66: Chapter 66 Strange Phenomena in the Village

Watching the little boy's retreating figure as he hurried away, Yun Song's eyes flickered slightly. He turned, found a piece of bluestone, and sat down leisurely.

The village looked peaceful, with smoke curling from kitchen chimneys, yet his intuition told him that it harbored unknown secrets.

Driven by this inexplicable curiosity, he decided to stay for a while and investigate.

He propped up his chin and watched the passing villagers with interest, attempting to find some clues on their faces.

Sure enough, from time to time, someone would pass by him, clutching their stomach tightly with both hands, their faces deathly pale, stumbling as if they were about to collapse at any moment, gritting their teeth as they struggled to move past him.

This eerie scene caused a surge of suspicion in Yun Song's heart: "What exactly is wrong with the people in this village? Why is everyone in such pain? Could it be..."

After about half an incense stick's time, the little boy came running back, drenched in sweat and panting, clutching a paper packet tightly in his small hands as if he were afraid the contents would fly away.

Seeing this, Yun Song raised an eyebrow and asked: "Little one, what are you clutching in your hand?"

The little boy lifted a pure, smiling face and replied crisply: "Big brother, this is a miracle medicine! I have to take it home quickly to save my mother!"

Yun Song frowned slightly: "Oh? Is your mother very ill? I see many people in the village looking this miserable; what exactly is going on? Can you let brother take a look at the medicine in your hand?"

"Okay!"

The little boy agreed readily, then immediately warned him nervously: "You must be careful, don't drop it on the ground!"

Following his instructions, Yun Song carefully unwrapped the paper packet, revealing a thumb-sized, pitch-black pill lying silently inside.

He brought it to his nose and sniffed lightly. A faint, fishy odor entered his nostrils, causing his brows to knit even tighter as he fell into deep thought.

A moment later, he looked up at the little boy: "Little one, what is your name?"

The little boy grinned, revealing two small canine teeth: "People in the village call me Gouzi, Big brother, you can call me that too!"

"Alright." Yun Song nodded, then changed the subject, his expression serious: "Gouzi, can brother go to your house to take a look? I have a feeling that your village is a bit strange."

Gouzi nodded quickly: "Of course! We need to hurry; my mother is in pain and is waiting for this medicine to save her life!"

Before he finished speaking, he tugged at Yun Song's sleeve and ran all the way to the entrance of a fenced courtyard.

Gouzi reached out and gently pushed open the courtyard gate, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Mother! I'm back!"

After shouting, he rushed inside, and Yun Song followed closely behind.

In the courtyard, Gouzis Mother, who was nearing thirty, was sitting on a wooden stool sunning herself, but her hands were clutching her stomach tightly, her brows were twisted into a knot, and her face was full of pain.

Seeing this, Yun Song couldn't help but feel a sense of pity: This illness truly looked excruciating.

"Mother, I've brought the medicine!" Gouzi ran to Gouzis Mother and handed over the paper packet.

Gouzis Mother took the pill with trembling hands and, without hesitation, popped it into her mouth and began to chew.

Gouzi trotted off to fetch a bowl of water and also brought a small stool, looking up at Yun Song with a grin: "Big brother, please sit."

Yun Song looked at the bowl of water but did not touch it, simply placing it gently on the stone table beside him.

Before long, the look of pain on Gouzis Mother's face gradually faded, and her expression eased a little.

Only then did she notice the bloodstain on the corner of Gouzi's mouth. Her eyes reddened with heartache, and her voice trembled: "Gouzi, what happened to your face?"

Gouzi lowered his head embarrassedly and muttered: "Mother, it's nothing. I was running too fast just now and fell, and I twisted my foot, but thanks to this big brother who helped set the bone back in place."

Gouzis Mother looked at Yun Song, full of gratitude, her voice trembling slightly: "Thank you for your help, young man."

"It was just a small effort, no need for thanks."

Yun Song smiled faintly, then his expression turned serious: "Ma'am, if I may ask a few questions, are many people in the village suffering from this stomach pain like you? When did this illness start?"

Gouzis Mother sighed and slowly began: "Two years ago, I suppose. For some reason, many people in the village suddenly started complaining of stomach pain."

"Later, a miracle doctor passed by and said it was a plague, and he cured everyone with his medicine."

"But strangely, this illness keeps recurring every few days; it can't be cured completely."

"That miracle doctor lives on the east side of the village. Gouzi went to get medicine just three days ago, but who knew my stomach would hurt so badly again this morning, so I had to make him go again."

After hearing this, Yun Song had already reached a conclusion: To cause symptoms in the entire village simultaneously, there was likely a problem with the water source. He feared this well had been tampered with.

Thinking of this, he knit his brows tightly, picked up the bowl of water on the table, and sniffed it carefully. Sure enough, he smelled a faint, fishy odor.

"It seems I need to investigate deeper. I fear there is a massive conspiracy hiding behind this. If I don't dig out the root cause, the people of this village will never have peace."

Yun Song looked up, his expression serious as he looked at Gouzis Mother: "Ma'am, if I guessed correctly, this well water has likely been poisoned."

"After being poisoned, is there also vomiting and abdominal pain? The person who poisoned it must be hiding very deeply."

Hearing this, Gouzis Mother's eyes widened suddenly, her face full of disbelief.

She hurriedly picked up the bowl of water and brought it to her nose, but she couldn't smell anything, so she asked in confusion: "Why... why can't I smell anything?"

"This poison is colorless and odorless; ordinary people cannot detect it at all."

Yun Song explained expressionlessly, "After taking that medicine today, the toxicity can be temporarily suppressed, but remember, you must absolutely not drink the water from the well again."

Gouzis Mother was stunned for a long while. Her gaze shifted from the water bowl to Yun Song's face before she slowly nodded: "Yes... I understand."

Yun Song said decisively: "Take me to see the village well."

Gouzis Mother quickly agreed: "Alright, this way, young man!"

The three of them walked hurriedly and soon arrived at the communal well in the center of the village.

The wellhead was built from rough stones, but years of wear had made the stone rim incredibly smooth, and there were some water stains left around the mouth of the well.

The well water looked clear to the bottom, shimmering with ripples under the sunlight.

But if one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to notice that beneath the surface, there was a faint, subtle blackish hue.

Yun Song leaned over to the wellhead, reached out to scoop up a ladle of water, and sniffed it lightly.

That faint, fishy odor once again clearly entered his nostrils.

"Just as I thought, this well water has indeed been poisoned."

Gouzis Mother's face turned deathly pale instantly, her expression grave, her voice full of anxiety: "This... what should we do?"

Yun Song straightened up, stood by the wellhead, frowned in thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Ma'am, go notify the villagers door-to-door right now. Tell them to pour out all the well water in their homes and say that the water is poisoned and must absolutely not be drunk!"

He looked at Gouzi on the side, his eyes as sharp as knives: "Gouzi, take me to that miracle doctor's residence right now. I want to see exactly what kind of person he is!"