Chapter 361: Strange Epidemic

The river water 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, respectively "Ziwei Profound Capital Thunder Jade Sutra," "Thunder Jade Pivot Precious Sutra," and "Supreme Nine Heavens Wu Yuqing Great Brahma Purple Wei Profound Capital Thunder Jade Sutra," all of which he had requested from the Daoists of the True Martial Palace.

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

Li Yan clearly remembered that just after awakening his second ear supernatural power, he heard the Precious Proclamation chanting: "With a sincere heart, take refuge in the rite. Nine Heavens Response Mansion, Supreme Wu Yuqing King..."

After coming out of the Jin Dian, although he used his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen to repair himself, to avoid being suspected, he still recuperated on Wudang Mountain for several days.

At the same time, he figured out some things.

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

Obtaining an opportunity in the Jin Dian wasn't rare.

In the history of the Mystic Sect, this kind of thing happened often; some in dreams, some by accidentally entering the mountains, obtaining some kind of opportunity or Daoist method.

Even the "Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Hammer" he practiced came from a Wudang disciple who attained the Dao in the Jin Dian.

But after checking the precious canon, he discovered that things weren't that simple.

Controlling thunder was not a capability unique to one family.

The "Ziwei Profound Capital Thunder Jade Sutra" said: "The Northern Pole Ziwei Great Emperor governs the Three Realms and masters the Five Thunders. Tianpeng Lord, Tianyou Lord, Yisheng Lord, and Xuanwu Lord divide the administration..."

And since the Song Dynasty, the status of True Martial had been continuously elevated, from one of the Four Sages of the Northern Pole to one of the Heavenly Emperors today.

To this day, he was also called "Thunder Ancestor."

The title "Thunder Ancestor" only represented his power to control thunder. The Ziwei Great Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, Earth Emperor, and Fengdu Great Emperor had all been called "Thunder Ancestor."

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

If what he heard at the time was the True Martial "Xuantian Precious Proclamation," Li Yan wouldn't have been confused; instead, he would have been overjoyed and offered a few sticks of incense respectfully.

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

This was somewhat strange.

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

His true identity could be known from the Precious Proclamation: "Supreme Wu Yuqing King," the Antarctic Zhao Changsheng Great Emperor, also known as the Wu Yuqing True King.

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

The Northern Pole Ziwei Great Emperor governs all stars, surrounded by all stars.

And the Antarctic Zhao Changsheng Great Emperor is titled Wu Yuqing True King, and the power of all the gods of the Thunder Department originates from him, being the source of law for all gods.

Both are among the Six Sovereigns.

Although the True Martial Great Emperor's status was elevated,

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

The strangeness of his accident this time lay exactly here!

He practiced the "Luo Feng Sutra," which to a certain extent could be considered the lineage of the Northern Pole Ziwei Great Emperor, but in the True Martial Daoist field, he was interfered with by the power of the Wu Yuqing True King lineage.

Li Yan didn't understand, but he felt terrified upon deep thought.

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

Thinking of this, Li Yan gently raised his hand and waved. The Soul-Hooking Chain protruded half a foot from his palm, still a formless object that could be used to hook souls.

But as his mind turned.

Sizzle!

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

"Tsk tsk!"

Wang Fu, who was on the side, praised upon seeing this, "No wonder those Daoists were envious. Brother Li Yan's thunder method is not bad; he can cast it without forming seals or chanting mantras. The future is limitless..."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, reached out and gripped, and the thunder light disappeared.

He didn't say much; this wasn't any kind of thunder method.

Although there was an accident in the Jin Dian practice, he also obtained a massive benefit. The Soul-Hooking Chain not only increased in length and turned into two, but it was also tempered by thunder methods and became a kind of supernatural power!

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

Storing it on ordinary days, he could release it when needed.

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

Of course, the uses were more than just these.

The new Soul-Hooking Chain was both a supernatural power and could be called a ritual implement!

But in Li Yan's heart, he inexplicably felt a bit panicked.

The benefit he obtained this time was too great!

That thunder strike looked more like a test. After he passed it relying on his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, he obtained this opportunity.

The greater the benefit,

the greater the trouble...

Thump thump thump!

Just at this moment, heavy footsteps came. A soldier covered in armor walked into the cabin from the deck and bowed respectfully. "Several gentlemen, we have arrived at Xiangyang!"

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

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

When they came down from Wudang Mountain, someone brought a letter written by Gu Hanzi of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Yunyang Chenghuangmiao, asking them to help escort a batch of medicinal materials to Xiangyang.

If possible, find out the inside story of the Xiangyang epidemic.

Xiangyang and Fancheng faced each other across the river, located exactly at the wharf of the Han River thoroughfare. Because of the epidemic, the transportation of materials by the imperial court's army 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 solve the epidemic, they would build a Water Chenghuangmiao for the Tuo Master.

Giving such conditions naturally had its reasons.

Over in Yunyang, because of the mountain spirits and monsters in the Jingchu mountains and forests, 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, it was overwhelmed by the epidemic.

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

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

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

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

Standing on the deck, everyone looked up.

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

And now, the wharf was 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, unable to set sail.

Wang Fu'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 matter?"

