Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 170 Searching for the Source of the Demon
On June 22nd of the second year of the Tianyou calendar, in Lelang City, the winged tiger was lying comfortably next to a female tiger. Ignoring the female tigers' disdain, he forcibly placed his large paws around the beautiful tiger's waist and embraced her as they slept.

Looking back on these past few months, it had suffered terribly while hiding in the mountains. Its body was covered in pustules infested with worms, and the parts of its fur without pustules were covered with ticks. It had no prey to hunt and could only eat carrion and drink stream water. Just when it was delirious with fever and couldn't tell which way was which, it suddenly saw a light in the south and followed its instincts.

When the winged tiger crashed into Wu Fei's marching route, the soldiers were startled when they saw the monster.

A group of ignorant boys immediately wanted to kill the filthy thing and bury it, since it was too disgusting; but at least the captains of the Wu family army recognized it as the old marshal's mount, so they sent it to Wu Fei.

Wu Fei didn't hold back and treated it for parasites. He specially put a huge Elizabethan collar on it, shaved all the fur off its lower body, sprayed medicine on all the sores, squeezed them clean, and applied iodine. The collar has now been removed, but its fur hasn't grown back properly yet, which is why the current concubines of the winged tiger dislike it.

The winged tiger wasn't angry; Wu Fei was very good at handling people! Whenever the tigress didn't get her way, Wu Fei would tie her up with ropes, or wed her upper body into the cage while leaving her hindquarters outside, for the old tiger to enjoy. (Tiger: These humans, have some decency!)
In Wu Fei's words, this old guy has fought half his life, so he can finally enjoy himself.

According to the lifespan of spirit beasts, the winged tiger can live to be three hundred years old; however, as a war beast of the strategist, after being eroded by evil energy, its lifespan is now middle-aged, and it still has more than forty years to live.

Wu Fei wouldn't allow anyone else to ride it, because neither Wu Fei nor Wu Hengyu needed it, and no one else in the clan was qualified to ride it. Treating Wu Hanluan's mount well demonstrated that the elderly in the army were being cared for.

The winged tiger is quite content now, eating and drinking well, laying its seed weekly to complete its mission. Its only leisure time is checking if the statue the Wu family built for it is majestic enough. In Lelang City, General Wu Hanluan rides it, standing imposingly in the city.

The fate of the winged tiger is one of the best possible outcomes for a military mount. Compared to the austere longevity of spirit beasts, the ferocious beast remains immortal even after a hundred years, enjoying incense offerings and consuming various human sacrifices.

"Life is so wonderful, but where is my master? Why does my back feel so empty?" After enjoying his wonderful life once again, the winged tiger suddenly felt empty.

The winged tiger thought of Wu Hanluan's figure after he jumped off it for the last time and left, and suddenly let out a low, muffled roar.

"Awooo—Awooo—Woo-woo-woo!"

Hearing the mournful roar, Wu Fei walked over.

The winged tiger immediately abandoned its food and the tigresses, raised its head like an orange cat, and stared at Wu Fei with its big eyes as if to say, "Boy, have you avenged me and my master?"

Wu Fei: "Come with me."

…Wu Hanluan is dead, and everything will be a new beginning…

Wu Fei's troops now control the entire Zhenzhou region, and no one dares to resist; after all, the rebels were hoping for external support. They also expected Wu Fei to remain indifferent, and that once he marched north and wiped out the Jizhou forces, and the other governors remained indifferent, all the rebels would obediently surrender the city's defenses.

But did things just end there? Wu Xiaoque was known for her "broad-mindedness".

Xuan Chong hasn't settled scores with other forces in Zhenzhou yet, not because he's forgotten, but because the problem of "plague corruption" still exists. This situation can serve as a shield for these forces to use as an excuse.

Xuan Chong (Wu Fei) made a judgment based on the changes in the national situation he had experienced in his previous life. Although he was eager to settle accounts with the outside world, he should not rush. He should first settle accounts with the internal affairs, because only by settling the high-priority internal affairs can he settle accounts with the outside world smoothly.

