Chapter 197: Chapter 96: Flooded City, Incense Blade

Endless fear arose in her mind.

At this moment, she seemed to be back on the day when the plague broke out.

...

...

Li Xuan did not immediately return, instead, he continued to wander the streets of the State City in Cyan Wood Province.

He has always been clear about grievances and gratitude.

The Zhou family had helped him, so it was impossible for him to stand by and do nothing at this moment.

At this moment, the streets were already deserted, cleaner than during the curfew, as everyone had retreated to their homes, making the thoroughfares incredibly empty.

The floodwater flowed everywhere, and fish darted about wildly.

And more fish continued to fall from the sky.

Li Xuan was practically wading through the water, and as he walked, he suddenly heard screams not far away.

He pulled his hood over his face and hurried towards the sound.

He saw a child crying out in pain on the ground, with a fish clamped onto his ankle.

The fish was biting the child tightly, blood staining the ground like cinnabar dissolving into clear water, spreading rapidly.

Li Xuan grabbed a pigeon egg-sized stone and shot it out fiercely.

Bang!

The stone hit the fish precisely.

The fish exploded.

The child was so frightened that he burst into tears, looking as if he might have broken down completely.

And there seemed to be no adults at home.

Li Xuan picked up the child and tossed him into the house.

The child continued to bawl, crying, "It hurts, it hurts..."

Li Xuan glanced at the fish he had slain.

The thing he feared the most had happened.

This fish was no longer the "black stripe" he encountered at the fishing village that day, but various sea fish.

However, the common factor was that these fish had all grown sharp teeth, developed "armor," and become extremely aggressive...

A flood would merely submerge the nearby waterfront villages.

But such heavy rainfall, covering an area of more than a hundred miles at least?

The vast cities inhabited by humans, the distant forests, mountains, at this moment, were almost all shrouded in this gray and oppressive rainfall.

The sky was like an ocean, with countless fish flying with the wind, though wingless, they were carried by this sinister wind to various places: in the alleys, the yards, on rooftops, in the city’s own rivers, among the trees...

The rainwater flowed wantonly, the piranhas scurried everywhere, weaving a fantastical apocalyptic scene. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’Why is this happening?’

Li Xuan couldn’t help but ask.

But no one knew the answer.

He left that house and suddenly heard the sound of hooves, then flashed his figure, only to see some cavalry rushing past in the distance, seemingly mobilized by some authority.

The ones who could mobilize them were either the garrisoning General Sheng Chuanxiong of Cyan Wood Province, the Governor, or the Prime Minister.

Li Xuan wasn’t sure, so he sped up and headed to the Zhou family.

The Zhou family was also filled with the screams of servants.

It wasn’t just one person’s scream, but many.

Just because a maid slipped and fell into a deep water pond, she was never able to climb out again.

The fish in the pond immediately bit her neck, and then more fish swam over and began to swiftly devour her.

Nearby, a Martial Artist tried to drive these fish away, but as a result... perhaps the Zhou family was simply out of luck because there were extremely many piranhas here.

After driving away two, three more surrounded the spot.

The Martial Artist wanted to kill the fish but found that the fish’s bodies were like iron, utterly impervious to being cut!

Everyone watched in horror at the tragic human scene, at the process of the once-living maid being consumed.

Boom!

At this moment, a mass of scorching white steam fell from the sky, striking fiercely around the maid.

Within the rising white steam, a figure flashed in and out of visibility, quickly killing these "armored" piranhas.

After Li Xuan landed, he gently picked up the devastated maid and placed her under the eaves.

By now, he had already disguised himself as an ordinary-looking man and carefully used the power of the "Triple Cultivator Secret Martial Arts" effortlessly. It was as if a strongman was punching lightly.

This was the result of his practice while "continuing the progeny" at home.

He had just about managed to control his strength.

After killing the piranhas, Li Xuan called out: "I’m from Prince Qing’s Mansion, seeking an audience with Commandery Princess Chunyang, seeking the Governor!"

Upon hearing "Prince Qing’s Mansion," everyone immediately felt reassured.

And then a beautiful woman quickly emerged from a distance with a boy and girl, stopping under the eaves as she approached, waving and calling, "Here."

Li Xuan quickly approached, and saw the pale face of Commandery Princess Chunyang, weakly calling.

He stepped forward, feigning unfamiliarity, and asked, "Are you Commandery Princess Chunyang?"

Zhao Yunshang urgently asked, "Did Prince Qing send you to save us?"

Li Xuan asked, "Where’s the Governor?"

Zhao Yunshang replied, "He went out early this morning and hasn’t returned since."

Li Xuan’s gaze swept over to the boy and girl.

The boy was naturally Zhou Jihai, and the girl was Zhou Chihe’s youngest daughter, Zhou Yanmei.

He looked at the rain and the fish, suddenly making a certain decision.

"Follow me."

He said.

Zhao Yunshang hesitated, showing a wary expression.

Li Xuan leaned closer, lowered his voice, and shared some little secrets only he and Aunt Yun knew.

After all, having gotten drunk together, some secrets indeed served as "tokens of trust."

Zhao Yunshang blushed at what she heard, smiling shyly, "Did Prince Qing tell you all that?"

Li Xuan said, "Can you trust me now?"

Zhao Yunshang asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

Li Xuan hesitated for a moment, gazed at the surrounding water, then the gloomy clouds in the sky, and said, "Li Ruihe."

Zhao Yunshang sighed with relief, for the name "Li Ruihe" didn’t seem randomly made up to deceive people.

At this moment, she asked, "Mr. Ruihe, what are you planning to do?"

Li Xuan said, "Open an umbrella, and follow me."

With that, he lowered his voice again and said, "I can’t protect too many people."