Disciples of the Expenditure Hall who had arrived earlier had set up a simple purification and isolation array to prevent the foul air from leaking out further.
Dozens of attendants from the Expenditure Hall, dressed in uniform (mostly young men who practiced mortal martial arts), were already waiting here. Upon receiving orders, they went up and unloaded the supplies from the flying boat one by one.
Chen Shuangbai and Yan Qi nimbly leaped off the flying boat and landed on flat ground.
Even with the protection of the isolation array, the air still carried a faint smell of decay, mixed with a slightly sweet, fishy odor, indicating that the place had been deeply poisoned.
"Yan Shangzhen, you're back?"
A servant from the Expenditure Hall spotted Yan Qi's figure from afar and hurried forward, his expression not very pleasant.
Upon seeing this expression, Chen Shuangbai knew that the situation here was probably not good.
The Expenditure Hall, as a separate place within the Jade Spring Sect to handle internal and external affairs, is mostly populated by ordinary people and servants, except for the sect members who occupy important and decision-making positions.
It can be said that these ordinary servants were the true framework of the Expenditure Hall.
certainly.
These mortal servants are not all selling their labor. Every few years, the Jade Spring Sect selects some disciples from among them to serve as outer disciples, provided that they have developed Qi perception.
The chances are very low.
They chose to become servants because they lacked the aptitude for cultivation, but if they stayed in an environment rich in Spiritual Qi energy for a long time, they might be able to develop a sense of Qi.
That depends on luck.
The Expenditure Hall dispatched one steward in a green robe to deal with the remaining poison incident in Great Locust Village.
The stewards of the various halls within the sect are also divided into ranks.
The lowest rank is white robe, followed by blue robe, then purple robe, and finally jade robe.
The green-robed steward didn't dare to put on airs with Yan Qi, a member of the Evil Hunting Hall, and his face was full of respect, doing exactly what he was told.
Following the attendant, the two found two deacons.
The green-robed steward, named Huang Shaoyuan, saw that Chen Shuangbai, who was following behind Yan Qi, had a calm expression and an otherworldly temperament. He knew that Chen Shuangbai was another young talent from the sect, so he did not dare to be negligent and came forward to greet him.
Knowing that the disciples of the sect were busy with countless affairs, he didn't offer any flattery, but instead explained the situation in the simplest possible language.
" Great Locust Village originally had 117 households and over 400 residents. Since the abnormality began a month ago, 43 deaths have been confirmed, all of whom were elderly or infirm."
"Those who have survived all show signs of poisoning to varying degrees. Those with milder symptoms have been able to walk after taking Miasma-Cleansing Pill and gradually recuperating. However, those with severe symptoms are mostly weak and confused, with gray-green spots appearing on their skin. In the most severe cases, their limbs are ulcerated, and their life force is as fragile as a candle in the wind."
"After we arrived, we separated them according to the severity of their poisoning. Those villagers who were mildly poisoned and still able to move were all gathered together in a temporary straw shed set up in the threshing ground at the village entrance, which was also covered with a talisman array, and they were given Grain Avoidance Pill to sustain them."
"Those with severe cases were placed in a cave that had been cleared out not far away, separated from the foul air by Clear Spring Heart-Cleansing Formation. However, this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause; the toxins in their bodies are still slowly eroding them."
When asked about the extent of the villagers' poisoning, Huang Shaoyuan's face showed fear and embarrassment.
"We can still treat those with milder cases, but those with more severe poisoning... I'm afraid it will be more difficult to handle."
Yan Qi understood.
Treating those seriously injured mortals is both time-consuming and laborious, and it's the kind of thing that offers absolutely no reward.
He meant to ask Yan Qi, a disciple of the sect, how they should handle the situation, thus passing the decision-making power to Yan Qi.
Yan Qi nodded to indicate that he understood, then reassured them that they had done a good job, and said, "Lead the way."
Huang Shaoyuan summoned a servant who led the two of them toward the cave where the seriously wounded were being housed.
Not long after.
Upon arriving at the cave, the attendant who had led the way bowed and took his leave.
There were also four attendants at the entrance of the cave. In the parlance of the mortal world, these four attendants could be considered first-rate experts. However, when they saw Yan Qi and Chen Shuangbai, they bowed respectfully and then took out a talisman, opening a gap in the formation that covered the entire cave.
" Junior Brother Chen."
Yan Qi glanced back at Chen Shuangbai before stepping inside first.
Upon entering, a stench several times stronger than the outside world, along with a pungent, fishy smell, assaulted her senses. Chen Shuangbai frowned slightly, then channeled her Law Power Law Power to form a protective shield around her body, blocking out the odor.
The cave is quite spacious, clearly widened by human intervention, with bright torches every few steps on the walls illuminating the surrounding darkness.
In the center of the cave abode was a flat area. At each of the eight corners of the cave wall, a talisman was affixed in the shape of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The talismans shone with a clear light and emitted a gentle, healing aura. Even so, the more than thirty injured people lying on the wooden beds on the flat ground in the cave were still in great pain, and they kept groaning in low voices.
Chen Shuangbai walked up to the nearest wounded patient and activated his Spirit-Appraising Pupil. He saw that the person's face was ashen, his lips were purple, and his exposed skin was covered with patches of grayish-green, many of which were rotting and even oozing grayish-green pus and blood, clearly indicating severe poisoning.
If it weren't for the pills provided by the Jade Spring Sect that kept me alive, I would probably have already passed away.
Inside the cave were several servants dressed in the Expenditure Hall and who had some medical knowledge.
They were all veiled, carrying talismans to protect themselves from the poisonous gas. They were carefully maintaining the talisman array, occasionally releasing a wave of pure light to slow down the onset of the poison and slightly alleviate their pain.
Upon seeing the two disciples of the Jade Spring Sect enter, the attendants greeted them one by one, but Yan Qi waved his hand, indicating that it was unnecessary.
"It seems the situation is worse than we imagined..." Yan Qi glanced at the miserable state of the thirty-odd people, then turned to Chen Shuangbai and asked, " Junior Brother Chen, are you confident?"
Chen Shuangbai agreed to come here in order to resolve the poison of the Bone-Corroding Wood Baleful Intent.
Although this Bone-Corroding Wood Baleful Intent is insidious and vicious, Chen Shuangbai's " Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation," combined with the spiritual liquid brewing in the newly acquired Life-Accepting Gourd and the power of the Miasma-Cleansing Pill, can heal these people from severe injuries to minor injuries, even if it cannot completely cure them. After proper rest, they might be able to fully recover.
Yan Qi looked at Chen Shuangbai, her eyes filled with hope.
I'll give it my best.
Chen Shuangbai said this, then walked to the center and sat down. He did not immediately use his magic, but thought of taking out a pill from his pocket. Then he thought that this was official business, so he looked at Yan Qi.
"Senior Brother Yan, are there any high-quality healing and detoxifying pills among the supplies?"
When handling official business of the sect, one naturally needs to use the sect's elixirs.
Where can you find a sect that requires its disciples to contribute both Spirit Stone and physical labor?