The sound suddenly burst through Ning Tao's spiritual window, as loud as thunder, making Ning Tao's scalp numb!

Who was Master Zhang?

And…

What kind of message was this?

All of a sudden, another message flooded into his spiritual window.

“Run… run! He's coming, he's coming…”

Ning Tao was surprised at the sound in his mind. It was not in any language he knew, and there were fear and despair in the voice.

Then more ma.s.sage flooded into his spiritual window.

“Popsicles! Popsicles! One mao each…”

“Now do the first radio calisthenics, stretching…”

“Dalang, get up and take medicine…”

“j.a.panese pirates! j.a.panese pirates are coming! Notify the government!”

“Its torrent dashes down three thousand feet from high; As if the Silver River fell from the azure sky…”

Messages flooded into his head and voices appeared in his mind as if hundreds of people in different time and s.p.a.ce were talking to him. He felt that his head was about to crack, but he didn't worry that he would lose his mind and go mad at last!

Those savages in Shennongjia still stared at Ning Tao like bystanders. They did not attack him, perhaps because of the moon painted with cloudy ore on his forehead.

Ning Tao knew that in his heart. The messages he received through his spiritual window had nothing to do with these savages.

He finally realized that these Feminine-moon people might indeed be able to communicate through cloudy ore instead of language, but he was not one of them but a natural go-between of good and evil. A piece of very simple evidence was that nothing would happen to Yin Molan and Qing Zhui when they held the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir, but he would have an allergic reaction when he held it. It was no wonder, then, that by applying cloudy ore powder to the forehead, the Feminine-moon people could communicate with the savages and control them, but he received a jumble of messages, like “Dalang, get up and take medicine”.

More and more ma.s.sages flooded into his mind through the spiritual window, and Ning Tao became more and more miserable.

“Ah—” roared Ning Tao. He wanted to drive the noise out of his head.

The noise was not banished, but the savages in Shennongjia, startled by him, and recoiled involuntarily.

Bam!

Ning Tao knelt by the hot spring and washed the crescent pattern off his forehead with a handful of water. Miraculously, the sound disappeared as the cloudy ore powder on the forehead was washed away. It was as if there had been a general cleaning of his mind, cleared of all the rubbish, and he was suddenly relieved.

“Garr.” Suddenly there was a roar.

Ning Tao suddenly realized something and jumped to his feet.

Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+

Stones and sticks rained down upon him, and many wild men jumped up and tried to crush him to death.

The next second, a convenient door suddenly appeared in the air.

Ning Tao rushed in with vigorous strides…

At the archaeological camp.

“Captain Ji, have you seen Brother Ning?” Jian Mi asked Ji Wengui in front of a tent as the latter came out of it.

Ji Wengui replied, “No, I haven't. Er, hasn't Doctor Ning come back yet?”

Jian Mi answered, “No, I'll ask someone else.”

Ji Wengui said, “Okay, go on. Don't worry. Doctor Ning is a very capable man. He will be fine.”

Jian Mi was still worried about Ning Tao. He had just taken a few steps when he saw Ma Tongtong walking towards him. He immediately went up and asked, “Dr. Ma, have you seen Brother Ning?”

Ma Tongtong frowned. “Hasn't he come back yet? I was looking for you, and wanted to ask you if he had come back.”

“I'm looking for him, too. Oh G.o.d, has something happened to him?” The more Jian Mi thought, the more worried he became.

Ma Tongtong suggested, “You know the place. Why don't we go and look for him?”

Jian Mi agreed, “Okay, let's go.”

Ji Wengui came up to them and said, “Xiao Ma, you can't leave. You have to stay. Jian Mi, how about you going alone?”

Ma Tongtong asked, “Why can't I leave?”

Ji Wengui explained, “I just got the message that the sponsor is flying in this afternoon. We'll all stay in camp until he comes. Besides, it's no use looking for him. This forest is so big that looking for a man is like looking for a needle in a haystack. If you get lost, we will have to find you.”

Ma Tongtong went silent. Although Ji Wengui's words sounded uncomfortable, they made sense. Finding a person in this primeval forest was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, and the seeker was likely to get lost. However, if she did nothing, she could not help worrying.

Jian Mi said, “Dr. Ma, you stay at camp. I'm going to find Brother Ning.”

Ma Tongtong nodded.

Just then a familiar voice came from the woods near the camp. “I'm back.”

The three of them looked toward the sound source and saw Ning Tao come out of the woods. He carried a small medicine chest on his shoulders. His sleeves were worn, but there was no scar on his exposed arm.

“Brother Ning!” Jian Mi ran to him excitedly. “Where have you been? We're all worried about you.”

Ning Tao gave a smile. “Didn't I tell you? I went out to look for a very rare herb, but I didn't find it.”

Ma Tongtong came over and asked with concern, “Your sleeves are torn. Are you hurt?”

Ning Tao smiled and replied, “I'm fine, a little bruise. Don't worry, thank you.”

Ma Tongtong relaxed, but said, “Why are you being so polite to me?”

Ji Wengui said, “Dr. Ning, it's good to see you safe. We're all worried about you.”

Ning Tao said politely, “Thank you.”

Ji Wengui continued, “By the way, Dr. Ning, where did you go this time?”

Ning Tao replied, “I've been to a lot of places.”

