When I saw Jiang Yan again, I was shocked by him. In just a few months, Jiang Yan, who used to be quite charming, had become skinny and with sunken eyes. At first glance, he looked like a dying smoker. However, when he spoke, his voice was full of energy, not like he was terminally ill at all.
I let him into the house and asked, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Yan cried, "Brother Wu, you have to save me. If you don't save me, I'm really finished."
I said coldly, "Tell me slowly."
"Okay..." Jiang Yan managed to recover. "After we broke up last time, I heard that you and Qingyan got married. I felt so upset that I went to Fenghuang County with a few friends to travel and relax. This is what happened when I came back."
"Fenghuang County? The Fenghuang County in Hunan?" I saw Jiang Yan nod, and my head went numb. "Are you poisoned?"
The place where Jiang Yan travels belongs to the Miaojiang region. From a geographical point of view, Miaojiang occupies parts of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Chongqing, Guangxi and other provinces and cities. However, the Miaojiang in ancient times refers to the area around Fenghuang County in Xiangxi, Hunan today.
Jiang Yan said with a sad face, "How should I know! As soon as we came back, everyone was like this, and everyone became half-human. We went to every hospital and every doctor, but nothing worked. Later, my father found an old Chinese doctor, and the doctor said that I was either cursed or poisoned, and told me to find someone who knew how to help me. After thinking about it, I realized that only you can help me!"
My scalp couldn't help but feel tight.
Although the Wu Sect has always been regarded as a side sect by the Dao of Magic, the Dao of Magic is extremely wary of the Wu Sect. However, the Wu Sect has always had a fixed range of activities and rarely sets foot in the Central Plains, so the Dao of Magic and the Wu Sect have always been at peace.
When the Witch Sect came to the Central Plains, the Taoist sects would show courtesy to them. However, it would be easy for a sorcerer to be unable to move forward once he entered the Witch Sect's territory.
Miaojiang is one of the three major witchcraft holy places. Miaojiang's poisons are feared by the world, and its witchcraft is even more incredible. With my limited ability, I want to take on Miaojiang's business? I really don't have the confidence.
I coughed twice and said, "Jiang Yan, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I can't handle this business. You should find someone else!"
Jiang Yan knelt on the ground with a thump: "Brother Wu, I beg you, I can't find anyone else except you, if you don't care, I'm really dead! I know you are a capable person, just stretch out your hand, the price and everything else are negotiable!"
I shook my head and said, "This is not a question of price. I know my own strengths very well. Let's put it this way! During the Ming Dynasty, Taoism flourished, and Taoist masters once wanted to establish a sect in Hunan. They have sects in the martial arts world and the imperial court in the officialdom, but Taoism only occupies the surrounding areas. Have they penetrated deep into the heart of Miaojiang? Can I compare with those great masters?"
Jiang Yan's already bad face turned pale: "So, I'm dead?"
I comforted Jiang Yan and said, "Instead of coming to me for this matter, you might as well see if your Jiang family has any business partners in the Miao area, preferably Miao businessmen, and ask them to try to find a local witch to mediate for you. This would be more effective."
Seeing that I was determined to refuse, Jiang Yan finally sighed and left with a lonely look.
I didn't take Jiang Yan's business to heart, but Ye Jin brought it up again during dinner: "Jiang Yan is actually a decent person, but he's a bit jealous... What a pity."
Monk Shi took over the conversation: "If you ask me, it's better not to help him. With Jiang Yan's character, he might go out and flirt with other women, sleep with some Miao girl, and then cause her to put a Gu on him. It's not a big deal to poison him to death."
"How do you know..." I wanted to tease Monk Shi, but I saw a red line like a small snake appeared between Monk Shi's eyebrows.
I was immediately startled: "Monk, what's going on between your eyebrows?"
"Between my eyebrows?" Monk Shi touched it casually and was also stunned. "Why is there an extra ridge on my face?"
Ye Jin and I quickly put down our bowls and chopsticks, pressed Shi Heshang onto a chair, and looked carefully at his face under the light. The red lines hidden under Shi Heshang's skin became clearer under the light, and even had a hint of crystal-like luster.
"Ye Jin, get ready. If anything goes wrong later, you must seal the monk's acupoints!" After I said that, I secretly used my internal energy to force the blood to my fingertips, and carefully pressed it on Monk Shi's forehead. The red line immediately rose up from under Monk Shi's skin like a frightened little snake, and lifted the skin on his forehead more than half an inch high.
Monk Shi screamed in pain and almost jumped up from the chair. Ye Jin quickly held him down, and I also took a step back, never daring to touch that red line easily again.
The red line twisted a few times under Monk Shi's skin before slowly returning to its dormant state.
Dou Po said with a serious expression: "He has been poisoned."
I was shocked and asked, "What kind of poison is this?"
