Old John waved his hand, and the people gathered around him to listen to his sermon dispersed. Old John then led Long Xiao and Jack back to the stone house.
The stone house was not large, furnished with two beds and a desk, each bed covered with only a worn blanket.
Old John sat on the only chair. He gestured towards the beds, and Long Xiao had no choice but to sit on one.
"Long Xiao, if I'm not mistaken, you were captured by that fellow in the monastery."
"How did you know?" Long Xiao asked.
Old John did not answer Long Xiao's question, continuing, "The Divine Sons of the monastery rarely capture outsiders. Since he brought you here, you must possess something he needs."
Long Xiao knew that if he continued to fabricate stories, he wouldn't be able to deceive this old man. To gain his trust, the truth had to make up ninety percent of his account.
"I don't have what they want, but they said I do, so they captured me," Long Xiao explained.
Old John shook his head and said, "That fellow from the monastery wouldn't be mistaken. He must have evidence to prove you possess what he desires."
Long Xiao sighed and said, "I've told you hundreds of times, I don't have it. Why doesn't anyone believe me? It's truly hopeless."
"Don't worry, Long Xiao, I won't steal your belongings. Your surname is Long, you are of the human race. That fellow is likely after your Long family's hidden treasures," Old John stated.
Long Xiao replied helplessly, "I've heard of the Long family's hidden treasures, but legend has it only the Long family head can access them. I'm not the head, so how could I have seen them?"
Old John shook his head, saying, "What the Long family head sees is only a tiny fraction of the inherited treasures, less than one-thousandth, and it's full of errors. The true Long family hidden treasures are stored within the genes of the Long family members. You must have fought with the people he sent, otherwise, he wouldn't have concluded you possess the Long family treasures."
Long Xiao recalled that in Funiu Town, Lawrence and Michelle had fought with him. Thinking back, their fighting style then seemed like an attempt to force him to use special techniques.
Long Xiao recounted his fight with Lawrence and Michelle. He knew that if he didn't reveal a significant portion of the truth, he wouldn't be able to fool the old man.
"What techniques did you use then?" Old John asked.
Within the "Dragon Treasury," there were a vast number of cultivation techniques, some belonging to the Long family and others to different clans, encompassing both human and demonic races.
Long Xiao had also accessed some of them; he was aware of these techniques but had not practiced most of them.
Long Xiao looked at Old John with a troubled expression and said, "My techniques are indeed excellent, but my master has forbidden me from telling others."
"Who is your master?" Old John inquired.
Long Xiao then narrated a story from his childhood, telling Old John that the old man who had accompanied him selling fake medicine was likely Long Xiaotian.
"Long Xiaotian, you are actually Long Xiaotian's disciple! No wonder that fellow from the monastery said you possess the Long family's hidden treasures," Old John exclaimed.
"You know the old man?" Long Xiao asked.
Old John nodded and said, "I've met him twice and fought him. He has indeed seen the Long family's hidden treasures."
"Who won?" Long Xiao asked curiously.
Old John smiled and replied, "Neither of us won. He was young when I met him. I was concerned that if he lost, it would be a blow to his confidence and hinder his future development."
Long Xiao also smiled, "City Lord John, you are truly a good person!" Long Xiao seized the opportunity to flatter him.
"I can't claim to be a good person, but I can confidently say I am not a bad one." After speaking, Old John glanced at Jack and asked, "It was this little fellow who told you to call me City Lord, wasn't it?"
Long Xiao nodded. Old John continued, "I'm no City Lord. This stone city has no City Lord, but it does have a Divine Son."
"I saw, people all call Jack Divine Son," Long Xiao said, pointing at Jack.
Old John sighed and said, "Jack has shown extraordinary talent since childhood, so many people have been keeping an eye on him. He is kind-hearted, and the people of Stone City like and respect him very much, which is why they consider him a Divine Son."
"Is Jack different from other children?" Long Xiao asked curiously.
Old John nodded and said, "Yes, I suspect Jack is neither human nor demon. He might be from the divine race, the immortal race, or the demonic race."
"Do these races still exist?" Long Xiao asked.
Old John shook his head and said, "I don't know. Besides humans and demons, I don't understand other races. Even if I met them, I wouldn't recognize them."
Old John found Jack to be very special and took him as his disciple. He worried that Jack might bring disaster to the intelligent creatures on Earth, so he educated Jack from a young age to be kind and friendly, and to regard humans as friends.
Jack's display of kindness and purity of heart reassured Old John considerably.
After Long Xiao and Old John discussed Jack's situation extensively, Long Xiao finally asked what kind of place this was.
Old John shook his head and said, "Actually, I don't know much about this place. It's vast and mysterious. I only know of a monastery and a castle, where Divine Sons reside. I've only heard place names for other areas, but I don't know their exact locations."
Long Xiao told Old John that he had stayed in the castle for a period. The people in the castle were kind, and their strength was considerable.
Long Xiao did not elaborate on the Divine Sons in the castle, as he didn't know Old John well and saying too much might bring him trouble.
After their conversation, Old John asked, "Long Xiao, would you like to stay a few days in our Stone City, or should I have someone escort you back to the castle?"
Long Xiao was curious about Stone City. As he hesitated, Jack said, "Stay here for a few days. I get bored when no one plays with me."
Long Xiao looked at Old John, who smiled and said, "Jack likes you. Stay for a few days to keep him company."
When Long Xiao agreed to stay, Jack jumped up with joy and said, "Great! I'll give you my bed, and I'll take you to the Feast Forest to eat delicious food."
"What is the Feast Forest?" Long Xiao asked.
Old John pointed at Jack and said, "Feast Forest is a name he came up with. Although that forest is somewhat dangerous, it has abundant food, all of which is beneficial to the human body."
The phrase "beneficial to the human body" caught Long Xiao's attention. He looked back at Jack and asked, "Is everything in the Feast Forest delicious?"
Jack nodded and said, "Yes, it's all delicious. I go there often, sometimes spending the whole day inside."
Seeing yet another glutton, Long Xiao found it strange that a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy was such a foodie.
After they made arrangements, Long Xiao stayed in Old John's stone house that night. As promised, Jack gave his bed to Long Xiao and slept on Old John's desk.
At dawn the next day, Jack woke Long Xiao, urging him to depart early. Jack explained that if they left late, they would miss lunch.