C2 Purple Gold Gourd

Chen Lan was a stunning woman. When she first arrived in Three-river Village as a bride, the locals said her husband had struck gold. She became the object of widespread envy and jealousy. At that time, Zhao Lei, a high school student, harbored a secret crush on Chen Lan. She often featured as the main character in his dreams, this beautiful "big sister."

Now, Chen Lan had unexpectedly sought refuge by his side, leaving Zhao Lei's mind reeling with a blank haze. At a loss, he instinctively reached out to steady her, whispering reassurances like one would to a frightened child, "Ms. Lan, it's okay. Don't be scared. It's just thunder."

Chen Lan had merely been startled by the abrupt clap of thunder and quickly regained her composure, realizing her reaction might have been inappropriate. As a married woman, she was well aware of the potential implications. Her face, which had gone pale, now burned with embarrassment. She quickly extricated herself from Zhao Lei's grasp and walked home without a word.

Zhao Lei, feeling awkward, didn't dare to follow her. He remained by the river, watching Chen Lan's retreating figure.

He had never anticipated things would escalate like this. He wanted to offer Chen Lan an explanation, but he knew it wasn't the right time. Pursuing her now would only lead to further misunderstandings. He decided to wait for a better opportunity to explain.

Looking up at the relentless downpour, Zhao Lei muttered to himself, "Darn that thunder!" But there was no point in dwelling on it now. With a sense of resignation, he headed home.

Both of them were too flustered to notice that Wang Tao, the village ne'er-do-well, had witnessed the entire scene from a nearby melon patch. He leered and mumbled to himself, "Looks like the lady is losing her grip. If I can capitalize on this... Heh."

Back at home, Zhao Lei set the small gourd he had retrieved from the river on the table before rushing off to shower. Touching his forehead, he winced at the sharp pain. Lifting his hair to check the mirror, he inhaled sharply.

A long, deep gash marred his forehead, likely from hitting a bridge pier during his fall. In his earlier panic, he hadn't noticed the injury. The rain had swollen the skin around the wound, making it appear even more gruesome.

The only solace for Zhao Lei was that his wound had stopped bleeding. The flesh around it was swollen and pale, resembling the open mouth of a baby—quite a disturbing sight.

Staring at his reflection for a long time, Zhao Lei couldn't help but mutter in frustration, "Disfigured. Such a shame for my handsome face!"

Despite the severity of the wound, the bleeding had nearly ceased, so Zhao Lei decided against visiting the town hospital for stitches, saving himself a good sum of money.

He wrapped the wound with a clean piece of gauze and then turned his attention to the small gourd, examining it closely.

The Purple Gold Gourd was no larger than Zhao Lei's thumb, with a deep purple hue that shimmered metallically in the light. One side bore the inscription "Purple Gold Gourd" in small, seal script characters, while the other featured a Tai Chi Pisces design.

As Zhao Lei studied the Tai Chi Pisces, he suddenly felt disoriented, as if he were being drawn into the gourd itself. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze, and the sensation vanished.

With a mix of surprise and uncertainty, Zhao Lei let out a sigh of relief and continued his examination of the gourd. To his amazement, he discovered that the tiny gourd had a lid that could be opened—it was hollow inside! Curious, he turned the gourd upside down to see what was within. At that moment, a drop of golden liquid fell from the gourd's mouth, landing directly in the palm of his hand.

The moment the golden liquid made contact with his skin, it caused a noticeable burning sensation. Zhao Lei quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe it away, only to find, to his astonishment, that the liquid was rapidly shrinking and penetrating his skin.

Zhao Lei was alarmed. He wiped away the remaining liquid with a tissue and inspected the affected area closely.

Given the mysterious origins of the Purple Gold Gourd, there was no telling if the liquid it contained was harmful. Zhao Lei couldn't afford to take any chances.

Despite his thorough examination, he found no signs of any reaction, and he felt neither dizzy nor nauseous. This brought him a measure of relief.

Zhao Lei gingerly placed the lid back on the gourd and took out his phone to look up information about the Purple Gold Gourd online. He quickly stumbled upon some leads. Legend had it that the Purple Gold Gourd was a magical treasure belonging to Old Lord Taishang, used to contain elixirs of immortality, and it even made an appearance in the classic tale, Journey to the West.

However, Zhao Lei wasn't under the illusion that his Purple Gold Gourd was the actual treasure of Old Lord Taishang. He figured it was merely a replica, crafted by someone inspired by the legend.

