Chapter 13: The Treasure That Calms the Veins

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In the rear garden of Jishantang, an eerie silence hung over the cracked bronze well. The chilling cold no longer surged forth; the bone-numbing ice and the low-frequency hum that had sent shivers down the spine were suddenly stifled, as if an invisible hand had grasped their throats, abruptly silencing them. The flickering light ceased its frantic dance and settled into a steady, dim yellow glow. Only the faint remnants of iron rust and ozone lingered in the air, along with the cracked, frost-covered stone slabs, silently bearing witness to the recent, breathtaking energy storm.

Yang Rui’s face was as pale as paper, his body trembling slightly, barely able to stand. Both hands clutched the ancestral bronze compass known as the “Star Fixing Plate.” Though the humming and vibrations on its surface had lessened, they still conveyed a profound fatigue and a drained weakness. A strong dizziness washed over him, as if all his life force had been sucked dry by the violent activation of the compass moments before.

“Yang Rui!” Su Jin was the first to rush forward and steady his faltering frame. Her hand met an icy cold arm that trembled uncontrollably. Seeing his bloodless face and the cold sweat covering his forehead, a wave of unprecedented worry and dread surged within her. The power the compass had unleashed, and Yang Rui’s apparent communion with some grand will, transcended her understanding of physics, striking her with a shock even greater than the moment the energy had been successfully channeled.

“I... I’m fine...” Yang Rui’s voice was hoarse and weak, each word as if forced from his throat. Summoning his strength, his gaze swept over the stunned Chen Bojun and the workers. “Quick... now’s the time! The Earth Fiend is forcibly suppressed by the compass; its energy is at its lowest... this is the only chance to install the ‘Guiding Piles’! If we miss this... it’s over!” He looked at the foreman with unwavering resolve. “Follow the plan... pile driving! Position and depth... not a single error allowed!”

The workers were also shaken by Yang Rui’s state and the divine power the compass had exhibited. But Chen Bojun immediately snapped to action, shouting hoarsely, “What are you waiting for?! Listen to Master Yang! Move quickly! Follow the blueprints for the piles! Anyone who dares make a mistake, I’ll skin them alive!”

The roar of the heavy pile driver shattered the brief silence once more. The first optimized “Reinforced Guiding Pile” was hoisted and aimed precisely at the entrance of the detected main earth vein channel. Under the strained but determined supervision of Yang Rui and Su Jin, it began to be slowly driven underground.

Meanwhile, outside Jishantang, a dim bamboo path concealed two pairs of eyes peering through the foliage, fixed intently on the busy rear garden and the weakened figure surrounded by people clutching the compass.

“Hmph! There’s definitely some sinister skill at work! To suppress the ‘Earth Dragon’s Turning’ like that!” spoke a young man in a flashy casual suit—Chen Zhonghao, half-brother to Chen Bojun. His face was etched with malice and resentment. Watching his elder brother struggle for days, hoping to enjoy the spectacle and perhaps seize power, he never expected this mysterious feng shui master, who appeared from nowhere, to almost undo everything. How could he bear it?

Beside him stood a gaunt elder in a faded gray Taoist robe, fingers twirling a gleaming strand of rosewood Buddhist beads—a “master” Chen Zhonghao had lavishly invited from Hong Kong: Taoist Xuan Zhen. His triangular eyes gleamed sharply, fixed unblinkingly on the bronze compass in Yang Rui’s hands, his face barely hiding a greedy lust.

“What a treasure! What a treasure indeed!” Taoist Xuan Zhen's voice trembled with excitement. “It can harness the earth’s energy, and forcibly suppress such a violent ‘Earth Fiend’! This item is imbued with spiritual light, its talismanic inscriptions naturally formed—no ordinary artifact! It must be the legendary ‘Earth Vein Talisman’! Beneath the Chen family’s Jishantang lies no ordinary ‘Earth Fiend,’ but a small ‘Earth Vein Nexus’! This object is the key to mastering that nexus!”

“Earth Vein Talisman?” Chen Zhonghao’s eyes brightened. “Master Taoist, you mean... if we get the compass, we can control the... power beneath this estate?”

“Control is only the beginning!” A fanatical and ruthless gleam flashed in Taoist Xuan Zhen’s eyes. “If obtained and combined with secret rituals, it will not only quell the estate’s calamities but turn the tables—drawing the earth’s spirit energy to nourish oneself, even altering the feng shui configuration to seize its fortune for our use! Young Master Chen, this master your brother brought is no mere charlatan; what he holds is a treasure that can change our destinies! And now that he is severely weakened, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!”

Stirred by the grand vision painted by Taoist Xuan Zhen, Chen Zhonghao’s blood surged with desire, overwhelming his fear. “Then what are we waiting for? Master Taoist, act now! Snatch the compass! This estate, this Chen family, will be ours!”

