The great families react

He had already watched it five times.

With each viewing, his gaze grew more profound.

"Grandpa, you've been watching all night," Qin Xiaoyu said softly as she approached with a cup of tea. "You should get some rest."

Qin Wanshan accepted the tea but did not drink it. He simply stared at the jade jar on the screen.

"Xiaoyu, do you think... this thing is real?"

Qin Xiaoyu paused, then nodded. "It should be. We've been following this livestream all along, from the slaying of the Gu Diao to Esoteric Buddhism, and now the Queen Mother of the West's ruins. Every part of it holds up to scrutiny. Besides... the Three Blue Birds' attitude couldn't possibly have been faked."

Qin Wanshan fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, "I've lived eighty-five years, and I'd say I've seen my share of extraordinary people and strange events. But someone like Chen Hao... never."

He paused, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. "He killed the Gu Diao King with a single sword strike, walked on water as though it were solid ground, casually produced cultivation techniques lost for a thousand years, and now he's found the Queen Mother of the West's ruins and the Agelessness Elixir...

"This young man—no, this elder—has unfathomable cultivation. He's already reached the realm of reversing old age and restoring youth. He isn't a young man at all. He's probably lived for a very, very long time."

"And those girls around him, especially his sister, Chen Siyao. After drinking that so-called immortal tea, eating exotic beast meat, and bathing in immortal dew, their complexions and bearing underwent a complete transformation. That's the best proof!"

Qin Xiaoyu drew in a sharp breath. "Grandpa, do you mean... he really has survived since the Primordial Era?"

"How else would you explain it?" Qin Wanshan looked at her. "How does he know about the Queen Mother of the West? How does he know where the Agelessness Elixir is? Why are the Three Blue Birds so affectionate toward him? Nothing in this world happens without a reason."

Qin Xiaoyu fell silent.

He was right. All of it was far too coincidental.

So coincidental that the only explanation was that he had known them all along.

"Grandpa, then should we..."

Qin Wanshan put down the tablet, rose, and walked to the window.

Outside, Wuling Mountain lay shrouded in darkness, with the occasional chirp of an insect.

"Tomorrow, contact that girl named Chen Siyao yourself," he said gravely. "We need to buy the Agelessness Elixir."

Qin Xiaoyu was startled. "Grandpa, should I ask directly in the livestream?"

"No." Qin Wanshan turned around, his gaze deep. "We can't mention it in the livestream. Have you considered that if our three great families openly ask to buy it, we'll effectively be confirming the existence of the Agelessness Elixir to the entire world? When that happens, political leaders from every nation, all sorts of powerful factions, and even those old monsters hiding in seclusion will come swarming in. The world will descend into chaos."

Understanding dawned on Qin Xiaoyu. "So we need to contact her privately?"

"Yes." Qin Wanshan nodded. "Contact her privately and keep the transaction discreet. Buy as many pills as we can."

He paused, then added, "Find a way to get Chen Siyao's contact information tomorrow. Be sincere, and let her name her price. Remember, this isn't business. It's about forging a connection."

Qin Xiaoyu nodded firmly. "I understand, Grandpa."

Qin Wanshan gazed out the window and murmured, "The Agelessness Elixir... I never imagined I, Qin Wanshan, would live to see such a thing."

His eyes shone with a light they had never held before.

At the same time, at the Chancheng Ye Family's residence.

Ye Zhengying had not gone to bed either.

He sat in his study, the same livestream replay playing before him.

Ye Chendong stood beside him, carefully watching his grandfather's expression.

"Grandpa, what do you think?"

Ye Zhengying remained silent for a long time before speaking slowly. "This Chen Hao is no ordinary mortal."

"No ordinary mortal?" Ye Chendong froze. "Then what is he?"

Ye Zhengying gave him a meaningful look. "Do you think a thirty-year-old man could kill the Gu Diao King that cost the former Khenpo of Esoteric Buddhism an arm with a single sword strike? Could he walk on water? Could he know the Queen Mother of the West?"

