“Two of our men were injured while working in Death Canyon. Captain Wang told us to take them back to the earthen fort to recover,” Wang Peitong shouted to Song Hao, who was standing on the earthen wall.
Song Hao glanced at Tang Yu, and the two exchanged a knowing smile. Wang Feng, uneasy about leaving the two alone in Karen Fortress, used an excuse to send someone back to monitor them.
Song Hao ushered the four people into the earthen fortress and feigned a sigh, saying, "I didn't expect another accident. I think there's no point or value in continuing the search for the Heavenly Medicine Treasury like this. Let's just stop searching. One of you should go back to Death Valley and inform Captain Wang to withdraw the expedition team. I've decided, this operation is canceled."
Upon hearing this, Wang Peitong, Liu Shijie, Zu Quan, and Ning Guo all showed expressions of delight. Liu Shijie volunteered, saying, "I'm good at walking, let me go."
Song Hao nodded with a hint of helplessness. Liu Shijie then turned around excitedly and went back into the mountains.
Song Hao and Tang Yu then treated Zu Quan and Ning Guo's wounds. The injuries were minor and located in inconspicuous areas, clearly staged. It was the kind of "shooting oneself in the foot" approach.
While Song Hao and Tang Yu were re-treating the wounds of the two injured people, Wang Peitong took the opportunity to go out and make a round. When he returned, he looked relaxed, indicating that he had not found anything unusual.
In the evening, Wang Feng and Gu Xiaofeng led the expedition team back to Karen Fortress.
“We should be allowed to continue searching for a few more days. We’ve done our best. Going back like this would be a disservice to Chairman Qi,” Wang Feng said, feigning regret.
“Actually, Mr. Qi didn’t have high hopes for this operation either; it was just a last-ditch effort. Now that someone else has been injured, there’s no point in continuing. So I’ve decided to cancel the operation. You’ve already done your best, and Mr. Qi should understand,” Song Hao patiently explained to Wang Feng. He already despised this ruthless man and was filled with anger. If it weren’t for the gravity of the situation and the unfavorable circumstances, he would have already used his “Thunderbolt Needle Technique” to subdue him.
“Alright then. You are Chairman Qi’s full representative and have the right to decide whether to continue or cancel this operation. We respect your opinion. Make preparations tonight, and the entire expedition team will return home first thing tomorrow morning,” Wang Feng said casually.
At this moment, Gu Xiaofeng sat to the side, saying nothing. A look of doubt appeared in his eyes.
After dinner, Song Hao stood on the earthen wall of the fortress, watching the sunset over the Gobi Desert. He felt someone quietly approach him, and when he turned around, he saw Gu Xiaofeng.
“Mr. Gu!” Song Hao nodded in acknowledgment.
Gu Xiaofeng smiled faintly. After looking ahead for a while, he said, "Song Hao, you are an excellent doctor, and Tang Yu is an expert in martial arts. You should understand how those two people's injuries were caused today."
Song Hao was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "It's understandable. Anyone would get tired of this kind of tedious search work. It's just an excuse for us to cancel the operation. Actually, I also want to go back. There's still a lot of work waiting for me at Tianyi Hall. Seven unsuccessful searches are probably fate. We can't force it. Continuing will only be a waste of resources."
"Is that what you think?" Gu Xiaofeng asked.
"Of course!" Song Hao replied. At this moment, Song Hao understood that Gu Xiaofeng was suspicious of his easy and quick cancellation of the operation. There were some things that the other party couldn't hide from him, and similarly, there were some things that he had done that wouldn't be hidden from this master of the martial arts world.
“Song Hao, we’ve returned empty-handed. I really can’t explain this to my old friend,” Gu Xiaofeng said, staring intently into Song Hao’s eyes.
"There's nothing we can do about it; anyone would have ended up the same way. But this trip wasn't a complete waste; we did gain something," Song Hao replied calmly.
"Something has been gained!" Gu Xiaofeng's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he asked in a serious tone, "What has been gained?"
"Seeing the boundless scenery of the vast grasslands is a great joy in life! Don't you think so, Mr. Gu? Or perhaps you are so knowledgeable that you don't care about anything else in the world?" Song Hao said with a smile.
"You flatter me!" Gu Xiaofeng said, his expression softening slightly.
