“Where do we find a pill-maker in this day and age?”
“Pill-makers in modern times are rarer than giant pandas. Where should we find them?”
The Taoist masters were worried.
Tang Hao’s proposed solution did not provide them with any relief at all.
Taoist Master Qian Ji’s brows were tightly locked. “Sigh! What shall we do?”
Tang Hao’s expression was rather awkward. He hesitated for a while and eventually said, “Actually… I know how to make pills.”
“Oh,” Taoist Master Qian Ji replied, “You know how to make pills? That’s not bad…”
Then, his body stiffened when his brain finally processed what he heard. His eyes were opened round and wide as they stared at Tang Hao. They were brimming with shock and incredulity.
The other Taoist masters also stared at him when they heard that.
Their expressions were as though they had seen a ghost.
They were already shocked enough that Fellow Cultivator Tang had a higher cultivation base than most of them. Now that they found that he also knew how to make pills, they felt that they had been wasting their lives.
“F*ck me…” Shabby Taoist Priest finally said after being stunned for a long time.
At that moment, he could think of nothing but curses.
‘Fellow Cultivator Tang knows how to craft talismans and make pills. Is there anything that he can’t do?’
He looked at Tang Hao, then at himself, and felt that his life was a joke.
A few other Taoist masters had the same thought.
Then, their eyes sparkled as they regarded Tang Hao as some rare treasure.
The eagerness in their eyes made Tang Hao cringe a little.
Trendy Taoist Master hopped out of line and in front of Tang Hao. He was almost kneeling down and hugging Tang Hao’s leg. Then, he cried out passionately, “Master!”
“What the hell? Does he have any shame?” The other Taoist masters all cursed at him.
However, they crowded around Tang Hao nonetheless and piled him with smiles and flowery language.
They were incredibly excited at that moment.
Pill-makers were incredibly rare. They would love to make friends with one.
“Pah! Go away! I’m the one who’s best friends with Fellow Cultivator Tang. Everyone else, stand aside!” Shabby Taoist Master leaned on Tang Hao and declared overbearingly.
“Hey, Junior Brother Xuan Ling, don’t keep him all to yourself!”
“Junior Brother Xuan Ling, you ought to show some respect to your senior brother!”
The Taoist masters were raising a fuss.
Tang Hao was confused when he saw that. ‘It’s just pill-making. What’s the big deal?’
“Stop!” Taoist Master Qian Ji roared.
All the Taoist masters shut their mouths.
Taoist Master Qian Ji was the most senior of the Mao Mountain disciples and the other Taoist masters had to respect him.
“Is that how you should behave as disciples of Mao Mountain? Can’t you act a little more dignified and have a little self-respect?”
Taoist Master Qian Ji looked at everyone sternly.
However, just as he finished speaking, he smiled fawningly and walked in front of Tang Hao. “Hey, Fellow Cultivator Tang, you’re a natural talent! Are you interested in joining the Agency?”
“Not interested!” Tang Hao declined immediately. “I say, Taoist Master, shouldn’t our priority be solving this case?”
The Taoist masters came to their senses.
“How should we cure this disease, Fellow Cultivator Tang?” Taoist Master Qian Ji asked seriously.
“Well… it’s a little troublesome. The pill-making process isn’t too difficult, but I need a lot of ingredients.”
“That’s easy. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll get someone to airlift them here. You can get all the ingredients you need in a few hours,” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
Tang Hao immediately gave him a list of ingredients.
“The final ingredient, and the most important one, is the blood of the serpent monster. We will not be able to make the antidote pill without its blood.”
Taoist Master Qian Ji thought for a while and said, “I should be able to get all the herbs you need. As for the serpent blood, that’s the easiest. We’ll just have to go and kill the monster.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao nodded.
Taoist Master Qian Ji made a phone call while the other Taoist masters checked their equipment in preparation for the raid.
According to Shabby Taoist Master, the serpent monster’s nest was in a cave next to the village.
Taoist Master Qian Ji returned soon from the call.
They carried their equipment and went toward the serpent cave.
The mist became thicker as they walked deeper into the mountain. They saw a crack in a cliff wall.
They walked into the crack in a single file.
The inside was pitch-black. Even though they were all cultivators with extraordinary senses of sight and hearing, they needed a high-powered searchlight to guide the way.
About three minutes later, the path opened up into a cavern. In the middle of the cavern was a deep, dark hole that led to a downward slope.
They went into the hole, each one of them carrying a searchlight.
The air was stale and the mist was cloyingly thick. The nauseating stench of the serpent monster filled the air.
The hole led very far down. They did not know how long they had been walking.
Suddenly, they heard noises coming from below. They could hear the hissing of the serpent monster and gunfire.
They stopped walking and furrowed their brows.
“Why are there people down there?” Taoist Master Qian Ji pondered grimly.
Shabby Taoist Master shook his head. “I don’t know! The incident started the day before yesterday. We arrived yesterday afternoon, and we haven’t got the chance to explore the cavern after locating it.”
“Something’s not right. Stay sharp, everyone!” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
The noise became louder as they went further down the slope.
It sounded like there was a group of people caught in an intense battle with the serpent monster.
They arrived at the end of the slope about four minutes later. They turned off their searchlights and sneaked in silently.
There was a large underground cavern with a river flowing through it.
Many searchlights were placed along the banks and they all pointed toward the river. There was a large white cobra there. Its scales shimmered as they reflected the searchlights.
The white cobra was ensnared in a giant web. It was struggling with all its might and hissing madly.
The serpent monster spewed black mist at its surroundings.
On both sides of the underground river stood men in black suits. They were holding either machine guns or weapons that looked like harpoons.
Tatatat!
Tongues of fire appeared from the muzzles of the guns. Volleys of bullets assaulted the white cobra.
Everyone was shocked when they saw that.
They carefully crept inward and hid behind a large rock.
“It’s the Wang family descendant branch!” Shabby Taoist Master whispered.
“So it’s all their fault!” Everyone understood immediately.
The Wang family descendant branch was trying to hunt the white cobra, and that must have caused the serpent plague in the village.
Tang Hao stuck his head out and looked around. He noticed a figure standing next to the river. That figure was dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, but Tang Hao could recognize that he was none other than Wang Changsheng.
“Let’s wait a while longer. We’ll swoop in when they’re exhausted from the fight,” Taoist Master Qian Ji whispered to the team of Taoist masters.
The Taoist masters agreed. They concealed their qi and waited patiently.
More than an hour later, the white cobra was beginning to tire.
Wang Changsheng finally made his move. With a fist, he punched the white cobra within an inch of its life.
“Haha! Once I swallow this white cobra, I’ll restore my cultivation base by half. Hmph! It’ll then be time to seek revenge with that bunch of good-for-nothing Taoist masters.
“Right, and that filthy kid too! Damn bastard!”
Suddenly, Taoist Master Qian Ji hopped out from behind the rock and roared, “You’re surrounded, villain! Surrender and we won’t kill you!”
The other Taoist masters also stood in formation.
Wang Changsheng was stunned. He looked at the people incredulously.
He swept his eyes across Taoist Master Qian Ji and the other Taoist masters and grunted condescendingly.
Then, he saw another figure appear from behind the rock.
His eyes immediately became wide and nearly popped out of their sockets. “F*ck, it’s you again!”
