General’s Gown

Chapter 69 The Storm Puts a Strong Grass To The Test Part 6 

“Your blood and sweat?” 

Yan Changqing said coldly. In the boiling crowd, his voice was not loud, but he had the power to penetrate people’s hearts: “After the earthquake, in less than half a month, the fields under your name increased by seven hundred and thirty-four acres. Dare I ask where these fields came from? Where is the land deed?” 

When the Rich man Zhang heard these words, his face was extremely ugly, but he couldn’t explain it for a while. He just kept inciting the people behind him: “Don’t listen to him, be careful of being deceived!”     

Yan Changqing looked at the people behind Rich man Zhang who were holding hoes and wielding sickles. He knew in his heart that many of them were farmhands of Rich man Zhang. He walked over and said to a middle-aged woman wearing a red scarf: “This aunt, is your child’s illness getting better?” 

The woman looked at Yan Changqing in surprise, stunned for a moment, then said with a trembling lip. “You… you remember?”

In the days when Yan Changqing first entered the city to provide porridge for disaster relief, there was a woman queuing up in the crowd waiting for porridge every day. When she finally got in line, she was not like other hungry people. The victims received it and drank it, but she carefully held the porridge like a treasure, squeezed out of the crowd, and brought it to her youngest son who was infected with the disease. She fed it to him one bite at a time.     

Yan Changqing happened to witness all this, and seeing that the orphan and widow mother were pitiful, he specifically instructed his subordinates to take more care of the mother and son duo. Seeing that the woman was still superstitious about the holy medicine and was against Wei Jin’s medicine, Yan Changqing drank a bowl of the medicine in front of the mother and son to relieve her of her concerns.     

“Why won’t I remember?” Yan Changqing said warmly, “Your child is eight years old and has a black mole at the corner of his eye?” 

“Yes, yes!” The widow nodded her head at the mention of her child, smiling: “He’s completely healed, and can jump around…” Before she could finish speaking, the woman suddenly stopped. Her face showing a burst of embarrassment and shame. Yes, if it wasn’t for the help of this fairy-like adult in front of her, her child would have been long gone…..     

She was really muddled, how could she have been fooled by the rich man’s words and a few copper coins to come here? That’s her family’s benefactor!     

Yan Changqing’s eyes swept over lightly. 

“This uncle, after stopping consuming the holy medicine, have you ever fainted again?”

A farmer with half a head of white hair wanted to hide the stick in his hand with embarrassment: “Not dizzy or faint. A few days ago, I was suffering like I was dying, but now I’m all good!”

“Auntie, is your disease also cured? I heard from Wei Jin that your legs and feet were not good, so he cured them together…” 

A fat woman with a black and red complexion bowed her head. She didn’t dare to agree, she just buried her head and stepped back, her legs moving smoothly. 

More and more hoes and sticks were put down. The crowd, like boiling water, began to calm down slowly. 

He Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, and said to the crowd, “Do you understand now? We, Lord Yan, are wholeheartedly dedicated to helping our people to resist the earthquakes and treat the epidemic. The same is true for moving cities and filling the rivers. He has done so many good deeds. Do you think he will hurt you this time? If you don’t leave quickly, the city will really collapse! Everyone should go home and clean up, the sooner you leave, the safer it will be!” 

“Hold on!” The sharp and smooth voice sounded again. 

Yan Changqing turned his head and met Richman Zhang with a blank expression. He was so resentful that it was even worse than the sick wolf that bit him on Baicang Mountain. 

“Master Yan did do a lot of good things for the people of Qinchuan before. But a yard is a yard, and now I don’t believe a single word of his!” Richman Zhang shouted loudly when he saw that the crowd wanted to retreat. 

“Don’t be fooled! This person is no longer the Lord Yan when he first arrived!” 

“What do you mean?” He Li asked loudly. 

“What do you mean?” Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Richman Zhang raised his chest, stared at Yan Changqing, and said sternly, “He is possessed by an evil Drought Demon in Baicang Mountain, and whoever one of you dares to speak for him is acting for a tiger!”

“What nonsense are you talking about! What evil nonsense are you spewing! Do not just slander others!” He Li immediately retorted. 

“Do you want proof? Hehe…” Rich man Zhang sneered, and said to several government soldiers: “Since master Yan came back, has he ever told you to remove the lotus water tank in his courtyard?” 

