Mad Doctor No. 9

Wang Tiandao said, "I checked the information about Miao territory before I came, just in case. Let's go."

After passing the area of ​​poisonous insects, we came into view a colorful mist—miasma.

"Hold your breath and take the antidote." Wang Tian distributed the pills.

The four of them plunged headlong into the poisonous miasma.

This fog is corrosive; if even a tiny bit gets on your clothes, they'll start to smoke.

Fortunately, the medicine worked, and we got through it without any real danger.

The final test is the illusion.

Just as he stepped into one of the areas, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

Wang Tian returned to his hometown in Tiancheng and saw his parents and sister, the family enjoying a happy reunion.

"Xiao Tian, ​​it's time for dinner."

Even though he knew it was an illusion, Wang Tian still felt palpitations.

He bit his tongue hard, and the intense pain brought him back to his senses.

The illusion shatters, and reality returns.

Zhang Qingyun, Xiao Hao, and Guo Zi were all trapped in the illusion, each with a different expression.

Wang Tian inserted several needles into them to wake them up.

"What a powerful illusion! I almost got trapped inside." Zhang Qingyun was still shaken.

Wang Tiandao: "This is a warning."

Sure enough, once we stepped out of the illusionary area, the view opened up before us.

An ancient village comes into view: stilted houses built against the mountain, terraced fields, and villagers in traditional clothing working in the fields.

Upon seeing outsiders enter, the villagers stopped what they were doing and stared at them warily.

An elderly man with a cane walked over and spoke in the Miao language.

Zhang Qingyun stepped forward and began communicating in broken Miao language.

After a conversation, she said to Wang Tian, ​​"I told them that we are related to Li Xiulan by blood and that we are here to get to the bottom of things."

When the village elder heard the name "Li Xiulan," his expression immediately changed.

"Are you Xiulan's son?" He stared at Wang Tian for a long time before asking in Chinese.

"Indeed, I am Wang Tian, ​​greetings to the village elder."

The village elder sighed and said, "Come with me."

He led the four men to a bamboo house in the center of the village.

Inside the bamboo house, a statue of Shennong is enshrined, and incense smoke curls upwards.

"Xiulan is my daughter." The village elder's words stunned everyone.

"Are you my maternal grandfather?" Wang Tian asked in surprise.

The village elder glanced at him, his expression complex. "Xiulan is someone I adopted; she's not my biological daughter. Over thirty years ago, when she was three years old, I found her outside the village. She doesn't remember anything except that her name is Xiulan. I raised her and taught her medicine. But when she turned eighteen, she insisted on leaving, and never came back."

It turns out that her mother was an orphan.

"And what about my maternal grandmother?"

"I don't know," the village elder shook his head. "Xiulan has a jade pendant in her hand, which I've already had the high shaman appraised. It's a token of the Witch Doctor Clan. The Witch Doctor Clan is the oldest clan in Miao territory, but decades ago, they suffered a catastrophe and were scattered. Xiulan is very likely the only surviving member of the Witch Doctor Clan."

Wang Tian remembered that his mother did indeed have a jade pendant, but she always wore it close to her body, saying it was a family heirloom.

"Village elder, have some outsiders come to the village recently?" Xiao Hao asked.

The village elder's expression changed slightly.

"About half a month ago, a group of men in black broke into the mountain stronghold, stole the Medicine King Cauldron, and injured many people. We failed to catch up with them, and they escaped."

"What is the Medicine King's Cauldron?"

The village elder said, "That's a sacred object of the witch doctor tribe, used for making medicine. However, the secret manual has long been lost, and no one knows how to use it."

The Dark Temple! They're looking for the witch doctor clan!

"Village elder, could you take us to see the place that was robbed?"

Led by the village elder, they arrived at a cave in the back mountain.

The cave was empty, with only a few stone tables and benches. The place in the middle where the cauldron should have been was empty.

Wang Tian noticed a clump of black powder next to the stone platform. He sniffed it and said, "This is a common item used by the Dark Palace, a bewitching incense."

Then, he found a piece of fabric in the corner. It was a very special fabric, and it seemed to be some kind of uniform.

Xiao Hao recognized it at a glance: "Foreign mercenaries?"

Wang Tian analyzed, "The mercenaries hired by the Dark Palace to seize the Medicine King Cauldron must be planning to use it for alchemy. However, the 'Secret Manual of Witchcraft and Medicine' has been lost. How will they use it?"

Zhang Qingyun suddenly spoke up: "It may not be lost, but rather there may be another lineage. Wang Tian, ​​perhaps your mother knows. She grew up in the village and might have seen some secret manual."

Wang Tian perked up and immediately dialed his mother's number.

As soon as the call connected, Li Xiulan heard Wang Tian's voice and was overjoyed: "Xiao Tian, ​​where are you? Didn't you go to the southwest?"

"Mom, I want to ask you something. Do you know anything about the 'Secret Codex of Witch Doctors'?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time.

"mom?"

"How...how do you know this?" Li Xiulan asked in a trembling voice.

"The people of the Dark Palace are looking for it. Mom, if you know anything about it, please tell me. This is a matter of life and death."

Li Xiulan remained silent for a while before finally speaking: "I have a secret manual."

Everyone was taken aback.

"When I left the village, my adoptive father gave me a secret manual, saying that it was the foundation of our witch doctor clan. I put it in the basement of my old home in Tiancheng."

Wang Tian remembered that there was indeed a basement in his hometown, and his mother had never allowed him to go down there since he was a child.

"Mom, what's written in this secret manual?"

"There are many ancient prescriptions, including one that can bring the dead back to life," Li Xiulan said. "Xiao Tian, ​​we can't let this manual fall into the hands of evil people. Go and get that manual and keep it safe."

"Then I'll go back right away."

"Be careful, our old house may have been targeted by the Dark Temple."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Tian said to Xiao Hao, "I have to go back to Tiancheng. Elder, what about the stronghold..."

The village elder said, "Xiulan's son is my grandson, so I will be extra careful. You can take this."

He handed a bamboo tube to Wang Tian: "This contains the Golden Silkworm Gu, which can cure all poisons and save your life in a critical moment. Xiulan knows how to use it."

Wang Tian put it away with a serious expression.

The four of them set off from Wuyi Village overnight, first returning to Yunnan City, and then taking a plane back to Tiancheng.

Wang Tian sat on the plane, filled with worry.

The origins of the mother, the lineage of the shamanic healer clan, the purpose of the Dark Temple...

"Wang Tian, ​​look at this!" Zhang Qingyun handed over her phone, which displayed Lin Qingfeng's message.

"We've just received word that the Dark Temple's leader, Youming, has entered our territory, and his target is likely Tiancheng. This man is dangerous and may use witchcraft; you must be careful."

The Lord of the Dark Palace, Youming, has finally revealed himself.

Wang Tian clenched his fists.

This is the final battle.