Zhou Xuan was naturally skeptical, but he was interested in meeting this old lady, so he turned to An Guoqing and said, "Mr. An, let's go and meet this centenarian too, and maybe we can absorb some of her longevity."
As the crowd arrived at Grandma Li's residence, Zhou Xuan noticed another well in the courtyard. An Jie explained, "This well is secretly connected to the Poxin River. Drinking this water is said to prolong life, and everyone in the village, young and old, drinks it. However, we've now partnered with a tourism company, and empty bottles of this well water are provided for each visitor, though it costs ten yuan."
Zhou Xuan chuckled. So it's been commercialized. Ten yuan is like buying a ticket. This is much more expensive than bottled water, and it doesn't even require any equipment to make it.
While waiting in line, Anjie pointed to the west and said, "Over there, in the source cave of the Poxin River, legend has it that a huge rhinoceros lives in the deep pool inside. Because the cave entrance is narrow, it can't come out and can only appear in the deep pool, so it's also called the 'Rhinoceros Palace.' It's said that this rhinoceros has become a spirit over time and has created a celestial pearl. The water of the Poxin River has gained celestial energy because it has been soaked in this celestial pearl for a long time. So drinking the water of the Poxin River can bring longevity."
Zhou Xuan smiled faintly, finding the statement even more ridiculous, and even Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying smiled.
Next, it was Zhou Xuan's turn. Entering the unique building, they found themselves in a living room. The old lady sat reclining in a large armchair. An Guoqing greeted her, "Hello, Madam."
"Hello, hello," the old lady clearly recognized An Guoqing and An Jie, and immediately opened her eyes and sat up.
The 117-year-old man was, to be honest, at his limit in every aspect. Zhou Xuan had already started using ice energy to probe.
This old lady had definitely not practiced any health-preserving exercises or martial arts, but the cellular function in her body gave Zhou Xuan a familiar feeling, though he couldn't figure out why or feel any difference.
However, Zhou Xuan felt a familiar scent in the old woman's body. After probing carefully for a while, Zhou Xuan suddenly realized that the old woman's body contained the molecular sensation from the bead in the Nine Dragon Cauldron, but it was extremely weak. If it were not detected with ice energy, it would be impossible to sense it.
No wonder
If the old lady's longevity is attributed to the secret within the Nine Dragon Cauldron, then Zhou Xuan wouldn't find it strange. The Nine Dragon Cauldron's energy could certainly achieve this, so it's not surprising.
If Zhou Xuan used his ice-energy ability to stimulate human functions and help the elderly and weak to live for ten or twenty years, it would indeed not be difficult. However, he could not stimulate a large number of elderly people. As for converting energy into underground river water like in Poxin Village, he could not do it no matter what. Even if you poured a large amount of dye into a river, you could not change the color of the entire river. It was even more impossible for human beings. Human beings have their limits.
However, if what An Guoqing said is true, and the Nine Star Pearl really exists, it is not impossible to change the quality of the entire river with the energy of the Nine Star Pearl.
Zhou Xuan now believes 90% of what An Guoqing said, but only about the Nine Star Pearl; he still doesn't believe in An Guoqing's true intentions.
The claims about the Nine-Star Pearl and the Nine-Dragon Cauldron are almost certainly true. Zhou Xuan sensed the faint energy molecules of the Nine-Star Pearl on the old lady, which explains what An Guoqing said.
The old lady's voice was still clear, and her thoughts were still lucid. She chatted and laughed with An Jie. Zhou Xuan stepped forward and shook hands with the old lady. While shaking hands, he used his ice energy to stimulate her physical functions. This was much stronger than the faint energy molecules of the Nine Star Pearl in the old lady's body. The old lady's physical functions, which had reached their limit, were greatly improved.
However, the old lady is too old to recover to a lifespan of ten or twenty years like the old man. At most, she can only live for a few more years. But for an old lady of her age, living one more year is like a young person living ten more years.
Zhou Xuan released his hand and smiled, saying, "May the old lady live as long as the pine tree in autumn."
After shaking hands with Zhou Xuan, the old lady suddenly felt lighter and more energetic. She smiled and said to Zhou Xuan, "Thank you, young man."
The next few people came out from the other side and took a few bottles of water from the worker who managed the well.
Zhou Xuan took the bottle and tested it with ice. Sure enough, he detected even fainter energy molecules from the Nine-Star Beads in the water. These molecules were much weaker than those in the old lady's body, suggesting that the old lady had accumulated them in her body from drinking well water for many years.
This little bit of well water naturally didn't have much effect, but Zhou Xuan understood why the people of Poxin Village lived so long. They were right; it was because of the water in this well.
But why didn't I detect this energy when I was in the three skylight lakes?
Isn't this well water connected to the underground river through those skylights?
This is a bit puzzling. Why is there water in the well but not in the lake through the three skylights?
After leaving the old lady's house, An Guoqing raised the bottle of water and said, "I've had countless experts analyze this well water, and apart from zinc and manganese ions, I haven't gotten any other results. I still can't figure out what's different about this water. If it has no effect, then the reason for the longevity of the elderly in Poxin Village is inexplicable. The only thing that makes sense is this well water, but this well water doesn't seem any different."
Zhou Xuan smiled but didn't say anything.
The secret of this well water is probably only known to him in the world. The molecules transformed from the energy in this Nine Star Pearl are probably undetectable by any scientific instrument, except for his ice-energy ability.
