Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 269 The Strange Plague
Disaster relief is not something that just anyone can handle well.

Even for cultivators, it's unlikely they could resolve the issue with a wave of their hand.

Chen Ye didn't even need to ask; he guessed that when the Yunlu Immortal Sect was taking in disaster victims, they made all sorts of promises to them in order to quickly gain their trust.

Perhaps in Yu Shenxing's eyes, these requirements are very simple and easy to achieve.

Perhaps the Yunlu Immortal Sect's agreement to take in tens of thousands of people was just a casual remark, so the Yunlu Immortal Sect's capacity to take in tens of thousands of people is already its limit.

After all, when it comes to fertile land, if someone asks for one acre, someone else will dare to ask for a hundred acres.

Now that the disaster victims have been sent to Fengdu City, they are naturally making a fuss, demanding all sorts of unrealistic benefits, and even daring to drive away the original inhabitants of Fengdu.

Chen Ye asked Tuo Yalier, "How did you handle it?"

Toya Lier said, "Reporting to the sect leader, I am only ensuring their basic needs are met. Those who do not wish to stay in Fengdu City are to be allowed to leave. However, the situation is becoming uncontrollable. I plan to use the Yin soldiers to suppress those who cause trouble. Those who are unwilling to accept the rules of Fengdu City will be expelled directly."

Chen Ye nodded. Toya Lier was indeed decisive, but this would probably add many more souls to the underworld of Fengdu.

Chen Ye said to Tuo Yalier, "If these thousands of people are all from the same hometown, there should be three elders or similar leaders. No matter how many there are, let them come to the Yellow Springs Palace to see me."

…………

Fengdu City is no longer as quiet as a ghost town as before.

People in northern Xinjiang who used to live in tents outside the city have gradually become accustomed to the warm, spring-like city. Many people have started to move their tents into the city, and some have even tried living in houses built of wood.

Originally, the people of the northern frontier did not have much goodwill towards the people of the Central Plains. If the discrimination against the people of the Central Plains was a ten out of ten, then the hatred of the people of the northern frontier towards the people of the Central Plains was a twenty out of ten.

Although there were occasional trade exchanges, most of the time it was a game of deception and treachery. If they couldn't outsmart each other, they would resort to double-crossing. Only when they couldn't take advantage of each other would they actually do business properly.

However, Fengdu City integrated the beliefs of the northern frontier and transformed the ancestral spirits into city gods.

People from the northern frontier can tell from the flying eaves and brackets of the Huangquan Dao Palace that Fengdu City is now in the style and customs of the Central Plains. Over such a long period of time, the people of the northern frontier in Fengdu City have gradually transitioned to the lifestyle of the Central Plains.

Perhaps in a few years, people in Fengdu City will no longer be able to tell who is from the northern frontier and who is from the Central Plains.

It should have been a peaceful change, taking only a little time.

But the sudden influx of thousands of people from the Central Plains disrupted the peace of Fengdu City.

Unlike the merchants from the Central Plains who came to do business, these people came to seize territory.

Land grabbing was the first thing this group of people from the Central Plains did after arriving in Fengdu. They regarded Fengdu as their hometown, gesturing that they wanted to occupy the best places, and threatening to drive out all the people from the Northern Frontier in Fengdu, claiming that they were acting on the orders of the immortals.

Everyone in the Northern Frontier knows that the Lord of the Northern Frontier resides in the Yellow Springs Palace, who is an immortal.

If it is that person's order, then the people of the Northern Frontier have no choice but to obey.

Many people in northern Xinjiang were intimidated and prepared to evacuate Fengdu City.

At this moment, Toya Lier noticed something was wrong and led the ghost soldiers to surround the group of Central Plains people.

But temporary suppression is not a long-term solution.

The Supreme Elder didn't concern himself with the affairs of mortals. As long as this group of Central Plains people didn't attack the Yellow Springs Palace, Qu Heng wouldn't bother with them.

The other cultivators of the Yellow Springs Sect were the same; they were too lazy to pay attention to mortals.

