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墨書 Inktalez
The shopkeeper furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment. It seemed that the eastern part of the city was more densely populated; after all, where there were more people, there would be more patients.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh. "Shopkeeper, isn't that stating the obvious?"
The shopkeeper shot him an annoyed glance. "If you think that's obvious, then don't come asking me."
After all, this illness didn't just appear out of nowhere. I don't have a clear understanding of it. Treating patients is the doctors' job; tracing the source is the responsibility of those noble families and sects. I'm just a businessman—what do you expect me to know?
Qi Xiao couldn't help but ask further, "Shopkeeper, since you don't think that's obvious, do you know anything else?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It seems like this illness targets specific people; it always breaks out in clusters. Some people never catch it no matter what, while others get infected just from a little contact. There are even some who get sick without any contact at all."
Although everyone outside claims it's contagious, I’m not so sure.
"Why do you say that?" Qi Xiao inquired.
"Because just a few days ago, those noble families sent someone to investigate and trace the source. But after all their inquiries, they found that this illness seemed to have emerged all at once."
"If it were contagious, there should at least be a transmission route!" The shopkeeper continued. "But after all their searching, they couldn't find anything. Isn't that strange?"
"That is indeed strange," Qi Xiao agreed.
What intrigued Qi Xiao even more was the shopkeeper's remark about how the illness seemed to have appeared all at once. Could it be that someone had poisoned them?
As the moon hung high in the sky, the two men arrived in the slums of the eastern part of the city and inadvertently discovered a suspicious shadow lurking by a well, furtively pouring something into it.
Exchanging glances, Qi Xiao and Lu Yuan sprang into action.
They flanked the mysterious figure to cut off its escape route and moved in to confront it directly.
The mysterious person panicked and tried to leap away by stepping on the edge of the well's stone wall but was seized by Qi Xiao by the calf and yanked down hard.
The figure crashed to the ground, hitting its chin against the well's edge and spitting out a mouthful of blood before losing consciousness.
Lu Yuan kicked at the person’s body with disdain. "So weak."
He crouched down to turn the mysterious figure over, intending to pull off the black cloth covering its face.
As soon as he lifted it, the previously unconscious and gaunt man suddenly opened his eyes wide and spat out a jet of blood.
Qi Xiao reacted swiftly, pulling Lu Yuan aside just in time to avoid it.
Lu Yuan let out a cry as he collapsed to the ground. By the time they regained their senses, the mysterious figure had already seized the opportunity to escape.
How despicable! He even pretended to be dead!
Lu Yuan examined the spot where the blood arrow had struck and discovered that it had pierced straight through a solid stone. If he had been even a moment slower and allowed that blood arrow to hit him, the consequences would have been unimaginable. He scratched his head, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Qi Xiao didn’t dwell on it for long; he was eager to find out what the mysterious person had poured into the well. He was now certain that this was not an infectious disease but rather a poison. The mastermind had poisoned the water supply, and if he ran around all the wells in the city overnight, he could create an outbreak that appeared erratic and widespread.
With so many people falling ill, it would be easy for others to mistake it for an infectious disease. As for those who were less susceptible, they probably had their own water sources at home. The mysterious figure couldn’t possibly poison every household, which explained why some people remained unaffected no matter what. This illness simply wasn’t contagious.
Meanwhile, in the Bai family mansion, lights flickered brightly. Bai Shu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression dark and brooding.
This brat is so bold! I haven’t even gone looking for him, and he’s come to Tongling first! Well, since he’s here, it’s just in time for me to settle the score for my son!
Beside him, Bai Ruojing furrowed her brow and quietly reminded him, “Father, this information seems suspicious. Could it be a trap?”
A trap? What kind of trap could there be? Whether it’s true or false, we can just send someone to check it out.
Bai Ruojing hesitated. “Father, I only feel that the person behind this has ulterior motives.”
That person arrived in Tongling without our Bai family even knowing; how could he have known first? And he even sent us news—his keen interest in our family’s movements might indicate that he has something else in mind.
Bai Shu snorted coldly.
The death of my son has caused such a stir; anyone with a motive would know about it. If by chance they encountered the mastermind behind this and wanted to do us a favor, it wouldn’t be hard to understand.
Seeing Bai Ruojing frowning as if she had more to say, Bai Shu suddenly felt dissatisfied. “You keep hesitating and urging me to abandon this thought—are you not interested in avenging your brother?”
Bai Ruojing was taken aback and immediately lowered her head. “I absolutely do not mean that! My younger brother’s tragic death pains me just as much.”
Bai Shu stared at him coldly, a mocking smile on her lips. "You feel heartbroken? You must be wishing for Shu'er to die, right? Once he's gone, no one will stand in your way to inherit the Bai family. You'll become the sole heir!"
"Do you really think I don't see through your little schemes?"
Noticing the anger in Bai Shu's words, Bai Ruojing immediately knelt down, pleading his innocence. "Father, this is unjust! I have no such intentions!"
Bai Shu let out a cold snort. "I don't care what you're thinking. Let me make this clear: as long as I'm alive, I am the head of the Bai family! Keep your twisted thoughts to yourself. If I find out you're trying to undermine me, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"
Bai Ruojing lowered his head, clenching his fists tightly. Why was it that his father always treated him so harshly? He had never thought of harming his younger brother.
But prejudice ran deep; a few words could not resolve it. Bai Ruojing kept his head down and could only murmur softly, "I am Bai."
Bai Shu scoffed. "You handle this matter. By tomorrow at the latest, I want to see the heads of those two!"
Despite his reluctance, Bai Ruojing had no choice but to comply. Remembering how they had saved him on the floating island, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. They had warned him and helped him avoid disaster, yet now he was being ordered to kill them.
With a bitter smile and feeling somewhat disheveled, he turned to leave. He had initially wanted to ask his father to investigate further; perhaps there was some misunderstanding.
But seeing Bai Shu's attitude, he suddenly realized that it was all due to the so-called pain of losing a child. Regardless of whether those two were truly the masterminds behind it all, they would not escape Bai Shu's wrath.
He needed to avenge his son and find a way to channel his grief over the loss.
Bai Ruojing went to the study and sought out a guest elder at the Nascent Soul stage. Upon hearing that the target was merely two Golden Core youths, the elder had no intention of taking on this task.
However, when he learned that they were survivors from the floating island, his interest piqued considerably.
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