Chapter Eighty-Seven: Time Poison

  Time flies?

  Neither Du Wei nor Hussein had expected that near the Fountain of Youth there was another spring.

  Medusa still had that cold and indifferent look on her face as she led the two of them out of the grand hall, gazing into the depths of the palace.

  "Your palace is made from the bodies of the Tree People...?"

  On the road, Du Wei seemed to ask casually.

  "It's nothing." Medusa suddenly stopped in her tracks and asked Du Wei, "Is there a problem?"

  "This time it was Hussein who spoke up: 'Don't you think this method is a bit too cruel? Although you and the Tree People are enemies, at least you should respect the enemy's corpse.'"

  "Respect for the dead..." Medusa savored the phrase, then asked Du Wei: "Is this also human nature?"

  Du Wei smiled: "I suppose so."

  "But I don't understand." Medusa's words were straightforward: "I can't comprehend this 'human nature'. I've heard Gege Witch talk about many human behaviors. You humans kill beasts and eat their flesh, peel off their skin to make clothes and decorations... Why do you humans do these things on one hand, yet say 'respect the dead' on the other? Is there a difference between me using the Tree People's bodies to build houses and you humans killing beasts to eat their flesh and wear their skin?"

  Perhaps Medusa doesn't understand human nature, perhaps she understands nothing at all. But precisely this simple question has left the erudite Du Wei and the experienced knight speechless.

  Is there...any difference?

  Medusa thought for a moment, then seemed to smile lightly: "It seems that I have summed up another characteristic of human nature, which is... hypocrisy. Humans always say one thing and do another?"

  Du Wei sighed. He didn't know how to respond to Medusa, so he could only sigh and say: "Sometimes... it's like that."

  "I don't like this trait in human nature, nor do I like humans." Medusa concluded and ended the conversation, continuing to lead the two forward.

  Outside the grand hall, through a corridor, Medusa pushed open a small door at the end. This was a black house, and as soon as Du Wei entered, he felt a chill of cold air coming... This was different from the cold outside in the icy sky and snowy ground, as if there was a damp, cold air that could penetrate through people's clothes, through people's skin pores, and even through people's bones, all the way into their internal organs!

  That chill enveloped his body, and Du Wei immediately felt a coldness all over his body. His whole body seemed to be pricked by countless needles, and for a moment, even his fingers were frozen stiff!

  "It's right here."

  In the darkness, Medusa walked as usual, as if she was born without needing eyes.

  "I usually sleep here. This is my bedroom." Medusa pointed to a stone slab on the ground: "Time flies, just below."

  "Sleeping here... aren't you cold..." Du Weigang said up to this point and then stopped, he suddenly remembered that snakes are cold-blooded animals.

  As he lifted the stone slab, Du Wei saw a large spring eye underneath, with water rippling and sparkling in the darkness of the room, as if the spring water was emitting its own light. But it was this very spring eye that, after lifting the stone slab, made Du Wei feel an intense chill in the air, increasing by tenfold in an instant!

  "What kind of water is this... how can it be so cold! Yet it doesn't even freeze?" Du Wei couldn't help but shiver, his teeth starting to chatter.

  He couldn't care about much anymore. Du Wei worried that if he continued like this, he would freeze to death himself. He hurriedly twisted his body a few times, performing the basic Starlight Fist movement that Hussein had taught him, and only after feeling the warmth in his body rise up did he manage to drive away some of the chill.

  But Du Wei still found that even on the face of Hussein Knight, a thin layer of white frost seemed to be shrouded. The cold air instantly froze the sweat on the knight's face!

  "This spring was discovered after I came here, and even the tree people didn't know it existed." Medusa said calmly.

  "The tree man doesn't know either..." Du Wei sighed: "This spring water looks strange at first glance, does it... have any special properties?"

  Medusa didn't say anything, she just smiled slightly and said faintly: "That black thing on your body, is it something you wear on your eyes to deal with me? Now, you'd better put it on."

  Du Wei smiled awkwardly and pulled Hussein, then put on his sunglasses.

  Medusa gently twisted a strand of her own hair in the palm of her hand, held it flat, and hummed a few strange syllables from her mouth. The strand of hair in her palm automatically twisted twice, then quickly transformed into a snake about the thickness of a thumb!

  This snake is all golden in color, each scale seemingly made of gold, its body twisted a few times, quickly coiled up, then raised its head and hissed, making a hissing sound. However, the eyes of this young snake were not open.

  "This is a golden python hatchling. It takes decades for a golden python to grow as thick as a human waist. However..." Medusa said, slowly scooping up a handful of water from the spring and carefully feeding it into the python's mouth...

  The miracle happened at this moment!

  Medusa gently placed the snake on his body, then took a step back...

  Immediately, under the gaze of Du Wei and Hussein, the snake's body suddenly swelled up! Its scales were constantly expanding, its body quickly changed from the thickness of a thumb to the thickness of a tree trunk! Its body was also constantly lengthening! And the originally closed eyes finally opened.

