53: Epidemics and Black Coffin Death

"Anoth

er one died!"

"Damn it, how come even here…"

"Plague… Run!!!"

Inside the tavern, the patrons cried out in alarm, no longer caring about their food and drink, and fled towards the exit.

In an instant, it was chaos, with chickens flying and eggs smashing.

Countless tables, chairs, and wine vessels were shattered.

Within a few breaths, only Shopkeeper Liu remained, lie at the counter, wailing to the heavens.

"Damn you, Scholar Kong!

You were infected with the plague, and of all places to die, you had to die in my tavern… My ancestral legacy…"

With the plague spreading from the tavern, naturally no one would come to patronize it anymore.

Closing down was an foreseeable outcome.

In a corner of the tavern, Gu Changsheng looked at Scholar Kong's corpse, his brows slightly furrowed.

‘Eerie fungal threads… emitting black Qi… such strange methods, it resembles the work of a cultivator…’

Suddenly, his expression changed.

Under the Spirit Eye Technique, the eerie flower floating on Scholar Kong's chest suddenly swelled, spewing countless black particles, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, which spread outwards.

‘This stuff… like a fungus… spores?’

In his perception, the black Qi emitted by the black spores was extremely weak.

He estimated that it would, at most, only slightly affect frail ordinary people.

Anyone with slightly stronger Yang Qi would be unharmed.

As a cluster of black spores approached, it was immediately blocked by Gu Changsheng's powerful vital Qi and blood.

‘The threat doesn't seem to be great, I wonder what happens if it enters the human body?’

He pointed a finger, and a spore was inhaled into his body.

Immediately, the spore burrowed into the flesh, growing countless slender roots to absorb nutrients.

The next moment, his lungs creeping, and a Lung Metal Sword Qi swept through, instantly vaporizing the spore.

"A bit troublesome; once inhaled, it takes root and sprouts.

Even Contemplation Realm Dao children would find it hard to escape…"

Gu Changsheng's eyes held a hint of worry.

These black spores, even if their number increased tenfold or a hundredfold, would not harm him in the slightest.

But for ordinary people, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

On the other side.

Shopkeeper Liu was crying his eyes out.

Suddenly, he coughed violently, a sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Under the Qi Observation Technique, a wisp of black Qi floated out from Scholar Kong's corpse and poured into Shopkeeper Liu's head.

Visibly, a black spot appeared in the center of Shopkeeper Liu's original bronze abacus Luck, and countless fungal threads spread outwards, forming an eerie fungal tree.

Innumerable fungal threads coiled around, firmly binding the bronze abacus.

Upon closer inspection, it no longer resembled an abacus, but clearly a black coffin.

"Black Coffin Death Luck…"

These days, Gu Changsheng had already thoroughly studied the Qi Observation Technique.

He had a good grasp of the various manifestations of Luck.

‘I need to find a way to deal with this… otherwise Chenping County will become a ghost town…’

Chenping County was where Gu Changsheng had lived for many years after his Transmigration, so he had a certain affection for it.

Most importantly, judging from the intensity of the black Qi from the spores, the mastermind's cultivation would, at most, not exceed the Foundation Building Realm.

Otherwise, Gu Changsheng would not have rashly intervened.

"However, even if I act, I can only do so secretly…"

Gu Changsheng's eyes sharpened, and his liver trembled slightly.

A wisp of Yi Wood Sword Qi was activated from his liver, pouring out from his fingertips, instantly annihilating all the black spores in the room.

The residual Yi Wood essence poured into Shopkeeper Liu's head.

In the blink of an eye, Shopkeeper Liu's breathing became smooth, and he no longer coughed up blood.

Gu Changsheng, however, frowned deeply.

Under the Qi Observation Technique, Shopkeeper Liu's Black Coffin Death Luck had not changed; only a layer of emerald green light covered the outside of the black coffin, slowly disappearing with time.

"Even Yi Wood vitality cannot heal it… it can only delay it for a few days.

It seems I must find the person behind the spell."

Tossing out a piece of silver, Gu Changsheng stepped out of the tavern.

Good news stays at home, bad news travels a thousand miles.

In such a short time, the street, which was originally bustling with people, was now empty.

