Chapter 300: The Burning Mountain of Corpses
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Blood stained the ground at the city entrance, splattered across the dirt and stone. Rotting bodies lay scattered in the bushes, filling the air with a horrible stench. The smell was so strong that it seeped through the carriage, even with three layers of cloth masks covering everyone’s faces.
“Who goes there? Stop right now!” a general shouted from the top of the city wall, his bow raised, ready to shoot.
“There’s a plague in this city! Once you enter, you can’t leave! Think carefully! Anyone trying to escape will be shot!” he warned, his eyes fierce beneath his helmet.
Rong Che, sitting calmly on his horse, remained silent while one of his aides called out loudly, “I am General Rong, here on the king’s orders to escort the Royal Physicians to aid the city. Deputy General Zhu, open the gate!”
The soldiers on the wall turned to look at them.
Deputy General Zhu paused, then climbed down from the wall. Inside, crowds of citizens were desperately begging for their lives.
“Deputy General Zhu, please, let us out! I’m not sick; I swear…” a woman cried out, her voice shaking with fear.
“I promise I won’t spread the disease!” pleaded a pale-faced man, trembling on his knees. “I’m not from here! I was just visiting on business. Please, let me go! I beg you!”
Deputy General Zhu ignored their pleas and instructed the soldiers, “Open the gates and let the General in.”
The city gates creaked open slowly.
“General Rong!” Deputy General Zhu greeted him with a forced smile, stopping a few steps away, cautious not to get too close. “General, why have you come back to this plagued city? It’s dangerous here. Please take the Royal Physicians back to the capital as soon as possible!”
Rong Che gave him a sharp look. “You think I’m afraid of dying?”
Knowing Rong Che’s fearless reputation, Deputy General Zhu quickly ordered, “Open the gates for the General!”
The gates swung wide, and Rong Che led his soldiers and the carriage into the city. The smell of decay became even stronger.
Inside the carriage, little Lu Chao Chao peeked out the window, making Deputy General Zhu’s face go pale with shock. “Why’d you bring a child here?”
“The plague is spreading fast,” he continued, his voice filled with worry. “People fall ill every day, and some even try to escape at night…”
Rong Che sighed, clearly annoyed. “Just leave her be. And be polite to her.”
Deputy General Zhu was stunned by Rong Che’s casual attitude toward bringing a child into such danger.
Lu Chao Chao giggled, her smile innocent and bright.
As the carriages passed through the gate, a man suddenly ran towards them, his eyes wide with panic. “I want out! Let me out!”
“Staying here means catching the plague and dying! I don’t want to die! There’s no cure once you’re infected! I have to get out!” he shouted desperately.
“Stop him!” ordered Deputy General Zhu, his face stern.
The soldiers quickly grabbed the man as he screamed, “Let me go! Staying here means death! Why won’t you let me leave?! I’m not sick!”
He struggled violently, his face full of fear.
“Wait… check his tongue,” Lu Chao Chao suggested, her tiny face serious.
Realizing she might be right, the soldiers held the man down and forced his mouth open.
His tongue was bright red with small spots.
Deputy General Zhu scowled. “You said you’re not sick?” he said angrily. “Take him away for treatment!”
After the man was dragged away, Deputy General Zhu turned to Rong Che, looking serious. “This plague spreads easily. Just breathing the same air can make you sick. We can’t let anyone leave. If it spreads beyond this city, we’ll all be held responsible.”
“The people here are innocent,” he added sadly. “Our only choice is to keep the plague contained.”
“Let’s take the Royal Physicians to the General’s residence to rest,” Deputy General Zhu instructed, signaling to his men.
The Royal Physicians exchanged worried looks. “Thank you, Deputy General, but we need to see the patients first. This plague shows no mercy,” one of them said. Despite their age, their commitment to saving lives was strong.
Rong Che nodded in agreement, and Deputy General Zhu ordered the soldiers to lead the way.
“Where is Lu Zheng Yue?” Rong Che asked.
A brief smile appeared on Deputy General Zhu’s face. “General, that young man you recommended is truly remarkable. He’s young but as brave and dependable as any seasoned soldier in our ranks!”
“He might have seemed delicate when he first arrived, but now he’s as bold and skilled as any of our warriors,” Deputy General Zhu added, clearly impressed. “Lu Zheng Yue is currently at the General’s residence.”
The city, once home to over 100,000 people, was now eerily quiet, a heavy sense of despair hanging in the air.
“Wha’s dat big smoky thing?” Lu Chao Chao asked, pointing with her little finger.
Far away, thick black smoke billowed up, forming a dark cloud in the sky.
Deputy General Zhu hesitated briefly. “They’re burning bodies.”
“People die every day here, and we can’t burn the bodies fast enough,” he explained, his voice heavy with sorrow. Despite the constant fires, the corpses piled up like mountains.
Along the roadsides, several sick people lay collapsed. Soldiers, fully covered, quickly dragged them away.
The further they traveled, the more the weight of the situation pressed on everyone’s hearts.
Lu Chao Chao climbed down from the carriage and toddled after Rong Che into the General’s residence. The place had few staff, but it was clean and orderly.
“Lu Zheng Yue, Lu Zheng Yue…” Deputy General Zhu called out. Soon, Lu Zheng Yue appeared from a room.
Last year, he had left home looking like a fragile scholar. Now, his skin was tanned, and his eyes were sharp, a fierceness hidden within.
Once a gentle-looking young man, he now had the rugged appearance of a seasoned warrior.
“Uncle Rong…” Lu Zheng Yue started to greet Rong Che but stopped suddenly when he saw the two figures behind him.
Lu Chao Chao peeked out from behind Wen Ning, her little head bobbing curiously.
Lu Zheng Yue’s smile froze. “Chao Chao!! Miss… Miss Wen, why are you here? No! You have to leave right now!” His face went pale.
Aware of the deadly nature of the plague, he couldn’t bear the thought of his fiancée and little sister being in such danger.
“Chao Chao! Do you want a spanking? Get out of here, now!”
“Wen Ning, you too! Go!” His voice shook with urgency. Facing danger alone was one thing, but not when his loved ones were involved.
“I’m not going! Were engaged! That mean where you go, I go too!” Wen Ning said firmly. She had seen a nightmare of Lu Zheng Yue dying violently, which made her follow him to this plagued city.
“If Sissy Wen no go, I no go either! You wanna send Chao Chao all alone back to da big city?” Chao Chao added, her little face scrunched up in fear. “What if big bad wolves or bandits get Chao Chao?”
Lu Zheng Yue was speechless.
[Can she really handle herself, like when she blew up that bandit hideout?]
“Fine. It’s too dangerous to open the gates now anyway. Tomorrow, you both leave!” Lu Zheng Yue finally gave in, his gaze stern.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The people were already on edge, their eyes constantly darting to the city gates. He couldn’t risk opening them recklessly. He had been working hard to keep order.
Lu Zheng Yue looked thinner but more determined and calm. “We’re running low on supplies. With so many sick, we’ve been sharing what we have. There’s not much left for a proper meal,” he said, sounding exhausted. He hadn’t expected any visitors.
Lu Chao Chao watched her brother, her eyes full of worry.
She then started pulling things out of her backpack. “Dried fishies, spicy pig feet, beef jerky, deer meat…” She took out one item after another, like performing a magic trick.
Her bag seemed to have endless supplies. Soon, the table was filled with food.
Lu Zheng Yue stared in amazement.
[She really is my sister!]