Chapter 108: If the Disease Source is Not Removed, the Malignant Plague Will Not Disperse

The twenty-fifth day of the seventh month.

The East Gate of Lanyang is still closed.

Entry is permitted, but exit is not.

At noon, a Female Daoist in her forties, accompanied by more than ten Disciples, arrived outside the East Gate, covered in dust and grime.

Coincidentally, ox carts loaded with corpses were passing through the East Gate, heading outside the City for deep burial.

The hands and feet visible beneath the straw mats were withered and black, sending chills down the spine.

Several timid Disciples quickly turned away, covering their noses with their sleeves.

The stern-faced Female Daoist waited quietly for the ox carts to pass, then said, “Ruan Ruan, are you sure your sister will allow us shelter?”

“Master, don’t worry! Your Disciple and the Princess Consort sister are very close! She will definitely agree!”

The Female Daoist looked up at the crows circling overhead and simply said, “Alas, this is not like ordinary times. Let’s go.”

Only after repeated confirmation with the gate-guarding Soldiers did the guards allow them into Lanyang City.

Inside the City, the scene wasn’t the imagined one of every household barred shut; although there weren’t many pedestrians on the streets, there was still activity.

“Distribute the Plague-Dispelling and Fever-Clearing Pills we brought.”

The Female Daoist gave the order, and the female Disciples took out the small porcelain bottles they carried, carefully pouring out one or two pills. Seeing someone, they proactively stepped forward, “Layperson, please stop. Hearing of the malignant plague in Lanyang, my Master led us here to dispense medicine. Hey~ why are you walking away”

The result, however, astonished them.

Some hurried away before they even finished speaking.

Some listened and accepted the Plague-Dispelling and Fever-Clearing Pill, but then added, “In this world, besides the Immortal Master of the State Religion, who else can cure the malignant plague? Your pills aren’t poisonous, are they? If they make people sick, will you pay compensation?”

Even more outrageous, some accepted it perfunctorily, and after walking a short distance, casually tossed it into a corner.

The malignant plague is indeed an incurable disease. Although the Plague-Dispelling and Fever-Clearing Pill cannot cure those already infected, taking it beforehand can still strengthen the body, boost Life Qi, and resist the pestilential influence.

They had worked hard to come here, only to have their enthusiasm met with cold indifference. The group of Disciples couldn’t help but complain angrily.

“Master! The people of Lanyang are not worth saving!”

“That’s right, Master, let’s go back!”

“Yes, let’s go back! They don’t recognize good intentions!”

The Female Daoist calmly walked to the base of the wall, picked up the discarded pill, carefully wiped the dust off it with her sleeve, and said placidly, “The highest virtue is not virtuous, hence it has virtue; the lowest virtue clings to virtue, hence it has no virtue.”

This is a line from the Dao De Jing.

It teaches Disciples not to place themselves in the position of a benefactor or someone self-righteously noble when performing good deeds. By maintaining an ordinary heart, they won’t feel disappointed or indignant when they don’t receive recognition or praise.

It is roughly similar to the meaning of ‘Never forget the original intention.’

Exactly noon.

The group arrived at Prince Lanyangs Estate.

The Disciples of Xuanji Palace usually stayed in the mountains and rarely saw human splendor. Standing suddenly before the imposing Prince’s Estate, they felt slightly constrained.

Ruan Ruan was also nervous. Her Master had specifically brought people and medicine down the mountain upon hearing about the malignant plague in Lanyang.

However, given the current situation in Lanyang, food and accommodation were huge problems. She volunteered, telling her Master that she and the Princess Consort sister were close friends (handkerchief companions) and that the sister would certainly take them in.

Before entering the City, she had been full of confidence.

But now that they had actually arrived, she started to get nervous.

Fortunately, the Princess Consort sister gave her ample Face.

She personally greeted them at the Second Gate.

“Daoist Master of Xuanji Palace, Daoist Master, greets the Princess Consort. This poor Daoist heard of the pestilential Qi disturbance in Lanyang and specially led my Disciples down the mountain to dispense medicine and treat the sick, doing what little we can. We are truly ashamed for this disturbance.”

Daoist Master was neither servile nor overbearing.

“Immortal Master, you are too polite! It is this Princess Consort’s honor that you have arrived; how could it be a disturbance?”

Speaking here, Lin Hansu smiled brightly and looked gently at Ruan Ruan behind Daoist Master, “I was wondering earlier what kind of sect and Master could teach Ruan Ruan to be so well-behaved and sensible. Seeing the Immortal Master today, I finally understand why.”

The exchange between the two seemed like polite formality, yet not a single word was superfluous.

Ruan Ruan couldn’t discern the deeper meaning, but the Princess Consort sister had specifically mentioned her, and all her Senior Sisters looked over with envious eyes.

Ruan Ruan felt light all over, having earned plenty of Face in front of her Master and Senior Sisters.

The Princess Consort sister is the best sister in the world!

Lin Hansu and Daoist Master walked side-by-side back to the Third Courtyard, Chengxi Hall.

The entire courtyard was filled with the scent of boiling strong wine and vinegar.

The originally elegant garden was now covered in scattered lime, and rat traps lined the base of the walls—a bit of an eyesore.

Actually, Lin Hansu hadn’t intended for it to look like this, but she couldn’t argue past Ding Suian.

All of this was forcefully mandated by Ding Suian.

Chengxi Hall.

Lin Hansu accompanied Daoist Master and chatted for a while.

The Prince’s Estate had now become the temporary command center for controlling the plague in Lanyang, and people frequently entered the estate to request instructions regarding drug distribution, food rationing, and other issues.

