My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Ji Daoyun looked at Lu Xizhou: "Since Lu Erniang led people to discover the monster, has there been any trace of the monster since then?"

Lu Xizhou shook his head bitterly: "No, because the population is still decreasing. Our Lu family has sent people to patrol day and night, hoping to find the missing people and the reasons for their disappearance, but we have found nothing."

"This is a bit difficult to handle."

Du Sitong's expression was solemn. "If we can't find any trace of the monster, then any plan we have is just a pipe dream."

Shen Weixia muttered incantations to himself, then tossed out the divination blocks from his arms. In the blink of an eye, he completed a set of hand gestures, and the divination blocks flipped over and landed with their yin sides facing up, forming the laughing divination blocks.

Shen Weixia looked at the position of the divination blocks, bent down and picked them up. A handkerchief appeared in his hand, which he took out from his Qiankun bag. He wiped the divination blocks and said, "When it rains, it pours. When the boat is late, it encounters a headwind."

We fear our undertaking will be fraught with difficulties.

Shen Weixia's words added another layer of gloom to the already worried faces of the crowd.

Just then, Ji Daoyun's communication jade slip lit up twice: "Junior Uncle, we have investigated the matter in Youlin County."

Song Yingshi reported the situation: "Nearly a year ago, an epidemic broke out in Youlin County. Many people in the county and towns fell seriously ill, and even some low-level cultivators were listless. This shows that the epidemic was not simple."

The source of the epidemic has not yet been found, and the clues have run dry over the past year, so there's no way to find it now.

Many people have gone missing since the start of the epidemic; some say they went up the mountain to find medicinal herbs to treat themselves.

Some say they knew they were beyond saving and didn't want to be a burden on their families, so they found a secluded place to wait for death.

There were also rumors that the government was worried that the epidemic would spread and become a large-scale epidemic, so they secretly disposed of the seriously ill civilians and monks.

It's difficult to determine whether they are genuine or not.

The epidemic lasted for about four months. It was only when a high-level cultivator passed by that he realized the people of Youlin County should not suffer such a torment and discovered a miraculous cure that ended the epidemic.

Youlin County is close to the Central Plains of China and is under the jurisdiction of the Wen Kingdom. The Wen Kingdom has been at war with the Zhou and Lan Kingdoms for more than half a year, and almost all the men of the right age in Youlin County have joined the army.

After the epidemic ended, Yulin County had already lost a large number of people, and this only made things worse.

The mortals and monks who recovered from the plague were physically weak, so production and life in Youlin County were severely impacted.

Originally, after getting through this dark period, Yulin County would have gradually returned to normal, but some people witnessed monsters attacking people and poultry. Humans and livestock began to disappear indiscriminately, leaving only a pool of blood or cloth and dung on the ground.

Everyone was on edge, fearing they would be the next to disappear.

While we were speaking with the prefect, we encountered disciples of the Xiying Sect. The Xiying Sect had received a request for help from the prefect of Youlin County two months prior, but despite their round-the-clock investigations and constant vigil on the streets, the disappearances persisted.

Luo Hanying listened from the side, her expression switching back and forth between confusion, bewilderment, and blankness. She simply couldn't imagine the scenes that Song Yingshi had described.

After listening, Ji Daoyun asked, "Since there are eyewitnesses, is there a description of what the monster looked like?"

Song Ying sighed, utterly exhausted: "No."

The witness was an elderly man in his fifties who was somewhat confused before his death and could not give a clear account of what happened.

It is said that he also disappeared shortly after it was learned that he had seen the monster.

Since that eyewitness, no one has seen the monster again, so it's impossible to determine what kind of monster it was and what evil it committed.

Luo Hanying exclaimed "Ah!" and interjected, "If we follow what you say, then the old man's words may not be credible. It's very possible that he's confused and talking nonsense."

This kind of situation is all too common in the news. Those elderly people just don't know how to keep their mouths shut. They say whatever comes to mind, without caring whether it's true or not.

Ji Daoyun said helplessly, "Luo Hanying is right. This matter is not that simple."

You guys keep looking for clues over there. I'll have Mu Hua organize the information about the Lu family's situation and let you know in a bit.

Our Shiren Sect and Xiying Sect have a harmonious relationship. Please remember to help each other out if needed; more people means more strength.

Song Ying agreed, and then cut off the communication.

Ji Daoyun put away the communication jade slip and asked, "Has the plague that occurred in Youlin County ever occurred in Jinwu County?"

Lu Xizhou shook his head: "No, I think I heard there was an epidemic in Youlin County, but I didn't take it seriously—"

At that time, we were unaware that the epidemic in Yulin County was so severe, and the county governor didn't ask us for help, so we assumed it wasn't a big deal.

"Luo Hanying, contact Ruan Chayan in a bit and ask her to inquire whether there has been a similar epidemic in Luanyang County during the same period."

Ji Daoyun instructed, "Lu Xizhou, find a few people to go to Shanliang County and Shuainan County to inquire whether there was a similar epidemic to Youlin County at the same time, and whether the situation there was the same as Youlin County, with a large number of people disappearing during the epidemic."

Luanyang County, Shanliang County, Shuainan County, Youlin County, and Jinwu County are adjacent to each other. If an epidemic were to occur in Youlin County, the movement of people and trade would likely lead to transmission. It is unlikely that such a problem would only occur in one county.

"Let's leave first."

Ji Daoyun gestured for everyone to follow him out. "There are many suspicious points now. The Lu family has been patrolling day and night but they haven't found any trace of the monster or the criminal. With just a few of us who are unfamiliar with the area, we may not be able to make any progress in a short time."

Let's go check on the Golden Sycamore and see if there's any progress over there.

Led by Lu Xizhou, the group then headed to Nanshan Mountain. The mountain was covered with dead trees, and even the weeds underfoot were wilted.

Ji Daoyun ordered his men to scatter and search for clues on their own.

Luo Hanying curiously touched the withered tree, and after asking the workers nearby, she summoned her spirit sword and cleaved the golden-leafed parasol tree beside her.

The trunk of the golden sycamore is straight, and branches only begin to grow three to five meters above the ground. The tree originally has brown bark and golden leaves, and the cross-section flows with a golden luster. Now, it looks no different from an ordinary big tree.

Luo Hanying used her spirit sword to dig around at the tree roots, trying to see if they were still alive. The workers saw through her intention and explained that they had already checked and found that only a small portion of the golden-leafed parasol tree roots were still alive; most of them were completely beyond saving.

Luo Hanying gave up on the investigation. She had never studied landscape architecture, so how would she know how to check for problems with large trees? She decided to leave it to her fellow disciples to handle.