Day and night tour

Chapter 369 Suppressing the Rat Infestation
The shoemaker, Li, lifted the tent flap and saw what was inside.

Inside the tent, four quilts were laid out, turning the tent into a large communal space where people could rest anywhere. Only in the very center was a large square table, filled with drinks and leftover food.

A man with a square face, wearing a melon-shaped hat, was excitedly telling the others about Zhou Xuan's dirty secrets: "That Zhou Xuan is not a good person at all... A relative of mine works in Zhou's troupe, and he has been working with me for a long time."

"What did he talk about?" the people around asked curiously.

"Zhou Xuan is the young master of the Zhou family troupe. He's a bully who preys on men and women. Which pretty girl in the troupe hasn't been touched, kissed, and abused by him? This playboy was just a playboy half a year ago. How did he learn so much so quickly?"

The square-faced man adjusted his melon-shaped hat and said excitedly, "The answer lies with the Zhou family troupe. That Zhou family troupe is a ghost opera troupe; they deal with dead people every day. It's really eerie. My relative said that the Zhou family troupe goes missing a few workers every night."

Where did those workers go? No need to ask, they must have been killed by Zhou Xuan…”

He grabbed a roasted rabbit leg from the table, chewed it a few times, and pointed at the rabbit leg, saying, "Just like these few bites of meat, they all went into Zhou Xuan's stomach."

"Zhou Xuan is a veteran at using people to make incense; he's very experienced."

Some people listened to it as a story, finding it strange, bizarre, and quite fascinating.

Some people take it all too seriously, their faces turning pale as they worry about their future, wondering if they too will end up like the rabbit leg in Zhou Xuan's belly.

Only Li the shoemaker, his face grim and furious, didn't care about the heat in his left hand as he lifted the lid of the pear soup pot, and with his right hand, he splashed the soup onto the square-faced man's face.

The scalding hot pear soup, with its burning temperature, scalded the square face, causing it to blister all over, and a puff of white steam rose up.

"Ouch."

The square-faced man covered his face and immediately began to wail.

"what are you doing?"

Li, the shoemaker, was being friendly with the square-faced man. The shoemaker coughed angrily, but his hands and feet moved quickly. He climbed onto the square-faced man, raised the pottery jar with both hands, and smashed it at him.

"You son of a bitch! What we eat and drink, wasn't it all bought with the Master's own wealth? That money flowed out like water, saving our lives. And you're still here slandering my Master? I'll kill you, you ingrate!"

The square-faced man was not to be outdone. Once the pain subsided a bit, he started fighting with Li the shoemaker.

"I just can't stand people like you. You think too highly of yourselves, even trying to live off your offerings? What's the point of your worthless lives if they're worth the attention of some big shot?"

"Without Mr. Da, I would have frozen to death on the first night after the disaster."

Li the shoemaker was holding back a lot of anger, and his spirits were extremely high. His fighting ability was also much stronger. He was able to fight several people by himself without any fear of the stage.

He had only one thought in his mind: to avenge Zhou Xuan.

The sounds of fighting grew louder and louder, and people in Li the shoemaker's tent also heard the commotion and rushed out.

Each of these tents houses anywhere from a few to a dozen people, most of whom are former neighbors, acquaintances, or relatives. When a fight breaks out, they tend to side with their own people, regardless of who is in the right.

Moreover, the shoemaker Li is in the right now.

"Old Li, what's wrong? Did you get into a fight?" asked Li the shoemaker's partner.

Li the shoemaker had been a kind person for most of his life. Even when he encountered difficult customers, he would greet them with a smile and never lose his temper. But this time, he got so angry that he beat up several people by himself, especially the square-faced guy, who was beaten so badly by Old Li that he looked like a painted turtle. It was quite strange.

The people in Old Li's tent couldn't understand what had happened to make the shoemaker so angry.

“These turtles and tortoises are spreading rumors about Master, saying that he wants to keep us here and wait to suck our incense offerings.”

"Good heavens, they dare to say such vile things! Grab your weapons and beat them up!"

The people in Old Li's tent immediately got angry, and a big fight broke out. Both sides really started fighting. The square-faced man was also extremely fierce. When he got angry, he tried to bite the shoemaker's neck. Fortunately, the shoemaker reacted quickly and dodged by turning his head. He was only bitten on the shoulder.

