Chapter 6, Conspiracy

Upon reflection, this seems to be the only solution. Therefore, I discussed it with the little yellow dog, and we decided to secretly follow Uncle and the others at that time

Hey! The ancestors are watching, everyone is an adult now, let's not act on impulse! Upon seeing me, the yellow dog quickly shrank back.

What about grandpa? How did he do it? Why did he only submit the upper half?

The only solution I can think of is to hand over the items

I said: "Why inquire so thoroughly? It has nothing to do with you"

After my uncle finished speaking, he threw the luminous pearl to me and said, "Take it, for I fear that once I leave, I will no longer be able to give you anything." Upon hearing this, I felt a pang in my heart and nearly burst into tears, cursing the eighteen generations of the Chen family.

Indeed. The elder uncle nodded and gritted his teeth, saying: "Not only are they a group, but even the wealthy individual who was bitten is part of a trap. The snake-catching technique is precisely recorded at the junction of the incomplete manuscript; without the complete version, it cannot be learned at all. After I cured that fake wealthy man, they came looking for me."

The little yellow dog flinched slightly, glanced behind me, then pursed its lips and tugged at my arm, pulling me behind the ancestral master. With a serious expression, it said: "How does Master treat you, Sun?"

The little yellow dog frowned and said, "This is your family matter. The master does not wish for you to be involved, nor does he want me, an outsider, to know. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to it. I think it would be better to secretly follow along, disregarding any notes, as long as we can ensure the master's safety."

What did the master tell you? Let's think of a way together. I don't care how you treat the master, but he has given me a new lease on life. You may watch him die, but I cannot. After saying this, the little yellow dog turned to the side, exuding an air that suggested if I don't speak today, I will have my arm twisted off, with a fiercely menacing gaze.

My mother is someone who does not take charge, and my father is even more timid than I am. Since childhood, I have been raised by my uncle, and our bond is closer than that of biological father and son. At this moment, when he said that, I almost cried. Gritting my teeth, I said: "A son must repay his father's debts; this is a debt owed by my grandfather, and I, as his grandson, will repay it. Just tell me where it is, and I will take him there"

I have some doubts in my heart. Although this notebook is extremely valuable, it was still a society governed by law at that time. Could it be that someone really dared to come and steal it? Moreover, what did my grandfather want with this notebook? Although he passed away early, in my vague memories, my grandfather, Sun Yihua, was regarded as a transcendent figure by everyone. Whenever anyone mentioned him, they would respectfully refer to him as 'Doctor Sun' with a look of reverence.

Specifically, it is a very simple map, arranged in a rectangular format, without any textual annotations, yet it is immediately apparent that it is a map and not something else

I asked my uncle, and he replied: "Your grandfather was left with no choice at that time, so he asked me to make a phone call to someone, requesting that person to help save the individual. In the end, those people were driven away, taking only their upper bodies."

When my uncle reached this point, I vaguely felt that I had grasped something, but I could not be certain. I said, "That old beggar, under the pretext of asking for water, gave us the first half on purpose... Could it be that he intended to..." Suddenly, I was struck with realization and exclaimed, "To lead us to the second half!"

I feel both like cursing and crying; isn't this deliberately making someone feel miserable

Uncle nodded and said, "That place is almost isolated from the world; once you enter, even satellites cannot locate you. Only your grandfather knows the route. He has told me the route, but it was only verbal. Whether we can find it is another matter. It doesn't matter if this old body of mine dies, but the key issue is my useless apprentice. If I leave just like this, the Sun family will be left without a successor, and I would be ashamed before our ancestors." As Uncle spoke the last part, it seemed as if he was about to cry.

I was taken aback for a moment, wondering who exactly the reinforcements my grandfather had summoned were, to be so formidable

The little yellow dog said: "Although you are quite a nuisance, we have been brothers for a while. Let's just let the small quarrels go. If you really have something going on, I can't just ignore it. So tell me, what difficulties are you facing?"

The little yellow dog, with a pained expression, said: "Ancestor, when it comes to harming others, how can I compare to you? I merely complain a little, but you kicked so hard that my ribs are broken." In a bad mood, I replied irritably: "Didn’t you boast last time about being able to bring the dead back to life and restore decayed bones? Just reattach your own broken ribs."

I glanced at the little yellow dog, then let out a cold laugh and said, "I never realized you were so enthusiastic before"

I hurriedly patted his back and said, "It's alright, it's alright. The Sun family still has me, so you can rest assured. At worst, I will close my little pharmacy first; I will hold down the fort here for you." Uncle smacked his lips and retorted, "You? People might think our Sun family has a hereditary treatment for mental illness! No way, no way, you get out of here."

After leaving the study with my uncle, I found the little yellow dog still kneeling in the ancestral hall, muttering to itself with great concentration. I thought about sneaking up on it to scare it, so I crept up quietly and listened closely. To my surprise, it was cursing at me, wishing me to have a son without eyes. I was instantly furious and kicked it from behind, sending it sprawling in front of the statue of the ancestral master.

