She awoke to the events following her visit to the hospital to see you. A woman named Li Xiaoshu gave her a bottle of pills, telling her that as long as she kept taking them, she could maintain her clarity. The person never showed up again after that.

“Your sister knew absolutely nothing about your visit to the hospital with Li Xiaoshu. However, through a colleague, she learned about some unusual actions she had taken during this period when her memory was gone, leading her to deduce that she might have been poisoned by a Miao sorceress’s Gu venom. To uncover the truth and find an antidote, she decided to seek out that Miao woman once more.”

Hearing this, I let out a long sigh of relief. My sister had always been incredibly sharp, always ranking first in her class throughout school. Compared to her, what I lacked was that relentless tenacity to investigate things thoroughly. Wang Jue possessed that same tenacity, which is why he had followed things all the way to Wuzhuang and uncovered so much of this story.

Wang Jue and I exchanged glances, unsure whether we should tell him about Li Xiaohao, but I knew I only had two paths open to me now. If we didn’t hurry, my sister’s life would be hanging by a thread.

“Doctor Wang, can you help me one more time?”

Wang Jue was momentarily stunned, then after a few seconds, a smile touched his lips as he said, “You want me to go with you to find the Miao woman and break the Gu poison afflicting your sister?”

I nodded to Wang Jue. I picked up my phone and dialed Old He’s number. “Hello, Old He, I need a favor. I have an urgent matter requiring me to leave Xiangcheng for a few days, so please make sure you get in touch with Li Xiaoshu within three days.”

Soon, we packed our things, grabbed some dry rations, and drove toward Wangcheng. Along the way, I recounted to him everything that had transpired between myself, Li Xiaoshu, and the Li Xiaohao brothers. He offered no comment, only remarking that the Miao woman’s use of Gu poison was something that had existed since ancient times.

Once we arrived in Wuzhuang, Wang Jue, clearly familiar with the area, located the Miao woman’s house with practiced ease; just as the note indicated, it was the fourth small building after entering the village. The Miao woman was still absent. We managed to learn from the neighbors that her ancestral home was nestled deep in a mountain ravine in the south. The neighbor was quite helpful, giving us her mobile number, but we couldn't get through to her no matter how many times we called. Further inquiries suggested that her remote ancestral village likely had no cellular reception.

It was Wang Jue who had the real experience in tracking people down. He went to the village party secretary’s house, poured out pleasantries, and presented the several boxes of high-end pastries we had bought for our road trip as gifts. The secretary quickly agreed to help us establish contact with the Miao woman’s home village.

After another round of complications, news finally came from the Miao woman’s hometown: she was indeed there, but she was tied up with funeral arrangements and unable to speak with us at the moment.

Only then did Wang Jue and I feel a slight resurgence of confidence. Wang Jue took out another good pack of cigarettes and asked the village secretary for detailed directions to the Miao woman’s remote home. Without pausing, we immediately drove toward that distant location.

The entire route consisted of winding, treacherous mountain roads. On one side was a sheer, jagged cliff face; on the other, a precipice where stones were perpetually blown away by the wind. The serpentine road was just barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. On such brutal roads, which were not even single lanes, we frequently had to meet vehicles coming from the opposite direction. Every time a car sped toward us, I would involuntarily break out in a cold sweat, terrified that we would be squeezed off the cliff or that they would be shoved against the mountain wall.

Wang Jue, however, remained perfectly calm and collected, driving at a steady, unhurried pace. I could not detect even a sliver of nervousness from him.