twin moon

Chapter 123 No.15 Scene [-]

Time passed by, and the cold wave in the north, wrapped in wind and snow, blew again from the remote Guizhou wilderness and Mingji sea.The cold winter has come, and because the big and small streams on Qingwan Island flow into the sea, diluting the sea water, a thick layer of ice soon formed on the sea surface near it.Because of this, the ships in the Crescent Bay were unable to sail long distances before the beginning of spring.

Even so, the islanders are still very optimistic.Not only because they have been used to such a severe winter for many years, but also because they have prepared sufficient food in advance as in previous years before the winter.

However, the long cold winter was still a bit difficult for Qi Ziyin who had just arrived on the island.Although it is possible to cut ice and melt snow, the supply of fresh water on the island is not a problem.In addition, the beginning of winter this year was half a month earlier, and the freezing of sea water was much faster than in previous years.No one knows how long this severe winter, once in a century, will last.As a precaution, the food in the city was quickly rationed.Each person can only get a few fist-sized corn buns of yellow rice and a bowl of gruel made from fish.

It's not a good feeling to be hungry.This day Qi Ziyin was really hungry, lying on the bed tossing and turning unable to fall asleep, so he got up and put on his outer robe, intending to boil some hot water to fill his empty stomach.But when he was lighting the fire, he heard an indistinct shout from outside the house, as if someone rushed past the door in a panic.Followed by more people, and noisier sound.

Gradually, the teenagers in the house could even see the flickering torches held high in the hands of the crowd on the street through the paper, and could feel the anxiety and restlessness displayed by their gestures.

He realized that there seemed to be something happening on the island, so he immediately opened the door and went out, only to see a team of dozens of people marching mightily towards a lonely stone house.Finally, an acquaintance of his neighbor flashed by in the line, and the boy hurriedly grabbed him and asked him, only then did he realize that an islander fell ill, and the condition quickly deteriorated.The previous commotion was caused by Leng Jiayun leading people to check the situation.

Hearing what the neighbor said, Qi Ziyin became more and more uneasy.The torch-carrying team walked away in a blink of an eye. In his haste, he didn't even care about dressing neatly, and immediately followed with his shoes on.

"Why are you here?"

Seeing the young man appearing in the team, Leng Jiayun seemed a little nervous.Qi Ziyin didn't care so much, and rushed to her in three steps:
"Sister Jia, I heard that someone is sick, is it serious?"

"The one who fell ill was Cheng blacksmith who lived on the edge of the cliff in the back mountain. You should also know him."

"Uncle Cheng? He even slapped my horseshoe for me before winter, why did he suddenly fall ill?"

"Actually, he felt a little uncomfortable a few days ago, but at the time he thought it was just a cold, and he didn't take it seriously. But no one would have thought that the disease now makes him unable to even get out of bed. However, the cause of the disease has not yet been investigated clearly, you should go back to the house quickly, there is nothing to look at!"

The woman explained hastily, and then she was about to reach out and push the boy back.Qi Ziyin shook his head, expressing that he could help:
"When I was in the palace, I followed the imperial physician and learned some pathology and pharmacy. I can recognize common medicinal materials, and I understand a little bit about them. Uncle Cheng, what symptoms does he have now?"

"Old Cheng has been coughing for the past few days, and even vomited when it was severe. A large red rash appeared on his skin, which gradually festered, and the high fever persisted. The old man has been practicing medicine for more than [-] years, and he has never seen such a strange disease. , have never even heard of it.”

Standing beside Leng Jiayun was a well-known doctor in Qingwan City.At this moment, his complexion didn't look too good, and it seemed that because of the lack of helpers, when the boy said that he knew a little about pathology and pharmacy, he immediately took the conversation away before the woman could refuse.

Hearing what the other party said, Qi Ziyin also felt that things were a little weird, frowning and thinking:

"Cough, vomiting, and high fever are indeed the typical symptoms of wind-cold. However, the large spots and festering sounds a bit like the possible symptoms of smallpox..."

"smallpox?!"

When the surrounding islanders heard these three words, they immediately started whispering - when the Shuodi Rebellion had just subsided more than [-] years ago, smallpox once spread in Changzhou and Sizhou.Coupled with the chaos caused by the war, the spread of the disease quickly became uncontrollable, and there were countless casualties.Now, if Blacksmith Cheng is really infected with smallpox, needless to say, everyone can understand what it will mean to the frozen Qingwan.

