As time passed, the festivities gradually waned. Before long, the holidays were over. People began to return to work and life carried on as usual. Besides, gatherings and entertainment weren’t something that could happen all the time.

  At times, the start of the Lunar New Year was more symbolic than literal.

  Guo Sirou stayed in the village for two more days. By the time she left, the bug curse in her body was completely healed. Her body returned to how it was before after recuperating for two days. Her complexion looked a lot better.

  “Thank you, thank you very much,” Guo Sirou said.

  “Don’t mention it,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

  “I’ll be leaving now.”


  “Be careful out there, Sirou,” Xiaoxue said.

  “Will do.”


  Guo Sirou left. She came on her own and left on her own. It made her seem rather lonely.

  “Her family arranged a marriage for her, but she didn’t like it at all,” Su Xiaoxue quipped as she watched her leave.

  “Is that so?” Wang Yao asked. “Did she refuse?”


  “In a family like that, some matters are not up to her,” Su Xiaoxue replied. That was something that made her feel lucky. When it came to her marriage, the attitude her family had taken was different from those of other great clans she knew. It probably had to do with her having been through a lot. She was allowed to find someone she liked. She did not have to consider marriage alliances.

  “You win some, and you lose some,” Wang Yao said. “I suppose, enjoying privileges that few get to enjoy means shouldering unimaginable responsibilities few know.”


  “That is true.”


  “Alright, enough with stuff like that,” Wang Yao said. “Is there anywhere you want to go?”


  “The southern mountain,” Su Xiaoxue replied.

  “Well, to the southern mountain it is.”


  Su Xiaoxue had developed a liking to the southern mountain. She mostly liked the feeling of her and Wang Yao being there all alone. The entire mountain became a world that belonged to just the two of them.

  On the mountain, there were trees, fruits, birds, and bugs.

  The two of them spent their time on the mountain, chatting away as they admired the view. They did not feel bored or frustrated spending an entire day like that. Time seemed to fly by while they were on the mountain.

  In Tianjin, thousands of miles away……

  It feels great to be able to live!

  Miao Chengtang thought to himself.

  “Did you get rid of bug curse?” Miao Qingyuan was rather surprised when he saw Miao Chengtang again.

  Miao Qingyuan knew how potent a curse from the village was. According to what he knew, aside from the people in the village, Wu San from Miaojiang was the only one capable of understanding such curses and poisons. That was because he had studied in the village. To put it precisely, he was considered Miao Xihe’s younger brother in training. He had studied under the previous chief for quite a long time. Furthermore, Wu San had been an extremely talented student, earning the previous chief’s favor. However, that was all stuff he had heard. He never saw any of it himself.

  “It’s cured.”


  “Did you go see the King Pharmacist of Miaojiang?” Miao Qinguan asked.

  “It was not him. It was someone else,” Miao Chengtang replied with a smile.

  He was very close to Miao Qingyuan, especially after what happened. They were also from the same village. Miao Qingyuan risked being discovered by people from the village and shouldered the threat of revenge to visit Miao Chengtang. Miao Qingyuan was an easy man to make friends with.

  Being of the same birthplace did not mean sharing comradeship.

  “Is there really someone else other than that guy and those from the village capable of curing the curse from the village?”


  “There is,” Miao Chengtang said. “Truth to be told, I didn’t believe any of it in the beginning, but that guy was really capable of that. Furthermore, he was able to tell that I was being bugged just by taking a look at me. He didn’t bother with any other diagnosis. He got rid of the curse with just a bowl of something. It seemed easy for him. It was as if it was only part of an everyday job to him, and none of it was particularly difficult.”


  “Really? Where does he live?” Miao Qingyuan asked.

  “Some little village up north.”


  “North?” Miao Qingyuan was surprised when he heard that the man was from the north.

  “Yeah. Qi Province. He is a very young doctor in a tiny village.”


  “A very young doctor?”


  “Yeah, he seems like someone in his 20s.”


  “The more you tell me about him, the more unbelievable I find this all to be,” Miao Qingyuan said.

  “It isn’t just you,” Miao Chengtang said. “Even I found it unbelievable until I experienced it myself. It’s shocking for someone so young in someplace like that to actually be capable of doing that much.”


  When he recalled all of that, what happened that day did not even seem real to him.

  “One way or another, I’m really and still alive,” Miao Chengtang happily said.

  “So, what’s next? Are you going to leave this place?”


