I Know the Queen Mother of the West

He paused, then explained, "The Agelessness Elixir can indeed extend your life, but it doesn't grant true immortality. For an ordinary person, it can add twenty or thirty years. It works even better for cultivators, though that also depends on their cultivation."

"Twenty or thirty years?" Yang Wanqing's eyes widened. "That's already incredible!"

Something suddenly occurred to Chen Siyao. "Brother, how did you know this was the Agelessness Elixir? And how did you know it was here? Did you recognize it?"

Chen Hao fell silent for a second.

The viewers immediately picked up on that one second of silence:

[I Am Ying Zheng: Wait, Celestial Master Chen's reaction seems a little suspicious.]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: Why does he know so much about it?]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: He walked straight over and picked it up just now, like he already knew it was there.]

[Rebound: Exactly. Wouldn't most people look around first when they entered a place like this? He went straight for it.]

[007: Something's fishy! Definitely fishy!]

Yang Wanqing caught on too and gave Chen Hao a suspicious look. "Hao, is there something you know?"

Chen Hao's expression didn't change. "I guessed."

"Guessed?" Yang Wanqing didn't believe him. "Your guesses are that accurate?"

Chen Siyao stared at him too. "Brother, be honest. Have you been here before?"

Before Chen Hao could answer, Cai Jingwen suddenly pointed at the small plaque beside the jade jar. "Look, what's this?"

Everyone leaned closer. Beside the jade jar lay a Jade Plaque engraved with several lines of small characters.

Chen Hao picked up the Jade Plaque and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Chen Siyao hurried over and showed it to the livestream camera.

[Capital City University_Professor Li: The gist is—Agelessness Elixir. Consuming it can extend one's life by thirty years. One pill suffices for a mortal; taking more offers no benefit. Cultivators may adjust the dosage... I don't recognize the next few characters. The important part is the signature on the Jade Plaque—"Written personally by the Queen Mother of the West."]

The livestream chat:

[But Why Though: Instructions personally written by the Queen Mother of the West? That's such a specific detail.]

[Snow Fills the Sky: So this really is the Agelessness Elixir! It actually exists!]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: Now I'm only curious about one thing—why did Chen Hao know where it was?]

[Foundation: +1. I won't be able to sleep until we get an answer.]

Yang Wanqing looked at Chen Hao. "Hao, you heard what the people want, right? Come on, how did you know?"

Chen Hao glanced at her, then at the screen full of comments. After a brief silence, he said calmly:

"I know the Queen Mother of the West."

Everyone fell silent.

The livestream chat fell silent.

Even the wolf cub went quiet.

Three seconds later...

[I Am Ying Zheng: ?????????]

[Triumph: ?????????]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: ?????????]

[Art Dragon: ?????????]

[Snow Fills the Sky: ?????????]

[Capital City University_Professor Li: ?????????]

[Chancheng Ye Family: ?????????]

[Luocheng Wu Family: ?????????]

[Wuling Mountain Qin Family: ????????? (The Qin family patriarch was stunned too.)]

The chat was completely flooded with question marks. They filled the entire screen, making every other word impossible to read.

Yang Wanqing nearly dropped her phone. "Hao, what did you say? You know who?"

"The Queen Mother of the West." Chen Hao sounded as calm as if he'd said, "I know Old Wang next door."

Chen Siyao's mouth fell open. "Brother, don't joke around..."

"I'm not joking." Chen Hao looked at her. "She and I really are friends."

Cai Jingwen couldn't wrap her head around it. "Chen Hao, you mean... you know a mythical figure who's lived for over ten thousand years?"

"Yes."

"How did you meet her?"

Chen Hao thought for a moment, then said mildly, "I met her during my travels a long time ago."

During his travels?

What kind of travels could lead someone to meet the Queen Mother of the West?

The livestream chat went completely wild:

[What's the Point: My CPU's fried. Seriously fried.]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: So who exactly is he? An immortal descended to earth?]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: I suddenly feel like becoming his disciple might be harder than I imagined.]

