Chapter 79
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Stealing precious mementos from terminally ill patients resulted in three new cases in the village.
In the middle of the night, local villagers heard the cries of poultry outside their homes. In a state of panic, they rushed outside only to see a bizarre figure with a head as large as a cow suddenly charging towards them!
The villagers were paralyzed with fear, shouting, “Help! Ghost!”
The deep night was shattered by the disturbance. Several households, holding oil lamps, went out to investigate.
A group of people gathered, and at a distance of a few yards, they saw a strangely large-headed figure suddenly leap into the air, taking a few steps onto the roof and turning to look at the onlookers.
In the dim moonlight, people could vaguely make out that the figure on its neck was not a human face at all. It seemed to be a demonic visage resembling a red-faced bull’s head!
“Ghost! There’s a ghost!”
The crowd exclaimed in horror and began to retreat.
However, the demon did not attack the people. Perhaps it sensed their overwhelming numbers and silently turned, flying up to the roof beams. With a graceful push, it soared like a bird and vanished into the densely entangled branches of a large tree without a sound.
Xue Yao paced back and forth in the courtyard. Finally, at around four in the morning, he spotted an agile figure scaling the fence, striding purposefully towards him.
“How did it go?” Xue Yao hurriedly approached.
Fourth Zhang removed his beast-faced mask and nodded to Xue Yao. “All five villages responded according to Young Master’s instruction. At least thirty households have been alarmed.”
Xue Yao breathed a sigh of relief and instructed him to return to his room to rest.
At the crack of dawn the next day, cries and pleas for mercy from the common people echoed outside the gate.
The gatekeeper, peering through the gap, saw a crowd outside, stretching into the alley. It was impossible to gauge the exact number of people.
Not daring to open the gate, he hurried to inform Xue Yao.
Not long after, the main gate swung open, revealing Xue Yao clad in Daoist robes, his face visibly drained. He was supported by the gatekeeper as he came out.
The townsfolk were utterly astonished. The Living Immortal now had a face as pale as snow, devoid of color in his lips, and dark circles under his eyes, as if he had contracted a severe illness.
“What has happened to the Daoist?”
The common people were in a state of panic.
Xue Yao raised his hand to calm everyone down, coughed weakly, and sighed. “Fellow villagers, to be honest, a few days ago, I temporarily trapped the Plague Demon King with the Bagua Qiankun Mirror. Unexpectedly, the demon’s power surged yesterday, breaking my formation and injuring me before escaping without a trace. Alas… it seems the Plague Demon may wreak havoc on our realm again!”
The villagers were suddenly filled with shock. “Daoist! Is that demon king the one with a bull-like head that can fly through the heavens and the earth?”
Xue Yao hastily asked with surprise, “You’ve seen it?”
“We’ve all seen it!” the surrounding villagers exclaimed in distress.
“Daoist! That demon king visited the backyard of my house last night. Has it possessed my wife and child?”
“You must save us, Daoist!”
“Why did the demon king’s power suddenly increase like that?”
Xue Yao waited for them to quiet down a bit, then coughed weakly and explained, “It’s lamentable. Dozens of spirits, previously afflicted and even perished due to being possessed by the plague spirits, had their belongings stolen. Fueled by resentment, these departed souls transformed into minions of the plague deity, bolstering the ghostly power of the plague demon king. This humble Daoist can no longer suppress them!”
The villagers erupted in an uproar.
“Which wicked soul dared to steal from destitute families!”
“Who took it? We’ll use their life to appease the lost souls!”
“Exactly! Take that cursed thing stained with a thousand knives to honor the departed souls! Since Daoist Xue Yao was injured, all the young and old in our village must accompany him in death!”
In the crowd, a few individuals appeared ashen-faced, likely the ones who had taken belongings from destitute households, and now they dared not utter a word.
After a moment, one middle-aged man stepped forward and shouted, “Who dares to touch things tainted by the Plague Demon? I saw it with my own eyes. Only those wandering strangers and beggars who frequented the destitute households must have stolen those items!”
“No wonder so many beggars have died these past few days! They were being targeted by vengeful spirits!”
“Daoist! If these beggars who stole the belongings have died, shouldn’t the wronged spirits leave us alone?”
Xue Yao furrowed his brow and sighed. “Sigh… once they become plague spirits, how could they recognize anyone? But they’re merely instruments of the Plague Demon King. The reason these beggars perished first was because they lacked my holy stones and holy water, making them susceptible to the plague spirits’ possession.”
The ashen-faced individuals in the crowd breathed a sigh of relief. They had initially believed that everyone who had stolen the belongings would die. Now, hearing Daoist Xue Yao’s words, they realized that as long as they had the protection of the holy stones and holy water, they could still ward off evil, which brought some comfort to their hearts.
