Page 518

Mr. Naji looked up, his gaze flitting as he regarded Gu Xiaoxi before finally speaking in a serious tone, "Do you know of the Nether Sea?"

Gu Xiaoxi and Su San glanced at each other, both shaking their heads.

"I will not hide it from you, in a week’s time the ’Caribbean Emperor’ will set sail in search of the Nether Sea," Mr. Naji said, his expression growing solemn.

"It is said that there’s a legend about the Nether Sea.

In the center of the sea area exists an island akin to paradise.

On it, one can find the fruit of a tree that bestows eternal life.

Just one fruit can grant three hundred years of life and perpetual youth, and the tree blooms and bears thousands of such fruits at a time. "

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoxi shook her head, "That is but a legend! Do you believe it, Mr. Naji?"

"I’m half a skeptic and half a believer! But I have truly seen someone who has lived forever," said Naji. This made him involuntarily recall the exalted figure he had encountered in his youth.

"Who?" For Gu Xiaoxi, Mi Xi was the most unusual being she had encountered.

He had cultivated for four hundred ninety-eight years, and he was a being that had formed himself from a mere wisp of a soul.

As Naji reminisced, he explained, "A man in white, holding a jade flute, who could fly freely. His coming left no traces, his departure bore no shadow. I saw him when I was seven years old, and again last year. Twenty years had passed, but his appearance hadn’t changed at all.

He was still as handsome, youthful, and graceful as ever. "

At that moment, Gu Xiaoxi was certain she knew who he was speaking about.

Wasn’t that Ya?

"Where did you see him?" Gu Xiaoxi asked excitedly.

"In Yu State! It’s been over a year now, I’m afraid I won’t have the chance to encounter him again in this lifetime," Naji said, his face growing serious as he remembered the kindness he had received from him in his childhood.

It was naturally an unforgettable moment in his life.

Gu Xiaoxi knew that no amount of questioning would allow her to catch up to Ya’s footsteps.

She simply looked at Naji, puzzled, "What do you mean by that...?"

"I plan to take my wife with me on the ’Emperor’s Vessel.

’ Of course, we’ll need two bodyguards. If you are Bounty Hunters, please show me your accomplishments.

As long as you have the skills to be our bodyguards and accompany us to the Nether Sea, and ensure our safe return, I will give you the Amethyst Necklace as a reward! "

"So it doesn’t matter whether we find the Fruit of Immortality or not? Just to ensure your safety there and back?" Gu Xiaoxi countered. If that was the case, it was not impossible.

Yet, who could have known that Mr. Naji, seemingly so cultured and honest on the surface, harbored such grand ambitions.

Desiring immortality!

"If there is a Fruit of Immortality, and others have it, naturally, I must have it too. That is my only request."

Hearing Mr. Naji’s words, a smile crept onto Gu Xiaoxi’s face, "We cannot provide you with our credentials because our identities are inherently secret.

However, I will accompany you to the Nether Sea, not just me, but my two companions as well.

As for my abilities, you need not doubt them.

Moreover, to be honest, the person you spoke of, the one who has lived forever, I have met him. His name is Ya!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Naji’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Gu Xiaoxi, "You have really met my benefactor?"

After a while, he stammered excitedly, "Right, since you know his name. You must have truly seen him. May I ask where was it?"

"His movements are always mysterious, what difference does it make having seen him? It’s difficult to find him!" Gu Xiaoxi sighed.

She had been searching for such a long time without any sign of him.

If the Nether Island truly had the Fruit of Immortality, then Ya might just go there too.

Eventually, Gu Xiaoxi and Mr. Naji reached an agreement.

She agreed to act as their bodyguard, escorting them to the Nether Sea to search for Nether Island, and then safely bring them back.

In exchange, he wrote down the terms beforehand, signing the agreement with Gu Xiaoxi, and submitted it to a law firm in D State.

At the same time, Mr. Naji bought them boat tickets, prepared to depart with them in seven days.

Undoubtedly, Gu Xiaoxi wanted to involve Danny Jay in the adventure.

If this journey was based on false information regarding the Fruit of Immortality,

they would surely return safely. However, if the Fruit of Immortality was real, it would attract all sorts of demons and beasts from all over the world. Without mentioning the level of danger, one could guess.

Danny Jay, a High-level Magician with heaven-reaching magical power, would certainly add a significant amount of strength if he joined them.

When Gu Xiaoxi explained the situation to him, he decided to accompany them almost without hesitation.

Moreover, he would bring his own bodyguards.

However, Gu Xiaoxi was curious how Mr. Naji knew of this when Danny Jay did not.

In the seven days given, Lu Xi’s leg was completely healed by Gu Xiaoxi.

