Chapter 124 Goddess Zhao
The speculation surrounding Old Zhong's potential consumption of the legendary treasure stirred a major uproar among those familiar with the Secret Realm. Once this old man made a move, he could unleash a tempest; he was clearly seeking to extend his life!
At over a hundred years old, he still spoke of his reluctance to leave his children behind, expressing a desire to linger in the world. Among the influential figures of the financial conglomerates, his obsession stood out. He often lamented the vibrant beauty of the mortal realm, yearning to live another five hundred years.
This development sent shockwaves through various factions, igniting intense scrutiny and research. Many organizations had suffered significant losses, with exploration teams wiped out one after another. The compensation payouts were chilling, making even the providers feel the cold grip of fear.
Now that Old Zhong had taken such a bold step, it stirred a sense of urgency among the elders who, like him, might want to take one last gamble for youth before facing death.
Some powerful figures examined the photograph, magnifying it to confirm that Old Zhong had indeed sprouted a thick crop of black hair. His once-lined face appeared rejuvenated, suggesting a transformation into a younger state—an astonishing rebirth!
The elders in their seventies and eighties felt a pang of envy. The more they scrutinized the photo, the more they suspected Old Zhong was deliberately flaunting his vitality.
In their visits to him, he often looked frail, as if on the verge of death, draped in a skin from a mystical qilin, his life force waning.
"Old Zhong must have ulterior motives, tempting us to enter the Secret Realm, aiming to drag a group of us to our doom!" someone gritted their teeth, before sighing, "Yet, despite my anger, I'm almost tempted!"
A prominent figure visited the Zhong family, only to be told by Zhong Changming that Old Zhong was currently unwell and needed rest, thus unavailable to meet guests.
There was no doubt about it—Old Zhong had long returned!
Wang Xuan stared at the photo of Old Zhong sprinting with a warship, speechless. This old man was defying fate and succeeding. Assessing the original image, he calculated that the life pod weighed at least a thousand pounds. Given how effortlessly Old Zhong seemed to run, he had to possess the strength of a master!
Was this newfound power from consuming the treasure, or was Old Zhong already a formidable expert? The Zhong family had numerous secret texts, including the highest teachings of Daoism. If he truly was a top-tier expert in the Old Technique realm, Wang Xuan wouldn't be surprised.
"Here's a man over a hundred years old, with one foot in the grave, still fighting tooth and nail. What excuse do we have to not strive harder? We should break free from the shackles of fate; the path to immortality is within reach!"
While Wang Xuan maintained his composure, he noticed the group was becoming increasingly frenzied, echoing calls to venture into the Secret Realm for a chance at changing their destinies.
"Life is fraught with obstacles, yet the future shines brightly. Why should we waste our time? Prepare to embark; sign me up!" they shouted, filled with fervor, eager to join the New Source exploration team.
Wang Xuan felt a flicker of unease. Although he was not swept up by their excitement, Old Zhong's photo had shaken him. This old man risked everything to enter a perilous place while carrying a life pod. Wang Xuan, on the other hand, considered fleeing at night, worried about the merciless nature of the organizations—the Secret Realm was a death trap, and he wanted to play it safe.
Was he really less determined than an old man nearing death?
Soon, he regained his composure, realizing that the stir caused by Old Zhong was just beginning, bound to escalate into something far more frightening. If he felt this way, how much more would those elderly men, who had only a few years left to live, be willing to gamble?
And among the younger generation within the financial circles, many daring souls likely desired to test their luck in the Secret Realm.
"A spark—a single photo from Zhong Yong, and the Secret Realm will witness even more bloodshed," Wang Xuan thought, convinced that certain members of the conglomerates would venture into the Secret Realm, bringing more explorers for safety.
His predictions quickly came to fruition. By the following morning, he received several calls from top organizations, all raising their advance payments to sky-high levels, recruiting new members to prepare for another expedition into the Secret Realm.
Clearly, after Old Zhong's disruption, the older generation sat back, watching the storm brew, smiling as the other elders began to stir.
Soon, New Source personnel sent Wang Xuan the contract, noting that they were again recruiting only twenty-one individuals, with limited spots available.
Wang Xuan reviewed the document, considering it. The advance payment was four million New Star coins—a substantial amount, but it was life-or-death money; a single misstep could lead to death in deep space.
In addition to the advance, there was free warship escort for the round trip, and a fifty-fifty split on any treasures collected—a standard agreement.
