Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 156 The epidemic begins

June of the first year of the Tianyou calendar. On the passage from Bohai to Yan, the three stations built by Zhao Cheng a year ago had fallen into the hands of the Yao army.

Wu Fei took over the defensive position that Zhao Cheng had set up here without hesitation and reinforced it. Many of the walls were stuck with shell fragments. The barbs made anyone attempting to climb them daunting.

As the climate warmed, Wu Fei began to personally oversee the logistics work here. His main focus was on leading a group of doctors to conduct medical examinations on the soldiers who had withdrawn from the north, in order to prevent the spread of cross-regional diseases into the Bohai region.

Because when the slaves were accepted into the Bo region in May, it was discovered that many of them eventually died of the plague.

For example, many people die from a strange disease called dry skin, which causes the skin to shed like a snake.

Xuan Chong took this very seriously. Based on the history of East-West exchange in his previous life, all epidemics occurred during periods of large-scale trade. Once an epidemic crosses regions, it can cause widespread devastation.

Historically, some simple diseases in the East became the Black Death in the West. Similarly, some mild Western diseases became severe typhoid fever in the East (late Eastern Han Dynasty, late Ming Dynasty). Ironically, the South Asian subcontinent, sandwiched in between, is recognized as having the strongest resistance to plagues.

According to the popular science knowledge Xuan Chong gained from his previous life, "pandemics" often occur when the original fixed pathogens and biological groups in the East and West have formed a stable balance. All species in the food chain are resistant to symbiotic diseases. Diseases simply clear out all the old and young individuals in the food chain, while they remain latent and symbiotic with strong individuals. This is consistent with the genetic continuation of viruses.

However, upon arriving in a new territory and entering a completely new ecosystem, the disease and the ecosystem are incompatible. As long as one species in this ecosystem breaks through, it mutates into a virus capable of causing mass deaths in healthy populations. Then, through contact with the remains of the deceased, it spreads to other species, mutating repeatedly until it eventually mutates to the point where it can spread within the human species—this is a pandemic.

The foreign slaves brought by the Hao Kingdom died in large numbers from beriberi, their bodies covered in dense, cracked welts. Even after treatment, a 10% mortality rate remained.

Previously, the population of Balhae had dispersed to the countryside and there was no large-scale outbreak, but now Balhae has resumed trade.

In response, Wu Fei began to worry that his own troops might also be affected by the spread of the epidemic. Therefore, he set up testing stations in the three grain depot areas to isolate and check the soldiers' physical conditions.

Therefore, a large number of barefoot doctors who could simply take a pulse were transferred to the border area to teach apprentices practical skills.

However, managing the entire epidemic area was extremely difficult, as most of the frontline soldiers were unwilling to be disciplined, especially some officers who had obvious redness and swelling under their hair and insects, and they were unwilling to shave their heads.

So Wu Fei arrived. Upon arriving at the grain station, he confined all twenty unruly sergeants and forcibly shaved the heads and applied medicine to the sick.

…Of course, the most unruly troublemakers are often the most powerful…

When Wu Hengyu's cavalry arrived from the rear, the dust they raised caused a moment of tension in the No. 3 grain depot area. The troops providing backup quickly set up a defensive position in front of the wooden fence on the rear, as per the drill.

Only after the cavalry at the front completed communication and a designated person (Zhao Tu) handed over the position, confirming that the soldier outside the pass was indeed Wu Fei, did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. However, upon seeing that the newcomer was Wu Hengyu, their hearts tightened again.

Wu Fei tossed out his command flag, leading his army to the eastern camp. Then, the ghost chariot, which had followed the army northward, descended from the sky with a fierce wind, obediently entering the bird's nest large enough to accommodate its enormous body.

Wu Fei sat at the pass with a group of people in white coats, while Wu Hengyu rode over on horseback with fifty cavalrymen, looking menacing.

Upon seeing this, Wu Fei remarked, "Tsk tsk, Wu Dalang has arrived. Everyone get out of his way." — Because he couldn't beat Wu Hengyu when they were young and was forced to play a supporting role, Wu Fei resorted to this self-deceptive tactic.

