The whirlpool continued, and in a short while, the water level of West Lake began to drop. Dark water stains appeared on the banks, with slimy water plants and snails clinging to them.
Yan Shouyi and the others sailed away from the center of the vortex. He looked back at the massive whirlpool, his expression grim.
"Brother Yan, what did you encounter at the bottom of the lake? Why did such a huge whirlpool suddenly appear?" Long Feicheng asked in surprise.
"On the forehead of the Black Tortoise stone statue at the bottom of the lake, a cleaver was left by the赊刀人. It was that cleaver that disrupted West Lake's feng shui, preventing the piles from being driven in. After I pulled out the cleaver, unexpectedly, the Black Tortoise stone statue shattered, revealing a large hole beneath. The lake water poured in like crazy."
Upon hearing Yan Shouyi's explanation, Lin Zitong's face also darkened. "So, this was a trap?"
"It definitely was a trap!" Long Feicheng exclaimed angrily. "Although that 赊刀人 was targeting Lin Fan, this trap was clearly aimed at anyone who would disrupt his plans!"
Yan Shouyi also felt it was a trap, and a deadly one at that! The previous interference from the 赊刀人 had not reached the point of endangering lives, but this time was different. If Lin Zitong hadn't reacted quickly, even he would have perished at the bottom of the lake.
When lives were at stake, the nature of the situation changed entirely.
At this moment, many tourists by the shore noticed the unusual activity in West Lake and gathered to observe. Some, having witnessed the previous phenomenon of West Lake drying up, began spreading rumors that West Lake was about to dry up again.
By the time Yan Shouyi and the others returned to the covered walkway, West Lake's water level had dropped by almost half! Qiu Jian and the others were stunned. "Mr. Yan, what have you done?"
In their eyes, West Lake now resembled a giant bathtub, and Yan Shouyi, by entering the water, seemed to have pulled out the drain plug, causing the current situation. However, they never considered whether Yan Shouyi, whom they perceived as a rich second-generation, possessed such capabilities.
Yan Shouyi did not answer, instead telling them to step back.
"Brother Yan, what are you going to do?" Long Feicheng asked.
"Last time I caused West Lake to dry up with a stomp, and this time I can restore West Lake to normal with a stomp!"
After speaking, Yan Shouyi took a deep breath and stomped his foot!
*Bang—*
A gentle breeze swept by. Qiu Jian and the others felt a moment of dizziness but noticed no significant changes. However, in the eyes of Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng, a massive Bagua array had appeared beneath Yan Shouyi's feet! Compared to the previous time he had used the Qimen Dunjia technique in Chen Family Village, the Bagua array Yan Shouyi was now employing was much larger! The Bagua array encompassed almost half of West Lake! This meant that, if Yan Shouyi willed it, he could attack anyone within half of West Lake!
"Brother Yan... has gotten stronger again..." Long Feicheng murmured. He found it strange; Yan Shouyi spent his days either fishing or preparing gifts for the villagers, never seriously cultivating. Long Feicheng himself, on the other hand, practiced diligently every day, sometimes studying scriptures late into the night. Even then, he only acquired some rudimentary skills, far inferior to Yan Shouyi's power. Yet, Yan Shouyi had improved, and his progress was terrifyingly rapid!
"Du Men! Kan Palace! Black Tortoise controls water, capable of carrying a thousand ships!" As Yan Shouyi commanded, the Bagua array beneath his feet began to spin rapidly. Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng could even hear the sound of gears turning – not actual mechanical sounds, but the natural sounds produced by Yan Shouyi manipulating nature and applying its rules!
*Ding—*
Suddenly, the Bagua array stopped spinning, locking onto Du Men and Kan Palace! The whirlpool in West Lake instantly vanished, replaced by continuously gushing clear water! The lake water that had been siphoned away seemed to have all returned!
Yan Shouyi opened his eyes, confirmed no mistakes, and showed a satisfied expression. Qiu Jian and the others, who had been spectating, were dumbfounded. Although they couldn't see the Bagua array beneath Yan Shouyi's feet, they could feel the aura emanating from him. Most importantly, the siphoned water of West Lake had truly returned!
"It's… it's simply incredible… this is clearly a miracle!" Qiu Jian mumbled. The people behind Qiu Jian were so stunned they couldn't speak.
"There should be no further problems," Yan Shouyi said.
Before Lin Zitong could speak, Qiu Jian blocked Yan Shouyi's path, his eyes wide. "Mr. Yan, were all those events just now caused by you?"
"You can choose to believe it or not," Yan Shouyi replied ambiguously. He was too lazy to explain much. If Qiu Jian believed, even a fart from him would be a miracle; if Qiu Jian didn't believe, explaining a million times would be futile. Fortunately, Qiu Jian seemed to have some sense. He looked Yan Shouyi up and down and exclaimed, "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Mr. Yan is truly an immortal on land…"
"You're exaggerating," Yan Shouyi waved his hand. "I just know a few skills passed down from our ancestors."
