Chapter 398: Fivefold Aphrodisiac

A raging fire burned countless corpse worms to death.

Thankfully, Shui Miao was well-prepared, having brought five large iron drums of gasoline. Without them, it would have been impossible to inflict such massive damage.

The herdsmen were stunned. Corpse worms weren’t unusual, but seeing so many gathered together was unheard of. Even more shocking was that they responded to a woman’s scream and attacked people—it was simply beyond imagination.

Yet no one could find the witch Baierma’s body.

Deep inside the cave, a narrow rock crevice barely twenty centimeters wide stretched into the unknown. Everyone silently wondered: who exactly was this witch named Baierma? Why had she brought so many corpse worms? And why had she followed Bao Shunfeng here?

Doubts clouded their minds, lingering like a thick fog.

“Mr. Chen, I think this matter isn’t over yet. Don’t worry—I’ll go to town tomorrow morning and report to the authorities. Maybe we can get some police support to search for the witch. Only when we find her can we truly feel safe.” As dusk approached, Captain Batu led a group of village militiamen to bid Shui Miao farewell.

“Appreciate it, Captain.”

Shui Miao nodded at Batu格尔, secretly thinking how much better things would be if he still had his spiritual powers.

“This is our duty. Well then, we’ll be off.”

Batu格尔 turned and gave Daotu a few words of advice—urging him to reform, atone for his sins, and redeem himself.

Translation:

Batu turned around and offered Daotu some words of advice—urging him to reform, make amends for his sins, and redeem himself.

Daotu nodded repeatedly.

On the way back, Lin Zhiling asked, “Shui Miao, what are you planning to do with these few herder families? Without their livestock, they’ll depend on us for survival.”

“Just give them three hundred thousand yuan total,” Shui Miao replied, watching a few elderly herders riding horses, all appearing frail and aged. “I originally thought about buying them more livestock, but since the witch Baierma is neither seen alive nor found dead, I think giving them money is safer. These people are old and lack the energy to herd anymore. It might be better for them to rent a place in the city and enjoy their twilight years.”

“Three hundred thousand? That’s way too much!”

Lin Xue, who was driving, frowned. “Shui Miao, I think you’re too kind. Their misfortune was caused by that witch Baierma, not us. Don’t forget—we’re businessmen. If we set this precedent, what happens next time? Are we just going to throw money at every problem?”

“Yeah, Shui Miao. These people are either old or young, not very useful. I say ten thousand yuan total should be enough,” Lin Zhiling didn’t want Shui Miao wasting money either. “We’ll need a lot of funds for the office later.”

“No need to argue. Three hundred thousand isn’t too much,” Shui Miao sighed softly after estimating the herdsmen’s losses. “Precisely because they’re old and helpless that I must help them. Later, I’ll spend some more money to buy all their yurts. Our employees can use them temporarily when we move in. This task is entrusted to you—remember, don’t be stingy with money when it needs to be spent. We’re businessmen, yes, but we must be businessmen with a conscience. Life is short—bringing more warmth into it is always good.”

Even if it meant spending a hundred million, Shui Miao would consider doing good deeds.

Shui Miao had long since become indifferent to worldly matters—his thoughts naturally differed from ordinary people’s.

“As the saying goes, ‘Wealth comes and goes, but it will return.’ Shui Miao—you’re amazing!”

Xiao Shuang gave Shui Miao a thumbs-up.

Everyone smiled.

Lin Xue sighed, “Shui Miao, you’re much better than that Guangbiao guy. He does good deeds just to show off and promote himself. You do good deeds without caring whether anyone knows. That’s probably the difference between true kindness and false kindness.”

“Exactly! He does good deeds for reputation, to expand his influence and make more money. He looks like a philanthropist, but he’s actually a very shrewd businessman,” Lin Zhiling shrugged. “Actually, I also wanted Shui Miao to do it this way. Launching a new industry needs some publicity. Helping the herdsmen rebuild their homes is a perfect topic.”

“But…” Xiaotang, who had been squeezing into the car and secretly flirting with Shui Miao, suddenly said, “Lin Jie, I think there’s a problem. So many corpse worms appeared here—it was terrifying. If people find out, won’t they be scared to drink our milk anymore?”

“That’s exactly where the publicity comes in. A large number of corpse worms can actually spark people’s curiosity,” Lin Zhiling had already thought of a marketing strategy.

Lin Xue suddenly smiled, “Don’t worry, Xiaotang Jie. Your milk will definitely have people lining up to drink it.”

“Ahh! Lin Jie, what are you talking about!” Xiaotang blushed, suddenly realizing the double meaning. She turned red-faced and shyly said, “You guys… your milk isn’t small either!”

“Haha, but Xiaotang Jie, yours is definitely the biggest!”

“Yours is big too, and very perky too!”

…

The women chattered and compared, turning the conversation into a playful competition, leaving Shui Miao speechless and unable to resist glancing at their chests a few times…

※※※

“Daotu, are you going to give it to me or not?”

At dusk, Xiaotang found Daotu and directly asked him for the aphrodisiac.

“Xiaotang Jie, you saw it yourself—my yurt was burned down in the fire, everything I had was destroyed. Where would I get any aphrodisiac from?” Daotu, cornered by her, waved his hands repeatedly. Suddenly, he wondered if Xiaotang might be sent by Shui Miao to test him, so he hurriedly added, “Xiaotang Jie, I really know I was wrong. Please don’t pressure me anymore—I’m really scared.”

“Cut the crap. If you don’t have the aphrodisiac, give me the formula—this will be useful when I raise dairy cows later.”

“The formula…”

“Exactly, the formula. You wouldn’t have forgotten it already, would you?”

“No, no, I didn’t forget. Actually, it’s very simple—just the juice from a few plants.”

“Which plants? Write it down for me. What are you waiting for? This is something Mr. Chen needs!”

“Okay, okay…”

After Daotu wrote down the formula, Xiaotang grabbed the paper, threw five hundred yuan at him to keep quiet, and then happily ran back to the base.

Lin Xue, Lin Zhiling, and Xiao Shuang went to the city overnight to withdraw money and buy some food and daily necessities. They would stay in the city tonight and return at noon the next day. That meant only Shui Miao, Xiaotang, and her few female friends would be at the base tonight.

So Xiaotang decided—tonight, she would definitely win over Shui Miao with the aphrodisiac.

Shui Miao was meditating when he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Footsteps approached, and Xiaotang, dressed as a sexy little cook, entered Shui Miao’s yurt carrying a clay pot.

“Shui Miao, look at the wild chicken soup I made for you—it’s so fragrant! Come quickly and drink it while it’s hot. Don’t worry, this chicken was bought from a herder’s house late at night—it’s definitely free of any hormones…”

In reality, the soup contained five times the normal dose of aphrodisiac.

Xiaotang was truly determined—she was going all out to win Shui Miao over.

“Smells great! So much—let’s eat together.”

Shui Miao, unaware of the trickery, had been busy since noon and was already starving.