The square-faced man had two rat teeth in his mouth. Even when he just bit down on the shoulder, it felt like two steel nails hooking onto the scapula, causing Li the shoemaker to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

The shoemaker, Li, decided to go all in and picked up a rabbit leg bone from a nearby square table, then stabbed it directly into the square-faced man's eye socket.

puff!
Blood flowed freely as a thick bone was driven into the eye socket—a gruesome scene.

Those around were stunned and immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Look at you, don't you even know your own limitations? These rabbits and pheasants were all gifts from the fox clan to Master. Master is kind and generous, sharing all this food with everyone. Tonight, if I see anyone spreading rumors about Master again, I'll use these bones to teach them a lesson."

Li the shoemaker got up from the ground, grabbed the fire tongs from the stove, and led his men from his tent to patrol the other tents. If they heard anyone spreading rumors again, he would lead his friends to fight them...

……

If there is one shoemaker named Li, then there will be ten, a hundred, a thousand shoemakers named Li.

The rat-like beings were scattered throughout the medical school, stirring up trouble and causing unrest. Some people, unwilling to see Zhou Xuan smeared, stood up to support him.

However, this kind of "strong support" came from people holding fire tongs, kitchen knives, and even hunting rifles.

What should have been a peaceful night has turned into a fierce battle.

Apart from the help from the common people who trusted Zhou Xuan, the people of Panshan Ying and Huangmen also dared not show weakness.

After a small-scale outbreak of conflict

The divine eagle finally noticed something amiss. The eagle descended with its shadow and stopped Li the shoemaker, who was fighting fiercely with the people in other tents.

"Why are they fighting? Is there no order anymore?"

The shoemaker and the men in his tent were fighting their second battle for Zhou Xuan. He pointed at a man with a flowery nose and said, "He slandered the Great Master, saying that the Great Master is a demon... All the common people are just pigs and dogs raised by the Great Master, waiting to be slaughtered."

"Damn it, why didn't you come to me to report something this big?"

Panshan Eagle was furious. He was angry because Li the shoemaker had gone too far, only using fire tongs and a hammer? How could that be right?
"Cut it for me."

Panshan Eagle pointed at the flowery-nosed creature, and a divine eagle swooped down from the sky, its sharp, knife-like beak beginning to rip out the heart and lungs from the flowery-nosed creature...

The riots grew louder and louder, and the eagles became increasingly ruthless. Besides the divine eagles, the weasels also received the news and surged forward like a tide, biting and attacking those who spread the rumors.

The scene was quite bloody at one point.
Finally, the City God's disciples, wielding ink lines, and the old men who came to arrest them, entered the arena.

They used the magical artifacts in the painting to arrest people, but many of the criminals in the painting had been pecked out of their bodies by the divine eagle of Panshan Eagle, leaving only empty shells.

"Master Pan, the Master didn't say to kill him on the spot."

"You all have to be personally instructed by the Master for everything? Is this how you do things? Don't you have any self-respect?"

Panshan Yingkesihao didn't think he had done anything wrong.

Bone Elder was somewhat troubled, and at that moment, Zhou Xuan also arrived by day.

"Mr. Big."

Everyone bowed in unison.

Zhou Xuan blocked Pan Shan Ying and said to Gu Lao and the City God's disciple, "Old Pan is my shop assistant. It's only natural for him to vent his anger a little while he's protecting me."

"Yes."

When Gu Lao and the City God's disciples saw that Zhou Xuan had spoken, they said no more and simply followed the scroll to arrest the remaining criminals.

Panshan Eagle will also continue to search for the people who spread rumors.

"Old Pan, don't leave yet."

“Sir, I was a little angry just now and wanted to vent my anger for you, which is why I lost my temper. But from now on, I will focus on arrests and use venting as a secondary measure. Don’t worry, I’m more reliable than those city gods and old men.”

Panshan Eagle volunteered to go and make another arrest.

Besides their master-slave relationship, he also had his own selfish motives towards Zhou Xuan.

Back in Jingshan Eagle Village, although Panshan Eagle was the village's elder and had many subordinates, the village chief was eccentric and no matter how well he did his job, he was always scolded by the village chief.