Xuan Chong's current solution is to restore order to the entire Zhenzhou, review all military units, and even inherit the spheres of influence of his own armed forces in places like Donghua County, Zhenzhou, and Zhuzhou.

But! Everything must first be dealt with by the plague in Zhenzhou. Because when one is still ill, the more one tries to get these vassals to come to one's bedside and act as filial sons, the more they struggle and resist. —That's how it was in the previous life of the Mao Dynasty; when one's own illness was not yet cured, one hoped that vassals would come to one's side to alleviate one's symptoms. The result was that one was surrounded by enemies.

The Russians are known for lacking political acumen, while the East has a long history of teaching and advocating that before engaging in political maneuvering, one should first understand what the opponent fears about oneself!
For example, when Emperor Taizong of Tang wanted to strip his father of the titles of princes that he had arbitrarily conferred, Wei Zheng advised him to first convene a meeting of all the princes in court to clarify the opposition, identify which opinions were the strongest, and which could actually be won over through exchanges of benefits.

Xuan Chong now understands very well that as long as he resolves the corruption problem in Zhenzhou, he can completely sever his ties with the plague in Chendi.

In Donghua County, Longyou County (Chapter 83), and other territories, relying on their economic and military strength and the influence of their own merchant groups, their former subordinates in these territories will automatically come to them.

After all, he had a legitimate title, a strong military, and a decent economy. As long as he didn't have the flaw of "doing evil for the world," why wouldn't the military leaders sent out by the Wu family army, as long as they weren't completely brain-dead, defect to him? Why wouldn't they be loyal?

Note: Unifying regional power isn't about the loyalty of the people in that region, but rather about whether the ruler can offer sufficient rewards. If the ruler is on the verge of death, who will come to pay homage?

The question is, where exactly is the source of the epidemic? Lelang City is now bustling with activity. Every morning, all the manure buckets are collected by designated city guards, and health workers visit each household to check on their food. Every household's leftovers must be covered with a gauze cover to prevent mosquitoes from entering. Furthermore, after the start of the hottest period of summer, all leftovers must be reheated before consumption.

Xuan Chong realized that it was impractical for every household to boil water every morning. So he opened a hot water shop in the city.

City residents can have a kettle of hot water delivered to their homes every morning for a fee. If they don't want to buy it, that's fine too; if the anti-epidemic team members notice someone with a sickly appearance, they will be immediately sent to quarantine and then forced to do manual labor.

Every month, the hot water shop would send a list of people who hadn't bought hot water to the epidemic prevention team.

However, biological warfare cannot be resolved simply by defense; its source must be attacked directly.

Xuan Chong has now arrived in the five prefectures of Zhenshui and planted his flag above the major cities. Now the well water in all the cities is crystal clear, and the plague in the cities has been completely eradicated.

From Xuan Chong's perspective, the vortex of the evil moon hanging down in the sky is still there, like the end of a tornado close to the ground. Although it is no longer in the city, it moves nimbly around the city.

Furthermore, during the great traverse, Xuan Chong also saw the huge abscess below Lelang City.

Although the legendary tunnel leading directly into the underground prison in Lelang City is no longer found, Xuan Chong feels that it still exists. Its disappearance is only because he's stationed here; it will surely reappear once he leaves.

Xuan Chong: The local "biohazard" will only be resolved after this pus is squeezed out.

Speaking of "removal", Xuan Chong hasn't used the "lotus seed" in his hand yet, so the system won't make baseless accusations.

The current stage of the mission can only be completed once the lotus seeds reach the target.

Xuan Chong has locked down all the cities and dispatched troops to pursue the "space tornado" that the wandering evil moon has brought down.

Just as Xuan Chong was struggling to find the source of the plague, his capable wife Yao San Niang appeared.

Here, Wu Fei led the Winged Tiger to the inner courtyard, where Yao San Niang placed her hand on the Winged Tiger's forehead. Soon, she drew out strands of white silk, which were the bond between the Winged Tiger and Wu Hanluan. Since Wu Hanluan and Jin Dou were closely connected, Yao San Niang wanted to start with the Winged Tiger to grasp the source of information about the "Source of Rot".