"By the way, the renowned poison doctor Du Wantong once asked me to pass on a message to Mr. Gu," Song Hao said.
"Oh! What did you say?" A complex look appeared in Gu Xiaofeng's eyes.
"Senior Du Wantong said that the goodness or evil in people's hearts cannot be cured or controlled by medicine. Only by healing and reflecting on oneself can one preserve that pure nature. If one can no longer be misled by external things and can clearly distinguish right from wrong, then one has entered the path of sages," Song Hao said earnestly.
"I've learned a lot!" Gu Xiaofeng's eyes dimmed, and he sighed softly. This was a complex character, with a complex psychology that was unfathomable to others.
The next morning, the expedition team packed their belongings and prepared to leave Karen Fortress. Sitting in the car, Song Hao glanced at Karen Fortress, and with a sense of relief, exchanged a smile with Tang Yu beside him.
This scene was witnessed by Gu Xiaofeng, who was sitting in another SUV. A strange look flashed in his eyes, and then he leaned back in his seat and slowly closed his eyes.
"Everything is going according to plan!" Wang Feng, sitting next to Gu Xiaofeng, said excitedly.
The expedition team left the Karen fortress and, after several days of travel, arrived at the China-Mongolia border. The same Mongolian man, Helin, greeted the expedition and retrieved the weapons he had lent them. However, Zhang Kaiyang, who always greeted and saw the expeditions across the border, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, several ordinary staff members from the Tianyi Group's branch in Mongolia were present.
The expedition then crossed the border from Mongolia into Inner Mongolia, China. After resting for the night in that border town, Li Fan escorted Song Hao, Tang Yu, and the squad leader back to Tianyi Hall.
After bidding farewell to Gu Xiaofeng, Wang Feng, and others, the squad leader drove away.
Sitting in the front seat, Li Fan said, "Last night I received a call from the chairman, instructing me to personally escort you back to Tianyi Hall today. He also told me to tell you that Zhang Kaiyang has already led his men to occupy Kalen Fortress. What's going on?"
Upon hearing this, Song Hao felt relieved and smiled, "You should go back and ask your chairman about this."
A month later, Wang Feng secretly led his expedition team into Mongolia under the guise of exploration, arriving at the Kalen earthen fortress at the foot of the Altai Mountains in the Gobi Desert, intending to smuggle the Heavenly Medicine Treasury out. However, when they entered the underground cellar, they were stunned to find it completely empty.
Meanwhile, the precious medicinal herbs in the Heavenly Medicine Treasury had already been secretly transported to the warehouse of the Heavenly Medicine Hall Pharmaceutical Factory. Gu Xiaofeng of the Life and Death Gate, after his final amicable collaboration with Qi Yannian, had disappeared without a trace. In his final moments, he finally gave up.
One year later, on a beautiful evening, the Tianyitang headquarters building was brightly lit.
Song Hao sat in his office, processing documents and reading exciting news. Tianyitang and Tianyi Group had merged, becoming Tianyitang Traditional Chinese Medicine Development Group, or Tianyitang Group for short. Tianyitang had established over fifty branches in all provinces and cities across China, including branches in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. It had also established overseas branches in over thirty countries and regions. Under Tianyitang's promotion, traditional Chinese medicine was gradually flourishing worldwide. The grand goal that Song Hao and his Tianyitang had strived for—the era of a great new TCM—was beginning to be realized.
After a busy night, Song Hao looked up and realized that it was already broad daylight.
He stood by the window, gazing at the Baihe River flowing like a ribbon of white silk, overwhelmed with emotion. Baihe Town had by then developed into a world-renowned "Capital of Traditional Chinese Medicine." Song Hao knew that he and Tianyi Hall still had a long way to go. Tianyi Hall bore the responsibility of revitalizing traditional Chinese medicine, while he himself still had many things to accomplish: the yet-to-be-published *Linglan Secret Canon*, and the ancient and wondrous prescriptions he was researching…
Song Hao went to the other window and saw students from Tianyitang Traditional Chinese Medicine College doing their morning exercises in the distance. From those vibrant children, Song Hao saw the future of traditional Chinese medicine and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
The sun slowly rises from the east, radiating warm sunlight that shines upon this magical land.
A great era—the era of Traditional Chinese Medicine—has finally arrived!
(Although this is still our dream, let's look forward to that day when it truly arrives!)
(The End)