Goddess Zhao

The old man Zhong Yong is suspected of consuming a rare substance and living a second life, causing a great stir among the people who know about the mystery.

What can people say? This old guy doesn't make a move until he does, and once he does, it's like a thunderbolt. He's definitely... aiming to Extend Life!

Even though he was over a hundred years old, he still kept saying that he couldn't bear to leave his children and didn't want to leave this world.

Among the important figures in the chaebol, he was the most obsessed, often lamenting that the mortal world was so dazzling and he really wanted to live another five hundred years.

This matter has had a huge impact, and all parties are paying attention and studying it.

Recently, major organizations have suffered heavy losses, with expeditions being wiped out one after another, and the compensation money is so generous that even they themselves feel a chill.

Old Zhong's incredible gamble has deeply moved some of the older folks, making them restless. If they could regain their youth, who wouldn't want to give it their all before they die?

Some tycoons were studying the photo, examining it closely with magnifying glasses, and were certain that Old Zhong had grown thick, short black hair.

His wrinkled old face has matured, and he's about to cross into the forties or fifties, truly living a second life!

A group of elderly men in their seventies and eighties felt disgusted. The more they looked at the photo, the more they felt that Old Zhong was doing it on purpose. Who was he showing off his long legs to?

On ordinary days, when they visited Old Zhong, he always looked like he was about to die, lying there covered with the unicorn skin dug out of the ancient cave to prevent his life force from fading away.

"Old Zhong has no good intentions. He's luring us to the secret place to kill a bunch of us!" someone gritted their teeth, finally sighing, "Even though I'm cursing him, I'm really tempted!"

When an important person visited the Zhong family, Zhong Changming informed him that Old Zhong was currently unwell and needed to recuperate, and therefore could not receive guests in the near future.

There's no doubt now, Zhong Yong has been back for ages!

Wang Xuan stared speechlessly at the photo of Old Zhong carrying the Super Battleship away. That old man was ruthless; he was defying Change Fate, and he succeeded.

He looked at the original drawing and estimated that the life pod weighed at least a thousand kilograms. Judging from how easily Old Zhong ran and how far he could take a step, he must have at least the strength of a grandmaster!

Is this power gained from consuming rare items, or is Old Zhong a master in himself?

The Zhong family possesses various secret manuals, including the highest secrets and ultimate techniques of Daoism. If he is indeed a top expert in the field of Old Arts, Wang Xuan would not be surprised at all.

"He's over a hundred years old, his neck and below are buried in the earth, yet he still works so hard. What reason do we have not to strive? Let's fight, break free from the shackles of fate, and the path to Transcendent Immortals is right before our eyes!"

Wang Xuan remained calm, but he noticed that the group was already in an uproar, with all sorts of impassioned words flowing out, and a group of people clamoring to go to the secret place to Change Fate.

"Life is so difficult right now, but the future is so bright. What reason do we have to waste our time? Get ready to hit the road and sign up!"

A group of people were full of enthusiasm and clamored to join the Xinyuan Exploration Team.

Wang Xuan wasn't affected by their emotions, but seeing Old Zhong's photo did make him somewhat unsettled.

Over a hundred years old, Old Zhong dared to venture into the abyss, risking his life with a life pod. Now, however, he's thinking of booking a boat ticket and fleeing overnight, feeling that the various organizations are too ruthless, and that the secret realm is a killing pit; he wants to play it safe.

Does he not even have the drive of a dying old man?

He quickly calmed down and realized that the troubles involving Old Zhong were not over, but only just beginning, and would escalate to a terrifying degree.

Even he was emotionally affected, let alone those old men in various organizations who didn't have many years left to live, who would definitely dare to gamble everything!

And some of the young people in the chaebols, those with ambition, mostly want to try their luck in the secret world.

"The fuse! A single photograph by Zhong Yong will ignite even more bloodshed in the secret place."

Wang Xuan was certain that from then on, some members of the financial magnates would personally visit the secret location, and for safety reasons, they would bring along even more explorers.

In fact, his guess came true. The very next morning, he received several calls, all from top-tier organizations. They were raising their advance payments again, recruiting at exorbitant prices, and preparing to enter the secret territory once more.

Clearly, after stirring things up, Old Zhong is now sitting back and watching the drama unfold, smiling as he observes the other old men making their moves.

Soon, someone from Xinyuan sent Wang Xuan a contract online, asking him to take a look, saying that the expedition team would only be recruiting twenty-one people this time, and the number of places was limited.

Wang Xuan accepted the document and said he would consider it.

He glanced at it and saw that the advance payment of four million New Star Coin was indeed a lot, but it was money earned at the cost of his life; one wrong move and he could die in deep space.

Besides the advance payment, there would be free escort by warships to and from the destination, and the collected artifacts would be split 50/50. These were the most basic terms.

