Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

The rain grew heavier, and Zhou Yan stood in the rain, letting the rain soak his clothes.

His heart sank to the bottom.

In his eyes, whether it was refugees, commoners passing through the city gates, or officials guarding the city, as long as they got wet in the rain, the white and gray words above their heads would gradually be replaced by red light.

Zhou Yan suddenly realized what was happening, raised his hand, and the panel appeared.

The system detected an intrusion of foreign terms.

Insufficient conditions led to infection failure.

Sure enough, he was infected as well.

However, judging from this, the panel seems to have immune itself to the influence of this red label.

Zhou Yan let out a slight sigh of relief as he lowered his hand.

He quickened his pace and headed straight into the city.

But as he walked through the crowd, he keenly noticed that the people with the red tags did not exude the same fishy-sweet smell as before.

But the phrase "the fragrance of flesh and blood" was clearly displayed above everyone's heads.

His brows furrowed, and he seemed unsure of what to do.

But the journey continues.

After all, he couldn't care less about anyone else right now; he had to go to Zhu Asan's house first.

……

Green Willow Lane, Zhu Asan's house.

When Zhou Yan strode over, he saw Zhu Asan carrying an oil-paper umbrella, hurrying out of the house.

"Third Brother!"

Zhou Yan called out from afar.

Zhu Asan was taken aback.

When he saw Zhou Yan running over in the rain, he looked surprised and said:

"Ayan, what are you doing? You're in such a hurry, you didn't even bring an umbrella."

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She then went forward to hold an umbrella for him.

Looking up, he saw that Zhu Asan's head only had a slight red tinge and was still white. Relieved, he shouted:

"Third Brother, don't come any closer! Come inside, quick!"

Zhu Asan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Zhou Yan stood outside the door, not stepping into the courtyard.

Rain was dripping down the hem of his clothes.

He didn't know if the rainwater on his body would harm anyone, so he kept his distance.

"Third brother, to make a long story short, this rain is not right. None of you should go out. Stay at home and close all the doors and windows."

If you get wet, dry yourself off immediately with a cloth and change into dry clothes.

Zhu Asan's expression changed.

"Ayan, what happened? Did something happen to the Black-Clad Guards?"

Zhou Yan was about to speak when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

His gaze swept across the room.

Zhu Asan was the only person in the room.

"Where are my sister-in-law and Zhu Zhu?"

Zhu Asan seemed to remember something, and his umbrella fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Your sister-in-law and Zhu Zhu just went to the vegetable market in the east alley. It's raining and I was just about to go look for them. I have to go find them."

After saying that, he was about to go out again.

"Third Brother!"

Zhou Yan pressed down on the door frame, his voice becoming louder.

"You stay at home and don't go anywhere. I'll go find them."

But the other party was still as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

He stared at Zhu Asan and said, word by word:

"Third Brother, trust me, I will definitely not let anything happen to them."

Zhu Asan's lips moved slightly.

He looked into Zhou Yan's eyes, but ultimately stopped inside the door and didn't go out.

Zhou Yan bent down to pick up the oil-paper umbrella from the ground, then turned and left.

Zhu Asan's trembling voice came from behind.

"Ayan, be careful..."

Zhou Yan did not turn around.

"I know."

……

The East Market is not far from Green Willow Lane.

But Zhou Yan ran very fast on this stretch of road.

The rain on the street was getting heavier and heavier.

Shops on both sides closed their doors one after another, and vendors packed up their stalls while cursing.

Someone was running with a straw hat on their head.

Some people, clutching their vegetable baskets, hid under the eaves.

Some people thought it was just a rain shower and simply walked home slowly in the rain.

In Zhou Yan's eyes, the red light was increasing.

Upon arriving at the market, he anxiously looked around.

Before long, Zhou Yan found Sister-in-law Zhu and Zhu Zhu.

They were taking shelter from the rain under the eaves of a shop, along with many ordinary people who appeared to be there to buy groceries.

Sister-in-law Zhu carried a vegetable basket, a hint of worry still lingering between her brows.

Little Zhu Zhu looked up at the rain curtain stretching out from the eaves, seemingly finding it amusing, and even stretched out her little hand to catch the rain.

Zhou Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Don't touch it!"

It was almost a shout.

Everyone under the eaves was startled.

Zhu Zhu's small hand froze in mid-air.

She looked up and saw Zhou Yan. Her eyes lit up at first, but then she was startled by the expression on his face.

"Brother Zhou Yan?"

The little girl's lips trembled, and tears welled up instantly.

She doesn't understand.

Why did Uncle Zhou, who had always been so kind to her, suddenly yell at her so fiercely?

