Goddamnit! Sh*t! F*ck! After he emerged from the clinic, Miao Chengtang continued to curse. He felt he and Xu Xinyuan had both been cheated.

He turned around to look at the clinic behind him. He felt an intense urge to burn the whole place down right there and then.

He opened the door and got into the car.

That fast? Are you done with your treatment, Mr. Miao? the driver asked anxiously seeing him getting in so quickly.

Lets go, Miao Chengtang said. He was feeling frustrated.

The driver did not ask any further questions. He ignited the engine, turned the car around, and left the village.

He had quite the temper. Wang Yao chuckled in his clinic.

Worse still, he has other problems with his body that he doesnt know yet.

The patient needed nothing else but the bowl of medicinal soup to eradicate the bugs. That sedge herb was capable of ridding ones body of poisonous bugs, which had been tested time and again. Wang Yao cured Miao Chengtang of the bug curse, but the mans internal organs, which were damaged from the bug infestation, had yet to be repaired. He needed further treatments to fix them. It was a pity that Miao Chengtang did not have the patience to go through with it.

Its quite a pity indeed, Wang Yao mumbled. If he leaves it as it is, he will live no more than 15 years.

Those bugs were indeed potent. They had done extensive damage to his lungs in an extremely short time. Worse still, they had traveled through his bloodstream and entered the other organs, damaging them to the core. Although the bugs had been removed, the damage they left behind had not been repaired. His body was destined to deteriorate faster than it should, and he would become prone to easily getting ill.

Valley of Thousands of Medicine, Miao Xihe, Blood Orchid, and sacred medicine? Wang Yao recalled what he was told about the valley by his patient.

Is that Miao Xihe an immortal or something?

The car sped on the road outside the village.

Miao Chengtang began coughing again. He felt pressure in his chest. It was as if something was pounding from within and was about to burst out.

He anxiously yelled at the driver, Stop the car! Stop the car! I said stop the car!

The car screeched to a stop by the roadside.

Whats wrong, Mr. Miao?

Miao Chengtang said nothing. He pushed the door open and went to the roadside. He spat out quite a bit of blood.

Huff Huff Huff

He breathed heavily. The stench of blood filled his mouth, but he felt better after spitting out the blood. His lungs had become a lot lighter, and he no longer felt pressure or pain. He lowered his head and looked at the blood. There were blood clots in it.

Damn you, Miao Xihe. Damn you, stupid doctor.

His stomach suddenly rumbled. It felt as if water was boiling in his stomach.

What now?

He was unable to hold it in anymore. He took off his pants behind a rock at the roadside and released. The diarrhea was so bad that he felt his legs getting limp.

The driver looked outside the window and thought, I wonder if Mr. Miao is doing alright.

Man, its already this time of the year, and the Spring Festival is just days away. I sure hope nothing else goes wrong. The driver was in a hurry to get back to Tianjin and meet up with his family.

I shouldnt have let money fool me into taking up this job! He was feeling extremely frustrated.

However, Miao Chengtang, who just had explosive diarrhea behind the rock, felt even more frustrated. After he was finished, he dejectedly found that there was no toilet paper on him.

Goddamnit!

He wanted to call the driver over, but the situation was too embarrassing for him to do so.

Oh, whatever! He was at the side of the road and out in the wild. There was always something around.

He grabbed a few stones and took care of the problem.

The driver was just about to get out of the car when he saw Miao Chengtang emerge from the rock not far away. His face was a lot paler. Mr. Miao, you dont look so good.

Drive.

Where to?

Miao Chengtang pondered it for a bit and said, Back to Tianjin.

Will do. The driver started the car and headed straight for Tianjin. He wanted nothing more than to go home.

Miao Chengtang laid on the seat. It felt as if all of his strength had been sucked away.

The car sped along the road. There were many cars on the road. Most people were rushing home several days before the holiday. All roads and highways throughout the country were experiencing the same conditions.

Miao Chengtang continued laying on the seat.

What happens now?

The bugs will eat my lungs, heart, intestines, and everything else. They will then burst through my stomach, and my blood would spill over the floor. I will die. Its just that I dont where Ill die. Maybe it will be in Tianjin, or maybe it will be on the road back to Tianjin. Im done for. He stared outside the window with eyes that looked dead.

Mr. Miao, you dont look so good. Maybe you should take a nap.

Sure, be careful on the road, Miao Chengtang lethargically replied. He had no intention of talking much at such times. He was not in the mood.

His current disposition was best described as being totally dead inside.

He wanted to die peacefully, but that was not something that would ever come true.

The car kept steadily moving down the road. The scenery outside the window continued to go backward. The sky gradually turned dark. Miao Chengtang was tired enough that before he realized it, he had fallen asleep.

By the time he woke up, it was dark outside. The car remained traveling along the highway.

Huh?

Youre awake.

Miao Chengtang sat up and moved his body a little bit.

Feeling better now? Youve been sleeping for two hours and a half, the driver said.

Two hours and a half?

Indeed.

Miao Chengtang looked outside the window. He saw lights from a city that was foreign to him from far away.

Are you hungry? Should we find someplace to eat?

Sure. He was feeling hungry.

After driving for quite a while still, the car came to a rest area on the highway. They got out of the car and ate something. They needed a break.

Man, this is tiring! The driver stretched for a bit.

He ate and drank something before lighting a cigarette.

That doctor really is something, the driver said.

Huh? Miao Chengtang was dumbfounded.

It has only been more than three hours since you came out of the clinic, the driver said. You coughed three times. Except for the first time, where you coughed exceptionally hard, the remaining two times were light coughs.

My gosh, its true!

Miao Chengtang realized that as well. He had felt dead inside throughout the journey. He thought that he would soon bite the dust. He had been completely oblivious to the changes in his body.

His coughs had been far less frequent. He did not spew any blood. The pains and pressure in his chest were more than halved.

Are his meds really that good? Miao Chengtang remained dazed.

Have I actually gotten better?

Shall we move on? The driver had taken enough rest. He was anxious to go home to his family.

Sure, lets go. Miao Chengtang had regained some bit of strength.

I might have actually gotten better!

The car sped away. They finally reached Tianjin after midnight.

Miao Chengtang expressed his thanks and gave the driver some more money before he got out of the car and returned home.

He did not bother washing up after getting inside. He immediately slumped on his bed. He recalled the arduous journey and all he had experienced in the trip, especially that young village doctor.

It looks like Ive really gotten better.

He had been on the road for hours after coming out of that rest area. He never coughed again, and the discomfort in his chest had waned.

He was unable to believe it.

He was unable to believe that he had gotten better.

Due to the exhaustion from the journey, he fell asleep before he knew it. By the time he woke up, it was almost noon.

He slept very well that night. After he woke up, he still felt rather tired. He was also famished. He cooked some noodles and added two eggs. He ate well.

Ring! Vrrrr

He received a call before he was done with his meal. It was Xu Xinyuan. He asked about how the treatment went.

Gosh, youve been too impulsive! Xu Xinyuan was upset to hear that Miao Chengtang had been rude to Wang Yao.

Hes the real deal. Didnt I tell you that before?

It was my fault. I had been too unwell to think and lost all sense of reasoning. By the time I realized he was right all along, I was already out of Qi Province. Ive decided to make a trip over there after the holiday celebrations are over to apologize to the doctor personally.