Chapter 111: The Du Clan Must Die

(Don't look first, revise tomorrow.)

Everyone inside the house's faces changed greatly.

Zheng Clan panicked, set down her bowl, and dragged her daughter into the room, "Aman, go hide in there; Mother will deal with them, Mother won't let them burn you to death!"

Jiang Cheng took off running toward the back of the house, "I'll sneak over the wall and go to the county to find my older brother!"

"Come back!" Du Ruo hurriedly called out to him, "Are you stupid? By the time your older brother arrives, I'll already be a pile of ashes; you won't even have time to collect my corpse!"

She slapped her chopsticks on the table and coldly said, "What's there to panic about? They say they'll burn, then burn—who do they think they are?"

They're just a few petty troublemakers.

Keep jumping, and I'll break your leg!

Du Ruo told the old and young to stay obediently inside, then she alone went to open the door.

Outside the door stood a dozen or so men, with Village Head Lin You Tian at the front, and beside him stood Doctor Gu with a guilty look.

Behind them, the villagers had already gathered to watch the spectacle.

Upon suddenly seeing Du Ruo's shocking face, everyone gasped in unison.

"This is too frightening—could the Du Clan really have contracted leprosy?"

"Leprosy is a fatal disease, and it's contagious! Earlier, in the village next to my maternal family's home, someone contracted it, and the whole family died off."

"What can we do—do we really have to burn the Du Clan to death?"

The crowd was both startled and afraid.

Although they were also reluctant, compared to others' lives, naturally their own lives mattered more.

Du Ruo walked to stand opposite Lin You Tian, smiled, and said, "I don't know what great crime I've committed to trouble the village head to bring so many people to my door and even threaten to burn me to death."

Lin You Tian had his hands behind his back, adopting an official demeanor, "Jiang Li's family, by now you shouldn't hide it—you've contracted leprosy, and everyone knows this. For the village's safety, I, as village head, must step in to deal with you; I hope you can understand my predicament."

Saying that, he gave a glance to the men beside him.

The men understood immediately and raised their arms, shouting.

"Burn her to death!"

"Burn her to death!"

"The Du Clan must die!"

The onlookers glanced at each other, hesitating to speak.

Only Zhu Clan stepped forward, saying, "Yes, burn her to death! I've long said the Du Clan is a jinx, here to bring disaster to our village! Since she married in, our village has never known a day of peace—some have died, some have been imprisoned, and now she wants to pass leprosy to us; she is a heavenly envoy sent specifically to destroy our Longquan Village!"

Gua—

The gate of the neighboring courtyard opened, and the Jiang Clan Head walked out leaning on a cane, his face grim.

Behind him followed dozens of his descendants and their wives, each shouldering a hoe and gripping a sickle; even the toddlers held slingshots, glaring fiercely at Lin You Tian's group.

Yao Yulan took the lead, swinging a pole and loudly cursing at Zhu Clan.

"Pah, you old hag, spreading lies all day! If heaven wants to destroy, it will only destroy your degenerate lot—don't drag us into it!"

Zhu Clan, not to be outdone, hands on hips, said, "What's it to you—are you protecting the Du Clan? Let me tell you, the Du Clan has leprosy and will kill the whole village! If you want to die, go die yourself; don't implicate others!"

Yao Yulan, without another word, raised her pole and chased Zhu Clan, striking her until Zhu Clan screamed and fled, head tucked.

The nearby women hurriedly stepped in to stop them.

Over there, Lin You Tian furrowed his brows, "Uncle, what do you mean by this?"

"I was about to ask what you mean," the Jiang Clan Head walked over to stand beside Du Ruo and snorted, "The Du Clan is my Jiang Family's daughter-in-law; any punishment should first be consulted with me, the clan head. When did it become your place to act arbitrarily? Do you really think being village head lets you cover the sky with one hand?"

Lin You Tian was extremely embarrassed.

In terms of authority, as village head he manages all village affairs, big and small, and everyone who sees him gives him some respect.

But in terms of prestige, he far falls short of several clan heads.

The village is a nest, but the family is one's roots; a nest can be rebuilt if lost, but if the roots are gone, the line dies out completely.

Lin You Tian dared not offend the Jiang Clan Head, so he forced a smile and explained, "Uncle, you've misunderstood—this isn't an urgent matter, so I haven't yet had time to consult you."

He then changed tack, "However, the Du Clan has leprosy and must die."

Du Ruo chuckled, "Village head, don't rush to have me die—if I must die, I'd at least like to know why. I want to know who told you I have leprosy."

Lin You Tian turned his head to look at Doctor Gu beside him.

Doctor Gu's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

He knew full well that the Du Clan did not have leprosy; when Lin You Tian came to his door asking about this, he had told the truth.

