After Feng Qingyi, Xu Linghe, and Zhao Yiqing finished their meal, the three of them went to the Peng Lai Residence together.
The main hall of the Peng Lai Residence was quite crowded, and the three of them sat down in a corner.
"Have you all heard? There's a rumor going around that there's a strange treasure on Eastern Emperor Mountain. Many people have gone treasure hunting!"
"A strange treasure? Did they say what kind of treasure it is?"
"I'm not sure about the details, but it's said to be a glowing stone. Rumor has it that if you grind up the stone and use it in medicine, you can achieve immortality."
"Really? Is there truly such a treasure?"
"I'm just repeating what I heard, but many people have already gone up the mountain to investigate. It seems there's a good chance it's true."
"If that's the case, why don't we go look for it too?"
"Have you noticed how many foreigners have come to Shengjing recently? They're probably here for this stone as well."
"..."
Sitting in the corner, the three clearly overheard the conversation nearby.
Xu Linghe said, "A stone that grants immortality? That sounds fake. Only a fool would believe it."
"A stone for making an elixir of immortality? Isn't that just the Philosopher's Stone?" Feng Qingyi remarked.
Zhao Yiqing asked, "What's this Philosopher's Stone?"
"It's a fictional item from a book I read. These things are all fake," Feng Qingyi explained.
Their conversation was overheard by the people nearby.
"You young people are just inexperienced. If it were fake, why would so many people be rushing to find this stone?"
"That's right, I heard even the Emperor of the Southern Frontier has sent people here!"
"The Emperor of the Southern Frontier, isn't he the one obsessed with alchemy and seeking immortality?"
"Who else could it be? Now the Crown Prince Murong Cheng is acting as regent in the Southern Frontier."
"But I heard that not only has he failed to create an elixir, he's even critically ill. It seems he's pinning his hopes on finding this glowing stone on Eastern Emperor Mountain to extend his life."
"Is immortality really that great?"
"Nobody's experienced it, so who knows?"
"Of course immortality is good. Who wouldn't want to live forever?"
"..."
Xu Linghe tugged on Feng Qingyi's sleeve, "Qingyi, what do you think?"
Feng Qingyi whispered, "Immortality doesn't exist at all, and even if it did, it would be a terrifying thing."
"Eventually, all your family and friends would be gone, and you'd be left all alone. Besides that, you might be seen as a freak and get captured for scientific research."
Xu Linghe pondered, "If that's the case, it does sound scary."
Zhao Yiqing said, "Everything in this world follows its own rules. Flowers bloom and wither, seasons come and go, and life follows the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. These are natural processes. Pursuing immortality would likely come at a terrible price."
Feng Qingyi replied, "I see you're a sensible person. That Southern Frontier Emperor who's into alchemy and drug-taking will probably pass away soon. Historically, emperors who sought immortality through alchemy tended to die the quickest."
"Are there historical examples?" Zhao Yiqing asked.
Xu Linghe said, "Of course there are. You haven't read the historical records of every country, so it's normal that you don't know about it."
"Have you read them?" Zhao Yiqing inquired.
Xu Linghe scratched her head, "Well, I haven't read them either, but Qingyi must have. She wouldn't remember it wrong."
Zhao Yiqing: "..."
Xu Linghe continued, "They say this stone is on Eastern Emperor Mountain. Why don't we go look for it and see what it's really like?"
"Eastern Emperor Mountain is only an hour's carriage ride from Shengjing. We could get there quickly without wasting much time. You two can come with me, and we can enjoy the scenery on the mountain while we're at it."
Feng Qingyi asked, "When do you want to go?"
Xu Linghe said, "Let's listen to what they're saying and see when would be a good time to go."
The group at the next table was still discussing the stone-hunting matter.
"Every inn in Shengjing is full these days. Some say we can only go to Eastern Emperor Mountain to look for the stone at the end of the month."
"What's the big deal about finding this stone? Can't we just send people to search the mountain?"
"This stone is a magical treasure. Finding it won't be that easy."
"They say there's a stone gate on Eastern Emperor Mountain that will only open when the time is right, and the glowing stone is behind that gate."
"I heard that some people tried to force the gate open recently, spending a lot of manpower and resources, but the gate didn't budge at all. So everyone's waiting here for the gate to open."
"If it's said that the time isn't right, then when will it be the right time?"
"I'm not sure about that, but the stone gate appeared suddenly, so people guess it should open sometime this month."
"A stone gate appearing out of nowhere? That's a bit eerie."
"..."
Xu Linghe asked, "Qingyi, are you busy these days? If not, why don't we go take a look together?"
