In her memory, Lu Mingming had only consciously used her spiritual sea to track someone once, at the auction house.
Aside from that, she usually set up surveillance around Aunt Shi’s house to prevent surprise raids by the enforcement team.
It couldn't have been Aunt Shi.
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Lu Mingming subconsciously dismissed this idea. She was more inclined to believe it was a trick employed by the enforcement team to seize the herbs.
The malicious deception by the vendor yesterday clearly indicated the immense value of the herbs in the little boy's hands.
If this were indeed the case…
Lu Mingming stood frozen in place. Passersby, seeing her by the house where the incident occurred, covered their noses and quickened their pace to leave.
Finally, a kind-hearted little cub, uncorrupted by the City of Sin, trotted closer and said:
"Sister, you should leave quickly. This family has the plague and they've been taken away. People with the plague are now processed uniformly. Don't stay by the entrance, be careful you don't get infected.
Except for the nobles with spiritual power in the city, people like us who get sick are doomed."
Outside the city, children of this age would mostly still be playing with mud, or constantly asking their parents for Barbie dolls. Where would they even know the word "death"? They probably wouldn't even understand the concept of death.
Lu Mingming squatted down, gently patting the little girl's head, and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder. Can you tell me where the main area of the plague is? I have a friend there, and I'm very worried about him."
The little girl vaguely pointed in one direction, not understanding why this big sister insisted on going.
Thank you, Lu Mingming said, and then set off towards the so-called epidemic zone.
Along the way, a strange sour stench, a rotten smell, filled the air, reminding one of wastewater that had accumulated for half a year without being disposed of.
She had initially expected to see streets piled high with garbage and people lying on the ground moaning weakly, but instead, the households were still going about their own business as usual.
A hint of vitality, completely different from the citizens outside the epidemic zone in the City of Sin, was visible in their expressions.
This transformation, though subtle, was immense, and at first glance, the overall impression had changed drastically.
They appeared healthy, and the skin exposed to the sunlight showed no horrifying blood spots or other symptoms.
The entrance was blocked by barbed wire, and a steel sign was erected, with the words "No Entry" nailed onto it.
Lu Mingming's fingertips twitched, and her spiritual power easily attached to her body's surface, significantly reducing the discomfort with each breath, granting her a rare moment of respite.
Since she couldn't enter, Lu Mingming stood by the entrance observing the people passing by. Unfortunately, she didn't see the family of the little boy from yesterday; they seemed to have vanished into thin air for no reason.
The security guard at the entrance stared at Lu Mingming for a long time before he couldn't help but nervously pick up the loudspeaker and broadcast loudly: "What are you doing here? Don't you know this is an epidemic zone? If you have nothing to do, leave quickly. They are fine, they don't need your concern."
"Excuse me, I'd like to ask if a boy's family came here? They should have arrived last night. The little boy might have had an injury to his knee, and walked with a limp."
Lu Mingming hoped the guard might have some information, but instead, the guard frowned. "That family..."
The guard's expression shifted repeatedly, finally settling into impatience, with no intention of telling Lu Mingming the truth.
"They're all dead, all dead. Don't ask anymore, there are no other answers."
"Are they really dead?"
Lu Mingming was extremely persistent.
"Can I ask how they died?"
"You said that plague is fatal within three days, how do you expect me to explain?"
The guard became increasingly agitated, his small eyes darting back and forth, appearing guilty.
Lu Mingming, sensing the guard's unease, condensed a leaf that closely resembled the herbs onto a branch of the herb in his blind spot, for listening.
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Having done this, Lu Mingming deliberately sighed:
"That's a shame."
She placed the herb she had dug up that morning on the ground, with a hint of apology in her tone.
"I dug up an herb, and I came to see him today… Please pass this herb on to those with less severe symptoms. I hope this herb can be useful to them.
Goodbye, and I wish them a speedy recovery."
After saying this, Lu Mingming turned and left.
Once certain that the person had indeed left, the guard squeezed his plump body and agilely jumped down from the guard booth.
He picked up the herb Lu Mingming had left and carefully identified it. After a moment, his mouth widened in surprise.
"My goodness, although it's not a particularly valuable rare herb, this bag can sell for several thousand Wuhe coins. Is this little girl foolish?"
The guard looked at Lu Mingming's receding back with a complex expression and muttered, "Maybe I should talk to that person and see if they can make an exception and let them meet..."
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There was indeed something suspicious.
As soon as Lu Mingming turned a corner, her expression changed drastically.
All of the guard's mutterings reached her ears through the herb leaf.
In fact, Lu Mingming found it strange even without the eavesdropping.
She had seen them yesterday, healthy and unharmed, and now they were suddenly declared dead from illness.
Lu Mingming couldn't immediately guess if they had been kidnapped elsewhere, or if there were other reasons.
While she was contemplating, four strong men from the slum carried a stretcher, constantly driving away pedestrians.
"You in front, don't block the way. The patient needs to be rushed to the epidemic zone, no delay."
Lu Mingming instinctively took half a step back to make space, her eyes fixed on the patient's face.
The patient appeared outwardly normal, except for his mouth, which was crying out in pain, as if undergoing severe torture, very similar to a spiritual attack.
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Could this be another method for the City of Sin to eliminate the slums…
Lu Mingming returned to Aunt Shi's house with her mind full of questions.
Aunt Shi had already prepared a fresh lunch, waiting for her return.
Upon seeing Lu Mingming's distraught expression, Aunt Shi clicked her tongue and quickly served a bowl of hot rice, pushing it onto the table in front of Lu Mingming.
"Eat quickly. It makes me angry to see you like this. They're dead, what can be done?"
Lu Mingming took the chopsticks and subconsciously asked, "You were digging for herbs this morning. You usually come back at this time and don't pass that way, so how do you know he's dead?"
Aunt Shi paused, her speech becoming a little hesitant, "That... that small slum, do I not know who died?"
Aunt Shi seemed a little unusual lately.
Lu Mingming didn't ask any more questions, swallowing all her doubts and queries with each mouthful of rice.
She would think about it more quietly when she was alone in the remaining days.
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That afternoon, Lu Mingming, carrying the scales, went to find the young boss again.
There were clearly many more people inquiring for information in the past few days, with all sorts of characters lining up in a long queue.
Lu Mingming had to put on her gray cloak again to conceal her face, minimizing her presence as much as possible.
Finally, it was Lu Mingming's turn. She knocked on the door three times as usual and deliberately spoke with a hoarse voice.
"Boss, I want a Bloody Mary with wormwood."
"Strange preference, strange customer, another new order, please come in."
The young boss's voice could be heard from afar, only slightly more pleasant than a crow's caw.
"Ah, it's you."
The young boss said, surprised.
"Have you gathered enough money yet?"
Original text. From Taodu Novel.
Lu Mingming's tightly clenched hand slowly opened, revealing the scales in her palm.
The young boss immediately regretted it. "I forgot. I didn't expect you to find help."
With the evidence in hand, there was no way to deny it. He raised his chin with considerable reluctance.
"Alright, what questions do you have? I'll answer them all."
"The question about finding the cub... the little cub has black hair, rose-colored eyes, looks very well-behaved and cute, and doesn't talk much..."
Lu Mingming repeated everything about Hong Yu, telling the young boss carefully, including the details.
The young boss said "mm" and scratched his head. "To be honest... the day you passed out, I was there. There was a little cub next to me, and I picked him up."
As the young boss spoke, he quietly picked up a steel plate to shield his face, in case Lu Mingming suddenly punched him.
"...And the scales on your hand are from your cub."
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