In particular, Wu Hengyu couldn't clearly explain the meaning behind Wu Fei's "sarcastic" manner, so when the elders came to mediate, they would always side with Wu Fei.

The guards cleared the way, and Wu Fei personally came forward to greet him. Wu Hengyu's anger subsided somewhat upon seeing this. After all, anyone who dared to stand before him had no ill intentions.

Wu Hengyu: "After you sealed off the checkpoints, you also confiscated my troops."

Wu Fei said, "Let's go, let's disinfect first." After saying that, he led Wu Hengyu through the special passage. As for the officers behind Wu Hengyu, the people responsible for blocking them were still quite impolite in separating them from the soldiers and leading them into the officers' private bath.

Wu Hengyu watched Wu Fei walk ahead. He was quite confident that Wu Fei would be within three steps of him. Despite the rumors that some of his subordinates had warned him to "be careful of Wu Fei," all his wariness vanished as long as Wu Fei appeared in front of him.

The two of them went to the bathroom, completely open and honest with each other.

After seeing the wooden clogs and bathrobe that had been prepared in advance, Wu Hengyu changed his clothes and followed Wu Fei into the bath.

The two leaned against the pool and talked. Wu Fei said, "The battle in the north is going well, isn't it?"

Wu Hengyu: "You've seen the battle reports. I captured fifteen cities on the front lines. Why are you suddenly pulling my troops from the rear?"

Wu Fei: "I've already told you, it's about epidemic prevention. The imperial court has reported that there's a major epidemic in all directions."

Wu Hengyu: "So you cut off my retreat and caused my army's morale to waver."

Wu Fei: "What do you mean by cutting off the retreat route? Those who return are quarantined for 25 days, and look, aren't they all eating, drinking, and resting well? What exactly is being spread in your army?"

Wu Hengyu: "Why did you do this all of a sudden?"

Wu Fei looked up at him and slowly said, "A letter came from our hometown. The Yellow Springs have appeared in the earth's veins in Zhenzhou, and both people and livestock will suffer from the poison if they drink from it."

Wu Hengyu: "How is things at home?"

Wu Fei took a deep breath and said slowly: "Uncle is there, and for the time being, there has been no trouble."

Wu Fei remained silent, realizing that all of this seemed to be related to his uncle.

Wu Fei had a premonition that something was about to happen to his uncle at home, so he gave Wu Hengyu a heads-up beforehand.

As for why his uncle had the accident, Wu Fei couldn't say, perhaps because of his own "family ties" and his unwillingness to speak.

The things my uncle did, in a literary style, were "against the will of Heaven," but realistically, it's a case of "retribution coming, it's just a matter of time." Wu Fei's understanding of this was: "When multiple interests are infringed upon, and the parties my uncle has involved are not to be trifled with, my uncle may have escaped retribution by using covert methods, but he can't hide forever. Ultimately, he will face joint sanctions from all sides." Wu Fei wanted to go back, but his uncle sent him a letter, urging him to quickly help Wu Hengyu resolve the war in the north.

Wu Fei knew that Wu Hanluan was actually planning for the future. "Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish." He had committed too many sins and knew he couldn't bear the consequences; he only hoped not to implicate his descendants. As for how to ensure his descendants wouldn't be affected? It was impossible to directly make them admit their mistakes and surrender; those seeking revenge would be ignored. The only way was to ensure his descendants had a foothold and then integrate them into a cooperative relationship based on mutual benefit.

Wu Hanluan was not worried about Wu Fei. As a business leader with business acumen, Wu Fei was like a spring, surrounded by living water, and he needed forces willing to assist him.

Wu Hanluan is currently worried about Wu Hengyu, so he demands that Wu Fei help Wu Hengyu gain a foothold in Bozhou as soon as possible. Only by becoming the ruler of a place and having the leverage for "cooperation" can the forces that Wu Hanluan has provoked be willing to resolve their differences through cooperation.

