菠萝漫画

But this had nothing to do with Su Changkong, and naturally, he wouldn’t be so tactless as to go and ask about it.

“Go to Ginseng Manor.”

Withdrawing his gaze, Su Changkong moved to continue on to Ginseng Manor.

“Lord Wen!”

At the entrance of Ginseng Manor, as usual, there were disciples of Ginseng Manor on guard. Seeing Su Changkong, dressed in black, approaching, they immediately greeted him respectfully.

During this period, Su Changkong had often visited Ginseng Manor, and the disciples there all recognized him. Knowing he was a major patron of Ginseng Manor, they naturally treated him with respect.

“Hmm, is Manor Lord Liu here?”

Su Changkong nodded slightly, asking the question.

“Please come in, I will inform the Manor Lord immediately.”

The disciple of Ginseng Manor promptly invited Su Changkong to be their guest.

At the invitation of the Ginseng Manor disciple, Su Changkong entered a reception hall in Ginseng Manor and sat down on a chair, quietly waiting.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Feng, with a beard and a stern face, entered the living room.

Liu Feng said with a face full of apologies, “Brother Wen, I was delayed by some matters, sorry!”

Su Changkong shook his head, then said, “Manor Lord Liu, it’s the same old rules, I want to buy those medicinal materials.”

However, a trace of difficulty appeared on Liu Feng’s face, “Brother Wen, the medicinal materials are available… but I’m afraid we can’t give you the discount like before, it has to be ten taels of silver for each portion…”

“Hmm?”

Hearing this, Su Changkong’s brow furrowed slightly.

In the past, buying medicinal materials for Vital Qi Spread from Ginseng Manor was quite expensive, costing eight taels of silver for each prescription, and the price had always been like that. But now, Liu Feng was saying it cost ten taels of silver?

Liu Feng explained, “Recently, a series of illnesses, resembling a plague, have broken out in various places in Clearwater City. The prices of all kinds of medicinal materials have skyrocketed, and our own cost to obtain them at Ginseng Manor has also increased greatly…”

The explanation from Liu Feng made Su Changkong pause, “Plague?”

This couldn’t help but bring to Su Changkong’s mind the incident at Black Iron Manor some time ago, where several people had contracted an illness and died. Upon investigation by Su Changkong and others, it turned out that someone had poisoned the water source.

Originally, Su Changkong thought someone was deliberately targeting Black Iron Manor, but now from Liu Feng’s words, it became clear that similar incidents were happening all over Clearwater City—it was like a plague had erupted!

A thought struck Su Changkong; this plague seemed man-made, with someone behind the scenes pulling the strings!

It included the poisoning incident at Black Iron Port, which wasn’t a targeted attack on Black Iron Manor, but rather similar events were happening all over Clearwater City!

“Who is behind this madness?” Su Changkong couldn’t help feeling a chill. Someone was deliberately poisoning water sources and spreading plagues and pathogens. This undoubtedly required tremendous resources, and their motives were baffling—it was utterly self-destructive!

“Brother Wen, it’s ten taels of silver per portion… actually, this already includes a discount; we aren’t making much as it is,” Liu Feng said apologetically, snapping Su Changkong out of his shock.

“Then let it be ten taels of silver.” Su Changkong regained his composure, not dwelling on the price increase of two extra taels.

In the end, Su Changkong paid six hundred taels of silver for enough Vital Qi Spread to last two months.

With these medicinal materials, Su Changkong left Ginseng Manor, escorted out by Liu Feng, his mind heavy with thoughts.

“Clang clang clang!”

Walking on the streets of Ginseng Town, Su Changkong heard the sound of noisy gongs and drums coming from a distance.

The doors of the houses that were usually tightly shut were now wide open, and the faces of the residents beamed with joy.

“Master Du Zhen has arrived!”

“Quick… go and get some Holy Water!”

The residents, each one carrying pots, pans, and kettles, headed towards where the sound of gongs and drums originated.

