Fish Scale Disease

After winter came spring.

A gray-white curtain of rain and mist hung over the horizon. The spring rain fell without end as a new rainy season arrived.

Watermouth Town was a small border town under Black Dragon City's jurisdiction. It had a small population and lay along the upper reaches of the Emerald River. Most people here made their living by fishing, hence its name.

Three fine horses traveled through the drizzle, carrying two men and a woman, all dressed in cloaks. Before long, the three approached a small town and found a tea stall to rest their feet.

Splash.

Lin Nan pulled back the cloak over his head and watched the rain drip from the eaves, his heart filled with emotion.

During the last rainy season, he had still been worried about Corpse Ghosts knocking on his door. Now, he was already living in the inner city, and the change felt like a lifetime apart.

Inside the tea stall, a man and a woman poured steaming tea as they chatted.

The woman was Li Zhiyao, captain of the True Yang Temple Demon-Hunting Team's Sixth Squad. The man was Yin An, another member of the demon-hunting team, just like Lin Nan.

The True Yang Temple Demon-Hunting Team had eighteen members in total, divided into six squads. Each squad had one captain and two members.

Li Zhiyao held a piece of parchment stamped with a red seal and read through it.

"Our mission this time is to investigate an epidemic in Watermouth Town."

"What epidemic?" Lin Nan asked.

Li Zhiyao glanced at him and continued.

"The mission report says that not long ago, fishermen reported that some elderly people in Watermouth Town had contracted an epidemic called Fish Scale Disease. The inner city sent a team of constables to investigate. Yesterday, a young constable named Ming Jun sent word back asking the inner city for help. That is why we came to this town."

Li Zhiyao put away the map. "I've already made inquiries. Ming Jun is staying in town now. Before coming here, I contacted the town chief. Tomorrow morning, once the rain eases a little, we'll go take a look."

Lin Nan and Yin An nodded slightly.

The three of them made do with a night inside the stall.

The next morning, the rain gradually stopped.

Lin Nan followed behind Li Zhiyao and Yin An, checking the information on the furnace as he walked.

[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]

[Age: Twenty-one]

[Technique: Origin-Revering Stance (Spirit Serpent Stance) (True Yang Stance) (Eighth Layer (380/1800)]

[Fist Art: White Snake Fist Transformation Force (Mastery)]

[Movement Technique: Wave-Treading Step (First Layer 20/500)]

[Hard Technique: Golden Astral Body (First Layer 10/500)]

[Palm Art: Blazing Fire Palm (First Layer 20/500)]

[Fist Art: Earth Fiend Fist (First Layer 10/500)]

[Fist Art: True Yang Evil-Breaking Fist (Beginner 0/200)]

[Finger Art: Azure Wood Finger (First Layer 10/500)]

[Usable Yin Energy Points: None.]

The martial artist portion of the True Yang Illuminating Origin Technique had fully merged into the Origin-Revering Stance. The two high-grade martial arts had fused into a new stance technique, while retaining the characteristics of the Origin-Revering, True Yang, and Spirit Serpent Stances.

Together with the twelve Yin Energy Points he had accumulated over the past three months by consuming Taisui Flesh, which became a full 1,200 progress points and were all poured into the progress bar, his stance technique had been directly pushed to the eighth layer.

That was the second level of the Sinews-and-Bones Realm, the Bone-Tempering Realm.

At this realm, qi and blood continuously seeped from the sinews into the bone marrow, like a small iron hammer reforging the bones. Thus, it was also called the Bone-Tempering Realm.

Lin Nan felt the tiny blockages that had accumulated in his sinews and bones through past battles steadily being cleared away under that hammering.

As Lin Nan pondered this, the three had already arrived before a pavilion.

Li Zhiyao took out a token from her robes.

The elderly gatekeeper's face immediately lit up with joy.

"People from the inner city have come! Wonderful, we're saved!"

Not long after, a man dressed in gray working clothes came down from the pavilion.

Unlike the fishermen around him, whose skin was a bronze-yellow brown, his complexion was fair, and his hands bore calluses. One look was enough to tell that he had come from the city.

