n

n

n“This is really interesting,” Wang Yao said. “I think we should check it out. What do you think, Zizai?”

n“Great idea,” Jia Zizai replied with a grin.

nWang Yao and Jia Zizai headed down south to check out the situation for themselves.

n

nMeanwhile, the 32-foot big fish in the Valley of Thousands of Medicines gulped down on a goat and then a pig.

n“What do you think?” Guo Zhenghe asked.

n“We have no records of such a fish in our database, which probably makes it some special breed,” Xu Xinyuan said. “From the looks of things, luring it out would be an easy feat, but capturing it would require massive doses of harmless anesthetics.”

n“Get to it, Uncle Xu,” Guo Zhenghe said. “And, be quick!”

n

n“No problem.” Xu Xinyuan nodded.

nTruthfully, this was the first time he had to take down such a huge aquatic animal. He had no idea of his chances of exceeding. The key problem was that there was no way of procuring bigger boats to be used on that lake, which would have made the job a lot easier.

nGuo Zhenghe started coughing again.

n“It seems like things are worsening for me.” He stuffed another Blood Orchid into his mouth, but the effects were limited.

n

n“The flower is getting worse at suppressing degradation.” His body was now much weaker. He was incredibly frail. He panted just from walking for a bit. He felt his entire body was lethargic and constantly felt sore all over. The constant grind wore down his body considerably.

nHe panted laboriously.

nThe professionals had been probing continuously for three days.

nOn a peak near the village’s lake…

n“Damn, that really is a big fish!” Wang Yao was shocked to see the big fish in the lake.

n“It is a big one alright,” Jia Zizai said. “Just look at the size of that head. I wonder if that’s a whale.”

n

n“Aren’t whales creatures that live in the sea?” Wang Yao asked. “Where we are now is at least 300 miles away from the sea.”

n“Hey, what’s that?” Jia Zizai asked.

n“Wait here,” Wang Yao said. “I’ll go check it out.”

n“Alright, you be careful, Master,” Jia Zizai replied.

nWang Yao leaped from the cliff, which was tens of feet high, in a flash.

n“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Master sure is something,” Jia Zizai admiringly said as he watched the impressive feat.

nAfter getting off the peak, Wang Yao quickly arrived at the side of the lake. He watched the other people’s efforts trying to capture the fish from afar.

nThe lake was huge, but there were few people around. Wang Yao was standing far enough to prevent anyone from seeing him.

n

nWhen he watched at a closer distance, he was only able to make out the overall appearance of the fish. The fish was almost pitch black and had tightly packed scales. It looked somewhat like a barracuda but had sharp teeth.

n“Ready?”

n“Locked and loaded. The amount here is more than enough to knock out 10 elephants.”

nAfter repeated tests, they finally nailed down the plan to catch that big fish. They resorted to using strong anesthetics to knock the fish out, but the anesthetics could not be too potent. Otherwise, they would have had no use of the fish’s innards.

n“Let’s begin. Mr. Guo is really running out of time,” Xu Xinyuan said. Anyone with eyes was able to see the physical changes Guo Zhenghe had been undergoing the past few days. His entire face looked eerily ashen, and there was no need to even comment on the other aspects.

n“Alright.”

nA pig and a goat were tied on bamboo and sent out into the lake.

nAs expected, the big fish showed up.

nAfter a loud crack, blood splattered on the lake.

nThe fish was able to gulp down a goat in a single bite.

nThe next bite it took chomped down the whole pig.

nThe surface of the water quickly turned blood red.

nThe fish circled for a bit before disappearing into the water. It was nowhere to be seen.

n

n“Is it gone?”

nAll of them anxiously looked at the surface of the lake.

n“I do hope the fish isn’t going too far away.”

n“The wait feels awful.”

nNothing had come from a whole morning of effort.

n“It looks like we aren’t using enough.”

nWhen they were about to leave, something suddenly happened to the water. A huge fish was floating up to the surface.

n“It’s coming up! It’s coming up!”