Toya Lier didn't dare to make decisions on her own, and continued to feed and care for these people from the Central Plains.

After all, they were disaster victims sent by the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

But doing so ultimately seems somewhat weak.

As time went on, once those people from the Central Plains were certain that Toya Lier wouldn't dare to kill anyone, they became emboldened once again.

In the past few days, several clan elders have been discussing breaking through the blockade. Since the other side doesn't dare to really make a move, why should those thousands of people still crowd into this wretched place? There are clearly plenty of good lands everywhere in Fengdu City, and there are even more fertile lands outside that can be developed into farmland.

This is the new home promised by the immortals. If we don't take what Heaven has given us, we will suffer the consequences. How can we give it up?

Just as everyone was discussing how to rebel, the elderly men discovered that a key figure had not come to the "meeting".

"Where is Zhao Hezhou? We told you to tell him to come and discuss important matters, but he's nowhere to be found."

Zhao Hezhou was a very important figure among this group of "disaster victims".

Most of these 8,000 people were from the same hometown, and they belonged to only three major surnames: Zhao, Lin, and Xu. Zhao Hezhou was a member of the Zhao clan, but as outsiders seeking refuge, these "same-surname" people were not originally considered part of the family.

But Zhao Hezhou had some special skills.

Despite being a scholar, Zhao Hezhou possessed strength far exceeding that of martial artists, and he faced ostracism upon arriving in the Zhao family's territory.

Others, seeing him as a mere scholar without any official rank, naturally wanted to take advantage of him. Unexpectedly, he threw several ruffians out the door with one hand, and one of them even had his leg bitten off by his vicious dog.

In this way, the Zhao family realized that this person was not to be trifled with.

The Zhao clan chief came in person and, recognizing Zhao Hezhou's exceptional talent in both literature and martial arts, accepted him into the Zhao clan.

Later, a plague struck, forcing the three clans to migrate.

To break through Toya Lier's blockade, Zhao Hezhou, this strongman, must take action, especially with his black dog.

This is an unusually large black dog. Legend has it that black dogs are the best at subduing ghosts. Since that woman from the northern frontier can command ghosts, they will use this black dog to deal with her.

Although Zhao Hezhou had been notified long ago, he was still nowhere to be seen.

The Zhao clan patriarch immediately felt ashamed and said coldly, "If we were still in Sancai County, we would have used family law by now. You really don't understand any rules at all. Go and summon Zhao Hezhou here immediately!"

The Zhao clan members immediately took action to summon Zhao Hezhou, but a short while later they returned to report: "Zhao Hezhou and his family of three have disappeared!"

Before the Zhao clan chief could figure out what was happening, he saw Toya Lier appear with a group of ghostly soldiers shrouded in black mist.

These ghostly soldiers were all stronger than oxen and taller than horses. Some had long, scarlet tongues hanging out, while others had heads as big as buckets covered in sharp horns. Their blue faces and fangs alone made them one of the more attractive types.

The ghostly soldiers stared at the crowd and cackled, as if they were about to rush into the crowd and wreak havoc at any moment.

The clansmen around the three clan leaders were so frightened that they all retreated.

Although Toya Lier hadn't harmed anyone these days, these hideous and terrifying ghost soldiers were truly frightening; just looking at them made one's legs go weak.

Toya Lier said to the old men, "The sect leader invites you three to come with me."

This unquestionable tone stunned the three clan leaders.

Old people are shrewd; they could see that Toya Lier was wary of them before, so this woman from the Northern Frontier dared not do anything to them.

According to the three clan leaders, it was all because of the immortal who sent them to Fengdu City.

Fengdu City is a celestial city, and the people who brought them here were also celestials. There must have been discussions and decisions among the celestials. Although this woman from the northern frontier can command ghost soldiers, she certainly wouldn't dare to disobey the celestials' orders.

But today seemed different; Toya Lier's eyes were filled with the smug satisfaction of settling scores after the fact.

That sect leader must be an immortal from this immortal city, right?
The three clan leaders walked unsteadily, surrounded by ghostly soldiers, until they reached the radiant Yellow Springs Palace.

