The news that Shen Qinghe brought filled Lang Jiuchuan with an overwhelming sense of crisis for the common people. This affliction of corpse poison that turned its victims into the living dead was far more severe than an ordinary plague. Most critically, the source had yet to be found, and how many people it had already bitten was entirely unknown. Now that it was spreading from person to person and progressing rapidly, was this not a catastrophe for all living souls?

This matter could not be concealed from the populace — precautions had to be taken. Otherwise, people would have no idea that such individuals might be lurking among them, and once someone was bitten and the infection spread further, it would become an enormous problem.

She instructed Shen Qinghe to enter the palace immediately and report to the new Emperor so that word could be sent throughout the realm. She also gave him several medicinal talismans and a formula for warding off the contagion — she was not certain whether they would be effective, but precautions had to come first.

Then she thought better of it. She feared that the new Emperor sitting on the imperial throne might be a fool — someone who, for the sake of his own reputation, would refuse to spread news of something so certain to damage public confidence and cause widespread panic. So she folded a paper crane and sent a message to the Imperial Princess Tantai, asking her to step forward and take charge of the situation.

After that, she took out her jade communication talisman and sent word to Gong Tinglan: the business with Tantai Wuji would have to wait. First, the source of the corpse wraiths had to be cut off, and then those who had been bitten had to be found. If it continued to spread, the situation would become utterly uncontainable.

“If this was a trap you set, then if Heaven does not strike you down, Heaven itself is already dead!” Lang Jiuchuan gritted her teeth and cursed bitterly into the empty air, then turned and went into her study. She prepared talismans and incense, then went to the storeroom and carefully selected a great many things, bundling them all into a large pack.

She handed a stack of medicinal talismans and a written formula to Madam Song, saying: “The medicinal herbs that the Wanshi Hall carries — brew this formula into a decoction, add the talismans into it, and have everyone drink it for protection. Don’t leave the Wanshi Hall unless absolutely necessary, and keep your protective jade talismans on you at all times without exception.”

Madam Song held the swaddled infant and asked: “What about the child — she’s still nursing?”

“Brew her some thin rice porridge to eat. She doesn’t need to drink the medicinal decoction.” Lang Jiuchuan instructed further: “Keep the Wanshi Hall’s doors closed. If anyone comes seeking a diagnosis or talismans, pass one medicinal talisman and a copy of the formula through the crack in the door. As for food, Fuqi will bring provisions back for you to stockpile — don’t worry.”

Madam Song nodded.

Lang Jiuchuan left the Wanshi Hall and went directly back to the Marquis Kaiping’s estate, seeking out Lang Zhengping first. She asked him whether anyone in the household had come down with something resembling a cold or similar ailment.

Lang Zhengping was not the one who managed the inner household and did not know. He hastily summoned Madam Fan to ask — the estate held upward of a hundred people in total, and the servants did not all reside within the compound itself but on the back street, so Madam Fan had to send people out to inquire as well.

“Have someone investigate immediately — especially anyone with wounds on their body, and particularly wounds that look like bite marks. A thorough investigation. Anyone who dares to conceal it will be beaten to death on the spot!”

Lang Zhengping and Madam Fan’s hearts lurched at these words.

Lang Jiuchuan was by nature cold and aloof, but she was not the sort of person who was tyrannical or vicious. Even toward servants, she would never adopt a lofty, condescending attitude, let alone do something as inauspicious as ordering someone beaten to death. The gravity with which she spoke now meant that something catastrophic had happened.

“Ninth daughter, what has occurred?” Lang Zhengping’s heart was in a panic. Every time this child wore such a grave expression, he would be struck with dread.

“To put it briefly…” Lang Jiuchuan gave a concise account of the living dead situation, then passed over the medicinal talismans and formula: “Drink this decoction first, and keep the estate’s doors closed. Shortly, I will set up a great formation within the compound — to keep these malevolent wraiths from daring to trespass and harm anyone. The matter of how to conduct patrols within the estate, I am certain you will arrange yourselves. Just endure through this period.”

Madam Fan’s vision darkened. Their family was not the only one to consider — there were all their relatives by marriage as well. This…

As though reading Madam Fan’s thoughts, Lang Jiuchuan said: “I can only ensure the Lang Family’s safety for now. Within Wu Jing, there are likely already people who have contracted the corpse poison — that Lu Ruiting from the Lu Family has almost certainly met with misfortune.”

“What? Then your Third Elder Sister…” Madam Fan’s complexion instantly drained of color.

The Lu Family was connected to them through the Wen Family’s marriage ties. And with the previous matter of the child, the two families had been in contact — could they possibly have been tainted by that ill fortune?