nThey cautiously closed in on the fish. They confirmed that it had been tranquilized before piercing its thick, hard scale and injected greater doses of anesthetics. They tied the fish up using steel ropes and pulled it to shore using diesel-powered equipment. It was the first time everyone was able to see what the fish looked like up close.

nIt was indeed a big fish. It was almost 50 feet long.

n“We finally caught the fish.” Xu Xinyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

nMany villagers had come to witness the scene. Most of them feared and revered the fish, but some resented and hated it since they had lost family members to that fish.

n

nMiao Zhaoxing went out to disperse the crowd. The spectators gradually returned to what they were doing.

nGuo Zhenghe dragged his extremely frail body to the side of the lake. He looked at that huge fish.

n“Hurry up,” he said.

nThe people around began to cut up the big fish. They cut and dissected the fish using chainsaws. While they were cutting it up, the fish suddenly awakened. It almost ended up breaking free from the steel ropes. One of the professionals died and another was injured in the accident.

nIt took an entire day for that big fish, which was said to have been around for hundreds of years, to be killed and completely dissected.

nWang Yao and Jia Zizai watched the entire process taking place from a mountain not far away.

n“What are they doing, Master?” Jia Zizai asked. “Don’t tell me that they intend to make fish soup out of this thing.”

n“They might be using the fish’s flesh to cure Guo Zhenghe’s body,” Wang Yao said.

n“Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s a bold thought,” Jia Zizai replied.

nThat was how it was. Miao Zhaoxing had learned from Miao Xihe’s notes that the big fish they offered sacrifices to every year might have had something called “internal alchemy” inside it. The legends said that it yielded mystical effects when ingested. Miao Xihe had attempted to catch that godly fish solely because of that. He had made more than one attempt, but he apparently never succeeded. That was because he had yet to be cornered and the fish was one of his methods of punishing villages at times. That was unlike Guo Zhenghe’s situation, who had to succeed or die.

n

nThe heart of the big fish was as large as a goat.

nIt was worth noting that the hearts of blue whales were said to weigh over 110 pounds and were the size of a small car. When compared to blue whales pound for pound, that was the ratio of this big fish’s heart.

n“So, should we cut it open?” Xu Xinyuan asked.

n“Collect the blood in the heart,” Miao Zhaoxing said.

nThe people Xu Xinyuan had brought knew little of such matters despite being professionals, which meant that they needed to be guided by people who were actually into such matters.

n“Do it slowly.”

nWhen the heart was cut open, a huge amount of blood sprayed. It emitted a unique fishy smell.

n“Gosh, this is disgusting.” Several of them were drenched in blood.

nThey took the heart apart carefully after cutting it open. Miao Zhaoxing kept a close eye on the entire operation.

n“Hang on, what is that?”

n

nThey found a ball-shaped collection of flesh in the fish’s heart, which was about the size of a fist.

n“Cut it open.”

nThey cut the meaty flesh on the outside open and found an oval ball of bone in it, which was smooth and felt like jade.

n“This is it!” Miao Zhaoxing excitedly exclaimed.

nThis was the thing Miao Zhaoxing speculated to be the treasure in the fish, which had been mentioned in Miao Xihe’s notes.

n“Did you find it?”

n“Found it.”

nGuo Zhenghe placed the ball of flesh, was about the size of an egg, in his hand.

n“What should I do with this?” he asked.

n“According to what Miao Xihe said, just gulp it down as it is,” Miao Zhaoxing said.

n“Just gulp it down? Are you sure that I won’t choke to death?”

n“You won’t,” Miao Zhaoxing said. “I have some special medicine that can stimulate your esophagus, allowing it to become wider than it usually would be.”

n“Well, let’s get to it.”

nGuo Zhenghe took the special medicine before ingesting the culmination of internal alchemy in one go.

n“How do you feel?”

n“Ugghh!?” Guo Zhenghe instantly began shuddering all over.

nHe felt as if his stomach had been ignited. The flames started to burn throughout his entire body.

nHe shrieked in pain as he slumped to the ground.

n“What is happening?” Xu Xinyuan, who was by his side, immediately asked in fright.

