He lied down for a while. His body felt like there was extreme pressure being exuded on him. It was as if something was stuck inside of him. Worse still, it felt a serious itch like something was scratching inside.

  Cough! Cough! He coughed again.

  Ptuu. He spat out phlegm.

  It was a blob that had blood in it.

  What the hell?

  He stared at that disgusting blob of bloody phlegm and looked dazed. He began to feel unease deep down. It spread like a weed growing out of control and made him feel increasingly restless.

  That feeling was there again.

  Cough! Cough! Cough! He coughed yet again.

  He spat blood this time, which had something sticky in it.

  There seemed to be something wiggling in there.

  He thought his eyes were fooling him.

  He slumped down while feeling shaky. He was squatting where he had been standing. He felt his entire body freeze. His face was frighteningly ashen.

  How could this be possible? How could this be possible?

  He started shaking.

  He saw bugs in the puddle of disgusting, sticky blood. The bugs were as thin as threads.

  The bugs were from the village in the valley. They’re here. They found me!

  Miao Chengtang sat on the ground with a thump. He cradled his head and wept.

  He was helpless and in a panic. He had no idea what to do.

  “Why? Why?”


  “I’ve gone this far to hide. Why won’t they just let me go? Why?” He had begun to scream.

  He was panicking. He was angry and frustrated.

  Why? Why?

  His expression grew increasingly sinister.

  You want me dead, then I’ll make you pay!”


  The sudden threat of death caused several types of reactions to those affected. One of those reactions involved becoming insane, throwing tantrums, and going out of control. It often ended with them harming themselves and those around them. The other reaction was turning dumb. They would become so frightened that their brain froze. Yet another reaction was that the threatened one calmed down. When a person became calm, they were capable of many things.

  After he was done weeping and screaming, Miao Chengtang grew calm. It was extremely rare for him to become that calm.

  I’ll have to save myself first!

  He got his phone and called Miao Qingyuan, who was also in Tianjin.

  “What? They’re here in Tianjin!?” Miao Qingyuan was instantly flabbergasted. He quickly grew ashen and afraid. He knew how extremely brutal those people from the village were.

  “Relax, they’re here for me,” Miao Chengtang said. “I’m not dragging you into this.”


  “Th-that’s not what I meant.”


  “I’ve been cursed,” Miao Chengtang calmly said. “I’ve sent you pictures. Have a look and see if you’ve seen something like that.” In detail, he told Miao Qingyuan how he felt. Although he was not hoping for much, he wanted to know if the other man knew any way to remedy that.

  Back when he was in the village, Miao Qingyuan worked more with herbs than anything else. It was not that they could learn what they wanted to back in the village. There was the question of talent, as well as if anyone was willing to teach them. Things like that were not something that could be picked up on one’s own. In a more mundane way of putting it, one needed connections. The term did not only apply to the outside world, but it also applied within the village. Although everyone shared the Miao surname, there were those some deemed closer and some deemed distant. A talent was of no use if there was no one to be a teacher. Miao Xihe was capable of getting to where he was because he was extremely talented and taught by the previous chief.

  “Well, I guess you already knew that I don’t know much about this.” Miao Qingyuan listened to his descriptions and took a good look at the picture.

  “Yeah, I know.”


  “But umm, you could try asking Xu Xinyuan. He has a lot of connections, so maybe he could do something to help.”


  “Would his connections be able to cure the curse?” Miao Chengtang asked.

  “There’s no harm in trying.”


  “Alright, I know what to do. Thanks.”


  Miao Qingyuan hung up the phone. He paced back and forth in his room.

  His wife looked at him and asked, “What happened?”


  Miao Qingyuan looked at his wife. She looked very average, but she had a mild temperament. He had nothing when she married him. He did not even have a place to call home. He had been like a rat running away from the village. Yet, that woman had been willing to marry him despite him being in such a downtrodden situation, and she never grumbled. She waded through the troubles with her husband, and the years had been more bitter than sweet. They had a cute daughter and a son. He felt as if he saw hope in his life. He wanted nothing more than to be happy with his family by his side. Their situation gradually turned for the better. They eventually went to Tianjin and settled down in the city. He still had all that enmity and resentment deep down, but he cherished the life he now had more than anything else.

  “Nothing, it’s just a friend who is sick,” Miao Qingyuan replied.

  “Here in Tianjin?” his wife asked.

  “Yeah.”


  “Go see that friend of yours then.”


  “Alright, I’ll go and have a look. Stay home with the kids and wait for me.” Miao Qingyuan made up his mind. It was a decision that could have come with extremely great risks.

  “Take care of yourself.”


  Miao Qingyuan took some medicine with him and went outside. He hailed a cab and headed to Miao Chengtang’s place.

  Cough! Cough! Miao Chengtang continued coughing. Blood was being spat out now and then.

  He looked terrible.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! There was loud knocking on the door.

  “Who is it?”


  “It’s me.”


