Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

After seeing Zhao Ying off, Shen Chen turned to look at the doctor who was packing his medicine box.

"Doctor, can this tonic slow down Brother Qin's condition?"

The doctor paused in his work and looked up at Shen Chen.

"You certainly know your stuff," the doctor sighed. "The Qi-boosting medicine can indeed stabilize your internal energy and slow down the spread of toxins. But this medicine..."

"But what?"

"We can't find them at all lately," the doctor shook his head. "In previous years, we could still find a few in the East Market, but this year, for some reason, there isn't a single one. I specifically went to ask a few days ago, and all the herbal medicine vendors said they were out of stock."

Shen Chen frowned.

The doctor packed up his medicine box, gave a few more instructions, and then took his leave.

Only Shen Chen and Qin Pi, who was lying on the bed, remained in the room.

"Don't bother." Qin Pi said weakly, his eyes closed. "Even if this medicine existed, it would be ridiculously expensive and not worth it."

"Brother Qin, you should rest first."

Shen Chen didn't say much and turned back to his room.

[Good Fortune: Head to Blackwater Village, where someone possesses a powerful elixir of energy. Auspicious]

[Winning the lottery: Continue searching in the East Market. A herbalist will bring one in six months, but it will be expensive.]

[Bad omen: Abandon the search; Qinpi's condition worsens rapidly; ominous]

Shen Chen stared at the three characters "Blackwater Village" and fell into thought.

He had heard of Blackwater Village; it was another mountain stronghold near Dogtooth Mountain, smaller than Dogtooth Mountain but still with over a hundred people. The two strongholds usually kept to themselves, occasionally engaging in trade.

Just as he was about to calm down and carefully study the three characters "Blackwater Village", the words "good fortune" suddenly flickered slightly, and then a line of smaller characters appeared below.

[Commentary: This journey is fraught with peril; the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction. Overall risk assessment: this is the worst possible outcome.]

"..."

Shen Chen's eyelids twitched, and he almost cursed out loud.

"You call this a lucky draw?"

He muttered a complaint to himself, feeling like he'd been tricked by this lousy fortune slip.

The outcome was extremely auspicious, but the process was fraught with peril?

Are you trying to play word games with him here?

Shen Chen was speechless for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh.

After the laughter subsided, my heart felt icy cold.

A very unlucky divination.

These four words carry far more weight than the word "ominous." This means that going to Blackwater Village is far more risky than giving up the search and letting Qin Pi die.

If we give up, only Qin Pi will die.

If he goes there, he will likely be the one who dies.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the occasional whistling of the wind blowing through the window, sounding much like a person sobbing.

Shen Chen sat at the table, motionless, but his mind was racing with calculations.

Tang Long and Mo Yuancai's sinister faces, Zhuang Fu's seemingly polite but actually distant gaze, and the inscrutable attitude of the chieftain Hu Muzhi...

Inside Dogtooth Mountain, undercurrents are already surging.

Once Qin Pi falls, the first person to be purged will be this "deputy" whom Qin Pi personally promoted. He won't even know how he died.

Either way, it's a dead end.

One option is to sit and wait to die, which is frustrating.

One option is to rush out to find a way to survive, which is dangerous.

"Oh shit."

Shen Chen cursed under his breath and stood up from his chair.

Just die.

It's better than watching Qin Pi breathe his last on the bed while those people crush him like an ant.

Going to Blackwater Village is a near-death experience, but isn't there still a chance of survival?

I'm taking the gamble!

However, the situation at Blackwater Village is unclear, and going there rashly would be suicide. There are occasional transactions between Dogtooth Mountain and Blackwater Village, so there must be someone in the village who knows about the situation there.

When you're trying to get information, you need to find a reliable person.

Shen Chen drew a fortune stick, and after seeing the name clearly, he immediately went to the East Market.

The East Market remains bustling.

Shen Chen walked through the crowd and arrived at Yang Zhong'er's stall.

Yang Chong'er was squatting on the ground, boasting to a customer about his "century-old He Shou Wu".

"Look at its quality and appearance, you won't find another one like it in the entire East Market..."

"Yang Erdan," Shen Chen called out.

Yang Chong'er turned around, saw Shen Chen, immediately straightened up, quickly came to Shen Chen, and bowed and scraped.

"Oh, Master Shen is here! I told you that if you used my medicine, you'd be the boss within six months. I'm so grateful for your patronage; I think I've benefited from it all, as I've recently risen to the level of the Organ Realm!"

Yang Chong'er talked for a long time, and finally asked, "What would you like to order today?"

Shen Chen glanced at the stall: "I won't buy anything. I came to ask you about something today."

"Please speak."

"Do you have any vital energy tonics here?"

