Chapter 14: The Mysterious Plague

“Sir, you jest. I receive my salary from the court, and it is my duty beyond question to protect the Crown Prince in times of peril. There is no need for you to provoke me with such radical words.”

Zhang Rui quickly offered his answer.

The reason was simple: if he had not kept that painting scroll with the surname Tian before, he would never have waded into this mess, no matter what. But now that he was implicated, considering the madness of the old emperor in the later years as depicted in his novel, unless he defected with his entire family, the likely outcome was the demise of his whole household. Given that, it was better to try to alter fate.

“You are indeed a loyal and upright man, sir!” Chen Xiao smiled warmly.

“You flatter me,” Zhang Rui waved his hands repeatedly, though a cold sneer lingered in his heart.

He had no sympathy for these madmen sacrificing an entire city’s people. The notion of loyalty was nonsense; ultimately, it was all for personal desire. He was no saint, but such insane acts were beyond him.

After this ordeal, he would keep as far away as possible!

“Is the Crown Prince still safe?” Zhang Rui asked the pressing question.

How long the Crown Prince could hold out was critical.

“His Highness is currently guarded personally by General Long. Though the Weichi family’s elite forces have suffered heavy losses, they still command over ten thousand soldiers. Along with the court-appointed sorcerers, no power in Beihai can launch a strong assault to harm the Crown Prince. But the problem is...”

“The mysterious plague?”

“Yes,” Chen Xiao nodded. “We must find the one who spread the plague, or the Crown Prince will bear the blame for the lives lost in the city. Even if we claim it was our unauthorized action, His Highness cannot escape this charge. If this spreads, the Crown Prince’s claim will be lost!”

“So you’ve sealed off news from Beihai?” Zhang Rui sensed this keenly.

“The Weichi family has ruled Beihai for a millennium, not just in name,” Chen Xiao said quietly. “Though the Crown Prince’s maternal clan was devastated, their foundations remain strong, with countless experts under their command. With the Weichi family’s blockade, not even a fly can escape!”

“Forcible blockade?” Zhang Rui frowned. “Why not just say the people died of plague? The city is under epidemic, after all.”

“No,” Chen Xiao looked oddly at Zhang Rui. “The forbidden arts left significant traces, breeding many vengeful spirits. We must send powerful sorcerers and troops to suppress them. There’s no hiding this. It seems you are unfamiliar with such matters?”

Zhang Rui was silent.

“Sir, there’s no need to probe. I am indeed not from any noble family and know little of sorcerers,” Zhang Rui smiled, paying no mind to whether Chen Xiao believed him. He continued about the Crown Prince’s situation: “So the plan is to find the plague’s instigator before Beihai is forcibly unsealed by the court and pin all blame on them?”

“Yes,” Chen Xiao said earnestly. “This tragedy in Beihai was orchestrated by deranged traitors who deserve everyone’s scorn, not the Crown Prince.”

Zhang Rui nodded but saw clearly: those schemers targeting the Crown Prince were insane, and those protecting him were scarcely better.

“I’m curious: you said after using forbidden arts, nearly all the Beihai citizens died. Wouldn’t that make finding the culprit easier? No traces remain?”

“That’s precisely our dilemma,” Chen Xiao said gravely. “After the forbidden arts, almost everyone perished. Not just common folk, but even minor noble families were wiped out. Only a few vassal families of the Weichi remain.”

Zhang Rui felt a chill. The whole city wiped clean except the Weichi family and their affiliates — this was no accident but deliberate. These people...

“But the Crown Prince has fallen ill again!”

“Huh?” Zhang Rui was stunned. “Again?”

“Yes,” Chen Xiao’s face darkened. “Despite countless protectors, the Crown Prince contracted the plague anew. It is spreading swiftly within the Weichi household, and even General Weichi Peng, the head of the family, is severely ill now.”

Zhang Rui inhaled deeply. The Crown Prince’s faction had resorted to the most poisonous forbidden arts, slaughtering all citizens and noble families alike to erase the plague’s source. Yet the Crown Prince still succumbed? This was unsettling.

“Within the Weichi family?”

“That’s the only theory,” Chen Xiao sighed. “But you know, that is the Crown Prince’s maternal clan and staunch supporters. There is no reason to suspect them. If anything, the Crown Prince’s own advisors might be more suspect. That’s why we urgently summoned Master Tian back.”

