When Wang Yao brought Su Xiaoxue home, his parents were very happy, especially his mother. She held her future daughter-in-law’s hand as she asked questions about this and that, ignoring her son.
“Why didn’t you say that Xiaoxue was coming earlier?”
“I didn’t know she was coming today,” Wang Yao said.
“Don’t let her keep traveling back and forth like this,” Zhang Xiuying said. “She’s a girl. You should take the initiative to travel such a long distance. Pay more attention to this!”
“Well, I was preparing to go to Jing.”
After being lectured by his mother, Wang Yao went to accompany Su Xiaoxue.
In the evening, Zhang Xiuying had prepared a large table of dishes.
The whole family was gathered. They were happy. Wang Yao didn’t go to Nanshan Hill. He just stayed home.
A quiet, peaceful night passed.
The next morning, Wang Yao got up early. After breakfast, he asked Su Xiaoxue to go out. The two of them went up Dongshan Hill along the mountain road. Zhong Liuchuan and the others were already waiting for them.
“Sir.”
“This is Xiaoxue. You have met her. She will be my wife,” Wang Yao said.
“Yes, Hello, Master’s wife.” Jia Zizai was the first to greet her with a smile.
“Jia Zizai and Hu Mei are the couple I told you about.”
“Hello, Master’s wife.”
“Ah, hello,” Su Xiaoxue softly replied. Her face was blushing. She thought the way they addressed her was strange, but it was also sweet.
They began a day of practice. Su Xiaoxue watched quietly at the side.
“Hmm, it seems that they have the same Qi as her, but Zhong Liuchuan’s is better. The Qi of the couple is weak. It’s almost undetectable.”
Wang Yao gave them some advice.
After the practice ended, the three students went down the mountain. Wang Yao and Su Xiaoxue went up Nanshan Hill.
It was winter, so the land was colorless, bleak, and lonely. On Nanshan Hill, the vegetation was green, lush, and vibrant like in spring.
The air there made people feel comfortable and at ease. It was as if they were bathing in the spring breeze. When they breathed smoothly and relaxed their bodies, they could feel a kind of inexplicable pleasure.
“Have some tea.” Wang Yao brewed a cup of green tea for Su Xiaoxue, which was a product of Nanshan Hill.
“Thank you.”
“Here are some fruits as well.” Wang Yao brought out a bowl of fruit.
There were apples, dates, and grapes. There was a variety. The fruit was fresh and tender.
“Is there still fruit to pick in this season?”
“I always pick them, but not as much as in summer. It still tastes the same,” Wang Yao said with a smile.
Since this summer, the supply of fruit on Nanshan Hill had never stopped. He could not eat it all by himself. He would bring it down the mountain and send it to Su Xiaoxue, who was far away in Jing, or even to Zhong Liuchuan and the others. They were full of praise for the fruit after eating it.
“Delicious,” Su Xiaoxue said.
In a high-class restaurant in Jizhou, one of the four-tiered cities adjacent to Qi Province…
Two people were seated in a private booth. One was Xu Xinyuan, who had just arrived by plane from thousands of miles away. Opposite him was a man in his 30s. He had a square face and small eyes. His complexion was a little pale.
“How is it? Are you used to living here?”
“It’s the same everywhere. I feel like rootless duckweed.”
“Take a look at these pictures.” Xu Xinyuan handed the photos Guo Zhenghe had given him to the man.
The man’s expression changed as soon as he saw them. His face turned sour.
“This is the Burial of Gods Lake!” He instantly recognized the place in the picture.
“What are they doing?”
“It is a custom in the stockade, called Burial of God. Another layman’s term is to feed the fish.”
“Feed the fish? Using living people?”
“Ha-ha, using live people is rare. Only those who are disobedient or strange intruders are punished like that. Generally, we use cattle, sheep and other animals.”
“This man is most likely the lost friend you told me about yesterday who escaped from the Valley of Thousands of Medicine with you.”
“I already guessed that,” the man said with a gloomy look.
“Miao Xinhe, do you want to change your life, here or in another city, to forget the past and start again?” Xu Xinyuan asked.
“Yes, I want to. What do you want me to tell you?”
“What you didn’t tell me last time,” Xu Xinyuan said. “After you left, there was another homicide in He County. Three people died at the same time, and the symptoms were the same as the previous times. Then, your friend disappeared, and these photos appeared.”
“I want to know who did these things, who killed the people, and who took these pictures.”
The person who took those photos was probably in the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. After all, this had happened at night. There had to be a certain level of confidentiality while they were carrying out a sacrificial act like that. He had also heard from Miao Xinhe that although their stockade looked peaceful on the surface, and the people who lived in it were carefree, the chief’s control over the stockade was strong. Day and night, people patrolled in this stronghold. If an abnormal situation was discovered, it was immediately dealt with, especially when it involved outsiders. Once it was found they had bad intentions toward the stronghold, they would be dealt with and gotten rid of. There were also patrols and traps set up in the mountains and woods.
It could be said that the Valley of Thousands of Medicine was very strict in terms of prevention. In addition to its unusually remote location, few people normally went there. So, the happenings in the village had never been revealed, let alone big events like feeding a man to a fish.
“This was done by the people in the stockade,” Miao Xinhe said after thinking about it.
“What was their purpose?”
“To expose the evil deed in the village. Miao Xihe must have been quite dissatisfied with this man,” Miao Xinhe said.
“Who is it?”
“How would I know? Although I have lived in the stockade for a long time, I am not clear about some things. There are hundreds of people in the stockade. There are only a few that I am in contact with.”
“Tell me about the Miao Xihe.”
He was quite interested in the Valley of Thousands of Medicine’s chief.
“He is a strange and superior man,” Miao Xinhe said.
“Oh, he is also your enemy!”
“Yes, he is my enemy. Objectively speaking, he is indeed such a person. He has excellent medical skills, is proficient with insects and poisons, and knows martial arts. He is extremely advanced. He should be 78 years old now.”
“What? Are you sure?” Xu Xinyuan was stunned because the information he got from Guo Zhenghe was that Miao Xihe looked to be in his 40s, which was what Guo Zhenghe had heard from Yang Guanfeng. He did not think that Captain Yang would lie to them, and there was no need to lie in this matter.
“I am sure.”
“Hmm, does he have some special skills to keep his youth?”
“Ha-ha, it’s not just the ability to maintain his youth,” Miao Xinhe said. “In terms of his spirit, physical well-being, and other aspects, he doesn’t lose when compared to 20-year-old boys.”
“Continue,” Xu Xinyuan said.
Miao Xinhe was silent.
Xu Xinyuan took out a package and silently pushed it over to him.
Miao Xinhe laughed and shook his head. His laughter was bitter.
“I didn’t expect that I would fall to this state.”
“I’ve already arranged a job for you at a trading company. There isn’t a heavy workload, and it pays well. You won’t be able to enter institutions.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I want to know who caused the incidents in He County.”
“Well, I really don’t know about that,” Miao Xinhe said.
“In my opinion, no one would do this. Those of us who escaped were all, to put it plainly, incompetent. They would not have the courage or ability. Otherwise, they would not have to shrink in fear like quails, always being afraid of everything.”
“Who has the ability?”
“It is likely someone from the stockade. This person might know something.” He pointed to the picture on the table.
“The photographer?”
“Yes.”
Who was the person who took these pictures? That matter seemed to be at a dead end.
“Well, how does Miao Xihe look no more than 40 when he has reached the age of 80?”
“He has a unique way.”
