âThis is indeed surreal.â
âItâs a surreal phenomenon brought about by the geological conditions,â Wang Yao said with a smile.
âSee, there are also some special herbs here,â he said as he pointed at some wilted plants growing out of the cracks between the rocks.
âWhat are those?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âThey are Meadowrue Corydalis Roots,â Wang Yao said. âWild ones arenât commonly found here.â
âDo you mean that bitter stuff mentioned in some saying?â she asked.
âYes, the plant has antibacterial, antiviral, and heat relief properties,â Wang Yao replied.
âArenât you going to pluck them?â
âThere is no need for that,â Wang Yao replied. âIâve got quite a lot of substitutes at my place. Furthermore, just look at how they are growing out in the cracks. It must have been hard for them.â
âYeah, theyâre tenacious.â
âAlright, Iâll take you to another place now.â
Wang Yao led the way. Su Xiaoxue followed closely behind. The two of them came to a rock at the eastern side of the mountain. It was a blocky rock that was very flat and congruent, which made it look like a huge table.
âHow do you feel here?â he asked.
âThe wind is strong here,â Su Xiaoxue said.
The wind seemed to be hitting them from all directions. It was howling as it blew. They struggled to even stand still. It made the place a complete opposite from the one before, which had no wind at all.
âItâs completely different from that area before,â Wang Yao said.
âHow did you manage to find such interesting places?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âDo you see that village over there?â Wang Yao pointed at a village south of the mountain.
âThatâs where my grandmotherâs place is. I grew up in that village, so I know this place like the back of my hand. I came here often to play when I was a kid.â
âItâs no surprise that you know the place, then,â Su Xiaoxue said.
It was a cold day. Other than the handful of pine trees growing out of the rocks here and there, there was hardly anything left to tinker with around. However, Su Xiaoxue remained excited. The two of them toured the mountain for a bit. While the mountain was not very tall, it was connected to the others. That made the place quite huge.
âThat mountain looks tall.â Su Xiaoxue pointed at a mountain far away in the north. It was so tall that clouds were swirling around the middle of it.
âThat mountain is called the Dog Ear Mountain, and, you guessed it, itâs because it kind of looks like a dogâs ear,â Wang Yao said. âJust look at the distance between where we are and that mountain. If common people were to walk all the way there, it would take them at least half a day to do so.â
âReally? It doesnât look all that far away to me.â
âDo you want to go there?â Wang Yao asked.
âSure.â Su Xiaoxue nodded.
âLetâs go!â
Wang Yao suddenly picked Su Xiaoxue up and leaped from where he was. It seemed like he was flying across the mountains. The valleys, cliffs, trees, and rivers were unable to stand in his way. Su Xiaoxue felt warm and solid in his arms. It seemed that they were getting increasingly closer to the mountain. Before long, they reached the foot of that mountain.
âWell, this place sure is tall.â She stood below the mountain and looked up.
âDo you want to go up?â
âSure.â
Su Xiaoxue opted to make the trip herself instead of letting Wang Yao carry her.
The peakâs height was more than twice that of the one where they had just been. The time of day meant that the northern winds were howling. It was making the place very windy.
Su Xiaoxueâs hair, however, was completely untouched. There was no wind hitting her. The wind circled around them and moved on when it hit them.
Huff. Su Xiaoxue spread her arms. She felt very comfortable and pleased as she looked out from where she was.
Before they knew it, the sun was setting. It was already getting dark by the time they were getting off of that mountain.
In Nanshan Pharmaceutical Company...
âYou sure are a hard man to meet, President Zheng,â a middle-aged man said.
âHell, brother, Iâve been running all over the place during the New Yearâs festivities,â Zheng Weijun said. âThe operations are just getting restarted again, and there are lots of things to take care of. I really didnât mean to do this.â
Zheng Weijun chuckled as he sat in his office.
âYour medicine is getting increasingly famous, and demand is getting increasingly high.â
âI know, I know,â Zheng Weijun said. âI cranked up production after the New Year was over.â
âHow much will you be cranking it up?â
âOh, 20 percent.â
âWill that even be enough?â the middle-aged man asked. âHell, even if you were to double the amount, it still wonât meet the demand out there.â
The man was a main distributor of the medicine. The deal had been lucrative for him. As such, he immediately showed up after the festivities were over. He intended to get more stock. More importantly, he wanted to maintain a good relationship with Zheng Weijun to facilitate a lifelong partnership.
âIâm thinking of doing that, but hell, the herbs needed just canât keep up,â Zheng Weijun replied.
âJust tell me what would you need. Iâll see to it for you!â That man beat his chest as he spoke.
âIâve made the calls, and the herbs are about to get here, but the amount wonât suddenly be enough to bump up production,â Zheng Weijun said. âFurthermore, weâre thinking of producing the second medicine.â
âA new med? What kind?â
âHeat Clearing Powder.â
âIs it a common-use med?â
âYep, it is,â Zheng Weijun replied.
âKeep some for me.â
âDonât rush into it,â Zheng Weijun said with a smile. âThe medicine hasnât even been produced or gone through all the procedures yet.â
âCome on, you talk as if that is going to get in your way,â the middle-aged man said.
The two men chatted for a bit before the middle-aged man took his leave.
Man, that was the third one! Zheng Weijun stretched for a bit after sending the client off.
All three distributors had visited him right after the New Yearâs festivities.
âIs the medicine really selling that well?â he thought.
In truth, the medicine had gained a very good reputation. Be it in the clinics or hospitals, it was selling like hotcakes.
In Lianshan Countyâs general hospital...
âCome on, Brother Pan, donât bluff.â
âOh hell, why would I do that?â Pan Jun asked. âDonât you know how sick you are? Furthermore, just find out for yourself if you donât believe me. That master is well-known for his healing skills. Many people from out of town come specifically to see him.â
âAlright, alright, just ask the questions and let me know when should I head there.â
âSure.â
Pan Jun immediately called Wang Yao.
âHow about tomorrow?â
âSure,â his colleague said.
Recently, he had been suffering from headaches. Even after getting a checkup in the hospital, he wasnât able to determine the problem. He also went to the hospital in the city, but they were unable to determine anything. As such, he simply ignored it. However, since it started to hurt day and night, so much so that it had been giving him strange nightmares, it thoroughly frightened him. He promptly sought out the likes of fortunetellers and divination practitioners, but the problem still was not solved. He discussed it with Pan Jun, who in turn recalled a master.
âThanks. Whether I get cured or not, Iâll be sure to buy you dinner.â
The next morning, Pan Jun went to the village clinic with his colleague.
They walked through the door.
Huh?
Wang Yao sighed.
He detected an eerie cold aura coming from the man.
âHmm?â Once he got close, Su Xiaoxue took a good look at him.
âWhatâs going on, Xiaoxue?â
âI just keep feeling that there is something wrong with that guy,â she replied.
She felt that there was something off with the man. She was unable to tell exactly what it was, so it made her very uncomfortable.
âSomething is off,â Wang Yao said with a grin.
âMaster.â
âDr. Wang.â
âCome, have a seat,â Wang Yao said. âTell me what is wrong.â
âRight.â
That man, who was in his 30s, began to tell the doctor all about the discomfort he had been experiencing the past few days.
âWhen did it all begin? Was it the second day of the New Year?â
The man, who was also a doctor, thought for a moment and said, âUmm, it wasnât quite that severe on the second day. I think it was more like the third.â
...