Chapter 383 - 259: "Earth Pivot Tour - Mountains and Rivers Nurturing Spirits": Jinling Dragon Vein, Six Dynasties Misty Water, and Ling Shu’s Gift of Treasure
Chapter 383: Chapter 259: "Earth Pivot Tour - Mountains and Rivers Nurturing Spirits": Jinling Dragon Vein, Six Dynasties Misty Water, and Ling Shu’s Gift of Treasure
With two days still left of Jiang Cai’Er’s vacation, Li Xiang brought her to Jinling, the Ancient Capital of the Six Dynasties.
If there was a Dragon Vein anywhere left in China, it had to be here.
It was uncertain if any other places had one, and even if they did, it most likely wouldn’t be Divine Level.
"The Jinling Dragon Vein may be hidden, but glimpses of it always appear in literature."
In the dead of night, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er walked hand in hand across the frozen surface of Xuanwu Lake. With a gentle wave of her fair hand, a virtual map of the Ancient Capital of the Six Dynasties unfurled like an ink wash painting.
"Zhongfu Mountain is like a wandering dragon drinking from the river. It exhales clouds from Mufu Mountain and plunges into the earth at Yuhua Platform. Its head rests on the Stone City, its tail sweeps across Qixia, and it draws the Qinhuai and Yangzi Rivers together into a vortex of kingly aura. Back then, Sun Quan buried the National Guardian Golden Tiger atop Jilong Mountain, echoing the legend of King Wei of Chu burying gold to suppress the kingly aura. This is the land of the crouching tiger and coiling dragon. The palaces of the Six Dynasties were built upon its spine, the Sacred Way of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum secretly traces the path of its sinews, and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is bathed in the brilliant glow of blue tiles and purple-gold... Sleeping within this city’s Earth Veins are the scars where Sun Quan tried to vent the kingly aura and the Dragon-Suppressing Stakes Zhu Yuanzhang used to lock it down again. But it also carries the refined elegance of the famous scholars from *Records of the World*. It’s not just a Dragon Vein; it’s a cultural one."
"Little Sister Cai’Er, you’re amazing. You’re a natural poet. I could never do that." Li Xiang absolutely adored Jiang Cai’Er, the way a teacher adores a star student.
"Li Xiang, the way you’re looking at me is a little perverted, you know~" Jiang Cai’Er noticed the fiery intensity in his eyes and couldn’t help but giggle.
"You dare call me perverted? Then I’ll show you what *real* perversion is!" Li Xiang immediately pounced, pulling Jiang Cai’Er into Xuanwu Lake. The Giant Whale Saint Armor transformed into the Sea-Stepping Spirit Whale Ship. It was barely three meters long, just enough to envelop them both as it tumbled beneath the frozen surface. Outside the transparent cabin walls, Dark Blue Spiritual Power wove an entire Star River, creating the effect of mood lighting.
"A... boat-quake?" Jiang Cai’Er froze for a second, then grew flustered. "Li Xiang, don’t! Things might get out of hand."
"Just relax and enjoy it. I have self-control."
After a display of Li Xiang’s masterful techniques, the tips of Jiang Cai’Er’s ears flushed crimson, and she felt dizzy.
’You’re so wicked... so perverted...’
"So, did you like it?" Li Xiang asked.
"..." Jiang Cai’Er bit her lip and said nothing. ’Who asks a question like that?’ she thought. ’Don’t you think it’s embarrassing?’
However, Li Xiang already knew she had enjoyed it immensely. Her body was very honest.
True to his word, Li Xiang exercised self-control. The two of them traveled directly from the bottom of Xuanwu Lake into Zhong Mountain. Jiang Cai’Er had already pinpointed the location—the Dragon Vein was within the mountain.
Using his Earth Vein Perception Ability, Li Xiang quickly led them to a peculiar mineral vein that was slowly pulsating as if it were alive.