Rely on!

Uncle's expression darkened as he nodded and said: "This item is extremely precious. In fact, the person who originally obtained it, for reasons unknown, divided it into two parts. Your grandfather endured countless dangers in his early years to acquire the lower part. The hardships involved are beyond the understanding of you children. After your grandfather obtained it, he did not dare to make it public and only secretly sought the upper part."

I understand in my heart, saying: "So this person with the surname Chen has come to ask you for help? Does he also want something from our family?"

The uncle nodded slightly, then shook his head and sighed, "What he wants is not things, but life itself"

I voiced my confusion, and my uncle looked at me with a gaze akin to that of a fool, sighing, "You silly boy." He said only this one sentence before wearily collapsing into the chair, as if he were quite exhausted

Damn it, what kind of adult are you? Is there anyone as harmful as you?

After a moment, he said: "Different fields are like different mountains; if you have not entered the field, you cannot see its essence. It is an industry that can save lives, but it is also like a grave. The contents recorded in this notebook are profound and obscure, containing countless ingenious ancient formulas. Even without the legendary elixir of immortality, it is still a precious treasure of our traditional medicine. Anyone in this field desires to possess it; you do not understand."

Uncle was taken aback, then directly kicked me and said: "Nonsense! If your grandfather knew, he would definitely crawl out of the ground at midnight and skin me alive." After saying this, he seemed unwilling to continue the topic, waved his hand, and said: "Don't tell anyone about this. We agreed to set off on the fifteenth of the lunar month. If the journey goes smoothly, it will take a month for a round trip. If I haven't returned home a month later, you can cry a few times on the stone platform at the east end of the village for Uncle, and that would count as someone sending me off."

He wants you to go?

Uncle seemed to realize he was losing control, and he moderated his tone, saying: "What he wants is not this tattered book, but the entire map. In other words, he wants me to lead the way back to that village. That place is deep within the Mangshan Mountains of Shanxi, inhabited by a group of uncivilized savages. Moreover, according to your grandfather, there are many... things that ordinary people cannot imagine inside. Going there is simply a matter of life and death."

Uncle said slowly: "This is half of a map; the other half was not copied down by your grandfather at the time. It is said that it was discovered by the people in the village. Those people were in cahoots with the old beggar, and they were affiliated with a large biopharmaceutical company, backed by a significant force. On the day they came, they all had guns tucked in their waists"

"Go to hell." My uncle laughed in anger and said, "He is a Taoist doctor, dealing with ghosts and spirits. What do you have to compete with him? That worthless red booklet?" My uncle's words somewhat hurt my pride, and I remained silent, feeling a bit suffocated inside

I was taken aback and couldn't help but imagine the scene at that time. Although my grandfather was highly esteemed, our family was ultimately just ordinary people. What should an ordinary person do when faced with a group of armed men with backgrounds?

I was taken aback for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit like a jerk. If even a stranger can care so much, has my conscience been eaten by a dog? Gritting my teeth, I waved to the little yellow dog, expressed Uncle's concerns, and then asked what to do about the little yellow dog.

I inquired with my eyes at my uncle, but he did not speak directly, only saying: "That person with the surname Chen is from the faction of the rescuers. Our family owes their family a significant favor and needs to assist them with a matter."

Uncle did not say a word, silently shaking his head. Then, he slowly pointed to the last line of the cowhide scroll and said, "Look..." I examined it closely and was taken aback, for the last line of the scroll turned out to be a map

I noticed that the little yellow dog seemed a bit off, its expression somewhat gloomy, resembling that of my uncle. I thought to myself, no wonder they are master and apprentice; they both exhibit the same demeanor when angry

The little yellow dog rubbed its back with a disgruntled expression, then peered furtively outside the ancestral hall a few times. Seeing no one around, it approached again and said, "Brother, feeling down? What did the master say to you?"

This question, if asked with a playful smile, I would probably respond casually, playfully retorting back. However, the little yellow dog was very serious, so I also asked earnestly: "Not thin."

Observing my uncle's expression, I involuntarily nodded and did not refute his remarks. After a moment, I speculated: "Later, you learned the snake-catching technique mentioned above, attracting a group of 'peers.' Were they in cahoots with that old beggar?"

I was taken aback for a moment, and then I became angry. I patted my uncle's shoulder and said, "If he dares to act recklessly, I will fight him to the end"

The little yellow dog nodded, crouched down, and said: "Master is in trouble, will you help?" I couldn't help but hesitate for a moment and replied: "What exactly do you want to say?"

Uncle said this, and I suddenly thought of something, so I couldn't help but ask: "Uncle, our family once obtained the complete version; does that manuscript really contain the method for concocting the elixir of immortality?"