American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

Zhu Mingyao didn't dare to take it with his hands. Instead, he took out a small pocket and tried to put it in, but no matter how much he tried, the ring remained just a mirage, visible but untouchable.

He then tried using several vessels of different materials from the ship, but all his efforts were in vain. On the contrary, he was able to move a few broken coral branches that he picked up.

Is it impossible to touch it with man-made objects?

Zhu Mingyao muttered to himself.

He considered for a moment, then pointed to the ring and chanted an incantation:

"...I forbid the breaking of grass and trees in the east, the extinguishing of flames in the south, the breaking of metal in the west, the cessation of flowing water in the north, and the collapse of the dark earth in the center. The flow of the Dao energy is as I command! All five elements are forbidden..."

Centered on this point, the seawater instantly froze, like a large crystal that enveloped everything around it.

He then wielded his palms like knives, repeatedly cutting out a space about a foot in diameter, and dug out the reef where the ring was located, along with the fish, shrimp, and seawater.

Holding the lump of something in his hands, Zhu Mingyao placed it in a basin and turned to leave, satisfied.

……

……

"It's the weekend today, are you really not going to take another day off?"

At the dock in the early morning, Gary tied a thick cable to a metal stake, straightened his back, and enthusiastically offered his advice.

"Let's forget it. I don't mind playing any longer, but your little Mary will probably have to finish her weekend homework before dawn."

Zhu Mingyao winked at the little girl who had a hopeful look on her face.

Seeing the latter's face quickly fall, the group chuckled in good-nature.

“Okay, I’ll have Irving drive you there, since that aquarium is quite big.” Gary shook his hand firmly again.

"Thank you again for everything you've done. You can come and play for free anytime you want!"

Behind him, Owen and Fanny, the young couple, carefully carried down a glass aquarium. On the bottom of the aquarium, on a layer of white sand, was a dark blue coral reef and a few small fish.

"Thank you for your hospitality, everyone. The 'harvest' of this sea fishing trip far exceeded my expectations." Zhu Mingyao glanced at the aquarium and smiled slightly.

"I also left a small gift... Oh, don't worry, it's not money, it's a small oriental handicraft that is said to ward off bad luck and evil. It's hanging in the cabin, so please don't move it."

Since he had secretly taken other people's things, Zhu Mingyao also left behind a talisman to ward off evil spirits. He also secretly performed a ritual on the sailboat several times to make it difficult for evil spirits and malevolent entities in the sea to approach, which could be considered as returning the favor.

Although he didn't quite understand what the other person was saying, Gary had heard his daughter Fanny recount the kidnapping incident and knew that his benefactor had some extraordinary abilities. So he nodded solemnly, indicating that he would remember it.

The trip was a joyful experience for both host and guests.

After seeing their guests off, the Garys picked up two buckets of clean water and carefully maintained the deck, preparing for the opening of the sea tourism and fishing project in a few days.

"That thing, you said last time you wanted to have a friend identify it, any news?" Emily carefully wiped away a stain from the crevice, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and asked her husband.

“He said he’d send the letter today. I even asked him to print a few copies of the materials, like at an auction, with pictures and a brochure. That would make it easier to sell,” Gary said confidently.

A few crisp ringtones sounded, and the man glanced at the number, then happily raised his phone and waved it.

"How about it? You came right away!"

"Hey Gary! I looked closely at the photos of the figureheads you sent. They're in the 16th-17th century style and are quite well preserved. What's your price range?"

"Let's stick to market prices. By the way, the carvings on the statue are a bit blurry. Can you figure out what the subject matter is?"

"That? I compared relevant materials and confirmed that the sculpted figure should be the daughter of the giant Atlas from ancient Greek mythology."

—Calypso, the goddess of the sea!

Ah, thank you so much for your support, brothers! I've already reached 500 average subscriptions, which theoretically means I can get welfare, but I still can't finish writing 4000 words a day. This middle-aged man's writing speed is just too much! (=Д=)

Chapter 173 The Strange Buyer

May everything prosper in Da'an, seek your plans in the east, lost items will not go far, and your home will be safe and sound...

An empty void signifies misfortune; it also indicates that women are prone to eccentric behavior. Seeking wealth will yield no profit, and travelers will face calamity…

At the desk in the basement, Zhu Mingyao carefully flipped through a scroll of plain silk, meticulously studying the hand gestures and incantations inside.

The ink on the silk was vivid, as if it had just been copied not long ago. There were also fine cinnabar runes connecting the top and bottom edges, encircling the text so that those who did not have the corresponding secret technique could not see any of the content.

"Squeak."

After a while, he picked up a crispy pastry from the plate next to him, took a bite, and chewed it with a crunching sound.

Savoring the salty-sweet battle between salt and pepper and powdered sugar on his tongue, Zhu Mingyao let out a satisfied exclamation.

"not bad!"

This praise refers not only to the dim sum at Lao Wu Fu Ju in Chinatown, but also to the Taoist book spread out in front of him.

A few days ago, when he was on the phone with his teacher, he mentioned that he wanted to find a simple divination technique to make up for his shortcomings. As a result, the other side responded very quickly and directly asked the Chamber of Commerce to send him a copy of "The Minor Six Palaces Heart Divination Technique" from China. The end of the book also thoughtfully included a long explanation of his insights.

The Taoist technique that Zhang Shouzhong found was perfectly suited to Zhu Mingyao's needs at this time.

It's easy to learn, quick to use, and the divination results are clear, requiring little effort to interpret.

