Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

Chapter 93 Water Veins, Earth Apertures

Xuan Chengzi's eyes were incredibly bright as he stared intently at Zhou Xing's chest, as if he could see through it.

He sensed that the originally fierce and powerful aura emanating from the young man opposite him was undergoing a strange transformation, gaining a touch of moist and gentle wateriness.

He had just finished explaining the principles of boxing, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had already grasped the basics?!

Xuan Chengzi's lips twitched slightly. It was something he had spent over a decade in the mountains, studying stones, before he even grasped its basics—

He put down his teacup, stared at Zhou Xing for a long while, and finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "You brat, how long have you been stuck at this hurdle?"

Zhou Xing snapped out of his immersive reverie, and the gentle, subtle power quietly receded, like a stream flowing into the ground.

He looked at Xuan Chengzi and honestly said, "It's been several days."

Xuan Chengzi sized him up, remaining silent for a long while. The mountain wind blew across the cliff, lifting the hem of his gray Taoist robe and making a rustling sound.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the cliffs and startling a few crows in the distant woods.

"Good, very good."

He shook his head, his smile a mixture of helplessness and inexplicable pleasure. "The patriarch has blessed me with talent; I can't stop him, I can't stop him." He waved his hand, his expression returning to calm: "Alright, let's get to the important matter you've come for. That girl Yun Qing said... heretical practices? River God sacrifice?"

"Yes."

Zhou Xing, sitting opposite the old Taoist priest, replied, "The group from Yi Guan Dao has their eyes on the River God Festival five days from now. They are insidious and must have ulterior motives. In your opinion, if they want to use the festival for sinister purposes, where would they choose to go?"

Xuan Chengzi stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

"The most Yin and malevolent place—the Lower Yuan Festival is when the Water Official relieves calamities, and the Yin energy of the water veins is at its strongest. If you want to conceal Yin within Yang and achieve a balance between Yin and Yang, you must find that earthly aperture."

"Earthly orifice?"

"That's right, it's the kind of river section where water stagnates and yin energy arises."

Xuan Chengzi gestured on the chessboard, "This kind of place has several characteristics: the water is dark all year round, and the mud and sand are murky; the vegetation near the shore is withered and out of place with the surrounding vitality."

Strange noises often occur at night, or fog gathers and lingers; those living nearby suffer from illness, nightmares, and general bad luck.

Zhou Xing quickly went through the list in his mind, then frowned and said, "Tianjin is so big, and the Haihe River is so long. There must be more than one place that fits these characteristics."

"Of course, it's not just that."

Xuan Chengzi nodded. "Water veins are like meridians in the human body, with acupoints. These kinds of acupoints are the acupoints of the river's problems. If this evil sect really wants to cause a big commotion, they might be targeting more than one place. Perhaps—"

He changed the subject, his eyes becoming more serious: "If their methods are sophisticated enough, they might be able to connect the Yin energy in these several acupoints, allowing it to flow with the water and form a living evil formation. In that case, it's hard to say where the core is."

Flowing.

Zhou Xing immediately grasped the key point. This matched his worst-case scenario; the enemy wouldn't foolishly wait in one fixed spot for him to catch them.

"Master, if this is a deadly situation, how can we break it?" Zhou Xing asked.

"Two methods."

Xuan Chengzi held up two fingers. "First, before it fully comes alive and connects into one, we must simultaneously uproot several key acupoints to sever its roots. Second, once it has gained momentum, we must find the wandering evil eye and strike it down with one blow."

He lowered his hand and said calmly, "The difficulty of the first method lies in its speed, accuracy, and manpower. The difficulty of the second method lies in finding it. That evil eye follows the flow of yin energy and water, and is elusive. Without special sensing or tracking methods, it is difficult to capture."

Zhou Xing fell silent. There was no shortage of manpower; the French Concession had plenty of people. But time was of the essence.

Then, he took out a small bag wrapped in a cloth from his pocket, placed it on the stone chessboard, and carefully opened it.

Inside was the very coin used to suppress the river. The coin was thick and heavy, the inscription was blurred, and it exuded a cool, watery smell.

"Has the Taoist priest ever seen this item before?"

Zhou Xing pushed the cloth towards Xuan Chengzi, saying, "I obtained this item while investigating a case. I've also reviewed many local chronicles and hydraulic engineering records, but found no concrete information. Daoist Master, with your extensive knowledge, have you ever heard of such an ancient artifact?"

Xuan Chengzi's gaze fell on the Zhenhe coin, but he did not immediately take it.

He looked at it for a while before extending two fingers, picking up the coin, examining it against the sunlight, and then putting it back on the cloth.