But he hadn't expected Lin You Tian to slip him a silver ingot and then, both openly and subtly, prompt him to lie!

Doctor Gu gritted his teeth and agreed.

As long as the Du Clan dies, no one will pay attention to that ghost supervisor any longer. Jiang Li is busy with official duties and often away from home, and Jiang Cheng's children know nothing, so then I could quietly take those ghost supervisors for myself.

That way, my son's gambling debts could be paid off, and I could even make a fortune!

Thinking of this, Doctor Gu's heart burned hot, so he accepted the silver and followed Lin You Tian here.

Lin You Tian had him come for what purpose, Doctor Gu naturally knew, but though he prided himself on his medical skill, having him falsify things in this regard made him ashamed to speak of it.

Lin You Tian wouldn't let him off, "Doctor Gu, tell everyone—does the Du Clan really have leprosy or not?"

Doctor Gu could no longer feign deafness and muteness, so he cleared his throat and said, "This morning the Du Clan came to my home; I've already examined her, and she does indeed have leprosy!"

Upon those words, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Everyone panicked and stepped back, keeping far from Du Ruo; even the Jiang Clan Head beside her couldn't help but glance at her again.

The Jiang Clan Head lowered his voice and asked, "Dalang Fu, is this true?"

Although he was protecting Du Ruo, if she truly had leprosy, he could not risk the lives of his entire family.

"Clan head grandfather, don't listen to his nonsense—there's nothing of the sort." Du Ruo calmly gave the Jiang Clan Head a reassurance, "My face is just a temporary infection; it'll be fine in a few days."

Having said that, Du Ruo gave a cold smile, "Doctor Gu, are you sure I have leprosy? If you've done wrong, watch out for ghosts knocking at your door."

Doctor Gu's face turned white instantly, he opened his mouth, "I, I……"

Since Doctor Gu isn't certain, let's just go to town and fetch another doctor.

Du Ruo interrupted him, turned her head to the crowd, "Jiang Er Ge, could you go on an errand for me?"

Jiang Tong jumped up, patting his chest, "Rest assured, sister-in-law, I'm quick—I'll definitely fetch you the best doctor."

"No way!" A flash of ruthlessness crossed Lin You Tian's eyes, "A leper has appeared in the village—this is no small matter. Effective today, nobody may enter or leave, to prevent the disease from spreading."

Having said that, he waved his hand at the dozen or so men nearby, "Tie up the Du clan and carry them to the sun-drying field!"

The sun-drying field has plenty of ready firewood; in less than half an hour, the Du clan will be reduced to ashes.

The men responded, pulling from their pockets the towels they'd prepared beforehand to cover their noses and mouths, with cloth strips already tied around their hands, and stepped forward to seize people.

"I'd like to see who dares!" the clan head struck his cane hard on the ground, shouting sternly.

The men looked at each other, hesitating.

Lin You Tian grew anxious.

No way—today, even if I have to risk everything, I must destroy the Du clan, or else I'll never get such a good chance again……

Others dare not act, so I'll do it myself!

Lin You Tian gritted his teeth, strode forward and grabbed Du Ruo's arm, intending to personally deliver her to the sun-drying field.

Du Ruo didn't struggle; instead, she gave him a faint smile.

That smile was somewhat eerie, and Lin You Tian inexplicably broke out in gooseflesh.

Suddenly, it felt as if something had pricked his hand.

Hiss, it hurts.

Lin You Tian violently shook off Du Ruo, lowered his head, and saw that his formerly smooth palm had erupted with blisters.

One, then another, spreading from his palm up his arm and finally reaching his face.

In just a few breaths, Lin You Tian turned into a blister-covered monstrosity, dozens of times more terrifying than Du Ruo!

Ahhh!

The onlookers screamed in terror, and even Lin You Tian and the dozen or so clansmen he'd brought along jumped back, faces drained of color.

Lin You Tian stared, bewildered, then suddenly looked at Du Ruo, "Was this your doing? Is it?!"

Du Ruo gave a half-smile, "Village Head, you've come down with leprosy too—looks like there's one more person to be burned."

Lin You Tian: "……"

No, no, no—he didn't! This is impossible!

Lin You Tian's body shook violently; he suddenly lunged at Doctor Gu, grabbing his collar and shaking him, "Quick, quick, help me see what's wrong with me—how did this happen?"

Doctor Gu shoved him away hard and took off running far into the distance.

I don't know, I really don't know!

Having practiced medicine for so many years, he'd never seen such a horrifying sight—it was as if some unknown toxin were corroding Lin You Tian's flesh.

Who knows whether this toxin is contagious—what if it is?

