Chapter 986: Dyeing with Evil Qi

Watching Lu Xiucai’s retreating figure, the woman’s voice began to tremble and choke.

“Go ahead and search! You said it! Do you think no one wants me? I’ll use the grain from your fields to feed other men! When you return, I’ll make you regret it so much you’ll turn green!”

Her sobs and footsteps gradually faded away. Lu Xiucai sighed deeply and continued pulling the carriage forward.

Looking at the verdant forest around him, Lu Xiucai thought for a moment, then belted out an opera tune his father had taught him. “Journeying forth in autumn’s light! This time, to celebrate a birthday in Zhuanzhu Lane!”

Just a few lines into his song, an old man’s operatic voice echoed from behind him. “A true man, he must forge a world-shattering career!”

Hearing that familiar voice, a glint of tears appeared in Lu Xiucai’s eyes. He turned around and saw that it was Lu Zhuangyuan singing.

Lu Zhuangyuan was still out of his mind; he hadn’t regained consciousness. It was merely an instinctive reaction to hearing the familiar opera lines.

Seeing this, Lu Xiucai’s lips trembled slightly, and he continued to sing, “Learn to turn the world upside down, to pull the Milky Way to cleanse the sun!”

The voices of the old man and the young man began to overlap, indistinguishable from each other, echoing continuously along the road.

“Heroes and brave men, gathering in the hall, stars filling the sky with their writings!”

“Dragons and snakes rise from the great marsh in all directions, joyfully embarking on their journey!”

As the singing continued, night deepened. Lu Xiucai drove the carriage into a small town before the second watch.

It was late, and the town was quiet. Lu Xiucai walked through the dark alleys, looking for an open inn or guesthouse.

Lu Xiucai glanced back at the old man and the child in the carriage, finding them asleep, nestled together. He then continued pulling the carriage forward.

“Splat!” The sound of shattering pottery from a nearby house instantly put Lu Xiucai on alert. An angry woman’s voice erupted from within. “Chen! I’m fighting you to the death today! I can’t live like this anymore!”

“Crazy hag! Are you cursed?! Fine, you think I’m afraid of you, do you? I’ll write a divorce decree right now! I’m divorcing you!”

He paused for a moment, then realized it was just a couple arguing. Lu Xiucai immediately relaxed and continued on his way.

But he had barely taken two steps when noise erupted from the house on his left. “Are you trying to infuriate me to death?! Oh, you plague demon! Have you done a day’s work since you married into our family?!”

“You old hag! Are you blind? Where did you not see me working! My hands were frozen solid washing clothes in the river in winter! You just think I haven’t given you a son, don’t you? My womb is mine! I’ll have children whenever I want! If you’re so capable, why don’t you have one with your son?!”

Before the two women’s voices had fully subsided, a gruff man’s voice boomed. “Damn it! Annoying! They’re fighting again! Can’t you quiet down?! I’m trying to sleep!”

Hearing the clamor from inside the houses, Lu Xiucai couldn’t help but frown, thinking to himself, “Why are people’s tempers so explosive around here? No one probably listens to opera either. I’ll just stay one night and then leave quickly.”

Lu Xiucai continued walking, but as he heard more and more, he felt something was off. There were simply too many short-tempered people.

If it were just the awakened people with bad tempers, that would be one thing, but why were even those talking in their sleep cursing and grumbling?

As he gradually entered the town’s main road and sensed the increasingly dense malevolent energy, Lu Xiucai’s alarm surged. He immediately drew the copper coin sword from his back, ready to retreat with the carriage from this strange town.

The quiet environment had completely vanished. Curses, shouts, and roars rose and fell in the dark night, gradually waking the entire town.

Under the flickering candlelight, figures of people fighting each other were visible, along with scattered blood. The entire town seemed to have gone mad.

Just as Lu Xiucai rounded a corner, a towering surge of malevolent energy rushed towards his face. When he struggled to look up, he saw that the almost tangible malevolent energy was spewing from a flatbed cart.

On the cart lay a black coffin, about the length of a forearm. The coffin was open, and from it, the malevolent energy surged skyward, infecting everyone in the surrounding houses!

Just as Lu Xiucai was about to rush forward, braving the malevolent energy to close the black coffin lid, a dark figure charged forward, blocking his path.

Seeing his opponent, Lu Xiucai forcefully swung the copper coin sword in his hand. With a jingling sound, the red string connected to the copper coins lashed out towards the figure.

The figure swiftly flipped open their robe and put it on backward. Various rusty knives hung on the robe, forming a makeshift armor that deflected Lu Xiucai’s copper coin sword attack.

Before Lu Xiucai could retrieve his copper coin sword, a woman with copper coins tied over her eyes flipped from a nearby rooftop and landed.

With a sweep of her long sleeve, Lu Xiucai’s copper coin sword instantly slipped from his control and was pulled into her grasp.

“Catch!” A rusty cleaver flew through the air, landing in Lu Xiucai’s hand before he could even react.

Lu Xiucai paused, startled, then immediately threw down the rusty knife. He pulled out the *Great Thousand Record* from his robe and unrolled it on the ground.

Before he could make a move, he heard his opponent speak, their voice laced with arrogance and a hint of impatience.

“Aojing Cult? Your elders have already accepted the ‘Malevolent Energy Decree.’ Do you dare defy your elders’ orders? The Bureau of Celestial Observation is at work; get lost!”

“The Bureau of Celestial Observation?” Lu Xiucai stared at the people before him in disbelief.

He never imagined that the people secretly causing harm in the dead of night would be the Bureau of Celestial Observation of Daliang! Wasn't the Bureau supposed to help the court maintain order in Daliang?

Glancing at the waist tokens on their belts, Lu Xiucai asked incredulously, “Why is this happening? Do you know what consequences will arise from infecting everyone in this town with malevolent energy?”

The members of the Bureau of Celestial Observation exchanged glances, then looked at Lu Xiucai with curiosity.

“Of course, we know. When malevolent energy enters the body, fear diminishes, and grudges are repaid with vengeance. The area will be chaotic for a while, perhaps a hundred or so people will die.”

“Retreat quickly, or don't blame me for being ruthless. This is His Majesty’s imperial decree: all of Daliang must be infected with malevolent energy, not a single person can be spared!”

“His Majesty’s imperial decree? An order from Gao Zhijian?”

Recalling the man-eating specter who believed in the White Lotus Sect, Lu Xiucai truly couldn't understand why this was happening.

Why had people he once knew become so cold-blooded and unfamiliar? Why did they not value human lives at all?! Did they not know how many people would die because of this?

“Wait, you said all of Daliang must be infected?”

Lu Xiucai's heart sank instantly. “Does Niuxin Village also have to be?”

“Niuxin Village? That Niuxin Village behind us? Of course. My senior brother has already gone there with the Blood Mo Dao.”