Seeing the crowd's reaction, Xing Yue took a deep breath and spoke about what he had seen in the outer city district.
He even brought Jiu'er forward to testify.
He described the sleepwalkers who moved like marionettes under the moonlight, the deathly silence of the city at night, and the strange halo that enveloped those sleepwalkers.
Jiu'er added more details, such as how the sleepwalking was more infectious than the human-face sores, yet the sleepwalkers appeared no different from ordinary people during the day.
This caused many faces to pale with horror.
"The outer city district has actually become like that at night?"
"We... we didn't know a thing."
"Everything looks normal during the day, but it turns into a hellscape at night. What kind of evil sorcery is this?"
Fatty Qian had a sudden realization. He had long heard rumors that the outer city district was restless at night. It was said to be best to lock doors and windows and avoid going out.
At the time, he thought it was just evil cultivators or minor demons eating people at night—events that, while not common, were not rare either.
He never expected it to be something like this.
Cold sweat trickled down his neck.
Fortunately, while he was guarding Lin's General Store, he hadn't been too curious. Going out at night would have been a disaster. Truly, may the Bone God protect us.
A sense of unease began to spread through the crowd. A plague had erupted in the inner city, and the outer city had fallen into a playground for sleepwalkers at night.
And they, the families who considered themselves the masters of Lantao City, had been kept in the dark the whole time. They were like frogs in warming water, only realizing the danger when it was nearly boiling.
"The City Lord... what exactly does he want to do?" someone shouted with a trembling voice.
"Buddha Lord! Great Master! Please, point us toward a path! What should we do?"
More and more people turned their hopeful gazes toward the monk Ku Chan.
At this moment, only Heart's Desire Hall and the inscrutable god behind it seemed to be their only life-saving straw.
Ku Chan felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn't expected the waters of Lantao City to be so deep, turning so perilous in a single night.
Just then, the Bone Seed in his sea of consciousness stirred slightly, and Chen Zhou's calm voice echoed in his ear: 'Steady them. You may guide them appropriately.'
Ku Chan's heart immediately stilled. With the Bone God backing him, what did he have to fear?
A smile of compassion returned to his face as he raised a single palm vertically. "Amitabha. Donors, pray remain calm.
"All the world's sufferings stem from losing one's original heart. As long as you sincerely take refuge under my Bone God, uphold good intentions, and work together, the Bone God will naturally bestow protection and guide us through this tribulation."
Upon hearing this, the crowd felt a mix of emotions.
They had indeed received favors from Heart's Desire Hall, whether it was divine pills or medicinal formulas, all of which proved the extraordinary nature of the Bone God behind it.
However, facing such a city-wide disaster, they still felt a bit uncertain about relying entirely on the protection of a seemingly ethereal deity.
Xing Yue looked at the panicked crowd, took a step forward, and spoke in a booming voice.
"Family heads, now is not the time for panic. When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain unbroken?
"If Lantao City truly falls, all of us—inner city or outer city, noble family or commoner—no one will escape!
"What we need to do now, rather than waiting, is to save ourselves.
"I at least hope Lantao City can return to how it was before—a place that, while difficult, at least allowed the majority of people to live with order and hope!"
His words rang out with such force that many of the panicked people calmed down slightly.
The head of the Zhang family sighed deeply, his face carrying the weariness of one who had seen through the ways of the world.
"The Lantao City of the past?
"Captain Xing, do you know what the Lantao City of old was like?
"Back then, we were nothing more than human livestock kept by the great demons outside the city. Every month, we had to offer up living cultivators just to earn a brief moment of respite. What kind of pure land was that?"
The Zhang family head did not intend to discourage Xing Yue; he was merely stating a fact known to very few.
In this current world, just staying alive was already an incredible feat.
Lin Zhixue suddenly stood up. Though his stature was not tall, his voice was steady and powerful.
"Brother Zhang is correct. The Lantao City of the past was indeed a place of humiliation.
"But precisely because of that, we should not forget that our current situation was won by our ancestors and fathers, who took it back from the great demons with their blood and lives.
"When we campaigned against the Blood Jiao, three of my Lin family ancestors died in battle. The Zhao family in the north of the city was nearly wiped out in their loyalty. The Sun family in the west saw their old family head detonate his own body to heavily wound the evil demon!
"Of all the families present, which one did not establish their foundation in that bloody battle, earning their current status with their own flesh and blood?"
With every word he spoke, the backs of several old family heads straightened a bit more, and a light reignited in their eyes.
That was the blood and pride engraved in their bones.
The head of the Zhao family in the north, an old man with white hair and beard but a vigorous spirit, slammed his cane heavily on the ground. His voice was like a great bell.
"Brother Lin is right! I, Zhao Qingtian, have seen all sorts of storms in my life!
"When I followed my father to hack down demons, I didn't even blink when the blade was at my neck!
"Now, just because some hidden rats have come up with some evil sorcery, they think they can make the men of Lantao City crawl? In their dreams!"
He scanned the crowd with an overbearing aura. "Having the expert from Heart's Desire Hall here to oversee things is our luck!
