Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 13: Wang Hao’s Proposal

“Did he just eat something…?” Dr. Ye Ye asked the others with a puzzled expression as he took Ma Ye’s pulse. He was a renowned doctor in Ganzhou City; his family had practiced traditional Chinese medicine for generations, and it wasn’t until his father’s generation that they gradually transitioned to Western medicine—though they had never abandoned their ancestral skills in traditional Chinese medicine. “Someone fed him some kind of herbal medicine… and just now, they were even about to give Ma Ye a snake gallbladder.” Upon hearing the doctor’s words and seeing the expression on his face, Li Hua immediately stepped forward and said. “Snake gallbladder? Where?” Ye Ye’s expression grew even stranger as he asked urgently, but to Li Hua, it seemed as though he was directing his anger toward Wang Hao. As a top-ranked student, Li Hua was no fool. He realized that his earlier rash outburst in defense of Wang Hao had already drawn the disapproval of many classmates—and that was not what he wanted. By bringing this up now, he hoped the doctor would dismiss Wang Hao’s earlier actions—that way, his intervention would seem justified, and he could salvage his reputation. He wanted to draw attention to himself, but not the kind that would reflect poorly on him. “Over there…” Ma Ling pointed. She had noticed earlier that when Wang Hao left, he had set down the snake gallbladder in a very conspicuous spot. Ye Ye followed Ma Ling’s gaze and spotted the snake gallbladder. He took a few quick steps forward and picked it up. Suddenly, he noticed the Green Slender King Snake that Wang Hao had discarded after extracting the gallbladder, and his expression visibly froze. “Who was it just now who suggested we stand the person up…? Where are they now?” Ye Ye asked, his tone tinged with excitement. The other students exchanged glances, unsure how to respond. The most important person, Wang Hao, had already left, and Fang Bing had followed him out. The students of Gan City No. 1 High School weren’t fools—they could clearly see that the doctor’s expression wasn’t one of reproach at all. However, Ye Ye’s next actions and words caused Li Hua’s expression to darken slightly. “Swallow this snake gall. The medicinal catalyst has already taken effect; eating this will neutralize the poison.” Ye Ye placed the snake gall at Ma Ye’s lips. A faint blush spread across Ma Ye’s face, and a pang of shame welled up in her heart as she opened her mouth and swallowed the snake gall. Ma Ling’s face also betrayed a hint of shame. She, too, had been swayed by Li Hua’s words earlier and hadn’t stopped Wang Hao from leaving. Yet, judging by the current situation, Wang Hao hadn’t done anything wrong at all. She had simply been thinking only of herself. She glanced down at the foot of Caoshan Mountain, but by then, Wang Hao and the others were nowhere to be seen. After Ma Ye swallowed the snake gall, a moment passed. Although her face was still somewhat pale and her body felt weak, she was able to walk. As the doctor had said, she would be fine with a little rest and recuperation. Meanwhile, Teacher Zhou looked utterly shaken. After hearing what Dr. Ye Ye had to say, she finally realized that not a single word spoken by Wang Hao and Fang Bing had been false—in fact, even the slightest misstep could have been fatal. This was not the venom of an ordinary Green Slender Snake, but that of the Green Slender King Snake, which is far more potent than the common variety. Ye Ye felt deeply relieved. If there hadn’t been someone there who knew how to administer first aid—even if the student had managed to stand up and hold the sides of his neck—he would never have survived until they arrived. After all, they had come with only a glimmer of hope as doctors; had no one provided immediate treatment, the student would have already died. Ma Ling and the other students exchanged glances, a wry smile forming in their hearts. They no longer felt like playing; but after all the turmoil they’d just been through, and with night falling, they had no choice but to wait until tomorrow to head back down the mountain. The doctor hadn’t left either, and the man in plain clothes who had come with him was the village chief from down the mountain. It was very late, and the situation was urgent, so Ye Ye had asked a local to guide them, and upon hearing this, the village chief immediately volunteered to lead the way himself. As for Wang Hao and his group, after leaving Caoshan, they didn’t head toward Lanjia Village. Instead, they changed course and set off in a different direction. “Let’s not go back today… I’ll take you guys on an adventure—how about staying in a cave and eating wild game?” Wang Hao asked the others for their opinions. “Leave it to you,” Mr. Zhang said with a light chuckle. He hadn’t been able to tell much about Wang Hao’s classmates, but he could tell that Wang Hao and Lan Wei were children of the mountains—spending the night in the mountains was no big deal for them. So he wasn’t particularly worried about their safety in the mountains. After all, this wasn’t the Shennongjia Mountains or the Amazon rainforest—the danger wasn’t that great. They just needed to be careful of venomous snakes and the like. However, he was quite curious about the “wild game” Wang Hao had mentioned, and he was starting to feel a bit eager. “Hao Ge, I’m definitely on board. I’ve got to learn some wilderness survival tips from you… so I can become a wilderness expert at the top of the food chain,” Fang Bing said with a chuckle. “Then let’s go. Did you bring a lighter?” Wang Hao smiled lightly and started walking forward, then paused as if he’d just thought of something. Seeing everyone shake their heads, he said nothing but began gathering dry firewood as they walked. Seeing Wang Hao’s actions, Lan Wei and Fang Bing joined in gathering dry firewood as well. “Are you planning to start a fire? But you don’t have a lighter.” Zhang’s father, observing the three of them gathering kindling, guessed their intention. But without a lighter, how could they start a fire? A sudden thought struck him—he came up with a possibility. “You aren’t planning to make fire by rubbing sticks together, are you?” A strange look flashed in Zhang’s father’s eyes as he thought of this fire-making technique, which existed only in legends. “That’s right.” Wang Hao nodded slightly. His response immediately excited Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan—this was fire-making by rubbing sticks together, something they’d only ever heard of in legends. Yet they didn’t doubt it for a moment, because the one nodding was Wang Hao—the Wang Hao they trusted implicitly. “How beautiful…” After climbing up a hillside, Zhang’s mother and Zhang Xin both let out a sigh of admiration, while Zhang’s father and Zhang Nan also had looks of awe in their eyes. Wang Hao, Lan Wei, and Fang Bing had all been here before—more than once, in fact—so naturally, it didn’t feel all that special to them. But the first time they’d come, they, too, had been stunned by the beauty before their eyes. By now, the sky had grown completely dark, but by the faint light of the moon, they could vaguely make out a small lake in the distance. It stood in stark contrast to the gray, murky night, creating a place of such exquisite beauty that one could hardly tear oneself away. “This must be the cave…” Wang Hao led Mr. and Mrs. Zhang along the lakeshore to a cliff face. The lake lay directly below, and a massive boulder jutted out from the cave entrance. It wasn’t until they got closer that they realized how well-hidden the cave was… Even at such a close distance, they likely wouldn’t have noticed it if Wang Hao hadn’t pointed it out. The entrance was just wide enough for one person to squeeze through, but once inside, the cave opened up into a whole new world—large enough to comfortably accommodate five or six people for a rest. Mr. Zhang took a look and noticed there was quite a bit of dry grass inside; it seemed someone had been resting there before.