Chapter 470: Chapter 472 Naless Village
Watching the commoners gradually leave, Pei Huaian turned to Luo Cheng and said, “Go to the nearby town to buy so herbs and grains.”
“Your subordinate complies!”
Luo Cheng imdiately went to handle it, and Pei Huaian returned alone to the mansion.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
Early the next morning, as soon as he opened his eyes, there was a knock at the door.
“Thud, thud, thud…!”
Pei Huaian sat up and said indifferently, “Co in!”
Ah Mo pushed the door and entered the room, carrying steaming food, and respectfully handed it to Pei Huaian.
“Master, you’ve worked hard. This is porridge I cooked myself; please have so to fill your stomach.”
Pei Huaian took the spoon, bowed his head to eat the fragrant porridge in the bowl, thinking of the commoners outside who could not eat.
“Has the Imperial Physician started treating the people in the city?”
“Master, rest assured, all the Imperial Physicians started examining the commoners this morning,” Ah Mo replied.
Pei Huaian drained the bowl of porridge and then hurriedly left.
The commoners of Jinzhou City had all been rescued, and the bodies had been burned.
Seeing the people coming out, the commoners knelt down to worship, “Commoners greet the Fifth Prince!”
“Please, everyone, get up.” Pei Huaian waved his hand.
Only then did the commoners rise, and Pei Huaian approached the Imperial Physician to inquire, “How is it?”
“Reporting to the Fifth Prince, there’s nothing wrong with these commoners’ bodies, they’ve just been given so drugs,” one of the older Imperial Physicians replied.
“Have you discovered anyone with the plague?” Pei Huaian continued.
“Not yet.”
Pei Huaian’s brow furrowed tightly, feeling that things were not that simple. Since none of the commoners here had the plague, could it be…
All of a sudden, he looked up and ordered Ah Mo in a cold voice, “Send a few n to accompany to Naless Village imdiately for investigation, and leave soone waiting for Luo Cheng.”
“Yes!” Ah Mo respectfully said and then withdrew.
This ti, Pei Huaian brought Ah Mo and others to Naless Village. When the group arrived, it was already getting dark.
“Master, Naless Village is just ahead, but we have found many bodies along the way; it is very likely that this is the source of the plague,” Ah Mo pointed to the not-too-distant place and said.
Hearing Ah Mo’s words, Pei Huaian’s face instantly changed—no wonder the previous plague had spread so rapidly.
“Ah Mo, you first take people to scout around, do not approach those bodies, and be careful.”
“Your subordinate complies!”
Pei Huaian stood in place thinking for a mont, then walked toward the nearby grove.
The stench of decay here was unbearable, Pei Huaian did not find any useful clues and left with his n.
“Where is Ah Mo?”
“Reporting to the Prince, Guard Mo seems to have taken people into Naless Village.”
“Reckless!”
Pei Huaian reprimanded and quickly headed toward Naless Village, his heart filled with unease.
Inside Naless Village.
“Guard Mo, we’ve searched everywhere; why is there not a single person?”
Ah Mo glanced around; this place didn’t look uninhabited. So where had all the villagers gone?
As he pondered, he suddenly saw a few elders carrying a corpse. They looked around cautiously; Ah Mo quickly led his soldiers to hide.
“Yes!”
The soldiers obediently followed behind the elders.
“Guard Mo, why are they carrying a body?” one of the soldiers asked curiously.
Ah Mo pondered for a mont, “Let’s follow and see.”
When they stopped in front of a dilapidated hut, the elders carried the body inside. Each of the elders took a firestarter from their bosoms and lit the candles. They lifted the bed plank to reveal a secret passage.
Ah Mo and his n watched them descend through the bed plank, and the soldiers behind him hesitated.
“Guard Mo, should we follow them down?”
“You few go inform the Fifth Prince; I’ll go down alone to explore,” Ah Mo said.
Based on concern, a few soldiers said, “Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
“Having you with would only hold back,” Ah Mo replied, then pushed the door open without allowing them to argue further, and lifted the bed plank to go down.
The n exchanged looks and reluctantly followed Ah Mo’s instructions, hurrying to report the situation.
anwhile, inside the hut, Ah Mo slowly descended the stairs. As he went further down, the light grew dim and the air was filled with the sll of rot. He covered his mouth and nose and continued downward.
When he reached the bottom, there was a door; he pushed it open, and a strong scent of blood rushed at him.
Ah Mo frowned, looking at the scene before him: bodies were laid on the ground, male and female, even including infants, all in a horrific state of death, bleeding from all orifices; so had already begun to emit a stench of decay.
Ah Mo covered his mouth and nose, did not approach, and muttered in a low voice, “Could these people have all died from the plague, but why would they be here?”
At that mont, faint noises ca from another passage. Ah Mo, alert, stood up and left the room.
Sounds of conversation soon followed from the room.
“Village head, this can’t be a long-term solution; we can’t keep hiding here.”
“What else can we do then? If you want to survive, you’ll just have to stay here temporarily.”
“But, these bodies are simply not enough to go around. Can’t we go out and find sothing to eat at night?”
Ah Mo, overhearing this, felt his stomach churn; they had carried in the body to eat it?
A scenario of cannibalism he had never witnessed before—it was even hard to bear thinking about it!
Reviews
All reviews (0)