The waters of West Lake in Rongcheng were still relatively clear, and Yan Shouyi could see for several meters after diving in.
Over the years, West Lake had become increasingly well-managed, and the number of tourists had grown. However, Yan Shouyi was the only one who dared to jump into West Lake for a swim. Fortunately, their location was a non-touristy area, so the visitors couldn't see what was happening.
The icy lake water was biting, but Yan Shouyi’s adaptability was strong. After a moment, the sensation faded, and he began swimming in the direction he suspected.
Based on his understanding of Feng Shui, there were three spots in West Lake where the赊刀人 (shē dāo rén - knife seller) could have tampered with things. To confirm, he had to inspect them one by one.
First, he swam to the center of the lake and dived deep. As expected, he found a Xuanwu stone statue at the bottom.
He had noticed it when he caused West Lake to dry up previously. There were three Xuanwu stone statues at the bottom of West Lake, likely used for flood control. Their presence ensured that West Lake never ran dry nor flooded excessively throughout the year.
If West Lake was in trouble, it would surely be due to these Xuanwu stone statues.
The first Xuanwu stone statue was fine. Yan Shouyi checked it three times and confirmed it was intact before leaving.
The second statue was the same.
When he inspected the third statue, he couldn't help but frown. "It's indeed the Xuanwu stone statues that are causing the problem!"
He surfaced to catch his breath and to let Lin Zhitong and the others know his location.
Qiu Jian and the others on the connecting corridor looked astonished. Yan Shouyi had been underwater for a full ten minutes in one dive!
Several times, Qiu Jian had wanted to call for help, thinking Yan Shouyi had drowned. Fortunately, Lin Zhitong stopped him.
What Qiu Jian didn't know was that Yan Shouyi hadn't just stayed underwater for ten minutes; he had also swum across half of West Lake, far exceeding normal human physical capabilities.
Moreover, this was in the dead of winter.
Long Feicheng called out loudly, "Brother Yan, did you find anything?"
Yan Shouyi gave a thumbs-up from afar as a response, then dived back into the water.
Long Feicheng looked at Lin Zhitong. "Sister-in-law, Brother Yan has found something. Should we go take a look?"
"Go ahead."
Lin Zhitong immediately called for a boat. She and Long Feicheng took the boat to where Yan Shouyi had last surfaced.
Yan Shouyi had returned to the lakebed and swum to the last Xuanwu stone statue.
The Xuanwu stone statue, about the size of a van, was half-buried in mud. Its exposed upper half was entangled with weeds and algae.
Yan Shouyi clearly saw that a cleaver was embedded in the Xuanwu's forehead!
Unlike the Xuanwu stone statue, the cleaver was free of algae, indicating it had only recently appeared. He surmised it must have been left by the 赊刀人.
Yan Shouyi moved closer and saw the unique mark of the 赊刀人, the character "赊" (shē), on the cleaver, further confirming his suspicion.
"So, if I pull out this cleaver, West Lake will return to normal."
Thinking this, Yan Shouyi grasped the cleaver's handle with both hands, planted his feet on the Xuanwu stone statue's head, and pulled with all his might.
To his surprise, the cleaver was firmly embedded in the Xuanwu stone statue's head. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge!
After several attempts, Yan Shouyi gave up. He knew that the 赊刀人 had placed a curse on the cleaver, and without breaking the curse, he wouldn't be able to pull it out.
How to break the curse?
Yan Shouyi frowned and pondered for a while.
The cleaver of the 赊刀人 wasn't particularly special; it was merely imbued with a bit of killing intent.
As for killing intent, Yan Shouyi had never feared anyone!
It was a shame he hadn't brought his Zanpakuto today. If he had, this arrogant and stubborn 赊刀人 cleaver would have immediately backed down and willingly become a mere subordinate.
However, this didn't prevent Yan Shouyi from dealing with the cleaver.
He held the handle with both hands but didn't exert force. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on awakening the power hidden deep within his soul.
Sha Qi!
That untamed, arrogant power had always been suppressed within Yan Shouyi's body. This time, he actively sought to mobilize the Sha Qi.
Gurgle—
Suddenly, clusters of bubbles began to rise from around Yan Shouyi, floating to the surface.
Long Feicheng, still on the boat, noticed the calm lake surface begin to bubble as if the water were boiling. He exclaimed,
"Sister-in-law, take a look! What’s happening?"
Lin Zhitong also didn't know what was going on, but she watched with a frown.
Yan Shouyi, submerged in the water, suddenly opened his eyes.
The dominant Sha Qi formed small whirlpools around him, transmitting to his hands.
As he applied more force, the cleaver began to loosen. After a few more attempts, he finally managed to pull the cleaver out of the Xuanwu stone statue's forehead!