Narrator: Most of the powers in the East that established themselves during times of war acquired their initial wealth through plunder, but they were unwilling to let their descendants follow the same path. They demanded that their descendants be educated to treat the locals kindly and reach reconciliation, ensuring assimilation. Only in this way could the blood debt be erased before the next generation bore the consequences.

As for those who worship plunder as a traditional glory, once they climb to the top, they treat foreign cooperation as a form of charity. They will essentially be wiped out in the course of thirty years of political upheaval, their old debts brought to light, and eradicated in one fell swoop. After the Wei and Jin dynasties, and after the Tang dynasty, those foreign tribes that flooded into the Central Plains faced purges in every historical upheaval.

Thousands of miles away, Wu Fei understood Wu Hanluan's intention and said to Wu Hengyu in the bathhouse: "Epidemic prevention must be done; it's the right thing to do." (Only by adhering to this right thing can the moral boundaries be clearly defined when Wu Hanluan's actions occur.)
Wu Hengyu frowned, then nodded: "Is it necessary to shave the soldiers' heads?"

Wu Fei: "Shaving one's head when infected with the disease is a must. Officers can resolve the issue through fumigation, but officers should take the lead and shave their heads along with the sergeants, and they can receive three silver leaves as a subsidy. Ordinary sergeants can receive a daily meal allowance of twenty coins."

…The perspective shifts to a place thousands of miles away…

In Zhendi, disciples of the Wangheng Sect are arriving in the countryside to investigate the epidemic that has recently appeared. The morning in Qingliu Village should have been peaceful and serene. After all the major sects issued the mission to "search for the plague qi," disciples from all the sects who are skilled in qi observation are keeping an eye out for the mortal realm.

Shen Qing stood under the village tree at the village entrance, his brow furrowed. Normally, the tree should be lush and verdant at this time of year, but the branches of this century-old tree were withered and drooping, lifeless like an old man on his deathbed. Clearly, there was a plague lurking here.

Suddenly, the talisman in his hand flew over, and a human-like paper arm pointed at him. Shen Qing walked to the well in the village, but his expression changed slightly as he got closer. A bad omen came out of the well, and there were some mosquitoes in the well.

A group of villagers, their faces filled with fear, had already gathered around the well. Upon seeing Shen Qing arrive, they automatically made way for him, their eyes filled with hope. They hoped this seemingly divine person would solve their problem.

"Master, please take a look! The water we fetched this morning is even more yellow than yesterday!" The village chief tremblingly handed over a ceramic bowl.

Shen Qing took the bowl, and saw that the liquid inside was an eerie yellowish-brown, gleaming ominously in the morning light. He made a hand seal, and a wisp of azure spiritual energy condensed at his fingertip, which he gently touched to the surface of the water. With a soft "hiss," a wisp of black smoke rose from the water, and the spiritual energy was instantly corroded away.

Shen Qing's pupils contracted slightly. He had initially thought there was only a faint trace of the plague here, as the villagers' symptoms included dizziness and weakness in their limbs. But now he was dumbfounded, because this was clearly the source of the epidemic. There were no deaths here, but in the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains downstream of the Zhen River, where it flows into the Yangtze River and finally into the sea, many cities along the river had experienced a severe outbreak of the plague.

Although those who died were all commoners and laborers, now in Yaodu, at the Pill Contest, each sect brought out its own plague-repelling pills. However, after these disciples displayed their supernatural powers with their spiritual objects, they were unable to eradicate the source of the plague.

"Rise!" Shen Qing made a hand seal, and the gourd at his waist opened, releasing a Cleansing Pill that transformed into a beam of green light and shot into the well. Moments later, as if pricked by a needle, countless maggots crawled out of the well, densely packed together.

The villagers who had gathered gasped in surprise and retreated hastily. The village chief knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Please, Immortal Master, save our village!"

Since the well water was no longer drinkable, the villagers had to walk five miles each day to fetch water from the river. This back and forth was a real ordeal. Taking advantage of the immortal master's presence, the villagers all knelt down and begged him to resolve the matter. Shen Qing quickly helped the old man up, promising to investigate the matter thoroughly.