“However…” Xue Yao continued, “the grievances of these wronged spirits have led to a surge in malevolent energy throughout the county. My abilities are waning, and if more lost souls turn into vengeful spirits due to stolen belongings, my holy stones and holy water will completely lose their protective power. Everyone will be in danger.”
The villagers were filled with anxiety.
A burly man stepped forward, turned around, and cast a dark gaze upon the villagers. “Anyone who dares to steal the possessions of the deceased, before the plague spirits claim them, I, Li San, will ensure that the thief meets a swift end!”
An elderly man, leaning on his cane, spoke up, “We’re all neighbors here, who would dare take advantage of the deceased? It’s those wandering beggars we should fear! If they steal in the dead of night, who can be vigilant at all times!”
“I do have a solution,” Xue Yao said. “From now on, all clothing and belongings of the deceased who fell to the plague shall be burned to ashes, allowing the departed souls to take them away. Unfortunately, for destitute families, I will rely on neighbors to burn all their possessions. Let the deceased take their belongings with them to the underworld, ensuring that the lost souls harbor no resentment.”
Upon hearing a glimmer of hope for survival, the villagers responded with joy, “This is a good plan. Daoist can rest assured!”
“There is another matter,” Xue Yao frowned. “Currently, my magical power is greatly diminished. If we drag this on for too long, the Plague Demon King will inevitably wreak havoc across the county. The situation is critical. We must resolve it swiftly.”
“What can we do to assist the Daoist in exorcising these demons?”
Xue Yao explained, “I’ve located a place rich in Yang energy using the bagua mirror. I’ll set up a formation there and perform rituals for forty-nine days. This might allow me to expel and seal all the plague spirits hidden inside the bodies of the afflicted townsfolk. I’ll need the cooperation of all the villagers. You must send all the afflicted individuals into the formation. Only with this collective effort can I control the plague spirits. After forty-nine days, no one in the village should be possessed again.”
The villagers erupted in cheers upon hearing this plan and immediately knelt to express their gratitude to the benevolent soul who was saving them from hardship.
Xue Yao lowered his head and continued to address the townsfolk, “For this sealing of the plague spirits to succeed, it requires the full cooperation of everyone. If even one afflicted individual is not brought into the ritual formation, all our efforts may go to waste.”
Immediately, someone shouted, “We will definitely make sure that no one is left out and send everyone to the ritual formation!”
Xue Yao nodded. “There is one more thing I need to inform you all in advance. This ritual, if successful, can seal all the plague spirits completely, ensuring the county’s peace for a hundred years. However, those who have already been possessed by the plague spirits may not all be saved.”
The villagers gradually fell silent.
Suddenly, someone sighed. “Daoist, to be honest, the medicine bags you provided haven’t been very effective. In our village, anyone afflicted by the plague spirits hasn’t survived, not to mention saving them all. Even if there’s a thirty percent chance of survival, who would be willing to wait at home to die? Rest assured, we will send all the afflicted individuals to you. We only hope you can seal the plague spirits and prevent them from harming people again.”
Xue Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
This round of persuasion had been successful.
He instructed the common people to spread the word and gather all the afflicted individuals on the western outskirts of the city at the beginning of the third day, at the hour of the Rooster.
Back in the inner courtyard, Xue Yao washed away the weariness from his face, his mood finally lightening a bit.
Although the implementation of isolating the afflicted individuals was not guaranteed, at least representatives from all five villages were actively supporting the effort, which was a good start.
Fourth Zhang, seeing his rare relaxed expression, couldn’t help but smile. “Finally, the clouds are clearing.”
Xue Yao took a deep breath and shook his head. “It’s still too early.”
“I meant the young master’s complexion,” Fourth Zhang said, “It had been so gloomy these past few days…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xue Yao suddenly heard a notification in his mind: 【Lu Qian’s sense of security -2】.
Fourth Zhang, noticing the sudden change in Xue Yao’s expression, asked, “What’s wrong now?”
“Oh… it’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired.”
How did he lose another two sense of security points!
That unpredictable chubby cub!
This time, when he left, the chubby cub’s sense of security didn’t drop continuously, so Xue Yao had assumed he had grown accustomed to his business trips.
However, a month ago, on a certain afternoon, he suddenly received a system notification that the chubby cub’s sense of security had dropped by 10 points!
It was either not dropping at all or dropping straight down like jumping off a building!
What could have displeased the chubby cub so much to cause such a sudden drop?
Could it be that the milk had gone bad again?
•••
A month ago, in the Qingqiong Hall’s sleeping quarter—
The Seventh Prince raised his hand and gently steadied the trembling head under the red bridal veil, glancing down with a soft warning, “Don’t move. If you don’t wear this, you can’t bow to heaven and earth.”
Under the red bridal veil, the side of the face felt the warmth of the Seventh Prince’s palm, making the entire body tremble.
The Seventh Prince squinted his eyes and leaned down, getting closer to the red veil. His voice was unusually gentle, “It’s starting.”
