Indeed, one mustn't be careless when dealing with these old fellows.
As he was sighing, the village chief suddenly approached.
In his hand, he held an object.
"This is a local specialty called a Transmission Stone. If you touch it, you can sense the messages we send."
Transmission Stone?
Li Zhonglou was momentarily stunned. Could such a peculiar item exist in this world?
As his gaze shifted downward, he saw a gray stone lying in the village chief's palm.
It wasn't large, a little smaller than an adult's palm, oval-shaped, entirely gray, with a surface as smooth as jade, devoid of any patterns.
Although his hands and feet were still bound, it didn't impede his actions.
He took the Transmission Stone, and the first sensation was coldness.
The texture was not as smooth as jade.
Perhaps due to the absence of inner energy, Li Zhonglou felt no particularity in the stone at the moment.
Seeing the confusion on his face, the village chief explained, "This is a child stone. You will only be able to sense its changes when we transmit messages through the mother stone."
"May I ask the village chief, what is the principle behind this?"
The village chief didn't answer immediately but changed the subject.
"I've heard that you cultivators have strong learning abilities, with memories several times that of ordinary people. I believe it won't take too much time."
Then, he revealed its true usage.
It turned out that the so-called message transmission was not direct voice or telepathic communication as Li Zhonglou had imagined, nor was it something fantastical.
Instead, the stone seemed to have a life of its own; whenever the mother stone had an anomaly, it would vibrate at different frequencies.
The messages themselves were a form of encrypted, alternative language.
For Li Zhonglou to use it, he had to learn their frequency language.
For example, a single vibration meant confirmation, while two vibrations meant negation.
The factor of time was also incorporated, allowing for more information to be conveyed.
It was akin to the telegraph from the past, but with its own set of rules established by the village chief.
Without further ado, he began teaching him on the spot.
Since the content was mainly focused on directional words, it wasn't overly complex. In less than ten minutes, Li Zhonglou was able to master it smoothly.
What he didn't expect was that after completing this, the village chief suddenly began to search him.
"This!"
Li Zhonglou instinctively recoiled, looking at him with shock.
No way, at his age, did he have such desires?
Goosebumps instantly erupted all over him, and Li Zhonglou was already considering breaking through his curse power to escape!
The village chief chuckled, "Don't misunderstand. I just want you to hand over that moon ray."
Li Zhonglou was taken aback for a moment, then cursed internally.
Which idiot had leaked this thing?
According to the old man before him, the questioning shouldn't have led to this!
Or perhaps he already knew?
Li Zhonglou calmed down slightly and suddenly remembered the village chief mentioning that he had dealt with people from their general headquarters. Perhaps some fool had revealed this item before.
Fortunately, Li Zhonglou hadn't intended to keep any secrets. After leaving, he would have called for reinforcements from Zhong Hanzi. Handing over the moon ray had no impact on him.
"I'll give it to you."
Li Zhonglou nodded and reached into his懷里 to retrieve the moon ray.
However, not keeping secrets aside, after handing this item over, he would still need the islanders present to help him leave. Ultimately, it was a matter of being under their control.
"Don't worry. As long as you can help us, not only your companion but I myself will personally ensure your safe departure."
Perhaps sensing he understood more now, the village chief's guard towards Li Zhonglou had almost completely vanished, and a sincere smile graced his face.
"May I know your name, friend?"
Following this, they had a simple exchange. Li Zhonglou stated his name and also learned the village chief's name.
Old Tu.
Yes, the village chief's name was Old Tu.
Li Zhonglou remained silent for a long time after hearing it.
He felt it was best not to directly call him by his name, so he simply added "Old" before the village chief's name.
After all, adding "Tu" wasn't ideal either, and since the village chief was already of considerable age, calling him "Old Village Chief" was quite fitting.
However, regarding some matters of the islanders, Old Village Chief remained tight-lipped, never elaborating on the topic, including their numbers or the special materials. Old Village Chief's answers were perfunctory or he would refuse to answer altogether.
Li Zhonglou was not surprised by this. Given their previous behavior, it was impossible to gain complete trust instantly.
Nor was it necessary.
For now, it was merely a cooperative relationship, but once he obtained the item, it was uncertain if he would ever return here.
After all, this was not Huaxia.
However, Li Zhonglou did emphasize one point.
"Old Village Chief, as I said, I need the root of the Lei Ku Tree urgently to save someone. Therefore, I cannot wait too long. At most, I can only stay for a day. By then, even if your problems are not completely resolved, I will have to leave."
The village chief nodded.
This matter had already been understood during the earlier interrogation. For him, helping for a day was better than nothing. The spiritual explosion period would not last too long, and after his people recovered, they should be able to handle it.
Lei Ci Island was their territory!
Following this, there were some other details to be explained, such as what to pay attention to on Lei Ci Island, where not to go, and where the safe places were, and so on.
Half an hour later, Li Zhonglou was blindfolded by an islander and led out of the cave.
Perhaps to prevent him from finding the way back using his senses, the village chief arranged for a stretcher to carry him out.
It took about ten minutes. Li Zhonglou heard a voice from the islanders beside him.
"Brother Li, we are about to untie you now, but please do not open your eyes for another thirty seconds. Rest assured, this is a safe place."
Li Zhonglou nodded.
Then, he felt his hands and feet lighten, the restraints suddenly gone, and his inner energy returned.
This feeling was truly reassuring.
Li Zhonglou sighed inwardly and did not open his eyes immediately.
Who knew if they were hiding in the shadows, watching to see if he was behaving? Now that the moon ray had been handed over, if they truly suspected him, it would be problematic to even figure out how to leave.
After a full minute had passed, Li Zhonglou slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was met with another cave. The difference was that there were no luminous minerals inside.
The light came from the opening of the cave, making it extremely dim.
This was not the underground world. They had arrived at night, so any moonlight source was already quite good. Li Zhonglou was not surprised by this.
Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly felt a movement from the Transmission Stone in his chest.