Chapter Twenty-Four: Three Days Deworming

  It's like those poisonous spirit insects, you have to kill the person who cast the insect to break it, because the people who raise these insects are also connected to their own lives, so when the person who cast the insect dies, the insect will naturally disappear.

  I thought it was unthinkable as soon as I heard it, if finding a medicine to drive out the snake curse is harder than climbing to heaven, then killing the thing that cast the snake curse is even harder than picking stars from the sky. It's like finding a beggar on the street and asking him to become the president of the country tomorrow.

  I still don't know what the curse is, I can only guess it's a snake spirit that has taken over the land, which is equivalent to being a mountain bandit. Without any moral integrity, it's no wonder it has the ability to cast poison curses on me. If I knew where it was hiding and if I still had the ancient bronze dagger and the phoenix bone needle, there would be a 1% chance of success.

  As for those two divine artifacts, the Wind Bone Needle was made from the bones of a phoenix hunted by Zhang Shenniang's ancestor. Of course, it needs to be explained that this phoenix is not the phoenix in myths, but a special kind of bird, the king of all birds but also an ordinary bird, just like the python is not a real dragon.

  This ancient bronze dagger was also a family heirloom of Zhang Shen's household, and who knows from which dynasty it was passed down. The immortal only told me that she died during the Ming Dynasty era. It's possible that this small knife might have been a magical instrument worn by some high-ranking official in ancient times, but I don't even know its name, so I can only call it an ancient bronze dagger because it's made of bronze and is old enough, and this name obviously doesn't sound impressive enough.

  Both treasures are lost, even if I find the thing that gave me the snake curse, how can I deal with it, just thinking about it makes me inexplicably desperate.

  But after all, roads are made by people walking on them. Moreover, the fatal calamity that was destined for me has already passed, and I am now on my way, so let's just keep going to the end.

  At dinner time, I and Ye Fei Chui and her grandmother were talking about this, when suddenly a short and thick snake crawled in from the door. I immediately put down my bowl, went to the corner of the wall, picked up a hoe, and with one swing of the hoe, smashed the snake's head into mush. After the fatal blow, I picked up the snake by its tail, not knowing if it was venomous or not, and with a wry smile, jokingly said to Ye Fei Chui and her grandmother that if this snake had come half an hour earlier, we would have had one more dish.

  This snake curse is really fierce, I haven't even left the house and a snake has already come to my door. If I wasn't always on edge, I wouldn't have put my attention on the door, and I wouldn't have seen this snake.

  At night, sleeping became a problem. Fortunately, Ye Fei's aunt was also a witch doctor and gave me some medicinal herbs to bathe in. Although they didn't have the exaggerated effect of my cousin's deworming medicine, they were effective against ordinary snakes. Another thing is that with Tongtong by my side, I can sleep soundly, after all, it was she who sensed danger last night and woke me up.

  I went to bed early that night. Tongtong woke me up three times throughout the whole night. We killed a total of five snakes that entered our house, enough to make snake porridge for breakfast.

  After daybreak, Ye Fei Jiao's wife lent me a bicycle and had Ye Fei Jiao and me go ask his uncle for the formula of insecticide. We couldn't bring Xiao Jian Qi along, but she cried and clung to my clothes, thinking we were selling her to this short old woman.

  In the end, Ye Fei was clever and gave her a candy to eat, and also gave several to her grandmother, saying that when Xiao Jianzi made trouble, just give her a candy and she would be fine. Ye Fei's grandmother was also very capable, calling down a small squirrel from the wutong tree at the door, which was very obedient and seemed to understand human nature. Before long, Xiao Jianzi started playing with the squirrel, and by then she wouldn't leave even when dragged away.

  I went out with Ye Fei, riding a bike to her uncle's village. After asking for directions, we found her uncle's home and saw him sitting on the stone slab at the door, smoking a pipe, probably worried about his mountain house.

  My uncle suddenly saw us coming and his worried face disappeared, saying that since we've come this time, we should stay for a few more days, don't worry about having no place to sleep!

  After entering the house, I found that there were several people inside. My uncle introduced Ye Fei to his two sons and daughters-in-law, four grandsons and three granddaughters. The eldest granddaughter looked about the same age as Ye Fei, while the youngest granddaughter was about the same age as Xiao Jianzi. I didn't see Ye Fei's aunt, probably she had passed away long ago! Otherwise, her uncle wouldn't have gone to live in the mountains.

  Ye Fei Jiao called out to each of her aunts and uncles one by one, then gave them gifts separately. I was the only one sitting stupidly in my chair. The adults in the house were all politely asking us questions, but I didn't understand what they were saying and just smiled foolishly and nodded nonstop. Ye Fei Jiao may have been visiting her uncle's house for the first time, but she quickly warmed up to her aunts and uncles and soon became familiar with her cousins.

  Ye Fei Jiao is a high school student, not very intelligent but with high emotional intelligence. Before coming, she had already asked about the family members of her maternal aunt's husband's household and bought gifts for each person. I also prepared 10 yuan red envelopes for each child.

  My uncle brought a bamboo woven plate full of ginger candies, and let me and Ye Fei eat them. I took advantage of no one noticing, secretly stuffed a few pieces into my pocket, to take back for Xiao Jianzi to eat.

