Entering the forest outside the city, Yu Ziqing found the mysterious green fruit mentioned by the young man.
He didn't recognize what kind of fruit it was, but the Yin God could see a wisp of black qi swirling inside each fruit.
Every fruit in this forest had it, and of the hundred or so fruit trees in the area that had borne fruit, every single one contained it.
He picked one fruit, sniffed it, and found that it smelled like an apple with a hint of lychee fragrance. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a touch of green jujube scent as well.
Tossing the small fruit into his mouth, he found it tasted generally average with a sour note and a bit of sweetness.
The environment near this city was excellent, with ample rainfall and a mild climate. Anything could grow, which meant the locals likely never lacked fruits and vegetables, explaining why this fruit went unnoticed.
The wisp of black qi entered his stomach, heading straight for Yu Ziqing's intestines.
The Earth Toad, which had been silently breathing, lifted its eyelid slightly, opened its mouth, and swallowed the mass of black qi.
It was like a small insect flew by while it lay still, and the Earth Toad swallowed it without a second thought, showing no other reaction.
Seeing this, Yu Ziqing gave a sigh of relief.
Because after the Earth Toad swallowed that wisp of black qi, it didn't even generate any power, indicating that the wisp of black qi was insignificant.
The last time it swallowed toxic Spiritual Energy, the Earth Toad expelled it, going through a cycle of transformation by the Bodhi Tree before finally consuming it.
With a wave of his hand, Yu Ziqing collected all the fruits around him, exhaled, and spewed forth a mass of crimson flame, turning them all to ash.
Yet, the wisps of black qi within the fruit couldn't be destroyed by ordinary flames. Yu Ziqing inhaled, gathered them into a large mass of black qi, and swallowed it whole.
This time, the Earth Toad's abdomen swelled slightly after swallowing the black qi, before returning to normal moments later.
The creature hogged the spoils again, inciting the Red Ape into a furious jump, but to no avail. The Earth Toad didn't even lift an eyelid, completely ignoring the Red Ape.
Even after some time, Yu Ziqing noticed it too.
Even though the Earth Toad appeared later and grew alongside the Five Qi circulation among the Five Little Ones, it was still a bit stronger than the others.
Now, it was even stronger than the first Two-headed Snake that appeared.
Previously, he misunderstood it; it wasn't laid-back—its purpose was to outdo everyone else.
With the Earth Toad around, none of the other four could afford to slack off. They all had to strive hard.
The more Yu Ziqing observed, the more he liked it. Although it was a bit ugly, over time, with the added benefit of excellent qualities, it did have a sort of rustic charm.
After another sweep through the forest, finding nothing else, Yu Ziqing began to make his way back.
"Do you remember that young man's aura?"
"Keep an eye on him," Yu Ziqing continued to recall, "and watch that yellow dog as well."
"Understood, Big Brother. I won't let anything suspicious slip by."
Yu Ziqing returned to the city, with Lou Huai keeping watch on the young man, and even bringing the dog back, tying it in the backyard.
Yu Ziqing didn't know how to leave this place or how to resolve the disaster.
Even resolving the disaster and leaving was only his speculation.
For a day, everything remained calm. The person he watched showed no changes and seemed very healthy.
He stayed near the city gate, with the Yin God watching with open eyes the entire 24 hours, constantly observing everything around, sensing for anything that might appear.
All was quiet until three days later when the Yin God suddenly looked towards the eastern city. In an instant, Yu Ziqing vanished from his spot.
He raced to the rooftop of a household in the eastern city, looking down.
In the backyard of a wealthy family, a thin and weak young girl, dressed as a maid, lay on the ground.
A wooden basin had overturned in front of her, and she lay there, moaning softly in pain, as if trying to struggle to her feet.
At a glance, Yu Ziqing saw the girl's cracked lips, sunken eyes, and sagging skin. She looked as if she had aged twenty or thirty years; her vitality was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment.
She was severely dehydrated and on the brink of death.
It was unclear how she had held on until she collapsed.
Inside her, Yu Ziqing saw strands of black qi weaving, at least two orders of magnitude more than what he had seen in that young man days earlier.
This development hadn't happened overnight.
Yu Ziqing realized he was mistaken; the disaster hadn't occurred yet; it had already begun without his notice when everything seemed peaceful.
Perhaps it started half a month ago or shortly after he arrived.
Before Yu Ziqing could act, the girl's Life Fire suddenly extinguished, and the strands of black qi lingered inside her, waiting.
Yu Ziqing knew it was too late to do anything now.
Lou Huai was right; the disease Devil was indeed sinister, beginning its work while he remained unaware of the looming disaster.
Then, possibly attracted by the commotion when the girl fell, two other maids hurried over to check. Seeing the girl on the ground, they rushed over.