Such a celestial palace... I wonder what that immortal looks like.

The three elders instinctively stopped, but Toya Lier urged them, "Hurry up, you three, the sect leader is waiting for you on the thirty-third floor."

"Thirty-three floors?"

The three elderly people were startled. They were all in their sixties or seventies. How could they possibly have climbed to the 33rd floor?
Toya Lier, however, looked on as if watching a show, while the ghostly soldiers beside her drove the three of them into the Yellow Springs Palace.

The three clan leaders were powerless to resist and could only slowly climb the thirty-three floors, leaning on their canes.

The Yellow Springs Palace is no ordinary tall building; even a single floor is taller than a city wall. By the time the three old men reached the thirty-third floor, they were already half dead.

If it weren't for the abundant spiritual energy in this Yellow Springs Palace, which could prolong life with every breath, these three old men would probably have died on the way.

When the three of them climbed to the thirty-third floor, they were all lying on the ground, almost unable to move.

Chen Ye was neither in a hurry nor urging them, letting the three of them lie down and rest, while he chatted with the family of three beside him.

They were the Zhao family, the very people Chen Ye had encountered by chance in the desolate mountains when he was researching the Blood Elixir.

If Zhao Hezhou hadn't brought up the story of the forced conscription of boys and girls in Cui County, Chen Ye wouldn't have met Su Chunyi in Cui County, wouldn't have found the treasure of the monk Ku'e, and might still be in the Qi Sea Realm exchanging lifespan for cultivation.

Chen Ye still remembers the time when he didn't return home all night. Zhao Hezhou was afraid that something had happened to him, so he searched for him all night with a torch, and even his face was scratched by tree branches.

Because of this friendship, when they parted, Chen Ye gave Zhao Hezhou all the things he had related to the Demonic Sect, instructing him to use them to save his life and to discard them as soon as he found a new place to live. Among these items were some of the Beast Blood Pills that Chen Ye had refined.

This thing is quite useful; it can strengthen the flow of qi and blood, and in the case of ordinary external injuries, it might even save a life.

As a result, Zhao Hezhou shared the Blood Pill with his family of three before setting off, even giving some to the infant.

Chen Yedu remarked that Zhao Hezhou was lucky to survive, as this stuff was highly nutritious, but not necessarily for an infant.

But looking at the child crawling around his mother, it seems that eating the blood pill has actually made him grow very strong.

However, what's with this black dog beside them? It looks somewhat familiar, and it's even breathing on Chen Ye.

After looking at it for a long time, Chen Ye finally recognized the lame leg that was not very agile, and laughed loudly: "So it was you, you wicked beast. You blocked me on this big rock in the middle of the night and guarded me all night and wouldn't let me down."

This wasn't some big black dog at all; it was clearly the lame wolf that Chen Ye encountered during his experiments.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hezhou quickly said, "My benefactor, this wolf followed us after we left the dilapidated temple. At first, we didn't know why this beast was chasing us. We never expected that it would have some connection with you, my benefactor."

Chen Ye thought for a moment, then said, "It's probably the smell. You and this wolf have both taken Beast Blood Pills. When I refined the pills, I changed the formula a little, so there will be a slight smell left. Ordinary people can't smell it. This lame wolf probably thought that the smell on your bodies was similar to his, so he recognized you three as his companions."

This lame wolf was driven out of the pack, probably because it was old and lame, so it was abandoned.

Discovering that Zhao Hezhou and his family of three had a similar scent, the wolf wanted to rejoin the pack. But after just over a year, the lame wolf had transformed into a large black dog, wagging its tail and even changing its fur color.

Chen Ye reached out to the big black dog, and the beast seemed to still remember the grudge that Chen Ye had forcibly forced him to drink pills, so it bared its teeth and growled at him.

Zhao Hezhou was about to order the black dog to lie down, but Chen Ye nonchalantly placed his hand on the big black dog's head and rubbed it hard.

The big black dog couldn't resist opening its mouth to bite Chen Ye's palm, and this time Zhao Hezhou couldn't stop it either.

