Chapter 92: The Lakebed’s Secret

Page (1/3) Chapter 92: The Secret at the Bottom of the Lake

"Grey, no, don't! Please don't!" Layton looked fearfully at Ye Tian, who was seated atop the green-haired turtle. "This creature's magic is corrosive—it could kill someone!"

"Don't worry, you have an excellent doctor right in front of you. I promise you'll be cured!" With that, Ye Tian patted the turtle beneath him. "Let's begin!"

The green-haired turtle glanced at the rack beside it, where a large, steaming, juicy land chicken sat. This low-ranking magical beast was the most delicious of all! The turtle raised its head, aimed at Layton, and spat out a barrage of magical spheres.

"Grey, Grey!" Layton was on the verge of tears; if only he hadn't let Ye Tian capture this beast! The turtle relied on two things: its thick shell, impervious to bites, and its corrosive magical liquid. Though not highly damaging, it certainly hurt!

"Lower the density," Ye Tian instructed. The turtle immediately held back, gathered its strength, and released a huge magic sphere into the air, which exploded, showering Layton in a mist of green liquid.

"Ugh," Ye Tian muttered helplessly.

"Sorry!" Ye Tian waved his hand at Layton, whose face had turned pale. Layton quickly cast a wind magic shield around himself, but the shield was soon riddled with small holes and dissipated in an instant. Alarmed, Layton switched to an ice magic shield, then layered a water shield over it.

"Good method!" Ye Tian praised. Observing closely, he noticed Layton had added another layer of ice shield—three layers in total. The corrosive liquid, filtered through these shields, was much less dangerous. Yet, the shields only lasted a short while before they shattered.

"Grey, Grey, I've run out of magic!" Layton waved his hands frantically. His triple-layered shield was his own invention, but its magic consumption was extraordinary; the last remnants of magical energy in his body had already been drained. He hurriedly signaled for it to stop—one more round and someone would surely die!

"Wait a moment!" Ye Tian patted the turtle, which eyed the roast chicken beside it. "It's not cooked yet, what's the rush?" Ye Tian patted its head and approached Layton. "That move just now was impressive. Is it your secret magic?"

"Yes," Layton replied. "But I'm completely out of magic now—another round would kill me!"

"Honestly, what about the footwork I taught you? The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Step?" Ye Tian asked.

Layton gave him a resentful look, and Ye Tian remembered he’d only explained the basics. "Let me demonstrate again. Watch closely, all right?" Ye Tian said.

"Fine," Layton agreed, deciding to rest first.

Ye Tian walked over to the turtle, turning its massive head. "Let me show you—one breath, one spell. Watch!" He inhaled, then cast a spell. "That's how you release magic, understood?" The turtle nodded eagerly. "Good, start when I say so!"

"Begin!" Ye Tian stood on a plum blossom post and spoke to the turtle, which spat a magic sphere at him. "First step!" Ye Tian called to Layton, sidestepping the sphere. The turtle continued firing at Ye Tian. "Second step!"

The turtle picked up speed, but Ye Tian remained calm, dodging left and right with ease, not a single magic sphere touching him. "Watch my feet!" Ye Tian pointed at himself, while Layton studied his movements, growing more confused by the minute.

"Have you understood?" Ye Tian called from above. Layton shook his head. Ye Tian sighed, motioned for the turtle to stop, and pointed it toward the roast chicken. The turtle, delighted, leapt over and took a huge bite.

"Just a glutton," Ye Tian muttered, jumping down. "How long will your magic take to recover?"

"Until noon, I suppose," Layton said sheepishly.

"That's fine. While you rest, let me teach you the essence of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Step."

Ye Tian drew a Nine Palaces grid on the ground. "Fill in the numbers one through nine so each row, column, and diagonal adds up to fifteen," he instructed. Layton crouched down and worked it out diligently. An hour later, he finished, beaming at Ye Tian. "Grey, look—I did it!"

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"Not bad, better than not solving it at all," Ye Tian said, rubbing his forehead helplessly.

"Was it really that bad?" Layton protested.

"Youth, that's a puzzle designed for seven-year-olds," Ye Tian replied, rubbing his forehead again.

"Alright, enough teasing," Ye Tian said with a smile, seeing Layton’s disappointment. "You saw the footwork I demonstrated—Nine Palaces is the structure, Eight Trigrams the essence. Now, I'll teach you the Eight Trigrams."

Ye Tian used a table knife to carve a diagram into the earth. "Legend has it the Eight Trigrams were created by the god Fuxi, containing the mysteries of heaven and earth, the entire universe. Each Trigram corresponds to a direction: Qian, Dui; Zhen, Xun; Kun, Gen; Li; Kan. They also represent different elements—Dui (metal), Xun (wood), Gen (earth), Li (fire), Kan (water). They nurture each other yet also restrain. The footwork I taught you evolved from this—one becomes two, two become four, the primal gives rise to the dual, the dual to the four symbols, the four symbols to the Eight Trigrams. That’s the principle."

"Practice on the ground first. Remember, you must step in the right places—one misstep could be fatal!" Ye Tian warned earnestly.

"Understood!" Layton looked at the large diagram on the ground and began to walk slowly, following Ye Tian’s instructions.

Ye Tian glanced at the green-haired turtle, still happily devouring the roast chicken. "Lucky thing," he thought, then fetched his pack, spread out a blanket, and began to sort his herbs.