After receiving Wang Xuan's contract, the leader of Old Chen's secret path organization in Yuan City expressed his thoughts: "This is a complex era. The status of cultivators has plummeted compared to ancient times, forcing them to gamble their lives for a chance at a better future. A journey into deep space is like flipping a coin—heads or tails determine your fate."
For the large organizations, four million New Star coins were merely the price of two tickets, a negligible sum in the grand scheme.
As Wang Xuan strolled through his neighborhood, contemplating various issues, he spotted Lele again after several days. She sat on a bench in the shade, cradling a tiny, pure white kitten and talking to herself.
"I've been fainting from pain so often lately that I can't go to school anymore. I might die soon, but why hasn't Dad come back? If he waits any longer, he won't get to see me," she said, looking defeated, hugging the kitten tightly and bowing her head, tears welling in her eyes.
Wang Xuan stood silently behind her, unwilling to interrupt her thoughts. His heart ached for the little girl. The last time she had an episode, she'd been in so much pain, her forehead drenched in cold sweat, yet she didn't cry; instead, she trembled and reached out to wipe her mother's tears, comforting the adult instead.
Now, alone, without an episode, she let her tears fall, revealing her deep sorrow, showing just how mature she was, holding back her feelings in front of others.
"Happy, after I'm gone, will you bury me in the woods by the Zhou River?" she asked the kitten, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I promised Mom that every year, when the stars and fish fill the night sky, she and Dad would come to see me. I really want to see them every day; I don't want to be apart from them. But I'm afraid they'll be sad, so I promised her they could visit me once a year at that time."
Wang Xuan stood frozen, unable to move. The little girl was so wise, even worrying about her parents' future sorrow. Her words struck a chord, stirring painful feelings in his heart.
"I'm afraid they'll miss me later, so I asked Mom to have a younger brother to keep them company. But as the years go by, will they forget me?" Tears fell from the little girl onto the small cat in her arms. After wiping it off, she said, "Huan Huan, when you hear someone say the Starry Fish has appeared, you must remind them to come see me, and you should go too. I'll miss you."
"Meow!" The tiny cat mewed softly in her arms.
"They think I don't understand, but I know everything. I understand that I'm going to die soon, maybe next month." The little girl, Lele, hugged the snow-white cat, unable to hold back her tears, she sobbed softly, "I don't want to leave you."
"I'm really scared. I'm scared to lie alone by the riverbank, and I'm even more scared that after I die, everything will disappear, and there will be nothing left of me." The little girl gazed into the distance and said, "Before I die, I want to donate my eyes, my corneas to someone else. The eyes of the natives have the most spirit and can see farther; our genetic disease won't affect our eyes. I want to donate them to a little friend around my age, so she can occasionally come help me look after Mom…"
At this point, her voice turned extremely low, tears streaming down her cheeks as she whispered, "I've never seen the sea. Mom said it's too humid there, and the sea breeze is bad for my sick body. I want that little friend to see it for me. I've been stuck in Yuancheng and can't travel far. The little friend who receives my corneas will see all the places I can't, explore this world for me…"
Wang Xuan sighed softly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the little girl. Her words tugged at his heart, but he felt powerless to help.
After a long time, the little girl Lele finally calmed down, wiped her tears, and stared at the clouds on the horizon in a daze.
Only then did Wang Xuan walk over and greet her, starting a conversation and sharing interesting stories from the old world.
Clearly, the little girl was eager to chat and enjoyed listening to stories; they conversed well together.
"Is your mom at work? Is there anyone taking care of you?" Wang Xuan asked with some concern, worried about what might happen if the girl suddenly fell ill.
"There's an intelligent robotic aunt nearby. I wanted to talk to Huan Huan alone, so I didn't let her come over just now." After saying this, she asked, "Uncle, did you go see the Starry Fish last time?"
Wang Xuan nodded, saying, "Yes, I did. It was amazing, very beautiful."
"Will you go see it again next year?" the little girl asked hopefully.
"I will. I plan to go every year because it's so beautiful and splendid there," Wang Xuan replied.
"That's wonderful!" The little girl's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Wang Xuan bid her farewell and walked a good distance away while she continued to look back at him.
Soon after, Wang Xuan's phone rang with an unfamiliar number. He guessed it was another call from one of those big organizations, reaching out to him for the Secret Realm.
He answered directly, "Is it another appointment for the Secret Realm?"
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a pleasant female voice, "Haven't had many appointments lately?"
