It turned out that the old man did not used to live in the small village where he resides now.
Instead, he lived in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, next to the village was a clear and sweet water pond, from which they used to draw their drinking water, cook, and so forth.
But whether it was due to the water pond or not, the old villagers who lived there were all very long-lived, with the shortest-lived ones reaching up to one hundred and twenty years old, while those who lived longer could reach between one hundred and eighty to two hundred years old.
Moreover, they were all strong and healthy, with their teeth intact; while they couldn't engage in strenuous activities, they weren't bedridden and needing their children and grandchildren to take care of them either.
If there had been journalists able to contact their village back then, it surely would have caused a sensation throughout the country.
Unfortunately, one day, when the villagers went to fetch water from the pond to cook, a great python suddenly burst out, unleashing its ferocity and swallowing many people.
The villagers were terrified, completely unprepared for the presence of such a terrifying great python lurking in the water pond, each desperately trying to flee.
The old who couldn't run fast, they had no choice but to leave them behind and escape with the children only.
In the end, out of those who fled, less than a third survived.
From a village with over a hundred people, only about twenty managed to escape.
Many people actually didn't die from the great python's mouth, but during the escape, they were killed by other fierce animals and poisonous insects.
Such is the danger of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
And for the old man before Mu Jinyu, he was just a six or seven-year-old child at that time, so the memory of the catastrophic disaster has always remained vivid in his mind.
Now he is one hundred and twenty years old, and his peers, and even those several generations younger than him, have long passed away.
A one hundred and twenty-year-old, under normal circumstances, being able to live to such an age, would generally be lying in bed waiting for death.
But like the old man before him, with teeth intact, still able to move like an eighty-year-old, it was indeed rare.
Therefore, the old man has always believed that his longevity and being free from illness were definitely related to the water pond from back then.
He always regretted not being able to drink the water from the pond again; otherwise, he reckoned he could have lived even longer, possibly reaching one hundred and fifty years old!
"So that's how it was."
After listening to the old man's sighs of reminiscence, Mu Jinyu couldn't help but feel fortunate. If he hadn't decided to have a meal in this old man's house, it would have been virtually impossible to uncover any clues by asking others.
After all, the old man's peers, and even those several generations younger, had long since died, and once the old man passed away, who else would remember the events of that time?
"Then old gentleman, do you know the specific route to get there?"
Mu Jinyu asked with hopeful anticipation.
The old man smiled and said, "If you were to ask someone else, surely you'd get nowhere. But because I have always wanted to return and drink water from the pond again, I spent a long time figuring it out and have already drawn the specific route to return. The general direction should be correct; it's just that I've been too scared to go back because of the great python that might still be there."
Mu Jinyu's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Then old gentleman, could you sell me that Route Observation Map?"
He was prepared to continue spending money, as having this map could save him half a month's worth of time, which was definitely worth it.
"I won't sell it to you, but I can give it to you."
The old man's first words almost left Mu Jinyu disappointed, but as soon as he heard the rest, he knew the old man was willing to help him, yet there was some condition or request.
Indeed, the old man continued, "I do not know where you heard about that magical pool, but it's none of my business. You must be quite confident, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't dare to come here. If you can bring back water from the pool alive, just give me one bottle... "
Originally, the old man had planned to persuade Mu Jinyu and his team not to seek death. However, realizing they already knew about the Great Python in the pond and still dared to come, he figured they must be somewhat confident. He estimated that even if he tried to dissuade them, it would be to no avail.
So, he thought if they really succeeded, then sharing a bottle of the water with him, considering he'd shown them the route, wasn't too much to ask, right?
That way, he reckoned he could live a few more years.
"That is naturally no problem," Mu Jinyu said, relieved at the old man's request, and agreed without hesitation.
"Good, then wait here. I originally thought the Route Observation Map I drew back in the day would be buried with me."
As the old man said this, he got up and went back into his house, fumbled around, and eventually handed over a yellowed piece of paper to Mu Jinyu.
This paper had seen many years; it was not only yellowed but also riddled with holes from insects, yet still readable.
The old man probably drew this Route Observation Map because he feared that, when he got old and his memory faded, he'd completely forget the way in, which is why he made a point of preserving this particular map.
At first, Mu Jinyu was somewhat puzzled by the map as the old man was not a professional cartographer and had drawn it based entirely on his own ideas, which naturally made it difficult for others to understand.
But with the old man's guidance, Mu Jinyu also roughly learned how to read and navigate it.
"Old sir, thank you very much."
After studying the Route Observation Map, Mu Jinyu carefully pocketed it, cautious not to damage it inadvertently.
Although he had an excellent memory and remembered what he saw, since the map wasn't drawn by a professional, he worried he might misinterpret it by accident, which would be problematic. Having the map at hand also allowed him to discuss the route with Wang Zhengbiao and his team.
Who knows, there might be further insights.
Then, Mu Jinyu bid farewell to the old man and left behind another ten thousand yuan.
With this ten thousand yuan, he had now left the old man more than fifty thousand yuan in total. It wasn't that he was stingy and didn't want to give more, but in the old man's circumstances, more money might be detrimental.
Even just fifty thousand yuan was enough to worry Mu Jinyu about attracting thieves; he cautioned the old man not to be extravagant before leaving.
Stepping outside the village to the car they had parked earlier, Wang Zhengbiao and the others opened the trunk and took out various items kept inside.
Among them were tents, food, change of clothes, machetes, firearms, and other supplies.
Wang Zhengbiao and the others each shouldered several backpacks, then closed the trunk and said to Mu Jinyu, "Young Master Mu, we are prepared and ready to set off."
"Mm, take these pills first," Mu Jinyu replied.
Mu Jinyu pulled out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out several black pills tinged with yellow, and handed them to Wang Zhengbiao and the others.
Seeing this, Wang Zhengbiao and the others didn't ask what the pills were for; they just swallowed them down without questioning.
Mu Jinyu also took one himself and then explained:
"There are many insects and bugs in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains of Miao Zombie, and some of these insects are Gu insects released by Gu Masters. This pill is a specially made Insect Repellent Pill. No matter what kind of venomous insect, once it smells our scent, it wouldn't dare to approach."