Ignoring the old gatekeeper's words,
Zhou Zhi's gaze narrowed.
He observed the school from outside the gates.
"Has the Longevity Path's attack really reached this extent? By rights, a Strange Incident in a place like a school should be suppressed immediately. Yet Changdu's response is intriguing."
Others might not know, but Zhou Zhi did.
The pestilence inside the school this time was the Chickenpox Plague.
In his past life, it hadn't been considered a serious disease. It almost always resolved on its own and rarely proved fatal.
But this place was different.
"Ah, what a pity about the Plague Exterminator from a couple of days ago."
Behind him, the old man continued to sigh. "I know I shouldn't say this, but I think we ought to find some seasoned Plague Exterminators. We can't keep sending greenhorns to their deaths. Don't you agree?"
Zhou Zhi paid no attention to what the old gatekeeper was saying. He studied the school gates.
Then he composed himself.
Beneath the sign above the gates was a strange triangle that ordinary people would have had trouble noticing.
It wasn't a normal triangle. It was slightly distorted and bizarre.
[Someone's Emblem].
[It seemed to be some kind of religious symbol].
After a moment of silence, Zhou Zhi stood up and left.
The old gatekeeper shrugged at the entrance.
The inn.
Aunt Mei's smile was gone, and she looked somewhat unnerved.
When she saw Zhou Zhi return, the furrow in her brow finally eased.
"Brother Zhou, you're finally back."
Zhou Zhi sat down, turning slightly to the side.
After hearing that many Plague Exterminators had died at Su Rongrong's school, Aunt Mei had been beside herself. She'd also decided not to go out after eight at night.
"How are things?"
Aunt Mei lowered her voice.
Zhou Zhi shook his head. He rarely showed much emotion. "I don't know. As for the pestilence at the academy, all we can do for now is wait and see. After all, I'm not a formal Plague Exterminator."
He raised his head. "Aunt Mei, is there something you want to tell me?"
Aunt Mei glanced upstairs.
"Brother Zhou... I think something's wrong."
"That couple who checked in yesterday—they're suspicious."
Aunt Mei looked toward the stairs again. After making sure no one was eavesdropping, she lowered her voice further. "Last night, I heard a strange sound coming from their room."
Zhou Zhi was silent for a moment. "Aunt Mei, it's not right to eavesdrop on people... Besides, however strange it was, they're free to do as they please."
Aunt Mei waved her hand. "No, that's not it."
"I was just passing by and heard it for a moment."
"Then it stopped right away, as if they'd realized something and immediately cut it off."
"Chanting."
"They seemed to be chanting. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that's what it was."
Aunt Mei's voice was barely a whisper, as if she were afraid of being overheard. "You know, we in Xuanyuan don't go in for that sort of thing..."
"I understand."
Zhou Zhi replied. Aunt Mei seemed to want to say more, but when she saw his calm expression, she held her tongue.
"The Chanting Guests at the inn."
"The Chickenpox-Infected Class at the school."
"And that suspicious Sun Shun."
When something was out of the ordinary, there was bound to be something fishy.
The entire area around Suhui seemed shrouded in an eerie atmosphere. Without formal Plague Exterminators to protect it, pestilences were beginning to emerge from the shadows.
And the most suspicious of all was Sun Shun.
Eight Apprentice Plague Exterminators had gone in together. Six had died, one was unconscious in the hospital, and Sun Shun was still eager to enter the academy again.
"By the way, why was the clinic next door closed today?"
Zhou Zhi asked.
Aunt Mei said, "Doctor Su went out on a house call today, to another neighborhood. He seemed quite happy this morning. Said the consultation fee was pretty good."
His gaze fell on the street.
Complicated emotions churned inside Zhou Zhi.
"Aunt Mei, help me find a few people I can trust."
After a moment, Zhou Zhi spoke.
That night.
Su Rongrong sat alone behind the clinic counter.
She was following her father's instructions: not to wander outside, but to wait at home for the Plague Exterminators to return and purge the pestilence from the academy so classes could resume.
"How frightening. What kind of pestilence was that again?"
Su Rongrong recalled the scene of only two Plague Exterminators escaping from inside the school. The strange symptoms rippling across their skin had been a downright assault on her aesthetic sensibilities.
Although her dream was to become a Plague Exterminator, if she had to deal with something that dangerous, her father definitely wouldn't agree.
But it didn't matter. A Plague Exterminator didn't necessarily have to go around slaying pestilences. Being like her father wouldn't be bad either.
That was what Su Rongrong thought.
Her father had gone out on a house call that day and still hadn't returned. That was rare.
But Su Rongrong wasn't worried. Her father was a formal Plague Exterminator. He looked down on ordinary epidemic-prevention workers like Zhou Zhi, who patrolled the streets.
"They're just ordinary people... Calling them apprentices is giving them too much credit."
Those were her father's exact words.
Tap, tap, tap.
Someone knocked on the door.
A deep voice sounded from outside.
"Anyone there?"
"Cough, cough..."
Su Rongrong straightened up.
She might not be a Plague Exterminator, but she still had to run the family business properly.
"Yes... But my father's out on a house call. Would you like to wait here?"
As she spoke, Su Rongrong got to her feet. "What's the problem? I can make a note of it, and when my father gets back..."
A blank face appeared.
Su Rongrong froze for a moment, then realized who it was.
The man in front of her seemed to be the husband from the couple who had recently checked into Aunt Mei Inn.
He was gaunt, with sunken eye sockets. He looked as though he lacked energy.
"It's not me. It's my wife."
"My wife has the flu... Or maybe some other illness."
The man's face was cold, like a blank-faced puppet.
Su Rongrong waved her hand. "Sorry, my father's out today. I'm not a Plague Exterminator, so I can't treat anyone."
Then she seemed to remember something. "Oh, if you really need treatment, Zhou Zhi might be able to help... He's the epidemic-prevention worker staying with you at Aunt Mei Inn. Don't let his youth fool you—he's an Apprentice Plague Exterminator..."
Su Rongrong hadn't finished speaking.
A strange spiritual energy stirred.
An odd chant began to spill from the man's mouth.
"Take no food or drink. Sit still in silence. Let not a single thought arise. Cast aside all worries. Gather the spirit and steady the mind. Let the eyes see no things, let the ears hear no sounds..."
The strange sound spread through the air.
Su Rongrong's pupils gradually grew dazed, then unfocused.
The girl's body went limp, slumping against the man's shoulder.
"Eternal Heaven... grant me long life."
The man raised his head. On the inner side of his neck, in the shadows, the faint outline of a triangular mark appeared—but vanished in an instant.
Outside the clinic, the tree branches swayed in the night.
Inside, the lights suddenly went out.
Before you continue