"Who can say for sure with things like this?!"
Fang Rui shook his head. "In any case, we should be careful. You can’t be too careful."
"That’s true!"
Jiang Ping’an nodded seriously, clearly taking the words to heart.
...
After the meal, once Jiang Ping’an had left.
Fang Rui went inside and called for Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan. He solemnly instructed the four of them to stay inside as much as possible for the next two days and avoid going out.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the others naturally agreed.
Although they thought the plague Fang Rui mentioned was unlikely, he was the head of the family, and they were used to obeying him.
In truth, Fang Rui also thought it was unlikely. A plague? Such a low-probability event wasn’t something one encountered easily.
But it came back to the same saying: you can’t be too careful.
Moreover, preparations still needed to be made. Fang Rui made a point to contact a merchant caravan channel for leaving Changshan City. He also told Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the others to pack their things, ensuring they could leave at a moment’s notice.
...
「In the middle of the night.」
Fang Rui was woken by a bright light outside his window. He got up cautiously and looked outside.
In the direction of the Lin Family’s estate, a fiery blaze shot into the sky, staining half the heavens red.
’Is that a fire?! No, if it were an accident, there should be people outside shouting to put it out.’
’Then it must be intentional. But... what are they burning?!’
A terrible premonition rose in Fang Rui’s heart.
Though alarmed and uncertain, he didn’t go to investigate. He still had to look after Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan at home. Besides, what if this was some trick by the Xia Family, a trap to lure people out?
’Forget it. It’s the middle of the night. Even if I knew what was happening, there’s not much I could do...’
’Besides, if something major has happened, Brother Jiang should come and tell me first thing in the morning. My family will find out before most others, anyway.’
Fang Rui suppressed his unease and went back to sleep.
...
Sure enough, Jiang Ping’an came rushing over early the next morning.
"Brother Fang, this is bad! I’m afraid a plague has really broken out in the city!"
’Oh? Did my words become a self-fulfilling prophecy?!’ Fang Rui’s heart skipped a beat.
Before he could ask, Jiang Ping’an quickly began to explain, "Brother Fang, do you remember the Lin Family being wiped out a couple of days ago?"
"The Rebel Army confiscated a large fortune from the Lin Family. But because the estate has many secret rooms, tunnels, and the like, they couldn’t find everything at once. So, they left some men there to search..."
"Last night, two Rebel Army soldiers found a secret room. But inside, there wasn’t any gold or silver, just corpses... and rats, gnawing on them... RETCH!"
Jiang Ping’an clutched his chest and dry-heaved for a moment before suppressing his nausea and continuing, "The forensic doctor examined the bodies. They were all living people who had been tied up. There was no food in the secret room, only live rats. They were... eaten alive by the rats. It’s clear this wasn’t an accident. The Lin Family did it on purpose!"
"They found several more secret rooms like that one after another. It’s said there are even traces of a Physician’s involvement..."
’An Otherworld version of biochemical weapons research?!’
Fang Rui mused inwardly, then frowned and asked, "So, the fire in the direction of the Lin Family estate last night... they were burning the source of the plague?"
"Exactly!"
Jiang Ping’an nodded. "After discovering those secret rooms, the Rebel Army command immediately took it seriously. An investigation revealed that the soldiers who have fallen ill these past two days were all involved in the operation to wipe out the Lin Family... So they gave the order to burn the entire Lin Family estate to the ground."
"But that only took care of the source of the plague. Those infected soldiers have been out and about for the last two days. Who knows how many places they’ve been, or how many people they’ve infected... This is a disaster!"
"This isn’t a natural disaster, it’s a man-made one! That Lin Family..."
Fang Rui’s brow furrowed as he suddenly recalled that night. ’No wonder Lin Xiong’s expression was a little off at the very end. So this is what it was. He planted a time bomb.’
’But this method... it’s utterly without morals. To deliberately create a plague... one small mistake and the entire city could be wiped out!’
’If you can’t control Changshan City, destroy it? How truly vicious!’
A coldness filled Fang Rui’s heart. ’I originally thought the methods of the Rebel Army and the Xia Family were too cruel. Now it seems they were far too merciful to the Lin Family!’
"I know! Looking back now, the Lin Family must have been preparing this for a long time. They were determined to destroy Changshan City and flee."
Jiang Ping’an sighed. "We also have that righteous warrior to thank—the one who killed Tiger Gang’s Leader Chong Jihu and Wild Wolf Gang’s Leader Duan Lang. He escalated the conflict between the Lin Family, the Xia Family, and the Rebel Army, forcing the latter two to move against the Lin Family ahead of schedule. Otherwise, if the Lin Family had finished their preparations and left safely, the epidemic would have spread even more ferociously and caught us completely by surprise!"
"I’d heard that after the Lin Family was wiped out, only a few members of the second branch of their clan of over a hundred people escaped. I even felt sorry for them... Now I see they all deserved it, dammit! Why didn’t the entire Lin Family line just end right then and there?!"
Jiang Ping’an said, grinding his teeth.
"He who begins a calamity shall have no posterity," Fang Rui said lightly.
This wasn’t just a simple, indignant remark.
The Lin Family of Changshan City was now on his shit list. If it took a hundred years, or even a thousand, he would make that sentence a reality.
In short, by thoroughly offending an Immortal, the Lin Family of Changshan City was in for it.
"Let’s not talk about the Lin Family. Given the current situation in Changshan City, what are the Rebel Army’s plans? How are they preparing to respond?" Fang Rui asked.
"They’ve quarantined the infected soldiers and are conscripting Physicians for consultation... Other than that, nothing else has been announced."
Jiang Ping’an shook his head with a bitter smile. "But you don’t have to worry too much, Brother Fang. A few of the infected common soldiers have died, but the Martial Artists are all fine. Entry Grade Martial Artists have even stronger resistance. They just get a fever, vomit, and have a headache... They lose a bit of Primordial Qi, but they all basically pull through."