Yang Chong'er paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I want this medicine too." He lowered his voice. "To tell you the truth, this medicine is in very short supply lately. Several drug dealers in the East Market are looking for it, but they just can't find it."

Why?

"I don't know." Yang Chong'er scratched his head. "In previous years, I could usually get a few plants at this time. This year is really strange."

Shen Chen thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Blackwater Village?"

Yang Chong'er's eyes lit up.

"You've come to the right person." He looked around, then leaned closer to Shen Chen. "Have you heard about the big incident that happened at Blackwater Village recently?"

"What is it?"

"Some say that a dragon has appeared in the Blackwater Pool behind Blackwater Village."

Shen Chen was taken aback.

Jiaolong?

"Really?"

"I don't know either." Yang Chong'er shrugged. "But the story is quite detailed. It's said that half a month ago, the people from Blackwater Village went hunting in the back mountains and saw a huge shadow in the pool, which was more than ten feet long."

"And then?"

"Later, the chieftain of Blackwater Village personally led people to investigate, but they found nothing," Yang Chong'er said in a low voice. "But from then on, strange things began to happen near Blackwater Pool."

"What's wrong?"

"Some people say they can hear dragon roars at night, and others say that blood-red mist has risen from the pool." Yang Chong'er became more and more excited as he spoke. "The most eerie thing is that a hunter found a scale by the pool, the size of a palm, as hard as iron."

Shen Chen frowned.

This sounds too far-fetched.

But if it's true, a divine object related to a dragon must be even more powerful than a potent energy-enhancing medicine...

"Where are those scales now?"

"It was taken away by the chief of Blackwater Village," Yang Chong'er said. "I heard he invited several experts to examine it, but none of them could come up with a definitive answer."

Shen Chen then asked, "What's the situation at Blackwater Village now?"

"It's a mess," Yang Chong'er sighed. "The chieftain wants to organize a team to explore the Blackwater Pool, but none of his men dare to go. A few brave ones did go, and the result was..."

"How did it go?"

"They've disappeared." Yang Chong'er lowered his voice. "Three True Qi martial artists went into the woods by the pool and never came out again."

"Not only that, recently, Divine Eagle Hand Yuan Ying and his group of constables have been camped outside the stronghold, clearly preparing to attack and seize it," he said. "You absolutely must not go to Blackwater Stronghold recently."

Shen Chen remained silent, as if the hustle and bustle of the East Market was separated by a layer. Every word Yang Chong'er had just said was echoing in his mind.

Flood Dragon, Divine Eagle Hand, Missing Martial Artist...

Blackwater Village was a hundred times more dangerous than he had anticipated.

But within this danger lies a glimmer of opportunity.

He took out a piece of silver from his sleeve, weighed it in his hand, and casually tossed it to Yang Chong'er.

The silver coin arced through the air, and Yang Chong'er caught it with lightning speed. It felt heavy in his hand, and his eyes immediately lit up like light bulbs.

"Oh dear! Master Shen, this...this is too much!" Yang Chong'er said politely, but he gripped the silver tightly in his hand, as if afraid it would grow wings and fly away.

He stuffed the silver into his pocket, leaned closer, and earnestly advised, "Master, listen to my advice. Blackwater Village is a den of demons now. Who is Yuan Ying, the Eagle Hand? He's a notorious mad dog of the government, biting anyone he can get his hands on! Please don't be foolish and go there!"

The next morning, Shen Chen went to Qin Pi's room.

Qin Pi has woken up and is leaning against the headboard drinking his medicine.

"Brother Qin, I'm going on a long trip."

Qin Pi raised his head and looked at Shen Chen.

"Where to?"

"Blackwater Village," Shen Chen said, "I heard there are potent elixirs for strengthening vital energy there."

Qin Pi paused in his movements.

"Don't go." He put down his bowl. "Blackwater Village has been quite unsafe lately. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

I know what I'm doing.

"What a load of rubbish." Qin Pi frowned. "You think I don't know? Strange things have happened at Blackwater Village; several people have disappeared. If you go, what if something goes wrong..."

"That's why I'm going," Shen Chen interrupted him. "Brother Qin, your life is worth more than mine."

Qin Pi was stunned.

He stared at Shen Chen for a long time, then sighed.

"You little brat..."

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Shen Chen said. "I'll definitely be back within two weeks."

Qin Pi remained silent for a moment, then took out a token from a box under the bed and handed it to Shen Chen.

"Take it."

Shen Chen took the token, which had the character "Qin" engraved on it.

"This is my token," Qin Pi said. "The chief of Blackwater Village and I have some connections. If you take this, he will give me face."

"Thank you, Brother Qin." Shen Chen nodded.

Qin Pi placed his hand on his shoulder: "Brother, you must come back safely to see me."