  Not long after, my uncle's two wives were busy in the kitchen, and we were chatting and laughing in the hall. Just as our conversation was getting lively, I felt a chill on my foot. When I looked down, I saw that a snake had somehow crawled onto my toes.

  I immediately jumped up like being electrocuted, kicked the snake with my foot and sent it flying to the top of the kitchen house. The crowd was shocked and frightened, if I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have been bitten in another second.

  That snake was kicked by me onto the tile on the kitchen house roof, and my cousin's eldest son immediately took a bamboo pole to sweep it away. I suddenly found that my cousin looked at me with a strange expression, asking if Ye Fei had been cursed by the snake.

  Ye Fei Ji said yes, this time I came because grandma asked me to borrow deworming medicine.

  Ye Fei Ji's uncle nodded sympathetically and said that the deworming medicine was finished.

  We said it's okay, we're here to ask about the formula.

  My uncle's brother-in-law waved his hand and said, "From the current situation, if you don't find a single medicine in this prescription, you might be bitten to death by snakes. You don't even need to go out, the snakes will come to your door on their own."

  However, he still told us the formula and brewing method, but this is his unspoken secret. He asked me that if I can survive to crack the snake curse, I have to give him a 1000 yuan red envelope.

  After dinner, my uncle told me the formula for deworming medicine and also the method of decoction. However, his previous deworming medicine was still missing one kind of medicine, and if it was supplemented, the efficacy could last for three days.

  This should be called three-day deworming, but because of the lack of a medicine, the efficacy only lasts for two hours, so my uncle is embarrassed to call it three-day deworming. My uncle's deworming is yellow and similar to honey, while the real three-day deworming is green, not only non-stinky but also very fragrant, he hopes I can make the real three-day deworming come out.

  Three-day deworming liquid is made from five medicinal materials. The first one is the first urine bubble of a newborn tiger cub, the second is the brain pulp of a giant snail in an underground cave, the third is the egg white of an eagle's egg, and the fourth is the tender bud of the Blood-sealing Tree. The fifth medicine is quite disgusting, it's actually human bone marrow. And the one that my uncle is missing is the brain pulp of the giant snail from the cave.

  I once saw a giant snail as big as a basket in the cave at home, and its mucus had a special effect on stones, with a viscosity that could stick a cow to the ceiling. Tongtong said it was called a devil snail. I asked my uncle about the external characteristics of the underground giant snail, and the answer was exactly the same as the devil snail I had encountered before. However, he later said that this giant snail is like crystal fish, often heard but rarely seen.

  It turned out that the giant snail in the cave was actually the devil snail I had encountered before. I got excited when I heard this, but then I got into trouble again, because I couldn't go back to the cave at home to get the brain of the giant snail, since I was carrying a snake curse on my body now, and there was a red-spotted giant snake as thick as a bucket in that cave. Just thinking about it made me pee.

  My uncle told me the method of decoction, find a large pot and put tiger urine, giant snail brain, eagle egg white, see blood seal throat tender shoots, and human bone marrow into the pot to cook. The fire cannot be stopped until three buckets of water are cooked dry, then take the medicinal residue from the bottom of the pot and place it in a bowl, place it in front of the Shennong statue for worship for three days and three nights, finally squeeze out the juice from the residue in the bowl, that is...

  Real three-day deworming lotion.

  This medicine is not only strange, but the method of decoction is also strange. I don't know how it was discovered that this kind of medicinal water can drive away all kinds of insects. My uncle said that the three-day insect-repelling? is not only effective against snakes, but also has a greater effect on various poisonous insects. For example, ordinary centipedes and scorpions will be scared stiff and unable to move just by smelling the smell.

  It's going to take so long to find these five medicines! At the earliest, it'll be a month! How many venomous snakes will come to bother me in this month?! However, my uncle said that he used only half of the first urine of the tiger cubs he got before and kept the other half. Now is the time when eagles lay eggs, he can go up the mountain to help me get some, and the Blood Sealing Tree is also sprouting now, he knows where there are a few trees, but as for the Cave Giant Snail Brain and Human Bone Marrow, I'll have to think of a way myself.

  The giant cave snail, also known as the devil's snail. Although I didn't dare to go back to that mountain cave at home, but as long as there is a cave, I might be able to find it. Let Tongtong go in and explore first. But does this person want me to commit murder? Ye Fei asked my uncle, can the dead do it? My uncle smiled slyly and nodded, telling me that the neighboring village was holding a funeral.

  I know he wants me to wait until the dead person in the neighboring village is buried and then dig up the grave to steal the bone marrow, although this method is a bit damaging, it's also a helpless move, I will definitely compensate.

  My uncle said that the giant snail lives deep in the cave, and maybe where we find the giant snail, we can also catch crystal fish. However, the cave where the giant snail lives is very deep, and it's unknown what kind of monsters are inside, it's very dangerous.

  Most of the mountains in western Hunan are earthy, with fewer caves than Guilin's rocky mountains. However, my uncle said that there is a cave next to Qianyuan Village, and he told me to go try my luck.