Things have been different ever since we came to Mingjiang Prefecture.

On the train, he poured wine for Zhou Xuan, who praised him for being good at handling things.

Using the divine eagle as a villain, he managed the order of Mingjiang Prefecture, and Zhou Xuan praised him for his abilities.

The word "capable" was constantly on Zhou Xuan's lips and in Pan Shanying's ears.

Panshan Eagle had never been "recognized" or "acknowledged" like this in his entire life.

He wanted to hear more about Zhou Xuan's "ability".

Zhou Xuan gently patted Pan Shanying's shoulder and said, "You are indeed more reliable than the City God and Elder Gu. That's why I have something more important to tell you to do."

Upon hearing "more reliable," Pan Shanying immediately straightened his back and solemnly asked, "Sir, what important matter requires my supervision?"

"As you said, when you robbed a large caravan, you could even detect if a single dog escaped."

"With my Panshan Eagle around, not a single fly can fly out of Mingjiang Prefecture."

"That's good. Go back to the clock tower and keep watch. Things have gotten out of hand today. I have a feeling that some rat-like people are trying to escape in the chaos. With you keeping watch, no one can escape."

Zhou Xuan said, "Those who should be arrested, not one should be missed."

"clear."

Panshan Eagle immediately felt that Zhou Xuan's thinking was meticulous. There were many City Gods and Bone Elders searching the inner area, while his eyesight was sharp, making him suitable for guarding the outer area.

With inside help and outside cooperation, they trapped the turtle in a jar.

"Go."

Zhou Xuan waved his hand.

Just as the eagle was about to swoop away, it seemed to remember something and turned back to ask Zhou Xuan, "Master, if I capture those fugitives, what should I do? Should I bring them back, or..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture and asked.

After all, judging from his actions just now, he knew that Zhou Xuan was not a bloodthirsty person. He could take Pan Shanying's killing of people as "venting his anger" and laugh it off, but if he killed people casually again, he would be violating the taboo of the Great Master, and that would be difficult to deal with.

Zhou Xuan said, "The search will only involve arresting but not killing, and awaiting judgment. This is already the greatest mercy I can show. If anyone still dares to escape, then... kill them without mercy."

"Even speaking my heart is fine?" Panshan Eagle asked. "Whatever you prefer."

Zhou Xuan left immediately.

"I respectfully obey the Great Master's decree."

Pan Shanying left immediately. At that moment, he felt that Zhou Xuan was definitely a person who could accomplish great things, who was both benevolent and ruthless, and who combined kindness and severity.

"I'd better hold on tight to Mr. Big Brother's leg."

The eagles followed closely, swooping down towards the bell tower.

……

As Zhou Xuan walked through the medical school, he would nod, smile, and wave to any ordinary people he encountered along the way.

The rat-like people are using rumors to destroy the hearts and minds of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

As Zhou Xuan, he had to stabilize the people's hearts. Being at the center of the rumors, he had to speak for himself—I, Zhou Xuan, have acted uprightly and righteously, and I am not afraid of people's opinions.

Along the way, he occasionally encountered some familiar locals, and they would stand and chat.

“Sir, things are a bit chaotic tonight; many people are slandering you.”

"It's all just rumors. Some murderers, half-rat and half-human, have appeared in Mingjiang Prefecture. These people don't want Mingjiang Prefecture to prosper, so naturally they want to smear me. Of course, there are also some not-so-bright people who believe whatever others say. They are very foolish."

“Those people are really bad. They eat and drink the food of the great master, and they still spread rumors about you. I just heard someone talking nonsense, so I went up and slapped him.”

"That's right, to eat the food and then smash the pot, to hurt Mr. Da, I absolutely cannot tolerate it."

More and more people gathered around to support Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan pressed his hand down, signaling everyone to be quiet, and said very sincerely, "Everyone, I appreciate your deep trust in me, Zhou Xuan, but there is one thing I need to clarify: are those rumors really trying to hurt me?"

“I was originally from Pingshui Prefecture. My family’s property wasn’t large, but we lived a comfortable life. If I wanted to argue with these rumors, I could simply use my Taoist skills to travel a thousand miles a day, return to my Zhou family troupe, and continue living the life of a young master.”