"I can be sure that it's definitely not smallpox that is old enough. But it's not time to draw conclusions yet. You cover your face first, and come with me to his house to see it before you talk about it!"

After speaking, the doctor handed over a small square scarf, and asked Qi Ziyin to cover his mouth and nose.The young man hesitated for a moment after receiving it, then tied the scarf on his face and continued to walk forward with the team.

Before everyone got close to the blacksmith's house, they smelled a disgusting stench in the air, like rotten eggs that had been left for a long time, with an indescribable sweetness mixed in it.After only two breaths, the boy in white immediately pressed the scarf on his face tightly with his hands.However, the rancid smell still came from the mouth and nose in all directions irresistibly.

Several people in the team retreated on the spot, quietly hid behind the crowd, and disappeared without a sound.But being afraid is human nature after all, Leng Jiayun didn't come forward to stop it, but frowned and asked:

"When you came yesterday, was the smell so strong?"

The doctor shook his head, as if he couldn't believe that the disease would develop so quickly:
"When I came last night, Lao Cheng's body just had more abscesses than before, but there was no smell at all. I remember that after I gave him medicine, he said he felt better."

"Could that be the smell from something else?"

As the woman said, she wanted to push the door and walked into the house. Unexpectedly, before her fingertips touched the latch, she heard a chilling scream from inside the house, and then the wooden door was knocked open with a "bang". The figure came out staggeringly, almost bumping into her.

That figure was Cheng blacksmith who was sick.Right now, he is completely naked, wrapped in blood-soaked muslin.And those places where there were no erythema and abscesses have all been blistered and festered, and there is no complete piece of skin.

"Old man, don't move around, follow me to the house and change your medicine, you will feel better after changing the medicine!"

Seeing this, the doctor immediately wanted to persuade the other party to stop struggling, but Cheng Blacksmith couldn't listen at all, and thick translucent mucus was continuously sprayed out from his mouth and nose, and his bloodshot eyes were also full of painful despair. After coughing a few times, he roared in an indistinct voice:
"Itchy...I'm itchy!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and scratched hard on his arm a few times.The thick bloody water flowing out from the sores had already dyed the muslin cloth covered in dark brown, making it stick tightly to the human flesh.This scratch immediately tore off the hardened fine cloth, and there was still a large piece of festering flesh attached to it.

No one would have thought that the originally strong muscles on the man's body are now like dough with added water, a big lump of blood and flesh can be torn off with a little force, exposing the white bones underneath!
Many people in the team vomited on the spot, but no one dared to step forward to stop them.Wherever the patient rushed, the crowd immediately retreated to both sides.In this way, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Cheng Blacksmith scratched himself into a bone, his internal organs spilled out on the ground, and finally died of exhaustion.

"Send someone to build firewood immediately and burn the body, including everything in this room!"

Leng Jiayun had never seen such a terrifying sight.But although her face was pale, she still kept herself calm as much as possible, and ordered.

Qi Ziyin also faintly felt that his stomach was turning upside down, but he didn't dare to pull the scarf underneath to vomit on the spot, for fear that he would inhale something unclean into his body.While speaking, he hastily pulled the woman in purple to a place a little further away, before leaning into her ear and whispering:
"Sister Jia, it's okay to move the nearby residents away, but the house and the corpse cannot be burned for the time being!"

"Why not burn it? At present, we have no way of judging whether this strange disease will spread. There is no guarantee that leaving the corpse will not harm other people on the island!"

"This disease does not happen by accident. If the house and the corpse were burned immediately, even any clues left in it would be destroyed. And this may be what the murderer wants us to do!"

"You mean, someone deliberately infected Cheng Blacksmith with this disease? How is this possible!"

Leng Jiayun didn't believe the young man's speculation.

"In the past 20 years, the islanders lived in peace and harmony. Now we have only been on the island for half a year and the epidemic has occurred. Besides, there are more than [-] people in Qingwan City, and there are mixed fish and dragons. Sister Jia has not been with them for more than [-] years. What kind of dealings have you had, how can you be so sure that there are no evil people using any means? I'm afraid that if someone targets—"

Qi Ziyin didn't dare to continue talking.At this time, he only vaguely felt that this strange disease was sudden and fatal, and it seemed to be caused by intentional poisoning.If it was really as I had speculated, there might have been a secret agent sent by Qi Shouyu who had followed their boat to the island.After experiencing the changes in Yunzhi City, he became more and more convinced that the Quicksand Camp definitely has such abilities.

However, the young man still thinks everything is too simple.The connection between these two things was far more complicated than what he had feared.It's just that right now it's impossible to understand or imagine.

"But you can't just leave the corpse like this?"

"Uncle Cheng's residence is remote. We can first move all the residents within a mile to other places, and then build fences around this stone house, and send people to patrol day and night to prevent stray people from entering. After that, we must start to deal with it as soon as possible. Investigate, and it won't be too late to burn it after we have clues."

Hearing that what the young man said made some sense, Leng Jiayun finally nodded in agreement.

For the next few days, she and Qi Ziyin risked getting sick, and personally explored the cause of the disease at Cheng Tiejiang's home.However, the juvenile's deduction seems to be incorrect, and no trace of poison was found on the water source, food, clothing and utensils in the house.The investigation hit a dead end for a while.The cause of Uncle Cheng's death also became more and more confusing due to the rumors spreading around.

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. During the period of investigation, many people on the island were infected one after another, and the epidemic situation was getting worse.Gradually, panic finally spread in Qingwan City.Whenever they go out, the islanders will cover their faces with a thick layer of muslin, but this has no effect on this strange disease.

The onset of the disease is even irregular, and even a newborn baby may become terminally ill overnight.Soon, there were more and more patients in the city, and even taking care of them was very difficult.At the same time, the weather is getting colder and colder, and it is impossible to even break through the ice floes and seek refuge at sea.

Finally, under the pressure of the islanders, Leng Jiayun had to agree to burn down the stone house and the relics of the blacksmith who had been searched several times inside and outside.This move caused Qi Ziyin to fall into deep anxiety.

A few more days passed, and this night the boy was alone, and went to investigate near the stone house that had already been turned into a piece of scorched earth.When he reached the edge of the cliff half a mile away from the house, he suddenly saw something hanging on a dead tree branch protruding from the cliff at his feet.

He tried to find a way to fish it up, but found that it was a humanoid skin that had already dried up!The incomplete skin membrane looks obviously not ordinary human skin, because it is like a fish swimming in the sea, with a layer of fine scales, but the appearance of the face can still be vaguely recognized, it is actually similar to adult skin. Blacksmiths are exactly the same!
This discovery made Qi Ziyin suddenly think of the deceased islander named Quan Fu he witnessed when he first entered Qingwan half a year ago, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.Now he is almost certain that the skin he found was sloughed off from Zicheng's body.It's just that for some unknown reason, these originally normal islanders gradually turned into half-human, half-fish monsters!

The young man suddenly realized that this accident might have nothing to do with Qi Shouyu who was far away on the east coast of the Chanying Sea, but might instead have something to do with the murlocs that Sister Jia said had attacked Qingwan, and the mysterious black people buried on this island. Crystal related!

Qi Ziyin immediately folded the film into a small piece, and wrapped it in the cloth handkerchief he carried with him, intending to go back and tell Leng Jiayun of his discovery.Unexpectedly, before he stood up, he suddenly felt a gust of cold wind blowing behind him, and he was thrown down on the spot and pressed heavily to the ground.

"It's this brat! He was the one who prevented Miss Leng from burning down the blacksmith's house. He must have no good intentions. Now so many people are suffering from that strange disease, all because of him!"

More than one person attacked the boy.They cursed under their breath, obviously blaming him for the disaster that happened on the island.

"That's right! Ever since this boat crew came to the island with Ms. Leng, the city has become less peaceful! What's more, Ms. Leng left the island with General Baili for many years. Who can guarantee that it is not she who is standing in front of us now? !"

"What's even worse is that silver-haired kid! I remember that not long before Blacksmith Cheng fell ill, he said that a terrible disaster was about to happen on the island! This group of people might all be sent by the emperor in Yujingli Secret agent, intends to take this opportunity to catch us all!"

"If I had known this, I shouldn't have let them come to the island! Now that we are about to be trapped to death in Qingwan City, if we want to survive, let me take all those outsiders and torture them! The vast majority of them have not been infected so far, the antidote must be hidden somewhere!"

The islanders, who have lost their minds because of fear, seem to have come up with an explanation that they think is reasonable.Right now they didn't allow Qi Ziyin to make more excuses at all, so they tied the young man's hands behind his back, gagged his mouth with a cloth, pushed him down from the top of the cliff as if they were a prisoner.

　The starting point is not the starting point, and the whole book is free.

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(End of this chapter)