Chapter 303: The Punishment of the Gods
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Chao Chao hugged her chubby self, her heart aching with an unbearable feeling as she tried to cheer herself up, “Money just silly… Can’t take it when you go, just like they say…”
She sniffed and continued, her tiny voice filled with determination, “Gold and silver just like doggy poo. Chao Chao no like them, no care one bit… why cry over them, hmm?” But the words didn’t quite match the way her small mouth trembled.
Her eyes filled with big, fat tears as she looked up at Lu Zheng Yue, her older brother. “Sec’nd Bwotha… Chao Chao need huggies…” she whimpered, her face all blotchy with tears and snot. Without waiting for a reply, she burrowed into his shoulder, drenching his collar with her tears.
Lu Zheng Yue was completely taken aback. What on earth was happening? Just a moment ago, she was giggling like she’d found the best toy in the world, and now… she was crying her little heart out?
The elderly physician, clearly puzzled, muttered, “What’s troubling Princess Sunshine?” His voice shook slightly, his eyes round with confusion.
Lu Zheng Yue, balancing his little sister on his hip, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I think… she feels bad for the owner of the underground palace. You know, since all the treasures got taken away,” he explained, his voice filled with a mix of amusement and exasperation. He had overheard her jumbled thoughts—her emotions were as unpredictable as a summer storm.
A few minutes earlier, she had been laughing without a care in the world, and now she was clinging to him, sobbing as if her heart would break.
He gently held her close and issued his order, “Seal off the underground palace. No one is allowed in. And as for the items that were taken… get them back if you can.” He paused and added, “If it’s not possible to return them, at least make sure those who took them come back and bow a few times at the gate.” He patted Chao Chao’s back, his hand moving in soothing circles.
The guards nodded briskly, immediately moving to carry out his instructions.
As she sat perched on her brother’s shoulder, Lu Chao Chao looked around with wide eyes. “No guards in palace? No scawy people?” she asked in her innocent, child-like voice.
The man leading them forward shook his head. “No, Princess. But once, there was an evil spirit that haunted Desolate City—a spirit that would stir trouble every Ghost Festival.”
He continued, “This spirit used to guard this place. No one dared come close then. But in recent years, it hasn’t been seen much. People grew brave and started gathering here.”
Lu Chao Chao blinked, her tiny face scrunching up in surprise. “Evil spiwwit?” she repeated, tilting her head thoughtfully. [Could it be that one? The one who wanders between worlds, always talking about lost souls finding their way home?] She thought, her mind recalling a familiar sense of presence.
Lu Zheng Yue set her down inside the carriage, preparing to return to the city. Chao Chao looked around slyly, then pulled out the “Records of the Gods” from her sleeve and crouched down in a corner of the carriage.
Inside the royal palace, nobody would dare search her. She had managed to sneak the book out past the palace gates. Naturally, the king’s secret guards had already reported this to him. But the king didn’t stop her—after all, it was just a book about the gods names. If she wanted to borrow the royal seal, he might even grit his teeth and let her play with it for a few days.
Even the mighty serpent Xiangliu would brush its teeth before daring to appear before her, so King Xuan Ping certainly wouldn’t provoke her. He had realized, especially after the court had overheard her thoughts last time, that this little girl could be a very valuable ally.
Chao Chao’s big eyes lit up with a thought. “Maybe evil spiwwit silly disciple?” she wondered aloud, flipping open the “Records of the Gods.” Her small fingers traced the ancient pages.
Her heart grew heavy again. The page showing Bai Zong flickered with a faint light, surrounded by a thin veil of lightning. When Chao Chao touched it, she felt a slight electric shock.
The name Chong Yue was already dimmed, faded into a dull grey. As for God Xing Hui, his name was shrouded in a thick black mist, making her feel uneasy.
“Xing Hui, oh Xing Hui, why you do bad? You s’posed to be big, shiny God of War!” Chao Chao pouted, putting the “Records of the Gods” back into her hidden pocket space.
“Let’s go see medic people!” she suggested eagerly.
When they reached the clinic, it was a mess of noise and chaos. People were shouting, and some were even fighting. Seeing them, injured but still scrapping like street cats, Lu Zheng Yue’s face turned as dark as a thundercloud.
“Do you all have a death wish?” he roared, his voice booming. “You’re already half-dead, and you still want to fight? Go fight outside!” His glare was fierce, and the patients quickly scattered, retreating to the sides.
Some even ducked into corners, stuffing their pockets with coins.
“This mine! I dropped it!” a woman with a face covered in angry red spots shouted.
“Ha, like you didn’t take it from the underground palace?” a thin man sneered back.
Lu Zheng Yue’s face turned even redder with anger. “If you want to die, just go outside! Don’t waste a bed here!” he barked.
His voice softened slightly, but it still held authority. “I’ve told you all—this illness gets worse when you’re stressed. What’s the use of hoarding money? When you’re dead, you can’t even buy yourself a coffin!” His gaze was sharp. “And why destroy the underground palace for a few coins?”
“If you’ve got any decency left, go to the palace gate and bow a few times to show some respect,” he added, his tone scolding but just.
The woman snorted defiantly. “Why bow? They’re dead already, aren’t they? And besides, it wasn’t just me. Everyone took things.”
She scratched her skin furiously, unable to bear the itching. But as she scratched, she felt a sudden, sharp pain. She looked down and saw blood on her hands. A shriek tore from her lips, “Ah!!!”
Her eyelid twitched violently. She rolled up her sleeve to check her arm. And then, everything around her went dark.
“Why am I rotting?” she cried in terror. “I only got these red spots yesterday!” She turned to the physicians, desperation in her eyes. “Help me! The rot should take a week, not a day!”
Hearing her, everyone backed away, faces filled with fear.
The man who had grabbed her coins quickly threw them away, muttering, “Bad luck, bad luck…”
The physicians exchanged worried looks. “Lift your shirt, remove your shoes and socks…” one of them instructed cautiously. They were all covered head to toe in protective gear as they examined her.
“Did she have spots on her body yesterday?” one asked, motioning for the record book.
A young apprentice flipped open the book. “Yes, yesterday she had severe pain all over. In the afternoon, spots appeared on her face. Normally, rotting begins after seven days…”
Once the rotting starts, death is inevitable within three days.
“Did she take the medicine we prepared?” the head physician asked, baffled. The process was speeding up for some unknown reason.
“I took it! I drank it all! I didn’t leave the clinic! I didn’t do anything!” the woman cried, banging her head against the wall. She hadn’t thought life would count down so fast. She’d grabbed a good amount of silver from the underground palace, and last night, she’d counted it over and over, planning to live a good life once she got better.
“But I haven’t even enjoyed one day of it!” she wailed. “Doctors, save me, please!” Tears and snot mixed on her face. “Do you have a cure? Do you?”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Her fear and urgency had stripped away her earlier bravado.
Lu Zheng Yue signaled to two attendants. “Hold her down. She needs to calm down.”
The clinic was packed with people. The floor was crowded, the air thick with fear and misery.
“Doctor, tell us the truth. Do we have any hope?”
The crowd erupted into cries, their voices filled with desperation.
Not wanting his little sister to see such a dreadful scene, Lu Zheng Yue picked up Chao Chao and headed back towards the door.
The elderly physicians, despite their years, didn’t retreat to rest. They stayed, working tirelessly, searching for a cure.
The world might be breaking, but there were always those who would try to stitch it back together again.