Chapter 242: Shi Lan

"There is indeed an elixir of life in this world," Xiao Xie said with a faint smile.

"..." The group fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, Tianming scratched his head and asked Xiao Xie, "Brother Xiao, you're joking, right?"

Although Tianming had just claimed that the elixir of life definitely existed, he had mainly said it to refute Shaoyu. In truth, deep down, he didn't really believe such a thing existed.

Xiao Xie shook his head and smiled, "I am not joking at all. The reason I am so certain the elixir of life exists is because I once took one myself. That elixir was likely the only one of its kind in the entire world! However, if I have enough of the right materials, I might be able to brew a new one."

Xiao Xie had indeed consumed an elixir of life before, and it came from the world of Myth. That particular elixir had been brewed under the orders of Ying Zheng, requiring a special meteorite as the crucial catalyst. If the Yinghuo meteorite that had fallen in this world of Qin's Moon shared the same composition as the meteorite used to brew the elixir in the Myth world, Xiao Xie could use the meteorite along with other medicinal herbs to forge a brand new elixir of life.

"Gulp..." Hearing this, everyone involuntarily swallowed hard. The elixir of life actually existed in this world.

"Giant, you really ate the elixir of life? And you can even brew it?" Thief Zhi asked in disbelief. Immortality had always been the ultimate pursuit of humanity. Hearing Xiao Xie casually mention that he had eaten the elixir, Thief Zhi wondered if he was hallucinating.

Xiao Xie glanced around and found that not only Thief Zhi, but everyone else was also staring at him with looks of utter shock. He found it amusing; his words seemed to have dealt too great a blow to their composure.

"I obtained that elixir by pure coincidence. The most crucial ingredient within it was a special meteorite that fell from the heavens. That's why I said it was the only one in the world. However, if I can acquire that kind of meteorite again, I have a very high certainty of brewing another batch," Xiao Xie explained, then added, "You don't need to be so shocked, after all, the elixir of life merely grants freedom from aging, not immortality from all causes. If I were beaten to dust, I would still die."

Hearing what sounded like words of comfort, Xue Nanna and the others felt a sudden impulse to slap him across the face. Eternal youth was something countless people dreamed of, yet the way he put it made it sound like he didn't care about it at all! The well-fed truly do not know the hunger of the starving.

"A meteorite falling from the sky? Brother Xiao, maybe the elixir you ate was a divine treasure thrown down by immortals!" Tianming's imagination ran wild. If it truly were a divine treasure from the heavens, then granting mortals eternal youth didn't seem so impossible anymore.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Xiao Xie clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention back. His previous words had been too shocking, leaving them dazed for far too long.

"Alright, everyone, let's not dwell on the elixir of life. Right now, various factions are gathering in Songhai City. Be extra cautious when you go out on missions," Xiao Xie told the recovered group.

"I think, aside from those on active duty, everyone else would be best off staying at the secret hideout outside the city," Fatty Ding suggested.

"A secret hideout outside the city?" Xiang Liang asked curiously.

"This place is an important branch of the Mo Clan in the Qilu region. The terrain is remote and secluded, surrounded by mountains on all sides, making it hard for outsiders to discover easily. Mo Clan disciples are stationed in the dwellings scattered within a radius of five li around here, and they can respond to calls and provide backup at any time should an emergency arise. Many of you are carrying injuries right now, which is disadvantageous for operations. Hiding there to recuperate and heal while waiting for the next opportunity to strike is the most appropriate course of action," Fatty Ding explained.

"Mm, this matter is of grave importance; we must remain cautious and prudent," Old Ban nodded in agreement.

"As for Shaoyu and Tianming, arrangements have been made for them," Old Ban pondered, then produced a brocade pouch and said, "Before Master Zhang Liang left, he specially left this behind."

"Zhang Liang, Master Zifang of the Confucian Sage-like Virtues Village?" Fatty Ding asked in surprise as he looked at the pouch Old Ban brought out.

"Indeed, though I must admit I don't quite understand Master Zhang's intentions," Old Ban stroked his beard and said helplessly.

With that, Old Ban took out the contents of the pouch, laid out the bamboo slips, and said, "See for yourselves!"

"Hmm? There are no words, just three drawings," Master Xu said after leaning in to inspect them for a moment.

"What are they depicting?" Xue Nanna asked.

"A strange symbol I've never seen before. It looks somewhat like a tilted Chinese character for 'field', but also like two Chinese characters for 'middle' layered on top of each other. A black horse stands in front of a grand hall. Across intersecting lines, there are one black and one white circle," Gao Jianli replied after taking a look.

"Brilliant! Master Zhang must be worried we're bored, so he's given us a riddle to solve," Thief Zhi said with a wry smile.

"It's not the Lantern Festival; what's with guessing riddles?" Grand Hammer smacked his head and said speechlessly. As a rough-and-tumble man, he despised brain-teasing things the most.

"Heh, it's too simple. The second pattern is a horse, and the third is Go. What's so hard to understand about that?" Tianming laughed proudly.

"Ahem, that's called military siege chess, not Go," Shaoyu glanced at Tianming with a hint of disdain.

"Uh..." Tianming scratched his head awkwardly.

"Who doesn't know what a horse looks like?! The problem is we don't know why he drew one!" Grand Hammer said dismissively.

"Hmm... could this... could this mean he wants us to go horse riding?" Tianming racked his brains.

"Where would we ride horses to?" Grand Hammer pressed on.

"Uh... um... ride horses to play chess!" Tianming slapped his forehead and smiled.

"..." The group shook their heads helplessly. Asking Tianming for answers was definitely a wrong decision.

"These scholars, wouldn't it kill them to just say what they mean plainly!" After pondering for a long time without figuring out Zhang Liang's intent, Grand Hammer couldn't help but complain.

"This is precisely what I find most exasperating about the Confucians," Fatty Ding said with deep empathy.

Duanmu Rong turned to Xiao Xie and asked, "Giant, do you know what these mean?"

"Zhang Liang just loves playing with these ambiguous little tricks. But since it concerns Tianming and Shaoyu, there is only one logical possibility: he is arranging for them to enter the Sage-like Virtues Village," Xiao Xie chuckled lightly. Strategists like Zhang Liang adored using such brocade pouches—giving you a vague concept to interpret yourself far outweighed the effectiveness of just telling you directly. It was much like the words of a fortune-teller, carrying multiple meanings so that once you figured it out, you would feel the person was truly miraculous.

"Then the Giant means..." Xue Nanna asked with some confusion upon hearing Xiao Xie's words.

"Let nature take its course," Xiao Xie said calmly.

Just as Xiao Xie finished speaking, the light sound of pattering footsteps drifted over. Hearing the noise, the group quickly looked toward the source and saw a refined-looking waiter dressed in purple robes carefully walking toward them, holding a food box with both hands.

Xiao Xie's gaze fell upon the young waiter, a playful expression crossing his face. Shilan's appearance was by no means inferior to that of the Young Master. After all, the renowned Lady Yu certainly did not hold an undeserved reputation.

"Manager Ding, the tea and pastries are ready," the purple-robed waiter respectfully presented the food box to Fatty Ding and whispered.

"Mm!" Fatty Ding nodded and took the box from the waiter's hands. Suddenly, his expression shifted. The weight in his hands hadn't changed, but when he opened the box, he found it completely empty. Puzzled, he asked the waiter, "Shilan, are you playing a joke on me?"

Shilan looked at the empty food box with an expression of equal bewilderment and said, "How can this be? I checked it just a moment ago. Why is it empty?"