That one day, after being rejected, rich man Zhang didn’t give up. He secretly climbed up the eaves and wanted to sneak in, but he happened to meet Yan Changqing’s personal guard calling the soldiers to remove the water tank. He didn’t take it to heart, but the little guard’s unintentional “The general is ill and doesn’t like water” made the rich man Zhang instantly suspicious. 

The soldiers who helped in Yan Changqing’s residence looked at each other. They didn’t want to admit it, but their expressions betrayed them and they didn’t have time to hide it. 

Many people who were about to leave, stopped one after another, looking suspiciously at Yan Changqing and at rich man Zhang. 

“What does it mean to move a few water tanks?” He Li asked back, completely unaware that Yan Changqing’s face was turning paler behind him. 

“Moving a water tank is a sign of fear of water.” A voice suddenly recalled in the crowd. Everyone looked back one after another, only to see that the speaker was a middle-aged man with a long beard and dressed as a gentleman. 

“Hey, Doctor Song, are you not dumping the holy medicines that you can’t sell in your pharmacy anymore, why are you here to join in the fun?” someone sneered. 

Dr. Song ignored these ridicules. He squeezed in front of the crowd, secretly cast a gaze on rich man Zhang, and said to the crowd: “This person is possessed by the Drought Demon and is afraid of the cold and water. If you don’t believe it, give him a splash of basin water, see if he’s afraid, you’ll know after a try!” 

Yan Changqing only felt a “bang” in his head, and his face instantly turned pale.

Only a few people in the residence knew about his illness. How could this Doctor Song, who he had never met, know about his illness! 

Wei Jin changed his face, stepped forward and stood in front of Yan Changqing: “You are also a doctor, don’t you know that there is a disease in the world that is caused by being bitten by a wolf? It is called rabies and not that Drought Demon business!” 

“I am indeed a doctor, and I have been a doctor for many years, but I have never heard of rabies.” Dr. Song spoke boldly. He smiled slightly, and said to the people around him, “Have you heard of rabies?” 

The people fell silent for a while, many shook their heads, and more raised their hoes and sticks again, with no hint of caution and fear in their eyes. 

Richman Zhang clapped his hands and said, “Everyone heard it just now, just as this little doctor said personally, Master Yan was bitten by a wolf.” His eyes swept over the injured elbow under Yan Changqing’s robe, showing some pride: “Then who can tell me, seven years ago, the first time our Qinchuan city’s Drought Demon had appeared, how did it happen?” 

“I know!” A short and rough-faced man waved his hand. Everyone looked at him. He had never received so many people’s attention before and his face suddenly turned slightly red. His tone was full of excitement:     

“I saw with my own eyes that after being bitten by a wolf on the mountain, he was possessed by a Drought Demon! Oh, he rolled all over the ground, and when he saw someone carrying a bucket over, he was so frightened, he cried and shouted for his family to smash the water tank at home. He even encouraged others to fill up the White Wolf River. He said that there were ghosts crying in the river, and when he heard it at night, he would slam into the wall with discomfort!”

“That’s right!” Another said: “Then that person went crazy, and would bite whoever he saw. The two people in his family were both bitten! If that isn’t being possessed, what is? Whoever gets it would be unlucky!”

“That’s right! What rabies? Where is that kind of evil disease in the world!? It is just the possession of the Drought Demon!”     

“Four years ago, the man seemed to have been bitten by a wild dog. He shivered with fright when he got a little water on himself. When he saw the White Wolf River, he couldn’t stand still, and he said he wanted to fill the river! Hey, if he hadn’t been driven out of the city by a few Taoists later, I don’t know how many people would have been killed!”     

“Looks like this Lord Yan is possessed, otherwise, why would he have to send someone to fill the river when he got off the mountain!” ”     

“It must be that the Drought Demon is back. He wants revenge, so he chose a high-ranking official for possession. What earthquake, it’s all bullsh*t! He lied to us!” 

“I’ve heard that after a big earthquake, there won’t be another one again for many years, and it’s very safe. I think it’s this man who is lying and taking revenge. He just wants to drive us all out of the city, so to occupy our treasure land!”

Everyone’s discussion became louder and louder, and Wei Jin said anxiously: “Qinchuan City really can’t last. If you don’t believe me, you can climb to the top of Baicang Mountain and look down. The ground around the city has collapsed!” 