The Poxin River has seven skylights. Three of the larger skylights can be reached by boat, while two smaller skylights require climbing to the bottom of the cliff. The other two smallest skylights are located in extremely dangerous terrain, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like sinkholes, and no one has ever gone down into them. So far, diving experts from China and abroad have only been able to detect the underground rivers of the first five skylights, which are connected to form a distance of nearly one kilometer. The underground rivers of the remaining two skylights are too long and winding to be explored.
It seems that the Nine Star Pearls are only in the underground river of the skylight in the sixth or seventh room. But I wonder if the legendary giant rhinoceros is some kind of monster inside?
There's no smoke without fire in this world. Since such a rumor exists, there might be other dangers involved. As for the Nine Star Pearl, Zhou Xuan definitely believes it. Moreover, the well water in Poxin Village is undoubtedly related to the hiding place of the Nine Star Pearl, and it's not too far away. It's at least closer to the other skylights.
If these skylights are all connected, Zhou Xuan believes that the energy molecules of the Nine Star Pearl are confined to a certain range, such as 500 meters or 1,000 meters. This is just a conjecture. Beyond this range, the energy of the Nine Star Pearl is completely diluted, which is why he cannot detect the existence of such molecules.
Zhou Xuan opened the bottle cap and took a small sip of water. It was icy cold and didn't have any special taste. It was just ordinary, harmless underground freshwater, but it had been altered by the energy in the Nine Star Pearl, making it beneficial. However, the water was highly diluted and far less beneficial than his Ice Qi Stimulation.
This is certainly not because Zhou Xuan's icy aura is more powerful than the energy of the Nine Star Pearl. Zhou Xuan is directly attacking a person, and the water in the underground river is incredibly vast.
If he were replaced with a Nine-Star Pearl underground, he probably wouldn't even be able to turn into dust. Even if he absorbed all the energy from the crystal into his body, it would still be far from enough.
However, there is another strange thing about Zhou Xuan. The energy of the Nine Star Pearls obviously has an end. The one in his Nine Dragon Cauldron was completely exhausted, and there was no energy left in it. But the Nine Star Pearls deep underground have been around for countless years, so why do they still have energy?
Zhou Xuan couldn't figure this out, but he clearly understood it much better than An Guoqing. An Guoqing didn't have the same ice-qi ability as him, so it was impossible for him to truly understand. However, An Guoqing obviously knew about the Nine Dragon Cauldron and the Nine Star Pearl.
Zhou Xuan was very wary of An Guoqing. There were many unreliable things in what this man said. The story of the Nine Dragon Cauldron that he told was very unbelievable, given that the oral message passed down by Liu Zijie of the Qing Dynasty was not credible. An Guoqing spoke as if he had witnessed it himself. Besides, the Nine Dragon Cauldron was such an important thing. If Liu Zijie knew the secret of the Nine Dragon Cauldron, why would he lose it?
There are many secrets involved, which An Guoqing did not tell him. However, Zhou Xuan did not ask, and An Guoqing naturally would not tell him either. The two of them are currently only using each other. As for what will happen, they will probably only find out when they go to the bottom of the river cave under the sky window.
However, will they return safely this time, just like the previous two times?
Back then, he possessed the formidable ability to transform and devour, but now, his abilities are at their weakest. Can he handle the situation underground?
Aside from his unquestionable diving ability, Zhou Xuan could hardly find any advantage over himself. With the latest diving equipment and underwater boosters, he could accelerate his descent, extend his time underwater with concentrated air tanks, and increase his diving depth and pressure resistance with high-end diving suits. Without any equipment, relying solely on his bare hands and icy air for protection, Zhou Xuan could dive to a depth of over 200 meters and stay there for ten minutes or so. This ability was beyond the reach of any top diver in the world. At depths of several tens of meters, Zhou Xuan could even stay for more than an hour.
When Zhou Xuan uses his Ice Qi ability to hold his breath and circulate his energy, he can reduce his heart activity to a minimum, hibernating like a frog or snake. He can even breathe through his pores, absorbing oxygen molecules from the water, and withstand the underwater atmospheric pressure that ordinary people cannot endure. This can no longer be described as normal.
Of course, his ice-based superpowers were beyond what could be described as normal.
If Zhou Xuan uses these devices, his underwater abilities will undoubtedly be even stronger. If other expert divers can stay underwater for four hours at depths of over 100 meters using these devices, then Zhou Xuan can stay underwater for at least 24 hours, or even longer. Zhou Xuan hasn't seriously tested how long he can stay underwater yet, but with the supply of oxygen tanks, his ability to use ice gas can undoubtedly reduce oxygen consumption to less than a thousandth of that of a normal person. Based on this ratio, with an oxygen tank that can supply four hours of oxygen, Zhou Xuan's diving time should far exceed 24 hours.
Zhou Xuan's biggest concern was the complex waterways beneath the skylight, which resembled a maze. This was the most frightening aspect. No matter how skilled you were at diving, if you got lost inside and couldn't find your way out, your diving ability would be useless. Being able to dive is not the same as being able to live in water. Humans are not fish, and if they exceed their limits, they will drown just the same way.
As they walked out of the village, An Guoqing's men were waiting outside in a small 12-seater bus.
After getting into the car, Zhou Xuan glanced at the direction and realized it was heading out of the village and towards the city. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Mr. An, are we going back already?"
An Guoqing smiled and said, "Xiao Zhou, don't rush. I brought you here today just to relax. That matter can't be rushed. We need to prepare everything before we can take action. I don't know if Mr. Xiao Zhou has ever experienced the dangers involved. If you understand, I'm sure you won't be in such a hurry."