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

Chapter 113 Battle of Wits! The River-Suppressing Coin Returns to Its Place

On the edge of the Japanese concession, in the basement of an abandoned warehouse.

The air was foul and murky. The flames of the seven green oil lamps rose straight up, casting seven ghastly green beams of light that shone on Basong's face in the center of the altar.

He wore a towering bone crown, and his bare upper body was covered with twisted runes painted in black and red pigment, which rose and fell slightly with his breath, like a living centipede.

Seven inner altar guardians sat cross-legged at the center of the formation, chanting incantations with strange tones, full of trilled sounds and guttural noises.

It is not any common Southeast Asian dialect, but rather some ancient language that imitates the sounds of insects chirping, animals roaring, water flowing, and wind.

Around the altar, offerings were arranged according to the seven stars:

The lightning-struck wood was charred black, with tiny arcs of electricity crackling and hissing on its surface.

The fingernails of the drowned child's corpse were soaking in a bowl of blood, slowly rotating.

The soil from the century-old grave was molded into a small human figure, with three steel needles inserted into its chest, slowly being screwed in.

The corpse oil and copper coins were strung together into a chain, moving automatically without wind, colliding with each other and making a soft, tinkling sound.

The mute man's tongue tip was shriveled like a black date, yet it would occasionally tremble violently.

The swordsman's ghost-headed saber lay across the altar, its blade a dark red, and it seemed to emit a faint whistling sound.

The scratching sounds inside the earthenware jar grew more urgent, and fine cracks appeared on the jar's body.

Basong raised his hands above his head, palms facing the sky, and made all sorts of strange and twisted gestures with his ten fingers.

As he moved, the seven pre-set geomantic nodes along the Haihe River outside the warehouse began to ring silently, and the water-sealing curtain rippled.

The resentment of the spirits in the river was seized and drawn by an invisible force, converging here along the watercourses.

The green flames on the altar suddenly shot up high!

Basong's incantation suddenly became sharp and rapid.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils now a strange, deathly white, without any irises.

On the black stone altar in front of him, a copper basin filled with turbid river water began to ripple violently.

At the center of the ripples, a blurry, constantly shifting image gradually emerged: a deep, dark seabed, a massive shadow, and a narrow crack—

"Found it————"

Basong let out a sharp, hoarse sound, filled with barely suppressed fervor.

"The River God—is here—at the Lower West River Sluice!"

He suddenly waved his hand!

A copper ladle flew out from the center of the copper basin and landed in front of a Dharma Protector, who caught it.

"Follow the instructions of the copper spoon, bring the water-sealing curtain and the soul-fixing nail. Guard the entrance to the hollow, and do not allow any living creature to approach, nor allow any spirit to escape."

Basong issued the order, "Once I have activated the Yin and Yang principles to complete the capture, I will personally come to collect it."

Upon receiving the order, the three guardian leaders, along with more than ten elite inner altar warriors who were already waiting, and three Kuman Thong dolls covered in paint, immediately rose and silently disappeared into the secret passage leading from the warehouse to the riverbank.

Guided by the watercourse, there is no chance of failure.

Basong closed his eyes again, immersing himself completely in the ritual.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Xiaxi River sluice gate, deep within the crack.

Zhou Xing opened his eyes.

The darkness was thick as ink, with only the soft "thump-thump-thump" echoing through the air.

The pounding of his heart made his blood boil and his ears ring.

The water becomes unusually viscous here, and every step forward feels like struggling in glue.

The Zhenhe coin in his arms was incredibly hot; he could feel the burning sensation on his skin even through his clothes.

It throbbed wildly in Zhou Xing's arms, guiding him.

Zhou Xing frowned, activated his Toad-Fishing Strength, and unleashed his full Listening Strength, struggling to discern direction amidst absolute darkness and chaotic waters.

There seemed to be no other living creatures here besides him; not even a tiny river shrimp or blind fish could be seen.

Finally, at the deepest part of the crack, a natural depression appeared, its surface smoothed by the flow of water.

The coin that was meant to suppress the river reached its peak of vibration at this moment, almost bursting out of its clothes!

right here.

Zhou Xing did not step forward immediately, but instead pressed his body tightly against the base of the gate.

The rocks were cold and rough. He held his breath, his two energies working silently against each other.

That heartbeat sound was so eerie.

It seems to be everywhere.

It came from the recess in front of him, from the sluice gate above his head, from the riverbed beneath his feet, and even from the water flowing around him from all directions.

Sometimes near, sometimes far; sometimes strong, sometimes weak; sometimes it feels like it's right next to my ear, and the next moment it feels like it's far away.

The space is disordered, and even the sense of time is confused.

At the same time, an indescribable feeling of irritability and rage tried to creep into his mind along with the sound of his heartbeat.

The veins on Zhou Xing's forehead were throbbing, and his temples were throbbing.

He regarded himself as a stone at the bottom of a dam, letting the chaotic heartbeat and sense of space wash over him, silently calculating the time, waiting for the opportunity that Xuan Chengzi had mentioned.

Time passed by, and each second felt like a year.

"When the yang fire is at its zenith, the yin water naturally arises. When yin and yang are in harmony, spirituality manifests."

