Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âHa-ha, you are all living well,â the Poison Master said. âNaturally, I have to live as well. What is this place, a villainâs valley?â
âWe are different from you,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âHow are we different?â the Poison Master asked. âNo matter what, killing one person and 100 people are all considered murder. Murderers deserve to die. I deserve to die, and so do you.â
âWhat kind of theory are you talking about?â Hu Mei asked from the side.
âXiao Mei, I didnât expect you to join hands with them to deal with me this time,â the Poison Master said. âIf it wasnât for me, you would have died.â
âHow could I have been ambushed that time, if not for you? Did you think I didnât know?â Hu Mei asked. âYou used me as bait and rescued me after the task had been completed. Do you want to pretend to be a lifesaver now?â
As they were talking, the door opened. Jia Zizai and Wang Yao came in from outside.
Wang Yao was looking at the Poison Master, who was also looking at him.
His body was suffering from a strange disease. The moisture in his body, which resulted in conditions such as eczema and more serious side effects, was heavy. He was also poisoned. There was less than half of his life left in him. He was a person who did not have long to live.
What a strange young man!
The Poison Master looked Wang Yao over. However, Wang Yao made him feel uncomfortable. They were not the same kind of people. They were the opposite kind of people like fire and water or light and darkness. This was the special feeling that Wang Yao gave him.
The young manâs gaze was so calm that it made him uncomfortable.
The Poison Master opened his mouth first. âWho is this person?â
âIt doesnât matter who I am. What matters is what you did,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat did I do?â the Poison Master asked.
âYou used to concoct a strange poison. After one was poisoned, their five internal organs would feel as if they were burning. Their bodies would fester. Death was better than living in agony, isnât that right?â
âAh, I remember, that was the Burning Hut!â At the mention of that poison, the Poison Masterâs eyes began to shine. âThat was the poison I made three years ago. I tested it several times. By the way, one of the times was with Xiao Mei, right? I remember killing 16 people at that time.â
âYes, with me, there were quite a few innocent people involved,â Hu Mei said.
âWhat is innocence?â the Poison Master asked. âThere is no innocence in this world! It is even possible to be killed by falling things when walking or choking when drinking water. They should be considered poison as well!â
âYour logic is very strange,â Wang Yao coldly said.
The Poison Master immediately guessed the reason for this situation. âAh, I see. It must be your family or friends who were poisoned and died. Did you pay them a lot of money to catch me?â
âThat is almost true,â Wang Yao said. âOne of my relatives was indeed hurt, but she didnât die. Instead, she suffered two years of agony. Death was a better option for her.â
âStill alive? That is impossible!â The Poison Master was surprised. âThat kind of poison is extremely fierce. Up until now, I havenât been able to formulate a proper antidote. How can the poisoned person still be alive?â
âWhy is it impossible? Iâve been poisoned by you. Arenât I still fine?â Jia Zizai retorted with a cigarette in his mouth.
âDid you find someone from the Valley of Thousands of Medicine or the King Pharmacist from Miaojiang?â
âWhat Valley of Thousands of Medicine? What King Pharmacist from Miaojiang?â
Wang Yao didnât speak. He had heard about both that place and person. He had not expected this Poison Master to have heard about them. He also seemed to be familiar with them.
âWho else then?â the Poison Master asked.
âWhat do you think?â Jia Zizai asked with a smile.
âAlright, since youâve already admitted that you did it, itâs natural to be punished,â Wang Yao coldly said.
âPunished? Fine, what punishment!â The Poison Master looked as if he had given up. Considering his condition, he no longer feared death. He did not feel that there would be any serious consequences if he were to fall into these peopleâs hands.
âBe careful, Sir. Heâs a madman. Heâs a real madman!â Jia Zizai warned from the side.
âSir? You would rarely address someone that way,â the Poison Master said. âIt seems that this young manâs ability is not so common, considering your respectful manner.â
âHow strong my abilities are none of your business. Think about your predicament.â When Wang Yao spoke, he thought about how to punish the man who did many wrong things but didnât know how to repent.
âHow many people did he kill?â
âIt canât be calculated. With just my knowledge alone, he has killed hundreds of people,â Jia Zizai said.
âSo many?â Wang Yao was surprised upon hearing the number.
âHe once destroyed a village to test a poison,â Jia Zizai said. âAll the men, women, children, and livestock in the village were poisoned and died. There were more than 100 people in that village alone.â
Wang Yao was stunned.