They all stared at Wei Jin with distrust, and someone spat and pointed at Wei Jin’s nose and scolded: “It seems that you are also bewitched by this evil spirit! Don’t think we don’t know, there are man-eating wild wolves, why are you trying to trick us into going up? Bah!!!!”     

As soon as these words came out, the people became even more stimulated, and many people clenched their fists, raised their sickles, and prepared to throw the stones in their hand lest in the next instant, some terrifying monster would suddenly pop out of Yan Changqing’s body.     

“This person is no longer the former Lord Yan, don’t be afraid, let’s go together!” Sharp shouts sounded from all directions, and the owners of the voices were indeed those who had been cleared of their path to illegal wealth by Yan Changqing. It was wealthy businessmen who had accumulated old and new hatred. 

And the people who were instigated by them were just as angry as they were, but for a simpler reason.     

Some of them were originally farm laborers, holding their rice bowls to the rich, and naturally they wanted to do things for their masters. Their jobs came first. As for right and wrong, what does it have to do with them? Some were reluctant to part with their family’s land, and they disliked the compensation being too small. They wanted to take this opportunity to see if they could get more money.     

Others came to accompany and cheer for a few copper coins given by the rich.     

But even more was the ordinary common people. In an isolated and remote environment, these people were the uncivilized majority, ignorant, superstitious, and the rest. They did not have any hatred or connection with Yan Changqing, and many of them even received favors from Yan Changqing and the others. But they were also the most convinced that Yan Changqing was evil among this dark crowd.     

“Quickly drive this dirty thing out! Never let him harm Qinchuan City again!”

“Kill him! Kill him!” 

Several shouts and curses sounded like a few drops of water splashed into a hot oil pan, and the crowd boiled again, fighting and angry. 

He Li roared loudly and rushed towards the growing crowd, holding hands with the soldiers of the government, trying to form a human wall with his back and arms: “You are crazy! I guarantee with my life that Lord Yan is definitely not— !” 

——With a loud bang, someone carrying a large basin of cold water poured it across the loose human wall. Wei Jin exclaimed and wanted to block it, but it was too late. 

Most of the dirty water mixed with talisman paper dust was poured directly onto Yan Changqing. In the shrill and angry scream of Wei Jin, Yan Changqing swayed and fell to the ground with a thud. 

Wei Jin grabbed Richman Zhang by the collar and roared with cracking eyes: “How dare you! How dare you!!!” 

Richman Zhang quietly used his iron club to knock the corner of Yan Changqing’s knee when the others were unprepared. He sneered, broke away from Wei Jin’s hand, and shouted at the crowd, “Look, everyone! Isn’t General Yan the silver-faced King of H*ll who has won every single battle? But now, a basin of cold water is all that is needed to scare him so much that he can’t stand up! What do you say, what is this!?” 

“Drought Demon!” 

More and more crowds of people rushed up, waving their fists, splashing spittle, screaming frantically, and glaring with malicious eyes. It was as violent as a tornado, sweeping away desperately at everything that wanted to resist it. At the center of the tornado, there was only a thin figure, who looked incomparably lonely.

Yan Changqing lowered his head and bit his lips tightly. The cold, dirty water stained his hair, and mixed with the cold sweat on his forehead, it slid drop by drop down his pale cheeks. 

Cold. 

So cold. 

The sinister blow from the rich man just now, although painful, was nothing to Yan Changqing at this time. What was really terrifying was the basin of icy cold water. Every drop of water seemed to have turned into an invisible blade of ice, deeply embedded in his flesh and blood. 

Extremely cold, it was like a suffocating pain. Yan Changqing only felt that every joint in his body was shaking with countless ice thorns, and every inch of his muscle was spasming. 

He really couldn’t stand up. 

“He’s really not a Drought Demon, he’s really not!” 

Wei Jin roared hoarsely, struggling to fight, but more people stopped him. Some people were angry: “You must be with him, don’t try to help him!” 

Some people persuaded him bitterly: “Doctor, for the sake of saving people’s lives, I kindly advise you that the Drought Demon will kill people, you must stay away from him. Don’t be confused!” 

The human wall formed by He Li finally collapsed, and more people stepped on their fallen bodies, rushing towards Yan Changqing. 