Basong recited the core mantra of the ritual.

Next comes the crucial part.

By taking advantage of the moment when the yang energy of heaven and earth is at its peak and turns yin at noon during the River God Festival, the yang energy is used to draw out the yin energy, and the yin and yang are in harmony. The enormous yin energy gathered from the seven earth orifices is mixed with the popularity of people and the power of incense and prayers gathered during the River God Festival, and a net of heaven and earth is woven to cover the spirituality of the River God.

Once the net is formed and the spirit is bound, he can go to the Xiaxihe Sluice Gate to make the final harvest.

The time is approaching.

Basong could sense that from the direction of the Tianhou Temple in the distance, the immense, noisy, and scorching atmosphere of the crowd was constantly rising, like a furnace that was burning brighter and brighter.

Meanwhile, the Yin energy he had stirred up within the Haihe River's waterways was silently gathering like an undercurrent.

The incantation grew more urgent, and the runes on Basong's bare upper body seemed to come alive, writhing with his breathing and the bulging of his muscles.

The water reflection in the copper basin trembled violently, and the gray-white mark in the crack faintly emitted a huge, ancient, and vibrant pulsation full of water life.

time flies.

The network is taking shape.

but----

Basong's pale brows furrowed slightly.

Not right.

The forces of Yin and Yang are indeed beginning to converge at the Xiaxi River sluice gate, and the ropes of Yin and Yang are intertwining.

But it wasn't the kind of flexible, sticky net he had envisioned.

Instead, it's more like a heavy, solid shackle?

Meanwhile, the rhythm of the pulsating spirit deep in the water began to change.

The frenzied rhythm became heavy and slow, as if it were being wrapped and suppressed layer by layer by something.

This is not fishing upwards, it's suppressing downwards!

He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The next instant, he reached into the urn with his left hand, grabbed a handful of grayish-white powder, rolled it with the tip of his tongue, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Crunch—"

He chewed hard, the ash particles rubbing against his teeth, the rotten, cold, and sweet-smelling taste exploding in his mouth.

He observed the secret methods of Taoism and tasted ashes to inquire about the spirit.

Basong closed his eyes, his eyeballs rolling around under his eyelids.

No, this tastes wrong!

"Someone is—trying to change my plans?!"

Basong suddenly opened his eyes, and for the first time, flames of shock and anger ignited in his pale pupils.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the roof of the warehouse and landing in the direction of the distant Tianhou Temple.

"It's done!"

Zhou Xing's heart skipped a beat.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

At the Xiaxihe Sluice Gate, the omnipresent, soul-stirring heartbeat suddenly paused, then slowed down.

As the intervals lengthened, the force seemed to weaken slightly.

More importantly, the feeling of spatial disorientation was rapidly fading. The source of the heartbeat was becoming clear again.

Concentrate, it's in that hollow in front of you.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Xing pushed off the rocks with both feet, causing the water to surge, and he shot towards the cave like a swordfish.

The cave was small, only large enough for one person to curl up inside. The cave walls were slippery and covered with dark green algae.

In the center of the cave, there is a fist-sized, naturally formed stone hollow. Its shape is irregular, but its edges are exceptionally smooth, as if it has been polished over many years.

The scalding heat and pulsation of the Zhenhe coin clearly point to this stone hollow.

Zhou Xing took out the Zhenhe coin.

The coin was no longer a dull bronze color, but rather radiated a dark golden glow, hazy and warm. The inscriptions on it seemed to come alive, flowing slightly.

He carefully placed the river-suppressing money into the stone cavity.

Perfectly fitted.

It's as if this coin was born to stay in this place.

As the Zhenhe coin settled, a dark golden halo rippled outwards like waves on water.

"Thump—"

The heavy heartbeat then subsided a bit!

The oppressive and turbulent feeling of the surrounding water flow was also greatly reduced.

The algae on the cave walls were losing water, curling, and turning gray at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Zhou Xing realized that the sealing off of the town had already begun.

The town's treasury has been returned to its proper place; now all that's left to do is wait.

We await the arrival of the Zhenhe Qian (a type of ancient Chinese talisman) to cooperate with the distant ritual, completely sealing away that restless spirituality.

With each rotation of the coin's light, the heartbeat weakens a little.

Only when the light completely recedes and returns to normalcy, and only when the heartbeat ceases entirely, is the sealing complete. Finally, it disappears into the water veins, and the obsession dissipates.

During this period, the coin used to suppress the river must not be moved even slightly, otherwise all previous efforts will be in vain.

I wonder what I'll gain by fulfilling the obsession of the people who control the river?

Zhou Xing leaned against the cave wall, adjusting his breathing to recover his strength while silently pondering.

"Pop~"

Before the thought had even formed in his mind, his keen listening suddenly picked up on the unusual sound!

That's the sound of splashing!

They are rapidly approaching this direction from the water outside the crevice!

Zhou Xing's eyes narrowed, revealing his killing intent.

"After waiting so long and killing so many people, how dare you try to reap the rewards?"

He turned his hand and slowly drew the Xingyi spear from behind his back.

The cold gun barrel, seemingly sensing the fighting spirit in the dark water, trembled slightly.