941 Things Going Swiftly

They met at a restaurant in a remote location. Miao Chengtang tried to look as average and unassuming as possible. He had also done some simple disguises along the way there.

“Do you really need to be cautious?”

Both Yang Guanfeng and Lu Xiufeng carefully eyed the person they were meeting for the first time. They committed all of his notable physical traits into memory. That was a professional habit they had developed over the years. It only took several seconds for them to scan someone and they would remember just about everything there was to remember about said person.

“When did you get out?”

“Just last night.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t I tell you guys already? My cover was blown.” Miao Chengtang did not eat while he was talking. He did not have much strength left.

“What happened? You look tired. Are you feeling unwell?”

“I was poisoned.”

“For real?”

“Of course, it’s real. Do I need to lie to you guys about that?” Miao Chengtang retorted.

He had been poisoned. Even after ingesting the Blood Orchids, there was still no telling if he would turn out fine. As such, he spent a long time talking with Miao Tianchuan the previous night. Eventually, he decided to get in touch with the two detectives. Not only would it give him more options in clearing out the toxins in his body, but he could also get their help in taking on Miao Xihe since there were officials. Regardless of how powerful Miao Xihe was, he was still just one person and not a god.

“Poisoned, huh? How about a trip to the hospital?”

“Miao Xihe has eyes and ears everywhere,” Miao Chengtang said. “Although he spends all of his time in the village, he has established a huge network of connections throughout the world through his people. I think he has begun to use the said network. If I were to show up in common hospitals, he will quickly be informed, and I would no longer be safe.”

“Are you very scared of him?”

“Of course, I’m scared,” Miao Chengtang said. “You guys aren’t because you don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“If you’re not going to the hospital, where will you go?” Yang Guanfeng lowered his head in thought. The other man was right to be worried about his safety.

“I know of one place.”

“Where?”

“The King Pharmacist Miaojiang,” Lu Xiufeng said. “It’s said that there is no disease he’s unable to cure.”

“I’ve heard of that guy before. But it’s said that he is very strict about picking his patients, and it’s all about his mood. I’d say he’s a very troublesome guy.”

“Well, not exactly. Truth to be told, I kind of have a connection with the guy,” Lu Xiufeng said with a smile.

“You and him?”

“Yeah. It’s a long story, but he’s definitely our guy in this case.”

“No, definitely not him,” Miao Chengtang matter-of-factly said.

“Not him? What is it this time?” Lu Xiufeng asked.

“The King Pharmacist of Miaojiang, Wu San, learned his art in the Valley of Thousands of Medicine,” Miao Chengtang said. “To put it precisely, he’s Miao Xihe’s younger brother in training. I’m not so sure how things have been between them throughout the years, but I can’t afford to take the risk.”

“What? They are brothers in training?” Lu Xiufeng was dumbfounded hearing the news. He knew that Miao Xihe was famous throughout the Miaojiang region and there had been many who traveled from faraway places to seek treatment, which included some high-ranking officials and rich people. However, they knew little of the King Pharmacist, whose proficiency at medicine was known to be second to none. There was a lot of talk about his origins. The two finally knew that he was from the Valley of Thousands of Medicine.

“That Valley of Thousands of Medicine is one hell of a place!” Lu Xiufeng was obviously impressed.

“Save it,” Yang Guanfeng said. “It’s not the time to be impressed. We need to think of something.”

“I think the chief’s network of connections is most powerful in the province,” Lu Xiufeng said. “If we were to venture outside, the variables would shift to our favor.”

“That sounds like a plan. We shall think of ways to contact hospitals that are not from this province and have him to get a full body check before we figure something else out.”

“Right, that settles it.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but this poison is anything but ordinary,” Miao Chengtang added. “I think it’d be best to leave ordinary hospitals out of the equation. It’d be a waste of time anyway.”

“Yeah, we know what to do. Where are you staying?”

“Nowhere special. It’s just some rundown shack out there,” Miao Chengtang replied.

“In that case, we’ll get you a place to stay,” Yang Guanfeng said.

“Yeah, thanks a lot.”

“You are being too polite here,” Yang Guanfeng said. “We need you to be a witness for us.”

Regardless of how things turned out, they needed to ensure Miao Chengtang stayed safe.

Neither of them told anyone anything after they were done with the arrangements. They kept the information contained to a select few.

“Where should we take him to next?”

“Do you think that he’s feigning being poisoned just to have us protect him?” Lu Xiufeng asked.

“I don’t think he’d need to do that,” Yang Guanfeng said as he lit a cigarette. “After one trip to any regular hospital, we’ll know the truth. Let’s think about where to take him for treatment instead.”

“How about going to Jing?” Lu Xiufeng suggested.

“Jing? That’s a very good choice,” Yang Guanfeng replied. “Do you have any connections there?”

Jing was the location of the best and most advanced medical and education systems.

“I don’t have any. Don’t you have someone there?”

“There’s one. Are you talking about Secretary Guo?”

“Yeah, him,” Lu Xiufeng said. “He’s a big shot in Jing. Didn’t he tell us when we drank the other night to look for him if we needed anything? Well, we need something now.”

“Right. So, are we telling him about this?”

“We don’t need to tell him everything,” Lu Xiufeng said. “We’ll just say that we have a friend or a relative who’s severely ill. Since they intend to go to Jing for medical treatment, we need his help with contacts.”

“Alright, I’ll look him up while you contact someone you can trust and get Miao Chengtang away from town.”

“Will do.”

Both men went to attend to their separate tasks. Yang Guanfeng quickly met with Guo Zhenghe and made his intentions clear.

“No problem. What’s the illness by the way?” Guo Zhenghe agreed to it without a second thought.

“I’m not so sure about that. The illness is a rather bad one, so it’s best to get to a better hospital.”

“No problem. Hold on for a bit.” Guo Zhenghe immediately called his contact in Jing while Yang Guanfeng was still there. He quickly got a reply.

“The contact is done.” Guo Zhenghe handed Yang Guanfeng a phone number and said, “Get in touch with this person once you arrive in Jing. Just drop my name when you get there.”

“Thank you very much, Secretary Guo.”

“Oh please, this is nothing,” Guo Zhenghe said with a smile.

Yang Guanfeng took his leave once he was done. He immediately called Lu Xiufeng, who then took Miao Chengtang to Jing.

Guo Zhenghe also contacted Xu Xinyuan and told him to keep a close eye on the situation. He felt that Yang Guanfeng suddenly coming to him about a sick relative was too much of a coincidence.

Does this have anything to do with those cases?

Miao Chengtang had kept in touch with Miao Tianchuan since he went out on his own.

“Chengtang is heading to Jing.”

“Jing? What’s he going there for?” Miao Qingshan asked.

“His poisoning, of course,” Miao Tianchuan said. “While Blood Orchids are miraculous, there is no telling if it actually managed to clear him of all the poisons in his body. He might be able to do something in Jing City with the help of those two. After all, formidable people are everywhere over there.”