At the beginning of the hour, the water vapor at the Tianjin pier has not yet dissipated. The white sun hangs on the top of the mast, shining on the river surface with sparkling light, but with a bone-chilling chill.
Qin Geng got up early, and first found Zhou Dawei drinking bean juice at a roadside tea stall.
Zhou Dawei is not wearing official clothes today. He is wearing a short dress. He looks like an ordinary guy. He is trying to break the burnt ring with the stall owner, which is not enough.
Seeing Qin Geng coming, he pushed the bowl and wiped his mouth.
"Fifth Master, so early?"
Qin Geng didn't sit down either. He stood at the table and lowered his voice. "Mr. Zhou Qi, I have something to tell you about. My Customs Bureau Truth-Hearing Guard waist badge was given to Li Gou yesterday."
Zhou Dawei raised his eyebrows and didn't ask any more questions. He just nodded. "I've seen that kid before. He's smart and a street guy. Since you, Fifth Master, personally selected him, I'll accept it. I'll put his name on the roster later, but you have to let him abide by Truth-Hearing Guard's rules."
"Don't worry, I've taught you all the rules."
Qin Geng paused, and then said, "It's just the work on the water, River-Blocking Guard, that whole thing, I am currently very busy, and there is no suitable person under my command who can take over for the time being."
Zhou Dawei waved his hand with a nonchalant look on his face. "It's not a big deal. There are many idle people in the Wave-Quelling Bureau. I'll adjust the two first.
The boss will keep an eye on the line given to you. Your worth is different now. Underground River Department That's a registered place. If you still have to do the patrolling and catching thieves on the water, it's overkill. You just go about your business, there won't be a fire in this backyard."
With Zhou Dawei's accurate words, the stone in Qin Geng's heart finally fell to the ground.
Saying goodbye to Zhou Dawei, Qin Geng turned around and walked towards the agreed destination.
The gathering place was chosen in a remote reed marsh downstream of the Xun River. Usually few people come here, only a few hunters hunting wild ducks occasionally pass by.
When Qin Geng arrived, everyone was already there.
Chi Song Daoist priest is still wearing the washed gray robe, holding the lantern covered with black gauze in his hand, his clothes fluttering in the morning breeze, he really looks like a fairy among gods.
Jingkong monk was sitting on a big stone wiping the Monk's Spade, the blade of the shovel was shining with cold light.
Miao Xiaolan squatted by the water and sprinkled some powder into the water, causing a group of fry to jump around on the water.
Tiger Cub, Xia Jingyi, Zhao Yuanji, and Cao Xiaoliu are also ready to go.
Seeing Qin Geng coming, everyone nodded.
"Everyone is here."
Chi Song Daoist priest glanced at everyone, and his voice was hoarse and steady. "This time entering Underground Dark River is extraordinary. The underground is pitch black, and it is a chaotic place where yin and yang meet. We have to stay down there for two full days, which is twenty-four hours."
"Have you packed all the chewing grains? Clothes to avoid the cold, self-defense, everything has been checked. After getting into the water, there is no place to buy regret medicine."
"Understood."
Everyone responded in unison.
Zhao Yuanji carried the huge Mo School Mechanism Box on his back and patted his chest: "Don't worry, Daoist Master, Mo School's Thousand Mechanisms Pouch has enough dry food for us to eat for half a month. There are also anti-virus Clearwind Powder" and lighting Glowstone", they are all ready."
Tiger Cub threw a heavy leather bag on his back. There was a lot of jingling inside, probably containing a lot of hard vegetables and bruises.
Qin Geng looked down at himself.
He is considered the lightest of the group.
Wearing Third Senior Brother Iron Mountain "Black Gold Thread Soft Armor" that was reinforced overnight, and a tight-fitting black Water Suit over it.
His hands were empty, neither a knife nor a gun.
At the level of Transforming Force, the body is the strongest weapon.
Especially when [Dragon-Tiger True Intent] was opened, his muscles and bones roared together, and ordinary swords were really not as strong as his fists.
However, he held the Copper Lotus Seed close to his chest.
Ever since I unlocked the Water Lord profession last time, this thing feels like it's alive and feels warm against my chest.
Qin Geng feels that this thing has an inexplicable connection with this Xun River, and even the Dragon Vein underneath.
"There is one more rule."
Chi Song Daoist priest continued, "This time, the main task is to draw the whole picture of the Underground River from Ping'an County Town to the bottom of Yin Mountain.
