I was just making up techniques… how did all of you become Emperors? Chapter 632 The Terrifying Plague

"Jiuwu, are you really set on having only a single follower?"

Once those seven youngsters had departed, Madam Ji turned to her son with a confused look and posed the question.

Ji Jiuwu clarified: "Mother, the count of servants means little to me. Provided I'm powerful enough, followers will flock to me without end."

At these words, a relieved smile spread across Madam Ji's face: "My boy has truly matured at last."

Ji Jiuwu rubbed his head awkwardly: "Mother, please don't say that—it's a bit embarrassing for me."

"Fine, I won't hold you back anymore. I'm off to the rear courtyard."

With that, Madam Ji spun around and headed toward the backyard.

Ji Jiuwu addressed Quanya, who lingered quietly nearby: "Quanya, show this Young Master around the edges of the tribe."

"Young Master, where would you like to head?"

Uncertain of the Young Master's intentions, Quanya hesitated, unsure of the destination.

Ji Jiuwu replied calmly: "We'll head to the Long River for some fishing. It's been ages since I last cast a line, and I kind of long for those childhood angling days."

"As you wish."

After acknowledging the order, Quanya added: "Young Master, hold on briefly. I'll fetch the fishing gear."

Ji Jiuwu waved it off: "No need to bother. Have a steward from the house grab a couple of rods; we'll keep it relaxed and simple."

Quanya: "Understood."

Before long, the pair mounted horses and departed the Long River Tribe with ease, making their way leisurely to the Long River.

In the meantime, some ten thousand li distant at the Sky Fire Tribe, the atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the vibrant cheer of the Long River Tribe. A deadly plague had enveloped the Sky Fire Tribe, plunging its people into widespread fear and chaos.

To halt the plague's spread, the Sky Fire Tribe banished all those afflicted, confining them in a sealed valley. Soldiers from the Raging Fire Tribe would incinerate any plague victim who perished right there on the spot.

Yet despite these measures, the outbreak in the Sky Fire Tribe raged unchecked, with crowds of infected individuals carted off to the valley each day.

Not even the tribe's elite escaped its grasp. That very day, a strikingly handsome young man, weary from his journey and dusted with travel grime, approached the outskirts of the Sky Fire Tribe.

At present, the Sky Fire Tribe permitted departures but barred all arrivals. No sooner had he reached the gates than guards halted his advance.

"Stop right there!"

Jiang Yan eyed the soldiers' defensive posture, a bewildered look crossing his features, and declared: "I'm Jiang Yan, grandson of the clan leader. Here's the jade pendant as proof."

As he announced this, Jiang Yan drew a crimson jade pendant from his belt and displayed it to the soldiers.

Upon recognizing the pendant, the guards swiftly knelt and proclaimed: "We pay respects to the Eldest Grandson Lord. But the High Priest and clan leader have decreed that our Sky Fire Tribe allows only exits, no entries. We beg the Eldest Grandson Lord's understanding."

Jiang Yan's brows knitted in instinctive concern. He was on the verge of demanding details about the tribe's troubles when the gates creaked open, and a carriage emerged slowly from within.

In an instant, Jiang Yan spotted the Sky Fire Tribe's emblem etched on the carriage.

This was his family's own vehicle—who occupied it now?

The gate sentries caught sight of the carriage and scattered from its path, as though fleeing some monstrous horror.

Only Jiang Yan remained rooted. As the carriage drew near, he commanded: "Halt."

With a sharp whinny...

The driver yanked the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop. He was poised to lash out in anger until he noticed the young man brandishing a distinctive token of the Sky Fire Jiang clan.

He leaped from his seat in haste and bowed: "Greetings to the Eldest Grandson Lord."

"Skip the formalities."

Jiang Yan pressed on: "Who's inside this carriage, and what's your destination?"

The driver looked baffled at the query but replied truthfully: "To the Eldest Grandson Lord: The Sixth Madam and Thirteenth Young Miss ride within. Both have fallen to the plague, and the Master instructed me to deliver them to Red Maple Valley."

"What?!"

The mention of "Red Maple Valley" drained the color from Jiang Yan's face. Though the valley's name evoked beauty, it was in truth the Sky Fire Tribe's dumping ground for exiles and a sprawling burial site for the condemned.

Transporting his Sixth Aunt and little sister there amounted to signing their death warrants.

His expression darkened as he demanded: "Isn't this just some ordinary plague? Why exile them to Red Maple Valley?"

"Eldest Grandson Lord, no cure exists for this plague. Infection spells certain doom. The Sixth Madam can still utter words for now, but the Thirteenth Young Miss clings to life by a thread. Delay their removal, and the plague will ravage the entire Young Master's Residence."