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Taoist Xuan Zhen licked his cracked lips like a venomous snake eyeing its prey. “Not yet. Wait until they finish the pile driving and their guard is down—when that boy’s energy is completely drained—that’s the perfect moment! The compass is sentient; forcibly seizing it risks backlash. We must strike when its connection to its master is weakest! Stay here and watch; I will show you my methods!” From his bosom, he quietly produced a small black jade bottle etched with strange runes, sealed with dark red wax, emitting a faint, sweet-tinged metallic scent.

Back in the rear garden, the pile driving operation had reached its critical stage.

The seventh and final reinforced guiding pile was steadily driven to its predetermined depth amid the roar of heavy machinery. Its trumpet-shaped titanium alloy deflector at the top precisely pointed two kilometers away toward the Qingxi River.

Just as the pile was fully positioned and workers began to refill the earth—

“Boom...”

A deep, lingering rumble, as if Mother Earth herself exhaled, echoed from the depths below—heavy, gentle, and imbued with the majestic sensation of energy returning to order.

The monitoring screen before Su Jin instantly filled with a reassuring green.

1. Source Point: The stubborn strong magnetic field and infrasonic peak curves plummeted dramatically.

2. Guiding Path: On the 3D imaging, a clear, stable blue energy stream surged forth.

3. Release Point: Sensors detected significant energy disturbances gradually calming.

4. Inside the estate: All abnormal parameters instantly dropped to zero.

“It worked! Energy guiding efficiency over 85%! Source field strength continues to decline! The estate environment is back to normal!” Su Jin’s voice trembled with joyous relief.

Chen Bojun collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down. “It’s done! Thank you, Master Yang! Thank you, Dr. Su!”

The steward came running with news: “The matriarch has awakened! Second Young Master is calm! All is well!”

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Great joy and exhaustion washed over everyone simultaneously. Yang Rui’s taut nerves suddenly relaxed; the breath he had been holding escaped, his vision darkened, and his body swayed uncontrollably. Only Su Jin’s support kept him from collapsing. Instinctively, he released one hand to press against his dizzy forehead, while with the other, he drew the now dimmer “Star Fixing Plate” closer to his chest.

In that fleeting moment of mental lapse and the lowest defenses—

A shadowy figure shot out from the dark edge of the bamboo grove like a ghost, speed leaving only a blur behind, aimed directly at the seemingly ancient bronze compass in Yang Rui’s arms. It was Taoist Xuan Zhen, long biding his time.

“Young one! Such a treasure is not for you to wield! Hand it over!” Taoist Xuan Zhen’s sinister grin brimmed with mad certainty. His gaunt, eagle-claw-like hand swept with a chilling gust toward the compass. In his other hand, the black jade bottle’s wax seal had been broken unknown to all, its mouth exuding a few droplets of dark red fluid with a pungent, ominous metallic scent.

“Yang Rui, watch out!” Su Jin’s shout coincided with Yang Rui’s instinctive dodge—but his energy was spent, and he was just too slow.

Taoist Xuan Zhen’s cold, slick fingers, tainted with the foul blood dripping from the bottle, grazed the edge of the “Star Fixing Plate” fiercely.

“Buzz—clang!!!”

As if a sacred relic defiled, the compass erupted with unprecedented, wrathful, and repelling vibrations! An invisible force, cold and furious as if from the deepest abyss, exploded outward from the compass.

“Ahhhh—!” Taoist Xuan Zhen let out a piercing, inhuman scream! The hand that had touched the compass twisted grotesquely, skin blistering and turning an eerie blue-black as if corroded by acid. Like struck by an invisible hammer, he was flung backward, crashing painfully onto the icy earth, writhing and howling in agony.

The sudden, drastic turn stunned everyone. Chen Zhonghao, terrified by the ghostly claw-like arm and the pitiful scene, screamed “Ghost!” and scrambled into the depths of the bamboo forest, disappearing in a panic.

Yang Rui was also shaken by the severe backlash, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth against dizziness and pain, pressing both hands tightly against the relentlessly humming compass as it seemed about to fly from his grasp. He rapidly chanted the secret incantation passed down from his grandfather, fingers frantically tapping specific talisman nodes along the compass’s edge.

“Steady! Steady! Steady!” Yang Rui’s heart pounded with urgency. He could feel the overwhelming fury and near-collapse weakness emanating from the compass. By exhausting his final reserves to soothe it, the wild vibrations gradually subsided, the cold anger slowly withdrew, becoming restrained once more. Yet its surface sheen was nearly extinguished, like a dust-covered antique, and the magnetic needle within the celestial pool moved sluggishly.

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