Consort of a Thousand Faces

Visibly shocked, the suspicious figure wanted to escape, but was pressed to the ground with his key joints dislocated such that he wouldn’t have the strength to flee.

Once the soldier in black had made sure that the man couldn’t escape, he picked up a branch to sweep the ashes away. Seeing that nothing was left, he then hauled the other man up and brought him to the commander’s tent.

The commander’s eyes flickered coldly. “What is this about?”

“Ask him.” The soldier in black replied curtly.

The person on the ground was in a miserable state; tears spilled from his eyes and mucus leaked from his nose. “This lowly person is a refugee in the army barracks. I simply burned a piece of clothing before I was brought here.” He raised his voice as he cried miserably.

A profound look flashed in the commander’s eyes. “What clothes did you burn?”

He was certain that the man’s actions weren’t just because he was bored. There is definitely something wrong here.

A sly look twinkled in the refugee’s eyes. “It was just a tattered shirt. This lowly person saw that it could no longer be worn, so I decided to burn it.”

“If it was just a tattered shirt, why must you burn it? You could have just thrown it away.” The commander directly exposed his lies.

The refugee showed a sincere expression. “This lowly person’s hometown has a tradition where torn clothes can’t be thrown away, and can only be burnt. Otherwise, we’ll be poor for a lifetime.”

Hearing his shoddy excuse, the commander delivered a kick to him. “Spare me the nonsense. Quickly explain everything properly, otherwise you’ll be treated with the planks.”

Panic seized the refugee as soon as he heard that he would receive a beating from the planks. “This lowly person will confess. I had brought the shirt from Meng County, but after hearing that the soldiers were looking for the source of the infection, I grew scared and tried to burn it.”

Although his reasoning made sense to the commander, it was a fact that the refugee hadn’t reported the matter. If that shirt is really the source of the infection, wouldn’t we have no way of investigating?

The soldier in black stared at him frostily. “You’re not a refugee. Out with it, who sent you here?”

“Your Excellency, what are you talking about? This lowly person is really a refugee from Meng County.” The person said earnestly.

The soldier in black stripped off the man’s upper shirt. “You have snake skin on you, a disease that is easily treated by many plants in Meng County. If you were really a refugee, there is no way you would have this condition.”

Realising that there was no way to salvage his lie, the ‘refugee’ wanted to flee, but fell to the ground as soon as he attempted to stand up since his joints were still dislocated.

It was already as clear as day to the commander what had happened. “Someone, take this person away and interrogate him properly.”

The soldier in black’s expression relaxed. “Since the source of the plague has been discovered, I’ll return to Liujing.”

If the plague were to spread in Liujing, it would be a catastrophe. He had to quickly report to Hua Zirong so that early preparations could be made.

The situation in Xiliu is unstable and rife with internal conflict. Prince Qing is plotting something, while Nanzhao’s Prince Yun holds unknown intentions. Not only that, the two of them seem to be collaborating. Meanwhile, Prince Hao and the Western Region King are upright men, but they certainly won’t do charity work.