Seeing this, Daoist Master was about to excuse herself and head to the guest room, when she saw a tall, upright young man stride into the hall.

“Greetings, Princess Consort!”

“Head Ding, what is the matter?”

Before Ding Suian could answer, Daoist Master stood up quite abruptly, staring at him for a moment, and suddenly asked, “What is your name?”

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

Even Lin Hansu, who was holding her tea, paused. This eminent figure of the Daoist Sect had been extremely courteous since entering the estate, but now she was being somewhat impolite.

Ruan Ruan involuntarily stood up as well. She didn’t understand why her Master was suddenly acting this way, and she was afraid Ding Suian would clash with her.

Ding Suian was slightly taken aback, but naturally saw the nervous Ruan Ruan, and replied with a smile, “Junior Ding Suian.”

Daoist Master then asked, “What year were you born?”

“The twenty-eighth year of Zhengtong, the Gui-Chou year.”

Ding Suian answered without hesitation.

Lin Hansu, seated at the head, smiled faintly and resumed drinking her tea.

Ruan Ruan was surprised, though. Elder Brother Yuanxi was born in the same year as her, which should be the twenty-ninth year of Zhengtong, the Jia-Yin year.

But she wasn’t that foolish, and she didn’t ask the question aloud right then.

Hearing this, Daoist Master nodded lightly, seemingly having lost interest in him. She then saluted Lin Hansu, took her leave, and was led to the guest room by Granny Liu.

As Ruan Ruan followed her Master out, she kept looking back, seemingly still worried that Ding Suian would be angry because of her Master’s discourtesy.

Seeing this, Ding Suian secretly made a gesture toward her: his thumb and index finger formed a circle, with the remaining three fingers held upright.

Only then did Ruan Ruan relax. She secretly pursed her lips into a smile and returned the same gesture.

She had learned this from Ding Suian when she was little. It was supposedly called ‘OK,’ and was a gesture used by foreign tribes to mean ‘no problem’ or ‘it’s fine.’

There was no one else in the hall.

Lin Hansu glanced at Ding Suian first and smiled, “Why did you lie to Immortal Master just now?”

“I only recently learned that the Jile Sect truly possesses evil techniques that use birth dates and times to cast curses. From now on, Sister, don’t casually mention your birth date and month to others.”

Lin Hansu nodded and asked, “How are things outside?”

Ding Suian pulled up a chair and sat down casually, his expression helpless, “The moment the State Religion arrived, all our efforts were for naught.”

On the twenty-first, after Sect Master Hao arrived in Lanyang with the appearance of a descending deity, the epidemic prevention system painstakingly established by Ding Suian and Li Baicheng instantly collapsed.

Some officials led by Vice Prefect Hou, along with the yamen runners and public servants inside the prefecture, all switched allegiance and followed Sect Master Hao’s lead.

The common people were the same. On the twenty-second, the male head of a household suspected of contracting the malignant plague wanted to go out and seek treatment at the residence of Steward Xu, where Sect Master Hao was staying, but he was blocked by the Vermilion Bird Army.

One side desperately sought survival, the other needed to uphold military orders, leading to conflict between the two sides.

This finally caused neighbors, whose emotions had been building up, to break down their doors and fight fiercely with the Vermilion Bird Army.

The commotion they caused was truly significant.

Ultimately, Li Baicheng, pressured, opened a small loophole allowing infected patients to leave and seek help from the Immortal Master.

Once this loophole opened, everything completely fell into chaos.

The Vermilion Bird Army entered the City on the nineteenth. That day, they collected 103 corpses of patients; 96 on the twentieth; and 51 on the twenty-first.

The trend had clearly been declining, but since the loophole was opened on the twenty-second, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Yesterday, the number of collected corpses exceeded two hundred.

Lin Hansu was also depressed. Now, the Vermilion Bird Army, which had rushed to aid the City, had become an unwelcome group in Lanyang, and she, as the court representative, was even more so.

After thinking for a moment, she said, trying to comfort herself, “If all the patients can receive treatment from the Immortal Master, it can still be considered a good deed.”

“It would be great if that were truly the case. The Immortal Master is limited by his magic power and can only treat ten people per day.”

I heard Head Constable Jiao say that in order to compete for the ten daily treatment slots, Steward Xu has already openly priced them on behalf of the Immortal Master, selling them everywhere starting at a minimum of one thousand taels.

Of course, this money isn’t given to the Immortal Master, but is considered’Sin Money.’

This is the most frustrating part: Sect Master Hao gains all the popular support and wealth, which would be acceptable if he could truly control the malignant plague. But the reality is that the number of patients is increasing instead of decreasing, and Lanyang City is going from bad to worse.

It seems that if Sect Master Hao, this source of disease, is not eliminated, the malignant plague in Lanyang will not cease.

Ding Suian began calculating silently.

Lin Hansu, who was originally in a poor mood herself, saw the faint frustration between Ding Suian’s brows. After pondering for a moment, she rose, walked behind him, and gently pressed his temples with her slender white index finger.

“Young Master~”

“Mhm.”

“Young Master~”

“Hm?”

“Young Master!”

“Sister, you’re so mischievous. Has Zhao Yan possessed you?”

“Hehe, I just like calling it. Calling your name brings me an extra measure of peace.”

“I have this effect?”

“Mhm. I don’t know how others see me. But in the heart of Lin Hansu, Young Master is my heaven, my confidence.”

“Sister, hearing you say that, I suddenly feel so awesome!”

“Awesome what? Say that again!”

“Uh haha.”

“Haha, I also think my Young Master is awesome!”

“Hahaha.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Mhm.”