Setting the gourd on the table, Zhao Lei lay back on his bed, murmuring to himself, "I wonder if it's an antique. I should stop by the city's antique shop to inquire when I have a chance. If it's worth something, that would be fantastic..."

His mind soon wandered back to the events that had unfolded by the river, a smile involuntarily spreading across his lips. He inhaled deeply and whispered, "Ms. Lan is truly stunning. It's such a shame she's had such a tough life."

The day's events had worn Zhao Lei out, and he quickly succumbed to a deep slumber...

The sound of urgent knocking jolted Zhao Lei awake, and he realized dawn had broken. Without asking, he knew it could only be his best friend, Zhou Jun, who would knock like that. Stretching and yawning, he opened the courtyard door.

Zhou Jun always felt at home here and, as he stepped inside, he questioned Zhao Lei, "I heard you got into a scuffle with Wang Hu and his gang yesterday. You okay?"

"I'm fine," Zhao Lei replied succinctly. He chose not to mention the injury on his forehead to Zhou Jun to prevent his friend from seeking revenge on Wang Hu's group.

"Are you sure?" Zhou Jun pressed, concern evident in his voice. Then his gaze landed on the tissue Zhao Lei had left on the table the night before. A sly grin spread across his face as he teased, "Still had the energy for that, huh? Looks like you're really okay!"

Catching Zhou Jun's suggestive look towards the tissue, Zhao Lei realized the misunderstanding. He tossed the tissue out the window to the date tree below and clarified loudly to his friend, "Don't jump to conclusions—I was just wiping my hands with it!"

"Heh, got it. Wiping your hands, huh?" Zhou Jun gave Zhao Lei a friendly pat on the shoulder and teased, "Looks like I need to set you up with a girlfriend so you won't have to spend your evenings 'wiping your hands' with tissues."

Zhao Lei replied with a hint of annoyance, "Oh, please. The girls you know are either built like linebackers or retired from Dongguan. They're not my type. I'm looking for someone who's both beautiful and kind-hearted, like... Ms. Lan!"

Zhao Lei and Zhou Jun were the best of friends, and they didn't keep secrets from each other.

Zhou Jun actually shared Zhao Lei's sentiments and nodded in agreement, "You're preaching to the choir. If I could find someone like Ms. Lan, I wouldn't be wasting my time with those other women!"

As he said this, Zhou Jun couldn't help but let out a sigh, "Sadly, Ms. Lan was widowed less than a year into her marriage when her husband died in a drunk driving accident. Now she's left young and alone, having to pay off his debts. It's heartbreaking to see such a beautiful and virtuous woman face such misfortune."

Zhao Lei offered a wry smile, "Life's mysteries are hard to unravel. Some might just call it bad luck."

Shaking his head with a sense of regret, Zhou Jun sniffed and leaned in closer to Zhao Lei, "Man, why do you reek? Have you not showered in days?"

"That's ridiculous, I just showered before bed!" Zhao Lei was quite offended by Zhou Jun's insinuation about his personal hygiene, but he quickly noticed a distinct foul odor clinging to him.

Embarrassed, Zhao Lei didn't bother with further chitchat and hurried into the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes.

"Make sure you clean up well; I'm heading out!" Zhou Jun, never one for formalities with Zhao Lei, called out as he left.

At that moment, Zhao Lei was too preoccupied to respond. He discovered a thin layer of grime on his skin, the source of the unpleasant smell. For someone who prided himself on cleanliness, this was unbearable. He quickly turned on the shower and began to wash away the filth.

When Zhao Lei's fingers brushed against the gauze on his forehead, he suddenly remembered his injury and quickly yanked off the bandage. He rushed to the mirror to examine the wound.

To his astonishment, upon seeing his reflection, the ghastly wound had vanished without a trace!

Zhao Lei lifted his hair and peered closer, whispering in disbelief, "This... This can't be possible!"

Despite his meticulous inspection, Zhao Lei couldn't find any sign of the wound. His forehead was smooth and unblemished, as though it had never been wounded.

Yet, Zhao Lei had definitely been hurt the day before, the excruciating pain still vivid in his memory. He was certain that something extraordinary must have occurred after his injury for it to have healed so rapidly.

Then, it clicked. Zhao Lei remembered the drop of golden liquid that had seeped into his palm and instantly realized what had happened.

He hadn't expected the Purple Gold Gourd to be such a treasure. Elated, Zhao Lei quickly finished his shower and eagerly turned the gourd upside down, hoping for more of the golden liquid to pour out.

But to Zhao Lei's disappointment, no matter how long he waited, the Purple Gold Gourd remained still, not a single drop of golden liquid emerged.