Mad Demon Disease Patient

Unrecognizable...

His already uneasy heart grew even more unsettled.

Just then, the swaying carriage suddenly stopped, and Ma Tie's voice came from outside. "Second Young Master, we're at the back gate of the County Office. Should I carry you down?"

Chen Mo nodded. "Alright."

Ma Tie was tall and sturdy, skilled in martial arts, so carrying the fifteen-year-old Chen Mo was no effort at all.

Ma Tie had once been an old constable at the County Office and knew the place like the back of his hand. Using the silver Chen Mo had given him to grease the way, they passed through without obstruction and soon reached the Archives Room, where an old clerk in a dark green robe blocked their path.

Ma Tie pleaded earnestly, "Our Second Young Master wishes to look through some case files. Please, Uncle Li, do us this favor."

The old clerk, called Uncle Li, glanced at Chen Mo on Ma Tie's back, smoothed his sleeves, and put on the airs of a scholar. "I know the Chen family is a prominent clan in the county, but the Archives Room holds important records like household registries, tax rolls, and judicial files. Without a written order from the Magistrate, outsiders are not allowed in. I'm just following the rules..."

Chen Mo pulled out a hundred-tael banknote. "My elder brother recently contracted the Mad Demon Disease and unfortunately passed away. I miss him and want to go inside to look through the files, to find the cause of his death. Please, do me this favor."

Clerk Li glanced at the banknote with disdain. "We scholars do not bow to money. The Magistrate entrusted such an important Archives Room to my care, and I cannot neglect my duty. Second Young Master, please don't put me in a difficult position."

Chen Mo pulled out two more banknotes, stacking them for a total of three hundred taels, and pressed them all into Clerk Li's hands. "I am truly worried about my deceased elder brother. Please understand."

Clerk Li stared at the three banknotes in his hand, trembling all over.

Three hundred taels!

His annual salary for managing documents at the County Office was no more than ten taels of silver.

Three hundred taels... that would take thirty years of hard work.

Truly extravagant.

He had long heard that the Second Young Master of the Chen family was free with his money, but he never imagined it was to this extent.

After a brief calculation, Clerk Li agreed.

Clerk Li pocketed the banknotes and cupped his hands to Chen Mo. "Young Master Mo's concern for his elder brother is deeply moving. This old man greatly admires someone as loyal and devoted as you. I'll take you inside right away."

Whether he was truly loyal or devoted didn't matter—mainly, Chen Mo had given him far too much.

Chen Mo breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It all came down to throwing money around.

The Archives Room was large, with documents and scrolls neatly arranged on various shelves, following the principle of "filing by department."

Chen Mo had Ma Tie set him down beside a long table. Before long, Clerk Li brought over a large stack of case files about the Mad Demon Disease and then stood respectfully nearby, ready to answer any questions Chen Mo might have.

Chen Mo picked up the files and began flipping through them one by one.

"Jingtai 38th Year: A widow from Li Village, Qinghe Town, under Honghe County, suddenly went mad while farming, biting and killing thirteen villagers. She was eventually struck down by Constable Zhou He of the County Office. Coroner Xie Lianghong's autopsy revealed an infant's face on her abdomen."

"Jingtai 42nd Year: A newborn infant in Li Village, Qinghe Town, suddenly went mad, possessed of immense strength, and bit its mother to death... Coroner Xie Lianghong's autopsy revealed an infant's face on its abdomen."

"Jingtai 48th Year: A pregnant woman from Li Village, Qinghe Town, suddenly went mad... Coroner Xie Lianghong's autopsy again revealed an infant's face on her abdomen."

"Jingtai 48th Year: Over three hundred residents of Li Village, Qinghe Town, all fell ill with the Mad Demon Disease, rushed out of the village, and bit people wildly. Fortunately, Goddess Hong Deng manifested her power and quelled the disaster."

Reading through case after case, Chen Mo's heart climbed into his throat, and he could barely breathe.

In the thirty years from Jingtai 38th Year to the current Jingtai 68th Year, the files recorded over a hundred cases of the Mad Demon Disease. Almost all of the afflicted had died.

The very few who survived had only done so because Goddess Hong Deng, moved by their offerings of incense, sent Red Lantern Attendants to cure them.

It was clear that once you contracted the Mad Demon Disease, only the blessing of Goddess Hong Deng could save you.

There was no other way.

This made Chen Mo feel deeply insecure.

