Young Jiang Ziya

The dim, yellowish light of the spirit marrow lamps danced on the tunnel walls, stretching and shattering distorted shadows. The air was heavy, thick with a sweet, pungent stench, rock dust, and a faint, almost imperceptible putrid smell. Gravel slipped and fell underfoot, creating abrupt echoes in the deathly silence, like the footsteps of some lurking creature.

The group moved forward in a tight but tense formation. Lei Kai and two guards led the way, their eyes scanning every suspicious silhouette in the darkness like hawks. Ji Fa stood in the middle, his hand on his sword hilt, his expression cold and calculating. Lü Shang followed closely behind, his satchel containing medicine, water, and some small items that might save his life. Shen Gongbao led the way a little ahead, his steps unsteady yet unusually firm. He remembered every fork in the mine tunnel he had been forced to traverse countless times, every protruding rock formation vividly.

The initial stillness and tension eased slightly as things seemed to be "peaceful" for some time.

"The throne of this E Kingdom," Lei Kai's voice sounded somewhat abrupt in the tunnel, carrying his usual coldness, "is a complete mess. The father is seriously ill, the son is vying for the throne, and there's an uncle with the will in hand, eyeing it covetously... It's simply the most absurd political situation I've ever heard of."

Ji Fa didn't reply immediately, his gaze sweeping over the strangely dark water stains seeping from the rock wall. After a moment, he spoke, his voice low in the enclosed space: "E Cheng and E Min... at least on the surface, haven't reached the point of life and death."

Lei Kai snorted: "What does it matter if we're brothers in the face of power? Aren't there plenty of stories in history about fathers and sons killing each other and brothers fighting each other?" He changed his tone slightly, with a hint of probing, "However, young master, if we're talking about talent and responsibility, that eldest prince E Cheng does have some..." He paused, not finishing his sentence.

"Who does he resemble a bit?" Ji Fa's lips twitched, as if mocking himself, "My older brother?"

Lei Kai paused for a moment, which was taken as tacit agreement. Ji Kao, the true eldest son of Xiqi, was gentle, kind, virtuous, and talented, but he was now a hostage in Chaoge. The heavy military and political responsibilities of Xiqi had long since fallen on the shoulders of this young, impulsive, yet equally dazzling second son.

Ji Fa stopped, watching the crackling sparks from the spirit lamp wick. His voice was calm yet clear: "My elder brother is the eldest son of Xiqi, Father's proudest son, and he will surely be a benevolent ruler in the future. I am charging into battle now, or negotiating deals here, not for that position." He turned his head, his gaze piercing through the darkness, as if he could see the distant walls of Xiqi. "It is for the people behind those walls. Whether they are king or subject, brother or brother, it doesn't matter. What matters is that when the blood plague or any disaster strikes, I have the ability to stand in front of them, not hide behind anyone. That's all."

These words, though not impassioned, carried a heavy, almost stubborn sense of responsibility. Lü Shang, listening from behind, paused slightly as he wiped the water pouch. He recalled Shi Yuan's occasional sighs, saying that Ji Fa's "temperament was like fire, but his heart was heavier than anyone else's." Perhaps, within this arrogant young lord's heart burned not a thirst for power, but another, purer, and more easily self-destructive flame.

Shen Gongbao also glanced back at Ji Fa, his eyes filled with complex emotions. This young lord of Xiqi seemed to share the same attitude towards sorcerers as he did towards the throne: unconventional and valuing the lives of the "innocent."

"That's true," Wu Dan said in a low voice, leaving behind his deputy, an old Xiqi guard named Chen Ping, who was assisting the people of E. "The waters of E are too murky. If the Third Prince really wants to succeed, it's probably not enough for us to help him clear the mines and build his reputation. That Prime Minister Byron... is no pushover."

"So we need to act quickly." Ji Fa took another step. "Before he can react or find a more insidious trick, we must present the result that 'the blood plague in the Fuling Mine has been eradicated' to the ruler and ministers of E."

Then they encountered a second body.

No, there were more. In a relatively wide tunnel, seemingly once a temporary rest stop for miners, lay five or six male corpses dressed as miners, lying haphazardly. The sight was nauseating when the spirit lamp shone upon them. They were undoubtedly infected with the blood plague; their skin was festering and dark, but they hadn't fully transformed into the grotesque blood puppet form. What was truly bizarre was their manner of death—their limbs had been brutally cut and separated, scattered around like disassembled parts. Blackish-red scabs had formed at the wounds, yet there were almost no large-scale splattered bloodstains on the ground, as if they had been "disposed of" shortly after they were dying or had just died.

"What happened?" a young guard asked, his voice tense. "Wasn't it said that no one came in after the mine tunnels were sealed off? Who...who did this?"

