The three physicians accompanying us are the most crucial component of this expedition. They are also Alchemy Room Cultivators from the Fengri City Thousand Households Station—able to treat illness and craft pills—possessing special expertise as members of the Xuanqing Guard. Their ranks may not be high, but their positions hold significant status.

Cultivators have long been studying plagues, these calamities threatening the very foundation of the Dynasty, but with scant results. To interpret microscopic biological systems using the intangible cultivation framework is inherently forced; Shen Hao could offer no aid here. After all, he couldn’t possibly explain to these cultivators what a ’virus’ or ’bacterium’ was—he himself couldn’t describe them clearly. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

However, determining the presence of plague was still possible.

Starting from the blockade outside Shi Pan Town and moving inward, three teams advanced in separate directions: Shen Hao led a group north along the government road, Wang Yiming took another east off the road, while the Trial Hundred Households Officer of the Thousand Households’ Personal Soldiers led a third team west. Each team was assigned a physician.

Only two or three li beyond the checkpoint, the stench of corpses could already be detected. A few steps further revealed the burial pits flanking the road—some large, some small, all crudely made. Some corpses merely had a thin layer of soil thrown over them, insufficient to contain the wafting odor of decay.

Such places were never short of scavengers; enormous rats, unafraid of people, glared menacingly at Shen Hao’s party from atop the bodies, seemingly ready to lunge and bite, until a soldier smashed one with a kick.

"Be vigilant—things here are likely filthy. Avoid contact if at all possible. You, clean your shoes. Don’t get anything on your hands."

Though terrified of plague, these men knew almost nothing of how to prevent its spread.

Upon seeing the burial pit, the physician halted, found a wooden stick, and pried apart the scant soil, dragging out a rotting corpse. The features were faintly discernible—a woman, her body bloated, skin ashen grey, with conspicuous black spots across it.

"These black spots are not ordinary signs of decomposition..." The physician took out a magic disc. After a series of seal techniques, the disc began to buzz. A golden ray shot into the corpse, lingered briefly, and then returned to the disc. Strange symbols, incomprehensible to Shen Hao, appeared in long rows on its surface.

"What did you find?" Seeing the physician frown in silence, Shen Hao finally spoke up.

"It’s the plague, but... it’s not any kind seen before."

"What do you mean?"

"This is a plague investigation disc. It can immediately tell whether an illness is common or plague, and contains records of all previously known plagues, enabling swift identification. But this plague doesn’t match anything in the records."

A new plague?

Shen Hao’s brow furrowed as well. He didn’t dwell on it, though, and quickly issued an order to his subordinate: "Send word back to the Thousand Households Station immediately, inform Lord Wu that plague has been confirmed. Also, arrest all chief officers at Wan River Port and Pingshun City Local Government Offices and put them in jail. Interrogation will be handled by the Hundred Households of Xuanqing Guard from Pingshun City." Shen Hao held an order from Wu Changhe granting him discretionary power in special circumstances. This was one such case.

"Lord Shen, I’d like to continue investigating deeper. Plagues generally have an origin point; there, we might find more details. Perhaps understanding these black-spot symptoms could reveal similarities to past plagues, providing clues for treatment."

The physician voiced his idea. Shen Hao agreed, repeatedly warning soldiers not to touch any corpses and to proceed cautiously.

Advancing further, the bodies became more numerous and severely decomposed, with a nauseating stench permeating the area.

After about twenty li along the road, they reached the first village. Shen Hao dispatched five scouts to investigate ahead, only letting the main force enter afterward, still keeping men stationed outside for support.

The village was already deserted, but not many corpses remained. Likely most villagers fled, or else were cleared out and dumped in the burial pits along the road.

A quick circuit of the village revealed nothing suspicious.

Should they continue deeper? Shen Hao thought it unwise. The situation was unclear; blindly pressing on would yield little. He suggested to the physician that they stop for the day, and wait until the officials at Wan River Port gave their statements before investigating further.

He ordered the assembly signal, and the three teams regrouped at the earlier checkpoint.

The personnel from Wanhe Port Government Office had already been taken back for interrogation at Pingshun City Xuanqing Guard. After leaving some men to guard this area, Shen Hao returned straight to Pingshun City, receiving at the same time an urgent order from Wu Changhe at Fengri City.

"Black Banner Battalion Hundred Households Officer Shen Hao is hereby granted full authority over matters concerning the concealed reporting of plague along the Pingshun City line."

This order was precisely as Shen Hao expected. Wu Changhe was surely savoring his success.

On the surface, Wu Changhe had exalted Shen Hao by granting him overall control of the front-line handling of the plague case. In reality, he had merely offered Shen Hao a small share, while ensuring Shen Hao remained anchored at Pingshun City and unable to depart. Thus, all outward dealings regarding the plague became Wu Changhe’s stage: issuing martial law orders for every city in Jingxi receiving refugees, detaining potential plague carriers, reporting upward, and so forth. These tasks were far more prestigious than front-line investigation.

There was another aspect both Wu Changhe and Shen Hao deliberately overlooked: jurisdiction.

By rights, plague should be handled by the Local Government Office, a local affair. The Xuanqing Guard had no direct grounds to intervene, usually acting only in support.

But this time was different. From Pingshun City to Wan River Port, both levels of Local Government Offices had grave lapses and failures. The local officials lost initiative from the outset. By the time Fengri City’s government reacted, it was too late; the Xuanqing Guard could cite ’dereliction investigation’ and simply ignore any requests for handover. As long as they stalled for a month or two, the plague would be suppressed, prestige gained, and only then would authority revert to local offices.

Shen Hao and Wu Changhe hadn’t discussed these matters, but their understanding was mutual.

Thus, Shen Hao would be stationed at Pingshun City for the time being.

He requisitioned the grounds of the Black Banner Battalion of Pingshun City Xuanqing Guard, listening to case updates in the Council Hall.

The local Hundred Households Officer was Fang Yangqin, now fully aware he had incurred a ’failure in diligence’ charge, and could only cooperate as best he could, hoping to lessen his penalty later.

"According to the interrogations, the first place to report mass deaths was a small village called Xiushan, one hundred and ten li north of Shi Pan Town. A family of five died overnight in their home, with black spots on their bodies. The villagers believed it was poisoning and reported it to the authorities. No follow-up occurred; the conclusion was that the family consumed poisonous mountain plants, hence the deaths."

This incident drew no attention. The villagers buried the family and thought little more. But after a month, similar deaths began occurring in succession throughout the village..."