All magic has strengths and weaknesses, and the same is true for poison. If it is just some ordinary poison, perhaps we can still think of a way to save Shi Heshang; if it is a fierce poison, unless the Miaojiang witch takes action, otherwise, even if we are tied together, we can't save Shi Heshang.
Grandma Dou shook her head and said, "I can't tell. There are all kinds of strange poisons in Miaojiang. Some of the secret methods are unknown even to ordinary wizards. If you want to detoxify him, you have to go to Miaojiang."
"How could a monk be infected with a Gu poison?" I suddenly realized, "Monk, have you ever touched Jiang Yan?"
"Yes... yes!" said Monk Shi, "I helped him when he came in."
"Oh no! The poisonous insects in Jiang Yan's body can transmit poison! Who on earth did he offend?" I gritted my teeth and said, "Ye Jin, pack up and go find Jiang Yan."
Ye Jin packed up his things and drove directly to Jiang's house without saying anything. When we arrived, Jiang's family was in a state of gloom. Jiang's father sat on the sofa with a gloomy face and said nothing. Jiang's mother kept crying beside him. When Jiang Yan saw me coming, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Brother Wu, you are here!"
I said directly: "After you came, the monk was also poisoned. I will accompany you to Miaojiang to take a look..."
"Really?" Jiang Yan was overjoyed, "Wu Ge, I... I..."
"Don't say 'I'!" I said in a deep voice, "If Monk Shi hadn't been infected with the Gu by you, I really wouldn't want to provoke the Miaojiang master. Get ready, call all your friends who have been infected with the Gu, and we'll go together."
"Okay!" Jiang Yan was about to make a phone call, but his father raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute! Mr. Wu, I would like to ask, how confident are you that this trip to Miaojiang will be successful?"
"I'm not sure!" I shook my head. "The Miaojiang witch clan is too powerful. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. The only thing I can guarantee is that I will fight to the death to complete the business, because my friend has also been poisoned."
Father Jiang nodded with a heavy face and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Wu. Don't worry, Mr. Wu, as long as Xiaoyan can get through this, the Jiang family will reward him handsomely."
"No need to say thank you or not, I am doing this mission for myself." I rejected the other party's employment, "You can contact the person first, and we will come to pick him up tomorrow morning."
After Father Jiang said a few polite words to me, I hurried back home. When Grandma Dou saw us coming back, she pushed a bag to me and said, "There is some medicine powder in here. Don't ask what it is or where it comes from. The things in here can suppress all poisons, but it is just suppression. Don't use it unless it is necessary, because the suppressed poison will be more powerful when it attacks again. Be careful on your journey."
I put away the bag and asked tentatively, "Po Dou, you won't come with us this time?"
"No." Dou Po said, "I can't go to Miaojiang for special reasons. If I go, the situation may be worse."
Dou Po hesitated for a long time before taking out a notebook and said, "Here are some methods to treat poison, as well as information about several great witches in Miaojiang. They may be useful to you. However, I hope you don't run into those great witches."
"Thank you!" After a rough calculation, I decided to leave Guazi'er and the others at home and only take Lao Chang with me. Guazi'er might not be able to adapt to the climate and environment of Miaojiang, but Lao Chang, whose original body is a snake, can adapt to it like a fish in water. He is an immortal, so even if he hides in a suitcase, he will not be discovered.
Ye Jin, Lu Xiaoying and I studied the plan over and over again until late at night, and arrived at the Jiang family early the next morning.
But as soon as we arrived, we saw Father Jiang approaching the door with a wry smile on his face: "Mr. Wu, this... this..."
I had a bad feeling, so I just said, "Just tell me what's going on!"
Father Jiang said, "We won't bother Mr. Wu with our son's affairs."
My expression became even darker: "What do you mean?"
"The meaning is very simple, that is, he handed the business over to us!" Xie Jingwen walked out of the Jiang family's gate with a smug look on his face, "So, you can get out now."
Before I could speak, Xie Jingwen raised his head and said, "My master's wife said that she would make it difficult for you to make any progress in the art. This is just the beginning."
Ye Jin couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Jiang, how can you go back on your word?"
Xie Jingwen retorted before Jiang's father could, "As the saying goes, 'shop around'. Our strength is a thousand times stronger than yours, so why didn't he choose us? It's like a five-star hotel offering free food and accommodation. Which fool would go to a roadside stall? Am I right, Boss Jiang?"
Father Jiang obviously didn't dare to offend the other party, so he could only smile and say, "Yes, yes... You're right!"
Xie Jingwen said with a smile: "Did you hear that? Why don't you just go somewhere cool and stay put!"
I looked at him coldly and suppressed my anger: "Let's go!"
~~~~~~~~~
Thank you all for your support, and stay tuned for the next episode!
Thanks to Doudou and book friend R8H for the reward! (To be continued)