124: Fire Element

“That makes it much easier. May I ask if you know what they are?” Qezir asked.

“This? Isn’t it your job to tell me? You’re the doctor here,” Ikusa said.

“Under normal circumstances, yes. But this time I must insist you answer the question,” Qezir said.

“Hmm… It must be something serious. Let me think… Tell me, Ikusa,” Ikusa said with a hint of impatience.

“Interesting. I thought you would lie, but it seems you really don’t know,” Qezir said.

“Get to the point, old man. I don’t have time to waste with you,” Ikusa said.

Qezir nodded, glanced at Ning, then turned back and asked, “Have you heard of something called the Yang Corrosion Bug?”

“Yang Foster’s bugs? What are those? I’ve never heard of anything—wait,” Ikusa suddenly stopped mid-sentence and stood up. The Rainbow Phoenix was startled and flew away, perching on the hanging chair.

Ikusa quickly walked to a cupboard, and after doing a bunch of random things, he opened the door and took out a book.

He quickly flipped to a page in the book and said, “Yes, it’s right here.”

“Yang Powder Worm. Loves to eat Yang, dies after reproduction… covered in black spots all over. Ah, so this is what’s happening to me. Haha, I thought I was going to die. Just a bunch of bugs.”

Ikusa seemed absolutely fearless of these bugs, and Qezir was very curious, asking, “What happened that you seem relieved after knowing the name?”

“Oh, they’re harmless bugs, at least that’s what the book says. So don’t worry,” Ikusa said, “So, now that you know they’re harmless, would you please return to your sect?” “I’m afraid that’s impossible, Ikusa. We already know the news.”

“We are here for something else,” Qezir said.

“Oh, and what are you looking for?” Ikusa asked as he walked over and sat down at his desk. The Rainbow Phoenix flew back and perched on his shoulder.

“The culprit, Ikusa. I’m here hoping you know who it is,” Qezir asked.

“The culprit? You’re saying it’s as if a crime has occurred here,” Ikusa asked.

Qezir said, “Of course, you should know that Yang Fly Worms cannot survive and transfer on their own. They usually die within a month, which means someone has tamed these bugs and released them freely in the City.”

“What?” Ikusa said in surprise, quickly rereading the book in his hand, “My book doesn’t say anything about this,” he said as he read.

Qezir was a little surprised and looked at Ning with an examining gaze.

“Wait, you’re right, it does die very quickly. This means there must be a culprit here. But even so, I can’t help you. I don’t even know where to find such bugs,” Ikusa said.

Qezir said, “According to my friend, only those who established the foundation can tame these bugs, and your sect is the only one in this City that possesses the knowledge to tame them. So I came here hoping you could tell me that person.”

“What?” Ikusa finally shifted his gaze from the old man and looked at Ning, “Who are you? Do you know more about bugs than us?” he asked.

There was some underlying threat in the question, but Ning did not back down. “Yes, I know a little about bugs, and someone definitely intentionally released them into the City,” Ning said.

“Hmm…. Isn’t it possible someone had the bugs on them and then traveled here?” Ikusa asked.

Ning said, “That’s possible, but it doesn’t explain why everyone in this City got infected with the bugs at the same time.”

“Ah, that’s true,” Ikusa said, then turned to Qezir and said, “This is true, and I still don’t know who did it. If it was someone from my sect, it would have definitely started from our sect. Besides, what’s the problem with spreading a few harmless bugs? All it does is create panic.”

Qezir said, “Try asking your staff to see if anyone knows anything. You can’t always have all the information.”

The two began to argue, and Ning fell into contemplation. What Ikusa had said made him reconsider everything.

“He’s right. Aside from a few issues here and there, these bugs only cause panic. So, what is this person’s goal? Just to scare people for fun? Impossible. This attack is too coordinated to be just for fishing—coordinated?” Ning’s eyes widened.

“Mr. Qezir, I think there are multiple culprits,” Ning said.

“What?” Both Qezir and Ikusa stopped.

“This disease spread everywhere at once. I don’t think one person could do that. It must be the result of a group of people working together. They must have gone everywhere and spread these bugs all at once,” Ning said.

Both thought for a while, and Ikusa said, “You see, the boy said there are multiple people. We didn’t do this. And, we are not the only ones who can tame them. Everyone has the right tools to tame any beast.”

“boy, what do you think is the reason for doing this? Will they gain anything from it?” Ikusa asked.

“I—” Ning did not answer, his mind still unable to comprehend why people would do something with no positive or negative consequences.

“It only eats Yang and dies. What could such a bug lead to?” Ning thought, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

“I don’t know.”

BAM

The door to the room burst open. “Master!” A man rushed in, shouting.

“Someone better be dead for you to interrupt my meeting like this, boy,” Ikusa said. The boy’s face was ashen, and he said, “Th-the…”

“The City is on fire.”