“How’s the situation, Junior Brother?” Taoist Master Qian Ji asked.
“Sigh!” Shabby Taoist Master’s expression was grim. “Things are not looking good! This is a weird disease. Several people have died since yesterday.
“It must be the handiwork of the strange mist. We cultivators aren’t affected by it, but when normal people inhale it, they’ll show symptoms after an hour.
“They go down with a fever, then they slowly lose their minds. Finally, their bodies will begin to mutate and display some characteristics of a snake. Death comes to some people with weaker constitutions about twenty-four hours later.”
As they spoke, Shabby Taoist Master led the two people into a tent.
Two people were strapped on separate beds.
Their skin was pale and their veins had turned black and were visible beneath their skin. It was quite a scary sight.
One of them had snake scales on his face and arms.
Then, Shabby Taoist Master brought the two people to the other tents. Some victims were already covered in snake scales and had mutated into some sort of a half-man-half-snake hybrid.
Some paramedics in hazmat suits were examining those people and administering tranquilizers and anesthetics.
They also met the rascally Trendy Taoist Master and a few other Taoist masters from Mao Mountain along the way.
All of them wore long faces. When they saw Tang Hao, they forced a smile and greeted him.
“I’ve asked everyone else. No one knows what disease this is, much less how to treat it!” Trendy Taoist Master sighed.
The other Taoist masters also sighed.
They knew that the disease was caused by the serpent monster, but they did not know how to treat it.
If they killed the serpent monster and found that it did not cure the disease, then all would be in vain.
“You’ve asked everyone?” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
“I have. I’ve asked everyone I knew, and I’ve also requested the senior brothers in Mao Mountain to do the research. There are no leads at all,” Trendy Taoist Master said.
“Then…” Taoist Master Qian Ji was also clueless.
The village had a population of about three hundred. If they could not cure the disease, then three hundred lives were at stake!
The consequences were dire.
Tang Hao thought through the situation carefully.
He might have read about similar cases in the knowledge passed to him in the jade pendant before.
“Ah… I know about the disease!” Tang Hao blurted.
The Taoist masters around him were shocked. They turned around to look at him.
Their gaze was a combination of shock and anticipation.
“This disease is called the serpent plague. This happens when a venomous snake becomes a serpent monster after five hundred years of cultivation. It will spew the venom in its body in the form of a mist, which causes the serpent plague.”
“Oh my god. The serpent monster has a five-hundred-year cultivation base?”
“Is there a cure, Fellow Cultivator Tang?” The Taoist masters were eager to know.
“Yes! There is a pill for curing that!” Tang Hao said.
The Taoist masters were speechless when they heard that.
Pill-makers in the modern cultivation world had almost gone extinct. Where would they find one?
Chapter 278 - It’s You Again
“Where do we find a pill-maker in this day and age?”
“Pill-makers in modern times are rarer than giant pandas. Where should we find them?”
The Taoist masters were worried.
Tang Hao’s proposed solution did not provide them with any relief at all.
Taoist Master Qian Ji’s brows were tightly locked. “Sigh! What shall we do?”
Tang Hao’s expression was rather awkward. He hesitated for a while and eventually said, “Actually… I know how to make pills.”
“Oh,” Taoist Master Qian Ji replied, “You know how to make pills? That’s not bad…”
Then, his body stiffened when his brain finally processed what he heard. His eyes were opened round and wide as they stared at Tang Hao. They were brimming with shock and incredulity.
The other Taoist masters also stared at him when they heard that.
Their expressions were as though they had seen a ghost.
They were already shocked enough that Fellow Cultivator Tang had a higher cultivation base than most of them. Now that they found that he also knew how to make pills, they felt that they had been wasting their lives.
“F*ck me…” Shabby Taoist Priest finally said after being stunned for a long time.
At that moment, he could think of nothing but curses.
‘Fellow Cultivator Tang knows how to craft talismans and make pills. Is there anything that he can’t do?’
He looked at Tang Hao, then at himself, and felt that his life was a joke.
A few other Taoist masters had the same thought.
Then, their eyes sparkled as they regarded Tang Hao as some rare treasure.
The eagerness in their eyes made Tang Hao cringe a little.
Trendy Taoist Master hopped out of line and in front of Tang Hao. He was almost kneeling down and hugging Tang Hao’s leg. Then, he cried out passionately, “Master!”
“What the hell? Does he have any shame?” The other Taoist masters all cursed at him.
However, they crowded around Tang Hao nonetheless and piled him with smiles and flowery language.
They were incredibly excited at that moment.
Pill-makers were incredibly rare. They would love to make friends with one.
“Pah! Go away! I’m the one who’s best friends with Fellow Cultivator Tang. Everyone else, stand aside!” Shabby Taoist Master leaned on Tang Hao and declared overbearingly.
“Hey, Junior Brother Xuan Ling, don’t keep him all to yourself!”
“Junior Brother Xuan Ling, you ought to show some respect to your senior brother!”
The Taoist masters were raising a fuss.