When he left the village and flew two miles, he took out a command flag and inserted it into the ground to stimulate the flow of underground water veins.

Shen Qing wanted to see the direction of the pollution in the water veins, but as soon as the command flag was inserted, the earthworms suddenly emerged, as if they had encountered something terrible.

Streams of yellow springs gushed from the ground, and the ponds and ditches visibly turned a murky yellow, with the vegetation beginning to wither and turn yellow, just like a large abscess being punctured.

Just then, a patrol of cavalry passed by and, seeing this, shouted: "How dare these evil cultivators release such wicked magic within our territory!"

Despite Shen Qing's explanation that he was only investigating underground polluted water veins and that he could get the villagers in the village to testify for him, the knights wouldn't listen. Helpless, he could only draw his sword and open a small paper boat to try to fly away. However, as the cavalry shouted, the paper boat he was on began to sway unsteadily from side to side, and finally burst into flames with a "poof," turning into a wisp of smoke and dissipating. He fell down and was tied up.

Shen Qing was then escorted to Lelang City. The closer he got to the city center, the clearer the water in the surface rivers became.

But as he was imprisoned, Shen Qing discovered a hidden drainpipe from which a yellowish-brown liquid was constantly dripping. He took out the gourd hidden in his ear to examine it and found that the contamination was even more severe. However, just as he was doing this, he felt a sudden unease. He looked up abruptly and found that he was now surrounded by Xuanjia soldiers, each holding a crossbow bolt that gleamed coldly.

“Immortal Master Wang Hengzong.” Wu Hanluan, who was in the lead, lifted his mask to reveal a face as cold and hard as iron.

Because the malevolent energy was extremely dense, Shen Qing secretly circulated his spiritual power, only to find that his meridians were blocked and he could not mobilize it at all.

Wu Hanluan gave him no chance to explain, simply ordering his men to put shackles on the sect disciple and keep him under strict guard (to suppress his malevolent energy) before leaving.

…A helpless dividing line…

Wu Hanluan was well aware that there were problems within his territory. Once he had taken control of the entire region, the powerful figure within the Golden Dou Realm would require him to provide feedback, namely, to expand the "Golden Dou Vein" throughout the region's mountains and rivers.

Wu Hanluan was naturally unwilling to do so. He could suppress other evil spirits in the Southern Frontier through the Golden Dou Realm, but he was also well aware that the Golden Dou Realm was the greatest evil spirit. So he buried the Golden Dou deep under the city and then mobilized the power of the mountains and rivers in the area to suppress it. It was fine a few years ago, but after Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu left, or perhaps due to the effect of the evil moon in the sky, the suppression gradually became ineffective. The first thing to be polluted was the water veins in various places.

Although Wu Hanluan is now isolated from Jin Dou, whenever the energy within Jin Dou overflows due to the sealing and suppression of the underground mountains and rivers, Wu Hanluan can sense the location of the "Jin Dou overflowing".

Once Wu Hanluan confirmed that the "Golden Bucket Power" was overflowing, he would mobilize the power of mountains and rivers to seal the water veins and earth energy to prevent the Golden Bucket Power from spreading further.

For example, when the well in that village dried up, the villagers continued digging deeper and came into contact with the polluted Yellow Springs of the Golden Bucket vein, which he sensed. He also sent people in advance to notify the village to relocate elsewhere, but since they were reluctant to leave their homeland, the villagers would recruit a sorcerer, believing that he could solve the problem.

Wu Hanluan's orders to the cavalry were that any cultivator appearing there was considered to be misusing magic and disrupting the feng shui of Zhenzhou. Furthermore, these mages must be brought back, and those brought back must be imprisoned.

Wu Hanluan looked at the underground prison that had been built to a full seven stories. However, he was unaware that moonlight could be seen through the windows of every floor of this underground prison, and the deeper the floor, the brighter the green moonlight became.

Wu Hanluan: All the unorthodox cultivators within the territory have been caught, and now righteous cultivators have appeared. How long can all this be kept secret?
He looked northeast and whispered: Children, hurry up and achieve your own success.

(End of this chapter)