Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 515 Sudden Outbreak of Epidemic
Lu Zheng tilted his head slightly, looking at the sun, moon and stars slowly turning in the sky above the small world, and recalled his recent experiences.

During the Double Ninth Festival, he witnessed some of the mysteries of the divine way. When the Yunmeng Sect was supplementing its classics, he received the baptism of Confucianism and Taoism, and witnessed the powerful immortals influencing the great forces of heaven and earth, and the Taoist masters performing rituals to communicate with heaven and earth...

Along the way, he encountered many demons, ghosts, and evil cultivators.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but mutter to himself, "To be honest, I've never met a Legalist or seen any true Legalist classics."

He had read the laws of various countries, but those were just ordinary books, lacking any profound or mystical atmosphere, and could not be considered true Legalist classics.

It is said that each dynasty established national laws, and these laws originally carried the nation's fortune and were considered vital national instruments.

The original nature of such laws was clearly beyond the reach of someone like him.

Apart from the emperor, probably very few people in a dynasty had ever seen such a national treasure.

"Legalism..."

Lu Zheng muttered, "It seems I should ask Daoist Yunxiao. He is knowledgeable and must know something. It would be even better if we could find one or two Legalist books."

Previously, Lu Zheng had been too busy with the rain disaster to mention this matter to Yun Xiao.

Now, no one knows whether Yun Xiao has gone into seclusion or is enjoying himself somewhere.

After all, when Yun Xiao left, he didn't return the remaining spirit stones and materials in that storage bag to him.

Lu Zheng turned his head slightly and saw Xiao Qingyi sitting upright not far away, playing with a blazing ball of light in her hand.

It was a condensed mass of solar energy. It seemed that Qingyi had been possessed by a deity, and her control over her own power had improved significantly.

It is estimated that after a while, Xiao Qingyi will have fully mastered the power of Tongxuan.

If Lu Zheng doesn't use all sorts of treasures, he probably won't be able to do anything to this little guy.

……

Time passed quietly, and the government offices in Dafeng County worked day and night to organize disaster relief efforts.

In order to save his own life, Zhang Yu took out all his most treasured possessions to help the disaster victims.

Under his coercion and enticement, even the local gentry and wealthy families dared not remain idle, and each of them led their servants to various places to clean up the mess.

Some families, knowing that there was a master from Qingyang Palace in the city, dared not act too differently because of his reputation. Even if they didn't want to spend money, they still brought people to help.

Outside the city, a rider galloped in, carrying a local official.

The officials hurriedly entered the city and rushed to the government office.

"Quickly, take me to see the magistrate! I have something extremely urgent to report!"

The official spoke urgently to one of the yamen runners.

Seeing his colleague's pale face and anxious, breathless appearance, the yamen runner quickly took him to see Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu was processing official documents in his study when he learned that a subordinate had come to see him, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

An emergency? He's in a real bind right now; what trouble has gotten into this now?

"What happened?" Zhang Yu asked, his expression grim.

The returning official's chest heaved rapidly, and he whispered, "Sir, plague, there's a plague..."

Plague... Upon hearing this word, Zhang Yu almost fainted.

At this critical juncture, a plague has broken out. Isn't this God trying to kill him?

He was well aware that some illnesses were likely to occur after a flood.

So he specially ordered the officials who went to various places to provide disaster relief to prepare medicine for the disaster victims, but the plague still occurred.
Seeing how anxious his subordinates were, he knew the outbreak they were causing would be no small matter.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath, remaining calm and composed. He was a Taoist with cultivation, and he also knew how to refine pills and make medicine.

Zhang Yu stared at the official and said, "Plague? Where is there a plague? Explain yourself to me! You can't just say things like that!"

The official took a breath and tried to calm himself down. "It's because of a plague outbreak in the neighboring Cang County. People from there are fleeing here, saying that a plague has broken out in Cang County..."

"So it wasn't a plague here, that's good, that's good..."

Zhang Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief, then quickly shut his mouth, wanting to slap himself. What good was this? What if those guys heard him…

Zhang Yu's expression turned serious as he pressed, "Is this really true?"

The official nodded. "It should be true. There are many people who fled from there."

"So many! Have you been in contact with any of those people?" Zhang Yu asked nervously.

This is a plague! He's already guilty, and if he doesn't handle this properly, it'll be a huge dereliction of duty. If he slits his own throat now, he might suffer less.

The officer's expression changed upon hearing this. "I've seen those people before, but..."

Seeing the official's hesitant manner, Zhang Yu stepped forward, took the official's pulse, and observed his complexion.

The official was unable to dodge in time and stood there frozen, allowing Zhang Yu to examine him.

Zhang Yu took the officer's pulse for a while, then lifted the officer's eyelids, his expression becoming increasingly grave.

"Your pulse is restless and your complexion is off; you've probably really contracted the plague."

Upon hearing this, the official's expression changed. "Sir, is it possible that my pulse is like this because I am exhausted from the journey, and that I have not contracted a plague?"