Terror twisted the driver's features at the mere whisper of "plague." He had no desire to escort these nobles beyond the walls; once gone, return was impossible.

Yet his son's wrongdoing demanded this grim duty—the sole path to sparing his boy from penalty lay in this act.

For his offspring's sake, the driver resolved to forfeit his own existence.

"Let me see them."

Jiang Yan strode forward as he spoke, approaching the carriage.

This bold move stunned the onlookers. The guard captain dashed ahead and dropped to his knees before Jiang Yan: "Eldest Grandson Lord, you cannot! Should harm befall you, the clan leader will punish us all."

Jiang Yan held high standing in the Sky Fire Tribe; to all, he was the destined successor. The present Young Master owed his position wholly to this very Eldest Grandson.

Witnessing this, the remaining soldiers surged forward, kneeling to obstruct his way.

"Do you presume to dictate my actions to me?"

As Jiang Yan uttered the words, an oppressive aura emanated from him. Those nearby paled in astonishment at the sheer intensity of his presence.

The guard captain stammered: "True Blood Realm... Eldest Grandson Lord, how did you ascend to True Blood mastery?"

"That's beyond your concern. Will you block me still?"

Jiang Yan's voice left no room for defiance.

Cold sweat beaded on the guards' brows. The captain itched to unsheathe his blade in a desperate bid to repel the Eldest Grandson, only to realize in dread that this True Blood Realm surpassed the norm.

The aura he exuded rivaled the Condensing Spirit Realm, paralyzing him utterly.

He pleaded hastily: "We wouldn't dare. Please ease your pressure, Eldest Grandson Lord."

"Hmph!"

Jiang Yan snorted disdainfully and brushed past the soldiers. Amid the crowd's fearful stares, he climbed aboard the carriage.

The guard captain, in response, yanked a bamboo tube from his belt. He uncorked it, and with a sharp hiss, a flare of fire streaked skyward, bursting in a brilliant display above.

This served as the city guard's urgent signal. He invoked it only in dire crises, never lightly.

Jiang Yan caught the blast's echo but dismissed it. To him, no plague on earth lay beyond his cure.

Stepping into the carriage, a nauseating reek assaulted him, nearly turning his stomach.

Forcing down the disgust, he peered within. Little Thirteen's skin had turned ashen black, dark blood trickling from her lips now and then—the source of that vile odor.

Beside her, black veins marred the Sixth Aunt's face, creeping outward relentlessly; soon, mere hours away, they would engulf her completely.

Though unfamiliar with this affliction, Jiang Yan felt no alarm. In the last three years, he had crafted countless antidote spirit pills to purge toxins.

Even his master commended that his creations could neutralize any venom shy of Half-Saint potency.

From his storage pouch, he retrieved a fine porcelain vial containing elixirs forged from premium spirit herbs.

He shook out a single pill, bisecting it carefully. With precision, he administered half to each and channeled spiritual energy to guide it down their throats.

The Sixth Aunt and Little Thirteen possessed modest cultivation; a full dose would overwhelm and shatter their forms with raw medicinal force.

While Jiang Yan tended to his aunt and sister against the plague, turmoil erupted inside the Sky Fire Tribe as well.

More than a thousand troops encircled the Young Clan Leader's dwelling. At their fore rode a burly, rugged-faced middle-aged man atop a Fire Lion, clutching a massive hammer that lent him a fearsome air.

He bellowed fiercely: "Big brother, don't imagine you can sneak folks out and evade our watch! If your household doesn't vacate the city today, your little brother will personally escort every soul—old and young alike—beyond the walls!"

This uproar swiftly roused the elite neighborhoods for miles around. Dwellers near the Young Clan Leader's home were all of wealth or rank.

Suddenly, the Sky Fire Tribe's upper echelons fixed their gaze upon the Young Clan Leader's estate.

Within its walls, Young Clan Leader Jiang Qi's face twisted in anxiety. He had believed his scheme flawless, yet scarcely had he dispatched the afflicted when his impulsive second brother stormed the gates in pursuit.

What course now?

The rest fared no better. Women and children cowered in their private yards, trembling. They avoided the outdoors, dreading both the plague's touch and forced expulsion.

Beyond the gates, Jiang Second Master savored his big brother's silence, a surge of satisfaction swelling in his chest.

He mused inwardly: At last, the moment I've awaited arrives!

He called out once more: "Big brother, don't claim your brother lacks mercy. Emerge in a quarter-hour, or we'll storm inside!"

His words still hung in the air when a thunderous boom resounded from the South City Gate. Heads turned skyward, spotting the distress flare.

The city's tension shifted anew, all eyes drawn toward the South City Gate...

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