This is a death order and a great achievement."
"If the map is drawn and is accurate, each person will be credited with one hundred meritorious deeds."
One hundred great achievements!
Hearing this number, Tiger Cub's eyes widened. Even the stoic monk Jingkong paused for a moment while holding the rosary in his hand.
In Dragon-Guard Office, one great merit can be exchanged for several strains of good medicine that are rare on the market.
This one hundred great achievements is a huge sum of money.
"One hundred great achievements--darling, if this were replaced with medicine, it would be enough for me to take for a lifetime."
Tiger Cub swallowed.
Qin Geng's heart also moved slightly.
These one hundred great achievements are enough for him to exchange for some high-grade medicinal materials or treasure pills, and with [Physician]'s talent, he can push his body upwards.
"Okay, the time has come."
Chi Song Daoist Master stopped talking and turned to face the rolling Xun River water.
He took a deep breath, held a sword finger in his right hand, muttered something in his mouth, and suddenly lifted the lantern in his left hand.
"Tai Shang Tai Xing, constantly responding to changes. Exorcise evil spirits and bind evil spirits, protect life and body. Water-Evasion!"
As the last word was spoken, the lantern in Daoist Priest Chi Song's hand actually emitted a faint blue light. The light was not dazzling, but had a strange penetrating power.
He took one step forward and stepped directly on the water.
A magical scene happened.
The originally turbulent river water seemed to have spiritual power the moment it came into contact with the soles of Daoist Master Chi Song. It parted to both sides, revealing a whirlpool passage that could only allow one person to pass through.
This passage is not straight up and down, but like a funnel, rotating to the depths of the water.
"Follow up."
Chi Song Daoist Priest's figure swayed and he fell into the vortex.
"Let's go!"
Tiger Cub was the bravest one. He screamed strangely and jumped in immediately.
Followed by Jingkong monk, Miao Xiaolan, Zhao Yuanji and others.
Qin Geng is at the end.
He stood on the edge of the whirlpool. As [Water Lord], he felt deeper than others.
This is not a simple Water-Evasion spell.
This is a sophisticated method that uses air traction to forcefully change the rules of water flow.
Chi Song Daoist priest's kick seemed random, but in fact he stepped on the "air eye" of this water area, using his strength to make the water flow separate on its own.
"The Daoist methods are indeed extraordinary."
Qin Geng secretly admired it in his heart, and without hesitation, he stretched out his body like a swimming fish and slipped into the whirlpool.
"The roar of water flowing at high speed filled my ears.
The body seemed to be held by a large invisible hand, falling rapidly in the dark waterway.
The world is spinning.
This feeling is not pleasant, like being thrown into a drum washing machine.
Fortunately, everyone is not ordinary, and they use their own methods to stabilize their bodies.
After about a cup of tea, the spinning feeling suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a strong feeling of weightlessness.
"Plop! Plop!"
There were several muffled sounds in succession.
Qin Geng I felt like I was stepping on solid rock.
Before he could open his eyes, a strong damp musty smell penetrated his nostrils.
"Don't move, let's get used to the light first."
Chi Song Daoist priest's voice sounded from the front.
The Black-Gauze Lantern light lit up again, but this time the light was no longer blue, but turned into a miserable green, illuminating the surroundings with shadows and ghosts.
Qin Geng opened his eyes and looked around.
This is a huge underground cave.
Dozens of feet above the head, there is a dark hole with water dripping down continuously.
"Tick tock, tick tock----"
Water droplets fell on the rocks, echoing in this silent space, which made people feel heartbroken.
At the foot is a tributary of the Underground River. The water flow is gentle and presents a strange dark green color.
On both sides of the bank are jagged stalactites, some of which look like upside-down swords, and some of which resemble crouching beasts.
"This is the first stop of the Underground Dark River, we call it Ghost Gate".
Chi Song The Daoist priest held a lantern and pointed to the darkness in front of him.
"From here, we enter the boundary of the underworld. Compass may be confused, your eyes may be blurred, and your ears may hear things you shouldn't hear."
"Everyone, follow the previous formation."
"Tiger Cub, Jingkong, you two are thick-skinned and thick-skinned, please open the way ahead."
"Zhao Yuanji, you are responsible for surveying and mapping. Write down the terrain, wind direction, and water speed."
"Miao Xiaolan, release insects to explore the path, and be wary of living creatures."
