"Dragon Crystal Elixir, also known as Dragon Saliva Essence, is only produced in places where dragon veins converge. Typically, the Dragon Crystal Elixir is found at the mouth of a dragon, hence its name," He Ping explained. He didn't pursue further inquiries about Qin Yu's master since it was clear that he didn't want to disclose that information. He then proceeded to introduce the Dragon Crystal Elixir.
In Qin Yu's Zhuge Neijing, there was also a record of the Dragon Crystal Elixir. Among the hundred extraordinary items listed in the Zhuge Neijing's chapter on rare objects, Dragon Crystal Elixir ranked among the top ten, renowned for its miraculous effects of curing various ailments and prolonging life. However, over thousands of years, only a few drops would be produced in a dragon vein, and not all dragon veins would yield Dragon Crystal Elixir. As mentioned earlier, the location of the Dragon Crystal Elixir is beneath the mouth of the dragon, determined by the terrain surrounding the dragon's mouth.
"He Ping, did you come to Copper Plateau for the Dragon Crystal Elixir? How did you determine that it would be found here?" Qin Yu was puzzled because searching for the Dragon Crystal Elixir required extensive surveying, often more challenging than finding dragon caves.
He Ping hesitated for a moment, glanced at Mo Yongxin, who gave him an affirmative look, and then continued, "Half a year ago, we obtained a notebook from a senior Feng Shui master. It contains information about the Dragon Crystal Elixir in Copper Plateau."
He Ping took out an old notebook from his pocket. The pages had turned yellow with age as he handed it to Qin Yu. Qin Yu accepted the notebook and began to read.
The notebook was quite thick, with over two hundred pages. Qin Yu skimmed through it and confirmed that it was indeed written by a Feng Shui master, documenting his experiences in providing Feng Shui consultations. He briefly looked through those accounts and flipped to the last few pages of the notebook, where the mention of the Dragon Crystal Elixir caught his eye.
According to the records, the Feng Shui master had spent three years searching for a true dragon vein while assisting a prominent family in selecting a burial site for their ancestors. He finally discovered a genuine dragon vein in Copper Plateau. Instead of immediately finding a suitable burial site for the client, the Feng Shui master carefully observed the dragon vein. During this observation, he made an important discovery.
Beneath the mouth of the dragon vein, directly below, there was a deep, bottomless rocky cave. This finding delighted the Feng Shui master because the presence of the cave indicated the possibility of the Dragon Crystal Elixir. He prepared ropes and tools that night, ready to explore the cave.
"The writing in the notebook abruptly ends here," Qin Yu frowned and pondered for a moment before asking, "Did the Feng Shui master intentionally leave it unfinished?"
"It wasn't that the Feng Shui master chose not to write further; he simply didn't have the opportunity," He Ping explained.
"What happened?" Qin Yu looked at He Ping skeptically. How could he know that the Feng Shui master didn't have the chance to continue writing?
"After the Feng Shui master descended into the cave, he never resurfaced," He Ping slowly narrated, and through his words, Qin Yu finally understood everything.
It turned out that the Feng Shui master had called his eldest son and instructed him to tie the nylon rope to a large tree. He told his son to wait outside the cave and if he tugged the rope three times, the eldest son would pull the rope up, indicating that it was time to ascend. The son kept a close eye on the nylon rope since the cave was quite deep. Pulling the rope from the depths below wouldn't be so apparent once it reached the outside.
The eldest son believed that his father would spend at most a few hours down there. He stared at the rope intently, but as the daylight faded, there was still no sign of movement from the rope. Being in the depths of the mountain forest with wild beasts, the eldest son didn't dare to stay on the ground. Instead, he tied one end of the rope to himself and climbed up the tree. This way, he could avoid the wildlife and still sense any movement in the rope.
The eldest son remained in the tree for half the night and fell into a drowsy sleep. Suddenly, an immense force pulled on the rope, dragging him off the tree and toward the mouth of the cave.
As he fell to the ground, the eldest son immediately regained his senses. He thought it was his father preparing to ascend and quickly untied the rope from himself and reattached it to the tree. He approached the edge of the cave, looking down. However, the interior of the cave was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything clearly. The eldest son began pulling the rope up, but as he did, he felt that something was amiss. The weight on the rope became lighter and lighter, indicating that there was no longer a person attached to it.
When the eldest son pulled up the entire length of the rope and inspected it under the moonlight, he was petrified. The severed end of the rope was tied to a severed hand, dripping with fresh blood. At a glance, the eldest son recognized it as his father's hand. It was clear that his father had encountered something monstrous in the cave and met an unfortunate fate.
Putting aside his fear, the eldest son quickly picked up the severed hand. There was a peculiar mark on the severed palm, resembling the teeth of an animal. Did his father encounter a monstrous creature inside the cave and meet an untimely end? Such thoughts crossed the eldest son's mind. However, he soon discovered something held tightly within the palm of the severed hand.