“I can leave, but can you leave? If Pingshui Prefecture knew about the injustice I suffered, would they still provide food and medicine to Mingjiang Prefecture? I doubt it. Huangyuan Prefecture has a lot of river bandits, and Jingchuan Prefecture tried to rob people from Mingjiang Prefecture last time. All three prefectures have become forbidden territory for everyone. Where can you go?”

"Without food, without money, and with nowhere to go, how long can you hold out... In the end, is it far from Mingjiang Prefecture to be plagued by bandits, famine, and cannibalism?"

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Zhou Xuan continued, "Do you still remember lining up in the train station square after the Zoroastrian fire, waiting for me to distribute grain? Do you still remember the hunger you felt that day?"

Everyone finally realized what was happening.

Immediately someone shouted, "That's right, the master is right. He's a man with extraordinary abilities. Why can't he go anywhere? Why does he have to stay in this ruined city of Mingjiang? As for us, without the master, what are we?"

“There are many frail people here. Without the great teacher, who can survive for even two more days?”

“Those who spread rumors will harm not only Mr. Da, but also ourselves.”

"You son of a bitch, I'm going to tell my man right now that if he sees anyone spreading rumors again, beat them to death... They don't want to live, but I do."

Zhou Xuan was quite satisfied with his speech. He nodded and said, "Gentlemen, please calm down and listen to me one more thing. It's inevitable that people will be deceived. To err is human, to forgive divine. When we encounter those who spread rumors and stir up trouble, we should focus on education..."

...If they still refuse to listen, then we'll fight them to the death. We'll try diplomacy first, then resort to force.

"Furthermore, I suspect there's a reason for those who have turned into rats. Now that you're leaving, please help me, Zhou Xuan, spread the word to their families, urging them to turn themselves in to the Imperial Guard. I will thoroughly investigate the matter and not simply kill them indiscriminately."
But if they dare to flee, then they are knowing their mistakes but refusing to correct them, repeating the same errors. For the sake of Mingjiang Prefecture's current stability and future prosperity, I, Zhou Xuan, have no choice but to show no mercy and execute them all.

"Alas, the master is too kind. If it were us, we wouldn't bother investigating the reasons; we would just kill him with a single blow."

"That's right, why bother investigating? Just beat him to death. If the master can't bring himself to do it, then we'll do it."

Once everyone realized that the "rumors" were harming their own interests and actually had little to do with Zhou Xuan, they regarded those who spread rumors and stirred up trouble as their greatest enemies, wishing they could beat them to death on the spot.

As the saying goes, "blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents." If it's blocking someone's path to survival, then the hatred is even stronger than "killing their parents."

“Clear rewards and punishments are the foundation of order. I, Zhou Xuan, am not a bloodthirsty person. Fellow villagers, please go and help spread the word... so that those who have developed rat-like symptoms will be brought to justice as soon as possible.”

Urged on by Zhou Xuan, the indignant crowd dispersed.

……

The arrests of the Bone Elders and the City God are proceeding in an orderly manner.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan's speech also had an excellent effect.

After the people left, in the early morning when the sky was beginning to lighten, they had already carried Zhou Xuan's original words to every corner of Huifeng Medical College.

The vast majority of the people were searching everywhere for the rat-like people. In their eyes, these damned freaks were driving them to the brink of starvation and freezing.

Those who had been stirring up trouble have all restrained themselves, not because they've changed their ways, but because they're afraid that if they continue to spread conspiracy theories about Zhou Xuan, they might get a dirty trick on the head and die without even knowing how.

The rat-like beings have become public enemies and bandits.
Bandits never want to sit idly by and wait to die.

Some of the rat-like beings have already quietly gathered together, planning to break through Mingjiang Prefecture.

Families like Wang Xinyi's are caught in a dilemma.

……

Wang Xinyi is a carpenter who lost a leg in the fire. Now, he carries his daughter Xiaoju on his back and hides in the woods, afraid to go out.

His daughter, Xiaoju, had two rat teeth in her mouth. He had received the news a few minutes earlier and knew that his daughter was a "rat-turned-person" and someone that the Wandering Gods, the Bone Elders, and the City God wanted to capture.

These people spread rumors about the great scholar Zhou Xuan, causing unrest among the people.

He immediately carried his daughter Xiaoju on his back and hid.

