Ye Qingcheng had only recently arrived in Fengdu City. By the time she got there, the illness had already spread quite severely, so she had to rely on the local physicians present.
Upon hearing her question, the physicians exchanged glances, and then began offering a myriad of explanations. Some said it was caused by rat bites, others claimed the illness struck inexplicably, and some even suggested it was a spiritual affliction from offending a deity. Each explanation was more outlandish than the last, with none sounding remotely credible.
As for the onset time, they claimed it was from all sorts of periods, but when pressed for specifics, they couldn't provide clear answers. Listening to these jumbled responses, Ye Qingcheng felt a headache coming on and quickly stopped them, asking, "Do you know who the first person to fall ill was?"
This question caused everyone to pause. They shook their heads, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment. The fact that even the local physicians who had been involved in the treatment didn't know this left Ye Qingcheng feeling disheartened, sensing a dim and distant future.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze; the matter had reached an impasse. Without finding the source, even with her extraordinary abilities, she would be unable to prescribe the correct treatment or develop a prescription to cure the illness. Seeing the physicians in the room unable to utter a coherent sentence, Ye Qingcheng felt utterly helpless. She could only sigh inwardly and dismiss them.
The course of action would have to remain as before: to control the symptoms as much as possible and to strive to prevent the number of infected people from growing. For two consecutive days, Ye Qingcheng stayed in the makeshift medical area she had set up and in the grand mansion, rushing between the two. She saw to every patient daily without complaint. She also dedicated considerable effort to finding the cause of the illness, but all her attempts were in vain.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wangye had been gone from Fengdu City for two days, and the troops he led had already reached the nearest city, Qingfeng City. Although Qingfeng City was the closest to Fengdu City, the distance between them was not insignificant. Fortunately, the strange illness had not yet spread there. The city was a picture of prosperity. While it couldn't compare to the grandeur of the capital, it was considered a comfortably prosperous place.
Xiao Wangye's contingent numbered around forty to fifty people, including his own guards and soldiers drawn from Fengdu City. Their imposing presence immediately drew the attention of the guards at the gates of Qingfeng City, who stopped them. Not wanting to waste time with pleasantries, he immediately identified himself and requested an audience with the prefect of Qingfeng City.
Qingfeng City was different from Fengdu City. Fengdu City was a fiefdom of a prince, where the court's policies were more lenient. Qingfeng City, however, was an ordinary city, still governed by its prefect and directly accountable to the imperial court. After all, Xiao Wangye was the regent, the emperor's own brother. The prefect of Qingfeng City did not dare to put on airs and immediately came out to welcome the party into the city.
Observing the prefect's portly appearance, Xiao Wangye knew that he was likely no better than Luo Qin Quan. Without further ado, he stated his purpose: he needed grain, and the sooner the better!
Upon hearing this, the prefect of Qingfeng City's expression immediately changed, but he quickly regained his composure. Xiao Wangye's reason for collecting grain was legitimate, and he repeatedly stated that he had reported it to the court. No matter how reluctant the prefect was, he had no choice but to reluctantly part with a portion of the grain. However, the prefect lamented his own city's scarcity, claiming their granaries were nearly empty and that the grain he provided was only a small amount.
Having some was better than nothing, so Xiao Wangye didn't argue further. He ordered his men to take the grain and head straight for the next city. They ran through three or four cities consecutively, covering all the ones around Fengdu City. However, the amount of grain they managed to collect was still not substantial, likely enough to feed the entire city for only half a month. Fortunately, the various cities obliged due to Xiao Wangye's princely status. Yet, each one lamented their own poor circumstances, and consequently, very little was contributed.
As they left the last city, Xiao Wangye looked at the meager amount of grain in the convoy and sighed, his face etched with exhaustion. He had been traveling tirelessly day after day, making these rounds, but this was all he could manage. With no knowledge of the current situation in the city, and concerned for Ye Qingcheng who was alone, he decided to transport the grain they had gathered back first.
The last city was the furthest from Fengdu City, and the journey would take a considerable amount of time. With their convoy transporting grain, their progress was significantly slowed. After traveling for half a day, as they entered a desolate patch of woods, strange noises suddenly erupted.
"Halt! Rest in place!" Xiao Wangye frowned, scanning their surroundings, and called a stop to the marching convoy.
Just as the bewildered group halted, a group of black-clad figures suddenly burst from the woods, encircling them completely. The attackers were numerous, likely two to three times the size of their own contingent, and they were surrounded without escape. The soldiers and guards escorting the grain immediately drew their weapons, cautiously observing these uninvited guests.
"If you wish to pass, leave your wealth!" The leader of the black-clad figures wielded a large saber, but their faces were all masked, making their appearances and features impossible to discern.
Xiao Wangye's eyes darkened. He didn't believe for a moment that this group were common bandits from the mountains. What kind of bandits would dress like this? His intuition told him that these people were specifically targeting him!
"Hmph! Dream on!" With a cold smile, he raised his sword, signaling his unwavering stance.
Hearing this, the other side wasted no further words and charged into the convoy with their blades raised. According to Xiao Wangye's calculations, his own guards were no ordinary men; they could handle two to three opponents with ease. Even the Fengdu City soldiers, however weak, could hold them off for a while. As long as the secret guards arrived, the people before them would pose no threat.
However, despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the enemy was truly after him, or rather, after the grain he had collected! Those black-clad figures had no intention of engaging them in direct combat. They dodged and weaved their way into the convoy, grabbed the sacks containing the grain, and fled. Half of the entire convoy's grain was forcibly snatched away. Just as Xiao Wangye was seething with rage, Yang Ming, clutching an object tightly, hurried to his side.
"Master, this is an item that this subordinate retrieved from one of those ruffians!" These royal guards naturally stood with their master in shared hatred. Seeing the grain they had painstakingly collected being stolen, they fought back with fierce blows. But Yang Ming, being more vigilant, managed to snatch an object from one of the attackers during the skirmish.
Xiao Wangye accepted the object, which appeared to be a token, and found it somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen it before. With this piece of evidence, he became even more certain that this robbery was a deliberate act orchestrated by certain individuals!
With the enemy's malicious intent and brazen actions, Xiao Wangye's anger was naturally immense. He was not one to suffer losses in silence, but the immediate priority was to deliver the grain back, as the citizens of Fengdu City could not afford to wait.