Zhang Rui nodded; it made sense. The Weichi family produced the Empress, and the Crown Prince was her son. Moreover, the current emperor did not hesitate to entrust the Crown Prince to Beihai to build his reputation, showing great trust in the Weichi family. It was clear that once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Weichi clan would rise even higher.

In such circumstances, unless the Weichi family planned rebellion, they would not harm the Crown Prince.

“What kind of plague is this? You’re utterly powerless against it?”

Chen Xiao explained, “It must be a sorcerer’s doing. The symptoms are peculiar: sufferers begin with a strange smile in any situation, then black blood flows from their orifices, emitting a horrid stench. They become extremely agitated, their faces contort, and they frantically claw at their flesh, which falls away like tofu, until their bodies are ravaged by sores and they die a gruesome death.”

Zhang Rui’s eyes widened.

“We considered many transmission routes — blood, breath — but all preventive measures failed.”

Seeing Zhang Rui’s stunned expression, Chen Xiao frowned. “It sounds unsettling. If I were you, I’d be frightened too.”

Zhang Rui snapped out of it and forced a smile, though his heart was a storm. This plague sounded remarkably like something from one of his discarded manuscripts.

What troubled him more was...

“Mr. Chen, the smile you described — is it like this?”

Zhang Rui’s face twisted into a faint, eerie smile.

Chen Xiao and the others were startled; several guards almost drew their weapons. Chen Xiao regained composure and looked at the now serious Zhang Rui. “Have you seen this before?”

“No, never,” Zhang Rui shook his head. “But I want to ask — do the infected deny ever smiling?”

“Yes,” Chen Xiao nodded eagerly. Secretly, he thought: could this magistrate have a clue? The prophecy was true — there was a noble benefactor!

“Oh, then it fits...” Zhang Rui glanced at them darkly. “I wondered why you were laughing earlier — now I understand.”

Before he could speak further, a young, tender voice interrupted.

“Something’s wrong...”

“What is it?” Zhang Rui turned quickly, Chen Xiao also looked. His regard for this girl was as high as for the magistrate.

“Many spirit paintings!” Murong Yunji pointed to the distance. Zhang Rui followed her gaze and gasped.

Unseen until now, the darkness was filled with green eyes, their number at least tenfold greater than before.

Had Murong Yunji’s ghost-slaying stirred this reaction? Or was it something else...

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“Your Highness, at this rate, you won’t hold out much longer...”

In the dark, Qin Fang carried the Third Prince Li Yu, abandoning all other guards without hesitation. As for the foolish Prefect of Youzhou, who was used as a pawn without realizing it, Qin Fang kicked him aside as a shield without a second thought.

Outnumbered severely, their best option was retreat. Normally, Qin Fang, a master warrior, could outrun any pursuer with his speed and skill, even against many foes — such confidence was the mark of a top-tier fighter. But here, agility seemed less effective.

The painted ghosts excelled at tracking, and it felt as if Qin Fang was marked. No matter how far he ran, an endless stream of new painted ghosts pursued and attacked, impossible to shake off.

“Qin Gonggong, what’s going on?” Li Yu frowned. He was a martial artist himself and knew Qin Fang’s abilities well. Few could keep pace with him. Though the painted ghosts were numerous, few were strong; none could match Qin Fang’s speed.

“I don’t know...” Qin Fang shook his head. “None of these evil spirits are strong enough to catch me. I tried hiding my aura and erasing traces after losing them several times, but new painted ghosts still appeared. It’s like we’ve been locked onto by some method. Otherwise, this wouldn’t happen.”

He had noticed that at every new location, the ghosts surrounding them were new faces. Strange. Did every painted ghost here recognize them? And not by sight — from afar, they homed in relentlessly. The feeling was despairing, as if escape was impossible.

Li Yu’s face paled. No matter how skilled Qin Fang was, he was human and would tire. If at every stop the painted ghosts swarmed inescapably, he wouldn’t last until dawn.

“Is this the way back to the Painting Market?” Li Yu snapped out of his thoughts and saw Qin Fang stop. Ahead was the entrance to the Painting Market, once brightly lit, now plunged in darkness.

More chilling were the screams of the living and the howls of demons echoing from within.

“The people inside the Painting Market are finished!” Qin Fang’s face darkened.

Li Yu fell silent. He had heard that with the life-protecting lamp, no evil could invade. But now it seemed this was a trap designed to sacrifice the living from the start.