Chapter 53: The Source of the Plague

  A dizzy feeling flashed through his spine like lightning, making the back of his heart cold, his hands and feet icy, and he lost his balance in an instant.

  Poisoning...

  Ley used his black giant sword to support his weak and limp body in a hurry.

  How detestable... When was the poison administered? Was it from the Flame Lizard medicine at the very beginning? Or the Limited Invincibility medicine at the last moment?

  Lei Ga tried to focus his energy, but he couldn't concentrate at all. His breathing became heavier than ever before, and his eyes could only see blurry double images.

  "You probably forgot, I am an alchemist."

  The tawny grey cloak fluttered in front of Lei Ga, and Xu Lingtian slowly stood up. In his grey pupils, sparks like flint flashed. "No one is stupid enough to point a sword at an alchemist and still not make a move after hesitating for half a day."

  He paused for a moment and then said in a tone that was almost mournful, "You've been too kind to me. In fact, you should have cut off my head long ago..."

  "I will!"

  Lei Ga's hand grasping the hilt of his sword trembled slightly due to excessive force, and his knees stiffened as he tried to stand up, but before he could steady himself, he fell to the ground again, causing the black giant sword to slip from his grasp. He reached out to grab the hilt, but Xu Ling Tian used his toes to push the black giant sword away.

  "You've had your chance."

  Xu Lingtian let out a faint sigh. "You're indeed very clever, intentionally saving the strong recovery medicine to use your best state against me, but unfortunately I've long been prepared."

  "Was it from the moment we met that you poisoned me?" Rega asked gritting his teeth.

  Xu Lingtian gently shook his head, "No, I won't poison your medicine. I need your help to complete the task, this is more important than anything else. The poison I used was three years ago."

  Lei Ga was taken aback for a moment before coming back to his senses: "Alchemist's Toolbox?"

  "To be precise, it was a vial from the alchemist's toolbox. I applied a colorless and odorless potion to the vial."

  Xu Lingtian bent down, stretched out his bony fingers, opened the package that Leiga carried with him, found the bottle emitting a faint glow, pinched the seal on the mouth of the bottle with his long fingernails, carefully took it out, and then put it under his cloak.

  Lei Ga wanted to stop, but his body was already stiff like a stone and couldn't move at all.

  Xu Lingtian let out a sigh of relief after putting away the medicine bottle. "Three years ago, when I hid it, I took preventive measures. If you hadn't touched that medicine bottle, you wouldn't have been poisoned. Unfortunately, you were too clever and came up with the idea of using an empty alchemy tool box to exchange for the real Moon Demon Grass, but in the end, you were still implicated by your own cleverness."

  "I should have smashed the Alchemy Toolbox earlier and come straight for your Moon Demon Grass..."

  Lei Ga's tongue root began to harden, and by the end of it, he was already mumbling indistinctly.

  "No, you should be grateful you didn't do it. Because this isn't any medicine..."

  Xu Lingtian's pale face turned even darker and heavier: "In this world, there is no alchemist who can create a potion to revive life. After Yín Lìshā died, I used up all my knowledge, read through all the classics, and got only one answer: in this world, there is no alchemist who can create a potion to revive life. But just when I fell into despair, I accidentally thought of a legend about the war between gods and demons thousands of years ago. According to the legend, the demon tribe infected humans with plague, and after humans died, they became vengeful spirits and stood up again to fight for the demon tribe."

  "You..."

  "That's right, I've found the source of the plague."

  Xu Lingtian's face twisted into a cruel smile, but two lines of clear tears flowed from his gray pupils: "I revived Yurisa, and then I found out that all the legends were true... She had no heartbeat, only wanting to eat people. I racked my brains for a solution, and when I finally got some clarity, the villagers of Dusk Village nailed her ruthlessly into a coffin! I waited three years, three years! Just for this moment today! I will revive her again, and this time I will exchange my own heart with hers, letting her truly become human. My love will be with her heartbeat!"

  He couldn't help but get excited, his whole body trembling.

  Lei Ga opened his mouth, wanting to tell Xu Ling Tian what Meina's mother had seen before, but he couldn't say a word. His line of sight was already blurry and couldn't see anything clearly, his eyelids were also getting heavier and heavier.

  Xu Ling Tian calmed down his excited emotions and regained his composure. "I've said it before, we met on the same road but headed in different directions. You may think I'm despicable, but I never thought of harming anyone, naturally, I won't harm you either. Even if you deceived me with the empty Alchemy Toolbox, even if you put a sword to my neck wanting to end me, I still appreciate you as always. You shouldn't just be an ordinary tavern waiter, you will become the brightest star in this world. This world is like an old man on his deathbed, no matter how good an alchemist is, they can't cure it, but you and your sword can..."