This big black dog, which had eaten the Beast Blood Pill, was no longer an ordinary wild beast; it had begun to transform into a demon. Even tigers and leopards couldn't withstand its bite.

When Zhao Hezhou's family was on their long journey, they were very fortunate to have this big black dog's help. It drove away those ferocious wild beasts for them countless times. But Chen Ye was their family's savior...

Zhao Hezhou was worried about the dilemma, but he noticed that Chen Ye's smile remained unchanged, while the big black dog let out a whimper, as if it had bitten its teeth on hard steel.

Chen Ye laughed heartily. Although he had only just begun to learn the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, it was still something a dog couldn't bite through.

The prank succeeded. Chen Ye grabbed the big black dog's head and rubbed it hard. His unparalleled strength and the lingering dragon aura on his body finally made the snarling beast lie on the ground and whimper in submission.

Chen Ye chuckled and rubbed the dog's head, saying, "You're smart enough to live a good life in Fengdu City from now on. You won't go hungry."

Having subdued the sensible black dog, Chen Ye then inquired about the plague.

Zhao Hezhou then explained: "At first, everyone thought it was just a common occurrence, nothing more than vomiting and diarrhea, and that taking some medicine would cure it. But later they found that no matter what kind of medicine it was, it was useless. People infected with the plague would be turned into mummies by diarrhea, and when they died, they were just skin and bones."

"If that were all, the usual procedure would be to burn or bury the corpses. But this plague is extraordinary. After the dead die, they will keep sending dreams to the living."

Chen Ye said in surprise, "A dream?"

Zhao Hezhou said with lingering fear, "That's right, and it's not just close relatives who dream about it; neighbors also dream about people who have died from the plague, and the number is increasing. Before leaving Yunwei County, I also dreamed of dozens of people who died from the plague in one night."

Chen Ye asked, "What are these people who died from the plague doing in their dreams?"

Zhao Hezhou recalled, "Sometimes they were feasting, sometimes they were chatting, and I even dreamed that they passed the imperial examination and got married. In short, it was very lively and festive."

This time it was Chen Ye's turn to frown.

A group of people who died from the plague are eating, drinking, and having fun in other people's dreams. What kind of evil magic is this?
What's the point? Is it to encourage ordinary people to deliberately contract the plague and then die?

No wonder even the Yunlu Immortal Sect couldn't solve it. Most righteous sects haven't studied this kind of magic involving yin spirits in depth. Only the demonic sects, where everyone has a Wanhun Banner, would specifically devise such harmful things.

Do you still have similar dreams after leaving the area affected by the plague?

Zhao Hezhou explained, "No, that's not true. The dream disappeared shortly after leaving Yunwei County, and no one else has experienced it."

It seems that this plague has a limited range. Although the principle is unknown, it is likely that someone has cast a curse specifically targeting the earth's veins and feng shui. As long as we pay close attention to changes in the earth's veins and feng shui, this plague should not appear in the northern border region.

After Chen Ye chatted with Zhao Hezhou for a long time, the three old men who were barely breathing finally caught their breath and got up to bow to Chen Ye.

Although Zhao Hezhou was also there, and was chatting and laughing with Chen Ye, the three old men couldn't care less about that now, and only dared to steal a glance at the appearance of this immortal from Fengdu City.

And upon first glance, one is struck as divine.

To ordinary people, Chen Ye gave them only one feeling: divine power as vast as the sea.

The previous immortal in a wheelchair could ride the rainbow light and ascend to heaven in broad daylight, but none of them were as good as this Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Sect. He is the one who best embodies the image of a deity in the hearts of mortals.

He was clearly just a boy, but behind him seemed to be a god as big as a mountain looking down on all living beings, and around him seemed to be countless phantoms bowing down to him in worship.

His divine might is as vast as the sea, his divine might is as deep as a prison.

This is the deepest feeling Chen Ye gives to mortals, especially to these three old men who are half-buried in the ground. They can feel the majesty of this Lord of the Underworld, as if if he were to open his eyes even slightly, the three of them would be thrown into that boundless hell.

