Although the territory of Yuzhou could use the internet, it was all local area networks. Only cities within Yuzhou could use mobile phones. Once outside the city, attempting to use the internet was utterly impossible!
For Yuzhou to learn about outside news, it was often one to two days slower than the outside world. Information blockade was a serious problem for Yuzhou.
Even so, Shen Feng still heard about what happened to Yue Hengyi in Yanjing. When he learned that Yue Hengyi was ultimately sentenced to death, he couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity, little Yue, to bid farewell to this world at such a young age," Shen Feng lamented.
Having fought alongside Yue Hengyi before, Shen Feng had his own opinions of him. In his eyes, although Yue Hengyi was immature, he possessed a conviction in his heart and would feel lost over meaningless killing, which indicated his kindness. Now, having personally killed over seven thousand people, he must be feeling terrible.
Just as Shen Feng was processing documents, news arrived from outside the city, "City Lord, two ability users have arrived, Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe. They say they want to see you! But they seem very unusual right now."
"How are they unusual?" Shen Feng asked casually.
The messenger couldn't help but smile and said, "Both of these ability users have swollen bellies. They're shouting outside the city with their bellies protruding."
Shen Feng smacked his forehead hard, his expression peculiar. "If I remember correctly, Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe are both men, right? They can get pregnant?"
Shen Feng found the matter quite bizarre, so he quickly said, "I'll go out to take a look. You don't need to follow. Chao Yan, I'll trouble you."
With Shen Feng leaving the city, Chu Chao Yan naturally took over the task of processing documents in the office. As for Chang Jianyi, she was in Fengshen Palace looking after the children and also disciplining Chang Haojie.
A few days prior, after Chang Haojie completed his task of gathering information in the mountains, he returned to the city. He unexpectedly heard about what happened between Chang Jianyi and Hua Jingran. This led Chang Haojie to insist that his sister had orchestrated a scheme to frame Hua Jingran, causing Hua Jingran to make the wrong choice. Chang Jianyi was very angry and directly confined her brother, forbidding him from leaving or having visitors.
Chang Jianyi couldn't stand her brother repeatedly defying her for an outsider. If it were a suitable match, it would be fine, but it turned out to be a disloyal woman who was easily swayed by a few words. How could she be in a good mood? Moreover, the incident clearly happened by chance, but Chang Haojie insisted it was Chang Jianyi's ploy, which greatly angered her.
After being confined, Chang Haojie also showed his resolve and began a hunger strike, refusing anything offered to him as a form of protest.
Shen Feng had been trying to persuade the siblings these past few days, warning that continuing their conflict would lead to domestic discord, and they couldn't become a laughingstock for others. Therefore, Shen Feng had been trying to prevent their confrontation, but unfortunately, it was to no avail.
Afterward, Shen Feng quickly headed outside the city. Although the outer city was under construction, the area requiring construction was too vast. The city walls hadn't even had their foundations laid. Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe had already arrived outside the inner city walls. The soldiers absolutely refused to let them in, as they were ability users from Yanjing.
When Shen Feng emerged from the city, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He saw Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe sitting bare-chested on chairs, their bellies distended. Their stomachs were so large that the veins on their skin were clearly visible. Even pregnant women couldn't compare to this condition.
"What are you two doing?" Shen Feng couldn't suppress his laughter, instinctively feeling that Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe looked utterly ridiculous.
Ke Yiming gritted his teeth as he looked at Shen Feng, then said directly, "Stop the nonsense. I came to find you. You must know my purpose. Call out that scoundrel Lu Kaiwen. This is a battle between him and me."
Shen Feng couldn't help but ask, "Putting other matters aside, did you two drink from the River of Mother and Child? How did your bellies get so big? It looks like you're at least nine months pregnant."
Shen Feng hadn't expected that the survivor from the sea mentioned by Gong Changfa would be Ke Yiming. It was no small feat to return from the sea. Ke Yiming's purpose in coming here was also obvious; he was likely looking for Gu Yanxiao. However, that wasn't what Shen Feng was concerned about.
Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe were dressed identically, leaning back in their chairs with their large bellies protruding. They were gaunt, and the two esteemed ability users couldn't even wear their clothes properly. They could only leave their shirts open, exposing their swollen bellies. The zippers wouldn't close, and the buttons wouldn't fasten. If Shen Feng didn't know they were men, he would have surely thought they were two pregnant women.
Ke Yiming pointed to Yun Laizhe beside him and said, "This kid treated me to sashimi, but it turned out to be caught from the river. It had parasites. Coincidentally, there were schistosomiasis eggs. In just two days, my belly became this big."
After understanding the sequence of events, Shen Feng finally grasped why their bellies were so large. It turned out they had ingested schistosomiasis eggs.
"Ke Yiming, you saw schistosomiasis with me before. You also know that schistosomiasis has spread throughout the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. You still dared to eat raw fish? You're like a寿星公 eating arsenic – seeking death," Shen Feng couldn't help but say.
Speaking of this, Ke Yiming was full of complaints. "Do you think I wanted this? Yun Laizhe kept telling me that sashimi tasted good and that soy sauce and vinegar could kill parasites, so I actually believed him. This situation is all his fault."
Yun Laizhe also leaned back in his chair, looking up at the sky. "I thought that since we are ability users, our stomach acid might be able to kill parasites. I didn't expect that parasites wouldn't be so easily killed, and now we've ended up like this."
"Do you think you're a projectile zombie? If your stomach acid could kill parasites, then parasites would have been extinct long ago," Shen Feng said helplessly.
