Chapter 67: Origin of the Virus

"Puff..."

With a swift sweep of his palms, Qiu Rui struck seven soldiers on the ground almost simultaneously.

"Ugh... Blargh..."

As the force of the palms landed, the seven soldiers coughed up a mouthful of black blood in unison.

Quick as lightning, Ling Xuan waved his hands in succession, executing the technique of acupuncture with flying silver needles. The silver needles plunged directly into the seven pools of black blood.

"Th-this is... what?"

The surrounding soldiers had not yet recovered from their shock at seeing the Prince of Changping make a move, when they heard the startled cries of the beaten men.

From within the black blood, tiny black worms crawled out, all pierced by the silver needles, writhing and struggling.

Beneath the sunlight, wisps of black smoke drifted upward.

The smoke carried a pungent, foul odor.

Yet their Prince, the Prince of Changping, Qiu Rui, merely crouched down, his eyes fixed intently upon the tiny black worms, his brow furrowed deeply.

"My Lord..."

The herald wanted to say something, but he saw Qiu Rui flick the tip of his sword, and from amidst the charred remains of the black worms, he flicked out a tiny white particle.

Qiu Rui gave a light command, "Open your mouth!"

A gulping sound echoed.

The moment the soldier on the ground opened his mouth, the tiny white particle slipped straight down his throat and was swallowed.

"This is so disgusting! Why make him spit it out only to swallow it back down?"

The surrounding soldiers looked at one another, completely at a loss as to what this could possibly mean.

If it were anyone else, it might have been understandable.

Yet this was Prince Qiu of Changping, known for treating his soldiers like his own sons, and yet he was doing something of this sort.

The other six soldiers wore bitter expressions. Was Prince Qiu trying to vent his anger on behalf of the Heir? Was he punishing them for blocking the Heir and the Heir's Consort from entering the Left and Right Guard camps?

"Find it yourselves and swallow it!"

Qiu Rui shouted in a stern voice.

"Ah?"

So it really was a punishment.

The six soldiers were instantly dumbfounded. Was this truly the benevolent Prince Qiu who cherished his men?

The surrounding soldiers shook their heads and sighed. Was such a commander worth following?

Merely for following orders to block the Heir and Consort of the Prince of Changping from entering the camp, they not only took a beating but were forced to swallow what they had just vomited.

If word of this got out, it would be beyond nauseating.

Even the herald could not bear to watch any longer and softly reminded him, "My Lord, so many soldiers are watching."

"It is precisely because they are watching that I am making them swallow it," Qiu Rui replied with a cheerful smile. "If not for the crowd watching, I wouldn't even have bothered making them do this."

"This is sheer humiliation," the herald muttered under his breath.

"Humiliation?"

Qiu Rui stood up. "This is saving their lives."

"What?"

Forget the herald; the surrounding soldiers were all struck dumb with astonishment.

Saving lives?

Where was there such a disgusting method of treatment?

Besides, the seven beaten soldiers had not suffered any physical injuries, nor were they afflicted with any visible ailments.

How could anyone speak of saving lives?

With a few retching sounds, the seven soldiers heaved again, though this time not to speak, but to spew forth another mouthful of black blood.

Only, the newly expelled black blood had a much fainter foul odor, and was tinged with a trace of fresh red.

"See that?" Qiu Rui pointed at the blood, which was now mixed with red. "They were already infected, though it had yet to break out. That white particle is both the affliction and the antidote."

"An antidote?"

The herald was utterly bewildered.

The surrounding soldiers were dumbstruck, having apparently never heard of such a thing in their lives.

"I know, I know," the camp physician hurried over, hastening to explain. "The *Treatise on Demonic Origins and Symptoms* once recorded something similar."

"Indeed," Ling Xuan clapped his hands. "Since the camp physician is here, treat the infected soldiers using this exact method, sparing this Heir the trouble of having to do it myself and teach you one by one."

"You are..."

Even though the camp physician knew Ling Xuan was the Heir, he still could not comprehend how someone could prescribe such a treatment method without even examining the symptoms of the infected. Wasn't that treating human lives as a child's game?