Zhou Yan rushed to the eaves, but stopped abruptly a full ten feet away, and said to Sister Zhu:

"Sister-in-law, trust me, absolutely do not get wet in the rain again, just stay here and wait for the rain to stop."

His gaze fell on Little Zhu Zhu, a striking red object hovering above the little girl's head.

Zhou Yan felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly.

Zhu Zhu absolutely cannot be harmed! If anyone is harmed, Zhu Zhu cannot be harmed either.

The first thing that came to his mind was the antidote pill that Mo Yunfeng had given to the Black-Clad Guards last time.

Sister-in-law Zhu was also frightened by Zhou Yan's appearance and quickly hugged the little girl into her arms.

"Ayan, what's wrong?"

Several women who were taking shelter from the rain nearby also began to whisper among themselves.

"Who is this?"

"It's just raining, why are you so scared?"

He watched as the words above Sister Zhu's head were quickly replaced by red.

He spoke urgently.

"Sister-in-law, don't ask any more questions. You two stay here and don't move. Make sure you don't get splashed by the rain again. I'll be right back."

He turned and ran out quickly.

The people around them all looked on with curiosity.

Several women who knew Sister Zhu well asked in hushed tones:

"Madam Zhu, who is this? She's acting strangely."

Although Sister-in-law Zhu was not clear about it either, she knew a little about Zhou Yan's recent discussions with Zhu Asan about joining the Xuanyi Guard.

She forced a smile.

"That's my brother-in-law. He works at the yamen (government office). He might have something going on."

After saying that, she bent down, gently patted the little girl's back, and said in a gentle tone:

"Zhu Zhu, be good. Your brother Zhou Yan is worried about us too. Don't cry."

The little girl raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and choked out:

"Mother, does Brother Zhou Yan not like Zhu Zhu anymore?"

Sister-in-law Zhu patted her head affectionately.

"How could that be? Our little Zhu Zhu is so well-behaved, how could we not like her?"

The little girl nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

……

The temporary headquarters of the Black-Clad Guards.

Seeing Zhou Yan rushing towards them through the rain, Li Kun, who was standing guard at the door, was puzzled and asked:

"Brother Zhou, why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhou Yan stopped at the door and looked up. Li Kun and another guard in black robes were alright; they had been standing guard under the eaves and had hardly gotten wet.

However, most of the black-clad guards that flashed by had their names displayed in different colors above their heads.

He was anxious inside, but his face showed no sign of it.

"Brother Li, if you trust me, please don't get caught in the rain. I have something to do and need to see Commander Lu."

He had no relation to Li Kun, so he was more than kind and considerate to offer a reminder. Whether Li Kun believed him or not was up to him.

After saying that, he ran straight inside.

Li Kun was about to ask more questions, but seeing Zhou Yan rushing inside, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"What's going on? Getting caught in the rain? What's wrong with getting caught in the rain?"

Although he was puzzled, he still subconsciously leaned closer to the eaves.

Zhou Yan ran to Lu Qingshuang's courtyard and pushed open the door.

But he stood outside the door and did not go inside.

Lu Qingshuang, who was writing something at her desk, paused and looked up.

"What are you doing, being so impulsive?"

Her brows furrowed slightly; she felt a sense of displeasure.

"My lord, please forgive me. I had no other choice."

Zhou Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Seeing his expression was off, Lu Qingshuang put down her pen and said:

"You're back from Senior Mo's place? Come inside and let's talk."

"My lord! There's something wrong with this rain! Anyone who gets caught in it shows signs of blood poisoning."

Zhou Yan shouted loudly from outside.

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingshuang immediately stood up, picked up the long sword that was placed aside, and walked to the door.

Zhou Yan said quickly:

"Senior Mo said that the Wusheng Sect has not retreated. The person in charge of alchemy this time is likely Wan Ning, a traitor from Medicine King Valley. Once he starts the furnace, he will never stop."

Lu Qingshuang's face darkened completely.

"Wanning?"

She had obviously heard of the name before.

"Someone come here!"

Footsteps immediately came from outside the courtyard.

A guard in black robes entered, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"grown ups!"

Lu Qingshuang decisively gave the order:

"Everyone should take shelter from the rain and take the antidote for the blood poison. Call Commander Shen and Commander Ma to the main hall for a meeting."

"yes!"

The guard in black turned and left.

"My lord, I beg you to give me a few antidote pills. My relative has been infected."

Zhou Yan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Lu Qingshuang reached into her waistband and took out a small bottle.

"Take it, and come back quickly."

Zhou Yan took the small bottle and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Yes! Thank you, sir."

After Zhou Yan finished speaking, he turned and ran outside.

……