Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Just as Zhao Rong and his assistant were fretting over how to find the passage to the outside world beneath the lake, they heard the old turtle claim to know where it was. The two men immediately stood up, looked at the turtle, and asked in surprise, ”Old Turtle, do you really know the way through this deadly sandstorm to the canyon?”

The old turtle picked up some herbs from the ground, dabbed them on his injured backside, and stated confidently, ”Of course I know! I, the old turtle, have been living in this lake for many years, ever since I became an Immortal Turtle. If I didn’t even know where the passage was, what would be the point of me sticking around?”

When Zhao Rong and his assistant heard that the old turtle really knew the way, they exclaimed with delight, ”Unbelievable! To think we searched high and low to no avail, only to have the answer fall right into our laps!”

The assistant stepped forward and hugged Zhao Rong, his face beaming and his eyes glistening with tears. ”Boss, heaven is truly on our side! Just when we were stumped about how to find the passage out of this lake, an old turtle pops out of the water and offers to guide us!”

Zhao Rong also clasped his hands tightly, his mind already on the world outside. ”You’re right, Assistant. As long as this turtle guides us, we can find that black hole with the wooden plug. Then, we can pass through it, escape this deadly sandstorm, reach the Great Rift Valley, find the three beauties, and finally, destroy Hong Ju and Zhou Xiaoer’s lair!”

Saying this, Zhao Rong and his assistant hugged each other excitedly, even breaking into song and dance.

However, just as they felt they had found their guide, the old turtle glared at them and said curtly, ”Don’t get your hopes up. I may know the way out, but I have no intention of telling you. One of you two deliberately stuck this silver needle in my rear end.”

Hearing the old turtle’s words, Zhao Rong and his assistant were stunned.

Zhao Rong took a step forward, trying to placate him. ”Old Turtle, please, have a heart. We’re from the outside world and were accidentally swept into this deadly sandstorm. We’re trapped here and can’t get out. You have to understand, we came to this valley on a mission.”

The assistant also stepped forward, his expression urgent. ”Old Turtle—no, Immortal Turtle! We were forced to come here too! We’re in a hurry to get out so we can complete our glorious mission. Please, just lead us out!”

Although Zhao Rong and his assistant had made their case clearly, the old turtle remained unmoved.

He spoke, his voice filled with emotion, ”You think you’re the only ones who were forced into this oasis inside the deadly sandstorm? That you were just accidentally swept in? What about me? What about the giant lizards and scorpions on the shore, or the killer fish in this lake? You think we weren’t also unwillingly trapped here? Do you think we don’t have our own purpose? That we don’t long for the outside world?”

At these words, Zhao Rong was stunned. He asked, ”Master Turtle, does that mean you aren’t originally from this oasis? That you were also swept up by the storm and forced to stay in this lake?”

The old turtle, caught up in his memories, began to tell his story.

”800 years ago, when I was just a little land tortoise, I went out foraging with my mother. Suddenly, a violent storm kicked up and swept me into a sandstorm. At that moment, I thought I was done for, that my life was over. But when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the waters of this oasis.

”Ever since that day, I’ve spent every moment thinking about how to leave this oasis, return to the outside world, and find my mother. I struggled and cultivated for 800 years. Finally, I achieved enlightenment and found the passage.

”But by then, I had evolved from a desert land tortoise into a turtle that lives in the water. Even if I wanted to leave, I’d immediately end up in the Great Rift Valley the moment I exited the deadly sandstorm. The Great Rift Valley is incredibly dry, with no water at all. I’m afraid that if I go, I won’t be able to adapt right away and will just dry up and die there.”

Listening to the old turtle’s story, Zhao Rong immediately made a promise. ”Old Turtle, don’t worry about that! You’re just afraid you’ll dry out and die in the Great Rift Valley because there’s no water, right? I’ll buy a bionic habitat for you from the Paradise Shopping Cart right now and have it fitted on you. As long as you venture out into the dry world, even if the valley is bone-dry, this bionic moist habitat will surround you. You’ll be able to live as freely as you do now, without any fear of dehydration or lack of water!”

Hearing that such a miraculous item existed, the old turtle leaned closer to Zhao Rong, peered at his phone, and said, ”Friend, if you can really get something like that, I’ll lead you to the passage right now, and we can all leave together.”

Seeing the old turtle was tempted, Zhao Rong immediately purchased a ’Bionic Moist Habitat’ from the Paradise Shopping Cart and requested express delivery.

When Zhao Rong received the delivery, he immediately opened it. He pulled out a plastic bag and said to the turtle, ”Old Turtle, this plastic bag I’m holding is the bionic moist habitat. You can crawl inside and feel how moist and warm it is, full of water and aquatic plants.”

However, when the old turtle saw the empty, flimsy-looking plastic bag in Zhao Rong’s hand, his expression soured. He scolded Zhao Rong, ”You little rascal! Just because I’ve been stuck here for 800 years, you think you can mock me for being old and ignorant? I know what that is you’re holding. It’s called a plastic bag! We turtles often mistake them for jellyfish and eat them. Many turtles have died because of it! And now you’re trying to trick me with a plastic bag? You can’t fool me! All right, goodbye. I’m leaving. I wouldn’t guide you to the outside world if my life depended on it!”

When Zhang Zhaorong heard the old turtle’s misunderstanding, he didn’t bother explaining further. Instead, he took the plastic bag and slipped it right over the turtle’s head.

The moment the plastic bag covered the old turtle’s head, a miracle occurred...