âIs that true or false?ââItâs true, of course. Itâs a real video!ââWhere is this place?â
âLook, they even marked it out on the map.â
âBrothers, shall we go and have a look?â
âYes!â
In the past couple of days, a place called the Valley of Thousands of Medicine had suddenly risen to fame on the internet.
It was located in the depths of the jungle. It was a real retreat from the world, a hidden paradise. The only way in and out was to cross a suspension bridge suspended above the turbulent river. From there, one had to follow a small path into a canyon.
This information was not just in written form. It was accompanied by pictures, which suddenly boosted its credibility.
Some people were always willing to venture into remote places, so more and more people began heading for the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. They encountered many strange things on the way there, such as their carâs tires suddenly giving out, a person suddenly fainting, a strange blood-covered person falling from the sky, and so on. These abnormal events were posted on the internet by those who had wanted to go to the Valley of Thousands of Medicine but couldnât. It caused another bout of heated discussion.
Some speculated that it was a place protected by gods and a pure paradise, so it could not be disturbed by outsiders. Some said that these things were purely coincidental while others guessed that these things were the works of the Valley of Thousands of Medicineâs villagers, who had deliberately done so to avoid being disturbed by outsiders.
The more this went on, the more it aroused some peopleâs curiosity. The number of people exploring the Valley of Thousands of Medicine increased instead of lessening.
âWhat? The number of people is increasing?â
âYes, Iâm afraid continuing like this is not the way to go!â
âIt must have made them more curious.â Miao Xihe sipped on a cup of clear tea.
âWe canât stop them from coming in.â
âShall we let them in?â
âLet them in,â Miao Xihe said.
âHuh?â
âLet them in so they can regret coming in,â Miao Xihe lightly said.
âYes,â Miao Qingfeng replied.
He didnât know what the chief was going to do, but from his words, he seemed to have made up his mind.
âHave our people take a good look into this. Thereâs something suspicious about this.â
âYes, Iâll leave now.â
âAlright.â Miao Xihe acknowledged him with a wave of his hands. âGo on, go on.â
Under the glow of the setting sun, a group of five people overcame many difficulties and finally saw the suspension bridge over the river and the vaguely visible stockade at the other end of the bridge.
âItâs the Valley of Thousands of Medicine! Weâve finally found it!â
They passed the rickety suspension bridge, stood at the mouth of the valley, and saw the scene inside.
The ancient road was paved with slate. There were bamboo buildings with smoke curling up from them, and green mountains on both sides. It was truly a scene of a peaceful and quiet hidden paradise.
âWhat a beautiful place!â
âYeah, itâs exactly like the one in the pictures.â
They didnât forget to immediately post it on their social media accounts.
âWe found the Valley of Thousands of Medicine, a place of legends. Itâs as beautiful as a painting.â
âItâs a hidden paradise.â
âThousands of miles, a dayâs rush, and bumps all along the way were all worth it!â
âLetâs go in and have a look together.â
The five of them passed through the valley and came to the stockade. They saw the people in the stockade, dressed in a pair of homespun cloth, leisurely walking.
âHello.â They came forward to greet the people there.
After hearing their voices, a man in his 40s looked at the five of them and opened his mouth to say something, but they didnât understand.
âWell, what does he mean?â
âCould it be a local dialect?â
âIt must be!â
The five of them were stunned. No one could understand what the man had said, and the man couldnât understand them either. There was no way to communicate.
âWhat should we do?â
âWell, letâs go around and find a place to stay.â
âWait, itâs getting darker. Why donât we find a place to rest for the night first?â
âYes, letâs hurry up.â
The sun was about to set.
âAlright, but weâll have to wander around looking as well.â
The outsiders wandered around the stockade and met a dozen people. However, they couldnât communicate with them because of a lack of a common tongue.
âWell, weâll have to sleep in the tent tonight!â
âLook, what a big lake!â
They had seen the Soothing of Gods Lake. Under the setting sun, the blue waves were sparkling and rippling. It looked calm and peaceful.
âWhat a beauty!â
They immediately took photos of it and posted them on social media.
âIt was a worthwhile trip. Look at the lake. Itâs so beautiful. One could get drunk looking at it!â
âIt was absolutely worth the trip!â
As night fell, they still couldnât find a suitable place to stay in. People had come forward and asked them, but they couldnât understand what was being said.
âShall we make do by the lake tonight?â
âLetâs not sleep by the lake. The wind is chilly here. Besides, there might be some rules and customs here. Look, there are statues by the lake.â A young man, who seemed to be the leader, pointed to a stone statue by the lake. It appeared to be a man with a big fish under him.
âWhere shall we go?â
âLetâs just sleep at the entrance of the village. When I came in, I saw a vacant lot there.â
âAlright, weâll go there.â
The group went back to the entrance of the stockade. They found a large open space that was relatively flat with a cliff on the side.
âThis place shall do.â
They took out the tent they had with them, set it up, and lit a campfire.
The dayâs journey had tired them out. After eating something, they agreed to take turns and stand guard in groups of two. The others drifted off to sleep.
The night passed silently.
The next day, when the group got together, they realized that one person was missing.
âOh, where is Xiao Ming?â
âHe went into the tent last night!â
âWhat time?â
âAt 3 a.m. when we changed shifts. I saw it with my own eyes!â
âLook around again!â
Some of them were a little anxious.
âXiao Ming!â
They split up, shouting out his name as they looked around.
âHere he is!â
Under a tree at the mouth of the valley, they found their comatose companion.
âWhy is he there?â
âWhatâs the matter with him? Is he unconscious?â
A companion examined him and said, âHeâs still breathing and has a normal heartbeat.â
âAlright, hurry up and take him to the hospital.â
âSh*t!â
They had finally made it there, but they hadnât even had time to take a proper look at the beautiful scenery. Although they were full of unwillingness to leave, they had no choice. The life of their friend was more important. They carried their companion and quickly went across the suspension bridge. They returned to their car and sped away.
Not long after they left, several figures appeared at the mouth of the valley.
âDid he die?â
âNo, heâs just going to be in a coma for a few days.â
âThatâs good.â
âIf it were up to me, few people dying would be fine. This wave of trouble is gone, but there will be another wave. When will it end?â
âThe chief has given his orders,â Miao Qingfeng coldly said. âWe have to do as weâre told.â
This saga would not be over anytime soon.
As the five outsiders were driving back, two more became unconscious.
âWhatâs happening?â The two left were flustered. If there were any more problems, they would all fall unconscious inside this jungle, where there were no signs of any shops or villages to be seen for miles on end.