Chapter 916 - Chapter 916: Smoke of War

Chapter 916: Smoke of War

Editor: Henyee Translations

In the woods, three kitchen soldiers lay dead on the ground, each with a cut across their necks, clearly killed by a swift slash to the throat.

“Qi Kaiming” examined the wounds and realized they must have been attacked by someone they faced, who suddenly turned and struck them down.

This suggested the killer was someone they knew well, someone they trusted completely, leaving them utterly defenseless.

The trail ended there.

“Collect their bodies,” he ordered.

“Yes.”

“Qi Kaiming” returned to the camp and transformed back into Chu Qingzhi. “Jinghong, I must leave now.”

Tang Jinghong approached and kissed her, his eyes soft with affection, “Be safe, and contact me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Chu Qingzhi smiled at Tang Jinghong, “I’m leaving now, remember to eat on time.”

“I will.”

“Stay in touch.” Chu Qingzhi hugged Tang Jinghong, then turned and left the camp.

Tang Jinghong watched the tent entrance long after she had gone.

…

Two fast horses galloped on the official road, heading towards Chen’an Country.

Suddenly, Zeng Huo remembered something, “Hong Feiyun is actively searching for the mysterious person who killed several of the assassin leaders, intending to recruit them into the organization.”

Luo Ze, “…”

“Shouldn’t they want to kill this person instead?”

Zeng Huo glanced at Luo Ze, “He does want to kill, but he has to catch him first!”

Luo Ze remained noncommittal.

“What’s the plan now?” asked Zeng Huo.

Luo Ze flicked her whip, “I need to find some herbs. I can’t deal with Hong Feiyun right now. Let’s discuss it when I return.”

Indeed, Zeng Huo said no more, stopping the horse and watching Luo Ze go.

Luo Ze, alone, hastened her pace using a space-reducing technique, otherwise, it would take a month to reach Tianlan Bee, and she didn’t have that much time.

…

Five days later.

The magistrate came to the military camp to report, “General, the opium dens within the city have been completely sealed, and we’ve confiscated over two thousand pounds of opium. What are your orders for the next steps?”

Tang Jinghong lightly tapped his fingers on the table, “Issue a decree. Tomorrow at Linzhang City’s South Gate, I will enforce the ban on opium.”

The magistrate bowed, “Yes, General.”

Tang Jinghong led a troop of soldiers to the South Gate of Linzhang City. Now that the spies within the camp had been captured, there was no need for pretense any longer, and prolonged pretense could destabilize the troops’ morale.

Upon arrival at the South Gate, Tang Jinghong ordered, “First and Second Companies, dig a pit by the river, thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and twenty feet deep.”

“Third and Fourth Companies, prepare ten loads of lime.”

“Yes, General.”

As the soldiers busied themselves, the scene attracted many townspeople and passersby…

“What is General Tang doing?”

“I heard it’s an opium ban.”

“Really? Are they actually banning it? That’s great! We’ve been waiting for this day.”

“Yes, truly. The notice is already posted for tomorrow.”

“So soon? That’s good. I’ll definitely come back tomorrow to watch those harmful substances get destroyed.”

Opium had only been popular for a little over a year, yet it had caused immense destruction, devastating countless lives. Those unaddicted despised the drug.

Tang Jinghong supervised the work by the river for an hour before heading to the city’s prison.

The prison, or rather, the quarantine area, was filled with people deeply addicted to opium.

“Give me opium!”

“Please, just a little bit of opium.”

“I need it!”

Some banged their heads against the walls, others knelt and begged, and many wept bitterly.

After walking through the prison, Tang Jinghong asked the military doctor, “Have they been given their medicine?”

“They have,” the doctor replied. “Some have managed their addiction, but the craving remains. For others, especially those with severe addiction, the medication only provides minor relief; they still crave opium.”

“Continue administering the medication. Once we find the herbal antidote, we can solve this problem completely.”

“Yes, General.”

Wen Shaoyuan approached with a message. “General, your letter.”

Tang Jinghong, holding doubts, unfolded the letter. It listed all the locations near Linzhang City where the raw opium poppies were grown and processed.

Stowing the letter, Tang Jinghong quickly returned to the military camp and dispatched thirteen teams to demolish these sites. He personally led one team to one of the production sites.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingzhi arrived at the foot of Tianlan Bee Mountain.

The small county at the base of the mountain had been devastated by smallpox, leaving it deserted and covered in a blanket of desolation and fear.

Chu Qingzhi headed straight for the local herb shop, which was completely empty.

“Looks like I’ll have to go up the mountain myself.”

Exiting the shop, she walked toward the mountain base, the path utterly deserted and desolate, making it seem as if she was the only person left in the world.

Ordinary people walking here would likely be scared out of their wits.

“Rustle, rustle…” The bushes trembled as if something was about to emerge.

Chu Qingzhi sent a burst of spiritual energy towards it, causing leaves to fly and a gaunt white wolf to tumble out onto the ground, looking pitifully at Chu Qingzhi.

The white wolf was also infected with smallpox; its skin was ulcerated, and it was terribly emaciated. Chu Qingzhi approached and used her spiritual energy to heal the wolf’s wounds and alleviate its hunger a bit.

Picking up a broken pot, she poured some water from her flask into it and placed it in front of the wolf. “Drink this. I’m going up the mountain to gather herbs. I’ll come back down to get you later for food.”

The wolf was too focused on drinking the water to care about anything else, wagging its tail slightly to express its contentment.

After an unusually heavy rainfall that had spread smallpox, Chen’an Country had become dry.

No wonder Dong Dengyu was reluctant to return; it was a truly frightening place to be.

Chu Qingzhi continued up the mountain, her frown deepening with every step. The natural disaster in Chen’an was severe, with many plants dried up and some trees dead, their leaves crispy and brown. Although it was spring, there was an autumn-like bleakness everywhere.

If this continued, Chen’an Country was likely facing collapse.

That wasn’t her concern, though. She was worried that the drought might have killed the herbs she was searching for, potentially making her trip in vain.

As she walked up the mountain, the situation grew more dire with every step, everywhere echoing the sound of crispy, dried leaves under her feet.

Seeing no signs of improvement, Chu Qingzhi decided to fly straight to the mountain peak and released her spiritual sense to envelop the mountain, searching for the needed herbs from top to bottom.