Tang Hao was confused when he saw that. ‘It’s just pill-making. What’s the big deal?’
“Stop!” Taoist Master Qian Ji roared.
All the Taoist masters shut their mouths.
Taoist Master Qian Ji was the most senior of the Mao Mountain disciples and the other Taoist masters had to respect him.
“Is that how you should behave as disciples of Mao Mountain? Can’t you act a little more dignified and have a little self-respect?”
Taoist Master Qian Ji looked at everyone sternly.
However, just as he finished speaking, he smiled fawningly and walked in front of Tang Hao. “Hey, Fellow Cultivator Tang, you’re a natural talent! Are you interested in joining the Agency?”
“Not interested!” Tang Hao declined immediately. “I say, Taoist Master, shouldn’t our priority be solving this case?”
The Taoist masters came to their senses.
“How should we cure this disease, Fellow Cultivator Tang?” Taoist Master Qian Ji asked seriously.
“Well… it’s a little troublesome. The pill-making process isn’t too difficult, but I need a lot of ingredients.”
“That’s easy. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll get someone to airlift them here. You can get all the ingredients you need in a few hours,” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
Tang Hao immediately gave him a list of ingredients.
“The final ingredient, and the most important one, is the blood of the serpent monster. We will not be able to make the antidote pill without its blood.”
Taoist Master Qian Ji thought for a while and said, “I should be able to get all the herbs you need. As for the serpent blood, that’s the easiest. We’ll just have to go and kill the monster.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao nodded.
Taoist Master Qian Ji made a phone call while the other Taoist masters checked their equipment in preparation for the raid.
According to
Shabby Taoist Master, the serpent monster’s nest was in a cave next to the village.
Taoist Master Qian Ji returned soon from the call.
They carried their equipment and went toward the serpent cave.
The mist became thicker as they walked deeper into the mountain. They saw a crack in a cliff wall.
They walked into the crack in a single file.
The inside was pitch-black. Even though they were all cultivators with extraordinary senses of sight and hearing, they needed a high-powered searchlight to guide the way.
About three minutes later, the path opened up into a cavern. In the middle of the cavern was a deep, dark hole that led to a downward slope.
They went into the hole, each one of them carrying a searchlight.
The air was stale and the mist was cloyingly thick. The nauseating stench of the serpent monster filled the air.
The hole led very far down. They did not know how long they had been walking.
Suddenly, they heard noises coming from below. They could hear the hissing of the serpent monster and gunfire.
They stopped walking and furrowed their brows.
“Why are there people down there?” Taoist Master Qian Ji pondered grimly.
Shabby Taoist Master shook his head. “I don’t know! The incident started the day before yesterday. We arrived yesterday afternoon, and we haven’t got the chance to explore the cavern after locating it.”
“Something’s not right. Stay sharp, everyone!” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
The noise became louder as they went further down the slope.
It sounded like there was a group of people caught in an intense battle with the serpent monster.
They arrived at the end of the slope about four minutes later. They turned off their searchlights and sneaked in silently.
There was a large underground cavern with a river flowing through it.
Many searchlights were placed along the banks and they all pointed toward the river. There was a large white cobra there. Its scales shimmered as they reflected the searchlights.
The white cobra was ensnared in a giant web. It was struggling with all its might and hissing madly.
The serpent monster spewed black mist at its surroundings.
On both sides of the underground river stood men in black suits. They were holding either machine guns or weapons that looked like harpoons.
Tatatat!
Tongues of fire appeared from the muzzles of the guns. Volleys of bullets assaulted the white cobra.
Everyone was shocked when they saw that.
They carefully crept inward and hid behind a large rock.
“It’s the Wang family descendant branch!” Shabby Taoist Master whispered.
“So it’s all their fault!” Everyone understood immediately.
The Wang family descendant branch was trying to hunt the white cobra, and that must have caused the serpent plague in the village.
Tang Hao stuck his head out and looked around. He noticed a figure standing next to the river. That figure was dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, but Tang Hao could recognize that he was none other than Wang Changsheng.
“Let’s wait a while longer. We’ll swoop in when they’re exhausted from the fight,” Taoist Master Qian Ji whispered to the team of Taoist masters.
The Taoist masters agreed. They concealed their qi and waited patiently.
More than an hour later, the white cobra was beginning to tire.
Wang Changsheng finally made his move. With a fist, he punched the white cobra within an inch of its life.
“Haha! Once I swallow this white cobra, I’ll restore my cultivation base by half. Hmph! It’ll then be time to seek revenge with that bunch of good-for-nothing Taoist masters.
“Right, and that filthy kid too! Damn bastard!”
Suddenly, Taoist Master Qian Ji hopped out from behind the rock and roared, “You’re surrounded, villain! Surrender and we won’t kill you!”
The other Taoist masters also stood in formation.
Wang Changsheng was stunned. He looked at the people incredulously.
He swept his eyes across Taoist Master Qian Ji and the other Taoist masters and grunted condescendingly.
Then, he saw another figure appear from behind the rock.