Old Chen's secret route organization's head in Yuan City received the contract from Wang Xuan online and sighed, "This is a complex era. Compared to ancient times, the status of cultivators has plummeted. They have to gamble with their lives to exchange for their future. A long journey through deep space is like flipping a coin; whether you live or die depends on the outcome. Heads or tails determine your fate."

For large organizations, four million New Star Coin is just the cost of two tickets; it's nothing.

Wang Xuan strolled through the neighborhood, pondering some questions. He hadn't seen Lele for many days, and today he saw her again.

She sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, holding a tiny white kitten, no bigger than the palm of her hand, talking to herself.

"I've been in so much pain lately that I'm fainting and can't go to school anymore. I think I'm going to die, but why isn't Daddy back yet? If he comes back any later, he won't see me anymore." She was very disappointed, hugged the kitten tightly, lowered her head, and had tears in her eyes.

Wang Xuan stood behind her, not interrupting her thoughts. He sighed inwardly; the little girl was truly pitiful.

When she was in so much pain during her last attack, her forehead was covered in cold sweat but she didn't cry. Instead, she trembled and reached out her little hand to wipe her mother's tears, comforting the adult in return.

When she was alone, she didn't have a seizure yet, but instead shed tears, which shows that the little girl was also very sad, but she was too sensible to show it in front of adults.

"Huanhuan, after I die, bury me in the woods by the Zhou River, okay?" The little girl lowered her head and spoke to the kitten in her arms, tears already falling in drops. She whispered, "I promised my mother that every year when the stars fill the night sky, she and my father will come to see me. Actually, I really want to see them every day; I don't want to be separated from them. But I'm afraid they'll be sad, so I made a promise with her that they will come to see me once a year at this time."

Wang Xuan stood behind, unable to move. The little girl was precocious; she was already worried that her parents would be sad in the future. These words were truly heart-wrenching, and her maturity was heartbreaking.

"I was afraid they would miss me in the future, so I asked Mom to have a little brother to keep them company. But, year after year goes by, will they forget me?" A tear fell onto the kitten. After wiping it away, the little girl said, "Huanhuan, in the future, when you hear someone say that the starfish has appeared, you must remind them to go see me. And you must go too, I will miss you."

"Meow!" The tiny kitten, no bigger than her palm, meowed softly in her arms.

"They think I don't understand, but I know everything. I know I'm going to die soon, maybe next month." The little girl Lele hugged the snow-white kitten and couldn't help but cry, sobbing softly, "I can't bear to leave you."

"I'm actually very scared. I'm scared of lying alone by the Zhou River, and even more scared that after I die, everything will disappear, and I'll be gone forever." The little girl looked into the distance and said, "Before I die, I want to donate my eyes, my corneas, to someone else. The eyes of the indigenous people are the most spiritual; they can see farther. Our genetic disease won't affect our eyes. I want to donate them to a child about my age so she can occasionally come and check on my mother..."

At this point, she became incredibly somber, tears streaming down her face. She whispered, "I've never seen the sea. My mother says it's too humid there, and the sea breeze isn't good for my sick body. I want that little friend to go see it for me. I've always stayed in Yuan City and haven't been able to travel far. The child who will receive my corneas in the future will see all the places and all the world for me..."

Wang Xuan sighed softly. He really felt sorry for the little girl. Hearing those words made his heart ache, but there was nothing he could do to help.

It took a long time for the little girl Lele to calm down, wipe away her tears, and stare blankly at the clouds in the sky.

Only then did Wang Xuan walk over and greet her, then chat with her, telling her some interesting stories from the Old Earth.

Clearly, the little girl was very willing to chat with people and enjoyed listening to stories; the two, one big and one small, got along quite well.

"Is your mother at work? Is there no one to take care of you?" Wang Xuan was a little worried. What if the little girl suddenly fell ill?

"There's a smart robot lady nearby. I wanted to talk to Huanhuan alone, so I didn't ask her to come over." After saying this, she asked, "Uncle, did you go see the starfish last time?"

Wang Xuan nodded and said, "I went to see it, it was very impressive, and extremely beautiful."

"Will you go again next year?" the little girl asked hopefully.

"I will go again. I will go every year from now on because it is so beautiful and magnificent," Wang Xuan nodded and said.

"That's wonderful!" The little girl's eyes shone brightly.

Wang Xuan said goodbye to her and walked a long way away, but she was still watching him from behind.

Shortly after, Wang Xuan's phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, which he guessed was another call from one of those large organizations, asking him to go to the secret location.

He answered the call and immediately asked, "Another secret rendezvous, isn't it?"

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a pleasant female voice. "You've been going on quite a few dates lately?"

