Chapter 58

Lei had barely any time to scratch his head as the opening day of the restaurant grew closer. The prep work consumed most of his time, and he also had to come up with a new menu. To appeal to the masses, he knew he would need more than three dishes, which meant extra work.

Trying other restaurants in Jiangzhen helped him get a few ideas. They had a fairly rich cuisine here, and while Lei was adamant about introducing new dishes, he also wished to sprinkle in some familiar tastes. Chicken soup was one of those familiar dishes.

With winter closing in on Jiangzhen, it was almost universally accepted that chicken soup warmed both body and soul. Lei's soup would be just that, with a hint of spirituality in the mix. That was why today he planned to visit Master Luwei to strike a deal regarding the chicken situation.

"You think it's a good idea for you to come with me?" Lei asked, glancing at Fatty Lou, who was seated on the couch in the hall. "You know Master Luwei hates your guts."

"But I'm a hated man everywhere, brother. What can you do about that?" Fatty Lou said, rising slowly to his feet and giving Lei a smile. "It happens when you're too good at something. You know I had to force my way into the Head Scribe's mansion to get him to eat one of those cookies. Those guards hated my guts too."

"It's different—" Lei sighed and shook his head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Let's go. I'm too tired to argue about this."

"It's a damned good day. Let's go get those chickens, shall we?" Fatty Lou trudged out the door, dragging Lei after him.

Outside, the morning blessed Jiangzhen with a sprinkle of light. It was a touch chilly, but even then, Lei couldn't get enough of the fresh air filling his lungs. He spared a last glance at the house and nodded before following after Fatty Lou.

They sent the kids to the old couple, as Sister Luli and Little Yao were out on a mission. Lei warned Master Li about Snake's latest shenanigans, but the old man just laughed it off and said it was fine. He also promised Little Snake that he would get him a new bed.

Man, it's hard to understand these old folks sometimes. I guess the grandchild magic is real.

He could only hope that they wouldn't pamper the kids too much. Sure, Lei did the same now and then, but they managed a good balance with Sister Luli. She was taking care of them as their teacher, and Lei was the head chef of the cooking staff. That was why he was worried the old couple might shake up their well-established authority with their random "gifts."

Nah. It's fine. It's good, even, as they keep that couple busy.

Rounding the corner, they trudged through the streets, passing by Jiangzhen's Library and the bald-headed Buddhists who meditated beneath the statue of Emperor Xia. Lei shook his head at that. The senior transmigrator had done good things for the Empire, but he sure loved to soak in the attention.

They were about to turn toward the market when Lei saw a long line of people waiting outside a two-story house. That, in itself, wasn't surprising, as Lei recognized the house right away. It belonged to Lifen Xue, one of the most beloved healers in Jiangzhen. No, what made him pause was that all the people lined up seemed too pale, as if they'd just seen a group of ghosts.

"What's going on there?" he asked as they stopped near the line.

Fatty Lou clicked his tongue at the sight. "I've heard some guys talking about it. They say it's longfever. Seems like it's getting worse."

There had to be more than fifty people there. Lei couldn't help but frown when his Spiritual Sensitivity skill sent a jolt of alarm down his neck.

"Something's not right," he muttered, moving over to the line. When his brother-in-arms tried to stop him, he waved a hand at him. "I'm taking a look. It feels… odd."

He tried to check a few people in line with Yellow Maiden's eyes, but the Spiritual Sensitivity skill didn't provide any information about the sickness. The sensation was still there, though, and it grew stronger as he neared the house's entrance.

"Stop. There's a line if you want to see Healer Lifen," said a guy blocking the door with his bulky frame. He had another companion looking up at Lei and Fatty Lou from beside the steps.

"Guards?" Lei thought, taken aback. Then again, there were dozens of sick people waiting before the door, and it could get dangerous without some managing them. So Lei nodded and stepped back.

"I didn't know it was this bad." He glanced at the guard with an honest smile, hoping to learn something from the man.

"I'm not sure what happened, but these last few days, hundreds of people have come to see Sister Lifen. We've volunteered to help her and the few others, but we don't have enough healers for this," the guard said, shaking his head. The man had messy stubble and dark rings under his eyes. He glanced anxiously at the house. "I'm worried if this continues, something will happen to Sister Lifen."

"Hey, she's one hell of a woman. She kicked me once when I tried to get one of her pills. It still hurts to this day," Fatty Lou said from the side. Lei could see he was worried, but as always, he tried to lighten the mood. "Don't worry. It's going to be all right."

"I hope so, Little Brother. Thanks," the guard said with a tired sigh.

Leaving the line of sick people alone with the guards, Lei and Fatty Lou made their way to the market, a nervous silence settling between them. Lei still couldn't shake that strange feeling. Longfever had been a thing in Jiangzhen for the last few months, but Lei always thought it was a normal sickness.

But as they made their way to the butcher district, that strange feeling nagged at the back of Lei's mind. Longfever had never felt this ominous before. He glanced at Fatty Lou, who was walking a bit faster now, his usual jovial demeanor gone. Something was off, and they both knew it.

Soon enough, they arrived at Master Luwei's shop, a small but well-known butcher's shop tucked between larger stores. The scent of fresh meat and blood hung in the air, familiar to those used to the district's business.

"Ah, if it isn't our new chef," came a gruff voice from behind the counter. Master Luwei appeared from the back, wiping his hands on a blood-stained apron. He had a broad, sturdy build, his face weathered with age but his eyes sharp. When his gaze landed on Fatty Lou, his expression soured.

Stolen story; please report.

