Chapter 68: The Teahouse Owner
Chapter 68: The Teahouse Owner
Meng Zhixue hurried away, more anxious than when she arrived.
Fang Cun knew she had understood his hint and would most likely rush overnight to the plague-qi area in the north of Willow Lake City.
He slowly turned around, moonlight shining on his face, and a trace of cold anger appeared in his expression…
Demonic evils truly harmed people without any scruples.
He originally thought that after the Southern Mountains Human Elixir Refinement incident by the Human Fiend was exposed, it would at least pause for a while.
But he never imagined it would act so quickly again.
To refine a Human Elixir, the hardest part was kidnapping people.
Although Willow Lake City had many citizens, one or two, or even three to five disappearing, was not a big deal that drew attention.
But to refine one batch of Human Elixir, it needed at least two to three hundred people kidnapped in a short time.
Especially after the huge incident before, how could it avoid others’ eyes?
What better distraction was there than this sudden great plague?
In midsummer, a big plague spreads, and it would kill many people!
The scariest part was not the deaths, but the panicked citizens.
They would be sure to get frantic and chaotic, even migrating everywhere, unable to take care of each other.
If that Human Fiend took advantage of this chaos to kidnap people, how could anyone notice just a few hundred missing?
Refining a Human Elixir was already evil and wicked.
Yet, for the sake of Human Elixir Refinement, it wouldn’t hesitate to harm ten times as many innocent citizens?
Fang Cun had lived a past life and seen many strange things, so he wasn’t some stubborn person.
But now, deep inside, he still felt a rising anger.
Could the world really become this chaotic?
Was human life really so worthless?
Leaving the garden, Fang Cun found Old Steward Huang and instructed him.
“Buy more medicinal herbs tomorrow.
If you really can’t find them, take some of the Qi-Refining Pills I bought.
Get an apothecary to make a prescription.
Then find some workers to set up tents at the plague-qi zone in the north and cook medicine to distribute to the refugees.
Our Fang Family is the great benefactor of Willow Lake City, so we must be seen now!”
Old Steward Huang immediately understood Fang Cun’s intention and hurried off to do it.
It didn’t matter if it was before or after the death of the Eldest Young Master.
Whenever there was plague-qi or disasters like drought or flood, the Fang Family had always acted quickly.
It had long become familiar with these tasks.
The next day, back at the Academy, Fang Cun directly requested leave from Master Lan Shuang.
After explaining the reason, Master Lan Shuang readily agreed.
Looking around the Study Pavilion, fewer Disciples were there now.
Whenever such disasters occurred, the Academy actually encouraged students to go and practice healing to save people.
Of course, not all students went—many still focused only on cultivation and ignored worldly matters.
That same afternoon, the tent set up by the Fang Family was already pitched.
Old Steward Huang not only had doctors do checkups and cooked and distributed medicine.
He also set up a porridge tent to feed the hungry refugees.
However, he couldn’t help complaining to Fang Cun.
The plague-treating herbs in the city were being bought in bulk by greedy medicine shops.
Fresh supplies couldn’t arrive in time from outside, so they had to pay high prices.
Just for the herbs used in this batch of medicine, they were overcharged by four to five thousand taels of silver!
Tsk!
And the City Governor did nothing about it!
At that, Fang Cun just smiled without comment.
When he arrived at this plague-ridden area, he also felt sorrowful looking around.
Over several miles around, everywhere was bleak and desperate.
The plague-qi wasn’t strong and no one knew when it started.
Infected people got weak limbs, chills and shakes, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Not everyone died from it.
But for poor citizens who already lacked food and clothing, once one person got sick, they couldn’t work.
They were already short on essentials, so falling ill meant almost seeking death.
Now, even though Willow Lake City hadn’t been stirred, eating and drinking and watching entertainment as usual.
In this refugee area outside the city, who knew how many had already died?
Rows of corpses were carted away to the Mortuary.
Others were just dumped at the mass grave, unburied, feeding wild dogs that dug graves for corpses.
Many citizens, seeing the plague-qi worsening, already fled far away with their children.
Some hid deep in mountains, others begged for life in other counties.
But Great Xia didn’t allow mass migrations.
The Patrol Office had already sealed the roads.
Plus, deep forests and wild peaks filled the area, with snakes and demons.
Even those who escaped might die along the way—very few would survive.
Fang Cun came and saw many doctors hired from Willow Lake City there.
Also, servants sent by wealthy families cooked medicine to save people.
Even some Academy Disciples were mixed in, visible among the crowds.
Yet they couldn’t lift the heavy gloom of death over the place.
Even the sun in the sky seemed pale and dull here, lifeless and weak.
A man of noble birth didn’t sit in danger, so Second Young Master Fang didn’t wander deep into the plague zone.
He just skirted around from a distance and rode back in his carriage.
