The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 602 - 343: Epidemic Mutation_2

She shook her head: "No need. Eat less, taste more."

Mr. Miluo raised his cup to propose a toast: "Is it tasty?" However, this question was directed at Tu Jin.

"Rich in Spiritual Energy, acceptable," he always spoke succinctly.

"Indeed, it is the quality expected from Gold Cave." She picked up the cup in return, sipped lightly, and discovered the wine was mellow and sweet, with a hint of Spiritual Energy, bringing delight and ease when drunk in excess. Mr. Miluo said, "I presumed you do not favor drinking. This is the daughter wine brewed by Shuize Garden, made from Spirit Rice and Spirit Fruit, resembling fruit wine and much loved by female cultivators."

She stopped eating and twirled the cup in her hand: "After three rounds of drinks, Mr. Miluo, you should tell me the reason for inviting me to Chiming City, right?"

Mr. Miluo blinked, speaking affectionately: "I missed you."

She immediately felt a chill down her spine and couldn’t help but retort slightly angrily: "Let’s talk business!"

"Is this not business? Alright, alright," he saw her glaring with wide eyes and quickly raised his hands, "Not long after the incident at Guangcheng Palace, an epidemic began to rampage across the Southern Continent. Are you aware of this?"

"I had heard of it and just recently witnessed it myself in Xinghuang Village."

Mr. Miluo sighed, dismissed everyone, and then slightly darkened his expression: "I received a message yesterday morning, the first group of infected patients have started to die."

Ning Xiaoxian exclaimed: "What! How many people have died?" As the epidemic spreads, deaths are inevitable, but this bad news came too suddenly.

Tu Jin, sitting beside, was also moved.

"Over seventy thousand people. The number is increasing by the moment. During our conversation, at least a few hundred more have died," Mr. Miluo said indifferently, "The condition of other patients is also worsening, and I have noticed that all those who have not received elixir treatments are dying."

She suddenly felt dry in her mouth: "So, these hundreds of thousands infected will ultimately not escape death."

"Correct. Worse news is, as soon as the first batch died, there came reports of new infections," Mr. Miluo sat up straight, "The symptoms in these new patients are progressing much faster than the original ones. By noon today, the new patients have already reached a high fever stage, less than a day since infection. You should know, the first batch took about two days from infection to the appearance of symptoms."

"So, the onset time of the virus has shortened?" Ning Xiaoxian furrowed her brows. Viruses indeed evolve and mutate, but this rate of mutation... is unscientific. She gave a wry smile, in this world, there are many things that are not scientific.

"Correct. Before the first batch died, their bodies were emaciated, their skin turned purplish-blue. Now, many of the surviving patients are showing similar symptoms, I’m afraid they won’t last much longer."

"Inside the bodies of the deceased, were their Essence, Qi, Blood completely drained? And could this be found in some of their hearts?" She retrieved a bottle containing Plague Seeds from her bosom, first established a Barrier, and then poured out the green light orbs.

Once the Plague Seeds gained freedom, they immediately became lively, sensing that there was no suitable host in the room, they tried to rush out but were blocked by the Barrier.

Mr. Miluo pointed a finger and the Plague Seed was pulled back by a force, landing on the table: "Correct, we extracted about dozens of such seeds. Only by removing these seeds will the epidemic cease to spread."

"The epidemic started in Bing State. We located its origin, a small isolated village. Everyone in the village had long since died, leaving the trail cold for a while. Later, near this village, we discovered several anomalies."

"My people, near the village’s forest, found an entrance to an underground palace. The entrance seemed to have been opened recently. Through exploration, the underground palace is quite ancient, presumably over ten thousand years old, chilly and damp inside, yet empty, with intense miasma left behind, probably from something that had been taken out," he added, "The palace was opened from the outside."

"Furthermore, the ground near the palace was dug up completely, plants uprooted entirely. With no survivors in the nearby villages, we do not know what those plants looked like, but it seems related to something from within the palace. Later on, I received reports that many areas in the forests suddenly had pits of yellow earth, and finally, someone identified the plant with purple flowers."

"Is this it?" Ning Xiaoxian took out the bitter herb and placed it on the table, "People in Xinghuang Village call it bitter herb; both flower and stem are edible, but the small beans on the roots smell foul. Why would someone dig up this plant all along their way?"

Then, she detailed everything she observed and heard in Xinghuang Village.

While Mr. Miluo examined the bitter herb, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he finally spoke coldly, "No wonder disciples have been mysteriously disappearing from various Sects recently, turns out they were captured to cultivate these... Plague Seeds. The Fengtian Prefecture Bing State division also lost two little demons over a month ago, coinciding with the outbreak of the epidemic," his eyes emitting a burst of Red Light, "This person, truly deserves to die."

He could disregard the lives of mortals, but how could the dignity of Fengtian Prefecture be challenged? Besides, who wouldn’t want those hundreds of thousands of Merits?

"According to your description, this grass grows in Yin Land, so it is not surprising that it appeared near the underground palace. My men entered during late August, yet inside it felt bitterly cold, like deep winter, unbearable for mortals." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)