"Xia Jingyi, Cao Xiaoliu, keep your eyes on the water and be on guard against Water Ghost."
"Qin Geng----"
Chi Song Daoist Master glanced at Qin Geng: "You know Feng Shui and have special powers. Follow me and help me take care of the overall situation."
"Yes."
Everyone quickly got into the mood.
The team began to move forward slowly.
There is no sun or moon underground, only the pale green lantern guiding the direction.
Zhao Yuanji was walking in the middle, holding a delicate copper plate in his hand, a charcoal pen in his other hand, and writing on a special oil paper
I sketched quickly in my notebook.
"This terrain is a bit strange."
Zhao Yuanji was painting while muttering in a low voice, "The direction of the rock formations here is completely opposite to that of the mountains above. Logically speaking, the water flows downwards, but why does the Underground River water feel like it is climbing up?"
"It's not the water climbing up, it's Earth Veins holding the water up."
Chi Song Daoist priest did not turn around and explained calmly, "Yin Mountain is where Dragon Vein is, Dragon Vein is Yang, and Underground Dark River is Yin.
When yin and yang collide and Earth Veins rolls over, this kind of countercurrent situation will form."
As he spoke, Daoist Master Chi Song stopped and pointed to a rock wall next to him.
"Qin Geng, come and see."
Qin Geng stepped forward.
I saw that there was a thick layer of moss growing on the rock wall, but under the cover of the moss, some naturally formed lines could be vaguely seen, like tiny snakes snaking and crawling.
"This is the pattern of a snake coiling with nine curves."
Chi Song Daoist priest asked the school, "In terms of Feng Shui, what does this mean?"
Qin Geng stared at the lines for a moment, and the knowledge in his mind quickly surged.
"The snake coils in nine twists and turns, and the main evil is entangled. This means that the waterway here has nine twists and turns, and Killing Intent may accumulate at each bend. This kind of place is most likely to breed Water Monkey or corpse transformation."
"Not bad."
Chi Song Daoist priest nodded approvingly. "One more thing. The snake has no legs. Since the lines are intermittent, it means that the Qi veins underground have been tampered with. It seems that in order to open up this road, Foreigners has done a lot of damage to this Feng Shui Formation."
[Feng Shui Master experience value +5]
Qin Geng felt happy.
Does this increase experience?
The team continues to move forward.
After walking for about half an hour, Tiger Cub in front suddenly stopped and raised his right hand.
"Stop! There's a situation!"
On the river beach in front of me, I saw several withered bones lying scattered everywhere.
These withered bones were not complete, as if they had been chewed up and spit out by something. There were still some rotten cloth strips hanging on the white stubble of the bones.
"Amitabha."
Monk Jingkong stepped forward, slapped the Monk's Spade in his hand on the ground, and made a buzzing sound.
He knelt down, picked up a skull and looked at it.
"It's not a new death, at least ten years."
Jingkong Monk's voice was dull. "Look at these tooth marks. They are not from wild beasts. They look like they were bitten by a humanoid mouth."
"Humanoid mouth?"
Xia Jingyi's face turned pale slightly, and he held the long knife in his hand tighter.
"It's Living Corpse."
Miao Xiaolan suddenly spoke, the bamboo tube in her hand shook slightly, and the colorful spider crawled around anxiously at the mouth of the bamboo tube.
"My baby told me that there are many friends buried in the soil around here. They were sleeping, but they were awakened by our footsteps."
The words just fell.
"Wow!"
The pile of rubble next to it suddenly exploded.
A skinny arm covered with black hair stretched out from the ground and grabbed Cao Xiaoliu who was walking on the edge.
This time it was as fast as lightning, carrying a smelly wind.
Cao Xiaoliu Although he was good at water, his reaction on the shore was a little slower, and he was about to grab his ankle with the sharp claws.
"Seeking death!"
Tiger Cub shouted loudly, without using any weapons, he just flew up and kicked the black-haired arm hard.
The arm was broken in response, and a stream of black blood spurted out from the fracture.
But this did not scare away the things underground. Instead, it seemed to stoke a hornet's nest.
The surrounding ground began to churn violently, and Living Corpse, covered in tattered cloth strips and with sunken eye sockets, crawled out from the ground.
This thing is different from Zombie. Although its movements are stiff, it is extremely fast, and it seems to be able to cooperate with each other and rush towards everyone in an encirclement manner.