"River-Suppressing Money————"

He said slowly, "It is indeed an antique. It is not for circulation, but a talisman. In the past, floods were frequent. In addition to the overt river works that built dikes, there were also local experts and eccentrics, such as monks, Taoists, or people with secret lineages, who used special methods and objects to suppress floods at key watercourses to seek peace. These people could be called river suppressors. The objects they used were river suppressors, and this coin shape is one of them."

Zhou Xing listened intently. River-suppressing people, river-suppressing instruments. These scattered words finally strung together into a clear concept.

"What is being suppressed? Is it really a flood?" he pressed.

"Floods are a consequence, not a cause."

Xuan Chengzi shook his head. "At its core, it's about suppressing the unstable earth energy, the abnormal movement of the water veins, and the yin and evil spirits that may grow or gather here. You can think of it as—putting a lock on a riverbed that's always trying to cause trouble."

Lock!

Zhou Xing's heart skipped a beat. The vague phrase in his obsession, "to lock the lock beneath the Haihe River," must have been right here!

This isn't a metaphor; there really is a lock, a seal formed by these river-suppressing artifacts. The river god is the suppressed earth energy, or perhaps an evil spirit.

"Does the Taoist priest know exactly where this lock is located?"

Xuan Chengzi pushed the Zhenhe coin back in front of Zhou Xing.

"I don't know."

He answered readily, "I have been away from the martial world for a long time. The location of such river-suppressing artifacts is often a closely guarded secret, and the lineage of the person responsible for placing them may be a single line or have long since died out."

He looked at Zhou Xing with a deep gaze: "All I know is that if this money reappears, it most likely means that the lock it corresponds to has a problem, or—it has been targeted by someone."

Zhou Xing slowly put away the river-suppressing coins, wrapped them carefully in layers of cloth, and tucked them back into his pocket. His movements were slow, but his mind was racing.

Xuan Chengzi's words were like a thread that strung together the scattered beads.

The activities of the Taoist temple, the timing of the river god festival, the characteristics of the Haihe River's geomantic features, and the significance of the river-suppressing money—although the specific locations...

The specific methods remain a mystery, but the outline and seriousness of the entire conspiracy have already been revealed.

"but----"

Just as Zhou Xing was about to take his leave, the old Taoist dipped his finger in some cool tea and drew a few lines on the bluestone chessboard.

"The unusual movement of the water veins is not without its clues."

"Going upstream, there's the Laolongtou Bend, where the river makes a sharp turn and there are whirlpools underwater. Many ships sank there in the past, and the resentment has accumulated deep within."

Pointing to the next spot: "Go down, three miles down from the fork in the road, there's a swirling pool where the water swirls and silts up, and many people have drowned while trying to retrieve bodies."

Further down: "East of the British concession pier, there is a reed marshland, which used to be a mass burial ground. Later, the river changed course and flooded it, but the eerie atmosphere has been soaking in the water and has never dissipated."

Finally, his fingertip stopped at the edge of the chessboard: "The worst place is near the Xiaxi River sluice gate. In 1914, that area was hit by a major flood that breached the dike and submerged half the town. The sluice gate was later rebuilt, but the earth's energy was damaged, and it has never recovered."

He withdrew his hand and looked at the watermarks on the chessboard that were gradually drying up.

"These are all famous places where the Haihe River's water veins are cut off. If the evil sect's actions are related to the water veins, they cannot escape these places."

Zhou Xing stared at the watermarks, quickly memorizing them: Laolongtou Bend, Sanchakou Backwater Pool, British Concession Reed Marsh, and Xiaxihe Sluice Gate.

The four places, located upstream and downstream, each have their own origins.

Now all the information is complete: four specific locations, the relationship between the town's money and the lock, and the possible target of the temple.

All that's left is to take action.

The two chatted for a long time about water veins, earth points, and martial arts. By the time they finished talking, it was already dark.

"Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Master." Zhou Xing clasped his hands in a fist salute, this time with much greater solemnity.

Xuan Chengzi waved his hand, his expression returning to that of a carefree mountain hermit: "It was just a favor. You have responsibilities, a fiery spirit, but a steady footing. You're got potential. Go on, it's windy in the mountains, don't disturb this old man's sunbathing."

Zhou Xing said no more, stood up, bowed deeply, and turned to walk down the cliff.

The stone steps were slippery with moss, and the forest mist was chilly. He walked down step by step, several thoughts swirling in his mind.

Five days.

We need to thoroughly investigate these suspicious sections of the river. The fact that the Taoist priest is still searching for the river god indicates that they haven't found where the lock is either.

If the Haihe River's water flow is disturbed, it won't just be a few deaths. Floods, epidemics, and widespread panic will be the least of our worries.

Concessions, police stations, Taoist sects, and martial arts masters—all kinds of forces must be utilized.

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