"If you want to go, I'll accompany you. When do you want to go? Let's set a time," Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe replied, "They say the stone gate hasn't opened yet. Why don't we go check out the situation tomorrow?"
"If the gate really can't be opened, we can wait and go again when it opens. If it opens tomorrow, we can go in right away."
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Alright, let's do as you say!"
"Then it's settled. We'll meet here at 7AM tomorrow, and then take a carriage to Eastern Emperor Mountain together," Xu Linghe said.
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Okay, that works for me."
"That's fine with me too," Zhao Yiqing agreed.
Xu Linghe smiled and said, "I need to head back early today, so I'll see you all tomorrow."
Zhao Yiqing stood up, "Miss Qingyi, I'll accompany Linghe home."
"Alright, alright, you two get going then!"
After they left, Feng Qingyi went up to a private room on the third floor that she had reserved in advance.
Feng Qingyi went in and sat down. Soon after, there was a knock on the door.
Feng Qingyi ran to open it, "Why are you here?"
Qian Jue: "I'm here to tell you something important."
Feng Qingyi sat back down in her chair, "What is it?"
Qian Jue: "Guang'an asked me to find the last space stone, and I want you to come with me."
Feng Qingyi was puzzled, "If you're going to find the space stone, why bring me along? I can't help you."
"Going alone would be boring, and besides, more people means more power. We might find it faster," Qian Jue said.
Feng Qingyi sighed, "Are you sure the two of us count as 'more people'?"
"Didn't you just agree to go with those two tomorrow? Four of us should be enough," Qian Jue replied.
Feng Qingyi realized, "So the glowing stone on Eastern Emperor Mountain is the space stone!"
"What else could it be?" Qian Jue asked rhetorically.
Feng Qingyi: "What does Guang'an want the space stone for?"
Qian Jue shrugged, "Who knows, but he said this stone is extremely important. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could cause irreparable damage."
"So we need to find the space stone before anyone else and hand it over to Guang'an to deal with, to avoid future troubles."
Feng Qingyi remembered that Xuanyuan Yan had come to her home because of the space stone, and later Guang'an had used the space stone to bring him back. So the space stone must be the key to traveling between different worlds.
There was likely a space stone in her and Qin Yuchuan's phones.
"We've agreed to meet here at 7AM tomorrow. Remember to be on time, or we'll leave without you."
Qian Jue: "Got it, little girl. Don't overthink things. With Guang'an around, we'll all be fine."
"I haven't asked you yet, where did I transport you to last time?" Feng Qingyi suddenly asked.
Qian Jue: "You owe me compensation for mental distress, young lady. Let me tell you, I almost couldn't get back because of you."
"It wasn't on purpose. How could I have known that would happen? Quick, tell me where you were transported to," Feng Qingyi asked curiously.
Qian Jue: "According to Guang'an, it was a space-time rift. Once a person is transported there, they get absorbed by the energy of the rift and then disintegrate into nothingness."
"If it weren't for Guang'an rescuing me in time, I might have really died this time. So you should compensate me for some emotional distress!"
Hearing him say this, Feng Qingyi felt even more guilty.
"Just tell me what you want. As long as I can do it, I'll definitely agree."
Qian Jue handed Feng Qingyi a piece of paper with a shopping list written on it. "Buy everything I've written here and remember to bring it over tomorrow morning."
"...I feel like you were prepared for this," Feng Qingyi remarked.
Qian Jue replied, "It's because you always forget to bring me food, so I wrote this list to remind you, lest you forget again."
"You're so young, yet your memory is so poor. I wonder who you take after?"
"Don't worry, I definitely won't forget this time. I'll go to the supermarket to buy these for you as soon as I get back."
Feng Qingyi looked carefully at the shopping list and suddenly noticed that it even included "lethal poison."
"Qian Jue, what's this 'lethal poison'?"
Qian Jue answered, "It means exactly what it says - a drug that can kill people."
"You're not planning to murder someone, are you?!" Feng Qingyi looked at him in horror.
Qian Jue sighed, "I know murder is illegal. It's just to buy some drugs for research."
"...Do you think I can actually buy this? Nowadays I have to register just to buy cold medicine. If you ask me to buy poison for you, I might be labeled as a terrorist," Feng Qingyi said.
"It's fine if you can't get that drug, but remember to buy all the other items on the list. See you tomorrow, I'm leaving." As soon as Qian Jue finished speaking, he vanished from the room.
By now, Feng Qingyi was quite used to his sudden appearances and disappearances.
She put the shopping list in her small bag that she always carried with her. Feng Qingyi then pressed a button on her phone and instantly returned to the villa.
