Chapter 212.

Chapter 212.

Bian Yuchen turned around in surprise. He intended to check on the other participants, but to his astonishment, he was facing a familiar forest—the Mummy Forest.

Remarkably, it was situated just about fifty meters behind them—a mere minute's walk away. However, on their first day heading there, it had taken them an entire afternoon.

Yu Lan, without paying attention to the forest, stood up and asked her two friends, "Did you drink the Elixir of Immortality?"

Yi Yao replied, "I didn't."

Mu Jinhai added, "Neither did I."

Zhan Meng felt himself over and laughed, "Hahaha, so we're fine even without drinking it?"

"...I did drink it," Song Quyao admitted in a timid voice, fear evident on her face. "Will anything happen to me?"

Ying Yiling, always in sync with her best friend Song Quyao, frantically asked, "I drank it too. What should we do?"

Yun Qian approached the two girls to console them. "Don't worry. We're all here, which means whether or not we drank the elixir doesn't affect our return to Na Luo Ta City."

"Where's Thirteen?" Zheng Shu, after checking on his sister Mu Yuji, looked around, "If you all made it back even after drinking the elixir, then Thirteen must be alive too. Where is he?"

"Young master—"

Speak of the devil.

Just as Zheng Shu mentioned Thirteen's name, they saw him rush out of Na Luo Ta City. The once blood-stained shirt he wore was now pristine and white as new. He quickly approached the stunned Bian Yuchen, helping him up, "Are you alright?"

Bian Yuchen waved him off, staring intently, "You're still alive?"

"Yes. Turns out, jumping off the cliff was the way back," Thirteen confessed, "I tried to return and inform you all, but I couldn't even reach the Mummy Forest alone."

Without Zheng Shu and Ying Yiling's metal detector to find the off-road vehicle, and Bu Jiuzhao as the driver, he couldn't venture into the Mummy Forest by himself.

Mu Jinhai, Yi Yao, and Yu Lan, upon seeing Thirteen, were overjoyed, bombarding him with questions. "How did you think of jumping off the cliff to return?"

Thirteen scratched his head in embarrassment, "It wasn't really a plan. I thought... if that invincible snake fell off the cliff with me, even if you all returned to the Temple of the Lost Land, it wouldn't attack you anymore. Sadly, it didn't jump with me."

"That's not sad at all!" Zhan Meng exclaimed, hugging Thirteen tightly, "Bro, you being alive is all that matters! We figured out you jumped from the... traces of blood you left. It made us think that maybe jumping was the real way out."

"Oh, look! All my lovely team members have returned safely?"

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of their reunion and narrow escape from death, Yino's voice abruptly intruded, cutting through the warmth like a gust of wind. Once all eyes were on him, he flipped his palm upwards, grinning, "What treasures did you find on this adventure? Show me."

Enoch is, without a doubt, the most formidable guide within the Eternal Locks. No one dares defy his words. Everyone presented the items they retrieved from the lost temple for Enoch's inspection. Even Yi Yao didn't hesitate, emptying his pockets to reveal four large gold bars. Mu Jin Hai and You Lan each held three gold bricks, splitting them almost equally.

The others weren't as ostentatious.

Zheng Shu was a shrewd man, having made a good amount of money within the Eternal Locks. He didn't care for gold. Instead, he handed over a gold necklace with a crystal vial containing the water from the Fountain of Immortality – neither he nor Mu Yu Ji had drunk from it.

Yun Qian didn’t drink or take any gold. As for Bian Yu Chen, a man who had no need for more wealth, he too refrained from taking the gold. Both handed over their gold necklaces with the crystal vials filled with the immortal water.

Ying Yi Ling and Song Qu You had drunk from the fountain, and neither took any gold. They handed over gold necklaces with empty vials.

The only ones remaining, Zhan Meng, Liu Bu Hua, Bu Jiu Zhao, and Xie Yin Xue, all had some gold. Besides the gold necklace with the crystal vial of the Fountain of Immortality, Zhan Meng produced a gold bracelet, explaining, "I thought it was beautiful and wanted to gift it to my mother. She's always wanted a gold bracelet but never could bring herself to buy one. I thought, if I died in the Eternal Locks, at least she'd have this to remember me by."

Liu Bu Hua took a floral crown simply because it was "pretty, and it had flowers."

Xie Yin Xue and Bu Jiu Zhao took a pair of plain gold rings.

Enoch meticulously inspected each item they presented. He only took the gold chains that held the crystal vials, leaving behind the vials and their contents. Handing them back, he said, "All seems in order. I'll accept these as your passage tickets. You can keep the rest."

Yi Yao was flabbergasted, "Keep them?"

Enoch nodded, "Yes, keep them."

Yi Yao admitted that his decision to take the gold bars was purely out of greed. With all that gold in sight, it was hard to resist taking some. A part of him hoped against hope: what if he could truly walk away with it?

He only harbored the thought in the recesses of his mind as a distant dream, never truly expecting it to materialize. And yet, here was Enoch, making that dream come true?