"Cough, cough, cough. This lowly one is Constable Ming Jun. Greetings, my lords!" Ming Jun kept coughing, as though he had caught a serious cold.

"Where are the others?" Li Zhiyao frowned.

"They... the others went to investigate Green Locust Reservoir yesterday. They haven't returned yet," Ming Jun replied.

"Have you found anything?" Yin An asked curiously.

Ming Jun nodded, his expression gradually turning grave.

"What happened? Tell us in detail." Li Zhiyao was somewhat curious.

"When we first arrived, we received a report that someone in town had contracted an epidemic called Fish Scale Disease. We came to investigate and found that quite a few elderly people really were covered in fish scales."

Ming Jun continued, "Then, after our investigation, we learned that a fisherman had caught a three-meter-long giant green carp in Green Locust Reservoir. Those who ate the giant green carp began growing fish scales on their bodies..."

"...The scales grew in greater and greater numbers. In the end, they covered not only the skin, but also the insides of the body—the organs and facial features. Then the person died."

"A giant green carp?" Li Zhiyao sneered. "Sounds like a water demon to me."

"You are indeed perceptive, my lady!" Ming Jun's expression brightened. He knew he had encountered professionals.

"We investigated all the way through and eventually discovered that a water demon in Green Locust Reservoir was causing trouble. Unfortunately, this water demon is very cunning. We waited for many days but could not kill it."

"A water demon that gives people Fish Scale Disease?"

Yin An, the other squad member, frowned and began flipping through a booklet.

"Take us to see them," Lin Nan said.

The three followed Ming Jun into the pavilion. Through the door panels, they could hear faint groans.

Creak.

The instant they pushed open the door, a strong fishy stench hit them.

"Pain... It hurts so much..."

An old fisherman whose entire body gleamed with scales rushed out and lunged straight at Lin Nan.

Lin Nan sidestepped and struck the man's head with the still-sheathed steel saber in his hand.

Smack!

The old fisherman was knocked unconscious and collapsed to the ground.

Yin An quickly stepped forward and lifted the fisherman's clothes. Sure enough, he found many scales on their palms and backs.

After that, they visited several more pavilions and found that the residents of Watermouth Town all had more or fewer scales on their bodies.

Ming Jun spoke first. "These scales erode people's minds. We suspect demonic energy is at work."

"Demonic energy at work..."

Yin An suddenly slapped his palm. "I know what it is. You're talking about a special kind of water monkey called a Water-Scab Old Man."

Water-Scab Old Man: a first-tier demon beast of the spirit creature type. From afar, it resembled a bloated old man. Upon touching water, it caused thick scabs to grow on people's skin, resembling fish scales.

"If it's a spirit creature, then this will be easy." The tension on Li Zhiyao's face eased. "I thought it was some evil thing."

She swept her gaze across Lin Nan and Yin An. "Come on. We'll go to Green Locust Reservoir now. Once we deal with this water demon, this mission will be finished."

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Something feels off." Lin Nan's brows drew together slightly. "Besides, before we've figured anything out, rushing in is not a wise move."

"Oh? Then what do you think is the wise move?"

"First, investigate the cause of the incident clearly and make adequate preparations."

"Well said, but that isn't something you should be considering. As a newcomer, your job is to obey."

Li Zhiyao looked somewhat impatient. "If you're afraid, you can stay in town. But let me tell you, I'm the squad captain. If you leave the team without permission, then as captain, I will definitely give you a mission evaluation for fleeing in the face of battle."

There was a hint of warning in Li Zhiyao's eyes.

Mission evaluations were extremely important in determining whether inner-city qi-and-blood martial artists could accept missions and claim rewards. If the leader gave Lin Nan an evaluation for fleeing in the face of battle, it would affect his ability to receive missions at True Yang Temple in the future.

Is something wrong with this woman?

Lin Nan fell silent for a moment. His gaze swept over the surroundings before settling on Ming Jun and Li Zhiyao.

Then he suddenly smiled. "Fine. We'll do as you say."