"Gu Insect!"

Old Liu's voice trembled from the side.

Zhang Kui frowned and shook his head, "Not certain yet. Quick, bring a raw chicken egg."

Without a word, Old Liu ran out.

Zhang Kui looked at the unconscious Dong'Er, his expression gloomy.

Under the view of the Cave Abyss Skill, it was clearly visible that a green aura filled the girl's body, entangled with her own qi mechanism.

Under the effect of the Qi Prohibition Skill, although it was not exacerbating, the root cause wasn't solved.

The raw chicken egg was quickly brought.

Zhang Kui took an iron needle and pierced the pustule on Dong'Er's back, dipping a bit of pus and inserting it into the egg.

In no time,

the egg actually began to tremble slightly!

Breaking the egg into a bowl, a swarm of wriggling small worms immediately poured out, initially milky white, but quickly turning into black maggots upon contact with the air.

"It really is Gu poison..."

Zhang Kui and Liu Mao'Er looked grim.

Liu Mao'Er's voice trembled, "Dong'Er is simple and honest; we seldom have grudges with others. Who wants to harm her?"

Old Liu's face was filled with anger as he poured in the prepared strong liquor, lighting it with a candle.

The Jianghu is perilous; these things were commonly known.

The black maggots twisted madly in the blue fire of the liquor, each one starting to burst, emitting a green smoke.

"Get back!"

Zhang Kui suddenly widened his eyes and waved his right hand, sweeping Geng Metal Evil Qi through the room. A flash of golden light vanished.

"Such potent Gu poison!"

Zhang Kui's face immediately turned grim.

Under the Cave Abyss Skill, the green mist transformed from the dead Gu insects' bodies showed no sign of losing life force, rapidly thinning as it spread into the surrounding air. Thankfully, the Geng Metal Evil Qi eradicated all signs of life.

This air-transmitted Gu poison was unheard of before.

"Quick, bring paper and pen!"

An attendant brought paper and pen, and Zhang Kui immediately dipped the brush in ink and swiftly wrote: three coins of asarum, two coins of monkshood, four coins of black plum, three coins of thunder pills...

He had studied Medical Skill, though only at the first level, he was still a good physician. From memory, he had a prescription for Thunderous Exorcism Soup.

To gather herbs, Old Liu had opened a pharmacy in the Capital City, and there were reserves in the estate, so the medicinal soup was quickly concocted.

However, after pouring down a bowl, the green qi mechanism within Dong'Er only diminished slightly. If the Qi Prohibition Skill were lifted, it would likely relapse immediately.

Zhang Kui's face was uncertain, then suddenly a lightbulb moment struck, "Quick, go check on Fatty Tiger."

Fatty Tiger was unharmed. When called, he looked bewildered, "Huh, what's wrong with Dong'Er?"

Zhang Kui sternly shouted:

"No nonsense, tell me everything that happened today, in detail, without a single omission!"

Fatty Tiger sensed something was wrong and honestly recounted everything...

Old Liu listening at the side gasped, his lips trembling, "This is big trouble!"

Zhang Kui's expression turned grim. First, he patted Dong'Er's back several times, then took out a few Disease-removal Talismans.

"I've suppressed Dong'Er's internal qi mechanism, it can last a day. Every two-hour interval, give her Talismanic Water and medicinal soup to drink. Apart from you and Fatty Tiger, no one is to approach this room."

Old Liu was stunned, "Master Kui, where are you going?"

"To borrow a furnace, for Alchemy!"

After giving instructions, Zhang Kui immediately went to the warehouse, picked a large package of herbs, and vanished like a wisp of smoke heading straight to Jade Flower Temple.

The matter was urgent, Zhang Kui unleashed his speed, reaching Jade Flower Temple in less than the time of a burning incense stick.

The young Taoist child who opened the door looked puzzled,

"Taoist Brother Zhang, aren't you..."

Zhang Kui frowned and asked, "Is Elder Huayan here?"

The Taoist child scratched his head, "Just now, I don't know what happened, but he rushed to the Capital City in a hurry."

"Capital City..."

Zhang Kui shook his head to himself, "Then please tell Taoist Friend Bu Xu that I need to borrow a furnace for Alchemy."

Bu Xu, the chief disciple of Elder Huayan, that dark-faced Daoist, listened to Zhang Kui recount the incident, and his face immediately turned serious.

"This kind of Gu poison, I've never seen before either. Taoist Friend Zhang, there are already finished Gu-Exorcising Pills in the temple, but their effectiveness is unknown."

Zhang Kui nodded, "No matter, I have a Pill Formula. Once refined, it can be tested simultaneously, but I'm still short of one Ghost Head Mushroom."