Ji Wengui asked tentatively, “Did you find any special places, such as ruins, bricks, and tiles?”

Ning Tao smiled and said, “I said I found the Feminine-moon City and was attacked by a group of savages in Shennongjia, do you believe it?”

Ji Wengui paused for a second, then suddenly smiled, and said, “Hha, you are really a humorous person, Dr. Ning. We had a team of archaeologists looking for it for three years, but we couldn't find it. How could you possibly find it when you went to collect herbs? If so, we are useless.”

Ning Tao smiled. “Just kidding. Don't take it seriously.”

“One more thing, Doctor Ning. I reported to our leader that you wanted to join our archaeological team, but the leader didn't approve. I hope you understand. Rules are rules. I have no right to make an exception.”

Ning Tao replied, “The result is normal. Never mind, I understand.”

Ma Tongtong said, “You come with me to my tent. I'll take care of your wound.”

Ning Tao refused, “No, it's okay.”

Ma Tongtong insisted, “As a doctor, how could you not treat the wound? What if the wound becomes infected?”

Ning Tao could not refuse again, nodded his head and said, “All right, I will go to your tent, and please fetch me some water.”

He wasn't hurt at all, but he was dirty. He intended to scrub his body like in a bath.

Ma Tongtong led Ning Tao to her tent, Jian Mi following. Jian Mi was going to take Ning Tao to his tent, but he put on a strange smile on his face and shut his mouth, seeming to think of something.

“Xiao Ma,” Ji Wengui called Ma Tongtong. “You know we have discipline. Pay attention to what you can and can't say.”

Ma Tongtong pouted slightly. “I know, you needn't remind me!”

“Er… Brother Ning, I'll wait for you here,” Jian Mi said. Ma Tongtong reeked a strong smell of gunpowder. If he followed her to the tent, he might get in her way.

Ning Tao nodded, said nothing, and continued to follow Ma Tongtong.

Entering Ma Tongtong's tent, Ning Tao removed the medicine chest and placed it on the ground. Then he said, “Please get me some water. I'll clean it myself.”

“Don't you need my help?” Ma Tongtong's eyes sparkled with antic.i.p.ation.

Ning Tao smiled and said, “I'm a doctor. I can handle it myself.”

Ma Tongtong was a little disappointed. She picked up a basin and went to fetch water, but she stopped after just a few steps. “In fact, Doctor Ning…”

“What?” asked Ning Tao curiously.

Ma Tongtong hesitated, and then continued, “I know this is wrong, but I want to tell you. Captain Ji called all the members together to vote on it. They wouldn't let you in, except me.”

Ning Tao said, “Never mind. I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

“I go to fetch water.” Ma Tongtong left the tent.

Ning Tao sighed to himself, “You can just tell me you don't want me to join you. You don't have to lie about reporting to your leader. Are you worried about me taking credit and profits from you? Well, there are so few friends.h.i.+ps in the world that can stand the test of interest.”

He had not decided whether to tell the archaeological team the location and related secrets of the Feminine-moon City or not. Now hearing what Ma Tongtong told him, he did not need to continue to consider the question.

Now that in the face of interests, they could be indifferent, Ning Tao didn't need to think about them.

Ma Tongtong returned with a basin of water. Then she put her towel into it, and showed no sign of leaving the tent.

Ning Tao said awkwardly, “Dr. Ma, I'm going to take off my clothes.”

Ma Tongtong said, “Isn't it normal for men to be s.h.i.+rtless? I'll stay here. If you have cuts you can't reach, I can help you.”

Ning Tao added, “I'm taking my pants off, too.”

Ma Tongtong's face turned red and she started to walk out. “I… I'll wait for you outside. Call me if you need anything.”

Ning Tao picked up the towel to scrub himself. His skin was smooth and elastic without any scars. He moved slowly because he was thinking about other things.

“Tonight I will go back to refine cloud ore. I refine some first. I'll see what the delicate perfumed tripod can produce this time.” Ning Tao's head was full of cloudy ore and all the sounds he heard. Suddenly, he thought of something and called out to the tent door, “Dr. Ma, I have a question.”

“What is it?” Ma Tongtong's voice came through the door.

Ning Tao bellowed, “Ah! Here's your Master Zhang!”

The tent's curtain was lifted and Ma Tongtong appeared at the door, looking at Ning Tao strangely.

Ning Tao put a towel over his chest and asked, “Well, who said that?”

“Is that the question you want to ask me?” Ma Tongtong asked, in a strange tone.

Ning Tao nodded his head and said, “Yes, you're a history doctor. Do you remember who said that?”

Ma Tongtong burst into a laugh. “Zhang Fei said it in Changbanpo. Why do you ask?”

Ning Tao immediately figured it out. “No wonder I feel a little weird about that. By the way, who said 'Dalang, get up and take medicine'?”

“Hahaha…”

“What are you laughing at?”

“Pan Jinlian said that.”

Ning Tao was speechless at the answer.

Ma Tongtong added, “But Pan Jinlian is a character in 'Water Margin'. G.o.d knows if there was such a person in history. What's the matter with you? Why do you ask me such a strange question?”

Ning Tao replied, “Nothing, I just think it's funny… Well, I'm going to take my pants off.”

Ma Tongtong sent him a glare and clattered the curtain shut.