Chapter 111

"Okay, okay, it's not early. You still have to work tomorrow, so hurry back and rest."

"The school matter isn't urgent. How about I stay to look after them tonight? You go back, take a good bath, and get some sleep. Look, you've been worn out these past few days."

"That's not appropriate."

"Jia Yi, trust me, I can do it."

"What I mean is, my parents are already uncomfortable and have trouble sleeping at night. If you add your snoring, they'll be even more uncomfortable."

"Ah, that's why." Wu Fatty nodded a bit awkwardly. "That's true, no mistake."

"Okay, I'm used to your snoring. For a while, I felt unadapted without it, but my parents are patients now. You should hurry back. My parents understand your intentions."

"Alright, then I'll head back first. Oh, right, tomorrow I'll try to invite that old Taoist priest again. Colleagues say he's quite spiritual and can be invited to take a look. It's just that the old Taoist priest is quite busy and I have to check his availability."

"Didn't you also say you invited the old Chinese doctor?"

"We have to invite both. Since the hospital hasn't been able to cure them for so long, we'll just try several different methods."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Watching her boyfriend walk downstairs, Zheng Jia Yi silently turned around and first returned to the ward.

In the ward, her parents were still groaning. They had been hospitalized for several days, and the two elders' consciousness was still sometimes clear, sometimes fuzzy.

Picking up the thermos, she went to the easternmost side of the floor to get hot water. As she walked back, Zheng Jia Yi saw a young woman with a backpack standing by her parents' ward door, confirming the ward door number.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Yin Meng turned her head, looked at Zheng Jia Yi, and said, "I am the person Counselor Wu asked to come see the patients."

Zheng Jia Yi said disbelievingly, "You're so young?"

"My master has something else to do, so he sent me to take a look first."

"But, my boyfriend just left, shouldn't you all..."

"My master only gave me the ward address. If you don't believe me, then I can leave now."

She said she was going to leave, but her body had already turned sideways, her right leg slightly bent, preparing to force the other party into the ward to see the patients at the fastest speed.

"Please come in."

Zheng Jia Yi opened the door and invited Yin Meng into the ward.

Besides the smell of disinfectant, there was also a peculiar fishy and rotten smell in the ward.

Yin Meng walked directly to the bedside and observed the situation of the two elders.

She actually didn't know how to treat the sick.

She knew how to mix poison. This was her talent.

The short training stimulated her perception of poison, but hoping to turn a person into a "famous doctor" in such a short time was obviously unrealistic.

However, she smelled that the two elders were indeed poisoned. The hospital's diagnosis of food poisoning was also quite fitting.

However, she couldn't distinguish which kind of poison it was.

No big deal, just try them one by one.

Yin Meng's left hand flipped, and in the palm of her hand lay a toad.

She had just caught it in the hospital pond. Its belly was bulging, and it was very lively.

Just as Zheng Jia Yi was preparing to pour water for Yin Meng, she covered her mouth and let out a gasp.

Yin Meng chanted something to the toad, then reached out, flicked under the toad's belly skin, and then drew out an incense stick. She rubbed the tip of the incense stick with her fingertip, causing the outer layer of incense skin to fall off, and white smoke rose.

After inserting this incense stick into the toad's mouth, Yin Meng placed the toad with the incense stick on the bedside table.

Immediately after, Yin Meng took out a stack of paper pieces of different colors from her pocket. She first took out a black one, flicked her right hand, and a blade appeared. Without hesitation, she cut the arm of Zheng Jia Yi's father.

A wound appeared, and fresh blood flowed out.

Yin Meng used the black paper to dip the fresh blood, then placed the paper on the incense stick, letting the incense stick burn a hole in the place where the black paper was dipped in fresh blood.

The toad had no reaction.

Not Corpse Poison.

Yin Meng took out a purple paper again. To get fresh blood, she once again used the blade on Zheng Jia Yi's father's arm, cutting a new wound.

After taking the blood, she followed the same pattern, letting the incense stick burn a hole in the paper.

The toad was still calm.

