Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 92 - 91: Chaos is Permissible, but Annihilation is Not

Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Chaos is Permissible, but Annihilation is Not

Once they were a safe distance away, Cheng Zongyang let out a sigh of relief. He had finally survived this ordeal.

However, after walking just a few hundred meters, he suddenly stopped and gazed at the two distant, shrinking figures.

’So it’s those two!’

He then remembered seeing those two asking for directions when his aunt had brought his younger cousins to the village.

They were obviously two Martial Artists with Eighth Grade Cultivation. Though he wasn’t entirely sure if they were truly Eighth Grade.

But now, in this situation, he suddenly felt something was wrong, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

’These two arrived two days ago but haven’t entered the County Town. Instead, they’re just watching from a distance. Judging by their expressions, are they just here to watch the show?’

’Was it just his imagination?’

"What’s wrong?" Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family asked worriedly, noticing her nephew had suddenly stopped walking.

Cheng Zongyang snapped out of it and smiled. "It’s nothing. I was just calculating our position. We should be close to Uncle now."

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family said hurriedly, "Then let’s hurry. I’m afraid something might have happened to your uncle."

Cheng Zongyang said, "Don’t worry. I paid the government official. He’s the reliable type who gets the job done once he’s paid."

He then walked on for about another two li before saying to his aunt, "Please hide under that tree over there and wait for me. I’ll go find the man. He doesn’t like seeing other people."

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family, suspecting nothing, nodded and followed him into the woods, where she waited quietly under a tree.

Cheng Zongyang continued deeper into the woods until his aunt was out of sight. He then entered the Wilderness World and brought his uncle out.

Looking at his unconscious uncle, Cheng Zongyang smiled. ’It’s a good thing I had a Wilderness Bean. With one less person to worry about, we made it. Otherwise, I’m afraid either my uncle or aunt would have gotten hurt on the way here.’

After all, there were far too many refugees rushing the city. It was like the torrent of people pouring out of a venue after a major event—the scene was simply terrifying.

He carried his uncle on his back and headed back. When Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family saw her husband slung over her nephew’s back, she jumped in fright, thinking something terrible had happened. She rushed over, her face pale, and asked, "What’s wrong with your uncle?!"

Cheng Zongyang reassured her, "He’s fine. I gave him a sleeping draught earlier. After he fell asleep, the government official transported him out of the city. That’s why he hasn’t woken up yet. He should be awake in a little under an hour."

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family finally felt her heart settle. "Oh, that’s good. That’s good," she said quickly. "We owe it all to you."

Cheng Zongyang shook his head. "We’re family; there’s no need for thanks. Let’s go. We don’t know what the situation is like back in the mountains."

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family nodded and hurried to keep up.

While Cheng Zongyang hurried back to the mountains, back in the city, Qi Yue, the Director of the Inspection Bureau, was leading several constables and some Soldiers to quickly suppress the riot at the city gate.

The six Noble Races, four Gangs, and four Martial Arts Halls sent all their Martial Artists, along with anyone who knew how to fight or had some strength, rushing to the city gates with Weapons to help with the suppression.

The iron law that one must not provoke a Martial Artist was etched into the minds of common people. Thus, it was only when a group of Martial Artists began a slaughter at the West City Gate, killing until heads rolled and blood flowed freely, that the frenzied refugees finally calmed down.

Once the last of the refugees stopped trying to push through, the city gate was immediately shut. A few Martial Artists were left behind to intimidate the crowd and prevent them from opening the gate again.

The same scene played out at the other city gates.

The members of the six Noble Races were far more furious than the Inspection Bureau. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Their own struggles for power had yet to be resolved, and now these refugees were stirring up trouble, completely disrupting their plans.

If this cost them their chance to be promoted to a Noble Family, they would gladly kill every last refugee!

And so, the Martial Artists from these six families were even more frenzied in their slaughter of the refugees.

One after another, refugees fell dead. It was no use even for those who had come to their senses and were kneeling to beg for mercy.

The Martial Artists showed no intention of stopping, cutting them down one by one.

This sent more and more refugees fleeing frantically in all directions, scattering the once-gathered crowd.

While this drastically reduced the pressure at the city gates, it made the subsequent hunt to capture and kill them all the more chaotic.

Most importantly, the plague was now spreading uncontrollably throughout the County Town!

「Half an hour later.」

In the main hall of the Government Office, Chang Younian’s expression grew even more sinister as he listened to the report from the Inspection Bureau.

They had the refugees and the city gates under control, but a large number of refugees were still scattered throughout the city, fleeing and hiding. This meant the plague was now uncontrollable.

A plague was far more terrifying than refugees. If he failed to control it, then just as Zheng Tianhai had said, it would be truly unstoppable.