“Third Elder Sister is fine. She and her husband just left the Wanshi Hall a short while ago. They have their jade talismans on them, so evil influences dare not approach.” Lang Jiuchuan reassured her: “Once Wu Jing is stabilized, there will be nothing to fear. As for these talismans and the formula — I don’t know for certain whether they will work, but it’s better to take precautions. They certainly won’t kill anyone.”

Lang Zhengping looked at the thick stack of talismans before him and asked: “Then the extra ones here?”

“Do with them as you see fit. The matter is urgent — I won’t say more. See to the arrangements.” Lang Jiuchuan picked up her pack and rose to leave. The tip of her foot lightly touched the ground, and she leapt to the highest vantage point, standing atop the rooftiles and surveying the entire layout of the estate. Her spiritual sense spread outward, and she rapidly deduced and calculated within her mind, gradually mapping out a grand protective formation for the residence.

“Jiangche, go to the northwest qian position and plant your spiritual sense there, using the power of slaughter as your foundation.” Lang Jiuchuan instructed Jiangche, who followed closely at her heels. She herself drew jade stones from her pack and began marking the acupoint positions and burying talismans.

In truth, the matter of the living dead was not so grave as to warrant her personally setting up a protective formation for the estate. But she would be spending very little time within the compound going forward, and the National Preceptor was a person who acted without any restraint whatsoever. The Lang Family was her ancestral clan, and as such would, to some degree, be used as leverage against her. She could not guarantee that she would always be able to ensure the safety of everyone in the Lang Family. It was simpler to set up a formation now — one that could, in times of necessity, provide some measure of protection. As for the ultimate outcome, whether fortune or calamity, that was no longer something she could determine.

One does one’s best, and leaves the rest to Heaven.

Moreover, the effort she expended in setting up this protective formation could be considered repayment of the debt of life she owed to the Lang Family.

Once the final foundational talisman stone was buried, Lang Jiuchuan went to the formation’s eye — a position she had already identified — and drove in a vajra dharma hammer. She then summoned her talisman brush, forced a drop of essence blood from the point between her brows, rapidly recited incantation verses aloud, and guided the talisman brush with her mind. With blood as the medium, she inscribed the talisman — a flash of purple-gold light flickered for an instant and then vanished as she consecrated it into the heart of the formation.

This blood talisman contained her essence and spiritual power — primal and orthodox — and as the eye-talisman at the heart of the formation, supported by dharma artifacts, it was essentially her own spiritual sense standing guard over this place to protect and shelter the Lang Family.

Together with Jiangche’s power of slaughter, it was more than sufficient to deter those malevolent wraiths and even malicious cultivators of ordinary strength.

Once the blood talisman was sealed into its socket, she clasped her hands together to form a seal, driving in one hand sign after another, walking the Seven Stars astral-stepping pattern. When the final sign was driven in, she gave the ground a firm stamp.

A resonant hum rang out.

An invisible force radiated outward, and the entire estate seemed to tremble for a moment before returning to stillness.

Lang Jiuchuan felt the orthodox vital energy enveloping the compound, wiped the fine sweat from her brow, quietly steadied her breathing, and then said to Jiangche: “Let’s go. Let’s see what’s become of that Lu Ruiting.”

Jiangche said: “Since we’ve returned home, shall we not pay our respects to the Madam?”

“No need. This matter is urgent, and she will be safe within the estate.” Lang Jiuchuan glanced in the direction of Qixia Pavilion, then lightly touched down with her foot and leapt away in a series of bounds, leaving the compound. Jiangche immediately gave chase.

Cui Shi had received word that Lang Jiuchuan had returned to the estate, only to leave again shortly thereafter. Mother and daughter had not even managed to see one another. It was not until Madam Fan told her why Lang Jiuchuan had come and gone that she retreated once more into the Buddhist meditation hall.

By the time Lang Jiuchuan arrived at the Lu Family’s compound, the place was already in complete chaos. Fuqi was guarding Wen Yue and the others as they retreated, while at the front gate, soldiers were facing off against the Lu Family’s estate guards. As for Lu Ruiting himself — his hands and feet appeared to be bound by some invisible force, his expression grotesquely twisted.

That was Fuqi’s ghost-power at work.

However, Lu Ruiting suddenly let out a flash of crimson in both eyes, and all of that yin-shadowed ghost-power bored directly into his brow, at which point he instantly broke free of his bindings and lunged at the nearest person, his mouth flying open wide.

Lang Jiuchuan’s eyes sharpened. She flicked her fingertips toward him in a finger-dharma strike, and with a thunderous boom, he was blasted straight to the ground.