What was he to do about his own Mad Demon Disease?

Earlier, Eldest Young Master Chen had gone mad and died, but no Red Lantern Attendant had been sent.

When Chen Mo's own illness had flared up, an Old Daoist had come, not any attendant of Goddess Hong Deng.

Clearly, although the Chen family was a wealthy and prominent clan in the county, their standing with Goddess Hong Deng was still quite ordinary.

Chen Mo set aside his anxiety and continued flipping through the remaining files.

Until he came across the file on his own elder brother.

[Jingtai 68th Year: Chen Shu, age 18. On the sixteenth day of the eighth month, during the Hai hour of the night, while drinking with the top courtesan Su Mei at Spring Breeze Tower, he suddenly went mad and lunged at Su Mei to bite her. Fortunately, he was stopped by the restaurant's guards. He was brought back to the Chen Mansion. Chen Yin Fu invited an Old Daoist to perform an exorcism. Three days later, he died.]

[Jingtai 68th Year: Constable Zhang Da of the County Office fell ill, was imprisoned. One day later, he died.]

[Jingtai 68th Year: Constable Li Er of the County Office fell ill, was imprisoned. Two days later, he died.]

[Jingtai 68th Year: Constable Wang Wu of the County Office fell ill, was imprisoned. Three days later, he died.]

He pointed to the last three files and asked, "Why is it that, even though they were all constables, the time between falling ill and dying was different?"

Clerk Li, having been paid, answered eagerly. "Young Master Mo is sharp-eyed. As for the reason... I don't know either."

Chen Mo felt there had to be a reason, but the ancient records were too crude to investigate further.

"Do you know what caused their deaths?"

After being locked up in prison following the onset of the disease, he died within a few days?

That's very suspicious.

Clerk Li shook his head. "As for the specific cause, Coroner Xie Lianghong would know better."

Chen Mo suppressed the chill creeping up his spine and forced a calm demeanor. "May I copy these files and take them home for closer study?"

The files were dense, and Chen Mo couldn't remember every detail on the spot. He needed a copy to compare carefully—there might be other findings.

Clerk Li looked reluctant, but remembering the money Chen Mo had just given him, he didn't refuse. "I'll make a copy for you myself, young master."

Soon, Clerk Li rolled up the transcribed pages and handed them to Chen Mo with both hands. "Not a single word missed. Please keep them safe, young master."

Chen Mo took the pages, his mood low.

A trip to the County Office had yielded no real useful information beyond learning how terrifying the Mad Demon Disease was. He hadn't found a way to counter it either, and that gnawed at him.

He had the ability to identify Golden Fingers. If he could just find a Mad Demon Disease patient to examine...

The thought struck Chen Mo like a jolt, and his mind raced.

Since the Mad Demon Disease broke out so frequently, the County Office was very likely holding such patients in custody. Even a corpse would do.

After all, not every household was like the Chen Mansion, with martial artists on hand to suppress and restrain a victim when the disease struck. Ordinary families usually reported it to the authorities.

With that in mind, Chen Mo suddenly looked up at Clerk Li. "Has the County Office recently taken any Mad Demon Disease patients into custody?"

Hearing this, Clerk Li shuddered, his face twisting with fear. "Yes. Just yesterday, a village woman in Qinghe Town had an outbreak. She bit two families to death before Captain Wang locked her up. She's in the cells now."

Chen Mo's heart leaped with excitement, but his face remained impassive. "Please take me to the cells."

At the mention of visiting the cells to see a Mad Demon Disease patient, Ma Tie and Qiulan both flinched. Qiulan, in particular, shrank back, her neck practically disappearing into her shoulders.

Clerk Li also looked uneasy. "Young Master Mo, the patient is currently in a raving state. It's truly dangerous."

But Chen Mo insisted, "She's locked in a cell, isn't she? Just a look. It'll be fine."

Clerk Li clearly wasn't keen on it, but having taken the money, he found it hard to refuse. "Please follow me, young master."

Seeing she couldn't stop Chen Mo, Qiulan steeled herself and said to Ma Tie, "Ma Tie, make sure you protect the young master."

Ma Tie tightened the broadsword at his waist. "Don't worry. I'm at least a late-stage Skin Refining Realm martial artist. I won't let anything happen to the young master."

With that, Ma Tie hoisted Chen Mo onto his back and followed Clerk Li toward the County Office cells.