merchant was the original Xiangyang Prefectural Yamen Vice Prefect Liu. Governor Yuan was furious and had Vice Prefect Liu imprisoned. To appease the public anger, he has already been executed with his whole family according to wartime military law."

Sha Sha Li Fei tsked: "Truly wanting money and not wanting their lives."

Judge Wu Wu Maoze was also indignant: "Who says it isn't? The Prefect is old and sickly, and usually, this Vice Prefect Liu acted on his behalf. He was overbearing, and his relatives were used to bullying others, daring to do anything..."

Li Yan glanced at him indifferently and didn't speak.

He vaguely knew some things about officialdom.

This Vice Prefect Liu truly deserved to die, but that Xiangyang Prefect was old and sickly and had neglected his duty, yet he still sat securely in his position. I fear it wasn't that simple...

After entering Xiangyang City, the streets were equally desolate.

All shops were closed, pedestrians were pitifully few, and occasionally masked laborers appeared, all carrying the dead. Some were covered with white cloth, while others were casually wrapped in straw mats.

"Wait!"

Li Yan called out to one of them at random and lifted the white cloth.

He saw a corpse lying inside, looking like a young man. His skin showed an abnormal purple color, and his mouth, throat, ears, and nose were all covered with green moss.

Li Yan frowned and turned to look at Wang Wang Daoxuan. "Daoist, have you ever seen this kind of epidemic?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan also had a solemn expression and shook his head: "I have never seen it. Looking at it, how is it like a Gu curse?"

"It is not a Gu curse."

Judge Wu Wu Maoze on the side said hurriedly: "At the beginning, the people in the Law Enforcement Hall did suspect it was a Gu curse, but they verified it themselves and even invited a Gu grandmother from Jiangxi to check, and it has already been ruled out as Gu arts."

"Benefactor Li has also confirmed that it is just a type of epidemic, but the mages of the City God Temple want to perform rituals to eliminate the plague, but they can't find the source of the epidemic..."

Li Yan asked again: "Where are the people from the City God Temple?"

The Law Enforcement Hall of the Xiangyang City God Temple was still the responsibility of the Daoists of the True Martial Palace, but now not a single one was to be seen, which was truly strange.

Judge Wu Wu Maoze shook his head and smiled bitterly: "To tell you the truth, this epidemic originally only infected the old, weak, sick, and disabled, but later even the young and strong couldn't withstand it."

"Up to now, even many Mystic Sect cultivators have been infected. The people from the City God Temple are searching everywhere for the source of the epidemic, and many have also been infected. Benefactor Li, you had better wear a vinegar cloth..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, preparing to refuse.

He had his Great Luo Dharma Body and wasn't afraid of infection, but before he could speak, his expression changed, and he retreated violently.

Bang!

A loud noise came from afar.

Someone was hiding in the dark and firing a cold shot.

Li Yan happened to dodge it, but the corpse beside him exploded, splashing blood and moss everywhere.

Judge Wu Wu Maoze was splashed all over, covered his mouth and nose with the vinegar cloth in a panic, screamed in horror, and scrambled to wipe himself.

"New-style firearm, Chen position!"

Sha Sha Li Fei gave a low shout, dragged Wang Wang Daoxuan into the corner of the wall, and then pulled out the divine fire gun from his back.

He was experienced and had already distinguished the other party's position.

Lu San also pulled Wu Ba and retreated to the corner of the wall.

This place happened to be the blind spot of the other party's firearm.

He blew a loud whistle, and several mice scurried out from the street corner, wandering around the street.

Although they looked messy, they were already pointing toward a house.

That was an old inn that had already closed due to the epidemic, but a small gap was left open in the second-floor window.

Seeing this, Sha Sha Li Fei flashed and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The window exploded, and wood chips splashed everywhere.

As for Li Yan, he had already leaped out, jumped up with the cover of Sha Sha Li Fei, and arrived beneath the window...

Second update at three-thirty.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 362 =====