  It's open!

  After the sunglasses, Du Wei could still see the snake's eyes, emitting a strange, golden light! Under this gaze, Du Wei only looked at the Golden-eyed Python for an eye, and seemed to feel a slight pain in his eyes, and quickly turned his head away!

  Luckily there was a black crystal-made sunglasses for protection, otherwise... Du Wei suspected that he had already turned into stone.

  Next, this snake started to roll over, it seemed to be in great pain, its body twisted and turned again and again, finally making a faint hissing sound...

  It's actually molting!!!!!

  Shed its skin once. On the ground was left a nearly complete snake skin, shining with golden light, and the snake skin was right under Du Wei's feet. And that snake was still growing! In the end, its body almost squeezed Du Wei and others into the corner of the wall! Such a large black room, this snake's body almost occupied half of it!

  Afterwards, Du Wei silently calculated in his heart. In just a few minutes, the snake had shed its skin three times!

  Then... it started to decline!

  The massive body began to weaken, the snake's body that was originally full of elasticity and strength gradually withered away, even the golden light on its scales dimmed, bit by bit, its energy dwindled, finally coiling up, it didn't even have the strength to raise its head and spit, its head weakly drooping down...

  Under the snake skin, its flesh began to wither and die. Its body quickly dehydrated, losing water and turning into a dried-up snake! Then the snake skin cracked, like worn-out leather...

  "A golden-eyed python, according to your human way of calculating, has a lifespan of about forty years." Medusa's voice whispered: "From birth to old age and death. During which it will molt four times. After the fourth molt, it will grow to its peak state of magic and power."

  Du Wei felt his heart racing wildly!

  Forty years?

  But how long did it take just now? At most ten minutes? No, maybe only five or six minutes!

  In five or six minutes, a young golden python completes its growth from juvenile to adult, then molts four times and finally ages... until death... in just five minutes! It has lived out the equivalent of an ordinary forty-year lifespan!

  "So that's why I said this eye spring water is 'completely opposite' to the Fountain of Youth." Medusa smiled: "I name it 'Time Flows Away'."

  She paused for a moment, and the beautiful snake woman smiled: "Gege Wu said that this spring water, if used as poison, would be the most terrifying toxin in the world!"

  Du Wei and Hussein were both shocked in their eyes!

  Indeed, this is indeed the most terrifying and toxic land in the world!

  Time!

  Is there any poison more potent than the passing of time?

  Du Wei thought more...

  Why? Why does this "fleeting time" insist on being with this "Eternal Youth Spring", rather than somewhere else?

  It's just like the grand natural world, where all things are subtly interconnected and governed by a universal principle! One is forever fixed in shape, while the other swiftly flows away!

  So, what wonderful effect will happen if these two kinds of spring water are mixed together?

  Or maybe someone who has drunk from the Fountain of Youth before, and then drinks the River of Time... what would happen then?

  Of course, Du Wei kept these questions in his heart and wouldn't say them out loud in front of others. He just thought for a moment and said: "The spring water here, can I take some away?"

  Having obtained Medusa's consent, Du Wei immediately took out all the bottles on his body without any courtesy, and then poured out all the magical potions and other things inside... Other things can still be found outside, but this spring water, leaving here, I'm afraid it can't be found anywhere in the world!

  Du Wei took out all the bottles from his body and filled several bottles with "Time Flows Away", finally pouring an empty bottle, and then filling a bottle with "Eternal Youth Spring".

  "What's the point of bringing these terrible things to pass?" Hussein frowned: "This kind of thing can only harm people, it has no other use."

  "You've forgotten, I'm a magical pharmacist, a poison master!" Du Wei said vaguely.

  He has another concern in his heart.

  Time flies... What if it's used cleverly?

  Just now I gave a handful of water to a golden python and it died within five minutes.

  So... what if you drink a little less? Dilute the spring water to just the right degree of cleverness? Can it be made to grow up, but not die of old age?

  So... if it's for trees outside, can't we make a sapling grow into a towering tree in a short time?

  If a mouthful is too much, then drink a drop! If even a drop is too much...then dilute a drop of spring water in a bucket of clear water!

  Du Wei was really too curious about this thing!

  Even with several bottles in his arms, he still felt it was not enough and looked at Medusa with some embarrassment: "Do you have any other containers here?"

  Hussein took out something he had been carrying with him... a leather bag, originally used for wine, Du Wei took it and filled another leather bag with spring water. Only then was he satisfied.

  Bring it back and study it slowly when you have the chance!

  "I'm curious... you must have drunk the Fountain of Youth to evolve into a Medusa-like creature." Du Wei said slowly: "But why didn't you let other Golden-eyed Pythons drink from the spring?"

  "Because I am selfish." Medusa replied expressionlessly: "There is only one Medusa here, and my words are the only command. If there were another... then there would be war, if there were a group of them, then maybe I would also die."