Holding up a gold bar, he waved it before Enoch, disbelief evident in his voice, "This is pure gold... We can really take it?"

Enoch, with his cherubic cheeks, smiled with an angelic innocence, "Yes, you can take them all with you."

Seeing Enoch's demeanor, Yi Yao grew increasingly suspicious. The gold bar in his hand suddenly felt scalding, making him hesitant to hold onto it.

Mu Jin Hai was also puzzled, asking with evident confusion, "Aren't we generally unable to take items out of the Eternal Locks?"

There were exceptions, of course, like the group photo everyone received after clearing the Qing Shan Asylum.

Mu Jin Hai anticipated a myriad of answers from Enoch, from "there are occasional exceptions" to "this gold isn't that valuable." What he didn't expect was for Enoch to counter with, "Do you think you're still inside a replica of the Eternal Locks?"

Caught off guard, Mu Jin Hai stammered, "What do you mean?"

Enoch chose not to elaborate. With hands clasped behind his head and a playful tilt of his neck, he announced, "Given that my beloved team has concluded their adventure and returned early with their treasures, we can depart today! But if you all feel weary and wish to rest in the city for a night, we can leave tomorrow noon. Either way works for me."

Zhan Meng didn't want to spend a minute more here, so he said, "We should leave today. I miss my mother."

"Wait a moment, Captain Yino—"

Song Qiyu wasn't so concerned about leaving today or tomorrow; she had another pressing question, "What will happen since we drank the Immortality Spring water?"

"Nothing will happen. Immortality Spring water, as the name suggests, ensures that you live forever. If you've drunk it, then congratulations, you will remain eternally youthful and ageless."

As Yino said this, he made a congratulatory gesture towards Song Qiyu. He then shifted his gaze to the young man with golden-blonde hair, "Aren't you all going to drink?"

He asked "you all," but his eyes were fixed solely on Xie Yin Xue.

Bu Jiuzhao stepped in front of Xie Yin Xue, blocking the young man's figure, and stared coldly at Yino.

Yino, in frustration, stomped his foot, "I swear, if I'm lying, may I... lose my manhood, okay?"

Everyone: "..."

That's quite a dire oath.

You Lan remained skeptical, "Are you really this generous?"

"What do you mean by 'are we this generous'?" Yino shot him a sideways glance with his deep blue eyes. "You entered the Immortality Lock seeking survival or eternal life, right? Now that 'eternal life' is within your reach, we're just giving you what you came for."

"If I drink it, I'll live forever?"

A soft, calm, and gentle voice emerged from behind Bu Jiuzhao. Yino's eyes lit up as he circled around to face Xie Yin Xue directly, "Yes, you will."

Xie Yin Xue lowered his gaze, neither confirming nor denying.

Yino slowly raised his hand, causing everything around them to seem still, as if time had stopped. It felt as if only he, Xie Yin Xue, and Bu Jiuzhao remained in this paused world. He then seriously said, "You may not trust me, but you trust Bu Jiuzhao, don't you?"

Yino pouted, turning to Bu Jiuzhao with a playful whine, "Captain, please tell Mr. Xie whether I'm lying or not."

Xie Yin Xue gently lifted his eyes to look at Bu Jiuzhao.

The man met his gaze, his lips tight and silent, with only a slight movement in his throat, as if swallowing all the words he wanted to say.

His silence seemed to confirm the truth in Yino's words.

Yino continued trying to persuade the young man, "Xie Yin Xue, haven't you always sought immortality? Now there's a golden opportunity right in front of you. Why seek far when it's so close? If our boss hadn't seen the kindness in your heart, and if Zhang and his team hadn't vouched for your good performance in the Hungry Ghost realm... Ah, I mean in your 'Pusopocha' instance, we wouldn't have given you this chance. If you miss this, seeking immortality in the future will be far more complicated. Moreover—"

"Even if you attain immortality, you'll surely regret it!"

"Kind-hearted..." Xie Yin Xue chuckled, seemingly surprised that the term could be used to describe him. After laughing, he twisted open the cap of the crystal bottle.

Enoch watched him, eyes unwavering.

As Xie Yin Xue brought the bottle to his lips, Enoch's eyes widened even more. Bu Jiu Zhao's hand, which had been resting at his side, instinctively lifted as if to stop Xie Yin Xue from drinking. But in the end, he lowered it, clenching it into a fist.

Following Bu Jiu Zhao's movement, Xie Yin Xue released the bottle, letting it fall freely, reminiscent of someone jumping off a cliff.

Enoch was so anxious about the bottle that he lunged forward instinctively to catch it. But as soon as he moved, time resumed its flow around them. To the others, it seemed that just a blink had passed since Enoch had said, "Yes, definitely," to the moment they saw him kneeling before Xie Yin Xue, holding the crystal bottle.

Ying Yi Ling looked shocked and asked, "Captain Enoch, what are you...?"

Enoch: "..."

Enoch wanted to cry, but he held back.