  “Leave? Why would I need to leave?” Miao Chengtang asked.

  “If they knew you were here and bugged you, I figure it’ll only be a matter of time before they come back to check and see if you’re dead,” Miao Qingyuan said. “If you’re still alive, they will continue to bug or poison you.”


  “So, do I just hide and let them do what they please?” Miao Chengtang asked.

  He had been thinking about the problem for days.

  “What do you think?”


  After staying silent for a moment, Miao Chengtang said, “I want to hit back.”


  “Hit back? How?” Miao Qingyuan was very surprised. He thought of revenge in the past, but it was the man right him who advised him to appreciate the life he had carved out for himself. Yet, things seemed to have taken a 180-degree turn. Now, that man before him was the one thinking about revenge.

  “I haven’t thought of any particular ways to do it, but I’m sure of one thing—I can’t do this alone. I need Xu Xinyuan and those behind him to pull this off. You might not know of this, but He County was hit again.”


  “Again?”


  “Yeah, Miao Xihe’s son almost got his claws on a girl, and that girl is no ordinary folk.”


  “Is she from the Guo family?”


  “Yes, she is the eldest daughter.”


  “Well, Miao Xihe is known for being extremely strict with his kids,” Miao Qingyuan said. “After what happened a long time ago, Miao Changsheng will likely be spending a long time shut away in training. Why would Miao Changsheng have been following his father and make such a dumb mistake? Was it because that girl from the Guo family was too pretty for him to not do something?”


  “I don’t know the specifics, but Secretary Guo is incredibly mad,” Miao Changsheng said. “That much I’m sure of. Xu Xinyuan looked for me immediately after that happened. He asked me everything I knew about Miao Changsheng.”


  “Is he about to do something?”


  “I thought about that a little. He won’t be doing anything for the time being because Miao Tianchuan is still around. Mass poisoning hit He County before the Lunar New Year’s Day. Secretary Guo was able to get through that crisis thanks to help from Miao Xihe. They won’t go for each other’s throats before Miao Tianchuan is taken care of.”


  Miao Chengtang’s analysis was very apt when it came to such matters.

  “They will maintain their relationship as such for quite a long time then. It’s not going to be easy catching or killing Miao Tianchuan.”


  “Yeah, before that, I just need to make sure that I stay alive,” Miao Chengtang said.

  “Then, I’ll need to think of ways to get Miao Xihe to make mistakes again.”


  “Like?”


  “Like all of that happening in Tianjin,” Miao Chengtang said.

  “What do you mean?” Miao Qingyuan’s expression changed when he heard that.

  Tianjin was different from He County in that the place was a first-tier city. Some people might have even considered it a cosmopolitan city. If what happened back in He County happened in Tianjin, the effects would be much more severe. Unlike how it was with He County, it would be more costly and difficult to take care of the problem there.

  “Won’t that hurt innocent people?” Miao Qingyuan asked.

  “I’d hold it off as best as I can. We’ll wait,” Miao Chengtang said.

  He was thinking of using himself as bait. He wanted to lure out those people from the village and have them make mistakes again, forcing them to take on great risks.

  “Don’t come looking for him,” Miao Chengtang said. “It’s bad for you and your family.”


  “I’ll keep that sentiment of yours in mind.” He was being truthful about his words.

  “We’re from the same place, aren’t we? Just look at you, you’re still a mess. You’ve taken all that effort to get here, yet you still have to live in fear.” Miao Qingyuan felt rather overwhelmed.

  He would have been lying if he said that he was not worried. He was very worried about getting his family involved in that mess. Punishments dealt by the village over something like that made one wish for a quick death.

  “Just bear with it for a bit.” Miao Chengtang’s tone sounded exasperated. There was nothing he was able to do about it. Unfortunately, that was how things were at the moment.

  The situation was not in his favor. If he insisted on getting revenge, it would be like digging his own grave.

  Just as Miao Chengtang and Miao Qingyuan analyzed, the news that Miao Chengtang survived being bugged was quickly relayed back to the Valley of Thousands of Medicine.

  “He’s still alive.”


  “Indeed.”


  “Did someone else get rid of the curse for him?”


  “Could it be Uncle?”


  “It seems like he is the only one capable of such a feat, but according to logic, that shouldn’t have happened,” Miao Xihe said.

  “Well, poison him again and keep a close eye on him. Let’s see who can cure him.”


  “Yes, Sir.”
……