Chapter 964: 964
Chapter 964 Disillusioned
“Fine . Regardless, it’s good that you’re all better now,” Xu Xinyuan said . “Have a good rest and enjoy the celebrations . ”
“Thank you . ” Miao Chengtang expressed sincere gratitude from the bottom of his heart .
Without Xu Xinyuan’s help, he had no idea what would have happened to him, or how tragic his end would have been . Not only did the older man point him to a doctor, but he had also given him some money before he left for treatment .
“Are you still in Tianjin?” Miao Chengtang asked .
“Yeah, I’m getting to ready to leave tomorrow,” Xu Xinyuan said . “I’m going to Jing . ”
“Could I meet up with you for a bit?” Miao Chengtang had finally made a decision . He was about to tell Xu Xinyuan some things of greater value regarding the Valley of Thousands of Medicine .
“Sure . ” Xu Xinyuan, who was on the other side of the phone, immediately agreed to it .
I think I am about to learn something quite valuable from him, Xu Xinyuan thought .
He currently had little matters of importance to attend to on his schedule . Things in He County had been quiet and calm for some time, and the experts within the county had all returned to their respective locations . He thought it was best to focus his attention on the connections he had recently made . Miao Chengtang was one of those connections .
According to conventional reasoning, he did not need to pay so much attention and spend so much money on someone that he had just “bought over . ” However, Xu Xinyuan felt the man definitely knew a lot of secrets, so that man was worth the price . That was why he did his best to help . He felt that he would once again tangle with those people from the valley .
Miao Chengtang slept well that night .
All the fear and pain from before had exhausted him . With the crisis over and his shackles broken, at least for the moment, he was able to let it all go . The pain and mental stress were gone . It was quite rare for him to sleep until dawn .
In the morning, he woke up and washed his face . He thought he looked rather pale .
“Miao Xihe!” A rare sinister look was seen on his face .
The two men met at a teahouse later that morning .
Miao Chengtang felt invigorated after a good night’s rest, and he had sorted out many things .
The first thing Miao Chengtang did when they met was to express his gratitude to Xu Xinyuan . “Thank you for all your help regarding the matter this time . ”
“Please, you’re being too kind,” Xu Xinyuan said with a smile .
“I’m here today to talk about our village, Brother Xu, regarding all the secrets that few know . ” Miao Chengtang did not bother beating around the bush . He wanted to be forthcoming .
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“Alright, sure,” Xu Xinyuan said . “Speak . I’m listening . ”
Miao Chengtang spoke about the sacred medicine of Miaojiang and the legend of immortality .
All of that was only legends and stories to most people, but Xu Xinyuan knew there were probably some truths hidden within .
“Is it really possible to become immortal and immune to all diseases in this world?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“It’s hard to say about immortality, but I know there are some in our village immune to all diseases,” Miao Chengtang said . “There has been more than one person who lived for decades and had a hard life, but they still remained healthy at more than 90 years old . There were no hints of sickness seen in them . ”
“Is it that real?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“Indeed,” Miao Chengtang replied .
“Are you talking about the Blood Orchid?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“It works on normal people,” Miao Chengtang said . “That is one of the sacred medicines of Miaojiang . Miao Tianchuan was someone whose days were numbered . It was a death wish that drove him to return to the village to see his hometown one last time before he bit the dust . Fate had it that he chanced upon the Blood Orchid . The flowers cured him of the poisons and saved his life . His body was even further enhanced after that . ”
Xu Xinyuan nodded .
Anything regarded immortality was of little interest to him . He did not need to do more than humor the ones talking about it . He deemed that there could have been any immortals in the world . The Blood Orchid, however, was a very enticing story .
“Do you know where the Blood Orchids grow?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“That place is very secluded,” Miao Chengtang replied . “Only a handful in the village know about it . I knew the rough location, but the area is probably guarded by Miao Xihe’s men now . Getting near that place will be tough . ”
“A rough location would be good enough,” Xu Xinyuan sais .
The men chatted in the teahouse for almost two hours . Miao Chengtang divulged most of the secrets he knew to Xu Xinyuan . Most of those secrets revolved around Miao Xihe .
“This Miao Xihe guy sure has his grip on a lot of things,” Xu Xinyuan said .
While he looked calm on the surface, he was quite shaken deep down . According to Miao Chengtang, Miao Xihe was at least 80 years old, yet he looked like a man in his 40s . Furthermore, his body was as fit as a leopard . Not only had he been able to dodge bullets, but the man had also been able to survive an explosion from a grenade .
Miao Xihe was immune from all manner of diseases . He was also nearly invincible and immune to all poisons . That was someone one only read about in novels or saw in movies .
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“Right, what I know is probably just things at the surface,” Miao Chengtang said . “I wasn’t able to learn many things back in the village . There are many key points and matters that I never got the chance to learn . ”
“Are the ones who know of such secrets all his trusted ones?”
“Miao Xihe…” Xu Xinyuan had developed a new perspective regarding the chief who lived in some remote corner .