Not Gu poison.

The next paper Yin Meng took out was blue. Before cutting a new wound, she glanced at Zheng Jia Yi who was standing beside her.

Zheng Jia Yi covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide open. She was very afraid, she felt incredible, but she didn't scream, nor did she stop. Even when she noticed Yin Meng's gaze, she still showed her encouragement and gratitude.

This was a woman who could see clearly. She didn't understand, but she knew this was treating the sick.

A new wound was cut, blood was taken, and the paper was placed on the tip of the incense stick again. When the hole was burned, the toad croaked loudly and frequently.

It was Demon Poison.

Once the poison was identified, there was a corresponding solution. Her method was very simple and singular, which was to attack poison with poison.

Yin Meng asked, "Can you catch a toad?"

"Huh? I... I've never caught one before, but I can go catch one," Zheng Jia Yi said firmly.

"Forget it, I'll go. If you catch this toad, it might lose control if I'm too far away."

"Oh, okay."

Zheng Jia Yi walked forward, trying her best to overcome her strong inner revulsion, and grabbed the toad with both hands.

Yin Meng walked to the ward window, opened the window, and jumped out.

Below was the pond. This was faster than walking down the stairs.

Watching the person disappear out the window, Zheng Jia Yi felt like she was dreaming tonight.

After a while, Yin Meng climbed out of the window and had another toad in her hand.

Next, she began to feed the toad poison. This was a poison with a paralyzing effect, similar to "Ma Fei San," but it had significant side effects and was prone to causing brain fog.

So she deliberately reduced the dosage.

After the two toads were fed poison respectively, Yin Meng used a blade to cut a fingernail-sized square on the upper arms of Zheng Jia Yi's father and mother. This was a piece of flesh directly cut out.

"This..." Zheng Jia Yi still endured and didn't say anything.

She didn't think a person who could jump from the fourth floor and climb back up was mentally ill.

"Come, give me a hand."

Yin Meng aimed a toad's mouth at the wound of Zheng Jia Yi's father.

Zheng Jia Yi stepped forward, held up the toad, and let it continue to suck on the wound.

Yin Meng then placed the other toad, aimed at the wound of Zheng Jia Yi's mother.

"Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle..."

At first, black spread from the wound in all directions, but soon, the black was quickly compressed back.

The bellies of the two toads also became higher and bigger, like two lively pufferfish.

When the toad reached its bearing capacity limit, Yin Meng threw away the toad in her hand. Around the original wound, a circle of fish scales appeared.

Yin Meng reached out and grabbed it, pulled it outwards, and at the same time pushed Zheng Jia Yi away, letting the toad in her hand also fall off. A circle of fish scales also appeared around her father's wound, and Yin Meng grabbed it with her other hand.

Then, Yin Meng stepped forward like an arrow, like a fitness enthusiast vigorously pulling a rowing machine.

"Swish... swish..."

From the wounds of Zheng Jia Yi's father and mother, Yin Meng pulled out two fish scale lines that were two meters long.

When she pulled to the end, Yin Meng exerted herself. Because the ward space was limited, she simply leaned forward and did a forward somersault on the spot with both arms tense.

"Snap! Snap!"

The two fish scale lines were pulled apart.

Zheng Jia Yi's father and mother sat up from the bed almost at the same time, their mouths open, and blue mist sprayed from their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Subsequently, the two fell back again and lay back on the bed.

Their breathing became smooth, and in their coma, their faces no longer showed pain, but a sense of relief from finally being relieved.

Yin Meng took out a snakeskin bag from her bag, rolled up the fish lines, and threw them in.

The two big-bellied toads had already deflated by this time. Not only were they not dead, but they seemed very excited.

Yin Meng placed them in front of her nose and smelled them, confirming that the toxin they had been fed earlier had already neutralized the demon poison and they were now harmless.

She walked to the window, threw them down, and with two "plop" sounds, they returned to the pond.

"Thank you, you've worked hard," Zheng Jia Yi bowed to Yin Meng.