"Medical Inspector of the Imperial Hospital Bureau," Ling Xuan chuckled, pulling out a purple sandalwood token of the Imperial Hospital Bureau. "Though these seven have yet to fall ill, they are already infected."

"What kind of affliction is this?"

Confirming beyond a doubt that the token belonged to the Imperial Hospital Bureau, the camp physician hastily asked for guidance.

"The Rot-Thread Black Blood Worm. Those afflicted grow weak in body; the longer it takes, the more their entire body festers with pus, until they are reduced to skin and bones, limp and powerless."

The corners of Ling Xuan's mouth curled up slightly. "The initial symptom is that beneath the sunlight, black threads will flicker between their eyebrows."

The symptoms were described with crystal clarity, matching the infected men to the letter.

Seeing the surrounding soldiers, the camp physician hurriedly asked, "Inspector, are they perhaps..."

"You, you, you..."

Ling Xuan casually pointed at several men.

"There are no black threads between their eyebrows," the camp physician hastily explained.

"That is because you cannot see them," Ling Xuan's lips curved upward. "Expose them to the blazing sun for half an hour, and black threads will undoubtedly appear. If you don't believe it, give them a beating and see."

Clambering back up to their feet, the seven soldiers cupped their fists in unison toward Ling Xuan, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving our lives."

Although their illness had not yet flared up, they had indeed felt sluggish and listless under the sun.

Having now swallowed that white particle, when the sunlight struck them again, they felt a warm current coursing through them, leaving their minds crystal clear and full of vigor.

"You brat! Since you knew they were infected with the Rot-Toxic Black Blood Worm, you should have just treated them. What was the point of roasting them in the sun?"

Qiu Rui glared at him. "Your wings have hardened, haven't they? Showing off your prowess and strutting your majesty right here in my camp?"

"You're the one who said so," Ling Xuan teased deliberately.

Qiu Rui feigned anger. "Nonsense! If I didn't say so, who did?"

"My wife, make your move!"

Ling Xuan burst into laughter.

"Got it!" Ye Ziyan leaped into the air, bringing her palm down fiercely—not toward the surrounding soldiers, but straight at Qiu Rui.

"Whoosh..."

A dark figure flashed as Ling Xuan circled behind, throwing a direct punch.

"Ah..."

The camp physician, the herald, and the surrounding soldiers were all dumbfounded.

Their cultivation realms were low, so getting infected was one thing.

How could even Prince Qiu, a grand master of the Divine Concealment realm, become infected?

Qiu Rui himself was utterly bewildered. How on earth had he been infected without even the slightest awareness of when it happened?

Fists and palms landed squarely on Qiu Rui, leaving the onlookers staring in stunned disbelief.

Facing the Prince, even knowing the method, who would ever dare to administer such a "treatment"?

The muscles on Qiu Rui's face twitched. He never imagined that in full view of everyone, he would actually end up getting beaten by his own nephew and niece.

And yet, this was precisely the method he had demanded himself.

Still, it was for the best. If he truly was infected, he could use this exact opportunity to ensure that not a single soldier in the entire camp would harbor any doubts about the treatment method.

"Swish... Swish..."

Silver needles pierced the air in rapid succession, the Taiji diagram spinning in the palm of his hand as Ling Xuan shouted, "Open your mouth!"

"Puff."

A wave of foul-tasting blood surged up his throat, and a mouthful of black blood was violently expelled.

Qiu Rui could not help but draw a sharp breath—within the expelled black blood, tiny shards of ice could actually be seen.

Yet he had felt absolutely nothing beforehand and had no inkling of how he had contracted the infection!

"The Rot-Thread Black Blood Worm attaches itself to the host. The higher the cultivation realm, the more severe the infection and the deeper it hides," Ling Xuan explained with a playful smile.

The surrounding soldiers cried out in alarm, "My Lord, were you truly infected?"

Seeing Qiu Rui personally pluck out the white particle and swallow it into his mouth, the surrounding soldiers felt an even deeper wave of admiration. To die following such a commander would be well worth it.

The camp physician hastily cupped his fists, "Inspector, how on earth did the Prince become infected?"