His eyes immediately became wide and nearly popped out of their sockets. “F*ck, it’s you again!”
Chapter 279 - Foiled Again
Wang Changsheng almost blew his top when he saw that kid.
The kid had defeated him, which had tarnished his reputation as an ancient evil.
He hated that kid a lot.
However, he feared the rare Artifact that the kid had with him.
“You managed to escape last time, villain. Instead of hiding away, you continued to terrorize the innocent. This time, I, Qian Ji Zi, will punish you in the name of the heavens and eliminate you from this world.” Taoist Master Qian Zi yelled.
Wang Changsheng grunted coldly. “You think you can do that? Hmph! You think too highly of yourself.”
He gestured toward them. The Wang family descendant branch turned their firepower toward the Taoist masters.
Instantly, the sounds of gunfire echoed in the cave.
Bullets rained on the Taoist masters like raindrops.
Shabby Taoist Master and the other Taoist masters quickly scuttled behind the rock. Occasionally, they stuck their heads out of the rock and threw yellow paper talismans across the river.
Tang Hao was also jumping around to evade the gunfire.
“Dammit, this bunch of whelps isn’t holding back with the gunfire. I should’ve packed some heat too,” Trendy Taoist Master said angrily.
Tang Hao did not say anything. He reached into his pocket dimension, retrieved a big sack, and threw it on the ground.
“Here, take this!”
The Taoist masters went cross-eyed when they saw the contents of the sack.
“Jade talismans! They’re all jade talismans!”
“Haha! The bastards are finished!”
The Taoist masters took a bunch of jade talismans each, then stuck out their heads and threw the talismans at them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Normal yellow paper talismans had limited power, but jade talismans were far stronger. The shockwave from the explosions of jade talismans was enough to send the enemies flying.
After the first wave of jade talismans, the Wang family descendant branch had to retreat. They ran away pathetically.
Wang Changsheng nearly popped a vein when he saw that.
He knew that Mao Mountain would not have so many jade talismans. It must be that kid’s handiwork again.
The Wang family forces soon crumbled. Many people were reduced to ashes, while some others were frantically running away.
“Damn you all to hell!” Wang Changsheng roared.
His plan was about to succeed, but he was intercepted by the filthy Taoist masters at the most crucial moment.
He had planned for a long time to consume the white cobra, but [everything seemed to be in vain].
“Die, villain!”
Taoist Master Qian Ji grabbed a bunch of jade talismans, then leaped into the fray to fight with Wang Changsheng.
Taoist Master Qian Ji was the most senior of the Mao Mountain disciples. His cultivation base was the highest and his sorcery skills were the most advanced. Wang Changsheng was badly injured in the last fight and had not fully recovered. The two were equally matched.
The Taoist masters cleared out the Wang family forces, then joined in the fight against Wang Changsheng.
Tang Hao sometimes threw a jade talisman at Wang Changsheng to mess with him.
Wang Changsheng became angrier as he fought.
“You filthy Taoist masters! Aren’t you shameless? Come fight with me one on one!” He yelled.
Taoist Master Qian Ji chuckled. “There’s no shame in ganging up on an evil person like you!”
Soon, Wang Chengsheng could not
fight back anymore. He broke through the crowd and escaped.
“Just you wait, you filthy Taoist masters!” They could hear Wang Changsheng’s voice echoing from afar.
He ran along the river in the other direction, and the Taoist masters did not give chase.
“That Wang villain is quite powerful.” Taoist Master Qian Ji’s expression was grim.
If Wang Changsheng was fighting at full strength, they might not win.
“Alright, at least we managed to stop that evil monster’s dastardly plan,” Taoist Master Qian Ji said.
Then, his eyes sparkled as he looked at the fallen white cobra on the riverbank. “White cobra meat is incredibly nutritious!”
The other Taoist masters also looked very excited.
“Come, let’s kill the serpent monster. We’ll drain the blood, then remove the skin,” Taoist Master Qian Ji ordered. He rolled up his sleeves and rushed ahead.
Then, the Taoist masters got to work. They first ended the white cobra’s life, then drained it of its blood and removed its skin. They chopped up the body into pieces, then transported the meat back to the village.
After the white cobra died, the mist in the village started to dissipate.
The medicinal herbs for the pill had not arrived yet. Tang Hao and the Taoist masters constructed a spit and roasted the serpent meat.
The meat of the white cobra monster was different from normal snake meat. After five hundred years of cultivation, it was full of qi and vitality. Normal people who ate it would become stronger and live longer. Cultivators who ate it would grow their cultivation base.
That was what Wang Changsheng was planning.
However, he wanted to swallow the white cobra whole to achieve his diabolical ends. Tang Hao and the others roasted the meat and ate it instead.
The effects were about the same, though the taste was very different.
Tang Hao took a bite of the cooked snake meat. His eyes sparkled.
The snake meat was delicate and juicy. It melted in his mouth. He had never eaten such delicious meat before.
“Eat some more, Fellow Cultivator Tang!” The Taoist masters crowded all around and showered him with flattery.
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