Lin You Tian still wanted to chase after him, but a fierce itch spread from every part of his body; he couldn't help scratching, the more he scratched the itchier it got, the itchier the more he scratched, and soon he was scratching himself bloody all over.

Aunt Lin and Lin Qing Shuang were also in the crowd; seeing this scene, they felt heartbroken and tears streamed down, yet they dared not step forward.

Still, the clan head spoke up, "Second Brother, go to town right away and fetch a doctor—hurry!"

Jiang Tong acknowledged with a sound, turned and ran off swiftly.

He was tall and long-legged, accustomed to mountain climbing, and in less than an hour he returned, panting, having brought along an old man with a white beard.

By this time, Lin You Tian was already rolling on the ground, scratching and wailing in pain.

"Doctor Wen, please examine him quickly—if he keeps scratching, he'll die." Jiang Tong set the old man down on the ground and wiped his sweat.

Doctor Wen was old, and having been jostled all the way here, his innards felt like they'd be shaken out.

He steadied himself, first glanced at Lin You Tian on the ground, nodded, then pulled a long needle from his medical kit, walked over, and plunged it into Lin You Tian's neck.

Lin You Tian rolled his eyes and fainted.

Only then did Doctor Wen begin to take his pulse, examine him thoroughly, and finally give his conclusion.

It's a case of wind-cold invading the body, causing liver qi to surge and produce an acute skin eruption; take a few doses of medicine, rest well, and you'll recover.

Hearing this, Aunt Lin and her daughter finally relaxed, tears streaming as they threw themselves onto him.

Jiang Tong had already laid out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; Doctor Wen wrote a prescription, handed it to Aunt Lin, collected his fee, and prepared to leave.

The clan head called him to a stop, pointing at Du Ruo, "Please, Doctor, have a look at her too—could it be leprosy?"

Leprosy? Doctor Wen's expression shifted; upon seeing the blisters on Du Ruo's face, he was speechless, "Which quack said it was leprosy? That's utter nonsense!"

Everyone turned as one to look at Doctor Gu standing under the tree.

Doctor Gu's face flushed then paled, he tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Maybe I just misread things."

Doctor Wen glanced at him, saying nothing.

He had already concluded in his heart that this was a quack; otherwise, for a condition like leprosy, obvious at a glance, how could there be such a lame excuse as 'I misread things'?

Then what illness does she actually have?" the clan head asked urgently.

Doctor Wen gestured for Du Ruo to extend her hand, took her pulse, and said, "Just a detoxification; it's harmless, she'll be fine in a few days."

Du Ruo felt curious.

Doctor Wen's medical skill is truly excellent—diagnoses swift and accurate, not something you'd expect from a backwater like Xiushan Town.

But after a moment's thought, perhaps it's just that he's well‑learned and experienced, given his age.

Since Du Ruo doesn't have leprosy, there's no need to burn her, and the crowd dispersed in twos and threes.

Lin You Tian was carried back home; he'll likely need a good period of rest before he can emerge again.

Doctor Gu today lost face badly, and also lost the people's trust in his medical skill; as he walked away, his back was bent a little.

Du Ruo had no sympathy for this.

Gu Dafu was greedy and lustful; he had previously wanted to steal Qin Shi's corpse for a ghost marriage, which could be somewhat excused as being for his son, after all, in Gu Dafu's view, Qin Shi was already a dead person.

But now she is still a living person, yet he publicly framed her, trying to put her to death.

Needless to say, it was definitely for that piece of ghost supervisor.

Since that's the case, don't blame her for being ruthless!

Du Ruo said a few words to the Jiang Clan Head, thanked him for his protectiveness, then turned and entered her own courtyard.

Zheng Shi's eyes were swollen from crying; if Jiang Cheng hadn't held her back, she would have rushed out long ago.

Fortunately, everything is finally okay.

The family composed themselves and went about their business.

Du Ruo entered the room and asked in her mind: "Xiao Tong, do I have no points left at all?"

"Wrong, it's not that you have no points; you have no half point left. The host just used the last 0.5 point to exchange for a promoting agent; now you're completely penniless, spotless."

This was also unavoidable; given the situation at the time, if she hadn't used the promoting agent to teach Lin You Tian a lesson, she would really have been caught and burned to death.

Lin You Tian actually has an allergic constitution, though it's not usually obvious; using the promoting agent at dozens of times the dose induces an immediate effect.

Who's uglier? You won, huh?

The next day, Yao Yulan came over for a visit and shared a satisfying story.

"Today, Gu Dafu's family had trouble; several thugs from gambling houses came and smashed his place to pieces!" Yao Yulan said with a gleeful expression, "He's been immoral; now he's gotten his comeuppance, right?"

Du Ruo's eyes lit up.

It seems the time has finally come.

Gu Dafu's true retribution is still to come.