At noon, Ye Tian checked the sun and packed away the medicinal materials. "Layton, what do you want for lunch?" he called to Layton, still practicing his steps.

"Anything," Layton replied without turning.

"How about fish?" Layton waved his hand, and Ye Tian smiled.

Ye Tian took off his clothes, gently placed the roasted meat on them, and jumped into the lake. The water was crystal clear, making it easy to see below; the quality was excellent, and swimming was pleasurable.

Ye Tian played in the water for a while, then took a deep breath and dove. He had learned a breath-holding technique from the pearl divers of the South Sea, enabling him to stay underwater for half an hour without difficulty. It was said that with enough practice, one could remain submerged for an entire day.

Ye Tian wasn't quite that skilled, but half an hour was impressive enough! He looked around, hoping to find giant clams—if so, he could harvest a few large pearls.

Freshwater pearls weren't as prized as those from the sea, but if they were large, they were rare and valuable. Pearls could be used in medicine and for beauty treatments—making some beauty balm for Layla and the others would be a fine idea.

He encountered a few clams along the way, but they were too small, only the size of a fingertip—not nearly as impressive as the one he’d found last time. Ye Tian left them to grow; with enough time, they'd become a fortune for whoever found them. Smiling, he continued to search for bigger pearls.

Indeed, in larger lakes, treasures abound. After a while, Ye Tian discovered a giant clam, nearly the size of half a room. Inside, a pearl even bigger than a fist gleamed brilliantly.

"Ha! It's mine!" Ye Tian dove down, snatched the pearl, and darted away. The clam, surprised that anyone would dare steal its treasure, hurriedly closed its shell, trying to trap the intruder.

But Ye Tian was slippery as a mud ball; before the clam could close halfway, he had already escaped, leaving it to finish closing in vain.

"Not bad," Ye Tian thought, swimming up to catch his breath. Suddenly, he caught sight of something glittering in the water and dove back down.

Just then, a huge shadow swam toward him. Ye Tian sensed movement behind him; turning, he was startled to see a massive, tooth-filled mouth lunging at him!

"Damn!" Ye Tian quickly dove, grabbed the shining object, pushed off the monster’s mouth with his foot, and propelled himself toward the surface.

The creature missed, turned, and lunged again. Ye Tian hurriedly twisted aside, his chest trailing a line of blood.

"Danger!" Ye Tian knew the consequences of blood in water—it would attract every carnivore in the lake! He dared not linger, swimming upward with all his might.

The monster turned, its enormous jaws snapping at Ye Tian again. "Heh!" Ye Tian grinned, quickly pulled out the pearl, and channeled his inner energy into it. The pearl glowed, illuminating the water. The monster recoiled, confused and unsettled by the rare brightness.

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Taking advantage, Ye Tian continued upward. As he passed the monster, he grabbed a chunk of its flesh—slippery, but he managed to tear it free.

The creature writhed in pain, turning the water red. Ye Tian quickly discarded the flesh and swam to the surface. Once his head broke through, he drew a deep breath and raced toward the shore.

Behind him, the monster thrashed for a while, then spotted Ye Tian still swimming. It opened its jaws and lunged at the one who had hurt it. Suddenly, a shadow bit into the monster; startled, it turned to see a black mass rushing at it.

Panicked, the monster tried to escape, but it was too late. The attacker tore off another chunk of flesh, nearly causing it to faint with pain. Then, the shadow surged forward, and in an instant, the monster was reduced to a heap of bones.

Ye Tian scrambled ashore, knowing that even his skills were no match for the lake monsters. Just then, a foot-long, sharp-toothed fish leapt at him. Ye Tian casually slapped it aside.

Looking at his hand, he was startled to find blood trickling—it seemed the fish had managed to bite him in an instant. The fish flopped about, trying to leap back to the lake.

"No escape!" Ye Tian glanced around, quickly picked up a stick, snapped it to chopstick length, and threw it at the fish, pinning it to the ground.

"Grey, Grey!" Layton had been keeping an eye on this side and rushed over.

"Careful with that!" Ye Tian pointed at the still-flopping creature.

"What is it?" Layton asked, perplexed.

"No idea, but it's dangerous!" Ye Tian raised his wrist, showing a shallow bleeding scratch.

"Yikes, you're bleeding—are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It bit me, so be careful!" Ye Tian warned.

Layton cautiously circled the creature and came to Ye Tian's side. "Are you alright?"

"No problem. I just encountered a big-mouthed monster—almost got swallowed," Ye Tian laughed.

"Big-mouthed monster?" Layton eyed the lake, just as a two-meter-long skeleton floated up.

"Whoa, how did it end up like that?" Ye Tian jumped, surprised at how quickly the monster had been reduced to bones. The lake flashed with a black arc, which slowly sank out of sight.

"What was that?" Layton asked nervously.

"I don't know, but it's deadly dangerous," Ye Tian frowned. "From now on, don't go in."

"Alright, but how will we bathe?" Layton asked.

"Silly, we'll just make a basin," Ye Tian scoffed. These young masters and ladies—hopeless.

"Fine, then," Layton said helplessly, gazing at the floating fish skeleton. "Good thing I didn't go in."

"Alright, get back to your tasks!" Ye Tian urged, showing no sign of tension.

"Tch!" Layton pouted and returned to practicing his Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Step.