Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  “That’s right.”


  “He is still alive, so what about the last time he was in Dao?” The man in the back seat lit a cigarette. His mind drifted to a night not long ago and the calm feeling of seeing through life and death.

  “Damn, I didn’t expect that his acting level was that of a top movie star!”


  Now that he thought of it, it was the day he saw Wang Yao and knew he was not Wang Yao’s match. That was why they got the amazing and lifelike “performance” that successfully tricked a lot of people.

  “What is he doing here? Why is he finding the Poison Master?”


  “To get him out of the mountain.”


  “Out of the mountain to harm more people?”


  “Boss, what are you doing here? Why are you looking for the poison master?”


  “I have something to ask of him, but his ability is too weird,” Jia Zizai said. “I cannot contact him directly. Otherwise, I might now even know how I died.”


  “Alright, you stay here and keep a good eye on him for me. If you have any problems, tell me in time. You must be careful. The old man is cunning. If you see that things are not going well, you should immediately retreat.”


  “I got it.”


  “I’ll go now.”


  After getting out of the car, the man took a few turns before taking a taxi out of the county. He went to the nearest airport to fly to Dao. He went back to the village that night.

  “How was it?”


  Looking at Jia Zizai, who had come back from a long trip, Hu Mei was eager for information.

  “I found the person. He is in Singing Sand County. I found another one as well.”


  “Another discovery?” Hu Mei asked.

  “Zhang Wei has also gone there,” Jia Zizai said.

  “To find the Poison Master?” Hu Mei asked.

  “Yes.”


  “Didn’t Sir say that he would not be able to live another month?” Hu Mei asked. “What did he go there for?”


  “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to ask the Poison Master to find a way to prolong his life,” Jia Zizai replied.

  “Can the Poison Master prolong life?” Hu Mei asked. “Doesn’t he only want to take other people’s lives?”


  “I have come back to discuss with you how we can bring the Poison Master back and hand him over to Sir,” Jia Zizai said.

  “This is going to very difficult!” Hu Mei thought for a while before saying, “The Poison Master is very good at using poison. He can make people unconsciously follow his plan and enter his trap. To deal with him, you have to make a careful plan. Besides, there is another person, Zhang Wei. I don’t know when he will suddenly appear.”


  “It’s hard, but it has to be done!”


  “Oh right, I’ll ask Zhong Liuchuan tomorrow.”


  The next morning, Jia Zizai arrived at Zhong Liuchuan’s door. He was just in time to catch him before he headed out.

  “Antidotes?” Zhong Liuchuan was surprised. “Naturally, Sir has some. What do you guys want with it?”


  “We want to deal with the Poison Master,” Jia Zizai said.

  “The Poison Master? Haven’t you guys stopped caring about those matters?” Zhong Liuchuan asked.

  “Well, I can’t explain it clearly with just a few simple sentences,” Jia Zizai said. “No matter what, we must do this.”


  “Why don’t you guys go straight to Sir about this matter? He should be back today.”


  “Alright, that will do as well. Thank you.”


  At about 9 a.m., Jia Zizai arrived at the clinic. He lingered outside for a long time without going in. Since their last meeting, he had felt guilty and didn’t know how to face Wang Yao. Finally, he knocked on the door and went in.

  “Sir.”


  “Come in and have a sit,” Wang Yao said. “What’s up?”


  “Well, I want to ask you for some antidotes.”


  “Antidotes? Who has been poisoned?”


  “It’s not to treat poisoning,” Jia Zizai said. “It’s to prevent poisoning.”


  After some thought, Wang Yao had guessed the reason. “Have you guys found the Poison Master?”


  “Yes, he has been found,” Jia Zizai said.

  “Where is he?”


  “Northwest in Singing Sand County.”


  “Oh, he’s there,” Wang Yao said. “Just a moment.”


  He concocted a set of antidotes with some of the antidote grass. He put it into a bottle and gave it to Jia Zizai.

  “Here.”


  “How much is this, Sir?” Jia Zizai asked.

  “You don’t have to pay this time. Be careful,” Wang Yao said.

  “Alright, thank you, Sir.”


  Jia Zizai left the clinic with the antidote. He and Hu Mei quickly left to head northwest. On the way, they came up with a comprehensive action plan.

  In the Singing Sand County, the wind was very strong. The sand was swirling throughout the sky.

  “Hasn’t he come out?”


  “He came out before. According to my observations, he comes out once a day. He goes to the nearest vegetable market to buy some vegetables from 3 to 4 p.m. and goes home.”


  “He only buys vegetables?”


  “I was afraid that he would discover me, so I didn’t get too close.”


  “Should we wait until the afternoon?”


  They waited outside the building. To be exact, they were waiting to ambush the man.

  The sandstorm outside was still fierce. Before long, it was 3 p.m.

  A thin and slightly rickety man came out of the building with a bag in his hand.

  “He is out.”


  “I see him. Do as we have planned.”


  “Noted.”


  “Huh, why do I feel as if something is wrong?” The rickety man suddenly stopped.

  Puff! Puff! After a few muffled sounds, his body stumbled a few times as if he had been hit by something. Before falling to the ground with a thump, a passer-by looked at him. No one came forward to help him.