"Xiaoju, how did you become a rat?"

"Father, please let me go. I heard the voices of my kind. They are gathering to break through."

Xiaoju's eyes were already red. She wanted to bite her father's neck, but as soon as she had that thought, she remembered how her father, who was missing a leg, had led her to escape the raging fire.

The deep bond between father and daughter is a resistance against her current bloodthirsty nature.

“Xiaoju, you can’t leave. Your kind are despicable. If you go with them, that would be colluding with them.”

“Father, if I don’t leave, I’ll only die. There are people everywhere outside trying to capture me.”

“I…” The father suddenly stopped speaking. After a long silence, he said again, “Xiaoju, your mother is dead, your maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother are dead. Our family is down to just you and me. I can’t watch you die… Let’s go find someone… that’s right… let’s go find someone.”

"Who can save us?"

"Find the Master."

As if making a momentous decision, the father said, “I heard about Master Da from the carpenters’ team. They said that the young man is extremely discerning in distinguishing right from wrong. You didn’t spread rumors about him; you were just a rat. I’m going to see Master Da and tell him—you are innocent.”

“Father…a rat-turned-human…is doomed to die.”

"You should trust your father; he won't harm you."

Wang Xinyi immediately lifted Xiaoju's body higher, and resolutely carried his daughter out of the woods. He wanted to see Zhou Xuan, to plead with Zhou Xuan in person, and to explain the whole story.

"Ju'er, you must keep your mouth shut the whole way. Don't open your mouth and don't let anyone see your rat teeth."

Wang Xinyi gave warnings along the way and trekked on the journey.

"The master lives in the pavilion on the back hill."

Finally, when he was only one uphill path away from the back mountain, he encountered the City God holding an ink line not far away.

He immediately turned to leave—he trusted the Master, but not the City God.

The City God had a bad reputation in Mingjiang Prefecture before, after all, his temple had been corrupted by "kidnappers".

As soon as he turned around, he heard a soft, lingering sound.

"Uncle, where are you going with that baby on your back?"

The speaker was Zhou Xuan, who was wearing a Taoist robe.

Zhou Xuan's escape technique, "Knowing Fate of All Beings," was still in operation when he already saw the little girl on Wang Xinyi's back, emanating a black aura...

That black aura was the power attribute emitted by the "rat-turned-human".

The reason Zhou Xuan did not take direct action but instead used "speech" to break the illusion and make himself visible was because the other party was a little girl, while the middle-aged man carrying the little girl was not a rat-turned person, so he naturally wanted to ask for clarification in person.

Unexpectedly, before he could even begin to ask, Wang Xinyi had already wiped away his tears: "My lord, please understand. Although my daughter Xiaoju is a rat-turned-human, she has not left the tent these past two days, much less spread rumors about you and disturb the hearts of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture."

"So, you came to see me?"

By listening carefully, Zhou Xuan discerned the unspoken meaning in Wang Xinyi's words—that by introducing himself right away, he had clearly made prior preparations and come specifically to find him.

“If a person who has turned into a rat falls into the hands of the Bone Elder Society or the City God, he will probably be executed on the spot. But my daughter is innocent. Therefore, I, a carpenter, have come to see you and tell you in person about my daughter’s grievances.”

Wang Xinyi said.

Zhou Xuan nodded, walked slowly behind Wang Xinyi, and reached out to hug Xiaoju.

Xiaoju was terrified and clung to her father, too scared to move.

Wang Xinyi encouraged him: "Xiaoju, don't be afraid. The Master is a good person, a very good person. He saved the entire Mingjiang Prefecture. He won't harm you."

At this moment, Zhou Xuan had already picked up Xiao Ju, who was curled up in a ball. He looked at her from left to right, stretched out his finger, and gently parted Xiao Ju's lips, revealing two sharp rat teeth.

"He is indeed a rat-like person, but the degree of rat-like transformation is not deep."

Zhou Xuan muttered to himself. When Wang Xinyi heard the words "not deep enough," he relaxed considerably. But at that moment, he suddenly saw Zhou Xuan's face turn ashen, and he swung his arm, about to slam Xiao Ju to the ground...

"Master...you mustn't..." Wang Xinyi cried out in desperation, his voice trembling with tears...

(End of this chapter)