The tone didn't sound like a customer service representative, and it was familiar; in an instant, he realized it was Zhao Qinghan. How did she know he was in the new star?
In that moment, he realized that Qin Cheng, that big mouth, must have let it slip. He had only shared his new star phone number with familiar people, including Qin Cheng.
"Qinghan, I was just about to contact you. I'm unfamiliar with the new star and wanted to ask for your help, but I've felt a bit embarrassed to reach out until now. Let me take you out to dinner sometime."
"Hypocrite." Zhao Qinghan teased him lightly.
When she contacted Qin Cheng earlier, she asked how Wang Xuan was doing in the old world and sensed something odd on the phone. She immediately added, "Which city is Wang Xuan in the new star? Give me the phone."
Her keen perception and unconventional approach caught Qin Cheng off guard. As he hesitated to respond, Zhao Qinghan was already convinced that Wang Xuan had come to the new star.
She asked Qin Cheng for Wang Xuan's contact information and called him directly.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Cheng paused for a moment, then quickly contacted Wang Xuan to give him a heads-up, only to find that he was on another call.
He sighed, "The goddess's skills are truly profound; her reactions are incredibly fast."
"You're in Yuancheng, right? Let's go out for lunch," Zhao Qinghan said decisively, not giving him a chance to make excuses.
Wang Xuan's mind was racing, thinking about how to politely refuse if Zhao Qinghan invited him to join the exploration team. He also wondered how he would explain himself if he ended up in the Secret Realm and was recognized or encountered someone.
So, he was a bit distracted and said, "Little Zhao…"
"What did you call me?!" Zhao Qinghan's voice rose slightly.
"Goddess!" Wang Xuan didn't feel embarrassed at all and corrected himself immediately.
"You never called me that back in school. Say it again," Zhao Qinghan replied calmly.
"Goddess!" Wang Xuan said naturally; saying it again wouldn't cost him anything.
At noon, in a restaurant in the central business district of Yuancheng, Wang Xuan sat face to face with Zhao Qinghan.
The place Zhao Qinghan chose wasn't a top-tier restaurant, but the environment was still nice. According to her, the food here was quite good, and it was one of her favorites.
"Is your home near Yuancheng?" Wang Xuan asked.
Zhao Qinghan shook her head. "No, I come to this restaurant every time I'm in Yuancheng to see the Starry Fish."
In summer, she dressed casually in a t-shirt and slightly longer shorts that reached above her knees, her pale legs quite eye-catching and quite cool to wear.
Though her outfit was simple, she was exceptionally striking, drawing occasional glances from people around.
With shoulder-length hair, a fair oval face, bright and clear beautiful eyes, and glossy red lips, her features were delicately beautiful, appearing slightly aloof but sweet when she smiled.
As she spoke about the Starry Fish, Wang Xuan felt a twinge of concern, worried she might mention the Secret Realm. He sighed softly and said, "Speaking of the Starry Fish, I met a heart-wrenching and sorrowful little girl."
Zhao Qinghan glanced at him, seeing through the essence of the problem. "You're afraid I'll bring up the Secret Realm, aren't you? Starting with a story."
"No, you've misunderstood me. You must know the natives; that little girl is too pitiful…" Wang Xuan said earnestly, recounting the girl's words as she talked to herself.
Zhao Qinghan sighed lightly, "The Five Declines of Heaven and Man."
Wang Xuan asked, "Is it true that there are still people like that among the descendants of the wealthy families that intermarried with the natives back then? Are there any special medicines now?"
Zhao Qinghan nodded and shook her head. The Wu family has such people now. She told Wang Xuan that there is no cure, but there are some medicines that can slightly alleviate the condition.
"The Wu family?" Wang Xuan was surprised. Is there someone like that in the Wu Yin family now?
"Even the 'alleviating medicine' is extremely rare and needs to be harvested from the Secret Realm. Those two patients are very important to the Wu family, but their conditions are quite poor now. They hope to collect more incredible treasures from the Secret Realm to alleviate their suffering or even cure them."
Hearing this, Wang Xuan immediately understood why Wu Chenglin had gone to the old world, wanting to invite Fate Soil Chen to come out personally; it was an urgent matter to save people.
Then he looked at Zhao Qinghan, who had casually mentioned it, and had again turned the conversation to the Secret Realm.
Zhao Qinghan glanced at him and said, "Don't worry; I don't plan to take you to the Secret Realm. It's too dangerous, and I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you well."