The woman in red’s eyes widened, her eyeballs actually cracking. Blood trickled from the corners of her lips, and all seven orifices bled simultaneously, presenting a terrifying spectacle.
Feng Xie released his grip, glaring at her with disgust. He suppressed a surge of revulsion, his innate fastidiousness making him feel nauseous at the sight of such impurity.
Liu Liu, sensing his discomfort, merely raised an eyebrow faintly. "It's fine now."
Feng Xie's attention immediately shifted to her. Was she concerned about him? A spark of wild joy ignited in his heart. He looked at the person beside him, but alas, their face was masked, not even the corner of their lips moving. He scanned the surroundings with a chilling gaze.
"He didn't come to the county yamen today. I wonder what he's planning?"
"Could he be poisoning us?"
A vague notion formed in Feng Xie's sharp mind. Was he planning to poison them? Was everything that had happened so far a facade, designed to divert everyone's attention while he poisoned the springs?
This poison was too sinister. Upon hearing Feng Xie's words, Liu Liu's heart turned as cold as ice. If Hua Wu You was truly so depraved and devoid of humanity, they would surely strike him down. This was too inhumane; how could he do such a thing?
Both of them felt the gravity of the situation. Just then, Zhan Yun, Ri Ying, and Yue Ying rushed over, having already killed the imposter.
Upon hearing Liu Liu's words, everyone became panicked. Feng Xie looked up at the sky.
It was already the third watch. Everyone immediately split up, using their internal energy to freeze all the wells in Jing Da, including the smaller ones. They had to seal the wells before dawn, and no one was allowed to consume the well water until the antidote was formulated.
"Ri Ying and Yue Ying, seal all the wells in the south city."
"Nangong Yue and Zhan Yun, seal the wells in the north city."
"Your Majesty and your subordinates, seal the wells in the east city."
"Dai Mei and I will seal the wells in the west city. Everyone move out immediately. We must not let the well water reach the citizens' homes."
"Yes."
Everyone nodded in unison and immediately dispersed. Feng Xie, unwilling to leave Liu Liu, followed her. Liu Liu stopped and glared at him unpleasantly.
"We're short on manpower right now. If you have time, you can go seal wells elsewhere. These are your citizens. Why are you following me?"
Feng Xie froze. He willingly accepted Liu Liu's reprimand. At this moment, she was wholeheartedly focused on saving the people of Feng Yue City. Although he worried about her, he had a more significant task at hand. How could he indulge in petty romance? He immediately nodded.
"Be careful." He flashed away from Liu Liu's side. In the darkness, Liu Liu watched his rapidly departing figure. She hadn't expected him to be so different from before, but there was no time to dwell on it now.
"Dai Mei, let's go." Liu Liu's figure shot forward like lightning. Dai Mei followed closely behind her, not missing a step, heading towards the west city.
Feng Yue City had over 130 small wells, according to previous counts. The wellheads were built according to their directions, making them easy to locate. They managed to freeze them with their internal energy before dawn and assigned guards to watch them. Everything should be fine. When everyone reunited, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Dawn broke, but disaster had already struck.
All the prominent and wealthy families in Feng Yue City were poisoned because these families had private wells.
They hadn't expected Hua Wu You to poison the public wells connected to the outside. Instead, he had sent people to poison the private wells.
At this moment, killing intent surrounded Feng Xie, bathing him in a blood-red aura. His brow was like a sword, his eyes like ghostly netherworld flames, exuding a killing aura like a shura from hell. He turned to look at Ri Ying beside him.
"Immediately sweep away all businesses under the Demon Palace. Do it quickly and ruthlessly."
"Yes."
Ri Ying responded and immediately went out to dispatch subordinates to various county yamen with the message. All the businesses on the list were to be seized, leaving none behind. It had to be done quickly, completed within a day.
The subordinates, upon receiving the order, did not dare to delay. They mounted their horses to carry out the task.
These prominent and wealthy families were the pillars of Feng Yue City. They absolutely could not suffer any harm. Liu Liu glanced at Nangong Yue.
Nangong Yue nodded, and the group, without any delay, rushed to the home of a family named Wang. This family was in the silk business. Their mansion was elaborately decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and they had numerous wives, concubines, and servants, indicating their immense wealth.
Unfortunately, at this moment, a deathly aura permeated the entire mansion. The air was filled with faint moans, servants lay strewn about everywhere, and the masters of each chamber had also collapsed on their beds.
In the main hall, Nangong Yue first examined the pulse of Master Wang. The Wang master's eyes rolled upwards, only the whites visible. White foam occasionally seeped from his mouth, and his limbs twitched uncontrollably.
Upon checking elsewhere, the symptoms were the same.
Feng Xie, with a grim expression, looked at Nangong Yue. "What kind of poison is this?"
Nangong Yue's brow furrowed, his expression grave. He glanced at the Emperor and Liu Liu and spoke with immense heartache.
"It's the sap of a highly toxic man-eating flower. This man-eating flower prefers human blood, which contains a potent toxin that digests human organs. Fortunately, it was greatly diluted by the well water; otherwise, these people would have already dissolved into a pool of blood."
Upon hearing this, Feng Xie and Liu Liu felt the situation was incredibly grim. What should they do now? If even Nangong Yue had no solution, it was likely that no one else would. Liu Liu's bright eyes fixed on Nangong Yue. "Do you not have even the slightest bit of hope?"
"As of now, unless the person who administered the poison, no one else can likely cure this man-eating flower poison. However, I will do my utmost to try and find a way to develop an antidote. But you should immediately send people to seal the wells of these prominent families to prevent further spread."
As Nangong Yue finished speaking, he walked out. Feng Xie waved his hand, signaling Yue Ying to handle the matter. Yue Ying left.
In the spacious bedroom, a purple sandalwood screen embroidered with Suzhou silk, a carved and hollowed sandalwood bed, red lacquered pillars adorned with auspicious clouds and beasts, and a dressing table with curtains – it was indescribably luxurious.
But at this moment, all of it was shrouded in a heavy aura of death. The person curled up on the bed trembled incessantly, accompanied by soft whispers.
"Please, save me, save me."
Begging like a dog for their lives. How glorious and dazzling these people were usually, bullying the weak and flaunting their power.
Now, facing death, they were more terrified than others.
Liu Liu arrogantly tossed her dark hair. She felt no pity for their lives. Even if these people survived, they wouldn't change their wicked ways.
However, it was impossible not to save them. The key issue now was the antidote; without it, everything was in vain.
Everyone exited the bedroom, ignoring the pained cries. In the main hall, everyone waited for Nangong Yue's research. If he still had no solution, then these people were doomed.
After a night of intense work, followed by a morning of turmoil, Feng Xie's face was as cold as ice. A trace of concern flickered in his eyes as he asked solicitously, "Are you hungry? Let me prepare some food."
"No need. Who could eat at a time like this? Everything has stopped. Who would dare to eat anything carelessly?" Liu Liu said helplessly, stating the truth. Who would dare to eat casually at a time like this?
Everyone fell silent, the surroundings were eerily quiet, only the soft sounds of their breathing and the increasingly rapid beating of their hearts could be heard.
The longer time passed, the more difficult it was to develop an antidote. Despair loomed over everyone's hearts. Even the greatest skills were useless at this moment. They could only watch these people die, and more would suffer this persecution.