âHe should be cut into pieces!â
âHa-ha, only I am the villain, so I should be put to death by dismembering my body,â the Poison Master said with a laugh. âYou are all good, awesome people. Ask yourselves this and answer truthfully, whose hands are not covered with blood?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWe are not like you! You are a madman!â
âHa-ha-ha!â
Bleh! The Poison Master suddenly opened his mouth. Blood sprayed everywhere.
âBe careful!â
When Wang Yao moved his hands in the air, the sprayed blood was blocked by an invisible barrier. None of it fell on the people around.
âSir, you have to be careful. His blood is poisonous,â Jia Zizai said.
Tick. A drop of blood fell on the ground and immediately turned black. The drop exuded a unique fishy stench.
âHe is a poisonous man,â Jia Zizai said. âHis body is full of poison.â
âHow could this happen?â The Poison Master was stunned. He watched the blood that had sprayed from his mouth hang in mid-air and slowly fall to the ground. âWhat skill is that?â
After busying himself with that, Wang Yao said, âAlright, letâs all go and do our work.â
âIs that all?â Jia Zizai was confused.
âYes, in the next three days, he will wish that he was dead,â Wang Yao said.
âThen what?â
âNothing else,â Wang Yao coldly said.
He would naturally die in pain and despair.
Everyone left. There was only the Poison Master left in the room. There were no restraints or bindings.
âIs it over just like that?â The Poison Master was shocked. He wanted to move around a little, but he found that his body was soft. He had no strength. He could not stand up. It was as if all the bones in his body had been removed.
âWhat is happening?â
He soon felt the pain. It came from all parts of his body. It was like suffering a thousand cuts. The pain incessantly came from the inside to the outside, one after another, like the tide.
Ah!
He wanted to cry out in pain but realized that his throat seemed to be blocked by something. He could not make any sound.
What is happening to me? For the first time, there was panic on his face.
He was suffering, afraid, and struggling both mentally and physically. He could not even shout. Time passed excruciatingly slow.
âTell me about him.â
After he came out of the courtyard, Wang Yao called Zhong Liuchuan to his clinic and asked about the Poison Master. Zhong Liuchuan told him all he knew.
âSo, heâs a real villain,â Wang Yao said.
âHe is the most heinous kind, but he is right. Our hands are not clean either, they are also covered with blood,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âAt least youâve changed your ways and repented. He doesnât seem as if he was repenting at all,â Wang Yao said.
âAs for what he did, poison the old, weak, women and children, there was no bottom line,â he added.
âThereâs no bottom line in our industry,â Zhong Liuchuan replied.
âHave you killed children?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo. I have killed women, but they were also killers.â Zhong Liuchuan shook his head.
âLetâs leave this matter here,â Wang Yao said.
âAlright, I will go back now.â
âAlright.â
In Jia Zizai and Hu Meiâs new mountain village home...
âAh, Iâm so tired!â Jia Zizai stretched his body. His abdomen was covered with bandages.
âIt is a good thing that we prepared enough in advance and had Sirâs medicine,â he said. âOtherwise, things would have gotten complicated.â
Hu Mei didnât speak. She looked like she was daydreaming.
âWhat are you thinking about?â
âThe Poison Master.â
âThinking about him?â
âThinking about the people he harmed,â Hu Mei softly said. Her tone was filled with sadness and loss. âTo be honest, I did more than one task with him. I helped him commit those crimes more than once.â
âAlright, letâs not think about the past.â Jia Zizai patted her gently on the shoulder. âWhat would you like to eat this evening? Iâll cook so you can taste my skills.â
âCan we have some noodles?â
âOK, no problem. Shredded meat noodles or seafood noodles? Why donât I buy some seafood now?â
âNo need. Just ordinary shredded meat noodles will do,â Hu Mei said with a smile. She knew it was Jia Zizaiâs way of trying to amuse her.
âThatâs the way. I got you to smile a little, so this matter is considered over,â Jia Zizai said. âWe have also made things up to Sir.â
Thousands of miles away in Singing Sand County, a man with a baseball cap was sitting on the sofa at the home of the Poison Master. He had been there for a day.
âEscaped?â
He took out his phone and dialed a number. The call was connected, but the person who answered the phone was a police officer.
âWhat? He has been kidnapped?â
âHow are you related to the person?â the police officer asked.
âIâm his friend. Can I ask how he was kidnapped?â
The police officer told him the story and hung up.
âWho could it be?â The middle-aged man looked down, deep in thought.
If they were his enemy, they could have just killed him. Why kidnap him? He could not think who could have done it no matter how he wracked his brains. Unfortunately, the Poison Master had too many enemies.
The sky gradually grew dark.
Among the houses in the mountain village...
Mmm... Mmph... The Poison Master fell to the ground in agony. His clothes were soaked with sweat.