FALLING FINGERS

The Lin Clan was located further east of DongFang. The family was the only cultivational sect in the area. Yi Chang had travelled there once and the streets that greeted him this time round were the exact opposite. Vendors stood gloomily on the sides of their carts and most of the businesses were not opened.

He walked further down and noticed that the houses were tightly shut and only a dog would pass outside occasionally, it was like people in the villages were afraid of something. He had to hurry and get to the Lin mansion in order to get the true picture of what was really happening.

Lin Chang Ge was very surprised when he saw the dusty rusty him walk up the steps towards the main hall. This last couple of days had been rough and seeing the black clothed figure walk up closer and closer, an indescribable warmth and happiness sprouted deep inside his heart.

"Hey, long time no see." Yi Chang stated as he sized the other up and down. Lin Chang Ge had lost quite a bit of weight and had dark circles under his eyes. He looked very overworked and tired.

"I only left last week." Lin Chang Ge retorted back.

The two wanted to catch up but two people walked to where they were, it was sect leader Lin and his oldest son Lin Mu Ran. The Lin sect wore golden robes but the ones on the sect leader were especially bright, combined with the shiny jewelry and head piece, he was a bit blinding to the eyes. Lin Mu Ran on the other hand only had a sword strapped at his back.

The four stood still for some time. A little look of contempt never left Lin Mu Ran's face whenever he stared at Lin Chang Ge. Old man Lin coughed lightly to ease the situation and Chang Ge introduced them although unwillingly.

When sect leader Lin learnt that this was the crown prince of DongFang, he almost knelt down in greeting. Yi Chang felt a little uncomfortable all over and stopped him just before he did. He did not waste any more time, asking directly and letting them know the real intention behind his sudden visit.

The sect leaders face turned grave at once, inviting them all inside to explain fully what was happening to the villagers. He explained for a long time and slowly Yi Chang started to formulate possible scenarios of what had really happened.

It turns out that it was actually a disease but what was bizarre about it was the fact that it only affected the fingers. Most of the villagers had already been infected. If the disease only manifested in the fingers, it would explain why most of the village vendors were closed.

Yi Chang pondered for a moment but words alone could not satisfy the burn inside his brain. He had to see what really happened with his own eyes in order to get a better grasp of the real situation. When he voiced his opinion, the old man refused to let him get to the villages and soon he found out why;

The disease was contagious!

Yi Chang wanted to tell him that they had spiritual powers and would not be affected but the old man could not hear any of it. After all he was the crown prince who would lead the cultivation world in the future, if anything happened to him, how would he explain it to Yi Ling in the future?

A luxurious room was given to Yi Chang but none of the extravagance inside could put out the burning fire inside his heart. Lin Chang Ge almost went dizzy from staring at him move to and fro inside the room. He could understand the type of frustration the other was feeling at the moment.

When he really could not hold it in anymore he shouted, "When I came back I begged him to go but he refused and only accepted after Mu Ran talked to him"

Hearing this Yi Chang stopped and stared at his face as if he was the most stupid person in the world. Lin Chang Ge probably did not know that the disease was contagious, Lin Mu Ran asking for him to go, that was like sending a deer to a lion's mouth. Lin Mu Ran probably wanted him to contract the disease.

Sect leader had probably not sent any help to the affected villages. This was very dangerous. If in any case the disease would end to death, someone had to look into a possible cure before it could get more serious.

He asked Lin Chang Ge to sneak him outside. The other gladly accepted. They used the route at the back of the mountain and walked towards the villages.

The moon illuminated the pathways towards the human villages. The streets were extremely quiet and only a couple of houses still had the lamps on. It was not very late into the night yet three quarter of the population had already retired to bed. This was strange, even the sect leader did not know the genesis of the disease and seeing the villagers inside their houses right now it seemed as if they were afraid of being outside rather than just retiring to sleep.

The two tried knocking on many doors but none were opened for them. They had to ask in order to know but because of the unknown fear, none of the doors were opened to them. Chang Ge almost gave up but one of the villagers opened the door and led them inside.

The house was small but was still partitioned thrice. A weak candle light lit the place up making it look bleak. On the side, a woman was laying limply on thin beddings on the ground. Her right hand was covered by a white cloth and her face had small dots of perspiration. Yi Chang almost flew to that side but was held back by the villager.

"Young master, please don't" The voice was solemn as if voicing out some frustration from deep inside.

"Sir Can you please let me look at her hand?" Yi Chang asked politely. The villager was very unwilling, almost throwing them outside. It took Yi Chang's begging and occasional I might help for the villager to agree.

Yi Chang moved the white cloth lightly as if removing it casually would break the others hand. A lacerated hand came into view but not quite, it looked as if it was rotten. Four fingers were dangling limply on the hand looking like they could fall at any time. The wound was festering and had already began spreading the top arm.

Yi Chang had thought of every possible disease that had infected the village but he did not expect it to be this. On the other side, Lin Chang Ge was holding his nose. The festering hand was smelly but this was not any proper etiquette. He could not help but ask loudly;

"What type of disease is this?"

Yi Chang was also wondering what disease it was. If the festering continued, the woman would not only her five fingers but the whole arm as well!

The disease was contagious, Yi Chang looked at the villager, keenly inspecting with his eyes the hands. He noticed a little rash on the middle finger and the man kept scratching the part with his other hand.

"How did you get that?" Yi Chang asked. The villager looked down to the rash which was being pointed at. He did not answer the question but rather tears started streaming down his face, the tears of a man on his last resort. He talked painfully;

"We have tried every medicine but it just keeps getting worse."