Zhou Xuan glanced around and saw that there were only the two of them in the back of the car he and Fu Ying got into, while there were two unfamiliar men sitting in the front. He could vaguely see that there were quite a few people in the other cars, at least fifteen or sixteen people in the five cars.
Zhou Xuan didn't know where these people were taking them. He noticed that the driver and the passenger in his car both had handguns, but they were definitely not police officers. Zhou Xuan couldn't detect any police identification on them.
Fu Ying was also filled with doubt and suspicion. She had noticed that someone was following her when she first arrived at the coffee shop. She was very angry at the time, thinking that it was Zhou Xuan's doing and wanted to find out where she was. But after leaving, she realized that those people were not following her. She then guessed that these people might not be following her, but Zhou Xuan.
Fu Ying recalled the fantastical story Zhou Xuan had just told her. Although she found it hard to believe, it did indeed fascinate her, so she couldn't help but go back and follow Zhou Xuan again. As a result, she discovered that the two men were making a phone call while following Zhou Xuan. When Zhou Xuan tried to escape, the two men rushed forward to grab him. Coincidentally, a car blocked the way just then, and Zhou Xuan was unable to escape.
Fu Ying immediately rushed forward and attacked, knocking down the person outside and pulling Zhou Xuan out. However, she did not expect that their backup personnel would also arrive in a car in an instant. With a pistol against an empty hand, there was naturally no way to resist.
In the car, Fu Ying pondered in a daze. The moment Zhou Xuan stood up to shield her, she could definitely feel his deep love for her. If this wasn't the person who cared for her the most, an ordinary person would never have made such a move. Could it be that Zhou Xuan really did return from 2011 to the present, as he said? Could it be that she and he were truly lovers destined to be together through thick and thin?
Five cars drove one after another towards the suburbs. Zhou Xuan was quite familiar with the terrain and traffic here. The direction these people were heading was the western suburbs, which were mountainous and relatively desolate. There were a few farmhouses closer to the city. Zhou Xuan had been here once with his friends and climbed Huolong Mountain in the western suburbs of the city.
Huolong Mountain is not associated with dragons or fire in legends; it's just an ordinary mountain. A large number of dragon fruits are grown at the foot of the mountain, hence the name Huolong Mountain (Fire Dragon Mountain).
The car drove to the edge of a large flat area and stopped. Several other cars then slowly drove off the road and stopped in the middle of the lawn. People then got out of the cars.
Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying also got out of the car, but a dozen men surrounded them at a distance.
Then the back door of a car opened, and two men around fifty years old slowly stepped out. Zhou Xuan clearly recognized one of them as Mr. Yang.
It really was him.
Zhou Xuan narrowed his eyes, and after a long pause, said, "Mr. Yang, I've already said I won't sell that thing."
However, despite saying this, he was actually quite anxious. If these people tried to take it by force, there was nothing he could do. What he was even more worried about was if Mr. Yang and his group forcibly took his Nine Dragon Cauldron and then murdered him and disposed of the body; that would be a real problem.
Fu Ying was very confused. She didn't know why these people had come, but they were obviously not simple people, otherwise so many people wouldn't have come.
Mr. Yang smiled and said to Zhou Xuan, "Young Zhou, I'm really sorry to meet you in this way. Let me introduce you. This gentleman..." He pointed to the man beside him and said, "This is the one I mentioned to you before, the one who entrusted me to buy your Nine Dragon Cauldron, Mr. An Guoqing."
Zhou Xuan glanced at An Guoqing, who was around fifty years old, with a square face and a dignified air. He was clearly a powerful figure who was above everyone else.
However, Zhou Xuan didn't care about him. He didn't want to sell the Nine Dragon Cauldron, so he brought so many people to hold him hostage. Whatever his intentions, it was very annoying.
Mr. Yang smiled again and said, "Hehe, Xiao Zhou, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Huaiyuan, Yang Huaiyuan. I can only ask for your understanding regarding today's events. I'm truly sorry."
Zhou Xuan said calmly, "I'll say it again: this Nine Dragon Cauldron is not for sale. If it's still about this, then you don't need to say anything more."
“Young man, don’t speak so absolutely,” An Guoqing said in a deep voice from the side. “I think you still don’t understand who you are talking to.”
Zhou Xuan snorted and said disdainfully, "You don't need to tell me who you are, and I have no interest in knowing who you are. If you intend to use force, then I ask you to consider the consequences. My Nine Dragon Cauldron is related to my personal issues with another girl, Mr. Yang, whom you also know. Her name is Wei Xiaoyu. I can also introduce her to you. Her father is Wei Haifeng, her second uncle is Wei Haihe, and her youngest uncle is Wei Haihong. I think Mr. Yang should be familiar with her, right?"
Yang Huaiyuan was genuinely taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhou Xuan's background to be so far beyond his imagination; he was no ordinary person. And Wei Xiaoyu's expression yesterday was so obvious that even a blind man could see her unusual relationship with Zhou Xuan. If what Zhou Xuan said was true, then this matter would be difficult to handle. A family like the Wei family wasn't one that could be offended simply by being wealthy and powerful.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Huaiyuan whispered a few words to An Guoqing, and An Guoqing's expression turned rather unpleasant.
Zhou Xuan knew that Wei Xiaoyu's identity was the key factor. Yang Huaiyuan definitely knew Wei Haihong, as he had known this since their first meeting when Wei Haihong was hosting a villa auction.
