Chapter 169 News (1/2)
Edelweiss and I were equally confused when Zhang Zhigui pointed at his own nose, grimacing with a smile. Suddenly, a rosy-red patch blazed on his cheeks and suddenly he was silent, giving only a tacit response.
”Come on, Zhigui,” Yan Jishi, the expletive-vending machine roared with laughter, ”Did you not always brag about how strong your sense of smell can be? How did you fail this time?”
As it turned out, that was Zhang Zhigui that we saw from the top of the hill, reaching a hand into the noxious and miasmic haze before he took out some face masks and applied some medicine on it. From atop the crest of the hill, that was all that we saw. What we did not know was, Zhigui had sniffed at the smell of the haze, hoping that he might know something about it.
Unlike the conventional methods of ”Watching, Listening, Inquiring, and Examining” of traditional Chinese medicine, the healing skills Zhang Zhigui learned included smelling, which ironically shared the same Chinese word as ”Listening.” This was due to his gifted sense of smelling and his years of honing this very sense which has always made him proud of. Some might even argue that his sense of smell was as good as a hound. But little did he expect that I would release the noxious miasmic gas which was excreted by fox demons...
”Alas... This trick of yours, Shiyan, was a natural counter against me that I was immediately robbed of the use of my most precious sense. And being unable to see in the haze, I was no more useful than a cripple...” Zhang Zhigui admitted, his face burning brightly in red.
With that, Zhang Zhigui and his companions stayed in the subterranean village for a day to help ease the tensions between the foxes and the weasels before he led the weasels back to Yizhou City. Then I went to Lao Tao. ”I remember the immortal who calls himself Master Six had sent a weasel here. But I have yet to notice its presence here during my stay? Am I right in guessing that the weasels from Yizhou City were here because they wished that it might help to speak to you on their behalf to let them stay?” Lao Tao giggled, ”Then it might interest you to know that that weasel has never once come out of its lair since coming here. It must be the rebuke by the demigod Master Six that it is now afraid of causing more trouble. I was surprised myself that it never once showed itself even when its kin from Yizhou City was here. But I suppose it's afraid of incurring the wrath of any more powerful beings and entities. ”But that weasel is older than even you, Lord Mountain Deity,” I mused quietly. Then again, this weasel must be a sharp and cunning one. It must have long realized that the appearance of its kin here and everything that followed was more than an interspecies squabble and it had correctly predicted that somehow I would be involved.
The rest of us enjoyed another two days in the lost paradise of Yellow Soil Ridge before we took our leave and said our farewells to Lao Tao to return to Wu Zhong. During our parting, Lao Tao, with a retinue of various demons and sprites, had accompanied us all the way to a nature resort just outside of the Ridge where we parted and said our thanks for their hospitality. But I could not help but feel worried for them; imagine the panic setting loose on the media if anyone were to notice such a large troupe of demons loitering about in daylight!
We went back to the resort. For the past few days, we had left our car there before we ventured into the wilderness of the Ridge. The proprietor of the resort was overjoyed and anxious to meet us. ”Heavens! I was going to call the police! Where have you been!? I thought you were lost in the Ridge or somewhere!” I merely smiled and said nothing. His reaction was understandable, and hence forgivable, although we would dispense with providing him any details.
We arrived back at our Center in the afternoon and the first thing we did was to recharge our phone batteries. Our phones had long gone dead for the past few days. But as soon as our phones were powered on, they began buzzing, ringing and vibrating uncontrollably. Edelweiss' phone was peppered with advertisements while Lin Feng's and Chongxi's were undoubtedly packed with messages and emails from Yuanyuan and Xiao Yu. But when mine was on, I was surprised to find my phone buzzing as well! It was all messages from Zheng Shuang, asking for me and telling me that something bad had happened!
I immediately placed a call to Zheng Shuang. ”Hey, Zheng Shuang, it's me.” He was relieved to finally hear my voice. ”Oh my God! Shiyan?! Where have you been!? Why is your phone dead!? I was so worried?!” ”Relax,” I said, ”I was busy for the past few days and had been away from Wu Zhong for a few days.” But before I could say anymore, Zheng Shuang's voice had come from the other end of the phone. ”Where are you now? The Center? Wait, I'm coming right over now!”
Within just ten minutes, Zheng Shuang's car screeched to a halt just outside our door.