After shaking his head, the winged tiger stared blankly at the inexplicable energy that had been extracted from him. Before he could even realize what he had lost, *bang*, Wu Lu jumped into the tiger's arms and gave the winged tiger a grand slam. The winged tiger looked helplessly at the kid who was playing around by pulling his ear.

Xuan Chong asked Yao San Niang, "Is it possible to catch it?"

Yao San Niang: "The power of the Rotten Evil Moon is indeed still unwilling to give up. Husband, do you really have a divine object to restrain this rotten power?"

From Yao Sangu's perspective, the golden quest system had already indicated that she only needed to help Xuan Chong find his target. However, Yao Sangu was still very curious about what Xuan Chong was holding. Xuan Chong looked at her and slowly asked, "Why do I sense that you're afraid?"

Yao San Niang avoided her gaze: "What? (Changing the subject) I went to do some divination."

…While Xuan Chong was busy preventing the plague, Yao San Niang wasn't at the City God Temple drawing lots…

In front of the City God's altar, Yao San Niang found a spot, located all the people in the city with "strong spiritual power," and sealed them off.

Some of these highly perceptive individuals are born with the ability to see ghosts, able to see spirits from birth. Others possess special abilities, such as being able to grow up eating only soil.

Yao San Niang, who was once "chosen by the gods," knew very well that when April's "blessing" spread throughout the world, those with strong spiritual abilities would prioritize communicating with April in the unseen realm. This communication, when April was in power, was the catalyst for bringing the blessing to the world.

However, right now, as the "Rotten Moon" tries to evade the purification of the powerful beings on Earth, these Inspirers are the backdoor.

Lu Changsheng is a guy who makes a living by relying on his inspiration. He is a fortune teller in Lelang City. His skills are weak. His only supernatural ability is "entering dreams". He interprets dreams. In modern society, his job would be that of a hypnotist and psychologist.

In contrast to the hypnotists Xuan Chong saw in movies in his previous life who used a pendulum to swing and hypnotize people, fortune tellers generally lit a stick of incense.

Inside the City God Temple, Lu Changsheng was captured and questioned by the soldiers of the Wu family army. He kowtowed to Yao San Niang through a screen.

Yao San Niang then assigned him the task of compiling and submitting the information about word divination and dream interpretation that had come to him in the past few days.

Lu Changsheng quickly said, "Madam, those things in my dreams are supernatural and bizarre! This dream is somewhat wicked and might offend your senses."

Yao San Niang said without room for doubt: "For those who can draw out the details carefully and whose work I have verified to be true, they will be given one to ten strings of cash."

Lu Changsheng was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Having always relied on his dream-reading abilities to make a living, he suddenly panicked. He asked Yao Sanniang, "My lord, are those things real?"

As Yao San Niang stepped out from behind the curtain, Lu Changsheng stared blankly at the elegantly dressed woman. It wasn't that he was a lecherous man; rather, he was struck by the fact that this air of nobility was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Such a person seemed completely out of place in the ways of the martial world.

Yao San Niang knew what the fortune teller had seen in his dream, and said slowly and deliberately, "What you saw was not real originally, but here everything can become real."

Yao San Niang turned her palm over, and a ball of blazing flame emerged from it. She slowly said, "What is real may be false, and what is false may be real; what is nothing may be something, and what is something may be nothing. Do you think this ball of fire is real?"

Lu Changsheng stared at the flames, and the more he looked at them, the more real they seemed, as if they were rolling heat waves. Just as he was staring deeper and deeper, he suddenly felt a suction force, as if his soul had drifted into a space.

In this space, he was like an ant, while the noblewoman before him had transformed into a towering bodhisattva. The flames he had been gazing upon had gathered above Yao San Niang's head. A languid and beautiful bird flew out from Yao San Niang's crown, glanced at him, then revealed a look of disgust before a streak of flame flashed past.