[Happy Childhood: I get it now. I really get it. Chen Hao isn't human at all!]

[After the After: Wanqing, hurry up and pinch me. Am I dreaming?]

[New User 001: So Celestial Master Chen is from ancient times? Did he time-travel?]

[New User 002: This is even crazier than the webnovels I read.]

[New User 003: Even webnovels wouldn't dare write something like this.]

Yang Wanqing took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Hao, could... could you tell us more? How did you meet the Queen Mother of the West? When did you meet her? How long have you known her?"

Chen Hao looked at her, stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Are you sure you want to know?"

There was something deeply meaningful about that smile.

Yang Wanqing shivered. "Never mind, never mind. I think I'm better off not knowing."

Chen Siyao, however, felt differently. She sidled up to Chen Hao, her eyes sparkling. "Brother, since you're friends with the Queen Mother of the West, do you know what she looks like? Is she pretty? Is there a portrait of her?"

Chen Hao thought for a moment and nodded. "There is."

"Where?"

Chen Hao turned and walked deeper into the stone chamber.

Everyone hurried after him.

At the far end of the stone chamber was another small door. Beyond it lay a small, elegant room, clearly a woman's private chamber.

Inside stood a stone bed draped in silk of an unknown material. Even after ten thousand years, it remained as vibrant as new.

Beside the bed stood a dressing table bearing a bronze mirror and an assortment of jewelry boxes. A portrait hung on the wall.

In the portrait, a woman in feathered robes stood among the clouds. Her beauty was breathtaking, her bearing otherworldly. She was the very same Queen Mother of the West depicted in the murals.

"This is the Queen Mother of the West?" Chen Siyao leaned closer. "She's so beautiful!"

Cai Jingwen nodded too. "She really is. Such otherworldly beauty."

Yang Wanqing held up her phone and took a close-up of the portrait. "Everyone, this is the Queen Mother of the West! A figure from mythology! This is what she actually looks like!"

The livestream chat erupted again:

[I Am Ying Zheng: Incredible! That bearing! That face! Exactly what you'd expect from an ancient goddess!]

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: She's so beautiful! I want my soul to transmigrate into her body!]

[Snow Blows at the East Gate: Beauty like that certainly befits the title "Queen Mother of the West."]

[Clear-Eyed Observer: Wait, is there writing beneath the portrait?]

Yang Wanqing quickly lowered the camera.

Sure enough, several lines of small characters were engraved beneath the portrait.

"Huh?"

Chen Siyao leaned closer and showed the writing to the livestream. "Professor Li, sorry for the trouble, but could you take a look?"

As Chen Hao gazed at the woman in the painting, his thoughts drifted involuntarily back to those days.

That woman of peerless beauty had stood before the passage and told him:

"Chen Hao, wait for me. Within twenty thousand years, I will attain immortality and return to be with you."

Of those twenty thousand years, ten thousand had already passed.

Seas had turned to fields, and countless days and nights had come and gone.

When she left, she had only a thousand years of life remaining. He wondered how far she had come by now.

More than ten minutes later, Chen Siyao saw Professor Li's reply:

[Capital City University_Professor Li: This is a declaration of longing. The gist is—

"During my ten thousand years of wandering the mortal world, I have met countless extraordinary people, yet only Chen Hao has ever moved my heart. His character is without equal. Several times, I hinted that I wished to become his Dao companion and pursue immortality together. Yet this man... is a blockhead.]

As Chen Siyao read toward the end, her voice grew quieter and quieter, while her expression grew increasingly colorful.

Everyone fell silent again.

The livestream chat fell silent again.

Every gaze turned to Chen Hao at once.

Chen Hao remained expressionless.

But a closer look revealed a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Chen Siyao turned her head with difficulty and looked at her brother. "Brother... does what's written here... mean what I think it means?"

Chen Hao said nothing.

"So, brother, she wrote this specifically for you??"

Cai Jingwen covered her mouth, struggling not to laugh.