n“This is probably a normal reaction,” Miao Zhaoxing said. “That thing was where the essence of the fish, which had been living for centuries, was collected. Taking it all in at once means having to withstand a certain measure of pain.”

n“Will he be fine?”

n“Everything comes with its own risks,” Miao Zhaoxing replied.

nIngesting something like that had considerable risks like how one blew a balloon and had no idea when the balloon might actually burst.

nGuo Zhenghe suddenly shouted before passing out. His body was frighteningly hot. The veins in his face expanded. His clothes looked bloated from the expansion. Almost every part of his body had bulging veins popping out.

n“Do something about it, now!” Xu Xinyuan immediately ordered.

n“Submerge him in cold water and keep him monitored at all times,” Miao Zhaoxing hurriedly said. “Keep his head above the water to prevent him from suffocating.”

nA few of the people around got cold water prepared and lowered Guo Zhenghe into it carefully. The water quickly turned hot. It looked reddish as the water began to steam.

n“Change the water,” Miao Zhaoxing immediately said.

nThe process was repeated until that night. Guo Zhenghe’s bodily appearance gradually returned to normal.

n“There is actually internal alchemy in there, Master!” Jia Zizai was shocked to find that out from surveillance equipment he had brought with him.

nWang Yao went into the village that day and set up cameras at certain areas where Guo Zhenghe was staying in. No one else detected him or what he did. It enabled them to see what was going on in there.

n“Truth to be told, this is my first time seeing something like this,” Wang Yao said with a smile. He was just as shocked at the development of events, but he was curious as to how that culmination of internal alchemy affected Guo Zhenghe.

n“Will he gain hundreds of years’ worth of powers from training in one go and become a god on earth or something like that?” Jia Zizai asked.

n“You read too many novels,” Wang Yao said with a laugh.

n“One needed to go about cultivation step by step, and cutting corners like that was risky.”

nAfter being in a coma for two days, Guo Zhenghe finally awoke. His eyes were bloodshot.

n“Sir.”

n“Haahh.” Guo Zhenghe responded, taking large breaths as he did.

nHe suddenly stood up and went outside.

n“Sir?” Xu Xinyuan immediately chased after Guo Zhenghe, yet he was unable to keep up. Guo Zhenghe was running too fast.

n“Where is he?”

nA woman’s shriek was suddenly heard.

n“Sh*t!” Xu Xinyuan’s heart skipped a beat.

nWhen he found where Guo Zhenghe had ended up, he saw the wall of the house of that household had a large hole in it. All three other family members were lying in a pool of blood. The clothes on the woman were torn.

n“Oh my god!”

nAnother shriek was heard from the woman.

n“Y-Your master has gone crazy!” When he found Xu Xinyuan, Miao Zhaoxing’s expression was one of terror.

nGuo Zhenghe was looking for an outlet of release.

nXu Xinyuan grabbed that elder and asked, “Why, why did it turn out like this?”

n“It must be the internal alchemy from the fish bringing out the worst in his mind.”

nI need to release! I need blood! I need a woman!

nGuo Zhenghe was running all over the village. He was looking for prey. The villagers started gathering to hunt down the killer demon. His body saw significant changes in just two days. He had gotten very strong and was able to move extremely fast.

n“Master, he’s gone nuts!” Jia Zizai was shocked to see all of that as he stood at the mountain.

n“Stay here,” Wang Yao said. “I’ll head down for a bit.”

nWang Yao leaped off of the mountain.

nHe needed to kill Guo Zhenghe.

nShouts and shrieks of terror were heard from the village time and again.

nA gust of wind blew.

nWang Yao appeared close to Guo Zhenghe, who had his upper body bared. He was drenched in blood and steaming hot. His eyes remained bloodshot.

nArrgghh!

nHe opened his mouth, which was filled with blood. Some bit of flesh was seen in it. It was human flesh.

nHe had become a crazed demon.

nHe instantly arrived in front of Wang Yao.

nAs soon as he fought the man before him, Wang Yao was shocked. Some power indeed! It’s more vigorous than even Miao Xihe!

nPokong Punch!

nWang Yao unleashed his most powerful move without holding back.