Yin Meng waved her hand, picked up her water cup, twisted open the lid, and drank a mouthful of brown sugar water.

Zheng Jia Yi asked, "Does this mean my father and mother are cured?"

Yin Meng shook her head: "This treats the symptoms but not the root cause. They can be well for two months, but after two months the toxin will accumulate again, and it will be harder to remove."

If she hadn't come, then according to the current situation, the two elders would continue in this state for another half a month, after which their physical condition would rapidly deteriorate.

"Then what should we do?"

"I know they got sick after going back to their hometown for ancestor worship. How long were they gone?"

"They stayed in their hometown for two nights in total."

"Did you live in your own old house?"

"The old house hasn't been lived in for a long time. To live there, we'd have to clean it, which isn't convenient. My parents stayed at my uncle's house."

"Did they eat and live there too?"

"Yes."

"If you want to thoroughly cure your parents' illness, just take me back to your hometown and go take a look at your uncle's house, okay?"

"Okay, when is it convenient for you?"

After seeing such a magical treatment effect, Zheng Jia Yi trusted Yin Meng very much.

"The sooner the better. I have quite a lot of things to do."

"Then tomorrow morning, I'll call my boyfriend. He can take leave and come here to take care of my parents at the earliest in the morning, and then we'll go to the train station together at noon."

"Okay."

"Thank you." Zheng Jia Yi bowed to Yin Meng again.

Zheng Jia Yi began to quickly clean the ward.

Yin Meng stood by the side, as if she suddenly thought of something, and asked, "Do you like small animals?"

"Yes, I do. Sometimes when I encounter pitiful stray small animals on the road, I bring them home, wash them, apply medicine, and after tidying them up, I hand them over to neighbors or friends for adoption. Mainly because I already have three at home and can't raise any more."

"Then do you usually go to the orphanage?"

"I like doing volunteer work. How did you know?"

"Just casually asking."

"Oh, right, what should I call you?"

"My name is Yin Meng."

"Taoist Priest Yin Meng."

Yin Meng was a little stunned. Why Taoist priest? This didn't match the identity she was given when she set off.

"My master is an old Chinese doctor."

"Ah?" Zheng Jia Yi was very surprised. "You're not a Taoist priest's disciple?"

"No."

"I still thought those methods were... turns out Chinese doctors are also so powerful."

"What about the Taoist priest?"

"My boyfriend and I discussed inviting a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. I just mistakenly thought the master you mentioned was that very spiritual old Taoist priest. Sorry, I misunderstood you."

"It doesn't matter."

Yin Meng lowered her head and drank another mouthful of brown sugar water.

That is to say, if she hadn't come tonight, after a while, Wu Fatty would bring an old Taoist priest over. If that old Taoist priest was truly capable, he should also be able to discover clues of the demon poison and would naturally think of finding the root cause and thoroughly solving it.

Then he would go back to their hometown with Zheng Jia Yi.

After that, an accident would likely happen, involving Wu Fatty, and then Wu Fatty would involve her and others.

Before taking action, Xiao Yuan Ge specifically required all of them to use this kind of thinking to conduct their respective lines of reasoning. Yin Meng was doing just that now.

According to common sense, from inviting the old Taoist priest over, the old Taoist priest going to Min An Town, investigating, having an accident, and then involving Wu Fatty, each link in between would be quite time-consuming. It would take at least a month to go through all of it.

This barely matched the date of Xue Liang Liang's father's birthday. Yin Meng took out a notebook and pen from her bag and recorded her thoughts.

This was the homework left by Xiao Yuan Ge, and she had to turn it in.

...

"If fate has long decreed to break up, there's no need for me to pretend to hold on. If love is eternal and immortal, how could it break up~"

What was originally a sad gathering of three old classmates became a single's carnival for four people due to Tan Wen Bin's joining.

The gathering place, at Tan Wen Bin's request, also changed from a melancholic small pub to a lively karaoke room.

Fan Shu Lin sat dully on the sofa chair, watching his two old classmates and Tan Wen Bin indulge in singing. If he didn't know, he would have thought he was the one who got divorced today.