Currently, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were basically occupied by schistosomiasis. The intermediate host of schistosomiasis used to be Oncomelania snails, so killing the snails could prevent schistosomiasis. However, the current schistosomiasis had mutated. Its intermediate hosts had expanded to other fish and shrimp. Especially during times of great chaos, no one could control schistosomiasis. Furthermore, schistosomiasis also showed signs of spreading to the Pearl River basin.
Therefore, when mercenaries ate in the wild, they could only eat cooked food. No one knew if the water contained parasite eggs. Once infected by parasites and without proper treatment, it was essentially a death sentence.
Shen Feng looked at their miserable state and quickly said, "I'll take you two for treatment first. By the way, are you here to find Gu Yanxiao? I'll inform her about this immediately, but you need to be mentally prepared."
"Because Gu Yanxiao has remarried!" Ke Yiming said weakly.
Shen Feng was not very clear about this matter. He shrugged and did not reply, but he still made excuses for Gu Yanxiao. "Actually, Gu Yanxiao had deep feelings for you. First, her family pressured her family, and she'd rather die than comply. She didn't hesitate to flee from the Three Gorges to Yuzhou to hide. Tell me, how many people have such feelings?"
"What's the use of saying all this? After I recover, I'm going to deal with these two scoundrels. A pair of dogs and bitches. If I don't kill them, I can't quell my anger." Ke Yiming's rage had not subsided. Now, he was determined to avenge the loss of his wife.
Yun Laizhe said, "Shen Feng, save your breath. I've advised Ke Yiming more than once, and I haven't succeeded these past few days, so you don't stand a chance either."
Hearing this, Shen Feng shrugged helplessly and had no choice but to send the two to the hospital for the time being. Even ability users couldn't survive if their livers were riddled with parasites. Receiving treatment was imperative. First, they had to kill the schistosomiasis. As for what happened afterward, that could be discussed later.
Meanwhile, Gu Yanxiao in Yuzhou City, who was busy organizing the establishment of a hospital, unexpectedly learned of Ke Yiming's return and his infection with parasites, leading to his hospitalization. Gu Yanxiao immediately became excited and rushed towards the hospital.
Lu Kaiwen had intended to visit Ke Yiming together, but Shen Feng sent a message asking Lu Kaiwen to hide in Jiangyang because Ke Yiming was preparing to settle scores with him.
Although Ke Yiming was now a patient infected with parasites, he was still an ability user. Lu Kaiwen had obtained the ability potion but hadn't had a chance to use it yet. Therefore, if a fight broke out, Lu Kaiwen wouldn't last a single move.
Once Lu Kaiwen understood this, he was on the verge of tears and said to Gu Yanxiao, "Miss Gu, it's all because you said it was a fake marriage. Now your husband is here, what am I going to do?"
Lu Kaiwen was worried that Ke Yiming already held a grudge against him. He could escape the immediate danger, but not forever.
"What are you afraid of? We just need to clarify the situation. We've been pure these days, and nothing has happened. I have a clear conscience," Gu Yanxiao said seriously.
"Heh, you're thinking too simply. I'm a man, and I understand men's thoughts best. Even if the fake marriage is explained, this matter will always remain a thorn in Ke Yiming's heart. He might believe it on the surface, but he'll still harbor doubts in his heart. In short, I'm in danger. I'm going to Jiangyang to hide and take the ability potion." Lu Kaiwen gave a bitter smile, then packed his things and left, taking advantage of the fact that Ke Yiming couldn't act yet.
Lu Kaiwen's thinking was simple. Even if the fake marriage was explained, there would definitely be a rift in Ke Yiming's heart. He couldn't entrust his life to someone else's magnanimity. Therefore, he should make a quick escape while he could.
After Lu Kaiwen fled, Gu Yanxiao also hesitated. Her relationship with Ke Yiming had been very good before, and Ke Yiming had always trusted her. However, more than half a year had passed, and many things were unclear. If there was a misunderstanding, it would be difficult to resolve if the situation escalated.
With this thought, Gu Yanxiao immediately sent a message to Chang Jianyi in Fengshen Palace. Previously, Gu Yanxiao was worried about gossip, so she specifically found Chang Jianyi as a witness. She never expected Ke Yiming to be alive. Since that was the case, she needed Chang Jianyi to step forward and testify for her at this moment.
Afterward, Gu Yanxiao headed towards the hospital.
Chang Jianyi saw the message sent by Gu Yanxiao and dared not delay. She immediately headed towards the hospital. Before leaving, she instructed everyone in Fengshen Palace, "You all keep a close eye on Chang Haojie. Make sure he doesn't slip out, do you understand?"
Everyone quickly nodded in agreement. "Understood, Madam. We will keep a close eye on the Young Master!"
After receiving their affirmation, Chang Jianyi immediately hurried towards the hospital within the city.
In the castle's tower, there was a spire without any stairs, which was Chang Haojie's exclusive room. Chang Haojie usually entered and exited the room through the window from here.
Chang Haojie was confined in the spire, and the windows were already covered with thick ivy, which Chang Jianyi had done. It only took a minute for the ivy to cover the entire spire. If it weren't for the electric lights inside, it would have been pitch black.
Chang Haojie pushed aside the ivy from the window and saw that his sister had left Fengshen Palace. He felt that his opportunity had arrived and muttered to himself, "You won't let me marry the person I love, but I will marry her. Just you wait and see."