Chapter 301: Who’s the Unlucky One
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Zheng Yue ordered the dishes to be cleared away, leaving some snacks on the side for little Chao Chao to nibble on later. A new spread of food was brought out—not overly fancy, but enough to fill their bellies. As he sipped his soup, Lu Zheng Yue seemed lost in thought.
“Has anything strange happened in the city? Could it be that Dongling poisoned us?” Wen Ning asked, her brow furrowed.
Lu Zheng Yue shook his head firmly. “Dongling might be wild, but they’re not foolish enough to hurt us if it means hurting themselves. Their situation in the city is worse than ours.”
He continued, “Because their generals can’t keep things under control, the plague is spreading fast among them. In less than three days, it will reach Dongling’s wasteland city. They’ll suffer more than we will this time.”
After a simple lunch, no one felt like resting. They followed Lu Zheng Yue out to inspect the city. He kept checking the face masks on Chao Chao and Wen Ning, his eyebrows knitted with worry. But now that they were already in the city, it was too late for regrets.
“Let’s go to the burning grounds,” Rong Che suggested, leading the way.
Lu Zheng Yue walked ahead, soldiers posted everywhere around them. People greeted them as they passed by. When they reached the burning grounds, soldiers stood guard. From a distance, they could see piles of bodies stacked like mountains. The sight was shocking.
The corpses were piled so high they had to tilt their heads back to see the top. The exposed skin of the bodies was covered in large red spots, all ulcerated and gruesome.
“Don’t look,” Lu Zheng Yue said, covering Chao Chao’s eyes with his hand.
But Chao Chao, ever the curious one, pulled his hand away.
[Why do they all have such a strange aura around them?] she wondered silently.
“Has anything big happened in the city lately?” Chao Chao asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Lu Zheng Yue was about to shake his head but then paused. “Well, it’s not exactly a big event, but something did happen. Desolate City is surrounded by desert, and we found an underground palace just outside the city.”
“There were many burial items in it,” he explained. “At that time, I was leading troops against Dongling. By the time we found out, the underground palace had already been emptied. But that was half a month ago.”
“We tried to retrieve the treasures, but we couldn’t,” Lu Zheng Yue added, scratching his head. “We wanted to report the underground palace to the king, but then the plague appeared, and we had to put that aside.”
Seeing Chao Chao’s interest in the underground palace, Lu Zheng Yue quickly added, “Actually, we already sent doctors to check the palace. There were no traces of poison.”
Rong Che nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll have the royal physicians take a look later. We can’t ignore any abnormalities.”
Chao Chao’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Can I go see it too?”
“There’s not much to see, really,” Lu Zheng Yue said, laughing. “I heard that when the underground palace was first opened, it was filled with gold and silver, copper coins covering the floor, and even many jade artifacts. Now, it’s been looted clean, with only two walls left.”
Chao Chao giggled, covering her mouth with her little hand. “Hehe, let’s see who’s the big dummy that got their tomb robbed.”
“You cheeky little thing,” Lu Zheng Yue chuckled, playfully pinching her tiny nose. Eager to keep her away from the plague-stricken areas, he decided she could go with the royal physicians to see the underground palace the next day.
By the time they returned from their inspection, it was already late at night. The royal physicians looked grim; the situation was worse than they’d thought. An old physician even began to doubt his own skills.
“Strange,” the old man muttered. “None of our treatments are working! Even the golden needles, once inserted, seem to stir the poison up, making it spread faster.”
“That’s not all,” another physician added. “Even when we try to treat the symptoms, the patients end up vomiting foul blood.” They all sat around in a circle, completely at a loss.
There had been a plague once before after the founding of the North Zhao kingdom. Though they hadn’t found a cure back then, at least they’d discovered ways to slow its progress. But now, it seemed nothing was working. They discussed late into the night, and only when dawn broke did they rest briefly, their faces weary and pale.
A group of elderly physicians, their hair and beards white, felt their bones creak and groan, but they didn’t dare rest too long. For every extra moment they slept, countless more people would die.
After Chao Chao finished her breakfast, the physicians got up wearily. With dark circles under their eyes, they forced themselves to go to the underground palace.
“Half of you go to the underground palace,” one physician said, waving his hand tiredly. “The other half, head to the medical center.” They wore thick masks, not daring to expose any skin.
The entrance to the underground palace wasn’t far outside the city. Outside Desolate City, wind and sand filled the air. As Chao Chao opened her mouth, she got a mouthful of sand.
“Bleh, bleh…” she spat, scrunching her face in disgust.
“I told you to wear a veil, but you wouldn’t listen,” Lu Zheng Yue chuckled, shaking his head. “The climate here is awful, which is why it’s always been a place of exile. Getting to Desolate City is tough enough; even if you survive the journey, the weather might finish you off.”
“A few days ago, there was a huge sandstorm,” he continued. “People’s doors were half-blocked by sand. It took them half a day just to clear it. That’s when the underground palace was revealed.”
The local man leading the way chimed in eagerly, “Our ancestors have lived in Desolate City for generations, and we’ve never heard of an underground palace in the desert. That day, when the palace appeared, you should have seen it… amazing…”
“A rainbow appeared in the desert,” he went on, “and it drew all the townsfolk to watch. The rainbow shone upon the underground palace, revealing its entrance…”
The man smacked his lips, remembering. “The townsfolk got so excited. Before the city guards arrived, they all broke open the palace doors together.”
“Oh, when the underground palace opened, it was glittering inside, almost blinding,” he added with a grin. “Copper coins covered the floor, mixed with shiny gold nuggets. Everyone’s eyes went red with greed, and they rushed inside like mad to grab the money.”
“People even fought over the treasures, getting into brawls,” he continued. “Some ran deeper inside, even breaking and taking the ever-burning lamps. The walls were lined with luminous pearls, and they smashed the walls to take them, hauling away stones. They left nothing behind, like locusts passing through. They even scooped up the lamp oil.”
Lu Zheng Yue’s face darkened. “Such disgraceful behavior.”
Now, standing at the entrance of the underground palace, they could see the mess inside without even stepping in. On the heavy stone door, there was a small inscription: Please do not disturb the master’s peace.
On the back of the stone door, there was another line, seemingly written for those who ignored the warning and insisted on entering: If you insist on entering, you may take what you need. Bow in gratitude, and do not disturb the spirits within.
Lu Zheng Yue raised an eyebrow. “The owner of this palace was quite generous,” he remarked. “Just bow, and you can take the treasures.”
The local man leading them sneered. “Not a single bow was given,” he said. “They even fought inside the palace, leaving it in complete chaos. Just look at this mess…”
A foul stench hung in the air.
Seeing the ladies present, the man said awkwardly, “Some people, not finding enough treasure, even relieved themselves inside the palace.”
Lu Zheng Yue’s face grew stern. “Such disrespectful, ignorant people!” he said, frustrated. At that time, he had been engaged in battle with Dongling and couldn’t intervene.
The walls where the ever-burning lamps and luminous pearls had been inlaid were now full of holes and dents. Inside was even more unbearable to look at.
Chao Chao wrinkled her nose, her little face scrunched up in disgust. “Who’s the big dummy that got their tomb robbed…?” she muttered, pouting.
The scene left them all wondering what misfortune had befallen the one buried there, and what lay ahead for Desolate City amidst this ominous discovery.