Chapter 77

As his words fell, the eyes of the five men around Gui Jia and his brother widened. After swallowing, Lao Er Qiu turned to look at Gui Jia and said, "Old Immortal, is what this little boy said reliable?"

The old man reluctantly nodded and said, "It's not ten or eight years. After so much water dilutes it, drinking a mouthful would only leave five or six years at most..."

"Then drink more!" Before he finished speaking, the five men rushed to the pool like a swarm of bees. Lao Er Qiu jumped directly into the pool, diving down and resurfacing at the spot where Ren San had urinated. Without hesitation, he gulped down several large mouthfuls at the source. The others could only lie on the edge of the pool, drinking until their bellies were round.

Ren San squatted on the ground, watching these men who could no longer drink. They were lying flat on the ground, afraid that any movement would make them vomit the water in their stomachs. After covering his mouth and laughing for a while, he looked at the men on the ground and said, "If you wanted it, you should have said so earlier. Next time, I'll save some for you."

As he spoke, Wu Mian was staring intently at Gui Jia, making the old man feel very uncomfortable. Unable to bear the mocking gaze, the old man chuckled and said, "I've told you everything I understand. But the last hundred or so characters are neither inscriptions nor ancient script. I can't recognize what they mean. Apart from these hundred or so characters, I haven't held anything back."

"I wanted to ask if you figured out what's in the pool, not about those hundred or so characters," Wu Mian's lips curled slightly as he looked at Gui Jia and said, "But it's good that you mentioned it. Go back and think about what those characters mean. If you can't remember, I'll help you..."

As the last word left his lips, Wu Mian suddenly raised his hand, and a flash of lightning appeared, forming numerous arcs on his hand. These arcs instantly gathered into a ball of lightning. Then, Wu Mian lightly waved his hand, sending the ball of lightning back above the pool.

After throwing the lightning, Wu Mian crossed his arms and glanced at Gui Jia, saying, "Look closely. Besides those characters, what else is below?"

The old man was taken aback, walked to the edge of the pool, and peered into the water, muttering, "What else could there be? Besides the water, there are only the Jianzhen plants..." Before he finished speaking, Gui Jia's face changed, his eyes widened, and he immediately turned to look at Gui Jia and his brother. After hesitating, he shifted his gaze to the five men lying on the ground.

"I remember what those hundred or so characters mean!" The old man suddenly shouted, then continued, "Those hundred or so characters say that the old immortal who ascended to immortality hid the elixir of immortality in the pool. Eating it grants eternal life, and there are nine such elixirs in total."

Saying this, the old man turned to look at Gui Jia and his brother and said, "How many of you are there in total?"

As he spoke, Lao Er Qiu suddenly jumped up from the ground. He jumped so hard that he couldn't help but open his mouth and vomit a large amount of water. Once the water started, it was like a floodgate had opened, and he continued to vomit one mouthful after another until his stomach was almost empty. Then, without hesitation, he dove into the pool.

After holding his breath for a while, Lao Er Qiu surfaced for air and shouted to Gui Jia, "Old Immortal, where did you say the elixir is hidden? I can't find it!"

"Tsk tsk, who told you to go down?" The old man said with a conflicted look, "Forget it, since you're already down there. In the center of the pool, there's a pull ring in the Jianzhen plants. Grab it and pull hard, remember, pull with all your might! The good stuff is inside..."

Before he finished speaking, Lao Er Qiu dove down again. The old man stood by the pool, watching him fumble around in the Jianzhen plants until he found the pull ring. Lao Er Qiu, a determined man, squatted on either side of the ring and pulled with both hands. The water was so clear that his facial features, twisted in effort, were clearly visible, showing that he was using all his strength.

Just as his breath was about to run out, countless bubbles suddenly emerged from the bottom of the pool. Then, with a loud "thud," the bottom of the pool where Lao Er Qiu was standing suddenly caved in. The entire pool of water, along with Lao Er Qiu, was sucked down.

Gui Jia and his brother were startled by this sudden change. By the time they reacted, the pool of water and Lao Er Qiu had vanished without a trace. A large, dark hole appeared at the bottom of the pool, and a chilling cold air rose up, making Gui Jia and his brother shiver.

Gui Jia shouted down, "Lao Er Qiu, Qiu Biao! How are you? Say something to let me know you're still alive!"

After a long while, there was no response from the dark hole. The darkness was so deep that even with their keen eyesight, Gui Jia and his brother couldn't see what was happening inside. Gui Jia's brother threw the oil lamp down, but the water quickly extinguished it.

Seeing that the oil lamp couldn't illuminate the bottom, Gui Jia and his brother looked at Wu Mian. Gui Jia said, "Can you help us with some light? Just enough to see what's happening down there."

Normally, Wu Mian wouldn't have given this favor even if Gui Jia asked, but he had been staying with them for so long, and it was hard to refuse.

With a sizzling sound, a ball of lightning appeared above the pool. Using the bright light, they could finally see what was happening below. However, just one glance made Gui Jia and his brother, along with the men around them, change color. Looking down, they saw the pool filled with the water that had been sucked down. The edges of the pool were higher, and about thirty people were sitting in a circle around it. They were motionless, eyes closed, as if they were all asleep.

Gui Jia and his brother recognized every one of these people by name; they were the thirty-odd people who had disappeared earlier, except for the five men with Lao Er Qiu. As Gui Jia and his brother were stunned and trying to figure out how to rescue them, the water in the center of the pool stirred, and a man floated up on his back. It was Lao Er Qiu, who had been sucked down with the water.

Gui Jia and his brother shouted to the men around them, "Find some ropes, let's pull them..." Before he finished speaking, the white-haired man on the other side said, "No need for that, let them come up on their own." As he spoke, the ball of lightning above the pool suddenly dropped to the bottom.

A sizzling sound echoed, and the light from the ball of lightning disappeared. However, there were some unusual sounds coming from the dark pool.

"Hey... Where am I?" "Who? Who kicked me from behind?" "Why is there so much water... That's who, Lao Er Qiu, it's Lao Er Qiu, who, quickly, pull him out!"

Below, the thirty-odd men and Lao Er Qiu, who had been struck by the lightning, regained consciousness. Gui Jia and his brother, overjoyed, carefully climbed down from the edge of the pool and pulled each of them up one by one.

As they were busy rescuing the men, Wu Mian looked up at Gui Jia. The old man seemed lost in thought, his gaze unfocused. Although his eyes were on the dozens of people below, a smile that didn't match the scene appeared on his lips.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gui Jia and his brother brought the dozens of people from the bottom of the pool up. After counting, not a single person was missing; all thirty-seven who had disappeared earlier were among them.

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