Just then, Hu Yi Wei's pager rang. He put down the microphone: "I'm going to the front desk to make a call."

Tan Wen Bin put his arm around his shoulder: "Together, I'll go get some more wine."

The two left the private room and came to the front desk. Hu Yi Wei made the phone call.

After ordering beer, in order to stay and listen, Tan Wen Bin ordered a pack of cigarettes.

Tearing open the package, he tapped out two, handed one to Hu Yi Wei, who nodded and smiled, took it, and waited for him to bite it in his mouth. Tan Wen Bin took out a lighter and lit it for him.

"Thank you, brother..."

At this moment, the call connected, and as soon as the woman's voice on the other end came through, Hu Yi Wei's face changed completely.

Tan Wen Bin silently lit one for himself.

After passing the rebellious and restless youth, he had long since stopped smoking, but now he had to create a plausible scene to listen to someone talking on the phone.

"You say."

"It doesn't matter, I'm listening."

"Heh, you can't bear to say it now? What were you doing before?"

"Don't worry, I won't be sad. I'm singing with friends now to celebrate returning to single. Let me tell you, Zeng Miao Miao, even without you, this old man can live very well!"

Tan Wen Bin exhaled a smoke ring. To be honest, he could quite empathize with Hu Yi Wei. The two went from university campus to wedding dress, only for his wife to inexplicably tell him she wanted a divorce and return to her hometown.

Suddenly, Hu Yi Wei was completely stunned.

Subsequently, tears flowed out, and he shouted excitedly into the microphone:

"Zeng Miao Miao, you have no heart, you have no heart..."

The other end of the phone hung up. Hu Yi Wei hung up the microphone, turned around, leaned his back against the front desk tiles, and slowly sat on the ground.

Tan Wen Bin asked, "Brother Hu, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Miao Miao said she has a blind date in her hometown and will get married next month.

You tell me, she, she, she, why does she want to do this to me? Why is she so cruel!"

Tan Wen Bin asked, "Did she know that person she's marrying before?"

"No, they just met on a blind date today."

"You believe her just because she said so?"

"Huh?"

"Brother Hu, think about it yourself, isn't this nonsense?"

"You mean, they were actually already together earlier?"

"Brother Hu, what I mean is, you have to go ask about this matter yourself. Go to her hometown and clarify the matter. Maybe she also has unspeakable difficulties, you think?"

"Go to her hometown and ask her?" Hu Yi Wei's eyes were full of confusion. "But, I already tried to keep her, but it was useless."

"Brother Hu, your marriage can end, but it can't be unclear. You have to get a clear understanding for yourself. Go ask her, and also ask the person she's remarrying.

At least, when you're in a bad mood and want to drink again later, you'll have a topic to talk about."

"Bin Bin... I don't dare to face her again. I'm very uncomfortable."

"It doesn't matter. If you don't dare to go alone, then I'll go with you!"

With the encouragement of a bystander, Hu Yi Wei's eyes gradually became firm: "Okay, next month, at her wedding, I want to go and clarify."

Next month?

If I accompany you and we only go next month, it's possible that Yuan Zi Ge and the others have already finished everything and returned.

"Brother Hu, you have to cheer up a bit. Listen to me, we'll go tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Think about it, there's still a month left. Every day that passes, you'll have to live how painful and depressed, and you'll still have the energy to work and live?

Might as well make a clean break, go early, ask early, say everything clearly, and life will turn a new page early."

Hu Yi Wei nodded forcefully:

"Right, you're right. I'll go to the office to ask for leave tomorrow morning and go find her in the afternoon. Brother, you..."

"I'll go to school to ask for leave tomorrow morning, meet you at noon, and we'll set off together in the afternoon!"

"Good brother!" Hu Yi Wei excitedly grabbed Tan Wen Bin's hand, and tears and snot flowed down again. "We haven't been together for so many years for nothing, really!"

"True brother, don't say these things."