"That's more than just skills!" Qiu Jian shouted. "That is the crystallization of our ancestors' wisdom over five thousand years!"
Yan Shouyi: "..." Wasn't that guy interpreting it differently just now? However, hearing Qiu Jian say this brought Yan Shouyi a small sense of satisfaction. He felt he had done something similar to Old Jin – showing modern people like Qiu Jian how powerful their ancestors' skills were, and that they should not be abandoned or forgotten.
Qiu Jian said excitedly, "You are a person of true ability… I was just too excited… I don't quite know what to say!"
"Hold your excitement for now. Have your people try to drive the piles now," Yan Shouyi said calmly.
"Oh, right! I'll go now!" Qiu Jian snapped back to reality and quickly called for his men to try driving the piles again. To verify if the problem was solved, he directly attempted to drive a pile in the spot where they had failed before. The result was obvious. The pile that had resisted all their efforts earlier was now being driven normally, everything conforming to their "science"! This convinced Qiu Jian and the others of Yan Shouyi's abilities, and they were utterly impressed!
Yan Shouyi said, "The West Lake problem is resolved. Everything should be built according to our previous blueprints. Do not make any unauthorized changes!"
"Understood!" Qiu Jian replied excitedly. He had previously felt great disdain for Yan Chou's design blueprints. Some parts looked awkward to him, lacking both practicality and aesthetic appeal. But now he understood. Those parts he couldn't comprehend were designed for only one purpose – feng shui! Everything he didn't understand wasn't unreasonable; he simply couldn't grasp it yet! Qiu Jian began to anticipate what the finished house would look like. Originally intending only to make a quick profit, he now became serious.
Having given his instructions, Yan Shouyi and his companions parted ways with Qiu Jian's group and found some shade by the shore to sit down.
Lin Zitong worried, "That 赊刀人 is malicious. Even though we've resolved this trouble, he will likely create new problems."
Long Feicheng also said, "Brother Yan, in my opinion, we shouldn't indulge them. Can't they just come out and talk things through properly? Why must they resort to covert actions!"
"I understand." Yan Shouyi looked at the 赊刀人's cleaver in his hand, having decided to teach the 赊刀人 a lesson. Today was his lucky day to escape, but what if something had happened to a construction worker on site? There would have been no way to recover.
Yan Shouyi took out a red string. Seeing this, Lin Zitong instantly realized, "Are you going to use the Soul Chasing Technique?"
"Yes, at least to find that guy!" Saying this, Yan Shouyi tied one end of the red string to his little finger and the other end to the cleaver's handle. He said, "I will perform the Soul Chasing Technique shortly, and that 赊刀人 will be affected. You take this opportunity to search for his traces in the vicinity."
Long Feicheng asked doubtfully, "Brother Yan, you mean that 赊刀人 is nearby?"
Lin Zitong analyzed, "That 赊刀人's target is West Lake, so he is likely lingering around West Lake. Furthermore, we just disrupted his plan, so he might come to check on the situation."
"I see," Long Feicheng patted his chest. "Brother Yan, don't worry, leave this to me! I will definitely find that 赊刀人 bastard and give him a good beating!"
Yan Shouyi nodded and immediately began the incantation.
"Warlord of the Skull's Might, Sanguine General of Sensing. Emerge swiftly from the Yin position, as starlight descends into the altar. The soul pursues thousands of miles, the spirit is swift as the wind. Kui Xing turns with thunder, the stellar aura dims. You who hear my decree, obey with your lives. Do not offend the Fengdu order, lest your sins bring eternal ruin."
Then, he bit his tongue, and his blood splashed onto the red string, which immediately began to glow!
"It's working," Lin Zitong reminded him.
Yan Shouyi closed his eyes and suddenly roared, "赊刀人! We both came from humble origins. Can't we discuss things properly? Creating a trap at the bottom of West Lake is the act of a coward! If you have the guts, come out and talk to me face-to-face!" The last time he used the Soul Chasing Technique was to track down Luo Ning's master, Zhong Qi. This time, the Soul Chasing Technique would have a similar effect!
At the most crowded part of the West Lake shore, a man wearing a hoodie suddenly slumped to the ground, covering his ears and struggling in pain!
"Oh, young man, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital!"
"Get up, get up quickly, the ground is so cold!"
"Why are you spitting blood… someone come! Someone is spitting blood here!" Kind passersby surrounded the man, anxiously offering their concern. But the man forced himself up, ignoring the passersby's kindness, and roughly pushed them away, rushing out frantically! With a bloody corner of his mouth, he muttered to himself, "It's actually the Soul Chasing Technique… Damn it! What kind of helper did the Lin family find? Is it someone from the Maoshan sect?!"
"But that's not right! What I sensed by West Lake earlier was clearly the aura of the Qimen Dunjia technique!"
"Who exactly is this opponent!"