Zhou Xuan didn't actually like to use Wei Xiaoyu's identity to solve this problem, especially in front of Fu Ying, but he had no other choice now. The main problem was that his ice energy ability hadn't reached the level it used to be, so he couldn't convert and devour it, which meant he was practically defenseless.
An Guoqing frowned, his face grim, and after a long while, he said, "Mr. Zhou, I think we should have a proper talk. If you're willing, I can offer you more flexibility in terms of price, enough to give you enough money to last several lifetimes. As you said, I don't want to use any other forceful methods. Let me be frank with you, I think you don't understand the true purpose of your Nine Dragon Cauldron. It's useless to you, but I desperately need it. So I want to make it clear to you that this Nine Dragon Cauldron is useless to anyone except me; it's worthless. Do you understand?"
Zhou Xuan stared at An Guoqing, smiled faintly, and mocked, "Mr. An, I think you're being a bit too decisive. How do you know the Nine Dragon Cauldron is useless to me? Perhaps it's even more important to me than it is to you?"
An Guoqing was stunned for a moment, then looked at his subordinates on the left and right, and waved his hand, saying, "You all wait by the roadside. No one is allowed to come over without my permission."
An Guoqing herded all his men to the roadside, about thirty or forty meters away, then opened the car door and invited Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying to get in: "Gentlemen, please get in the car and we'll talk. I think we need to have a quiet discussion."
After saying that, An Guoqing and Yang Huaiyuan sat in the front seats and closed the car door. Now that they were talking in the car, no one else could hear them.
An Guoqing then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhou, I think we can calm down and have a detailed discussion. If we talk it out well, I believe there is nothing that cannot be resolved. I heard from you, Feng Gang, that the Nine Dragon Cauldron is also very important to you. Can you tell me why?"
It seemed that An Guoqing was trying to get information out of him. Zhou Xuan understood that what he had just said had aroused An Guoqing's suspicion, making him wonder if he knew some secrets about the Nine Dragon Cauldron. If he knew the secrets of the Nine Dragon Cauldron, he was afraid that money couldn't buy it back.
“Mr. An, I’m not familiar with the Nine Dragon Cauldron, but my friend and I experienced some very strange things related to it. If I told you, perhaps few people in the world would believe it, but…”
Zhou Xuan stared at An Guoqing, then slowly said, "However, I believe Mr. An might believe what I've been through. Ever since I obtained the Nine Dragon Cauldron, only Mr. An has wanted it and felt that it was an unusual object. So I think Mr. An should know much more about the secrets of the Nine Dragon Cauldron than I do, right?"
An Guoqing and Yang Huaiyuan exchanged glances, their faces filled with surprise and doubt, seemingly disbelieving Zhou Xuan's words. However, Zhou Xuan's expression did not suggest that he was completely unaware of the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron. Otherwise, why would he have remained unmoved even after offering such an exorbitant price?
"You... Mr. Zhou, what kind of strange things happened between you and your friend?" An Guoqing couldn't help but ask. He still wanted to know the extent of Zhou Xuan's understanding of the Nine Dragon Cauldron before he could make a decision.
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, then looked at Fu Ying. Fu Ying was obviously confused, but Zhou Xuan explained the whole story to her. If it involved those things, she would definitely understand.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Xuan said, "Mr. An, Mr. Yang, you don't need to try to trick me. I can only say this: what my friend and I went through is indescribable. This Nine Dragon Cauldron cannot be sold... We..."
Zhou Xuan tilted his head slightly, then said, "If I said I'm not from this time and space, would you believe me?" When Zhou Xuan said this, his face showed a faint mockery, but also a hint of helplessness.
But Zhou Xuan's words caused both An Guoqing and Yang Huaiyuan's expressions to change.
An Guoqing was stunned for a moment, then said excitedly, "What did you say... Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Zhou Xuan immediately understood. An Guoqing and Mr. Yang must know the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron, but he didn't know how much they knew. However, these two would definitely not reveal the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron first.
"I know you won't reveal the secrets of the Nine Dragon Cauldron, but we can make a deal. How about this, let's discuss it further. Can we exchange some secrets?"
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, then spoke up. Since obtaining the Nine Dragon Cauldron, he had only learned a small part of its secrets by activating it with ice energy. However, Zhou Xuan was certain that what he knew about the Nine Dragon Cauldron's secrets was only a very small fraction. If he were to guess, he believed that An Guoqing and Yang Huaiyuan knew far more than he did.
"The Nine Dragon Cauldron has the ability to stop time, freeze time, and travel to the past. Do you think I'm bragging or telling the truth?"
An Guoqing and Yang Huaiyuan's expressions were uncertain, while Fu Ying, standing beside Zhou Xuan, was also secretly alarmed. Could everything Zhou Xuan said be true? The two of them clearly looked surprised, as if they had been told the truth.
After a long moment of stunned silence, An Guoqing hesitated before asking, "What else...do you know?"
Zhou Xuan spread his hands and said, "Of course I know a lot more. If you want to know more things, I think we should exchange them."
An Guoqing stared blankly, then suddenly said decisively, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. There is no energy in this world that can activate the Nine Dragon Cauldron. You must have heard some legend about the Nine Dragon Cauldron and are trying to fool me, right?"