Tan Wen Bin took a roll of paper from the front desk and handed it to this true brother, who he had only known for less than three hours:

"Come, Brother Hu, wipe."

"I'll go to the restroom and wash my face."

After Hu Yi Wei left, Tan Wen Bin looked at the front desk attendant: "Can you give me a piece of paper? And borrow a pen, thank you."

Tan Wen Bin wrote on the paper: One month?

It was very obvious that Hu Yi Wei had not completely let go of this relationship and marriage, so after learning that his ex-wife was getting remarried at lightning speed, he would eventually definitely go to the scene to clarify.

If he hadn't appeared, with Hu Yi Wei's character, he would probably really wait until the wedding day to go.

In other words, he had advanced this process by one month.

Then, would Hu Yi Wei have an accident?

And then, would Fan Shu Lin contact him and beg him for help?

It didn't necessarily have to be him. Run Sheng and Ah You, who went to the hospital for surgery every now and then, couldn't they also be contacted?

"Alas, my Xiao Yuan Ge is indeed Xiao Yuan Ge. Pushing with this kind of thinking gives you a feeling of already having a big advantage."

...

At noon, Yin Meng and Zheng Jia Yi sat on the train to Huang Shan, while Tan Wen Bin sat in the small car borrowed by Hu Yi Wei.

At the same time, Li Zhui Yuan and Run Sheng had already arrived under a gate arch with "Min An Town" written on it.

The town was full of Hui-style architecture, with stone bridges and lakes, pavilions and corridors, and surrounded by green hills and farmland. Every step was a scene, everywhere interesting.

This place was truly a good place for sketching.

Xue Liang Liang had said that his old home was very beautiful, and indeed it was.

Actually, when he learned the name "Huang Shan Min An Town" at Wu Fatty's office, Li Zhui Yuan just thought of Xue Liang Liang.

The last time he had a meeting with Luo Gong, he was busy and squeezed out half a day to go home and see, but he encountered the matter of Jing Jing being possessed. After solving the matter, the two of them rushed back to Huang Shan to attend the meeting.

He remembered Xue Liang Liang saying at the time that his home was nearby, and he could conveniently go back to his old home after the meeting.

After confirming through the phone that Xue Liang Liang's old home was indeed "Min An Town," Li Zhui Yuan didn't ask for more details. He also didn't send Xue Liang Liang a pager later to ask for his specific home address.

He knew that Liang Liang Ge was very smart and might have already suspected something at the time. If he asked again, he was afraid that he would immediately realize something was wrong with his old home.

Liang Liang Ge was a very sensible person. He wouldn't choose to force his way back at this time to cause trouble. So he also didn't need him to worry from so far away. He would handle things himself.

The town had only one main street, with some small shops on it. Other residences were in the alleys on both sides of the main street, living in separate households.

Li Zhui Yuan found a small store, bought two bottles of drinks there, and then asked the aunt at the small store where Xue Liang Liang's home was.

University students were still precious in this era. After reporting his university and his own name, the aunt enthusiastically led Li Zhui Yuan and Run Sheng into an alley and came to the front of a house.

The house door was wide open. The aunt shouted into the house in dialect, meaning that Liang Liang's friend had come home to visit.

Xue Liang Liang's parents walked out. The two of them showed the vicissitudes of years on their faces, but their bodies were still very strong. When Li Zhui Yuan introduced himself, the two elders simultaneously said:

"So you are Xiao Yuan."

Obviously, Xue Liang Liang had mentioned him to his family, and not just once.

Any initial gap and politeness disappeared at this moment. Li Zhui Yuan and Run Sheng were enthusiastically welcomed into the house, and the two elders started cooking.

The old house should have been renovated two years ago.

The furnishings inside the house were not special and were almost the same as an ordinary family, but in some details, it could be seen that although they lived simply, they were not at all embarrassed.

Xue Liang Liang was not very persistent about money, but that was also based on solving basic life needs. He would definitely send money to his parents every month, but his parents still lived the familiar way of life, which made them feel comfortable.

The food was very rich, especially the dish of stinky Mandarin fish, which had a very full flavor.