  “Qingyuan? Why are you here?” He was rather surprised to see Miao Qingyuan.

  “I’ve brought some meds with me, though I have no idea if they will be of any use,” Miao Qingyuan said.

  “Hold on, don’t come in.” Miao Chengtang felt warm deep down.

  Relationships were tested at times of adversity. He never expected Miao Qingyuan would be willing to take the risk to see him. It was worth noting that the one who cursed him might not have left yet. They might have been still lurking around, spying on him. If Miao Qingyuan showed up just like that, it could make had a mark by that hidden spy. Furthermore, he was poisoned by the curse. It was possible that it could infect the other man. Yet, Miao Qingyuan still showed up at a time like that.

  “Just get out! Go away!” Miao Chengtang coughed.

  “Well, umm……”


  “I thank you for the sentiment, but I’m afraid of infecting you,” Miao Chengtang honestly said. “You have a wife and kids, and you know how far those from the village could go. Being able to know that you’re around is good enough for me. Honest.”


  “I’ll take your meds, but go home right now.”


  “Remember to call Xu Xinyuan,” Miao Qingyuan said. “He might be able to help. You know how capable the Guo family is.”


  “Yeah, sure, I’ll give it a try. Remember, don’t rush back home just yet. Loiter out there for a bit. I’m afraid people from the village are still spying on me here. If they find out who you’re, you’ll be in trouble.”


  After telling Miao Qingyuan to stay away, Miao Chengtang called Xu Xinyuan.

  “What? Poisoned?”


  “Not actually poison, but bugs from a curse. People from the village bugged me.”


  “How could they have found you all the way out there? Hold on for a bit.”


  Xu Xinyuan arrived at Miao Chengtang’s place in less than half an hour since he was currently in Tianjin.

  “Get to this place as quickly as you can.” He gave Miao Chengtang Wang Yao’s address.

  “He’ll be able to rid you of your bugs.”


  “What?” Miao Chengtang was dumbfounded. “Are you telling me that this guy has a way of curing me of this?”


  “Yeah, that’s what I mean. Trust me.”


  “Alright, I’ll get there right away.” It would have sufficed at the moment so long as there was still hope.

  “Hold on for a bit,” Xu Xinyuan said. “I’ll get someone to take you there.”


  He was very impressed with Wang Yao’s medical skills. He had been poisoned when he last visited the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. If it had not been for Wang Yao, he would have possibly ended up a dead man and be buried six feet under.

  A car left Tianjin and sped to Qi Province. They were more than 1,000 miles away from where Wang Yao was. Furthermore, with it being peak travel season, getting stuck in traffic on the highway was not something to be surprised about.

  Miao Chengtang kept coughing in the car. He used one bag after another. He was coughing blood. His condition was severe.

  “Hang in there, Mr. Miao.” The coughing and stressful atmosphere scared the driver. He was afraid of the other man dying in his car, which would have been really troublesome.

  “Well, there’s no need to rush. Safety comes first,” Miao Chengtang said as he stuffed something similar to a potato seedling into his mouth. He slowly chewed it. It was an herb given to Miao Chengtang back in Tianjin. He knew the herb since it was commonly seen back in the village. It was capable of stalling the effects of various poisonous bugs.

  They reached Lianshan County at midnight. They found a place to stay for the night and settled down.

  Miao Chengtang did not sleep throughout the night. He continued to cough blood and felt extreme pressure in his chest. His insides were in excruciating pain. It was as if something was constantly chewing and trying to get out. It caused him tremendous suffering.

  He twisted and turned around. He didn’t sleep at all that night.

  The next morning, his face looked pale. He felt lethargic.

  Seeing how bad he looked, the driver went up to help him up and asked, “Mr. Miao, are you alright?”


  “There’s no need to hold me up. I can walk,” Miao Chengtang said. It was laborious work just to get into the car. He gave the driver the address by Xu Xinyuan had given. The car sped off and arrived in the small village before too long.

  His eyes were sunken so badly that his vision was blurred. “How could someone here be able to treat me?” he muttered to himself as he looked at the barren-looking village. It was up north. It was different from his home, which felt like spring throughout the year. Several pine trees stayed alive on the mountain. Every other plant withered.

  “We’re at there.”


  The car stopped at the southernmost part of the village. He saw a building with white walls and a black roof.

  “This is the place. I hope he’s still around.”


  He knocked on the clinic’s door.

  He heard a voice say, “Please come in.”


  “Huh?” Miao Chengtang felt rather dumbfounded.

  He pushed the door open and entered the clinic.

  Wang Yao was cleaning up the place. The clinic was always clean. He was only tidying it up a bit.

  “Hi, Dr. Wang.”


  “Hello.” Wang Yao turned around to look at the man.

  “Hmm?” Wang Yao slightly frowned when he saw the other man.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?”


  “No, I’m not.” Miao Chengtang shook his head. “I came from Tianjin.”


  “Tianjin? Is there someone capable of such curses there?” Wang Yao asked.