He Li threw himself to the ground and exclaimed with a burst of exclamation: “Don’t!” 

It wasn’t clear who was the first to raise the stone in their hand, but one smashed directly at Yan Changqing. 

A fist-sized stone, dyed bright red, rolled to one side. 

Yan Changqing raised his head suddenly, staring at the person who smashed the stone at him. 

That was the short man who was rushing to answer just now. If Yan Changqing remembered correctly, this man also shyly took the disaster relief porridge that he handed over himself, and didn’t dare to look at him directly. In the same way, relying on his disaster relief porridge and the decoction to treat the disease, he went through the most difficult days in Qinchuan City. 

Such people, in the end, were they more ignorant or more ridiculous?

Facing Yan Changqing’s sharp and clear eyes, the short man felt his heart tremble, but for the first time he was looked at by so many people, so he had to bite the bullet and say: “What are you looking at! If you are really Lord Yan, we will naturally not hit you. But now you are being possessed by an evil spirit, and hitting you is for the sake of the people!” 

After speaking, he looked at Yan Changqing who was staring straight at him without saying a word. The wound on his forehead was bleeding, and the wound on his arm was bleeding. The wrapped wound was splashed with water, and blood slowly flowed down. All the blood accumulated into a small pool of dazzling scarlet on the ground, which made him inexplicably frightened. 

Strange, he was obviously fighting a drought demon openly, so why does he feel guilty? 

Most of the people behind him had never hurt anyone or seen blood. When they saw this scene, they were a little timid and a little unwilling. The stones and sticks in their hands were put down. 

It seems that this can still prove the justice of their actions, their common enemy. 

“Kick him out!” 

“Kick him out! Don’t let him harm the people in the city!” 

Wei Jin was already in tears when he was blocked. He stretched his arms to help Yan Changqing, but his hand was too far, too far. 

“Please don’t hit… don’t hit him!” 

“Don’t hit him…” 

“You are all wrong, wrong…” 

The heart -piercing cry and pleading were so weak that they were just drowned in the noise of human voices. 

He Li struggled to get up from the crowd and the bridge of his nose was kicked by someone. The front of his clothes was full of blood, and his arm was dislocated on one side. But he still shouted loudly at the surrounding soldiers who were still watching the lively scene: “Go protect the Lord! What are you doing!!” 

They all stared at each other, all hesitating, but no one stood up.

He Li slumped on the ground in despair. He knew that these government soldiers wouldn’t stand up after seeing Yan Changqing being splashed with water. They had the same thoughts as those of the common people. 

He Li had a terrible conjecture. Did Yan Changqing really suffer from rabies? That kind of disease is a terminal illness that can’t be cured by gods. Moreover, in Qinchuan where folks believed in ghosts and gods, this kind of disease will only be considered unknown. 

What to do? What should he do? ! ! 

Richman Zhang approached Yan Changqing, his voice sinister and triumphant: 

“Lord Yan, I will give you one last chance. If you are willing to promise to triple the compensation, I can let you spend the last few days comfortably. If you do not agree, just lie in the desert outside the city and wait to die!” 

Yan Changqing gritted his teeth and raised his head. Even though his whole body was like a pool of bitter ice and his painful internal organs were convulsing, even though he was covered in dirt and the filth mixed with blood was dripping from the corners of his clothes and his cheeks, his eyes remained sharp like a snow sword that never had a trace of dirt or a trace of weakness. 

This look made Richman Zhang’s heart tremble. He was horrified, and said fiercely: “I’m asking you, do you agree!?” 

Several Taoist priests came up to greet each other, each holding a basin of ice water that had just been thawed, braving the white cold air. 

“Stop!” 

Wei Jin exclaimed in shock. He knew that people with rabies were afraid of the cold and the water, let alone ice water! If this is poured on his upper body again, the pain of the cold would be like being peeled off alive! 

“Are you agreeing or not?” Only Yan Changqing could hear the harsh pressing threat: “This taste is not good for you!” 

Yan Changqing clenched his fists silently. His knuckles turned white as he stared at him without blinking. 

Shameless, greedy rat, how could Yan Changqing bow his head to such a person? ! 

Yan Changqing’s teeth bared out three decisive words: 

In your dreams! 

With a bang, another basin of ice water poured down.