After placing the congee on the table, the waitress bowed to Zhou Xuan and said, "Sir, please enjoy your meal!"
After the waitress left, Zhou Xuan said again, "Xiaoyu, I..."
Seeing Zhou Xuan's hesitant and pondering expression, Wei Xiaoyu asked again, "Zhou Xuan, I can't sleep, and I want to see the jadeite I bought at the supermarket on the way back. I wonder what kind of micro-carvings you've made?"
Zhou Xuan smiled wryly. He had just finished fiddling with the Nine Dragon Cauldron and used up all his ice energy. How could he possibly make any more micro-carvings? He could only wait until tonight to practice his skills and recover some of his ice energy. He needed to recover at least 10-20% before he could use ice energy to make micro-carvings.
"Xiaoyu, I'm a little tired. Do you want something to eat? Just grab something and rest!" Zhou Xuan thought for a moment but decided not to tell Wei Xiaoyu about the Nine Dragon Cauldron. He figured she wouldn't understand. In fact, not only her, but he himself was equally baffled as to how such a thing could exist!
However, when Zhou Xuan was using the Nine Dragons Cauldron, although the ice energy could not detect the origin and age of the cauldron's materials, he could vaguely sense throughout the process that the Nine Dragons Cauldron was not an antique at all, but rather a high-tech machine. It used the bead in the middle of the cauldron to generate energy, which was converted into another kind of energy that could start the machine. Then, it was activated by the nine dragons and finally turned into red light that shot out from the dragons' eyes. The red light seemed to be the source of time-stopping. When the red light disappeared, the function of stopping time disappeared.
Zhou Xuan himself never believed in ghosts, gods, immortals, or demons, so he didn't believe in Taoist magic or magical treasures. When the Nine Dragons Cauldron was in operation, Zhou Xuan's icy energy was being frantically devoured by the bead. Although the icy energy was being devoured, he could sense that it was being drawn into the bead and running. Inside the bead was an extremely sophisticated machine, and the entire Nine Dragons Cauldron was a complete set of machines. Even when the Nine Dragons Eyes emitted light, the icy energy felt that it was an indescribable machine.
But who could manufacture such a machine? Even in today's technologically advanced world, it would be impossible to make one!
Moreover, his ice energy can detect any substance on Earth, but when he obtained this thing from Lin Shilong, he couldn't detect the origin of the Nine Dragon Cauldron.
From this, Zhou Xuan could be certain that this thing, like his golden stone, was not from Earth. Could it be, like those golden stones, from outer space, or perhaps a product of high intelligence from outer space?
When Zhou Xuan invited Wei Xiaoyu to eat, she smiled and sat down at the table without being polite. After tasting the porridge, she praised, "This porridge is delicious!"
After taking a few sips, seeing Zhou Xuan still in a daze, she got up and pulled him over, scolding, "Zhou Xuan, what's wrong with you? Don't worry about that Nine Dragon Cauldron, let's eat something!"
Zhou Xuan ate his food and drank his porridge thoughtfully, still thinking about the Nine Dragon Cauldron. He also vaguely sensed that his ice energy had not fully activated the machine; it was far from enough. It seemed that he had only activated a tiny bit. This was mainly because his ice energy was too weak and small, making it impossible for him to fully utilize the machine. Based on the feeling he had just experienced, Zhou Xuan knew that even if he fully restored his ice energy, he would not be able to fully activate the time machine of the Nine Dragon Cauldron. That would require much greater energy. Perhaps the stolen crystal had that function.
But it's unclear what would happen if that machine were fully activated. Would time stand still, or would the world stand still? Or perhaps it would take us back to the past or into the future?
Zhou Xuan had a feeling that the machine's capabilities would not be limited to what he had just seen, but no one knew what would happen. Zhou Xuan had never heard of such a thing before.
I also learned from Lin Shilong that he bought the Nine Dragon Cauldron by chance. Who it belonged to and how he obtained it are now impossible to trace and verify!
Wei Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh when she saw Zhou Xuan's outfit. Zhou Xuan looked down and realized that he was naked from the waist up and only had a towel wrapped around his lower body. He had just come out of the bathroom after taking a shower. His face turned red and he quickly ran to the bathroom to get dressed.
Wei Xiaoyu bit her lip and chuckled. This Zhou Xuan, when he took off his clothes in front of her in the cave, he didn't seem shy at all. But now he's acting like a woman. No, no, what woman these days would be shy?
Zhou Xuan finished dressing and came out. Seeing that Wei Xiaoyu was smiling and showed no sign of leaving, he said, "Xiaoyu, go back to sleep. Get some rest, Lin Shilong is coming to pick us up tomorrow!"
"Are you trying to kick me out, or are you afraid of me?" Wei Xiaoyu's face suddenly turned cold, then she snorted and said, "I'm not leaving tonight, I'm staying here!"
Zhou Xuan was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. The room fell silent for a moment. Just as he was about to say something, Wei Xiaoyu burst out laughing again, stood up, and said, "Okay, don't worry, I'm going back to sleep!"
After saying that, she left with a smile and gently closed the door behind her.
Zhou Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, although Wei Xiaoyu made him nervous, he had to admit that she was an extremely beautiful and attractive girl. When he was with her, he was indeed attracted to her, but he knew in his heart that nothing could happen between them.
Sighing, Zhou Xuan picked up the Nine Dragon Cauldron again to examine it. Knowing that the Nine Dragon Cauldron had the extraordinary ability to freeze time, Zhou Xuan paid even more attention to checking the other parts of the cauldron. However, he did not find anything else unusual. The ice energy had not recovered, and there was no energy to use the bead for testing. After thinking for a while, he put the Nine Dragon Cauldron into his bag and went back to bed to quickly resume practicing ice energy.