  “This can’t be. How was it that easy?”


  “Be careful.”


  The wind was still howling as the man laid on the ground for 30 minutes. Dozens of people had walked past him.

  Weee-oh! Wee-oh! Finally, an ambulance arrived.

  “What next?”


  “We wait.”


  The paramedics got out of the ambulance. They picked up the man who had fallen to the ground and took him away.

  In the People’s Hospital of Singing Sand County……

  “Is he still lying there?”


  “Yes, he is.”


  “Give him a shot.”


  “Just a moment. There’s a nurse next to him.”


  Poof! With a dull sound, a bullet broke through the glass. The person who was lying on the hospital bed fell to the ground and rolled under the bed.

  “He moved.”


  “That old fox! Keep an eye on him!”


  “Let’s go in,” Jia Zizai said.

  “Let’s go.”


  The two of them entered the hospital.

  “Is it this ward?”


  “Yes, we’ve already prepared it in advance. He’s the only one in there.”


  “Is he still in there?”


  “Yes, he’s hiding on the ground but be careful. I can’t see where he is.”


  “I got it. Keep a lookout for the police.”


  “Let’s go.”


  “Alright.”


  Creak! The door was pushed open a crack. Something was thrown into the room. Smoke quickly flowed out soon after.

  “This old man’s endurance is quite good!”


  One person went in alone.

  With a whoosh, sparks flew all over the place.

  Puff…… Puff…… Puff……

  There was a muffled hum and the sounds of things breaking.

  Cough! Cough! Cough! Someone was coughing, and there was blood on the ground.

  “Jia Zizai, is that you?”


  “Xiao Mei?”


  “Hey, don’t address me so intimately, old man,” Hu Mei said. “Ah, this is quite unexpected. You are still so insidious and cunning!”


  “Seeing as we used to know each other and that Xiao Mei is here as well, let me go,” the rickety old man said. “I will detoxify you guys.”


  “There is no need to detoxify us. We have antidotes with us!” Jia Zizai took out a small bottle of pre-packed medicine and drank it.

  “You are well prepared,” the old man said.

  “I have to be well prepared to deal with you,” Jia Zizai replied.

  “This is my latest development. The previous antidotes will not work.”


  “You don’t have to worry about us. Will you come with us?”


  Cough! Cough! Jia Zizai’s complexion was a little bad. He had just been hit with more than 10 poison pills, which were already in his muscles. It was extremely painful.

  “Who asked you to come?”


  “You will know when you see him.”


  An hour later, the car sped along the road. Yellow sand puffed up in its wake.

  Jia Zizai occasionally coughed a couple of times, but it was not a serious problem.

  His reaction surprised the Poison Master. He asked, “Who gave you the medicine?” In the hospital, the poison pills he had used were smeared with his newly developed poison, which was extremely powerful. Moreover, he was the only one who had the antidote. According to his knowledge, the poison should have taken action by now. Yet, he was like a normal, healthy person.

  “Did the chairman ask you to come?” the old man asked.

  “The chairman?” Jia Zizai lit a cigarette

  “No, I’m afraid he can’t even protect himself now. You don’t have to think about it. You’ll know when you meet him.”


  In Singing Sand County, the sandstorm was still roaring. A middle-aged bald man, who was holding a baseball cap in his hand, entered the Poison Master’s house.

  Looking at the empty room, he murmured to himself, “Gone?”


  “I have grown old indeed!”


  “Xiao Mei, why did you catch me?” the Poison Master asked.

  “You’ve done too many bad things. We’re exacting revenge for heaven,” Jia Zizai said with a cigarette in his mouth.

  “Exacting revenge for heaven? You guys, ha-ha!” The Poison Master laughed.

  “Jia Zizai, don’t point fingers at me when you’re not much better. I’ve done a lot of bad things, but you’ve done no less than me, correct?”


  “I’m not like you,” Jia Zizai said. “You do not have a bottom line. To test the poison, you’ve poisoned a village person and caused his death!”


  “Oh, you have put it so nicely, but you blew up a bus just to kill one person back then,” the old man said. “There were old and weak women and children on it as well I bet!”


  “Shut up!” As soon as that incident was mentioned, Jia Zizai looked grim. He turned around and stabbed a knife into the thigh of the poison master.

  “Tut, tut, have I gotten to your sore spot?” the old man asked.

  “That was the madman, not me!”


  “Tsk, you are also an accomplice. Don’t think so high and mighty about yourself.”


  The car sped along the road for a day and night.

  The next day, they arrived in the mountain village. Jia Zizai and Hu Mei were both dusty and tired.

  Once back in the village, Jia Zizai came to Wang Yao’s clinic. “Sir, I have brought you the person!”


  Wang Yao looked at him and asked, “Are you hurt?”


  “It is just a minor injury. I won’t die from it. It is all thanks to your medicine. Otherwise, we would not have been able to get him.”


  “Let’s go. Shall we go and meet the Poison Master?”


  “Zhong Liuchuan, you are here as well.” In an idle house in the mountain village, the Poison Master looked at Zhong Liuchuan in surprise.

  “Long time no see, Poison Master. How are you still alive?” Zhong Liuchuan’s face was full of blatant disgust.