  Xu Lingtian leaned down, using his bony fingers to gently touch Leiga's forehead, softly whispering: "Sleep, Leiga, sleep peacefully. The poison you've been given is just a ordinary anesthetic, after the effect wears off, you'll wake up automatically. I'm leaving all my belongings to you, hoping they can help with your growth. I thank you for everything you've done for me and Yinxia, I'll tell Yinxia to take care of you, but if..."

  He paused for a long time, then said painfully: "If I fail, I only ask you one thing, send Yelissa back to the grave, let us reunite underground."

  Lei Ga completely closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

  "Yin Lisha, my love, wait for me, I'm coming..."

  Xu Lingtian got up and walked towards the entrance of the underground cave, stumbling as he went. At this moment, he was completely an old man in decline...

  Lei Ga had an incredibly wonderful dream.

  He dreamed of lying in Meena's attic, with soft hay beneath him, and Red Pansy sitting on his bedside, smiling brightly without a mask or clothes. Her smile was sweet, beautiful, and real. He sat up straight but was pressed down by Red Pansy's strong body, who straddled his legs. He could even feel the wetness of her pubic hair rubbing against his legs, and he couldn't help but get hard. As she leaned down to kiss his chest, he mindlessly grabbed her ***, and a soft sensation filled his fingertips.

  He flipped over and pinned the red lily under his body, but when he looked at the red lily again, her face had turned into that of the witch Astar. Her eyes sparkled with a playful smile as she spread her legs apart, hooked them around his waist, and pulled him in forcefully...

  Just as he was about to fall into a dream, a sudden crow's cry from the depths of his heart was like an alarm clock, making all the illusions in front of him disappear.

  A foul stench of rotting flesh invaded his consciousness, he grasped a handful with force, but what he felt was not the fullness of **, but the hard mud beneath him. He furrowed his brow, then slowly opened his eyes.

  My head is throbbing with pain, just like I had a night of drinking and just woke up from a hangover.

  He took a long time to get up unsteadily, picked up the black giant sword, and then stumbled out of the underground cave.

  Back on the ground, Lelouch lay in the overgrown courtyard, gasping for fresh air, feeling his strength returning to his body, and his consciousness gradually clearing.

  It's already midnight now, and Xu Lingtian has probably been gone for more than an hour.

  Lei Ga didn't know if the poison had expired and lost its effect, or if Xu Ling Tian had done it on purpose. He tried to recall what Xu Ling Tian had said to him last, vaguely remembering the words "tomb" but couldn't remember anything else.

  He let out a sigh and sat down on the ground, waiting for his strength to fully recover while checking his package.

  The moon demon grass is still there. The flower heart emits a bright light like the moon, and the black petals are clearly visible even in the deep night.

  Xu Ling Tian

  Lei Ga let out a bitter laugh and closed his bag with mixed emotions.

  After resting for a while, his strength had recovered by more than half. Leiga hastily stood up, ready to stop Xu Lingtian's foolish actions. As soon as he took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble like a drumbeat.

  Leygus supported his body with the black giant sword, and at first he thought that the poison's effect still had some residue, but immediately afterwards he felt the vibration transmitted again through the hilt of the sword.

  The tremors grew stronger, as if a gigantic creature was marching in rhythm with its legs, getting closer and closer.

  Lei Ga suddenly remembered Xu Lingtian's words about taking revenge on the villagers of Dusk Village, and secretly called out "not good". Without considering that his strength had not fully recovered, he grabbed the black giant sword and rushed towards Dusk Village.

  The villagers who were originally asleep were all awakened by the shock, and they walked out of their houses, looking at each other with puzzled expressions.

  "Take up arms! Let the night watch gather at the village entrance!"

  Ley shouted at the unsuspecting villagers as he sprinted towards them: "We can't let the monster enter Twilight Village!"

  The villagers all looked at Lega with a sarcastic expression, and one of the double-chinned villagers said in a sinister tone: "The Night Watch only takes orders from the village chief..."

  Before he had finished speaking, a deafening roar was heard from outside the village.

  Lei Ga's eardrum was severely shocked, and the other villagers were no better off. Several women fainted on the spot, while most people stood with their mouths agape, their terrified eyes fixed in place.

  Lei Ga glanced around and unexpectedly saw Meina's mother hugging Meina, who was shivering. Judging from their clothes, they didn't seem to have just woken up from a dream.

  "Your Excellency..."

  Meina's mother lowered her voice and said: "Xu Lingtian just came to see me, left a large sum of money for me, and asked me to take Meina away from the village. I don't know what to do."

  Lei Ga gave her a reassuring nod, "No need to leave, I won't let anything happen to you."

  He turned around and said in a stern tone: "Pick up your weapons, men, and follow me to the village entrance to get rid of that monster!"

  "...But...but we're just ordinary people..." The villager with a double chin stammered.

  "Are you willing to be a coward for the rest of your life, watching your home being destroyed, your wife and children scattered, or are you willing to take up arms and be a hero for just one minute to protect those you love? If you don't save yourselves, no one else can!"