"What?"
Hearing Ma Yi's words, Shen Lang looked surprised and said, "Village Chief, you said you want to give me the secret to your longevity?"
"Yes, esteemed guest, you heard correctly. It is indeed to be given to you."
Ma Yi sighed and said, "Possessing something that one cannot protect is sometimes a tragedy. If not careful, it can lead to the annihilation of a noble lineage. I do not wish for my people to perish because of this secret of longevity, so I have decided to hand it over."
Ma Yi looked at Shen Lang and said, "Esteemed guest, although you are decisive in battle, I know your heart is benevolent and kind. Therefore, I am at ease in bestowing this secret upon you, and the villagers will not object."
Having said this, Ma Yi looked at the hundreds of villagers and asked, "Everyone, if you object, please state it now?"
"We do not object."
Ma Yi's words were met with a chorus of approval from the villagers.
For these villagers, although longevity allowed many of them to live over a hundred years without dying, it also made them feel the pain of being alive forever.
If they could end this longevity, it would be a good thing for them. Moreover, the secret of longevity had now become the root of disaster for them, so they were even more eager to hand over the secret.
Of course, even if they handed it over, they would give it to someone with decent character, and that person was naturally Shen Lang, as Shen Lang had just saved all of them.
"Village Chief, aren't you worried that I put on a play with those dead scoundrels, deliberately gaining your trust, and then having you tell me the secret of longevity?"
Seeing the villagers' approval, Shen Lang was slightly surprised and said.
"Haha, of course not."
Ma Yi looked at Shen Lang and smiled, saying, "Although we in Peach Blossom Village live in seclusion and can no longer keep up with the changing tides of the outside world, we are still good at judging people."
"Esteemed guest and we are of the same kind, both with kind hearts. This is also why we enthusiastically hosted you and your two young girlfriends when we met for the first time."
Hearing this, Shen Lang smiled, wanting to say something, but he didn't.
When Shen Lang looked at the dozen or so villagers who had died on the ground, a pang of regret hit him. After all, these were over a dozen living lives. If he had sobered up earlier, such a tragedy would not have happened.
"Esteemed guest, please do not blame yourself. In fact, their deaths are a good thing for them, and their families will not be sad because of it."
Ma Yi looked at the deceased villagers and said, "The youngest of these people was a hundred years old, and the oldest was over two hundred. They were already at an age where dust returns to dust. Why blame yourself?"
"Alright, Mr. Shen, please follow me. I will take you to see the secret behind the average lifespan of two hundred years in our longevity village."
Hearing Ma Yi's words, Shen Lang was slightly taken aback. If he said he was not interested in the secret of longevity, that would be a lie. But if he showed it, it seemed a bit too calculating, leaving him unsure how to act.
However, in the end, Shen Lang chose to follow Ma Yi.
After all, the secret of longevity was indeed too tempting for Shen Lang.
Shen Lang followed behind Ma Yi, who walked forward without looking back. Finally, they ascended the mountain south of Peach Blossom Village. After climbing a thousand steps of bluestone stairs, Shen Lang and Ma Yi reached the mountainside, where there was an ancient well.
"Esteemed guest, this ancient well is the source of Peach Blossom Village's longevity, with an average lifespan of two hundred years."
Ma Yi pointed at the ancient well and said to Shen Lang.
"Why?"
Shen Lang was greatly curious and asked.
He really couldn't understand why an ancient well could make people live longer.
"Deep within the ancient well lies the essence of a dragon."
Ma Yi said, "Dragons live long and do not die. The dragon's essence can also grant longevity and immortality. Legend has it that my ancestors encountered a dragon during a campaign. They eventually slayed the dragon at the cost of losing soldiers and ten thousand lives, and took the dragon's essence."
"Later, when my ancestor failed in a palace coup and was killed, his clansmen fled with his belongings. The dragon's essence was hidden within them. After escaping here, fearing further pursuit, the ancestors hid the dragon's essence in a spring and built an ancient well over it."
"For thousands of years, the villagers of Peach Blossom Village have drunk the water from this ancient well, remaining immune to all illnesses, strong and healthy, with an average lifespan of two hundred years. The oldest lived for four hundred and eighty years."
Ma Yi looked at Shen Lang and sighed, "This... is the greatest secret of Peach Blossom Village."
"Dragon's essence?"
"Slaying a dragon?"
Hearing Ma Yi's words, Shen Lang felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and was momentarily unable to accept it. Did dragons really exist in this world?
However, Shen Lang knew that throughout the long river of history, too many astonishing secrets had been hidden. Perhaps dragons did not exist, or perhaps dragons truly existed, or perhaps what was called a dragon was merely a creature that existed on Earth very early but that no one could describe.
"Village Chief, what should we do next to retrieve that dragon's essence?"
Looking at Ma Yi, Shen Lang asked curiously, "Do I need to dive to the bottom of the well to get it?"
"Hahaha, of course not."
Ma Yi heard this and laughed, "Our clan and the dragon's essence have coexisted for thousands of years. We have long formed a tacit understanding. It will come out on its own."
With that, Ma Yi chanted something that Shen Lang couldn't understand, like Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit, but also like Taoist texts.
As Ma Yi finished chanting, the bottom of the well suddenly emitted a bright red light. Then, something the size of a chicken egg, emitting a red glow, flew out and was caught by Ma Yi.
"Mr. Shen, this is the dragon's essence."
Ma Yi handed the object in his hands to Shen Lang.
"This..."
Looking at the dragon's essence in Ma Yi's hand, Shen Lang was greatly shocked. Although he hadn't touched it, Shen Lang felt an unusually powerful force.
Did dragons truly exist in this world? Was this really the dragon's essence?
With trembling excitement, Shen Lang extended his hands and took the object from Ma Yi.
"Ah—"
Unexpectedly, the moment Shen Lang took the dragon's essence into his hands, his entire body felt like it was burning. The pain caused Shen Lang to let out a world-shattering scream.
Shen Lang didn't understand why Ma Yi was fine holding it, but the moment he held it, he was in such agony. He raised his eyes to see what was happening.
But when Shen Lang looked up, he was stunned. He only saw that the dragon's essence in his hand split into two, merging into his hands respectively.
And at this moment, Shen Lang suddenly felt his chest blood boiling. He pulled open his clothes and discovered that the Scarlet Dragon totem on his chest, which could only appear when he was enraged before, had appeared at this moment, lifelike, as if it were alive.