The cargo ship drifted away from the riverbank, following the murky waters downstream.
The presiding civil official and several core members stood by the river, whispering about how to celebrate once they returned, their faces filled with the relief of a completed task.
Plague Rat lurked in the shadows. He didn't even need to show himself; with a mere flick of his intent, a wisp of colorless, odorless plague qi slithered into their noses and mouths like a venomous snake.
"Ugh..."
Steward Wang suddenly felt an itch in his throat and couldn't help but cough.
Immediately, he watched in horror as large pustules oozing yellow pus rapidly swelled on the back of his hand. His skin turned black and began to rot at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Help—!"
He tried to call out, but more pustules exploded across his face, neck, and body. The intense agony prevented him from making a coherent sound. Within just a few breaths, he and the other stewards beside him dissolved into foul-smelling bloody water, leaving not even a bone behind.
Plague Rat's figure quietly emerged beside Chen Zhou. He clapped his hands and said proudly, "Done. Those pieces of trash didn't even deserve to have Lord Rat stretch his muscles."
"The rat is truly something," Chen Zhou replied perfunctorily, his eyes fixed on the sailing ship without turning back, though he did offer a thumbs-up.
As the vessel moved deeper into the river, the fog grew thicker, and visibility plummeted. The world turned into a white void where even the sound of the water seemed muffled and blurred, absorbed by the mist.
The air was tinged with a faint stench of rot and an unsettling, bone-chilling cold.
"It's ghost qi and death qi," Chen Zhou said with certainty. It was indeed the same mysterious thing he had encountered before.
The refugees on the ship also sensed the eerie atmosphere and began to stir restlessly.
"What's going on? Why is the fog so thick?"
"Where... where are we? It's so cold..."
"Something feels wrong..."
"What's all the noise about! Everyone shut up!"
The guards were clearly nervous as well, but their reaction was one of impatience. They roughly kicked open the hatch doors, using scabbards and whips to drive the refugees onto the deck.
The refugees didn't dare resist, huddling together in the center of the deck in fear. Then, the guards brought out ropes and began to tie each of them up securely!
"Lord! What is the meaning of this? Aren't we going to the new city?" someone cried out in terror.
"New city?" A guard captain sneered, kicking open a floorboard to reveal a hold packed with heavy stones.
"That's right. We're sending you to the new city to serve as the very foundation."
The refugees were struck as if by lightning. The guards hauled out the massive stones and tied them firmly to each refugee's waist or feet. Cold blades were then pressed against their necks.
"Everyone, get to the edge of the ship!" the guard captain barked. "Jump yourself! Otherwise, we'll cut you down right now!"
"No! Please! You can't do this!" Some collapsed into tears, while others struggled frantically.
Puchi!
A blade flashed, and a refugee who tried to resist was cut down instantly, blood staining the deck.
The captain remained expressionless, turning a deaf ear to their pleas.
The lords in the city had already said it: these people were merely human-cattle, offerings to be sacrificed to General Zhenjiang. They were no different from ordinary sacrificial beasts.
Under the threat of the blade, no one dared to resist further. The refugees were driven to the gunwale, staring down at the churning fog and the bottomless river, their faces ashen with despair.
"Go, save them."
Chen Zhou withdrew his gaze and turned to give the order to Plague Rat.
He had already notified Shitou and Hong Ling to have them wait with Nie Chaoxi at the Fengdao County docks. Fengdao was a dead county and wouldn't attract attention.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhou manipulated his Ghost Domain to spread into the river waters.
He intended to see exactly what kind of thing this General Zhenjiang was.
On the deck, just as a guard was about to push a refugee into the river, a dark shadow appeared at the bow like a specter.
The human form of Plague Rat wore that half-mask made of mist, his crimson eyes particularly striking amidst the dense fog.
He offered no words. He simply reached out and, with a sharp crack, snapped the neck of the nearest guard captain.
"Who is that?!"
"Is... is it a manifestation of General Zhenjiang?!"
The remaining guards were paralyzed with shock, staring at the terrifying man in black who had appeared out of nowhere.
One guard stammered, "General... General, please appease your anger! These... these are all offerings prepared for you! Fresh flesh and blood!"
Plague Rat didn't bother speaking. The dark green plague qi around him erupted, sweeping across all the guards on the deck like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the remaining men dissolved into pools of pus, completely corroded away.
The ropes binding the refugees also quietly snapped under the influence of Plague Rat’s demonic qi, yet the refugees themselves remained unharmed.
Watching the guards disappear and the terrifying man in black manifest, the joy of being saved was instantly replaced by a greater fear.
Some wept softly, some trembled uncontrollably, and some collapsed directly to the floor.
So, it turned out they were offerings for this black-clothed general.
"Stop wailing!" Plague Rat roared impatiently.
Instantly, all sound vanished. Only the sound of water slapping the hull and the subtle movement of the fog remained.
The refugees were as silent as a flock of huddled quails.
Plague Rat nodded in satisfaction and said succinctly, "Now, I speak, you do. Who knows how to sail?"
The refugees looked at each other, their faces full of terror and confusion.
Just as Plague Rat was losing his patience and considering picking someone at random, a few men with bronze-colored skin tremblingly raised their hands.
"Ge... General."
One of the dark-skinned men summoned his courage to speak, his voice shaking. "We... we used to be from a downstream fishing village. We... we often sailed large boats to fish. We... we know a bit about handling a ship."
Plague Rat sized them up. "Fine, you few. Sail the ship to this place, understand?"
He tossed a crude wooden tablet onto the deck, which bore a simple map showing the location of the Fengdao County docks.
"Two children in bone armor and a white snake will be there to meet you."
The man looked at the wooden tablet, seeming to hesitate as if he wanted to ask more.
"Don't ask questions, just do it!" Plague Rat snapped. "Our lord saw you were pitiful, so he sent me to help! I am an Auspice, understand? Not some damn General! Don't be ungrateful!"
An Auspice?
The refugees looked at the traces of pus and blood on the deck that hadn't yet dried and didn't dare to argue.
Seeing them shaking with fear, Plague Rat thought for a moment and decided that perhaps just scaring them wasn't enough. With some reluctance, he pulled a small bag of dried meat from his robes and tossed it onto the deck.
"Here, eat this on the way. Don't go starving to death."
Having done that, he suddenly felt he had given away too much and felt a pang of regret.
Before the refugees could react, he reached out and snatched back several strips of meat, stuffing them back into his clothes with lightning speed. Then, with a huff, his figure blurred and he vanished into the thick fog.
Rate on N.U.