"But we cannot just point at others; we must save ourselves. The priority now is to mobilize everyone.
"This is not just a matter for our few families; this is a disaster sweeping through the entire Thousand Isles County!
"Even if the sky falls, we must shoulder it first. We cannot just sit and wait for death."
Zhao Qingtian's words caused the head of the Qian family to slam the table and stand up. Though he had a stout figure, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. "Brother Zhao is right!
"I won't claim much for my Qian family, but our information channels are quite sharp. I am willing to take responsibility for all communications and coordination to ensure information flows and resources are allocated in an orderly fashion!"
Once someone stood up to pull the threads together, it immediately gained a wide response.
To be able to support a family to this day in this world, who among those present was mediocre?
In normal times, there might be conflicts of interest and open or hidden struggles, but in the face of such a life-or-death crisis, the blood and responsibility in their bones were thoroughly ignited.
"Family Head Lin, Family Head Zhao, you are truly noble!"
"Our Qian family feels the same. When the sky falls, we can't always expect the tall ones to carry it. Looking at Lantao City now, besides our families, who else is there who can truly stand tall?"
"Exactly."
"Good!" Lin Zhixue saw that the people's hearts were united. His spirit lifted as he immediately began to deploy.
"In that case, let us discuss a protocol!
"First, the spread of the plague must be controlled. I propose we immediately concentrate all patients infected with human-face sores in one place for isolated treatment!"
He looked at the crowd. "My Lin family has traded for generations. While I can't claim much else, our foundation is quite wealthy.
"I can immediately send people to purchase this entire street around Heart's Desire Hall to use for housing patients, including the pure lotus root and detoxifying purple bamboo needed for subsequent treatment.
"All expenses will be borne by the Lin family alone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Shaobin, who was standing beside him, took a step forward. His voice was clear and firm. "Father, let me handle this matter."
Lin Zhixue blinked, looking at Lin Shaobin.
Lin Shaobin explained calmly, "I have already been infected. The risk of me coming into contact with other patients is much lower than for those who haven't been infected.
"Furthermore... I've been asleep for months, and my bones are practically rusting. I'll take this chance to stretch and do my part for Lantao City and for everyone."
He looked at his father with steady eyes, devoid of any of his former playfulness or carefree noble air. It was as if those months of slumber and disfigurement had made him mature in an instant.
"Young Master!"
"Young Lord!"
The Lin family servants nearby were all moved, casting grateful gazes at him.
"Young Master Lin is truly noble!"
Zhang Mingyuan, the youngest son of the Zhang family who had just woken up, also struggled to stand. Although his face was covered in foul sores, his eyes were exceptionally bright. "Count me in. Though my cultivation is low, I can at least handle errands and chores."
"And me!"
"I'm going too!"
"I might just be an old woman, but I can still brew medicine and look after people!"
For a moment, respondents flocked to participate.
Among them were profligate youths who usually spent their time chasing cats and dogs while enjoying their families' protection, wealthy ladies and old women who lived in comfort and luxury, and loyal family servants who had worked for their families for generations.
But now, they were all just ordinary people infected by human-face sores.
In the face of disaster, the barriers of status and position seemed to have broken down, replaced by a sentiment of being in the same boat.
The Zhang family head looked at his youngest son with great relief and said heroically,
"Brother Lin is absolutely right. My Zhang family will support this with all our strength!
"The so-called noble families exist to accumulate strength in times of peace and to stand tall in times of crisis!
"A family's legacy has its own character; we truly shouldn't disgrace the prestige of our predecessors."
He turned to the crowd, his voice like a great bell. "My Zhang family established itself through martial arts. I won't claim much else, but our manpower and martial force are decent.
"The matter of the outer city district sleepwalkers will be handled by my Zhang family!
"I will immediately arrange for men to join forces with the lone cultivators we can still contact in the city. We will try to manage all the sleepwalkers together to avoid spreading panic and to prevent them from having accidents.
"Although this matter is not as lethal as the human-face sores, it is equally bizarre and even more infectious. We absolutely cannot let it be!"
After he finished, the Zhang family head began arranging the several well-equipped guards he had brought.
They also knew the severity of the situation. After receiving their orders, they turned and strode out of Heart's Desire Hall, departing in a hurry.
The Zhang family head tore off his cumbersome silk outer robe, revealing the tight black clothing underneath. The blade at his waist shimmered with cold light.
He nodded to his youngest son, Zhang Mingyuan, with encouragement in his eyes.
"Patrolling and maintaining order in the city is the inescapable duty of my Zhang family!"
Without saying more, he walked with a dragon's stride and a tiger's step, departing directly.
"Good! With Brother Zhang handling the outer city, we can rest easy!"
"The coordination and distribution of medicinal herbs can be handled by my Chen family!"
One by one, families stepped forward to take on tasks, without evasion or calculation—only a heavy sense of responsibility.
In the face of the plague, everyone was a comrade-in-arms fighting side by side.
The group quickly built a simple but effective emergency framework.
Rate on N.U.