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "I have cultivated for many years and am skilled in making elixirs. Can't you even see this much? You've contracted the plague, not from overwork." The official's face turned ugly, and he couldn't help but say, "Sir, I didn't touch them at all! How could this be..."

Upon hearing this, the official's legs went weak. He was no ordinary person; he was a martial artist who had entered the sect, and his physique was much stronger than that of ordinary people. Even he had accidentally contracted the plague, which was no small matter.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu said with dissatisfaction, "What's the panic? It's not like we're going to die."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu took out a storage bag from his pocket, took out a jade bottle from it, and poured out a pill.

"This is a pill I refined. It can cure most common poisons, and it is also effective against some poisons from spiritual objects. Take it!"

"Thank you, sir!"

The officer's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly took the pill and swallowed it whole.

He felt a cool sensation slowly spreading through his body, which calmed the official down.

Zhang Yu continued to take the official's pulse, his brows furrowed tightly, showing no sign of relaxation.

After a while, the officer did not let go of Zhang Yu's grip; instead, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, which made Zhang Yu's heart pound again.

"Sir, is this medicine ineffective?"

The official, feeling uneasy, couldn't help but ask aloud.

Zhang Yu took the pulse with one hand and stroked his beard with the other, muttering, "This doesn't make sense. Besides more than ten common medicinal herbs, my pill also contains several first-tier spiritual items. It can cure illnesses and nourish health and enhance virility..."

Seeing that the pills were ineffective, Zhang Yu reluctantly took out a first-grade spiritual medicine and had the official take it to see the effect.

After a while, Zhang Yu's expression turned very ugly. Even the effects of the first-grade elixir could not cure the plague in the official's body, and could only have a certain suppressive effect. This was because the medicine was not suitable for the condition.

Zhang Yu then asked, "How many people have you seen? How are those people doing now?"

The officer said, "I've seen over a hundred people myself, but we discovered them early, and those from outside have already been quarantined. I came back specifically to report to you, sir..."

The official recounted what he had encountered.

However, the border between the neighboring Cang County and their Dafeng County is very long, and there must be many more people crossing the border from other places.

Upon hearing the official's description, Zhang Yu felt his head was spinning.

He was already busy enough with things to do in the county, and now he's run into this mess.

Zhang Yu's mind raced, and he said, "Let's go, come with me to see those distinguished guests."

This is no ordinary epidemic. He couldn't find a suitable prescription for it, and the matter couldn't be delayed. He had no choice but to ask those people for help.

He simply couldn't handle such a huge matter.

Zhang Yu led the officials in a hurry to the inn where Lu Zheng and the others were staying.

Lu Zheng was teaching Xiao Qingyi in the small world when Qing Wan told him that something had happened, so he took Xiao Qingyi and left the small world.

The three arrived at a small courtyard and saw Xuan Lang and Xuan Li examining a government official.

When Lu Zheng learned that the plague had broken out in the neighboring Cang County, he couldn't help but frown.

Upon seeing Lu Zheng's arrival, Zhang Yu humbly said, "I didn't want to trouble you all, but the plague has spread from Cang County, and countless people have fallen ill. I can only ask you, esteemed gentlemen, to lend a helping hand..."

Lu Zheng ignored Zhang Yu's rambling and instead asked Xuan Lang, "What illness?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Lang said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is the first time I've seen this kind of epidemic, so I dare not make any rash conclusions."

Zhang Yu whispered, "I think it's the plague. It's probably the poison from the dead rat spirit that infected people..."

Lu Zheng looked at the sick official, a wisp of righteous energy entered his body, clearing away the virus, and carefully observed his reaction.

After a while, the official felt completely refreshed, as if the plague on his body had been completely eradicated.

"It's not the plague, it should be an insect plague, a kind of demonic insect..."

Lu Zheng recalled what he had learned. He had seen a similar illness in a medical book, which was almost identical to the situation he was now facing.

This is a highly contagious insect venom, not an ordinary epidemic.

This disease is highly contagious, but fortunately, it has a low mortality rate.

This poison is primarily designed to erode the human brain in order to exert a manipulative effect.

Some people also refer to this insect poison as Gu poison.

Judging from the situation, even ordinary people are able to seek refuge everywhere, and they are not under anyone's control. It is most likely that the infection occurred by chance.

After all, a deity had just averted disaster here, so no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble at this time.

Lu Zheng took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down a few prescriptions, then handed them to Zhang Yu, saying, "Prepare the medicinal herbs according to these prescriptions. They are all common herbs, no need for any rare or exotic herbs..."

Lu Zheng gave Zhang Yu some instructions, and then said to Xuan Li, "I'd like to trouble Fellow Daoist Xuan Li to stay here and calm people's hearts. We're going to Cang County."

The epidemic came rather quickly, and Lu Zheng decided to find out its source.

“Okay.” Xuan Li nodded.

Lu Zheng wasted no time and quickly left Dafeng County with Qingwan and Xuan Lang, heading straight for Cang County.

(End of this chapter)