Volume 2: Secret Burial in the Cliff Valley - Chapter 150: The Cooked Duck Has Flown Away

At the time, I didn't think much of my Third Uncle's remark. However, subsequent days proved that his words had been prophetic. Zhou Zheng caused us immense trouble, even bringing us to the brink of disaster, and nearly cost us our lives on several occasions.

After finishing his account, Chu Liuyan smiled and patted me on the shoulder, "Drop by the bureau when you have time to process the paperwork and collect the bounty."

"Huh? There's actually a cash reward?" I was genuinely surprised, as I had assumed Chu Liuyan only made that up to trick me into going to South Willow Village.

Chu Liuyan said solemnly, "Of course. You played a massive role in successfully cracking this case. You thoroughly deserve this money."

Third Uncle chimed in, "My boy, go take care of it when you have a moment. It's free money—we earned it with our lives, so don't spare them. Make sure we set aside a portion for Old Ma and Liang Yue as well..."

I nodded. Indeed, we had all been through fire and water this time, escaping death by a hair's breadth. Being able to return completely unscathed was nothing short of a miracle.

Third Uncle glanced at Chu Liuyan and asked, "How is your health?"

Chu Liuyan gave a bitter smile and pulled open the front of his shirt: "Same as before, but I estimate that in less than a month, I'll turn into a zombie."

Sure enough, Chu Liuyan's chest had already stiffened considerably, turning an ash-gray color.

He claimed he only had a month left to live, yet he remained as lighthearted and conversational as ever. Anyone unaware of the situation would never have guessed he was a dying man. Such poise and breadth of mind were simply beyond the reach of an ordinary person. It was clear that, much like Third Uncle, he possessed extraordinary abilities—abnormal in a rather otherworldly way.

Third Uncle nodded and said, "Zou Baizu and those insect corpses emitted a miasma of insect-zombie aura. We were all infected by it, contracting a form of insect-zombie affliction. Fortunately, we managed to acquire the Dragon Gall Sand, so there is still hope. We should probably get some news in the next couple of days."

Chu Liuyan nodded, exchanged a few brief pleasantries, and left.

By the next day—which was the sixth day since our return—there was still not a peep from Old Ma's end.

Growing impatient, I decided to call Old Ma.

The line connected amidst a backdrop of noisy commotion. I asked loudly, "Old Ma, have you figured out that substance yet? If we delay any longer, people are going to die."

Old Ma's voice sounded somewhat helpless and he stammered in response.

Sensing something was amiss, I urgently asked, "Old Ma, don't tell me something went wrong on your end?"

Ma Su sighed, "I'm right outside your company. Let's go inside and talk."

Hearing this, I quickly hung up the phone and rushed outside, where I indeed found Ma Su wandering around with a backpack on his back.

"Old Ma, what's wrong with you? Why didn't you come inside when you arrived?" I muttered as I hauled Ma Su up to the second floor.

"Li Yang, is your Third Uncle alright?" Ma Su asked.

"See for yourself whether he's alright or not," I said, pointing toward Third Uncle, who was still sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Ma Su looked at Third Uncle in astonishment, "It's only been a few days, why has he become so haggard?"

"Isn't he waiting for your Dragon Gall Sand to save his life? What's going on, Old Ma? This is a matter of utmost urgency. I didn't even dare call you for fear of disturbing your work, yet there hasn't been a single peep from your side?" I complained, feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

"Don't speak to him like that." Third Uncle opened his eyes, stopped me, and said to Ma Su, "My condition has nothing to do with the Dragon Gall Sand, but someone else is indeed in desperate need of it. Well? Has the Dragon Gall Sand been successfully refined?"

Ma Su sighed, "I have some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

I waved my hand, "What time is it now, and you're still in the mood for games? Give me the bad news first..."

Ma Su said, "The bad news is that I handed the Earth Mirage over to Xing Mo, but Xing Mo left without saying goodbye, taking the Earth Mirage with him. I... none of us can find him anymore."