“Thank you for telling me all of that,” he said .
“That’s the least I could do,” Miao Chengtang said . “I was holding some things back a while ago, hoping to be able to sell any pieces of information down the line . After what happened, well, forget it . ” He waved his hand .
“Now, I’m having some other thoughts . ”
He did not think Miao Xihe would be able to find him, at least not at a time when the festivities were so close . His men went to painstaking lengths to find him and pulled what they pulled . Worse still, they had almost succeeded . Anything regarding a stable life from then on out was little more than a pipe dream . He now realized that the relationship between him and Miao Xihe was one that needed one of them dead . He and Miao Tianchuan were similar in that regard .
“You’ll be in danger getting in touch with me,” Miao Chengtang said to Xu Xinyuan .
He had no idea if those people from the village were still in the city watching him and finding out who he was having contact with .
“If that’s what you’re worried about, I can tell you that no one is watching us now,” Xu Xinyuan said .
Be it medicines, poisons, or bug curses, he paled in comparison to the likes of Miao Chengtang . When it came to observing and tracking targets, scouting, and assassinations, he was the expert . While there were people able to spy on him, it definitely was not happening at the moment . He was confident of that much .
“Right . ” Miao Chengtang nodded . He was still rather worried . First, he was not all that familiar with Xu Xinyuan . He did not know what the other man had done in the past or what he was capable of . Second, he knew what people from the village were capable of . He knew how terrifying they were . He was worried about himself, and he was worried about Miao Qingyuan’s family .
“Do you have anything else to talk about?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“That is all,” Miao Chengtang said . “Thank you . ”
“Alright, it’s about time I leave as well . Happy Lunar New Year in advance . ”
“Thank you, Happy Lunar New Year to you and your family . ”
After he left the teahouse, Xu Xinyuan went to his place in Tianjin . He compiled everything he had gotten from Miao Chengtang before calling Guo Zhenghe in He County to brief the young man about things in Tianjin .
“Uncle Xu, do you think you can trust what he says?” Guo Zhenghe asked .
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“I had my doubts a while ago . Now, I’m 80 percent into believing him wholeheartedly,” Xu Xinyuan replied . It was obvious that he did not completely trust the other man .
“Right, acknowledged,” Guo Zhenghe said . “The festivities are around the corner . When will you be coming back to Jing?”
“I’m planning to head back there today,” Xu Xinyuan said . “What about you, Sir? Are you spending the Lunar New Year in He County?”
“I need to stick around these parts . With so much happening during the past year, it just feels wrong being elsewhere . ” Guo Zhenghe sighed . He felt exasperated . He wanted to return to Jing and spend time with his parents . However, it was impossible for him to do so at the moment . He was still the person-in-charge in He County . Furthermore, it was still his first year working there . Even if there were no more incidents, he needed to stay around regardless, especially given how so much had already happened in He County . If he returned at such a moment, one could easily imagine what his superiors would think of him . Besides, his father needed to remain back in Qi Province during the festivities all the same .
“How about I head over and keep you company?” Xu Xinyuan asked .
“There’s no need for that,” Guo Zhenghe quickly replied . “Just stay back in Jing and be around your family . ”
It was a holiday that needed to be celebrated with one’s family . Furthermore, it would have looked weird for a grown old man like Xu Xinyuan to keep him company .
“I’ll be fine on my own here,” Guo Zhenghe said .
“Good to hear . Happy Lunar New Year . ”
“I wish you a Happy Lunar New Year with your family,” Guo Zhenghe said with a smile .
Xu Xinyuan was a capable agent and a rare talent . Guo Zhenghe paid close attention to keeping such people close .
Guo Zhenghe looked outside and said, “It looks like I’ll be spending the new year alone . ”
“I guess there’s a first for everything . ”
He lit a cigarette and watched the small, quiet county town outside . He thought about the conversation he had with Xu Xinyuan moments ago .
That place sure is interesting .
He had quite a lasting impression about the Valley of Thousands of Medicine, and it was quite a bad one . One way or another, Miao Tianchuan emerged from the valley, and outsiders were brought into their infighting because they were unable to settle their internal disputes effectively . He County was immersed in due to the harrowing cases that were caused by the fighting . One way or another, it all came from the valley . The incidents soiled his political career . They made him look less than perfect, which was why he was rather pissed about it .
“I sure hope nothing happens during the Lunar New Year,” Guo Zhenghe said .
When there was a first, there was bound to be a second, a third, and more coming after that .
There were people who would not hesitate to cross any line .
Two men were at an abandoned house in the rural parts of He County .
“New year, eh . ” Miao Qingshan sighed .
“Yeah, new year . ”
It was the most important holiday in the country . After toiling for one whole year, that holiday marked the end of the past year and the beginning of the new year .
Families gathered . Joy and happiness were everywhere .
“Do you want to get something to eat?”
“Eat?” Miao Qingshan was dumbfounded .
“He-he, whatever . ” He chuckled .
At such moments, what he wanted to eat most was food from the village . Those had been the things he had grown up eating .
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