Mad Doctor No. 9

"I'm looking for Cold Jade Marrow to save people," Wang Tian said directly.

"You recognize the Cold Jade Marrow? That place... is inaccessible to most people."

Wang Tian stood up. "I must go."

"My name is Sumu, the last great shaman of the Oroqen people." The old man nodded gently. "Young man, you're injured, and seriously so. Wasn't that courting death?"

Wang Tian laughed and said, "Staying here means certain death, so let's take a gamble."

Su Mu gave him a deep look. "I can feel that the dragon vein within you is stirring."

Wang Tian's heart trembled, somewhat incredulous. This old shaman had actually recognized the characteristics of the "Dragon Transformation Technique" at a glance; he was definitely no ordinary person.

"Come with me." Su Mu turned around. "I'll take you to find the Cold Jade Marrow. However, I have one request."

"you say."

"Help me kill something," Su Mu said coldly. "Some evil thing has awakened in Tianchi."

Su Mu set up camp in a valley, only about three kilometers from Tianchi Lake. The camp was really just three animal-hide tents and a fence.

Inside the tent, the charcoal fire burned brightly, making it warm and cozy. Su Mu's granddaughter, Una, handed Wang Tian a bowl of steaming milk tea, curiously examining the Han Chinese man.

"Grandpa usually doesn't bring outsiders in," Una said, her bright eyes revealing her age of seventeen or eighteen. "He said you have a dragon spirit within you."

"Dragon Spirit?" Wang Tian took the milk tea.

"It's what the Oroqen people call the guardian spirit," Batu, Una's older brother, interjected. He was a strong young man. "Grandpa said the dragon spirit inside you is very powerful, but it's injured."

Su Mu sat cross-legged by the fire, took out a pipe and lit it: "The strange phenomenon at Tianchi Lake started a month ago. At night, the lake water glows, and strange noises come from the bottom. I went down with some old friends to take a look..."

"The seal on the icy cave at the bottom of the lake has loosened. What... is inside?"

Su Mu shook his head. "I don't know. According to our ancestors, it wasn't a living thing, but rather formed from the turbid energy within the earth's veins. Over three hundred years ago, the Oroqen Great Shaman joined forces with a Taoist priest from the Central Plains, using cold jade marrow and shamanic artifacts to seal it away. Now that the seal is loosening, I'm afraid it's..."

Wang Tian recalled the Dark Palace's previous collection of shamanic artifacts and vaguely guessed what was going on: "The seal has been broken?"

"It should be." Su Mu nodded. "There are several traces of disturbance at the bottom of the lake. Also, many strange people have come to the mountains these past few days, some from Japan and some from China. They are inquiring about Tianchi Lake and the shamanic relics."

"Is chalcedony the key?"

"Isn't it just Cold Jade Marrow?" Su Mu scoffed. "Cold Jade Marrow is a treasure of heaven and earth. It can not only heal injuries and prolong life, but also enhance cultivation. Most importantly, it maintains the seal. Once the Cold Jade Marrow is removed, the seal will completely shatter."

Wang Tian remained silent. He needed the Frost Jade Marrow to heal his injuries, but doing so would attract evil. This was a dilemma.

"Isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

Su Mu looked at him and said, "Yes. During the process of taking the Cold Jade Marrow, it was sealed again with even greater power. However, judging from your appearance..."

"How long will it take to recover?"

Su Mu truthfully replied, "Given your current condition, it will take at least half a year. Even with dragon energy protecting you, you'll be severely injured and can only last for half an hour at most."

Wang Tian frowned. Six months was too long.

"What if we had a thousand-year-old snow ginseng?"

Su Mu's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the pipe: "What?"

"This is another treasure of Changbai Mountain, the thousand-year-old snow ginseng," Wang Tian said slowly. "If I had taken the snow ginseng before entering the Ice Cave, would I have recovered faster?"

"Theoretically, that's true." Su Mu looked troubled. "However, thousand-year-old snow ginseng is even rarer than cold jade marrow, and it's a once-in-a-century find. Besides, even if you had snow ginseng, with your current physique, you probably wouldn't be able to withstand such a powerful medicinal effect."

"We have to give it a try." A resolute glint flashed in Wang Tian's eyes. "Great Shaman Su Mu, if I find a thousand-year-old snow ginseng and successfully refine it, could you please help me suppress this evil thing?"

Su Mu stared at the fire for a while before nodding emphatically: "If you can really do it, I'll gladly oblige with my old bones. But I must warn you, snow ginseng is hard to find. Even if you do find it, many people will be vying for it."

"I know," Wang Tian stood up. "Mark the possible locations where the snow ginseng might appear."

Una handed over a hand-drawn map, circling five locations in red: "These are the possible locations where the 'Ginseng King' is said to appear, passed down through generations of our tribe. But in the past thirty years, almost every place has been turned upside down, and nothing has been found."

Wang Tian glanced at the map, then suddenly pointed to a spot and said, "Why is there a skull and crossbones pattern on this map?"

That was a sign for "Death Valley".

Batu's face showed horror: "You can't go! Death Valley is a forbidden place; no one can come out of it. Three hunters from our tribe went there to look for ginseng, but they all died at the entrance of the valley. Their bodies were found, completely black, as if they had been poisoned."

Wang Tiandao said, "However, the snow ginseng is very likely there, isn't it?"

Su Mu sighed and said, "Our ancestors all said that the Ginseng King is in this Valley of Death, guarding the secrets of this valley. However, there is miasma, poisonous insects, and... filth there. Young man, I know you are eager to heal your wounds, but risking your life is not worth it."

Wang Tian laughed and said, "Being alive until now is already a stroke of luck. What difference would it make if I died again?"

With that, he put the map away: "I will go to Death Valley in three days. If I haven't returned in seven days, there's no need to wait."

With that, he left the tent.

Heavy snow fell, turning the world into a white expanse.

"Wait!" Wang Tian started the snowmobile and was about to leave when Una caught up with him.

She slipped a small leather pouch into Wang Tian's hand: "These are insect repellent and antidote pills that I personally concocted. And..."

She took off the bone whistle hanging around her neck: "Blow it if there's danger, and I'll hear you."

Wang Tian took the bone whistle, which still retained the girl's warmth: "Thank you."

Una said seriously, "Grandpa said that you are someone who can defy fate."

Wang Tian nodded, and the snowmobile roared as it sped into the snowstorm.

He didn't return to the sanatorium, but went straight to Changbai Town. There were many things to do in finding the snow ginseng, but most importantly, he wanted to know what Yamamoto Chiyuki was up to.