This scene made Su Changkong’s eyebrows furrow tightly.

“Master Duzhen? Who is this person?”

Su Changkong couldn’t help but feel puzzled; within the domain of Clearwater City, he had never heard of such a person. Seeing the fervent demeanor of these residents, it seemed they were out of the ordinary.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Driven by curiosity, Su Changkong followed the crowd towards the source of the drum and gong sounds.

Before long, in a spacious square of Ginseng Town, Su Changkong witnessed an astonishing scene.

All around were heads crowding together, shoulder to shoulder. The majority of people from Ginseng Town had come to the site.

At a high platform in the center of the crowd, there was a group of monks dressed in black robes, numbering four or five.

The one in the middle was a white-browed old monk clad in a black kasaya, with a kindly face exuding an appearance of compassionate wisdom, suggesting he might be a highly attained monk. However, the black kasaya he wore gave him a slightly eerie air.

“This old monk… is not an ordinary monk.” Su Changkong’s eyes narrowed slightly. As a martial artist with body refinement great achievement, Su Changkong had a keen perception and could sense that the old monk was far from common. Not only him, but the monks beside him also had bright eyes and robust physiques, most likely skilled in martial arts!

“Amitabha, this humble monk’s dharma name is Du Zhen. There is an illness haze hovering over Ginseng Town, and I have come here to perform a ritual to disperse this sickly miasma!”

The old monk brought his palms together, and his voice actually overpowered the noisy clamor, resonating with a tone of profound compassion.

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell somewhat silent. Currently, in various places across Clearwater City, people were suffering from diseases and outbreaks of plague, with not a few dying from illnesses, including those in Ginseng Town. Fearful for themselves, these words from the old monk Du Zhen undoubtedly raised a glimmer of hope in the hearts of the people.

“Master! Please save my son— he’s not going to last much longer!”

Just then, a wailing cry rang out as a woman dressed like a commoner squeezed out of the crowd, holding a six or seven-year-old child.

The child was pale, his eyes tightly closed, and his breathing seemed to have ceased, giving the impression that he was on his last breath while the woman pleaded incessantly.

“This female benefactor, do not panic. Allow this humble monk to take a look,” said the old monk Du Zhen kindly, as he approached the woman to examine the child’s condition.

“Bring forth the holy water!”

Commanded Du Zhen.

“Yes!”

One of the young monks standing by brought over an exquisitely crafted porcelain bottle, which had a willow branch inserted into it.

The old monk held the willow branch, gracefully sprinkling sparkling drops of water which fell upon the child’s body.

After a while, the child who had seemed at death’s door now had a flush of color on his face, moaned, and opened his eyes!

“This…” This miraculous revival astonished many in the audience, and some remained skeptical.

“Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!” The woman, holding the child who looked bewildered, kept bowing and thanking him repeatedly.

“May the Master’s sprinkling of holy water prevent all illnesses and save people from the cycle of rebirth!”

A black-robed monk shouted aloud, propelling the atmosphere on the site to a climax. Many people started to hold up pots and pans, ready to catch what they believed to be holy water.

“Isn’t this… just a cult, a scam?” The sight made Su Changkong stare in amazement, wearing a strange expression.

It’s just hiring someone to perform trickery and deceit, a ruse common on Blue Planet, but in an era where information is obstructed, and many people are illiterate, it’s indeed an effective way to cheat the masses!

“Damn it… these bastards are up to their tricks again!”

At that moment, the keen-eared Su Changkong twitched slightly as he heard a low curse. He turned his head slightly and saw a few men in constable uniforms standing at the outskirts of the crowd.

“Aren’t they going to do something about this, to prevent these bastards from deceiving the gullible populace?” A young constable said indignantly.

“Aliu, don’t stir trouble! These people are mostly from the Black Lotus Sect, not someone you and I, small-time constables, can afford to offend,” said another older constable, pressing his shoulder and speaking with a serious tone.

“The Black Lotus Sect?” This caused the discreetly listening Su Changkong to stir within.