"You again," Master Luwei muttered, crossing his arms. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of my shop?"

Fatty Lou grinned, unfazed. "Good to see you too, Master. Don't worry, I'm not here to beg you for work. We're here for chickens today."

Master Luwei's scowl deepened, but then he sighed. "You picked a bad time for that, boys." He turned and motioned for them to follow him to the back.

Once they moved there, Master Luwei glanced behind them and lowered his voice. "There's been a problem at the farms lately. A bad one."

Lei's brows furrowed. "What kind of problem? You sold me a dozen chickens just two days ago."

Master Luwei's face darkened. "Two days ago, everything seemed normal, but the last day or so... it's been a mess. The chickens we've been getting from the farms are dying. Whole flocks are just keeling over. It looks like some sort of sickness is spreading through the coops."

Lei frowned. "But you didn't mention anything when I got that last batch."

"Didn't know then." Master Luwei shook his head. "It hit fast—overnight, practically. The farms I get my stock from said it's been happening in waves. The older chickens are the first to go, but now the young ones are dropping dead too. People are already talking about a shortage if this keeps up."

Fatty Lou let out a low whistle. "That's bad news for your soup plan, Brother Lei."

"No kidding." Lei rubbed his chin, feeling that same odd tingle from earlier. "Have the farmers figured out what's causing it? Could it be related to what's going on with Aunt Lifen and the longfever?"

Master Luwei's eyes flickered with concern. "I don't know if it's related or not, but nobody knows what's causing it. The farmers said they called for help from the Governor's Office, but nothing's come through yet."

Lei exchanged a glance with Fatty Lou, his mind racing. If the sickness affecting the chickens was related to the longfever, the problem was bigger than just a food shortage. Something was spreading, and it wasn't confined to just humans.

"Let me know if you hear anything more," Lei said, his voice steady.

Master Luwei gave a grim nod. "You've got it. I'll keep a close eye on things. And you two take good care of yourselves and those kids."

Lei and Fatty Lou stepped out of Master Luwei's shop. The early morning sun had risen higher, casting long shadows across the bustling butcher district. Lei's mind churned with possibilities as he replayed the conversation about the chickens and the longfever in his head.

Fatty Lou walked a few paces ahead. "Brother Lei," he said over his shoulder, breaking the silence. "You think all this is just some unlucky coincidence? Chickens dropping dead, longfever spreading, and no one's able to fix it?"

Lei's jaw tightened. "You remember the man I talked about the other night? The one who came to see those two from the Governor's Office?"

"Oh, I remember him. One of our rotten friends, wasn't he?" Fatty Lou replied.

Lei nodded. "Yeah, he was. I think he has a hand in… whatever this is."

"What do we do?" Fatty Lou asked, looking greatly troubled.

"Nothing," Lei said, shaking his head. "Not before Sister Luli is back, at least. We have to wait for her to become a Qi Condensation Stage expert before we make our move."

"I'll send word to my guys. Maybe they've heard something."

"Good idea. You do that," Lei said, scowling deeply. "And I'll go talk with Aunt Lifen. Best we see if she has anything to say."

With that, they split up. Fatty Lou would go to his old man's place to bring the kids up to the restaurant. After that thug kidnapped Snake and Stone, they were making sure the kids were never left alone.

The same guard frowned when he saw Lei again, but this time Lei made it clear that he didn't have time to convince him of his reasons. Either way, he had to speak with Aunt Lifen.

He basically barged in through the door, the guards flailing pointlessly after him. They tried to hold him back and drag him away, but even though they were 3rd Step Body Tempering Stage cultivators, Lei hardly strained against their efforts.

Inside, he paused when a surprised Aunt Lifen glanced up at him. She was an older woman, perhaps in her forties, but her brown eyes still glinted with a touch of youth. She had long, dark hair wrapped in a bun, and her simple white robe fit her perfectly.

Before her sat a middle-aged man with a pale face, the right sleeve of his robe rolled up to reveal a yellowish spot on the back of his elbow. Looked like Aunt Lifen had been rubbing a thick paste over that spot when Lei barged in.

"Aunt Lifen," Lei acknowledged her with a nod.

"Sister Lifen, we've tried, but—"

"It's okay, Brother Wei. You two can withdraw. I know this one," Aunt Lifen said, smiling gently at the pair of guards. She then turned toward Lei, her face growing serious. "Is this about the kids, Lei? You see that I'm especially busy this morning, but if you can bring them here, I can take a look."

"Ah, no, Aunt Lifen. It's… not that," Lei sputtered. It occurred to him now that he hadn't thought much about this. A chef barging into a healer's place to do… what, exactly?

Clearing his throat, he tried to manage a smile on his face. "I was just curious when I saw the line. I wanted to see if there's something I should do. If there's a longfever outbreak, I—"

"In that case, shouldn't you have stayed away from my place? How did you think this would help keep those little ones safe?" Aunt Lifen shook her head at him. "And no, this isn't longfever. At least, not the one we know of. This is different."

Lei narrowed his eyes at the yellowish spot on the man's elbow as Aunt Lifen rubbed the rest of the paste over it and patted the man's hand once she was finished. "It's done. Don't forget to drink the mix I prepared for you."

"Thanks, Sister Lifen," the man said, rising to his feet and sparing Lei an odd glance before trudging out the door.

And just as the man passed by him, a strong stench filled Lei's nose. The reek of rot made him nearly vomit on the spot as Aunt Lifen's voice rang in his ears.

"I don't know what it is," she said once the door closed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it is far worse than longfever."

......