nSonic booms were heard as he moved extremely fast. He threw out over a hundred punches in an instant.

nGuo Zhenghe slumped to the ground. His bones were shattered, and his internal organs were destroyed. However, instead of immediately dying, he was recovering at a frightening rate.

n“What a sight. This is no longer even human,” Wang Yao said as he looked at the sight before him.

nSomeone suddenly emerged from the crowd. They stabbed Guo Zhenghe’s heart and cut off his head. Guo Zhenghe’s body and head were separated at blitzing speeds. The one who acted immediately retreated to the crowd.

nWhen they realized what just happened, the villagers were unable to find the attacker, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. There was only a dead body left on the ground.

nGuo Zhenghe ended up dead just like that.

nHe had not been a demon for long before he was killed.

n“Brother, I’ve killed him. Time to go.”

n“Who said you killed anyone?” Miao Qingfeng asked. “There were 16 villagers who died. You could just make a scapegoat out of any one of them.”

n“You said someone just appeared out of nowhere and left just as soon as he showed up, taking the culmination of internal alchemy with him.”

n“Yeah. I didn’t see what that attacker looked like, but he reminded me of someone,” Zhao Yinghao said.

n“Never mind. Don’t bother bringing the matter up, and don’t dwell on it,” Miao Qingfeng said. “Regardless of who he was, it has nothing to do with us. It’s all over. We need to start new lives.”

nHe knew that with the end of an era in the village, came a new life for everyone.

nThe future will probably be brighter for all of us. No, it definitely will be.

n“Let’s go.”

n“Alright, Master. This is it.” Jia Zizai looked at the red thing, which was about the size of a pigeon egg, in his hand. It felt like jade.

n“Well, you can have it if you like it,” Wang Yao said.

n“Ah, forget it. I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation and end up swallowing it one day,” Jia Zizai said. “Things would probably turn disastrous for everyone. It’s best that you keep this, Master.”

nAlthough 17 dead villagers was something huge, it was intentionally covered up.

nGuo Zhenghe’s father reassigned from his post to become yet another leadership position in another county. While it looked as if he managed to maintain his status in that reassignment, he had lost the chance to be at the heart of things. There was no telling when the next opportunity would come.

nThe investigation into the Nanshan Pharmaceutical Company was practically left hanging.

nThe company’s products had become explosively popular in just one year.

nThe Primordial Spirit Soup, Heat Clearing Powder, Antidote Pill, Heart Stabilizing Pill, and a series of medicines were very effective. High-end medicines from Nanshan Clinic were practically miracle medicines, especially the ones in maintaining cardiovascular health, which was considered by many large hospitals to be a miracle drug. Furthermore, it had no side effects to speak of. The only downside was that it was difficult to procure.

nWang Yao remained where he was in his clinic. The southern mountain remained lush and serene as it had always been.

nSu Xiaoxue eventually graduated.

nA wedding was held in Jing, which was low-key, warm, and happy.

nWang Yao and Su Xiaoxue seemed like a match made in heaven to everyone around them.

nThey traveled throughout the country as a couple.

nThey went to the Valley of Thousands of Medicine in southern Yunnan.

n“So, this is the Soothing of Gods Lake.” Su Xiaoxue opened her arms as she looked at the serene lake.

n“It’s beautiful.”

n“It really is.”

nA young man was walking on the creaky wooden path. He wore a warm smile on his face. Wang Yao felt the man seemed rather familiar.

n“Greetings, faraway visitors,” the young man greeted them.

n“Good day, may I know what your name is?”

nThe young man was stunned, but he smiled and replied, “Me? My name is Miao Xiaohe.”

n“Xiaohe. That’s a good name.” Wang Yao nodded after he heard that.

nThat young man was rather dumbfounded. He smiled and walked away.

n“Do you know him?” Su Xiaoxue asked.

n“He kind of looks like someone I know.” Wang Yao smiled.

n“Where will we be going next?”

n“How about heading back to the southern mountain?”

n“Sure.”

n“We’ll have lots of kids.”

n“Sure, what happens after that?”

n“After that, we spread medicine and provide medical care all over the world!”

n…

n