After some preparations, Long Xiao took Xiao Ming by taxi to the house bought under Ouyang Tuo's name.
Long Xiao had altered his appearance to become Ouyang Tuo, and Xiao Ming had also changed his face to become Ouyang Tuo's nephew, Ouyang Yinglang.
Driving a used luxury car, they went to the streets to buy several sets of high-end clothing and accessories, dressing themselves up.
Other than the three renowned physicians in Donghai, there were no other famous doctors they had heard of, so the two drove directly to Pingcheng.
Pingcheng was located northwest of Donghai, not far from the sea, and it took just over an hour to drive there.
Upon entering Pingcheng, they pretended to be ill and began asking everywhere about good doctors.
They visited several small traditional Chinese medicine clinics, but the doctors were ordinary, and they didn't find any good medicinal herbs in the rooms.
Xiao Ming, having grown up consuming high-grade medicinal herbs, had an exceptionally sensitive nose. He could detect good medicinal herbs, even if they were well hidden.
As there were no leads, the two left the last clinic and prepared to leave Pingcheng and continue north.
Just as they were about to get into the car, Long Xiao overheard two passersby chatting, saying that the Medicine King at the Medicine King Temple on Longqing Mountain in the west was very efficacious. Regardless of whether the illness was major or minor, one would get better after praying to the Medicine King and taking a small herbal medicine.
Long Xiao looked at Xiao Ming, and Xiao Ming was also looking at Long Xiao.
"Brother Long, since we're here, let's go and check out the Medicine King Temple," Xiao Ming suggested.
Longqing Mountain was not far from the city. In recent years, Pingcheng had developed it into a tourist area, and the Medicine King Temple was located at the entrance.
After parking the car, the two got out and followed a dozen tourists to the entrance of the Medicine King Temple.
A scent of incense mingled with the aroma of herbs wafted out from the temple.
Xiao Ming sniffed and said, "Brother Long, there are good herbs here."
Long Xiao nodded slightly and swaggered in.
Upon entering the Medicine King Temple, they were faced with a large incense burner, behind which stood a not-so-large Medicine King Hall.
On both sides of the courtyard were several side halls. Some housed unknown statues, while others displayed incense sticks and various handicrafts.
Entering the courtyard, Long Xiao felt a sense of disorientation. He sniffed and detected the smell of mandrake mixed in with the smoke that permeated the air.
"It smells like mandrake, Brother Long. They're using anesthetic," Xiao Ming alerted him.
Long Xiao and Xiao Ming had a large amount of vital energy in their bodies, so this slight anesthetic had no effect on them. However, it could be extremely harmful to ordinary people.
"There's something fishy about this Medicine King Temple. Let's see what the others are doing and follow suit," Long Xiao whispered.
The two observed carefully and found that the tourists entering the Medicine King Temple, initially curious about everything, soon ventured into the side halls on either side.
Long Xiao suppressed the vital energy that automatically spread throughout his body, allowing the mandrake toxin in the smoke to interfere with his mind.
Soon, Long Xiao found that the scene before him had completely changed. A magnificent grand hall appeared, with a colossal Buddha statue seated in the center.
The hall was filled with eminent monks chanting scriptures, their Buddhist chants deafening. A serene voice echoed in Long Xiao's mind.
"Offer reverence to Buddha, and achieve self..."
Long Xiao felt an urge to offer alms to the Buddha and to become a disciple under the Buddha.
"Brother Long, what's wrong?" Xiao Ming, seeing Long Xiao acting strangely, nudged him.
A surge of pure yang energy entered Long Xiao's body, automatically transforming into vital energy and spreading throughout his system.
The moment Long Xiao's mind cleared, he realized he had walked into a side hall and was about to buy incense.
"Brother, how much incense would you like?" a girl selling incense asked.
The girl was pure and lovely, with an innocent and harmless demeanor.
Long Xiao smiled and said, "I'll take the biggest one. I want to offer it."
The largest stick of incense cost eight thousand eight hundred and eighty yuan. After paying with his phone, Long Xiao took the incense, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner.
