Mad Doctor No. 9

Wang Tianqian responded, but his vigilance remained undiminished.

He knew that the other party would not give up easily.

Sure enough, Wang Tian received an encrypted email that night.

"You've won this round. But the Eternal Life Society's 'Epoch Project' will not stop. When the seven ancient ruins open simultaneously this winter, I'll be waiting for you at Changbai Mountain. Let the legacy of Lungmen and the wisdom of the Doctor settle this once and for all. — Respectfully, Dr. Plague"

Wang Tian shut down his computer and looked out the window.

The city of Jiangnan is brightly lit and peaceful under the night sky.

But he knew that beneath this calm surface, turbulent currents were brewing.

With just over two months until winter, he must contact all the Guardian bloodlines and form an alliance strong enough to fight against the Eternal Society before then.

Zhang Qingyun entered with a cup of hot tea: "Old Xu just called. He's contacted the guardian of the sacred relics in Europe, and they've agreed to meet. Shamans from Miao, Tibet, and the Americas have also responded."

Wang Tian took the tea and held it gently: "The road ahead will not be easy."

Zhang Qingyun smiled: "No matter how difficult it is, we have to keep going."

The plane arrived at a border town on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Wang Tian and Zhang Qingyun came here to find the guardian deity of the Miao Gu tribe—according to Aunt Aya, this Senior Brother Chi Jiu is the highest-ranking elder in the Gu tribe.

As soon as I came out of the airport, a young man stopped me with a sign.

The four crooked characters "Receiving the Divine Doctor Wang" were clearly visible.

"Are you Teacher Wang Tian? I am Xiao Shi, entrusted by Elder Chi Jiu to welcome you, sir!" This was a young man in his twenties, with slightly dark skin and a simple, honest smile on his face. "The elder said you are a distinguished guest and asked me to treat you well."

Wang Tian looked at the person wearing a white T-shirt with mud still stuck to their trousers and nodded: "Thank you."

On the way to the Miao village, Xiao Shi drove a dilapidated van, bumping along the rugged mountain road.

He talked a lot, describing the scenery along the way while probing.

"Such a young Dr. Wang must possess exceptional medical skills. Which university did he graduate from?"

Wang Tian frankly stated, "I haven't studied medicine."

Xiao Shi was visibly taken aback. He glanced at Wang Tian again through the rearview mirror, his smile fading slightly. "There are plenty of doctors in our village. They can treat most minor illnesses, but for serious illnesses, you have to go to the county hospital."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qingyun frowned, wanting to say something, but was stopped by Wang Tian.

More than three hours later, they finally arrived at the Miao region, which is surrounded by mountains.

This is an ancient village with stilted houses built against the mountain, but many of the houses are dilapidated and look rather desolate.

Elder Chi Jiu came forward. He was a lean old man of about sixty years old, dressed in traditional Miao clothing, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

"Dr. Wang, thank you for your hard work," Chi Jiu said politely. "We've made all the preparations; you can rest now."

"Senior Chi, I've come here to discuss the Eternal Life Society with you..." Wang Tian said directly.

Chi Jiu waved his hand, interrupting him. "Doctor Wang must be tired from his journey and needs to rest. We'll have a bonfire party tonight to welcome everyone back. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Then he instructed Xiao Shi, "Take the guest to the guest room."

The so-called guest room was actually a dilapidated stilted house on the edge of the village, containing only a bamboo bed and a table.

Xiao Shi said apologetically, "The conditions in the village are not good, please forgive us, Doctor Wang. By the way, there is a medicinal herb garden behind our village. The elder said that if you are interested, you can go and take a look."

After he left, Zhang Qingyun couldn't help but say, "It seems they don't value us very much."

Wang Tian smiled slightly and said, "That's normal. Without evidence, why would they believe we're going against the Eternal Life Society? Let's wait and see."

As evening fell, a bonfire was lit in the square in the center of the village.

The whole village, young and old, sat together, roasting mutton and drinking rice wine.

But Wang Tian could sense that many Miao people were looking at him with curiosity and scrutiny.

After a few rounds of drinks, a robust man of about thirty years old stood up, carrying a wine bowl, and walked towards Wang Tian: "Dr. Wang, I am Chi Yan, the nephew of Elder Chi Jiu. I've heard your medical skills are excellent; come, let me toast you!"

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, revealing the bottom of the bowl.

"Dr. Wang, bottoms up!"

Although Wang Tian didn't know much about wine, he was familiar with the Miao people's hospitality. He was about to force himself to drink it all when Zhang Qingyun stopped him, saying, "I'll drink it for him."

Chi Yan's eyes flickered for a moment, then he laughed and said, "Impressive drinking capacity! However..." He paused, then continued, "The Miao people respect those with genuine talent and skill the most. Doctor Wang has come all this way, saying he wants to join forces with us to deal with this Eternal Life Society; he should at least show some ability, shouldn't he?"

It's time to come, it's coming.

Wang Tian knew perfectly well what was going on.

Wang Tian said calmly, "I wonder what Brother Chi Yan would like to see?"

Chi Yan clapped his hands.

A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old lay on a stretcher, his face purple and his breath weak, with a strange black handprint on his chest.

"This is my son, Xiaoyong. He was injured by an unknown object while gathering herbs in the mountains three days ago," Chi Yan said in a low voice. "The village doctor examined him and said he was poisoned by a strange poison, and there is no cure. The doctors at the county hospital also said they had never seen him before."

He looked at Wang Tian: "If Doctor Wang can cure my son, I, Chi Yan, will be the first person to admire you! I will do whatever you ask! If not..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but the meaning was already quite clear.

The scene fell silent, and all eyes were on Wang Tian.

Elder Chi Jiu seemed oblivious to this, and lowered his head to drink his wine.

Wang Tian squatted down and examined the boy on the stretcher.

He activated his Healing Eye and discovered an evil force within the young man's body, which was eroding his internal organs. The source of this force was the black palm print on his chest.

"The poison wound is extraordinary," Wang Tian said. "He was struck by a palm strike imbued with a venomous poison, mixed with a Corrosive Heart Gu. Three days have passed, and the Gu worms have already invaded his heart. He will die in two more hours."

Chi Yan's expression shifted, and he exclaimed, "The Corrupting Heart Gu? Isn't that a technique that's been lost for ages?"

Wang Tian did not answer, but instead took out the gold needle.

"Wait!" Just as he was about to administer the acupuncture, an old voice suddenly rang out.

An old woman dressed in a black robe and holding a snake staff stepped forward from the crowd.

Her face was covered in tattoos, making her look sinister and terrifying.

"The Black Witch".

The old woman gave Wang Tian a cold look and said, "Young man, no one can cure the Corrupting Heart Gu except the one who cast it. You say you have a way? Don't end up harming yourself instead of saving others!"

"Who are you?" Wang Tian asked, looking at her.

"My name is Magu, and I am the village's witch doctor," Magu said. "You're just an outsider, so don't try to show off, or you'll embarrass yourself."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.