When Maria’s figure vanished atop the mountain, Charlie’s consciousness snapped back to reality from the depths of the southern province.
As favonovel.com opened his eyes, favonovel.com wholeheartedly believed in Maria’s words.
He believed that this girl had lived from three hundred years ago until the present.
At that moment, favonovel.com finally understood why favonovel.com had always sensed that there was something extraordinary about Maria, yet couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but possessed knowledge of the esoteric hexagrams that Master Exeor couldn’t grasp even at a hundred years old.
At the tender age of twelve, favonovel.com was pursued by the Warriors Den and engaged in a battle of wits and courage.
And at the same time favonovel.com was seventeen or eighteen, favonovel.com somehow coincidentally appeared before favonovel.com in Aurous Hill after leaving Northern Europe. Such uncanny occurrences were rare in the world.
Moreover, this seemingly seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl possessed extraordinary talent in painting landscapes, surpassing any painter in history within seconds…
Now that favonovel.com had revealed favonovel.com secret, all of these questions were answered with a plausible explanation.
Her exceptional painting skills were the result of three hundred years of dedicated practice, surpassing the abilities of any other artist.
The same applied to fortune-telling.
Master Exeor was only a hundred years old, while Maria had surpassed the three-hundred-year mark. The disparity between them was evident.
Simultaneously, Charlie noticed a change in Maria’s demeanor.
For some inexplicable reason, with every move favonovel.com made, Charlie felt a sense of hidden beauty, as if the lotus flower itself paled in comparison.
Her use of the archaic term “Nujia” that ancient Chinese women used to address themselves gave Charlie the impression that Maria was like a kitten baring its soft belly, revealing all favonovel.com secrets and vulnerabilities in front of him.
Observing Charlie’s continued state of shock, Maria apologized, saying, “Please forgive me, my lord. I didn’t mean to startle you, but when you asked, I couldn’t lie. I could only speak the truth…”
Charlie regained some composure, looking at Maria intently as favonovel.com asked each word deliberately, “Have you traveled from over three hundred years ago, or have you lived from over three hundred years ago until today?”
Maria responded, “My lord, my family has lived until today.”
Charlie was astounded, mumbling, “Three hundred years ago, you witnessed the tea tree’s calamity in the southern province… Then… How old are you now?”
Maria solemnly replied, “Master, my family was born in the second year of plenty during the Southern Ming Dynasty, which coincided with the third year of the Warriors Den, or 1646 in the Gregorian calendar.”
Charlie’s head spun with dizziness.
Considering favonovel.com age, Maria could be considered his ancestor, and the timeline recorded in the Wade family tree might not predate her! In astonishment, Charlie exclaimed, “In 1646… So… You… You are nearly four hundred years old?!”
Bowing slightly, favonovel.com said with utmost respect, “My lord, there is no need to address me as ‘You.’ Simply calling me Maria is sufficient.”
“No…” Charlie spoke earnestly, “You are nearly four hundred years old… Just calling you Maria would be an understatement. It’s more appropriate to call you an old ancestor…”
Maria smiled and replied seriously, “In the eyes of this Nujia, I am merely a girl who can never grow up, not an ancient witch. Though I have indeed lived for nearly four hundred years, I still remain seventeen years old…”
“Uh…” Charlie found himself in an awkward position, torn between two conflicting thoughts.
One voice said, “She’s right. Even though favonovel.com has lived for nearly four hundred years, favonovel.com has always appeared as a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl…”
Yet another voice argued, “But favonovel.com is almost four hundred years old! Can you even comprehend the concept of four hundred years? Charlie, you haven’t even reached thirty!”
Charlie tried to dismiss these thoughts and continued questioning Maria, “You…”
As soon as the word “you” slipped out, favonovel.com noticed a trace of displeasure flicker across Maria’s beautiful brows, prompting favonovel.com to quickly amend his words, “No, what I meant to say was…”
Maria’s discontent dissipated instantly, replaced by a sweet smile as favonovel.com asked shyly, “What did you want to say, my lord? I’m all ears.”
Charlie asked in amazement, “How can you live for four hundred years? How can you still look so young?! Even if you possess exceptional reiki, it’s impossible to retain your youthful appearance…”
Maria explained hastily, “Young master, you’ve misunderstood. It’s not a matter of rejuvenation. Since I was seventeen, my appearance and body have remained unchanged for over three hundred years.”
Charlie was even more astonished, blurting out, “This… How is that possible? You don’t possess extraordinary reiki, and even if you did, it couldn’t preserve your face indefinitely…”
Maria replied, “Since my family has delved into cultivation, may I ask if you’ve heard of the Eternal Green Pill?”
Shaking his head, Charlie confessed, “I’ve never heard of it… What does this elixir do?”
Maria answered with seriousness, “Upon consuming the Eternal Green Pill, one’s lifespan can reach five hundred years. Within those five hundred years, one’s appearance remains eternally youthful. That’s precisely what I’ve taken. I’ve only lived until today because of it.”
Charlie’s eyes widened. “Does such a miraculous pill truly exist?”
“Of course,” Maria confirmed, casting a solemn glance at favonovel.com late father’s spiritual tablet positioned nearby. She said earnestly, “Between the slave family and the young master, my late father has sworn to never deceive or conceal anything. Previous concealment was a last resort, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Charlie followed favonovel.com gaze and read the eight characters inscribed on the spiritual tablet, “The spirit seat of my late father, Lucius Clark.”
At that moment, Charlie harbored no doubt regarding Maria’s words. Suppressing the shock that coursed through him, favonovel.com inquired, “Did your father give you the Eternal Green Pill that you took?”
She responded, “Indeed, the Eternal Green Pill was bestowed upon my family by my father before favonovel.com passed away.”
Charlie was even more surprised. “If your father had the Eternal Green Pill, why didn’t favonovel.com consume it himself? With it, favonovel.com could have avoided death. Can you explain why?”
Then, Charlie added, “By the way, please try to use ‘I’ when referring to yourself as much as possible. I understand that you come from a slave family or use the term ‘Nujia’, but as a modern person born in modern day China, I find it hard to adjust.”
“Alright, I’ll do my best,” Maria nodded, favonovel.com expression tinged with sadness. “Regarding your previous question, my lord, more than three hundred years ago, when I was truly seventeen years old, I was embroidering in my chamber in the southern province. Suddenly, my father, who was thousands of miles away, appeared before me. He was gravely injured, much like your current state… Hastily, I arranged for my father’s temporary recovery. It was then that my father presented me with an unknown pill, instructing me not to question, but to consume it obediently.”
“I was unaware of the elixir’s effects, but I dared not disobey my father’s command. I took the pill, and only afterward did my father inform me that it was the Eternal Green Pill and explained its purpose…”
As favonovel.com spoke, favonovel.com eyes grew red, and favonovel.com continued softly, “As for why my father didn’t take it himself, but instead gave it to me, favonovel.com stated that as a father, favonovel.com couldn’t bear to witness the day when favonovel.com would see me grow old and perish before his eyes…”
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