The Nine Dragons Cauldron had just absorbed his icy energy, and now when it was used again, only a trace of very faint energy remained. After circulating for a few rounds, the icy energy recovered somewhat. Zhou Xuan understood that although the Nine Dragons Cauldron was frantically absorbing and devouring his icy energy, it was not absorbing his essence. It was just like a person doing heavy work, exhausting their strength, but if they rested well, their strength would recover after a while.
Because I'm meeting Lin Shilong tomorrow, and I already told him in person today that I'd give him a few more miniature carvings tomorrow, if I want to find clues in the case and find that ghost mask, then I have to keep my promise to him, otherwise things won't go smoothly.
The ice energy reacted and recovered somewhat, which put Zhou Xuan at ease. He was very worried when the Nine Dragon Cauldron absorbed his ice energy, fearing that it would be like when the crystal absorbed his ice energy before. Now he was relieved. Last time, after being absorbed by the crystal, he completely lost his ice energy ability. Now, after being absorbed by the Nine Dragon Cauldron, it was as if the ice energy was used up, and the source of the ice energy was fine.
After running silently for two or three hours, the ice energy actually recovered to about 20% of its pre-absorption level. Zhou Xuan had a better understanding of the situation, so he ran the system even more diligently. Before he knew it, the ice energy had recovered to 40%, and Zhou Xuan fell asleep without realizing it.
Wei Xiaoyu woke them up again in the morning because Lin Shilong had said he would come to pick them up at ten o'clock, so Wei Xiaoyu had to finish their makeup before ten o'clock.
Zhou Xuan had already washed off his makeup while taking a shower last night, and Wei Xiaoyu spent another hour restoring him to his appearance from yesterday. Then she did her own makeup, but mainly she focused on Zhou Xuan's makeup. Yesterday, Lin Shilong and the others only paid attention to Zhou Xuan and didn't notice her at all, so even if she was different, it wouldn't attract attention. She just needed to make sure Zhou Xuan's makeup was done well!
After everything was prepared, it was only 8:30 a.m., and Wei Xiaoyu ordered breakfast and asked the hotel staff to bring it to her room.
Five minutes before 10 o'clock, Lin Shilong arrived. Zhou Xuan had given him the hotel room number, so he only needed to come upstairs to knock on the door.
Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu were both ready. Of course, Zhou Xuan had also finished making those jade pieces, but Wei Xiaoyu didn't know it.
Accompanying Lin Shilong was Fang Dacheng, who, like a fawning lackey, already regarded Zhou Xuan as his god of wealth, ready to make a fortune!
Volume 1, Chapter 358: Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion.
Before leaving, Zhou Xuan thought for a moment and decided to carry the bag containing the Nine Dragon Cauldrons on his back.
This Nine Dragon Cauldron is too mysterious and must be very important, so it cannot be left in the hotel. It would be a great pity if it were stolen. Therefore, Zhou Xuan was not comfortable leaving it in the hotel and thought it was safer to keep it with him.
Last night, Zhou Xuan practiced his ice qi all night and has recovered to 60% of his previous level. If he has another two days, he will be able to fully recover to his original state. This is mainly because his body has recovered in the past few days, so his ice qi is recovering quickly.
Today, Fang Dacheng is driving, Lin Shilong is sitting next to him, and Zhou Xuan and Wei Xiaoyu are sitting in the back.
However, the car was still Lin Shilong's car. Although the Mercedes-Benz E360 wasn't the best car, it was still much better than Fang Dacheng's small Hyundai.
After Fang Dacheng drove the car onto the highway, Lin Shilong turned his head and said with a smile, "Little Wei, hehe, I won't stand on ceremony and call you Little Wei. I'm getting a little impatient. I wonder what good stuff you brought today?"
Lin Shilong felt a pang of longing as he thought about the jade micro-carving Zhou Xuan had given him yesterday. He wondered what kind of breathtaking jade micro-carving Zhou Xuan would bring today.
Thinking of this, Lin Shilong felt incredibly excited, and his eyes were fixed on Zhou Xuan with anticipation.
Zhou Xuan found it somewhat amusing. Lin Shilong's eyes were red and bloodshot, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well the previous night. This was all because of his miniature carvings. Zhou Xuan was aware of the consequences of this. Back in Beijing, when Zhou Zhang's shop opened, he sold one at the opening ceremony and then gave the rest to Old Wu, the shop's appraiser. Old Wu had been suffering from conjunctivitis for the next few days, unable to sleep well for several nights, all because of those miniature carvings.
Zhou Xuan smiled, not wanting to worry Lin Shilong any longer, so he took a small box out of his bag and handed it to Lin Shilong, who was sitting in front of him.
Lin Shilong took the box with trembling hands, then opened it and saw that the small box was wrapped in soft silk cloth, and there were four small cloth bags inside.
Lin Shilong's hand trembled slightly, then he said to Fang Dacheng, who was driving, "Drive steadily, don't let the car shake!"
Fang Dacheng quickly responded and slowed down the car, driving steadily.
Lin Shilong then took out a small silk bag from the box and carefully opened it. Inside was a small, seal-like piece of icy jadeite. The quality was much better than the oily green jadeite from yesterday. The seal was rectangular and even smaller than the Guanyin statue from yesterday, no more than two centimeters long. Each of the four sides was only 0.5 centimeters wide. There were some patterns on the surface, but it was impossible to tell what they were with the naked eye.
Fortunately, Lin Shilong was prepared and had brought a piece with a higher value than the one used in the shop yesterday. He immediately took it out and examined the small jade seal.