With great effort, he pried open the hand and found a note inside. The note bore a few large blood-red characters: "Seal off the cave entrance. Do not enter. This is a devourer..."
Though the writing was somewhat messy, the eldest son recognized his father's handwriting. Despite his grief, he dared not disobey his father's words. Immediately, he pushed a large rock to block the entrance of the cave and left in a state of panic.
"How did you come to know all of this?" Qin Yu took a deep breath after listening to He Ping's words and asked.
"By chance, we obtained this notebook and then sought out the Feng Shui master's eldest son. However, he had already passed away during those turbulent ten years. Luckily, he, like his father, had a habit of keeping a notebook, and we found the contents in his writings," Mo Yongxin explained, taking out another notebook and handing it to Qin Yu. Upon reading it, Qin Yu found that it matched exactly what He Ping had described. The eldest son had also become a Feng Shui master and had been haunted by what had befallen his father in the cave. For many years, he had searched for information about Dragon Crystal Liquid, even surveying the area around the cave multiple times. Eventually, it seemed he discovered something, as revealed in one of his diary entries.
"Today, I surveyed the area around the cave again. It truly resembles the legend. Combined with the strange wound on my father's hand, there is no doubt that it was that thing. No wonder my father wanted me to seal the cave entrance. It's a devil's den. Let it remain sealed forever!"
This was the last entry in the notebook regarding the cave. Through this entry, Qin Yu understood why there were torn pages in the notebook and why it didn't mention the specific location of the cave. The eldest son must have known something and intentionally tore those pages to prevent future generations or anyone who read his notebook from finding the cave.
"So, you want to find that cave?" Qin Yu furrowed his brow. It was evident from the notebook that the cave held some dangerous secret. Though Dragon Crystal Liquid was valuable, Qin Yu was not willing to risk his life for it.
"Do you know who these father and son Feng Shui masters were? It seems there's a connection between them and you," Mo Yongxin said.
"A connection with me? That's impossible!" Qin Yu knew that his ancestors were honest people and had no ancestors involved in Feng Shui or similar practices.
"Hehe, Mr. Qin, did the seller of the compass artifact you purchased never mention its origin?"
"The origin? The shop owner said it belonged to his friend's grandfather. However, his grandfather passed away during the turbulent ten years... Wait a minute, are you saying that the eldest son I'm looking for... was the previous owner of the compass?"
Qin Yu quickly grasped the situation. When he bought the compass, the shop owner mentioned it as an heirloom from his friend's grandfather. Considering that both the previous owner and the eldest son had passed away during the turbulent ten years, everything fell into place.
"We visited that family's house initially, hoping to find valuable clues left behind. However, we discovered that everything was gone. But the descendants of that family told us that their grandfather had left behind a compass. However, since it was damaged, they sold it to a friend who sold Feng Shui tools in the county. After that, we went to that shop but unexpectedly ran into you, Qin brother, and you ended up buying the compass."
He Ping's words clarified Qin Yu's confusion. It was unbelievable that the shop owner could recognize the compass as an artifact from such a distance when Qin Yu bought it. However, now it made sense. They must have inquired about the shape of the compass and coincidentally saw Qin Yu purchasing the damaged compass from the same shop, which led them to approach him for information.
"Mr. Qin, I have a request!" Mo Yongxin's crisp voice interrupted Qin Yu's thoughts. Qin Yu looked up at her and said, "I won't sell the compass."
"I know you won't sell it, but since you're willing to help relocate Haoguo's grandfather's grave, I would like to hire you to be involved in this matter. You'll receive a reward of one million afterwards."
Mo Yongxin stared intently at Qin Yu. She had this idea ever since she met Qin Yu at Tongbo Mountain, and after witnessing his remarkable abilities firsthand, she became even more determined.
"Hire me?"
Qin Yu didn't expect Mo Yongxin to come up with this idea. Honestly, if it weren't for the mention of the creature by the Feng Shui master, Qin Yu might have agreed. After all, he was planning to make a living from this business, and the Mo family could be considered a major customer, willing to pay generously.
"Mr. Qin, my request is simple. You and Master He will be responsible for finding the cave entrance. Regardless of the outcome, you'll have a one-month time limit. If you haven't found the entrance after one month, you'll still receive five hundred thousand."
Mo Yongxin's condition was reasonable, or rather, it was advantageous for Qin Yu. With a one-month time limit, regardless of whether or not they found the cave, he would receive five hundred thousand. Qin Yu had no reason to refuse.
Seeing Qin Yu's agreement, a smile blossomed on Mo Yongxin's exquisite face, as if countless flowers were in full bloom, brightening the entire hall.