"W-What?" Third Uncle was meditating barefoot on the bed; upon hearing this, he didn't even bother putting on his shoes, rolling right off the bed and grabbing Ma Su by the collar as he demanded an explanation.

"Y-Y-You... calm down, Old Daoist Li, don't act impulsively." Ma Su grabbed Third Uncle's wrists, struggling desperately.

"Nonsense! How can I calm down? We trusted you so much, why did you give the item to Xing Mo? Did you abandon your morals for profit and collude with him to hide the Earth Mirage?" Third Uncle increased the force in his hands, choking Ma Su.

"Old Daoist Li, you need to base your accusations on facts. Am I, Ma Su, that kind of person?" Ma Su's face turned green from being throttled.

Realizing this was about to turn fatal, I hurriedly stepped forward and pulled Third Uncle apart.

Ma Su clutched his neck, gasping heavily for air, and said, "You're too impulsive. Didn't I say there's still good news?"

Third Uncle snapped angrily, "Bullshit! With this bad news as a baseline, what the hell kind of good news could there possibly be?"

Ma Su replied, "Let me finish first. The good news is that before I gave the Earth Mirage to Xing Mo, I secretly kept one aside for research purposes. Moreover, over the past couple of days, I've successfully refined the Dragon Gall Sand. It's just that the quantity is a bit small—aside from curing your illnesses, there won't be any left over."

"What the hell! Ma Su, what is wrong with you? Why didn't you say so earlier? This little bit of life-saving Dragon Gall Sand is all we need." I let out a sigh of relief. That meant Third Uncle and Chu Liuyan still had a chance.

Ma Su said with a aggrieved expression, "Weren't you the one who wanted to hear the bad news first?"

With that, Ma Su took a test tube out of his backpack. Inside were some green, crystalline objects—evidently the Dragon Gall Sand.

Third Uncle snatched the test tube away, still unwilling to let the matter rest: "That still won't do! That was originally a massive fortune of ours. With the Dragon Gall Sand from five Earth Mirages, besides curing our poison, we would have had four left over. Think of how much money we could have made! And you ruined it all, you old eccentric. Because of this, I almost don't even want to use this Dragon Gall Sand to cure my illness anymore..."

Watching Third Uncle's expression of utter despair, I hurriedly snatched back the test tube and scolded, "You're someone who cares more about money than his life! Once you're dead, what good is Dragon Gall Sand to you?"

Holding the test tube, I asked Ma Su, "This thing can cure the insect-zombie affliction, right?"

Ma Su nodded, "I've studied it, and this substance truly has miraculous efficacy. Not only can it cure the insect-zombie affliction, but it can also neutralize all poisons and repair damaged bodily functions. Thus, its ability to prolong life and promote longevity is no exaggeration at all. For symptoms like your Third Uncle's, which are not yet too severe, taking a small dose dissolved in water will resolve it. For those with severe symptoms, the dosage in this test tube is more than enough. If this stuff were actually put on the market, selling a single pill for a million wouldn't be a problem, and it might even go for more..."

Third Uncle looked like he was about to cry, and cursed indignantly, "Stop talking, damn it! The more you talk, the more my heart aches. A cooked duck just flew away like that—my money... damn it..."

I looked at Third Uncle. He had been sickly all along, but the moment money was mentioned, he sprang back to life as if injected with adrenaline. This frantic Third Uncle was the very Third Uncle I knew.

However, complaints aside, the illness still had to be treated. That very evening, I brought Chu Liuyan over, and under Ma Su's guidance, the two of them ingested the dissolved Dragon Gall Sand from the test tube respectively.

Ma Su said that for Third Uncle's condition, it should take effect within three days. As for Chu Liuyan's state, it would take at least seven days before alleviation began.

After taking the Dragon Gall Sand, we resumed our condemnation of Xing Mo. Back at the cliff valley, Xing Mo had constantly protected Ma Su, even willing to fall out completely with Zhou Zheng. That was why Ma Su had felt comfortable entrusting the Earth Mirage to him.

Never had we expected that this very Xing Mo would also succumb to greed, absconding with the Dragon Gall Sand. This came as a complete surprise to us.