Bu Xu smiled slightly, "Of course, the temple also has Ghost Head Mushrooms. I would like to see Taoist Friend Zhang's methods."

The two immediately headed to the back courtyard, where the Jade Flower Temple's pill furnace was shaped like a square cauldron, but Zhang Kui was too pressed for time to care.

Bu Xu watched as Zhang Kui first filled the cauldron with Rootless Water, then ground the Ghost Head Mushroom to simmer, looking completely baffled.

"Taoist Friend Zhang, are you... making soup?"

Zhang Kui shook his head, "This is called the Water Refining Skill. The Pill I'm refining is a powder, called Five Plagues Antidote Powder, composed of highly toxic herbs, needing to temper the medicinal properties."

"Five Plagues..."

Bu Xu frowned, "Taoist Friend Zhang, do you suspect this is a type of plague poison?"

Zhang Kui recalled the scene witnessed through the Cave Abyss Skill, his expression darkening, "I suspect this is a plague poison combined with Gu poison. I don't know which madman would do such a thing..."

...

Haojing City, a hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.

On a normal day, the early market would certainly be open by now, bustling with people, but today it was deserted, squads of City Guards patrolled aggressively, while Astronomical Bureau's black-clothed guards galloped on horseback, beating gongs and shouting:

"By order of His Majesty, the city faces a major plague; all districts are sealed off and no one is to leave. Any afflicted must be reported immediately; any concealment or attempt to create chaos will be punished by death!"

The sound of hooves echoed through the streets, yet it couldn't drown out the cries coming from within various districts.

Numerous White-clothed Feathered Scholars continuously carried out wax-sealed wooden boxes from the districts, clearly containing dead bodies, yet they shook ceaselessly.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers immediately scattered, each with a look of terror on their face...

Grand Profound Lake, Astronomical Bureau.

In the spacious hall, a variety of people sat on both sides, including monks, Daoists, swordsmen, scholars, elders, women, and children.

Among the thirty National Guardian True Men of the Qian Dynasty, about ten stationed in various provinces were absent, while the rest were gathered here.

In addition, several high-ranking eunuchs, each with a profound and ocean-like aura, were also present.

Constant reports came from the captains of the Astronomical Bureau:

"All districts in the city have been sealed. Currently, those afflicted by Gu have exceeded twenty thousand, with over eight thousand fatalities, all sent to the Yin Fire Cave..."

"The canal has been closed, and nearby cities are also reporting deaths, the furthest reaching as far as Lai State..."

"The Border Blood Wolf Army has received the message and is fully defending against any Ghost Rong movements..."

"Several State Preceptors have reported that the National Guardian Divine Artifact Nine Heavens Profound Fire Mirror, Thunder Sword, and Yellow Springs Palace Lamp have been awakened and can be activated at any time..."

Elder Huayan pinched his brow, "My few old friends have confirmed that this, though similar to Gu, is a plague never heard of. Cultivators can resist with Spiritual Qi, but ordinary people cannot withstand it. They are working on a herbal remedy."

The purple-eyed beauty Huo Yu showed a hint of regret, "Blame it on my carelessness. At the time, I just found it odd, not expecting the insect corpses and green mist to be the lethal strike."

A dignified long-bearded elder wearing a jade crown and splendid robes in the hall opened his eyes indifferently, "This kind of thing is unheard of, it's not your fault. Besides, if you hadn't been alert and handled things promptly, it would have led to chaos."

His name is Li Xuanji, the only royal in the ranks of National Guardian True Men, known for his integrity and quite prestigious even among the True Men.

An elderly eunuch bowed respectfully,

"True Men, the Imperial Palace has all halls sealed. The Emperor was quite enraged upon learning of this matter..."

"What good is being enraged?"

A pale-faced child carrying a Greatsword rolled his eyes and in an elder's sharp voice said:

"If you ask me, we should all march into the Ghost Rong territory and annihilate their Golden Tent to root out the cause."

The elderly eunuch looked embarrassed, while the other National Guardian True Men turned their heads, pretending not to hear.

"Tch!"

The child with the Greatsword lost interest, rolled his eyes, and spat.

Helian Boxiong suddenly stood up decisively,

"No matter which side is behind this, there might still be more tricks up their sleeve. I'll return to guard Lai State."

With that, he strode out of the hall.

Afterwards, a few others rose calmly.

"I'll patrol for a while."

"I will too..."

Elder Huayan watched the scene, couldn't help but sigh and shake his head slightly.

Where there are people, there is Jianghu; the position of National Guardian True Man comes with power, but it never formed a united front.

Some hold different ideals, looking at each other with disdain, even now, unable to unite.

He couldn't help but recall a series of recent events.

The millennium is about to bring great chaos?

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