"This is a Purple Gold Profound Crystal vein, formed over a millennium from the fusion of Zhong Mountain’s earth qi and the Yangtze River Water Spirit," Jiang Cai’Er, the "veteran tour guide," explained as she followed Li Xiang through the Earth Vein.
The path of this vein secretly aligned with the legend of Sun Quan "using gold to suppress the kingly aura." Beginning from where King Wei of Chu buried gold at Lion Mountain, it had been steeped in the Buddhist relics of the Six Dynasties and tempered by the Dragon Qi when the capital was moved during the Ming Dynasty. This process ultimately created magnificent, beautiful crystal clusters of overlapping purple and qing.
Although Li Xiang had a Night Vision Superpower, Jiang Cai’Er didn’t. So, as they ventured deep underground, Li Xiang took out a high-powered flashlight to illuminate their path.
Now, under the beam of the powerful light, the subterranean Dragon Vein sparkled with a dazzling, crystalline beauty.
"I have a feeling the Dragon Vein Spirit here is female," Jiang Cai’Er whispered. "These Crystal Stones have such a gentle, graceful aura, like a young woman’s jewelry."
"Can you sense her? Want to create another group chat and say hello?" Li Xiang knew all about Jiang Cai’Er’s incredible abilities.
But Jiang Cai’Er shook her head. "No, I can’t sense her. She’s probably in a deep sleep, just like the Qinling Ancestral Vein."
Although many parts of this Earth Vein were stunningly beautiful, with rhombohedral crystals that shimmered brilliantly, there were still numerous "fractures."
After they had traveled for a while longer, now about three thousand meters underground, Jiang Cai’Er suddenly stopped, a sense of recognition on her face. "Li Xiang, I think I’ve pinpointed the Dragon Vein Spirit’s location. Come on, let’s go take a look."
"Alright. Which way?"
Jiang Cai’Er simply said, "Let me lead the way this time."
Li Xiang knew what that meant. He was about to go on another "Soul Out of Body" trip with Jiang Cai’Er.
An Imaginary Number Corridor materialized around Jiang Cai’Er. She took Li Xiang’s hand, and their bodies instantly became ethereal. Like two intertwining streams of data, they flew off into the distance, following the path of the Earth Vein.
Meanwhile, their physical bodies remained behind, protected by the Imaginary Number Corridor and their two sets of Extraordinary Spirit Armor. Deep underground as they were, there was no need to worry about danger.
The speed of the data stream was comparable to the speed of light—far faster than Li Xiang’s 5.5 Mach. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Dragon Vein Spirit’s resting place.
It was indeed a woman. She wore purple palace attire and lay upon a Profound Crystal Bed of the same color. With delicate eyebrows and a beautiful face, she looked just like a sleeping beauty.
"Go on, Li Xiang. Give her a kiss. She’ll probably wake up," Jiang Cai’Er joked.
Li Xiang replied, "Stop fooling around. Look at her thighs."
"Huh? You want to look at her legs?"
Li Xiang said nothing. He walked forward and gently lifted the hem of the purple-robed woman’s dress. Jiang Cai’Er gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment.
To their horror, they saw nine Poison Nails hammered into the woman’s snow-white thighs.
With a light swipe of her hand, Jiang Cai’Er quickly pulled up information from her Memory Palace. "These must be the nine ’Eight Extremities of the Universe’ iron stakes, driven in by Japanese Army Yin Yang Masters when Jinling fell. They were supposedly meant to transform the Dragon Vein into a conduit for the malevolent energy of the slaughter."
The location of these nine Poison Stakes was hidden, and modern China has never believed in such things, so they were never removed.
The Poison Nails on the woman’s body were not the physical objects, of course, but the spiritual essence of the nails, manifesting on her Spirit Body.
Jiang Cai’Er’s expression grew solemn. Perhaps because the Dragon Vein Spirit had a female form, she felt a deeper empathy for her. Her eyes turned red as she choked back a sob. "This poor sister... She’s suffered so much. Even more than the Dragon Vein in the Imperial Capital."