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 either. 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. Please, gentlemen." Li Yan's eye corner twitched. "You guys wear them; I'll pass."

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

Wang Fu and Lu San didn't care; they 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 materials.

He had a tall figure and a face full of whiskers. On the patch on the chest of his official robe, a water bird pattern similar to a mandarin duck was embroidered.

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

Sure enough, seeing Li Yan and the others disembark, this official hurried forward and bowed. "Is this Gentleman Li? This official is Wu Maoze, the Judge of Xiangyang Prefecture, ordered by the Prefect 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 Wuchang City, Sha Lifei made a special backpack, with bags large and small bundled on it, carried by Wu Ba, the human-shaped fierce beast.

Sha Lifei was responsible for guarding Wang Fu, and together with Wu Ba, they formed a 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 actions separately.

And to tell the truth, their group was originally very eye-catching. Now that they had 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 "Iron-Walled Xiangyang" and the "Number One City in 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, and the city battlements were heavily guarded.

This ancient city of Xiangyang had six city gates, respectively: Zhenhua Gate, Linhan Gate, Gongchen Gate, Yangchun Gate, Xicheng Gate, and Wenchang Gate.

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

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

Near the checkpoints were piles of firewood, with fire burning fiercely and the stench of corpses rushing into their noses. One could vaguely see charred corpses.

Judge Wu Maoze explained upon seeing this, "This was a rule set by Gentleman Li when he was still here: all infected corpses must be thoroughly burned, then buried with lime."

"In the last 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 people in the city are afraid, and often people rush the checkpoints regardless. 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 Gentleman Li disappear?"

Judge Wu Maoze said with a bitter smile, "This matter is also strange. Gentleman Li disappeared in the Yamen."

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

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

They saw corpses hanging on the city gate, all in brocade clothes, men and women, old and young.

Seeing Li Yan and the others' questioning gazes, Judge Wu Maoze looked around and whispered, "The spread of the Fancheng epidemic is actually man-made."

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

"The person behind this unscrupulous merchant was the original Xiangyang Yamen Vice Prefect Liu. Governor Yuan was furious and threw Vice Prefect Liu into prison. To appease the people's anger, he has already been executed along with his whole family according to wartime military law."

Sha Lifei tsked. "Truly wanting money and not wanting their lives."

Judge Wu Maoze was also indignant. "Who says it isn't? The Prefect is old and sick; on ordinary days, it was all this Vice Prefect Liu acting on behalf of the Prefect's authority. He was overbearing, and his relatives were used to bullying people by relying on their power; there was nothing they dared not do..."

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

He vaguely knew some things about officialdom.

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

After entering Xiangyang City, the streets were likewise miserable.

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

"Wait!"

Li Yan called one over at will and lifted the white cloth.

He saw a corpse lying inside. Judging by the appearance, it was 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 his head to look at Wang Fu. "Daoist, have you ever seen this kind of epidemic?"

Wang Fu also had a solemn expression and shook his head. "Never seen it. This poor Daoist thinks, how does it look like a Gu curse?"

"It is not a Gu curse."

Judge Wu Maoze on the side said quickly, "At the beginning, the people from the Law Enforcement Hall did suspect it was a Gu curse, but they verified it themselves and invited a Gu grandmother from Jiangxi to check, and all have ruled out Gu arts."

"Gentleman Li has also determined that it is a type of epidemic, but the mages of the Chenghuangmiao want to perform rituals to remove the plague, yet they cannot find the source of the epidemic..."

Li Yan asked again, "What about the people from the Chenghuangmiao?"

The Law Enforcement Hall of the Xiangyang Chenghuangmiao was still the responsibility of the Daoists of the True Martial Palace, but at this moment, not a single one could be seen, which was truly somewhat strange.

Judge Wu Maoze shook his head with a bitter smile. "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 Chenghuangmiao are searching everywhere for the source of the epidemic, and many have also been infected. Gentleman Li, you had better wear a vinegar cloth..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, preparing to open his mouth to refuse.

He had the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen and wasn't afraid of infection, but before the words left his mouth, his expression changed, and he retreated violently.

Bang!

A loud noise came from afar.

It was someone hiding in the dark firing a cold shot.

Li Yan just happened to dodge it, but the corpse beside him exploded violently, flesh and green moss splashing everywhere.

Judge Wu Maoze was splashed all over, covered in blood and moss. He covered his mouth and nose with the vinegar cloth in a panic, screaming in shock, and frantically clawed at his body.

"New-style firearm, Chen position!"

Sha Lifei gave a low shout, pulled Wang Fu into the corner of the wall, and then pulled out the Divine Fire Gun from his back.

He had rich experience and had already identified the other party's position.

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

This place was exactly the blind spot of the other party's firearm.

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

They looked messy, but they were already pointing toward a building.

That was an old inn. Because of the epidemic, it had already closed, but a small crack was left open in the second-floor window.

Seeing this, Sha Lifei flashed, pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The window exploded with a bang, and wood chips splashed everywhere.

As for Li Yan, he had already flown out. Under Sha Lifei's cover, he leaped up, grabbed the wall crack, and arrived under the window...

Second update at three-thirty.

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