Seeing that Long Xiao hadn't responded to him, Xiao Ming wondered if Long Xiao was faking it or was under some control. He reached out to stop Long Xiao, fearing he might do something detrimental to them both.
After lighting their incense, the two bypassed the incense burner and entered the main hall.
Many people were kneeling in the hall, their hands clasped in prayer, murmuring incessantly.
In front of the Medicine King statue, there was a donation box with a QR code attached.
The two also knelt behind these people, muttering random prayers. Soon, people started getting up to put money into the donation box or scan the QR code to pay.
For every person who donated money, a middle-aged Taoist priest sitting nearby would give them a packet of medicine.
In front of the Taoist priest was a notebook where everyone who donated was required to write their name and contact information.
Long Xiao and Xiao Ming also donated money, making up names and phone numbers, and wrote them in the notebook. They each received a packet of medicine from the Taoist priest.
At the moment of receiving the medicine, Long Xiao noticed the Taoist priest's hand with a needle pointing towards his finger.
Long Xiao instinctively retracted his finger, and the needle missed. The Taoist priest's face showed surprise.
When Xiao Ming received his medicine, he also dodged the needle the Taoist priest tried to stab him with. The two calmly took their medicine and left the Medicine King Hall.
Xiao Ming sniffed the medicine in his hand, licked his lips, and said, "The medicine is good. Excellent medicine."
Xiao Ming directly poured the herbs from the paper packet into his mouth. Long Xiao also opened his packet, sniffed it, and poured the contents into his mouth.
The herbal medicine in the packet was ample in both age and quantity. The cost of each packet was at least three to four hundred yuan.
After leaving the Medicine King Hall, Xiao Ming asked curiously, "Brother Long, why are they doing this? With such good medicine, they could make a fortune just by selling it directly."
"Their prescription is ingenious; it can enhance kidney qi, strengthen the body, and expel evil. It works for most ailments."
"Brother Long, regardless of their intentions, we are here to find medicine. If they have good medicine, we must find a way to get some."
Long Xiao nodded and said, "You're right. Let's get the medicine first."
After taking the medicine and chatting for a few minutes, they didn't leave the Medicine King Temple but headed towards the back courtyard.
There were also many rooms in the back, each enshrining a statue. Further back, the smell of incense disappeared, and the scent of herbs also faded.
"Brother Long, their medicine isn't in the back. Let's go," Xiao Ming said.
They pretended to be tourists and wandered around the back for a while, taking some photos with their phones before leaving the Medicine King Temple.
"Keep an eye on them and see if they are police or from that organization," a Taoist priest whispered to two young men behind them as they exited the temple gate.
The two young men followed Long Xiao and Xiao Ming. Long Xiao and Xiao Ming bought tickets to enter the tourist area, and the two also followed.
The entrance to the tourist area was at the foot of the mountain. Beyond the gate was a winding road and several paths paved with stones leading up the mountain.
The sides of the road were lined with numerous shrubs and tall trees. As it was winter, everything was withered, and only evergreen trees like pines and cypresses still had green leaves.
There weren't many people on the road. The two walked up the mountain along the path, and the two young men followed.
"Brother Long, those two guys behind us are following. Shall we catch them and ask what's going on?"
Long Xiao nodded and said, "Alright. You go and ask, I'll rest for a bit."
Walking up a few more steps, Long Xiao sat down on the stone steps, looking at the two young men ascending behind him with a smile on his face.
Seeing that they had been exposed, the two young men turned and fled down the mountain.
Xiao Ming leaped into the air and kicked one of the young men in the back. As he landed, he struck the other young man on the neck with his palm.
The young man struck by Xiao Ming fell to the ground with a thud, losing consciousness. The young man who was kicked tumbled down the hillside and got caught on a tree trunk by the roadside.
Before the young man could get up, Xiao Ming's Black Iron cleaver swung down.
With a *crack*, a tree more than ten centimeters in diameter was cut in half by Xiao Ming's blade.
"If you don't want to end up like this tree, stand still and don't move!" Xiao Ming said sternly.