Ye Chendong could not find a word to say.

"He's either an old monster who's lived for thousands of years, or..." Ye Zhengying paused. "An immortal descended to the mortal world."

Ye Chendong drew in a sharp breath.

"Grandpa, then should we..."

"Contact his sister," Ye Zhengying said decisively. "Contact her privately and buy the Agelessness Elixir. Whatever it costs, we must buy it."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the moonlight outside.

"The Ye Family has practiced martial arts for generations, but by your generation, we've declined to the point where we can only dominate Chancheng. This Agelessness Elixir might allow the Ye Family to rise again."

Ye Chendong nodded firmly. "Grandpa, I'll take care of it tomorrow."

At the Luocheng Wu Family's residence.

Wu Lie was also sitting in his study, with his son Wu Tian across from him.

"Dad, just who do you think that Chen Hao really is?" Wu Tian could not help asking.

Wu Lie took a puff of his cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Who is he? An extraordinary master."

"I know that, but..."

"Tian, you need to understand something," Wu Lie interrupted. "There are things in this world that money can't buy. Lifespan, for instance, or true ability. But if you get a chance to buy those things with money, you must seize it at any cost."

Wu Tian looked thoughtful.

Wu Lie continued, "Tomorrow, go find that Chen Siyao. Contact her privately and buy the Agelessness Elixir. Remember, be sincere. Money is no object. Our Wu Family may not compare to those secluded families, but we still carry some weight in the business world. As long as we can establish a connection with Celestial Master Chen, our future will be boundless."

Wu Tian nodded firmly. "Dad, I understand."

At the Ying Family's residence in Capital City.

Ying Wenjie sat in his room, staring wide-eyed at the livestream replay on his phone.

When the Three Blue Birds nuzzled Chen Hao, he went numb all over.

When the Queen Mother of the West called him a "blockhead," he burst out laughing.

When the Agelessness Elixir appeared, he jumped straight off his bed.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" He paced around his room, clutching his phone. "It's fucking real! All of it is real!"

After a few laps, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Then he called his grandfather.

"Grandpa, are you asleep? No? Great! I have something important to tell you! It's urgent!"

The Ying Family was one of the nation's most elite families, with power and influence throughout politics, business, and cultural circles. Its foundations were several times deeper than those of the three great martial arts families.

At that moment, in a top-secret conference room in the Ying Family's ancestral residence, its patriarch, Ying Sihai, wore reading glasses as he watched Chen Hao's livestream replay without missing a single word. Standing beside him were his favorite grandson, Ying Wenjie, along with the world-class video authentication experts, historical archaeologists, and metaphysics consultants employed by the family.

"Grandpa, I told you! This livestream is definitely real! The Queen Mother of the West's Temple, that immortal aura—there's no way any of it is fake!" Ying Wenjie gestured wildly in excitement. He had only followed Chen Siyao to the Northern Frontier out of curiosity, never expecting to stumble upon such an earth-shattering secret.

Ying Sihai said nothing. He merely looked at the video expert beside him. "Professor Zhang, are you certain there are no signs of compositing?"

The elderly man addressed as Professor Zhang adjusted his glasses, his tone utterly certain. "Mr. Ying, I've worked in video authentication for forty years, and I've never seen footage this authentic. The lighting and shadows, textures, environmental details, the subjects' microexpressions, even the flow of spiritual energy—it was all captured directly, without the slightest trace of post-production alteration."

The archaeologist beside him added, "Patriarch, the architectural style and totem patterns of the Queen Mother of the West's Temple shown in the livestream match the records of Kunlun mythology from the Primordial Era perfectly. They're entirely different from later interpretations of those myths. This is absolutely not a deliberate fabrication."

The metaphysics consultant was trembling all over. "The immortal tea and exotic beast meat in that hidden realm are the natural treasures of legend! That Chen Hao is definitely an old monster who's lived for countless years!"