The three of them cautiously crossed the stone arch bridge, relieved that nothing unusual occurred. They let out a sigh of relief and looked ahead, only to be startled once again.
Back when they were at the fountain, they had vaguely seen the palace as if it were floating on the water. Now, standing behind the fountain, they realized the palace was indeed suspended above a layer of glowing aquamarine water.
At this moment, the group was standing beneath the stone arch bridge. Ahead of them stretched a body of water level with the ground. The water was a pale green, emitting a faint glow. It wasn’t flowing, yet it felt alive, as though it was gently, subtly rippling. And above this green water floated the golden, resplendent palace, appearing weightless.
At this time, Jia Zhuanyuan’s group had also arrived beside them, equally astonished by the sight of the glowing green water and the palace.
After staring for a while, Cai Qingchong asked, “What kind of substance is this glowing green water? It doesn’t look like any kind of water we know.”
Jia Zhuanyuan replied, “This is heavy water. And I’m now certain that this city we’re in is the legendary City of Heavy Water.”
“What do you mean by ‘heavy water’?” Liu Dashao asked, frowning.
Jia Zhuanyuan explained, “In modern terms, heavy water is a compound made of deuterium and oxygen through chemical reactions. It looks no different from ordinary water, but it’s highly toxic—drinking it can kill humans and animals. However, it’s also a catalyst essential for the production of nuclear weapons. But the heavy water we’re seeing now isn’t the same as the modern version. It must be the legendary ‘heavy water’ from ancient times, a substance resembling water. As to what exactly it is, I’m not sure.”
As Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuanyuan were talking, Yang Weidong suddenly shouted, “Damn it! Everyone, watch out! There’s movement in the heavy water!”
Everyone quickly turned their gaze to the water. They saw slight ripples forming within the green depths, and fine waves rippling across the surface. Faint white bubbles began rising slowly from the depths, and soon covered the surface of the heavy water.
Everyone hastily stepped back, gripping their weapons tightly.
The white bubbles continued to rise, gathering in greater and greater numbers. As the group watched in confusion, hundreds and thousands of the bubbles began merging together, slowly forming into massive individual bubbles.
Fan Debiao whispered nervously, “What are these bubbles doing? Could they be some kind of living entity?”
No one responded. They stared intently at the strange bubbles. Suddenly, the bubbles began changing again. The large ones slowly swayed as they rose from the water, altering their shapes.
Under the group’s wide-eyed gaze, the first bubble to surface twisted and transformed into a human figure! Jia Zhuanyuan gasped, “Good heavens! What is this thing? Everyone, fire now!”
In a panic, they raised their guns and opened fire on the bubble-shaped figure. But to their shock, the bullets passed effortlessly through its “body” without causing any damage. Liu Dashao felt a cold sweat break out across his skin.
The bubble continued to take shape—limbs, fingers, a face, even hair, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears gradually emerged with startling clarity. It had transformed into a woman, with a curvaceous figure, and even a sweet smile on its face.
Everyone stopped firing, realizing bullets were useless against these beings. Liu Dashao heard Fan Debiao, trembling with fear, whisper, “What the hell is this? What do we do now?”
Jia Zhuanyuan whispered, “Let’s just watch for now. I don’t think they’re hostile.”
Holding their breath and bracing themselves, the group stood still, watching the strange “creatures.”
Gradually, the bubbles stopped rising from the depths. All of them floated to the surface and transformed into female figures. Liu Dashao quietly counted—there were eighteen of them.
Drifting and swaying, the eighteen figures performed graceful, dance-like movements. Their long white dresses and flowing sleeves stirred gentle breezes, giving them an ethereal, fairy-like aura.
After dancing for a while, the eighteen figures joined hands, forming a long line, and floated gracefully toward the palace at the center of the heavy water.
The group watched in stunned silence.
Liu Dashao exhaled, “So these things are just illusions—amazing and intricate, but not dangerous after all.”
Fan Debiao let out a bitter laugh, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I was scared stiff just now. I thought they were some kind of living creatures.”
The others also relaxed slightly, though the previous scene had terrified them badly.
Yang Weidong, curious, asked, “Why do you think they’re flying toward the palace in the center of the water?”
Fan Debiao quickly replied, “Who knows? Maybe there’s a banquet going on inside. Why don’t we try to sneak a peek too?”
His half-serious, half-joking remark eased the tense atmosphere a bit.
Jia Zhuanyuan said, “We definitely need to find a way to get into that palace. The problem is, there’s no way to cross this heavy water, and we don’t even know what this legendary substance is. We can’t risk touching it.”
Everyone looked helplessly at the vast expanse of glowing heavy water.
Liu Dashao thought to himself that the heavy water looked clear and dense. He wondered if heavy objects would sink in it. Thinking this, he took out a one-yuan coin and threw it into the water. Strangely, he heard no sound. The coin landed on the surface and began sinking—very slowly. Liu Dashao was stunned. This proved the heavy water was still a liquid, dashing his hope that it might have extraordinary buoyancy.
As the group stood at a loss, Jia Zhuanyuan silently paced back and forth on the bluish stone pavement between the heavy water and the fountain, as if searching for something.
Curious, the others watched him. Liu Dashao asked, “Could there be some kind of mechanism to cross the heavy water and reach the palace?”
At that moment, Jia Zhuanyuan suddenly cried out in excitement, “Found it!”
Everyone quickly gathered around. Jia was crouching, pointing at a stone slab. “All these stones are smooth on the surface, except this one. It’s subtly different. Can anyone see the difference?”
They crouched down to look closely, but no one could spot anything unusual. Fan Debiao said, “All the stones here are blue and smooth. I don’t see any difference.”
Jia Zhuanyuan smiled proudly. “That’s where your observation skills fall short. Ever played those ‘spot the difference’ picture games? This stone looks the same as the others, but it’s slightly larger in size.”
Fan Debiao asked, “Really? We didn’t notice that. But so what? What does that mean?”
Jia Zhuanyuan said, “Step aside. Let me show you what secrets this stone holds.”
Everyone stepped back a few paces. Jia took out his antique dagger, carefully inserted it into the crack of the stone slab, and gently pried it up a little. Seeing no adverse reaction, he applied more force and slowly lifted the slab.
At this moment, Cai Qingchong stepped forward to help Jia flip the stone over completely. To everyone’s amazement, a square recess appeared underneath the slab, containing a round, ball-like protrusion.
Jia Zhuanyuan proudly said to the group, “See? Now do you understand? Throughout history, in architectural theory, even the construction of a simple toilet was treated as an artist’s creation. Builders never took shortcuts, especially not in laying down bricks and stones. They ensured uniformity in size. How much more so for these legendary treasures—the three great hidden palaces?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage