Chapter 300: The Mountain of Burning Corpses
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Bloodstains were scattered everywhere outside the city gates.
Even within the overgrown grass, the stench of decaying corpses lingered.
The foul odor permeated through the carriage and the triple-layered face coverings, unable to be suppressed.
“Who goes there? Halt at once!” A general atop the city walls raised his bow, shouting loudly.
“Desolate City is plagued with an epidemic—entry is permitted, but none may leave! Consider your decision carefully before entering! If you attempt to leave, you will be executed without mercy!” The general, clad in armor, had a resolute gaze.
Rong Che sat astride his horse, while his trusted subordinate beside him proclaimed, “General Rong has been commanded to escort the imperial physicians into Desolate City! Vice General Zhu, open the gates at once!”
The soldiers atop the walls immediately turned their attention towards them.
Vice General Zhu was momentarily stunned before hastily descending from the walls.
Within the city walls, numerous commoners had gathered, their faces filled with desperate hope.
“Vice General Zhu, please let us out! I am not sick, I swear! Please, I beg of you…”
“I won’t spread the disease, I swear it!” A man, his face pale with fear, fell to his knees, pleading.
“I’m not a resident of Desolate City—I was merely here for business. Please, let me leave! I beg you…”
Vice General Zhu did not turn back. “Open the gates! Welcome the general!”
Creak—
The heavy city gates slowly opened.
“General Rong!” Vice General Zhu’s face was filled with joy, yet he halted three steps away, unwilling to come any closer.
“General, why have you returned at such a perilous time? Desolate City is not a place to be! Once you’ve delivered the physicians, return to the capital at once!” He was unwilling to see his general set foot into this forsaken place.
Rong Che cast him a sidelong glance.
“You brat, do you think I’m a coward who fears death?”
“Open the gates!”
Vice General Zhu, having been Rong Che’s friend for many years, knew his nature well. Without hesitation, he shouted, “Open the gates! Welcome the general!”
The gates swung wide.
Rong Che led the carriages and soldiers into the city.
The stench of rot and disease only grew stronger within the walls.
Lu Chao Chao poked her small head out from the carriage window, and Vice General Zhu’s face twisted in shock. “General, why did you bring a child here?!”
“The plague has not been contained. Each day, countless people fall ill, and some even attempt to escape by night…” Rong Che sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.
“Let her be. Just treat her well.”
Vice General Zhu was dumbfounded. This was a matter of life and death—how could they treat it as a joke?
Lu Chao Chao grinned widely at him.
Just as the carriages crossed the threshold, a crazed man suddenly rushed toward the gates.
“I need to get out! I must leave!”
“If I stay in Desolate City, I’ll be infected—I’ll die! Everyone here will die! Once infected, there is no cure! I must escape!” His eyes were filled with madness.
“Stop him!” Vice General Zhu’s expression darkened.
At once, the soldiers moved to restrain him.
The man struggled violently. “Let me go! If I stay, I’ll die! Let me out!”
“I’m not sick! Why won’t you let me leave?!”
He screamed and fought desperately.
“Wait… check his tongue.” Lu Chao Chao’s brows furrowed.
The soldiers, noticing how she was surrounded by the carriages, assumed she held high status. Obeying her words, they pried the man’s mouth open.
His tongue was crimson red, covered in bright red spots.
Vice General Zhu’s expression turned grim.
“You claim you aren’t infected?” He ground his teeth in fury.
“Take him away for treatment at once!”
Once the man was dragged away, Vice General Zhu’s face darkened further. “This plague spreads at an alarming rate. Even without direct contact, symptoms can appear. We dare not allow anyone to leave—if the disease spreads beyond these walls, none of us could bear the consequences!”
“The people of Desolate City are innocent. All we can do is contain the outbreak and ensure it doesn’t spread further.”
“Let’s escort the imperial physicians to the General’s Manor for rest,” Vice General Zhu instructed.
The physicians exchanged glances before one elderly doctor shook his head. “Thank you for your kindness, Vice General, but take us to the patients first. The plague cannot wait.” The aged doctors, though frail, were determined to save lives.
Rong Che nodded, and Vice General Zhu promptly ordered trusted subordinates to escort them.
“Where is Lu Zheng Yue?” Rong Che asked.
A rare smile appeared on Vice General Zhu’s otherwise grim face. “General, the young lad you recommended is truly exceptional. Though still young, he is as steady as a seasoned soldier!”
“His skin was fair as a scholar’s when he arrived, yet now he’s as tanned as a veteran. But he’s sharp—both bold and meticulous.”
He spoke highly of him.
“Lu Zheng Yue is currently at the General’s Manor.”
Desolate City held a population of one hundred thousand, yet at this moment, the streets were empty—eerily desolate.
“What’s that thick smoke over there?” Lu Chao Chao asked.
In the distance, a towering column of black smoke curled into the sky, resembling a massive mushroom cloud.
Vice General Zhu paused before answering, “That… is the burning of corpses.”
“Each day, countless perish. The bodies pile up faster than we can burn them. Even burning them day and night, they still form mountains.”
On the roadside, fallen victims lay motionless.
Soldiers, fully armored, swiftly carried them away.
As they traveled deeper into the city, the air grew heavier, suffocating their spirits.
Upon arriving at the General’s Manor, Lu Chao Chao stepped down from the carriage and followed Rong Che inside. The manor seemed devoid of servants, but at least it was well-kept and clean.
“Lu Zheng Yue! Lu Zheng Yue!” Vice General Zhu called out.
The door flung open, and Lu Zheng Yue strode out.
When he had left home the previous year, he had been a refined scholar with fair skin.
Now, his skin was tanned, his gaze resolute—there was even a trace of murderous intent in his eyes.
Once, he had been a handsome young scholar.
Now, he was a hardened warrior.
“Uncle Rong…” Lu Zheng Yue barely finished his greeting before his eyes fell on the two figures behind Rong Che.
Lu Chao Chao peeked out from behind Wen Ning.
Lu Zheng Yue’s smile froze.
“Lu Chao Chao!! Wen… Wen Ning?! Why are you here?! No! You must leave immediately!” His face paled in alarm.
He knew how deadly this plague was—how could he allow his fiancée and little sister to remain in such peril?
“Lu Chao Chao! Do you want a beating? Leave at once!”
“Wen Ning, go now!” His panic was evident.
He could face danger himself, but those he cherished—never!
“I will not leave! I entered this city, and I will not abandon it! We are already betrothed—where you are, I should be!” Wen Ning had seen a vision where Lu Zheng Yue had perished, his body left in ruin.
She had awoken in tears and resolved to follow him to Desolate City.
“If Sister Wen won’t go, I won’t either.”
“Would you feel safe leaving me alone on the road back? What if bandits take me?” Lu Chao Chao feigned fear.
Lu Zheng Yue: ???
[Did you forget you once blew up a bandit stronghold?!]
“Fine. The gates won’t be reopened today. Tomorrow, you will leave!” He glared at her.
Resources were scarce, and they had already shared supplies with the people. They could only manage simple meals.
Feeling guilty, Lu Chao Chao set down her bundle.
“Dried fish, spicy pork trotters, beef jerky, deer antlers…” She laid them out one by one.
Her small bundle seemed endless, filling the table completely.
Lu Zheng Yue…
[That’s my sister, indeed!]