The advantages are very obvious, and so are the disadvantages. It can only roughly show six situations: very auspicious, slightly auspicious, above average, below average, slightly inauspicious, and very inauspicious.

As for the causes and consequences, and the specific details, I know absolutely nothing about them.

Despite his obvious flaws, Zhu Mingyao was quite satisfied. He had no intention of changing his cultivation path, jumping into the ranks of professional diviners, or competing with the Fool for a living.

It can play a supporting role and provide some additional information when something happens, which is enough.

He focused his attention on opening the system panel and invested all the remaining few hundred points into the new skill.

[Minor Six Palace Heart-Cutting Technique (White)] LV0—LV3/Max

The new skill's grade isn't very high, just the lowest white, so the corresponding resource requirements are also relatively low. With a few points, you can get it to the maximum level.

This was actually the first Taoist technique he had ever leveled up to the maximum level.

To celebrate, Zhu Mingyao decided to go out for a big meal.

Lately, the Special Investigations Bureau has been acting very mysteriously. The fortune tellers, including Michelle, who is working three shifts a day, are monitoring the entire West Coast region. They are so busy that they can hardly find a chance to meet.

Given the tense atmosphere within the organization, and recalling what Henry Lai had told him, he guessed that something big was going to happen soon. So he stayed home for more than half a month, becoming a shut-in and studying his unexpected "harvest" from his last sea fishing trip.

After putting the Taoist books away in the treasure cabinet and locking it, Zhu Mingyao turned around and walked to a corner of the basement.

A glass aquarium, about two feet long and wide, was placed casually on the ground, with two clownfish swimming leisurely among several clusters of coral.

Through the tiny bubbles coming out of the oxygen pump, his gaze fell on a crevice in the reef, where an old brass ring was stuck.

He stretched out his palm, made hand seals with his five fingers in sequence, and tried out the divination technique he had just mastered.

"Still a complete mess..." Zhu Mingyao clicked his tongue, not particularly surprised.

He had already experienced the ring's mystical properties. In the past few days, he had conducted countless experiments and discovered that any item with artificial attributes could not touch it, not even magical artifacts.

"It seems I'll have to ask the sect leader again..." Zhu Mingyao thought to himself, stroking the emerald green light on his fingertips.

Along with the [Six Palaces Heart-Severing Technique], a new Azure Lotus Jade Talisman was also sent, but Lin Xuansheng will not be out of seclusion for a while, so we cannot contact him for the time being.

……

……

A pristine white sailboat pushed through the azure sea and docked steadily at the pier.

"Thank you, we had a great time. I'll bring my friends to go fishing when the Dungeness crabs are at their fattest in the fall."

"Then I must thank you in advance for your next visit, haha! See you in autumn!"

Gary laughed heartily, bent his arm, and gave each of the tourists who disembarked a high-five in farewell.

Watching the guests walk away, he happily pulled out a wad of banknotes and started counting them.

The family sea tourism business is doing very well, with almost one booking every two or three days. At this rate, the cost of the boat will be recouped faster than expected, and perhaps I can pay off part of the mortgage ahead of schedule...

"Mr. Gary, is that right?"

A dry, call from behind interrupted his daydreams about the future.

"Who are you?" Gary asked, looking at the man and woman slowly walking towards him on the pier.

The white-haired old gentleman coughed lightly and paused on his cane, which was wrapped in black leather.

“Dark Montgomery.” He pointed to the blonde woman in a business suit beside him. “My assistant, Miss Caitlin, should have contacted you beforehand.”

"Oh, sorry!" Gary exclaimed, looking apologetic.

"The person on the phone was a lady, but I can't quite place her." His eyes lit up as he eagerly went to greet her.

"You're here to pick up that figurehead, right? It's all packed up, I'll take it down now. But regarding the price..."

"As agreed, ten thousand gold coins. I won't go back on my word." The old man's cloudy eyes flickered, and he waved his hand to stop his nagging.

Seeing that the other party seemed a little impatient, Gary wisely shut his mouth to avoid angering his big customer and ruining the deal.

He called his wife Emily over, and the two of them together lifted a long wooden box off the ground, opened the lid, and revealed a wooden carving wrapped in thick cotton.

The old man handed his cane to the assistant beside him, then crouched down shakily and carefully touched the goddess statue from top to bottom.

"Has anyone else touched...or come to see the goods?" After a long pause, the old man's forehead wrinkled, forming deep furrows.

“No, you are the first customer to come and see this antique since I bought the ship,” Gary replied nervously.

"Is there something wrong with it? I have a certificate of authenticity here, which can guarantee that it is genuine."

The old gentleman brushed off a few wisps of cotton wool from his sleeve, slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and stared at him expressionlessly.

"There are indeed a few minor flaws, which makes me feel like I wasted some of my time..."

The old man's tone carried a chill, like a damp, cold winter wind, which made the Garys shiver and suddenly feel inexplicably uneasy.

Taking the black cane, Dark Montgomery's withered fingers twitched slightly, a death curse poised to be unleashed, destined to kill the two silently a few days later.

However, at this moment, a clear, faint light entered the corner of his eye, causing him to slow down his movements temporarily.

After carefully listening to the fluctuations coming from inside the cabin, the old man lowered his eyelids, considered for a moment, whispered a few words to his assistant, picked up his cane, and turned to leave.

The deal seemed to have fallen apart, but the Garys inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

Chapter 174 Old Gods, New Men

He tossed a thick envelope to the Garys, instructing them to deliver the statue to a warehouse. The blonde assistant quickly caught up with his boss and master, leaving the two bewildered men staring at each other.