Mad Doctor No. 9

After saying that, he jumped off the fishing boat! The three poachers on the boat didn't even have time to react before he knocked them into the sea.

The people on the other two boats were startled and opened fire, but Wang Tian was like a ghost, jumping from one boat to another, with poachers falling into the water from each boat.

In just one minute, the poachers were all caught.

Wang Tian returned to the fishing boat and said to the dumbfounded Boss Chen, "Call the police and hand this over to the patrol team."

Then, he glanced at the terrified merfolk and used his inner energy to transmit his voice: "Don't be afraid, we are on the same side."

The merfolk looked at him with wary eyes.

The oldest merman approached and asked in broken Chinese, "You're not a hunter?"

"No." Wang Tian took out his tortoise shell. "We must find the Ruins of Return to save this world."

"Dragon Gate Token...Are you truly a successor of the Dragon Gate?"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Come with me. But you're the only option."

Wang Tian nodded to Zhang Qingyun, then leaped into the sea.

The merman handed over a glowing pearl: "Put it in your mouth, and you can breathe underwater."

With the pearl in his mouth, Wang Tian followed behind the merman, heading towards the deep sea.

The further down they went, the dimmer the light became, but the scales on the merfolk's bodies gradually lit up, illuminating the area ahead.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally saw a magnificent crystal palace! Inside the palace, countless mermaids roamed about, making it seem like an underwater kingdom.

Wang Tian was led into the main hall.

On the throne sat a mermaid queen, wearing a coral crown, who looked to be in her thirties or forties, and possessed a graceful and charming demeanor.

"It's been a hundred years since I've seen a successor of the Dragon Gate." The Queen's voice echoed in Wang Tian's mind. "The tortoise shell in your hand is the agreement made between my clan and the ancestors of the Dragon Gate Society."

Wang Tian bowed and said, "Patriarch, my name is Wang Tian. I have come here for the sake of Gui Xu. On the winter solstice, the Eternal Life Society will open the Heavenly Gate. If we want to stop them, we must find Gui Xu."

The merfolk chieftain remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

"The Ruins of Return do exist, but they are not a place; they are merely a 'gate.' A gate that connects two worlds."

She stood up and led Wang Tian deep into the palace.

It was a huge vortex, slowly turning.

"This is the Gate of Return to the Void," the Merfolk chieftain said. "It only opens once every hundred years, and each time it opens, it requires seven keys. The Eternal Life Society collects the keys not to open the Heavenly Gate, but to completely destroy the seal of the Void of Return to the Void and completely connect the two worlds."

Wang Tian was startled: "So what?"

"When the laws clash, space collapses," the merman chieftain solemnly declared. "All things in the world are destroyed by chaos. Then... according to the will of the 'divine messenger' behind the Eternal Life Society, the rules of the world are reshaped."

Wang Tian suddenly realized, "Therefore, we must defend Guixu."

"However, you cannot hold it back," the merman chieftain shook his head and said, "In winter, when the seven stars align, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is at its peak. At that time, the Void will open automatically. Then, the Eternal Life Society will only need to take out the seven keys to open the seal."

She looked at Wang Tian: "Unless... you collect all seven keys and enter the Ruins of Return ahead of time to reinforce the seal from the inside out, it won't work."

Wang Tian gave a wry smile and said, "I only have three in my hands."

"Then let's go find the other four. The 'Holy Grail' from Europe, the 'Sunstone' from Africa, the 'Feathered Serpent Staff' from the Americas, and the 'Crystal Heart' from Antarctica."

She handed a conch shell to Wang Tian: "Blow it if you're in danger, and I'll do my best to help you. Also... be careful of the Eternal Life Society's 'Divine Messengers'; some of their power has already descended upon this world."

When we emerged from the underwater palace, it was already broad daylight.

Zhang Qingyun and Chen Laoda were waiting anxiously, and only when they saw him return safely did they feel relieved.

Zhang Qingyun asked, "How is it?"

Wang Tian glanced at the rising sun in the east and said, "Go to four places and search for one thing each. Time is running out."

Suddenly, Boss Chen said, "Dr. Wang, if you don't mind, I can go with you. I've spent my whole life at sea and I'm very familiar with the whole world."

Seeing Chen Lao's sincere gaze, Wang Tian nodded: "Thank you, Chen Lao."

The small fishing boat turned a corner and sailed away into the distance.

Little did they know, the merman chieftain was speaking to a crystal ball.

"The Dragon Gate disciple is already on his way. Guide him to retrieve the key and proceed according to plan. Once all seven keys are collected, we can begin the harvest."

From within the crystal ball, a hazy figure let out a hoarse laugh: "Well done. On the day the divine messenger descends, the merfolk will be the ocean overlords of the new world."

It turns out that the Merfolk had long been incorporated into the Eternal Life Society.

Moreover, the conch shell in Wang Tian's hand wasn't for calling for help, but rather for... locating the target.

"Boguzhai" is an antique street in Jiangnan City.

Wang Tianzheng held a tattered piece of parchment and examined it carefully.

He bought it by chance from an old collector.

This is an incomplete prescription book, written in ancient script, with star charts and human meridians drawn beside it, hinting at a long-lost medical technique.

"Boss, how much is this scroll?"

Wang Tian looked up and saw a girl with a ponytail, wearing a denim jacket and cargo pants, and carrying a large backpack.

Her eyes, however, were bright and piercing as she stared intently at the ancient scroll.

Wang Tian shook his head: "Sorry, this is not for sale."

The girl became anxious: "I've been searching for this scroll for so long! It's the third volume of the 'Shennong Fragments' passed down in our family! We only have the first two volumes, and even after more than ten years, we haven't been able to complete it! Please, I'll pay any price!"

Wang Tian seemed to be deep in thought.

A fragment of the ancient Shennong's scroll? Could this scroll be the original version of the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica"? That is an ancient medical classic, said to contain countless lost prescriptions.

Wang Tian asked, "What proof do you have that this is your home?"

The girl took out a wooden box containing two similar pieces of silk.

Wang Tian compared the materials, handwriting, and seals and found that they were indeed the same set.

"I am Qin Yuwei, the thirty-seventh generation descendant of the Qin family," the young woman said solemnly. "The Qin family has been practicing medicine for generations, and my ancestors were imperial physicians, a tradition that has continued for several generations. This tattered scroll was lost in the war a hundred years ago, and my grandfather kept saying before he died that he must find it."

Wang Tian thought for a moment and said, "I'll allow you to make a copy, but I can't give you the original. Also, I have another request: I want to see the first two volumes in your Qin family's collection."