But he didn’t return to Fang Manor.
Instead, he went to a roadside teahouse outside the city.
The teahouse wasn’t big: just a small thatched hut.
A straw canopy stood outside to block the sun.
Four or five roughly made wooden tables sat scattered, each with a few benches.
It only sold country tea and coarse snacks.
It served passing merchants and travelers for rest stops.
Among the tall wild grasses of the country lane, it seemed quiet and peaceful.
The teahouse owner looked about thirty years old, elegant and coolly handsome.
Unlike other country teahouse owners wrapped up in scarves and bustling about.
He wore a black robe that seemed ordinary but was finely made and tailored to fit.
His hair was neatly tied with trimmed sides, almost needing a crown.
Now, he was lying on a clean bamboo chair by the teahouse, eyes closed.
At his feet, a tiny kitten pawed at two puppies.
“Owner, bring me tea!” Fang Cun sat on a clean bench, drumming his fingers on the table.
The teahouse owner opened his eyes, slowly got up, and brought Fang Cun a teapot and two teacups.
He lightly placed them on the table, then returned to rest.
It was noticeable that his fingers were long and strong with cleanly clipped nails.
Fang Cun poured himself a cup and drank it, not minding that the tea was cold.
Sitting in the teahouse, he could clearly see the gray, hazy scene in the plague-qi zone.
Infected citizens sat around listlessly, waiting to die.
All sorts of people hurried around, busily hustling.
Watching closely, he spotted several figures from the Nanshan Alliance.
They appeared to be helping treat citizens.
But each one warily watched their surroundings, as if waiting for something.
“You just sitting there like this probably won’t help much!” The sleepy teahouse owner, without looking up, slowly murmured.
Fang Cun turned to look at him with a smile. “Master Qin knows why I’m here?”
The owner surnamed Qin said flatly, “This plague-qi came from demonic qi. Where there’s demonic qi, there you are!”
Fang Cun laughed. “Master Qin seems to know something. Can you point me down the right path?”
Master Qin tapped the little table beside him lightly, eyelids barely lifting.
Fang Cun couldn’t help forcing a wry smile and sighing. “Master Qin is good at everything, but he charges too much!”
Master Qin remained expressionless.
The two puppies at his feet had knocked the kitten over and were about to attack.
He lightly kicked one aside and said, “One free tip I can give you: if someone really wants to refine a Human Elixir.”
“Then take note—when the Human Elixir is completed, it emits an intense glow.”
“Visible for dozens of miles within, and detectable by Qi Refiners for a hundred.”
Fang Cun silently nodded.
That meant if someone was indeed refining the Human Elixir, the spot had to be easy to escape from.
Like deep mountains, as before, or a corner area good for fleeing.
Only then could they grab the elixir and run far when done.
Without being trapped by nearby Academy Qi Refiners or the City Governor’s forces.
After a brief thought, he suddenly smiled. “Master Qin, I’ve always wanted to ask—with all you know, what exactly do you do?”
Master Qin said plainly, “You’ve hired me so many times, yet don’t know what I do?”
Fang Cun chuckled. “You look nothing like an assassin!”
Master Qin replied, “Assassins who look like assassins aren’t real assassins!”
Fang Cun grinned. “But you clearly don’t look like a tea seller either. Even though you look unlike an assassin, you seem to care not a bit about hiding your identity, only half-heartedly running this teahouse… Honestly, I wonder if you ever get work?”
Master Qin didn’t bother much with him.
After a pause, he answered, “Just your jobs alone make me plenty!”
Fang Cun pursed his lips and decided to stop questioning.
Ever since Xiao Qingliu first helped him find a killer to eliminate demons years ago.
And this “killer,” Master Qin, came to Fang Manor to haggle over fees annoyed by Fang Cun’s offer.
He accepted his fate.
Second Young Master Fang hiding in the shadows as a secret mastermind commanding others to hunt demons never took off.
So since then, he hadn’t avoided Master Qin any longer.
The two sat there quietly: one resting his eyes, the other drinking tea and watching the view.
Soon, the sunset cast long shadows.
A thin figure ducked in from the lane: Xiao Qingliu, dragged out by Fang Cun from the Pleasure Quarters.
Softly greeting Master Qin, he called “Teacher.”
Then he turned to Fang Cun and said, “Young Master, those Nanshan Alliance members made a move!”
“Did they find it?”
Fang Cun sat straight up, paused for a moment, then suddenly raised an eyebrow at Master Qin. “How much for this one?”
The cat-teasing Master Qin held up a hand, showing five fingers.
Fang Cun countered, “This target is very powerful—unlike those Fox Demons or Demonic Cultivators before.”
Master Qin said coolly, “I charge per visit. One hit, five thousand taels exact, no overcharging.”
Fang Cun paused, gave a thumbs-up sign, and turned to leave.