After the meal, the four of them sat in the courtyard and chatted happily.

Li Zhui Yuan was not in a hurry to go everywhere to search and find information. Everyone had their own line of responsibility. The most important thing was to dig their own line as well as possible first.

Next month was Xue Liang Liang's father's fiftieth birthday, and he planned to have a big celebration. When they talked about this matter, the two elders were very happy.

At dusk, Xue Liang Liang's father took Li Zhui Yuan to the pavilion in town. It was near the river, and every day at this time, people would gather here to play chess, drink tea, and occasionally tell stories.

Li Zhui Yuan felt like he was on a trip.

At dinner time, Li Zhui Yuan chatted about the birthday celebration again and at the same time asked about some local customs.

At night, Li Zhui Yuan and Run Sheng slept in Xue Liang Liang's room at home.

The old house was mainly made of wood structure, and the sound insulation was not very good. Li Zhui Yuan's hearing was especially sharp, and he could hear the conversation between the two elders in the next room on the bed "clearly."

They talked about him, mainly praising the child for being handsome and smart. This was considered a good start.

Then they focused on when Xue Liang Liang would get married and when they would be able to hold their grandson. This should be the focus of the old couple's daily night talk.

Just as this old topic gradually came to an end, Xue Liang Liang's mother suddenly said:

"I also don't know when that exploration team will come back. They're all young children, how dare they go to that village."

Xue Liang Liang's father seemed very averse to this topic and said:

"Don't talk about this. Go to sleep quickly."

Li Zhui Yuan opened his eyes: Exploration team?

"Brother Run Sheng, shall we go out for a walk?"

Li Zhui Yuan knew that Run Sheng wasn't asleep because he wasn't snoring.

"Okay."

The two deliberately left the house quietly, came to the alley, and then walked from the alley to the main street.

By this time, the shops on the street were all closed, and there were no pedestrians. The two of them walked and walked, and just came under the gate arch at the entrance of the town.

"Logically, if everything went smoothly for them, they should have arrived here by now. Brother Run Sheng, what time is it now?"

Run Sheng picked up his watch and glanced at it, saying: "11:48."

"Let's wait a little longer. We'll go back to sleep after midnight."

...

Tan Wen Bin sat in the car and asked, "We've arrived, Brother Hu. Look at the gate arch ahead, Min An Town."

Hu Yi Wei also breathed a sigh of relief: "We finally arrived. My waist..."

Tan Wen Bin looked at the time in the car: "We've been driving for so long. It's already 11:49 now."

"If the tire hadn't burst once midway, we could have arrived earlier."

"Then where are we staying tonight? Find a place to stay?"

"No, I want to go directly to her home."

Tan Wen Bin nodded and didn't say anything.

The car continued to drive forward, passing through the unmanned gate arch.

...

Yin Meng and Zheng Jia Yi sat on an ox cart. The driver was an old grandpa. The cart was pulling fertilizer and pesticide, and the two of them were sitting on top of these things.

The old grandpa said, "Next time, girls, don't rush on the road so late. It's not safe."

"Okay, Grandpa," Zheng Jia Yi smiled and replied.

"Okay, we're here. Your home is in the alley ahead. My home is at the end of the town, so I'll drop you off here."

Zheng Jia Yi took out her wallet, preparing to pay.

"What money are you giving? Although we don't have the same surname, if we really talk about it, I'm also your grandpa's generation. Giving money will be talked about," the old grandpa said, and then drove the ox cart forward.

Yin Meng raised her head and looked at the gate arch above: Min An Town.

Zheng Jia Yi said, "Let's go, I'll take you to my uncle's house."

"Your uncle and the others should be asleep, right?"

"Definitely. People in the countryside go to bed early. I think it's already... wow, it's already 11:50."

...

Li Zhui Yuan and Run Sheng waited under the gate arch until midnight, but no one arrived.

"Let's go, go back and sleep."

"Okay."

As they turned around to walk back, a wind blew, rustling the tops of the trees ahead, and three leaves fell.