But due to prolonged inactivity, his muscles could not immediately adapt.

He would need to exercise more, and within a month, he would recover as usual.

For this, he was so grateful that he wanted to kneel before Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi wouldn’t dare to accept such a gesture from her master. Holding Lu Xi’s hand, she urged him to rest well at home.

She would visit him again after her long journey.

The ’Caribbean Emperor’ was originally built as an entertainment venue for the wealthy.

Compared to the vessel they took to Dream Island last time, it was more luxurious and even more massive.

This time, the number of people seeking the Nether Sea had reached over ten thousand.

They were wealthy individuals from nations like Yu State, Western State, Southern State, and more.

Even if the tycoons didn’t come themselves, they sent a large number of subordinates ahead.

They would rather believe in its existence than not, and so they take the risk to explore.

On board, there was also a middle-aged man organizing the Nether Sea expedition team to search for the Fruit of Immortality.

Of course, among the tens of thousands of people, the majority were subordinates and mercenaries.

The real tycoons sat at home, commanding their subordinates.

Of course, there was also a group of curious and unusual figures drawn to the expedition.

Following Mr. and Mrs. Naji and Anna, Gu Xiaoxi also became part of this dense army.

Danny Jay was a social butterfly; he could converse with anyone and promptly vanished as soon as he boarded the ship.

Gu Xiaoxi, Su San, and Jing Haoran made arrangements for Mr. and Mrs. Naji.

Afterward, they went up on deck and looked at the bustling luxury cruise ship.

It seemed as though this were not a journey to dangerous waters but a trip.

"When you think about it, it’s not going to end up like the Titanic incident, is it?" Jing Haoran asked, full of worry.

Gu Xiaoxi glanced at the azure sky and looked out over the boundless waters, shaking her head, "Hard to say!"

The cruise ship left the port.

Gu Xiaoxi took out her phone and sent a message to Young Master Quan, "Don’t come looking for me within seven days. I am off on a mission."

With that, she turned off her phone.

This phone had to be saved for essential use.

Quan Shaoqing received the message and immediately frowned; when he tried to call Gu Xiaoxi back, her phone was already switched off.

Without her giving him a location, there was no way for him to find her.

He hung up the phone with a heavy heart.

Sailing across the sea.

Where exactly is the Nether Sea?

Does Nether Island truly exist?

All of these are unknowns.

And on the ship, there was a group of people.

They firmly believed that the Nether Sea was at the center of these waters, and as long as everyone was sincere, they would reach the bay.

"Could this be something concocted by a tour group to attract people’s attention?" someone wondered with skepticism.

"Since when has there been immortality in this world?"

"The Fruit of Immortality—just who started that rumor?"

Gu Xiaoxi and Jing Haoran stood by the railing, looking out at the vast blue ocean, and couldn’t help but sigh.

"Humans are always driven by desire. Even harboring skepticism in their hearts, they still want to test reality, clinging to the hope of good fortune," Jing Haoran couldn’t help but comment.

He turned his head to look at Gu Xiaoxi and asked seriously, "Do you believe there is a Fruit of Immortality in this world?"

Gu Xiaoxi blinked her beautiful large eyes and looked up at the sky, "Perhaps there is!"

Because in this world, there truly were immortal beings.

"What do you mean ’perhaps’? Gu Xiaoxi, you should be certain there isn’t any.

So much fuss has been made, and there’s no explanation for it.

We don’t even know who started the rumor.

Travel agencies merely say it’s a legend.

I suspect that someone is deliberately leading people into the Nether Sea, and there must be a big conspiracy behind it," Jing Haoran speculated.

Gu Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes, forced to admit that Jing Haoran’s guess was also what she had been thinking.

If there really were so many Fruits of Immortality, why not harvest them oneself instead of spreading the news, leading tens of thousands into the sea?

"We’ll only know the truth when we reach the Nether Sea, and for now, there’s nothing we can do," she said.

Gu Xiaoxi rested her chin on her hand, the sea breeze lifting her long hair, making her beauty in the sunlight hard to look away from.

"What’s there to fear? It’s only called training when there’s danger. When we return, we must be much stronger," Gu Xiaoxi declared firmly.

Just then, she noticed a line of people standing not far from her.

Five men, all tall and dressed in white robes, draped in snow-white cloaks.

As the sea breeze lifted them, they exuded an ethereal, almost celestial allure.

Gu Xiaoxi noticed them at the same moment they turned and looked toward her.

Eyes met eyes!

With just one glance, Gu Xiaoxi felt a tightness in her chest and instinctively took a step back, feeling a chill on her neck.

Such a strong aura of killing intent!