After saying that, he turned around and bowed towards the sky outside the hall’s doors, completing the ceremony. Impatiently, he turned back with a victorious smile playing on his lips, and abruptly lifted the red veil!
Beneath the veil, a bewildered and disoriented little bald white rabbit looked up at the Seventh Prince.
The little white rabbit remained as clueless as it had been in Silly Yaoyao’s arms on that fateful day.
“The ceremony is done.” The Seventh Prince lifted the rabbit’s ears, locking eyes with the startled bunny.
“Starting today, you are now your grandpa’s Princess Consort.”
Just when things were getting interesting, the Seventh Prince felt that someone standing behind him hadn’t moved for a while, as if they were still observing his back.
Didn’t he order all the eunuchs and palace maids not to disturb His Highness during the practice of bowing to heaven and earth?
The Seventh Prince’s expression turned impatient. He was about to use a little growl to threaten the person to move away, when he turned around with “Consort Rabbit” in hand, he was met with the Crown Prince’s astonished gaze.
Crown Prince, who was watching his youngest brother and the rabbit perform a marriage ceremony: “? ? ?”
“Oh… Eldest Brother?” Seventh Prince quickly lifted the rabbit and hid it behind his back.
A few more sparse rabbit hairs were shed in the process.
The Crown Prince looked at his foolish seventh brother in despair. “I didn’t interrupt your ‘marriage vow’ with the rabbit, did I?”
“Is marriage vow still needed?” The Seventh Prince was taken aback. He quickly bent down to pick up the fallen red veil, placed the rabbit back on the tea table, and covered it again with the veil, preparing to complete the additional ceremony.
The Crown Prince, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted his brother’s “wedding”. “Xue Yao has sent you an urgent letter from six hundred miles away.”
The Seventh Prince’s ears perked up, immediately abandoning the Consort Rabbit and rushing to his eldest brother. “A letter?”
The Crown Prince handed the letter to his younger brother.
The Seventh Prince unfolded the letter and read it quickly.
Because the letter contained only ten lines, His Highness finished reading it at a glance.
In the letter, Xue Yao instructed the Seventh Prince not to add extra sugar to the milk, to steam the mutton rather than roast it…
There were some miscellaneous reminders, all things Xue Yao had mentioned the day before his departure.
An urgent letter sent from six hundred miles away, yet it contained such trivial details.
The Seventh Prince was simply…
Overjoyed!
However, he still tactfully boasted to his eldest brother, “Hmph, it’s just a minor matter, no need to rush it back.”
It seemed that Silly Yao Yao truly missed His Highness.
“Actually, the urgent letter from six hundred miles away was mainly for me. I asked him to write one for you as well,” the Crown Prince spoke honestly, inadvertently shattering his brother’s pride.
“A letter for Eldest Brother?” The Seventh Prince provocatively raised an eyebrow, letting out a light chuckle. “What did Silly Yaoyao write for Eldest Brother? A simple greeting?”
“He wrote quite a few things,” the Crown Prince replied with concern, pulling out the letter Xue Yao had written to him from his sleeve.
A thick stack of letters!!!
The Seventh Prince immediately estimated that Eldest Brother was holding at least twelve pages of written paper, densely filled with words!
He then looked down at the single, light page of paper in his own hand, containing just ten lines of text…
Solidly, His Highness was heartbroken!
With a thud, he sat down in one of the round chairs next to the coffee table, causing the ground to tremble.
“Consort Rabbit” was so frightened that it lifted the red veil and hopped off the table, shedding a few more rabbit hairs.
The Seventh Prince, with one hand on his forehead, wore a look of despair.
“What’s wrong?”
“Yaoyao doesn’t want your son anymore,” the Seventh Prince replied with closed eyes, his voice low and hoarse.
“How could that be? Yaoyao wrote you a letter, didn’t he?”
“Just one page,” the Seventh Prince mourned, “He wrote an entire set of ‘Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance’ for you.”
“It’s not that many!” The Crown Prince shook the stack of papers in his hand, making a loud rustling sound. “There are only a total of fourteen pages.”
Seventh Prince: “……”
His pretense of only seeing twelve pages was shattered by Eldest Brother!
Meanwhile, Xue Yao, who was making soap in Pingrong County, was chatting with Fourth Zhang —
“I’ve written all the detailed information about the epidemic in the letter. It’s truly alarming. The Crown Prince won’t just stand by, will he?”
Fourth Zhang reassured him, “No, he won’t. The Crown Prince cares deeply for the common people.”
Xue Yao nodded, but suddenly received a system prompt: 【Lu Qian’s sense ogf security -10】.
A bolt from the blue!
Fourth Zhang, thinking something had happened, looked around warily, but saw no one.
He turned back to the grief-stricken Xue Yao and asked, “What… what happened to you?”
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