Before Lu Changsheng could dodge the bone-burning flames, the crimson flames immediately transformed into a bird's beak and pecked at him; in an instant, the hooked beak pulled something out of Lu Changsheng's body.

Lu Changsheng looked closely and saw that it was a twisted maggot, the very thing he had seen in the victim's dream when he was interpreting the characters the day before. At that time, the victim claimed that he saw an elderly person from his family appear in his dream. Although the elderly person was very kind, he was covered in maggots.

Lu Changsheng looked at the thing and quickly said, "Madam, no, Your Majesty, it's this thing, I'll draw it right away."

A moment later, after the flames had burned out, Yao San Niang looked at Lu Changsheng and asked, "Can you still draw it now?"

Lu Changsheng was about to say, "Give me pen and ink," but suddenly froze, realizing he couldn't remember what they were.

Yao San Niang looked at him and said, "Don't think about it anymore. If you keep thinking about it, that thing will crawl into your brain on its own."

Lu Changsheng suddenly shivered, then looked at Yao San Niang and said, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Yao San Niang sighed and said, "Right now, some powerful beings have cast a spell on Le Lang City, and the strange things people dream of are all Gu worms."

He then pointed to the maggot that had been dug out, "If only a few people see it in their dreams, it's all just a dream. But once the whole city sees it, it becomes real."

After a chill ran down Lu Changsheng's spine, he understood why those fortune tellers with shallow skills often "revealed heavenly secrets" and died tragically.

Aunt Yao said to him and the soldiers guarding him, "Send him to the city market to have his dreams interpreted and characters divined. After he finishes the interpretation each day, bring him to me to report."

Lu Changsheng murmured, "My lord...?" He wanted to refuse, but didn't give him the chance.

Regarding the investigation into the corrosive effects of the "Green Moon Power," Yao San Niang needed a double agent. After all, the more one came into contact with the Evil Moon Power, the more unconsciously one would be affected. Thinking of this, Yao San Niang spat out, "Except for that nemesis."

…Let's return our perspective here…

After learning about Lu Changsheng, the "white glove," from Yao Sangu, Xuan Chong immediately went to find him.

Upon seeing the fortune teller who interprets the dreams of a hundred people every day and is now showing signs of baldness, Xuan Chong paused, feeling as if something was trembling in the man's head. He then stepped forward, and a lotus flower instantly appeared in his palm.

As Xuan Chong placed his palm on Lu Changsheng's forehead, Lu Changsheng jolted awake, then involuntarily looked up at the sky with his mouth agape, his features faintly revealing a radiant glow.

Xuan Chong muttered to himself: "This is exorcism?" —Speaking of which, these kinds of mystical matters aren't his main business. The system is giving him a history lesson; his main jobs are fighting wars, farming, education, and building political systems. The system only uses exchangeable items to solve problems that these jobs can't handle.

As Xuan Chong's palm left Lu Changsheng, Xuan Chong felt as if Lu Changsheng had suddenly come back to his senses, and the strange situation of the unlucky guy having worms in his brain disappeared.

However, in Yao San Niang's eyes, a blue lotus holy mark appeared on Lu Changsheng's forehead, instantly purifying the pool of pus reflected in the mind of Lu Changsheng, the inspiration seeker, by the "Lord of Rot".

Yao San Niang sensed an immense terror in Xuan Chong's palm and involuntarily took two steps back. She felt as if this thing was about to be branded onto her body, and that most of her cultivation would be burned away.

Xuan Chong paused for a moment, then looked down at his palms. To others, it appeared as if Xuan Chong's palms were supporting something.
From Xuan Chong's perspective: A phantom lotus seed, resembling a projection, appears in his hand.

The system prompts: "The real body is not here. What you have now is just an 'IP address' that can connect to this lotus seed. Only after locking the IP address of the 'Source of Rot' (Wu Hanluanzang's Golden Bucket) can this lotus seed go to the real source of rot offline."

Xuan Chong agreed: "To completely resolve biological warfare, we still need real-world action! Only when nuclear bombs can land on biological companies will the release of biological viruses stop."

(End of this chapter)