The tone didn't sound like a customer service representative, and it sounded familiar. He instantly knew who it was—it was Zhao Qinghan. How did she know he had come to New Star?

In an instant, he realized that Qin Cheng, that big mouth, must have let it slip; he had only given Qin Cheng, one of his acquaintances, his phone number at New Star.

"Qing Han, I was just about to contact you. I'm New Star to Xinxing and don't know anyone here, so I wanted to ask you for help, but I've been a little embarrassed and kept putting it off. I'll treat you to dinner another day."

"Hypocritical," Zhao Qinghan shushed him.

When she contacted Qin Cheng earlier, she asked how Wang Xuan was doing in Old Earth. She vaguely sensed something was off on the other end of the line, so she immediately added, "Which city in New Star is Wang Xuan in? Give me his number."

Her keen insight and unconventional approach completely stunned Qin Cheng. He barely managed to stammer before Zhao Qinghan confirmed that Wang Xuan had arrived at New Star.

She asked Qin Cheng for Wang Xuan's contact information and then dialed Wang Xuan directly.

After hanging up the phone and being momentarily lost in thought, Qin Cheng immediately contacted Wang Xuan to tip him off, only to find that Wang Xuan was already on another call.

He exclaimed, "The Goddess's skills are indeed profound; her reactions are incredibly fast!"

"You're in Yuan City, right? Come out for lunch," Zhao Qinghan said decisively, leaving him no room for excuses.

Wang Xuan's mind was racing, pondering how to politely decline Zhao Qinghan's invitation to join the expedition team, and how to explain himself if he appeared in the secret place after refusing and was discovered or encountered.

So, he was a little distracted, and upon hearing this, he said, "Little Zhao..."

"What did you call me?!" You could feel that Goddess Zhao's voice rose a little.

"Goddess!" Wang Xuan didn't feel embarrassed at all and immediately changed his address.

"You never called me that at school, say it again," Zhao Qinghan said calmly.

"Goddess!" Wang Xuan said quite naturally; it wouldn't hurt him to say it again.

At noon, in a restaurant in the central business district of Yuan City, Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan sat facing each other.

Zhao Qinghan didn't choose a rooftop restaurant, but the ambiance was still quite nice. She said the food was pretty good and she liked it.

"Do you live near Yuan City?" Wang Xuan asked.

Zhao Qinghan shook her head. "No, I come to this restaurant every time I go to Yuan City to see the starfish."

In the summer, she dressed casually in a t-shirt and slightly longer hot pants that reached above her knees, her fair and beautiful legs were dazzling, and she was dressed quite coolly.

Although her clothes were simple, she was exceptionally beautiful, attracting the attention of many people from time to time.

She had shoulder-length hair, a fair and oval face, very beautiful clear and bright eyes, and glossy red lips. Her face was delicate and slightly aloof, yet her smile was very sweet.

Hearing her mention the starfish, Wang Xuan's heart stirred. He was worried that she would bring up the secret place. He sighed softly and said, "Speaking of starfish, I met a little girl who makes my heart ache and feel sad."

Zhao Qinghan glanced at him, seeing right through the problem, and said, "You're afraid I'll talk about secrets, so you start by telling me stories."

"No, you've wronged me. You must know about the indigenous people. That little girl was so pitiful..." Wang Xuan said earnestly, recounting all the things the little girl had been muttering to herself.

Zhao Qinghan sighed softly, "Five Decays of Heaven and Man Disease."

Wang Xuan asked, "Among the descendants of the tycoons who intermarried with indigenous people back then, are there still occasional people like that? Is there a cure for that now?"

Zhao Qinghan nodded and then shook her head; there were such people in the Wu Family now. She told Wang Xuan that there was no cure, but there were medications that could provide some relief.

"The Wu Family?" Wang Xuan was surprised. There were such people in Wu Yin's family now?

"Even the 'slow-acting medicine' is extremely rare and requires venturing into secret lands to harvest it. The two patients are very important to the Wu Family, but their conditions are both very bad now. They hope to go to the secret lands to collect even more amazing treasures that can alleviate their pain or even cure them."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan immediately understood why Wu Chenglin had gone to Old Earth to ask Chen Life Soil to come out of seclusion in person—he was in a hurry to save people.

Then, he looked at Zhao Qinghan, who had casually mentioned it and then moved on to the secret place.

Zhao Qinghan glanced over and said, "Don't worry, I have no intention of taking you to the secret place. It's too dangerous, and I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you properly."

Wang Xuan looked at her. This girl wasn't following the script. Did this mean that if they really went to the secret place, it would be him who needed Goddess Zhao's protection?!

Thanks to: Heavenly Emperor Fist, Canshangfeiyu, Huohuocuigengtuan-Chichayedan, Xiaoxiaoxiaoyu, Heavenly Court Ye Fan.

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