Lei Kai crouched down, cautiously fiddling with a severed arm through his scabbard, his face grim. "It wasn't a wild animal bite. The cut is rough, but it has... directionality. It's like an unskilled, yet purposeful, dismemberment." He glanced around at the piles of rubble and discarded tools. "There are no signs of a fierce fight here. They seem to have gathered here... then been killed, and then..."

"Dismemberment." Ji Fa uttered two words coldly, the veins on his sword-wielding hand slightly bulging. He remembered the words of Old Chen, the mad miner at the mine entrance—"Eating...eating people."

An ominous premonition, more suffocating than the smell of blood, enveloped everyone.

Shen Gongbao's face was pale, and his body trembled slightly. Lü Shang took half a step closer to him without making a sound, placed a calming pill given to him by Shi Yuan into his palm, and whispered, "Suck it."

Shen Gongbao gave him a grateful look and did as he was told.

The group continued forward, the atmosphere growing even more somber. Casual conversation ceased entirely, replaced only by heavy breathing and suppressed footsteps. The sweet, fishy smell in the air grew stronger, mixed with another... a nauseatingly sour stench, like food rotting and then being steamed at high temperatures.

Then, they saw her.

A woman huddled in the shadows of a tunnel corner, dressed in tattered, filthy coarse cloth, her hair a tangled mess. Her back was to the group, her shoulders heaving violently, emitting strange, hoarse sounds—like crying, like laughing, or even…vomiting.

The light from the Spirit Marrow Lamp finally shone on the ground in front of her—scattered there were some dark red, unrecognizable lumps and a few scattered bones. She was facing those things, mechanically stuffing something into her mouth while uncontrollably vomiting, creating a bizarre cycle.

"Another infected!" Lei Kai roared, raising his Demon-Slaying Crossbow instantly.

"Wait!" Lü Shang suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made Lei Kai pause for a moment. Ji Fa also raised his hand to signal a pause.

The woman seemed startled by the lights and sounds, and abruptly turned her head. Her face was filthy, her eyes bloodshot, her pupils dilated, and saliva and vomit residue clung to the corners of her mouth. Seeing the fully armed group, she showed no fear, but instead grinned, revealing a bizarre, twisted "smile," as if she were seeing one of her own kind.

"I...I can't eat anymore...I really...can't eat anymore..." she murmured, her voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping, "So full...so uncomfortable...sisters...younger sisters...your flesh...it's so sour..."

She was incoherent and clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, but the blood plague infection marks on her body were exactly the same as those of the previous miners.

Ji Fa, suppressing his discomfort, asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What happened here? Who forced you to eat?"

"He...Helan...I am Helan..." The woman seemed to still respond to her name, her eyes momentarily glazed over, but were immediately overwhelmed by endless pain and madness. "Following the foreman...down in the mine...so many monsters...the men are all dead...torn apart...we...we were captured...if we didn't eat...they pried open our mouths and stuffed our flesh in...it was their flesh!!" She suddenly screamed, frantically scratching her throat and stomach with both hands.

"What about them? What about the other women?" Lu Shang pressed, his tone more urgent than usual.

"Dead... all dead... left there... I can only... eat them... otherwise I'll be stuffed too..." Helan's scream turned into a wail, pointing to the darkness deeper into the tunnel, "Only Hongxu... Hongxu was taken away... they said... she was the most suitable... to... to have children... endless children... monsters... we're all monsters now!!" She let out a final, extremely mournful wail, her body suddenly stiffened, the dark red veins under her skin bulged violently, and her eyes were quickly replaced by a murky malice—transformation was imminent!

Without further hesitation, Lei Kai unleashed the Demon-Slaying Crossbow bolt, which pierced Helan's brow with pinpoint accuracy. Her wailing ceased abruptly, and she collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The tunnel was deathly silent, except for Helan's insane words before her death echoing in everyone's minds: forced cannibalism, feeding on the remains of her sisters, Hongxu being taken away to "give birth"...

"Having children... an endless stream of children..." Ji Fa repeated, looking at Lü Shang, "You told us to wait just now, did you think of something?"

All eyes were on Lü Shang. This young servant, who had barely spoken the entire journey, had now become the key to deciphering this insane clue.

Lu Shang took a deep breath, suppressing his churning stomach and the chill in his heart. He recalled Shi Yuan's vast collection of ancient scrolls, written in hasty handwriting, and those fragmented descriptions of the last and the one before that blood plague.

"I saw a record in Mr. Shi Yuan's ancient book fragments..." Lü Shang's voice was clear in the silent tunnel, "In past blood plague outbreaks, high-level blood puppets or their manipulators... sometimes did not immediately kill all prisoners, especially women. They would force the prisoners... to devour the flesh and blood of their own kind who were infected with the blood plague."

He paused, noticing the sudden change in everyone's expressions, and continued, "That wasn't for torture and amusement, but a... transformation ritual. By forcing living people to ingest large amounts of highly polluted flesh and blood, amidst extreme pain, madness, and contamination, there's a very small chance... that a mutant known as the 'Nest Mother' will be born."