CHAPTER 656: [650] QING CHUAN CHENG WANGFEI 19 (2 MORE UPDATES)

The person who had been hanging his head suddenly lifted it and opened his bloody, enormous mouth toward the Taoist. Under the candlelight, his teeth appeared terrifyingly black, and a thick stench emanated from his mouth. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes rolled upward, showing greyish-white color - clearly, he was no longer normal.

But the guard had already grabbed the Taoist by the hand, his stiff body not hindering him from wildly gnawing at his face. Hearing the Taoist’s screams, everyone present was terrified, for none had ever witnessed such a heart-wrenchingly horrific scene.

By the time they reacted, the transformed guard had already thrown aside the Taoist, whose half-eaten face was now screaming in agony, and lunged toward the people who were screaming. Suddenly, the small, remote courtyard descended into chaos...

Meanwhile, Yun Mi was discussing with the Imperial Physicians about the poison that Xiyuan had ingested. The only good news was that Xiyuan was still alive and breathing steadily. The fact that she had survived such a potent poison indicated that she had been mildly poisoned and, with some time, they might be able to devise an antidote.

However, no one expected such an event at this juncture. When eunuchs and guards staggered into the courtyard, they tightly shut the door and stood there, gasping for breath, still in shock. Yun Mi, puzzled by their actions, asked, "What happened?"

"Prince, it’s terrible! The guard came back to life after dying, but he’s not normal. He bites anyone he sees, and those bitten soon turn vicious and bloodthirsty, just like him. It’s as if it’s contagious, spreading from one to another. Outside, it’s already a complete mess. It’s truly horrifying!"

As soon as the words were out, a eunuch in the courtyard suddenly stiffened, then began making several dance-like eerie motions. Soon after, they saw with their naked eyes a dozen crisscrossing lines, reminiscent of blood vessels, crawl up his neck. When these lines reached his face, his black pupils suddenly turned blood-red, then gradually faded to greyish-white, and then he hung his head motionless.

Seeing this transformation, others were initially stunned and then scattered in panic. "Prince, he’s changed, he’s about to bite! What should we do?"

Yun Mi, having never seen anything like it, didn’t understand what they meant. However, the next second, the frozen eunuch suddenly opened his mouth and lunged at the nearest palace maid. The maid screamed in terror and tried to evade him. Although his speed wasn’t fast, he was incredibly sharp, able to discern direction by sound, and thus reached for those around him.

The roaring from inside drew out more of the walking dead wandering outside. Fortunately, the courtyard door was closed, preventing them from rushing in. Nevertheless, two palace maids were bitten, and in less than fifteen minutes, they began to exhibit the same terrifying transformation, creating a cycle that spread like a plague.

After witnessing this series of events, Yun Mi incredulously grabbed a nearby experienced eunuch and asked,

"Are you saying this was all spread by that dead guard?"

"Yes, yes, Prince! What exactly is the poison from that snake? If we don’t identify it soon, more people will suffer."

Yun Mi, with a grim expression, looked at the ghostly beings continuously banging on the door, momentarily unsure how to respond. The Imperial Physician had been hiding in the room and hadn’t come out since the incident. Upon entering the room, Yun Mi found them trembling in fear, watching the motionless figure on the bed.

"What does this mean?"

"Prince, I dare utter a most rebellious statement - the poison inside the Princess Consort is the same as that in the guard, and that guard has turned into an ogre. Could it be, could she also possibly transform?"

Yun Mi’s gaze hardened, and he kicked the Imperial Physician, "That man turned only after he was dead. Tell me, has my Princess Consort died from the beginning till now?"

The Imperial Physician, his voice trembling, "Well, that hasn’t happened, but still, it’s the same poison!"

Yun Mi suddenly turned around, "What about those Taoists? Hasn’t elder brother already ordered them to quickly research an antidote? Can they escape all responsibility just by mentioning a mutated snake? Where are they now?"

One guard, his face pale, said, "The Taoists at the Morgue met with disaster first. As for those in the Taoist Temple, it’s still unclear."

It’s so dark tonight, these cursed beings hiding in the dark corners, a moment of inattention and they could bite you. Those bitten swiftly become like them, such a fearsome epidemic - who would dare to go out? And who could?

In the courtyard, the eunuchs and palace maids who had already fallen ill, under the intervention of two guards, were stabbed, but even with pierced bellies, they could still move. In the end, having no choice, they chopped off their heads, and only then did they finally quiet down.

Once it quieted down on this side, the monsters pushing at the gate, wanting to enter, also suddenly fell silent. Yun Mi, seeing the situation, gestured for everyone to keep quiet and hold their breath. Indeed, not a quarter hour passed before all the monsters dispersed.

Yun Mi seemed to understand something. He immediately extinguished all the lights in Qin Garden, instructed everyone to enter the building, and shut several doors, quietly waiting for daybreak.

At this time, nobody noticed that the person who was lying motionless on the bed moved a finger.

Then, Xiyuan recovered her senses, but unfortunately, she still couldn’t come to her senses.

Because he didn’t know the situation outside, Prince Cheng was anxious. After all, Yuanming Garden is vast and housed royal relatives — any problem could have terrible consequences. He needed to go to Diligent Governance Hall to check on elder brother’s situation to truly be at ease. Thus, he began arranging to watch over Xiyuan in the courtyard.

Little Yuanzi, tears streaming down his face, said, "Prince, with the Imperial Army and Imperial Guard around, the Emperor is surely fine. It’s you I’m worried about - the journey is too perilous. Please stay and wait until daylight to go."

"Because it is perilous, I must go," he said, not to seek merits but to drag those Taoist priests back and interrogate them about what exactly this cursed poison is. Given Ms. Wuya’s current condition, he had no peace of mind, and rather than sitting and waiting to die, he would rather turn passivity into action.

Thus, Yun Mi, ignoring the endless persuasion, picked up a sword left by a guard on the ground, called four guards to follow him, and the party of five cautiously left Qin Garden, heading toward where Yong Zheng was located.

Xiyuan had no idea what had happened, nor did she know what dangers Yun Mi was facing, but her intuition told her it might be related to the poison in her body.