noveltune Chapter 149 Embers of the Border Town
Chapter 149 Embers of the Border Town
The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the smoke of battle, falling upon the city walls of the bluestone border town. The walls were bluish-gray, corroded with large pits by the poison of the previous night, cracked by the Gu Mother's attack, and charred black by the fire, yet they stood there, unyielding. The sunlight bathed them in a warm golden hue, illuminating the scars clearly, like wrinkles on an old man's face, each one telling a story.
Collapsed houses were everywhere on the streets. Some were half-collapsed, revealing tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets inside; bowls were still on the tables, but the rice inside had hardened. Others were completely collapsed, leaving only piles of broken bricks and tiles, with charred beams sticking out from the gaps in the tiles like the fingers of a skull. Dried bloodstains drew dark red patterns on the ground, stretching from one end of the alley to the other, dripping from the steps onto the pavement, spreading from one fallen figure to another. The ashes of the Gu worms piled up in the corners, like burnt paper money, scattering in the wind; the grayish-white powder floated in the air, landing on people's hair and shoulders, impossible to wipe away.
The surviving civilians, armed with brooms, shovels, and buckets, silently cleared the rubble. No one spoke; only the sounds of tools hitting the broken stones and the occasional suppressed cough rang out. Their faces held no smiles, no tears, only a numbness and bewilderment born of survival—like drowning victims just pulled ashore, lying on the bank gasping for breath, their minds still blank, not yet having had time to think about what had just happened, nor what to do next.
Lin Chen stood atop the city wall, gazing at the bustling crowd below. He leaned against a flagpole that hadn't yet collapsed, his right leg slightly bent, his left leg straight, appearing casual, but his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. His fingertips still retained the lingering warmth of the star energy he'd absorbed the day before when he slew the Gu Mother—not the actual temperature, but the temperature of memory, the muscle memory left by the surging energy within his body. After a night of fierce fighting, the five men were stained with blood and looked exhausted. Lin Chen's school uniform had several tears, and a section of his left sleeve had been corroded away by venom, revealing a scabbing wound on his forearm. Su Muyue's white dress was covered in ash, the hem soaked, indistinguishable between blood and medicine. Leng Feng's camouflage uniform was covered in scratches left by Gu worms; in some places, the fabric was torn, revealing haphazardly bandaged wounds underneath. Chu Fan's glasses had a broken temple, wrapped twice with tape, barely hanging on his ears. Su Ling'er's ponytail was mostly undone, her hair was stuck to her face, and her face was covered with ash, blood, and medicinal powder, all mixed together, making her look like a cat with a dirty face that had just crawled out of a fire.
But no one suggested taking a break.
Su Muyue, accompanied by several villagers skilled in medicine, went door-to-door checking for residual Gu poison. She walked ahead, holding a protective array flag, its runes gleaming faintly in the sunlight. At each house, she gently waved the flag, golden purification runes spreading from it like an invisible broom, sweeping across every corner of the courtyard, every inch of soil, and every piece of tile. Where the runes passed, lurking Gu worms crawled out from their hiding places, wriggled wildly for a few moments, then curled up into a ball and vanished in a wisp of black smoke. The villagers stood at their doorways, watching her wave the flag, purify, and then retract it—her movements swift and efficient, as if performing a mundane task. No one spoke, but some began to cry—not loud sobs, but silent weeping, tears streaming down their faces. They didn't know who this woman was, where she came from, or why she was helping them. But they knew that without her and the young people around her, this city would be gone.
Su Muyue made the last entry in the register, closed it, and strode up the city wall. Her steps were hurried, making a rustling sound on the gravel. There was still fatigue on her face and dark circles under her eyes, but her back was straight and her voice was steady.
"There are still three households in the west of the city that haven't been checked. Two of the children have low-grade fever symptoms, suspected of being infected with a latent Gu poison. Ling'er's exorcism pills have all been distributed, and she's currently brewing a second batch of tonifying medicine at the temporary clinic to help the people recover from the Gu poison's damage. We're running low on medicinal herbs, so I've sent people to purchase them from surrounding towns. They should arrive as early as tonight."
Lin Chen took the register and glanced at it. The register was filled with dense handwriting, detailing the infection status, treatment progress, and medication records for each household. He nodded and handed the register back to her.
"Thank you for your hard work. How's Chu Fan doing?"
"Chu Fan is assisting the military in repairing the city's defensive formation." Su Muyue turned around and looked down at the city. In the open space at the city gate, Chu Fan squatted down, a tattered array diagram spread out in front of him, and an array pattern pen in his hand, sketching new array patterns. Several array apprentices from the military surrounded him; some handed him materials, some took notes in small notebooks, and some watched attentively. He spoke softly but quickly, pausing from time to time to point to a spot on the array diagram and explain to the apprentices beside him. After explaining, he would lower his head and continue drawing, pausing to think after a few strokes, then continuing to draw. His movements were fast and steady, not at all like someone who hadn't slept all night. "The original defensive formation was mostly destroyed by the Gu Mother. He improved the structure of the array's core, adding Gu-expelling runes. In the future, if low-level Gu worms approach, the formation will automatically trigger purification without manual activation. He said he learned this from the 'Twelve Array Explanations,' and he'd always wanted to try it but never had the chance."
Leng Feng carried over a bucket of water. The bucket was wooden, and the walls were still stained with bloodstains he hadn't had time to wash off the night before. He didn't care; he placed the bucket on the city wall, drew his sword from behind his back, and immersed it in the water. The dark red runes on the blade gleamed eerily in the water, like tiny red fish swimming beneath. He scooped up water and poured it over the blade, rubbing away the dried bloodstains and black worm fluid. His movements were slow and meticulous, as if he were polishing a precious piece of porcelain, not washing a weapon that had been used to kill.
"Qin Kun's remaining followers have all been wiped out." He said while washing his knife, his voice low and steady, as if reporting a task. "The captured evil cultists are all imprisoned in the military camp's dungeon, awaiting the Martial Alliance's decision. There are seventeen of them in total, their cultivation levels are not high, the highest being no more than the Meridian Opening Realm, but they are all incredibly stubborn. However, the Gu worm cultivation data and evil clan secret letters that Chu Fan found will be more than enough to make them regret it. The data and secret letters have been organized and sealed for future investigation."