When I heard Wang Qing thank me, I replied calmly, "After all, we've known each other for a while. Since I saw you in trouble, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Isn't that a kind of fate?"

"I'm curious why you're helping me."

Although Wang Qing was poisoned, he was still conscious and said to me, "During the competition, I stole your tokens. Don't you hate me?"

I laughed out loud: "You're a master of poison, but when it comes to interpersonal relationships, you're clearly a complete novice! You did steal my things in the previous competition, but that's all in the past. What good would it do me to keep bothering you? It would only make you another enemy!"

You already owe me a favor for taking the token, and by helping you now, I've gained another friend! Having already paid a price, why should I keep arguing with you and incur further unnecessary costs?

Wang Qing thought about what I said for a moment, then nodded with difficulty: "You're a smart person. If you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend! Don't worry, I'll withdraw the money I owe you from the bank and pay you back once I've recovered a bit. I won't let you help me for nothing!"

"Since you consider me a friend, why be so formal? There's no rush to pay me back!"

I answered Wang Qing's question with a smile, and then continued, "I've already promised Wang Hong that I'll protect your safety. Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Lend me some more money."

Wang Qing got straight to the point: "The poison they used on me this time was very complicated. Although the Ice-type Snow Frog can cure all poisons, it also takes a lot out of the body. I need to re-prepare some medicine to restore myself to normal."

I picked up the paper and pen on the table: "Just make a list of what medicines you need, and I'll have someone buy them for you."

After the monkey brought back the necessary medicine, Wang Qing said to me, "Actually, some of the medicines you bought are redundant. You need to stay away when I'm preparing the medicines."

I wasn't surprised by Wang Qing's statement. After all, he and his fellow disciples kept their sect's secrets tightly under wraps, so it was even more impossible for outsiders to know about the secret formulas for concocting poisons and antidotes.

Even so, I still pretended to be angry and looked at Wang Qing: "Wang Qing, I sincerely wanted to be friends with you. Isn't what you did just too disheartening?"

Wang Qing already owes me such a huge favor, and seeing my anger, he couldn't help but feel guilty: "Duan Tao, I did this to protect you. According to the rules of our sect, all poison formulas and antidotes are closely guarded secrets. If anyone outside the sect learns the formula, they will be killed without mercy! I cannot betray our sect, and I hope you can understand."

I glanced at Wang Qing and sneered, "I'm not interested in your sect's secrets. I just don't want the friends I've worked so hard to make to treat me like a fool!"

Wang Qing took the bait as expected, sighed and said, "After Wang Hong finishes preparing the antidote, let's have a good talk, okay?"

I hope you will keep your promise.

I left a message and then left the room.

...

About an hour later, after Wang Hong finished preparing the antidote, she invited me back into the room.

I looked at Wang Qing lying in the coffin: "You said before that you needed to prepare an antidote to restore yourself to normal, but your complexion doesn't seem to have changed much."

"I haven't taken my medication yet."

Wang Qing opened his palm, revealing a golden pill: "This is called the Rejuvenation Pill. After taking it, it can make a person sleep for a whole day, but at the same time it can also accelerate a person's metabolism and make wounds heal faster."

I was skeptical: "Is this thing really that miraculous? I've never heard of this kind of medicine on the market before."

Don't underestimate traditional Chinese medicine.

Wang Qing smiled at me: "My sect has existed for over a thousand years and has produced countless famous doctors, all of whom are great figures who have left their mark on history! Take Angong Niuhuang Wan for example. Due to legal restrictions, the rhinoceros horn has been replaced with water buffalo horn, which will greatly reduce its efficacy. The ivory, rhinoceros horn, and giant clam shells that I asked you to buy before have long been prohibited from being bought and sold! Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine is like alchemy. In addition to the rarity of the materials, the formula is also extremely important."

As I listened to Wang Qing's story, I lit a cigarette without interrupting.

Wang Qing continued, "I am a disciple of the Five Poisons Sect. I entered Fengmen Village this time to find a traitor within my sect."

"The Five Poisons Sect? Isn't that a fictional sect from Jin Yong's novels?"

I squinted at Wang Qing: "Why don't you just say you're a member of the Meow Meow Cult?"

"I'm not lying to you. The Five Poisons Sect is a real martial arts sect. If you don't believe me, you can buy information on the black market. You'll definitely be able to find out about the Five Poisons Sect. However, we are different from the Five Poisons Sect in Jin Yong's novels, which is known for its evil deeds. We are just a martial arts sect that lives in seclusion and focuses on studying traditional Chinese medicine. We also have a legitimate business to cover our activities... As for what kind of evil deeds that traitor I mentioned has committed, I won't tell you. In short, we have gone through a lot of hard work to find his whereabouts."

Wang Qing paused for a moment: "As early as three years ago, our sect found out the whereabouts of that traitor and learned that he was hiding in Fengmen Village. However, the people we sent out to investigate could not find Fengmen Village at all. My master also hired some assassins who could enter Fengmen Village through his connections, but those assassins also disappeared without a trace. That's why the sect spent a lot of money to get me a qualification to enter Fengmen Village so that we could clean house."

"But the way you look at me doesn't seem like you're here to clean house; you seem more like you're here to get yourself killed."

I glanced at Wang Qing: "I heard from Wang Hong that the traitor was your martial uncle, and you were poisoned before you even saw his face, right?"

"If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet!"

Wang Qing shrugged and said, "The wonder of using poison lies in this: it can kill the opponent without bloodshed. In terms of using poison and antidote, that traitor's skills are almost the same as mine, but now I am in the open while he is in the dark, which is the most troublesome thing. I only fell into his trap by accident!"

I was still skeptical: "That guy is your martial uncle, are you really sure you can handle him?"

"When we were in the first round of the competition, many families sent representatives who were much older than us. According to your logic, wouldn't we be eliminated?"

Wang Qing replied with a smile, "Age, besides representing old age, can indeed increase one's experience, but it has nothing to do with talent, does it?"

After listening to Wang Qing's words, I quickly found a loophole.

According to Wang Qing, he is a successor of a traditional Chinese medicine school, but the competition in Fengmen Village tests knowledge of antiques and collectibles.

If this guy is just a traveling doctor, how could he possibly defeat so many family representatives from the antique trade and win in the grueling first round of competition?