Chapter 47

Holding Dabai, Majingyi silently watched Xun Yi directing people from a distance, and even Xun Yi personally carried the elderly who were infected with the disease.

"This guy doesn't look like the offspring of a prince or noble at all."

However, one couldn't help but admit that Xun Yi's good deeds, even as a former enemy like Majingyi, were deeply admirable. A young master who had always lived in luxury did not run to a safe place when the crisis struck but instead rushed to the front.

If it were someone else, few would be able to do the same.

"But I can't help feeling that his actions seem a bit strange?" Majingyi was puzzled, wondering if it was for show or for some other reason.

Xun Yi had just moved an elderly person, but he didn't even glance at the corpses lying on the street, directly stepping over them and ordering the bodies to be cremated. If it weren't for Liu Ziming later leaving tokens for the families to identify their loved ones, there would have been complaints long ago.

"His actions seem a bit off." But what exactly, Majingyi couldn't figure out.

"What are you standing there for!" Liu Ziming returned with two medicine pots: "I'll boil the medicine, you go and distribute it." The two swapped roles, and Liu Ziming kept an eye on Xun Yi from a distance.

Xun Yi's health was poor, and he needed to rest after working for a while. However, under the effect of "Spring Revival," his vitality was restored, and he was temporarily fine.

"Xun Yi! Something's wrong!" A young man ran over in a hurry, Meng Han unfolded the Fei Beast diagram they had obtained: "Look, this is the Fei Beast we killed."

"Who is this?" Seeing Meng Han and Xun Yi's familiarity, Liu Ziming was secretly puzzled. He hadn't seen this person in the Xun family all these years. And his closeness to Xun Yi was no less than that of Liu Zhenying, who had been a close friend for many years.

The two were shoulder to shoulder, and Xun Yi examined the Fei Beast diagram. "Is the Fei Beast just a painting?" Xun Yi was stunned by the painting in Meng Han's hand. Without the inner core, how could they refine the medicine to cure the epidemic?

"Not just a painting. From the brushwork, it's similar to the Literary Evil God we dealt with not long ago." Wen Pan, invisible, whispered in Xun Yi's ear: "I suspect he's behind this."

"A Fourth Heaven Evil God?" Xun Yi was solemn. Only a deity approaching the Celestial God realm could casually create life.

Calling over two fangshi, Xun Yi pointed to the Fei Beast diagram: "If the epidemic in the city is caused by this diagram, do you have a way to drive it away?"

"Diagram?" The two fangshi were very surprised: "Using a Fei Beast painting to cause trouble in Miaoxian, this is treating the painting as a divine artifact?"

After a brief discussion, one of them said: "If we consider the epidemic as a disease caused by a magical artifact, we can use a magical artifact to contain the epidemic. This should also help to disperse it. However..."

"However, what?"

"This painting cannot be casually activated by just anyone, and it's not a true magical artifact. To control it, we need to return and refine it with the Fangxian Dao secret method for forty-nine days."

"Once the epidemic magical artifact is truly refined, it can be controlled at will."

Meng Han frowned: "Do we have that much time? If Miaoxian isn't saved in a few days, the court will likely order the burning of the infected to prevent the spread of the epidemic."

"This..." The two fangshi were speechless.

"Master, Dabai and I just dug up some strange snakes in the field." While everyone was deep in thought, Majingyi carried a bucket, and the bucket occasionally made loud noises as it swayed.

With a thud, the bottom of the bucket broke, and several black, twisted snakes fell to the ground. Their sharp fangs glistened, and the saliva dripping from them emitted a foul odor.

"Master, be careful!" Liu Ziming immediately hugged Xun Yi and jumped onto the roof.

"These are venomous snakes formed by the epidemic!" The two fangshi took out talismans and swept them, and Yu Feng also flew into the air.

Meng Han's inner warrior spirit warned him, and he jumped up, landing on the roof next to Xun Yi.

Below, only Li Junde and Majingyi remained.

Because these strange snakes had just experienced Majingyi's snake-catching skills, they all crawled toward Li Junde, their tongues emitting black gas. Li Junde hastily used the "Heavenly Clear Air" technique, a light shield protecting his body, and ran away.

"Hey, you guys just take care of yourselves and leave me here alone?"

A fangshi waved his hand, throwing a talisman to bring Li Junde up into the air. The three of them floated down to the roof using the cloud vapor.

The strange snakes circled around, unable to find their prey, and finally crawled toward Majingyi.

Majingyi casually picked up a wooden fork and threw the snakes into an empty medicine pot: "What should we do with these strange snakes? Burn them directly?"

"Wait!" A fangshi landed, collecting the saliva the snakes had spat out and comparing it with the blood of the patients he had collected. He took out a bunch of bottles from his waist bag and began to study. Finally, he said: "The epidemic gas driven by these strange snakes is similar to that of the Fei Beast. According to the theory of mutual generation and inhibition, perhaps..."

"Generally, within seven steps of a highly toxic creature, there must be an antidote." Xun Yi suddenly said: "Can these strange snakes replace the Fei Beast's inner core?"

"It might be difficult." The fangshi compared the concentration of the epidemic gas in the saliva: "If it were the Fei Beast's inner core, after nitration, it could easily purify the epidemic toxins when added to drinking water. But if it's these strange snakes, the gallbladders of these few snakes are not enough. And to use the snake gallbladder in medicine, more herbs are needed for adjustment."

"These strange snakes should not be limited to these. Majingyi, you and Mingge go out and look for more. Li Junde and I will prepare other herbs. The two masters are experts of the Fangxian Dao, and the lives of these thousands of patients are entrusted to you two." Xun Yi bowed deeply to the two, and they hurriedly returned the bow.

Then they each went their separate ways. Xun Yi secretly instructed Wen Pan and others: "Look for these strange snakes as well, and help me find my friend."

These strange snakes were suggested by the priests of the Earth Mother Temple, using the malevolent energy in the earth to lay snake eggs in various parts of Miaoxian. After a period of nurturing, they emerged from the ground. If not eliminated at the beginning, the soil in Miaoxian would eventually lose all its nutrients and become barren.

However, there was a trade-off; the strange snakes carried the antidote to the epidemic.

Wen Pan and the other officials led three thousand soldiers to search throughout Miaoxian, capturing the strange snakes that emerged from the ground. But if the snakes were buried deep underground, even they found it difficult to locate the eggs.

However, there was someone who could. Or rather, something that was more of a beast than a person.

Dabai stood on Majingyi's head, directing him to dig up the snake eggs with his long ears.

"More to the left, to the left, then move forward five steps!" Dabai was delighted, finally having a chance to be useful. Because he had lived near snake demons for a long time, he was sensitive to the scent of snakes. And because he was timid, just walking around the soil was enough to make him feel the pressure of the Fei Beast, causing his heart to race.

Relying on his timidity, he and Majingyi managed to dig up the snake eggs hidden in Miaoxian. These snake eggs were even more effective than snake gallbladders. In just two days, the fangshi used the snake eggs to prepare medicine, and the epidemic in the city was finally under control.

As for Liu Zhenying's whereabouts, the torn outer garment Majingyi brought back caused Li Junde and Xun Yi to fall into unease again.

The tattered outer garment, covered in countless snake bites and bloodstains, clearly indicated a dire situation.