They couldn't utter a single word of the various explanations they had prepared, let alone mention Zhao Hezhou; they simply didn't care.

Chen Ye slowly spoke to the three men, saying, "I heard that you want land, houses, and you even want to drive the people of the Northern Frontier out of Fengdu?"

The Zhao family patriarch hurriedly said, "Reporting to the immortal, it was another immortal who made that promise..."

Chen Ye interrupted, saying, "I didn't agree."

This simple sentence left the three old people stunned.

"what?!"

"How could..."

……

The three elderly people never expected Chen Ye to give such an answer.

"No matter what conditions the Yunlu Immortal Sect promised you, I never agreed to them. In Fengdu City, you can only live according to my rules. If the three of you do not agree, I will have the Zhao, Lin, and Xu clans replace their clan leaders."

Chen Yecai didn't bother to care what they thought, and turned to Zhao Hezhou, saying, "Go to the City God Pavilion later and invite ten ghost soldiers to your command. From today onwards, you will be in charge of the relocated disaster victims, and you should consult with Tuoya Lier about everything."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hezhou immediately bowed down.

"Zhao Hezhou accepts the order."

More than a year has passed, and Zhao Hezhou is no longer the timid, inarticulate, and useless man who could only rely on his wife.

After a year of wandering and hardship, Zhao Hezhou came to understand the fickleness of human relationships. This was an opportunity for him and his family to soar to new heights, and he could not possibly miss it.

Chen Yexu helped Zhao Hezhou up and then dismissed everyone.

The three clan leaders looked at each other in bewilderment. They had risked their lives to climb up to the thirty-third floor, only to have their power stripped away with a single sentence. Now, did they have to climb down all over again?
Chen Ye didn't care what the three old men were thinking.

The reason why Toya Lier was hesitant and unable to handle the situation well was firstly because she came from the northern frontier, and if she severely punished people from the Central Plains, people would think that she was deliberately making things difficult for them.

Moreover, with Chen Ye absent, Toya Lier dared not make a decision on such a major matter concerning the lives of thousands of people.

Chen Ye, however, was different. As the ruler of the Northern Frontier, the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, and the master of the entire Fengdu City, he didn't care what the Yunlu Immortal Sect had promised, since it wasn't Chen Ye who had promised it.

Since both reason and power were in Chen Ye's hands, there was no need for so much trouble; a single sentence was enough to dismiss these three old men.

The reason they were made to climb up and down was actually to make them understand a principle: they are the ones who are under someone else's roof.

Once they put away their pointless greed, Chen Ye naturally wouldn't mistreat the people of the Central Plains. They could live and work in peace and contentment in Fengdu City, just like the people of the Northern Frontier.

After everyone left, Chen Ye took out paper and pen and began to write a letter.

The first letter was a reply to the Yunlu Immortal Sect. He had accepted the thousands of people in Fengdu City, and he also had to subtly remind his "good elder brother" Yu Shenxing, otherwise the Yunlu Immortal Sect would be angered by the greedy mortals sooner or later and cause an uncontrollable disaster.

The second letter was addressed to Su Chunyi, inquiring about when the new leader of the Qinghe Sword Sect would assume the position. It also described the flying sword obtained from the Ruins of Return, intending to present it to Su Chunyi as a gift. The letter further mentioned information about Youluozi and other demonic sect leaders, hoping the Qinghe Sword Sect could prepare accordingly.

As for the third letter, it was written to Mo Suixin.

The plague that Yunlu Immortal Sect encountered was too strange. Chen Ye vaguely felt that the person behind it had a big plan, so he wanted to invite Mo Suixin and her master Pang Duoduo to Fengdu City.

Qu Heng, Pang Duoduo, and Mo Suixin are probably the most powerful diviners in the world. Hopefully, they can work together to figure out what is going on with this plague that even the Yunlu Immortal Sect is helpless against.

We can't wait until everyone in the world has been killed by the plague before we start looking for the mastermind behind it all.

(End of this chapter)