At that point, never mind his plans for a promotion to Prefect, he might not even be able to hold onto his current position—or his life.

The bottom line from his superiors was clear: chaos was permissible, but complete loss of control was not.

"Damn it!" Chang Younian snarled, his face dark. "Have your men, along with the men from those families and Gangs, continue the roundup. Expel every refugee you catch from the city! And order all residents to stay in their homes!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Qi Yue said no more, simply cupping his fist in assent.

After Qi Yue departed, Chang Younian rose and strode quickly toward the rear courtyard.

’So what if the Zhu Family’s spies are watching me?’ he thought. ’It doesn’t matter how many refugees die. As long as I can control this plague, nothing else is a problem!’

’What my superiors want is a capable Prefect who can control the big picture and handle any problem that arises.’

’Only that kind of person can be of use to the Zheng Family in the Imperial Court. Otherwise, for the sole charge of ’ineffective governance,’ the Zheng Family could have the Chang Family replace me with someone more competent. Even the Zhu Family could maneuver their own person into my position!’

’Chaos is permissible, but complete loss of control is not!’

’This is the test the Zheng Family has given me.’

’So, no matter what, I must suppress this plague!’

Arriving in the rear courtyard, Chang Younian, though agitated, did not take his temper out on the Doctors. They were not to blame.

He needed the most capable Doctors in the county to solve this plague.

Soon, as a government official finished gathering all the Doctors, another official rushed in to report, "County Magistrate, one of them is missing."

Chang Younian, who had been suppressing his fury, scowled. His mood soured even further as he asked with a dark expression:

"Who? Where did they go? When did this happen!"

The rapid-fire questions made the government official tremble. He stammered out a panicked reply:

"It’s... it’s Cheng Guangshan. His room has been empty, but we thought he was inside the whole time. We don’t know when he vanished."

He then added hastily, "With everything that happened this morning, we were all guarding the County Magistrate’s Office and didn’t have time to check on him..."

BAM!

Before the official could finish, Chang Younian, his anger finally boiling over, kicked the man with furious force, sending him flying.

He had even held back slightly; otherwise, the kick would have killed the government official on the spot.

Even so, the official was grievously injured and spat out a mouthful of blood. He lay on the ground, nearly unconscious.

This act terrified the other officials present, who immediately dropped to their knees, crying out, "Your Excellency, have mercy!"

The twelve Doctors were also scared into silence, trembling like leaves.

Then, they all heard Chang Younian roar:

"Find out where he went! Now!"

He knew of Cheng Guangshan. He was the Doctor from Cheng’s Clinic in the South City who had given him advice yesterday. From those three suggestions alone, he knew the man was highly capable.

The Doctors were crucial to controlling the plague, and the plague was crucial to his career and his life. There could be no mistakes!

"Which of you knows about Cheng’s Clinic?" Chang Younian demanded.

The officials remained silent, prostrated and trembling on the ground. The twelve Doctors merely looked at one another, hesitating.

They were all afraid of saying the wrong thing and suffering the same fate as the other official.

Chang Younian took a deep breath, reining in his temper. He said:

"Speak. You will not be blamed."

At this, one of the Doctors who also ran a clinic in the South City briefly explained the situation with Cheng’s Clinic.

When Chang Younian heard that Cheng’s Clinic had been passed down for several generations, his eyes lit up. He was now even more convinced of his own judgment.

’That Cheng Guangshan’s medical skills must be extraordinary. He would be of immense use to me!’

He swiftly turned his gaze upon the remaining officials and said coldly:

"Find out how he left! Who helped him! Where did he go! I don’t care if you have to dig three feet deep across all of Jade Peak County—find him!"

"Yes!!"

The officials quickly assented and scattered.

After the officials had gone, Chang Younian turned to the Doctors.

"I don’t care how you do it, but you will give me a remedy within a short time!" he said. "I want this plague suppressed as quickly as possible. If you fail, I’m afraid your families will have to suffer in Jail."

At this, the twelve Doctors turned pale, their faces a mask of disbelief.

Just as they were about to protest, Chang Younian cut them off.

"I don’t want to hear any excuses. I only want results. I don’t care what methods you use, as long as it works immediately and suppresses the plague!"

But one Doctor couldn’t help but speak up.

"To achieve immediate results, we must diagnose and treat each case individually, prescribing medicine based on the patient’s specific condition. This plague presents with two different sets of symptoms. Using the wrong remedy will only worsen a patient’s condition, or even cause death. Only after extensive testing can we develop a universal..."

But before he could finish, a cold glare from Chang Younian made him swallow the rest of his words. His face turned red as he held his tongue, not daring to argue further. The injured official to the side was a stark warning of what would happen if he did.

Chang Younian tossed out one last cold sentence, then turned and walked away.

"You have three days!"