Occasional passersby hurried along, avoiding the tavern as if fleeing for their lives.

A few scattered words drifted over.

"What, the Huibao Building also has the plague… Damn it, this is West City.

It's at least twenty li from Hual Deng Lane, the hardest-hit area in East City…"

"Alas, this damned world; a few years ago there was a great drought, then war and chaos… and now, a plague.

How are people supposed to live…"

"Stop talking, let's go quickly…"

Gu Changsheng keenly grasped the key point, muttering, "Hual Deng Lane in East City… the hardest-hit area… could the earliest source be there?"

After a cup of tea, Gu Changsheng appeared in Hual Deng Lane.

In the past, this place gathered a large number of vendors selling lanterns, and during the Lantern Festival, people flowed like a tide; almost half of Chenping County would come here.

Now, however, white mourning cloths hung everywhere, and spirit money littered the ground.

The occasional pedestrians all wore white cloths covering their faces, revealing only a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Accompanied by coughs, they moved away.

"The black spores here are indeed much denser…"

From the shadows, Gu Changsheng's figure emerged.

After several investigations, he still couldn't find the mastermind.

However, he gained a further understanding of the plague situation here.

Here, the government had become a mere decoration, barely maintaining order.

In some areas, even the constables dared not step foot.

The once bustling Lantern Street now lay with a large number of sick people, moaning faintly as if their last breath.

Under the Qi Observation Technique, all of them had Black Coffin Death Luck.

Suddenly, there was a stir in the crowd.

"Young Doctor Mo is here…"

"What, Young Doctor Mo is here!

That's great, we're saved…"

Immediately, many patients struggled to get up.

Following the sound, a young man with a thick white veil over his face appeared in his sight, accompanied by seven or eight attendants pushing carts of dark red wooden barrels.

As the barrel lids were opened, steaming hot air rose, and the aroma of medicinal porridge filled the entire street.

Gu Changsheng recognized them all as people from the Jielu Medical Clinic.

Especially the leading Young Doctor Mo, whose medical skills were superb, no less than his grandfather, Doctor Mo, the clinic's resident physician.

When he first Transmigrated, his original body had been drained of essence by a female ghost and was severely depleted, so he had dealt with him quite a bit.

"This medicinal porridge is for everyone, don't snatch it…"

Seeing people gather around, Young Doctor Mo quickly maintained order.

Soon, everyone had a bowl of fragrant medicinal porridge in their hands, and the sound of slurping porridge echoed through Hual Deng Lane.

Many patients shed tears, spontaneously kneeling and bowing to Young Doctor Mo.

"Thank you, Young Doctor Mo, for the porridge… The government abandoned us, not even allowing food to be transported in, wanting to starve us to death… Thanks to Young Doctor Mo.

Not only did he provide porridge, but he also used medicinal herbs to treat our illnesses… A living Bodhisattva."

"These days, thanks to Young Doctor Mo's medicinal porridge, this old man has been spared some suffering.

Every extra day this old body lives is a gain…"

"Young Doctor Mo, such a compassionate heart…"

The expressions of gratitude rose in waves.

Gu Changsheng, however, frowned.

Under the Qi Observation Technique, the Black Coffin Death Luck on the patients' heads not only did not dissipate but grew stronger after they finished eating the medicinal porridge.

He sniffed, inhaling a wisp of medicinal aroma, and quickly analyzed the ingredients in the medicinal porridge.

"Angelica, Astragalus, Poria… and one herb I don't recognize… After eating it, it probably stimulates the residual vital Qi in the body.

However, it's like drinking poison to quench thirst.

It actually accelerates the growth of the fungal threads…"

Gu Changsheng's medical skills had already advanced to the third stage; analyzing pharmacology was no problem for him.

"Is this intentional, or a coincidence?"

Activating the Qi Observation Technique, Gu Changsheng looked at Young Doctor Mo.

He saw green Qi swirling above his head, forming the shape of a medical book.

Other than that, there was no trace of black Qi on him.

This meant that Young Doctor Mo had not cultivated any Dharma, and was just an ordinary person.

"Am I overthinking… Is the mastermind someone else…"

However, when Gu Changsheng's gaze shifted to the person behind Young Doctor Mo, his expression suddenly changed slightly.