  "Great, you've at least gained some humanity." Du Wei chuckled: "Not to mention anything else, humans are the most selfish creatures in the world overall."

  He paused for a moment, and Du Wei smiled: "Alright then, Your Majesty the Queen, what's next?"

  "We've reached a deal, I'm willing to teach you everything about human nature... So, are you ready to hit the road with us? Or will you stay here and wait for me to finish my own business before coming back to find you?"

  Medusa's choice was somewhat unexpected for Du Wei and others.

  "I and you leave." Her Majesty the Queen replied without hesitation.

  Du Wei was stunned: "You... are you saying you're joining our team?"

  "No, not joining your team, but following you out, not them." Medusa said calmly: "I don't like humans and I don't trust humans. I heard from Gege Witch about the various behaviors of humans. It seems that most humans are not used to keeping promises, so I will follow you."

  Then this extremely cold and beautiful woman suddenly smiled. She said lightly: "Besides, I've stayed here long enough! You should have seen when you came in, there are... rats everywhere! And I'm a snake, I hate rats the most!"

  Du Wei smiled.

  Yes, in the food chain, snakes are indeed the natural enemies of mice!

  The other companions of the same trade also had some misgivings about this queen, and even Du Wei was a little suspicious that his actions would bring a great disaster to humanity.

  This is not someone else! It's the most terrifying demon in legend, Queen Medusa! As long as she comes to the human world and opens her eyes to take a look around... it will be a massacre!

  "Your Majesty..." The old mouse prime minister suddenly fell to her feet: "You're leaving, what can I do? If those tree people rush in, I won't be able to stop them!"

  "In that case, there's no need to stop them." Medusa seemed to care little for this "kingdom" of hers, saying lightly: "This valley was theirs to begin with, and giving it back to them doesn't amount to much."

  Outside the canyon, the old Woods, who had been waiting outside, was pacing back and forth anxiously, his massive footsteps still sinking into the uneven ground, and occasionally shaking the treetops.

  Just as Du Wei and the others came out, Old Woot suddenly let out a loud whoop, and immediately, as if responding to it, the countless tree people "companions" behind him all let out a loud roar.

  "Mr. Wood." Du Wei walked to the front of the Tree People with a smile: "We have persuaded Evil Eye, from today on, she will return the canyon to the Tree People... However, there is a condition. A simple condition, I need to get the promise of the Tree People, I believe that the kind Tree People will not go back on their own promises."

  What else can be said? Old Wood immediately agreed with relish.

  "The canyon is yours, and the Spring of Eternal Youth is inside as well. However..." Du Wei said slowly: "In the deepest part of the palace, there is a black house. That place is forbidden, I require you to promise that your Tree People will guard that place, not letting anyone enter! Not letting any living creature approach, including yourselves. If there are other creatures, whether they be magical beasts or humans, anything at all! You must stop them with all your might! Apart from this, I have no other requests."

  Before that, the powerful knight used his golden aura to slash open the palace with a few swords, revealing the original grand hall inside, and revealing the location of the Spring of Eternal Youth. As time passed, it was quietly buried in the deepest part of an intact black house.

  The leader of the Tree People was unable to express his gratitude in words, and the kind and generous Tree People did not harbor any resentment towards the evil eyes that had been a thorn in their side for hundreds of years, as long as they could regain their tribe's inheritance: the Fountain of Youth, there were no other demands.

  Wu De promised on the spot that the Tree People would keep their promise and protect this square, not allowing outsiders to enter.

  "With respect... guest... gave you... that piece of leaf, is it still there?"

  Du Wei was taken aback for a moment, then rummaged through his clothes and pulled out the golden leaf that Old Wood had given him before entering the canyon. He had originally thought he would have a big battle with Medusa, but it hadn't been used after all. He smiled and said, "Oh, I almost forgot, this is for you."

  "No! You... keep it." Old Wood's thick voice trembled with emotion, and he stretched out a branch to gently pick up the leaf. Several branches twisted together, flipping and folding the leaf back and forth several times, until it curled into a golden... horn!

  Lao Wu then told Du Wei a stunning secret!

  These golden leaves are from the Tree People's treasure "Nature's Horn" on the tree vines!!

  This pure golden leaf, folded into a small horn, blows out...

  As long as there are trees around, they can awaken those big trees and become... "tree people" companions (although Du Wei thinks this is simply the tree people's "slaves").

  "You... can... drive... them... to do... anything... for you." Old Wood explained: "But... there's... a time... limit."

  The so-called time limit is: when the sun sets, they will turn back into trees.

  "That is to say, the time for waking up on the ground was only one day at most." Du Wei smiled.

  He laughed so happily!!!!!

  If... if I could dilute the flowing time into a certain degree of spring water... then what does it represent?

  As long as I carry a handful of seeds with me!

  So wherever I go, it's like having a large group of giant bodyguards with me!!

  It's sent! It's been sent!!