Seeing that his task was almost complete, Yan Shouyi quickly suppressed the Sha Qi within him. The Sha Qi, as if obedient, was quickly brought under control.
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Ever since I met General Qing Jiang a few times, this Sha Qi has become increasingly obedient. Perhaps it can be of use to me in the future..."
He then looked at the cleaver in his hand. "This 赊刀人 is quite wicked. To get revenge on Lin Fan, he actually stuck a cleaver into the head of a Xuanwu stone statue. Isn't he afraid of losing years off his life?"
After all, Xuanwu was one of the Four Divine Beasts. Such an action by the 赊刀人 would surely bring retribution.
This point greatly puzzled Yan Shouyi. He knew these things; the 赊刀人 should know them too. Yet, why would the 赊刀人 choose such a mutually destructive method for revenge?
It didn't make sense!
As he was pondering this, a sudden change occurred!
The notch on the Xuanwu stone statue's head, where the cleaver had been stuck, suddenly cracked and rapidly expanded!
Upon noticing this, Yan Shouyi's expression drastically changed. He had a premonition of danger and immediately swam upwards!
With a boom, the Xuanwu stone statue shattered. A massive opening appeared at the base of the statue, and the surrounding lake water began to pour frantically into the hole!
"This is a trap?!"
Yan Shouyi inwardly cursed. If this was a trap set by the 赊刀人, he might have fallen right into it!
The lake water was turbulent, and the suction was immense. Even with his extraordinary stamina, it would be extremely difficult to escape this vortex!
If he couldn't endure it, he would be sucked into the hole at the lakebed, God knows where he would be swept, possibly trapped underground forever!
At the same time, a drastic change occurred on the lake surface!
Lin Zhitong was the first to notice. The water around them began to converge towards their position. Within a few breaths, a massive whirlpool formed on the lake surface!
The small boat she was on began to shake violently, threatening to capsize at any moment!
Long Feicheng clung to the sides of the boat in terror and shouted, "What’s going on?!"
The boat operator yelled, "We're about to be pulled into the center of the vortex! We need to get out of here quickly!"
"No!"
Lin Zhitong said coldly, "Keep the boat steady here. I'm waiting for him to come back!"
Lin Zhitong was waiting for Yan Shouyi, who was still in the water.
What if Yan Shouyi escaped but had no boat to help him and got swept back in?
The boat operator was terrified and intended to save his own life by forcibly steering the boat away.
Long Feicheng suddenly grabbed the throttle, saying coldly to the operator, "Do your job properly. None of us are leaving until Brother Yan returns!"
The operator, unable to do anything about Long Feicheng, could only try his best to keep the boat steady, preventing it from being pulled into the vortex.
Qiu Jian and the others on the connecting corridor were in chaos. Other staff members were also piloting boats to come to the rescue.
Lin Zhitong, however, remained calm, standing steadily by the boat's edge, her eyes scanning the water for Yan Shouyi.
"Silly fool, where are you..." Her expression was slightly anxious.
Suddenly, a grappling hook shot out from the churning vortex.
The grappling hook flew more than ten meters above the lake surface before weakly descending.
Lin Zhitong recognized the grappling hook. It was the simple flying tiger claw that Ma Xingping had given her and Yan Shouyi!
Without a doubt, the other end of the flying tiger claw was Yan Shouyi, and he was using it to signal for help!
Lin Zhitong did not hesitate. She raised her left hand and fired her own flying tiger claw towards the descending one.
The two flying tiger claws were like Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong’s hands, desperately trying to grasp each other.
At the critical moment, Lin Zhitong’s flying tiger claw firmly caught Yan Shouyi’s!
"Hold on!"
Lin Zhitong shouted and then pulled with all her might.
Seeing this, Long Feicheng urged the boat operator, "Accelerate away from the vortex area! Quickly!"
The boat's engine roared, creating waves.
Soon, the boat had moved away from the center of the vortex. Lin Zhitong could vaguely see Yan Shouyi's figure. With a strong tug, she finally pulled Yan Shouyi onto the boat.
Once on board, Yan Shouyi was soaking wet and gasping for breath.
"Are you alright?" Lin Zhitong asked, supporting him.
Yan Shouyi said, his voice filled with lingering fear, "I truly never expected that after we even managed to get through King Jian’s tomb, I almost died in that vortex just now!"
The vortex led to an unknown destination. If Yan Shouyi had been sucked into it, even if he survived, he would have lived underground forever, never knowing when he might return to the surface.
More likely, he would have died underground.
Fortunately, his understanding with Lin Zhitong had once again withstood the test. Lin Zhitong had acted in time, pulling him back from the brink of death!