"Don't mess up! Form a formation!"
Chi Song Daoist priest was still as steady as Mount Tai, without even moving a step.
"Jingkong, saved them."
"As commanded."
Jingkong The monk roared loudly, and the monk's robe automatically moved without any wind.
He picked up the Monk's Spade, which weighed a hundred kilograms, and swept it out like a lamp grass.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The three Living Corpse who rushed forward were directly beaten to pulp by this shovel, and they were stuck to the rock wall and could not be buckled off.
This monk is so murderous!
Is this the legendary Physical Exorcism?
On the other side, Miao Xiaolan is not idle either.
The silver bell on her wrist made a crisp sound.
I saw countless small black bugs flying out of her sleeves, buzzing and rushing towards those Living Corpse.
Once those Living Corpse were infected by insects, they would immediately let out a shrill scream. The skin and flesh on their bodies would rot and turn into water at a speed visible to the naked eye, and finally only a pile of white bones would be left limp on the ground.
Qin Geng stood beside Daoist priest Chi Song and was not in a hurry to take action.
He is observing.
I'm looking at the methods of these teammates, and I'm also looking at the changes in the underground feng shui.
With the appearance of Living Corpse, the surrounding Yin Energy became obviously richer, and the water flow of the Underground River also became more turbulent.
"Qin Geng, you should also stretch your muscles."
Master Chi Song suddenly said, "Don't just watch the fun. There is a Grievance Energy inside this Living Corpse. If we don't break them up, they can bite people even if they turn into bones."
"Yes."
Qin Geng responded.
He didn't use any fancy moves, he just took a step forward.
Taking one step forward, the momentum suddenly changed.
The originally handsome young man suddenly turned into a predatory tiger.
[Dragon-Tiger True Intent]!
Qin Geng The spine in the body shook violently, making a crisp sound of "collapse".
A Living Corpse is rushing towards me with its mouth wide open.
Qin Geng didn't dodge or dodge, and hit Xingyi Beng Fist straight away.
"Collapse!"
This punch made an empty explosion sound.
Living Corpse's chest seemed to have been hit by a cannonball, a big hole exploded directly, and the entire upper body disintegrated instantly, with black blood splattering everywhere.
Immediately afterwards, Qin Geng turned around and shuttled through the Living Corpse group like a dragon swimming in the water.
Every punch and every kick carries tremendous power.
Touched by death, touched by death.
This feeling----very refreshing!
On the ground, due to too many scruples, Qin Geng is rarely able to unleash its full power so unscrupulously.
But here, facing these inhuman monsters, he completely let go.
The blood in the body is rushing, and the strength is cheering.
[Martial Artist experience value +50----+50----]
Experience points are skyrocketing.
In just a cup of tea, these dozens of Living Corpse were cleaned up by the team.
Except for a pile of rotten flesh and black blood on the ground, there was nothing left standing.
"Amitabha, good, good, good."
Jingkong The monk put away Monk's Spade and returned to his kind-hearted look, as if the fierce god who was beating the meat with the shovel just now was not him.
Cao Xiaoliu stepped forward and picked up the remains of Living Corpse with a shovel.
"These people wore the uniforms of Great Xin Army during their lifetime."
Cao Xiaoliu picked up a piece of rag. "It seems that the batch of the Bandit-Suppression Army that disappeared decades ago entered here by mistake and became Living Corpse after being trapped to death."
"Write it down."
Chi Song Daoist priest gave an instruction.
The team rested for a while and continued moving forward.
The deeper you go, the lower the terrain becomes and the heavier the moisture in the air becomes.
Qin Geng clearly felt that Copper Lotus Seed in his arms was getting hot.
It was just warm at first, but now it's burning my skin.
Moreover, as Copper Lotus Seed became hot, Qin Geng found that his senses had undergone wonderful changes.
He seemed to be able to "hear" the sound of the Underground River water.
The sound of rushing water is no longer a simple noise, but has become a language.
A hundred feet ahead, the water flow diverges, with a dead end on the left and an open road on the right.
Ten feet deep under the feet, there is a deep pool, and a big guy is hiding in it, sleeping.
Behind the rock wall on the right, there is a cavity, which seems to be connected to another underground waterway.
This perception is as clear as seeing it with your own eyes.
[Water Lord experience value +10----+10----]
Is this what Copper Lotus Seed is for?
It is the sensor of Dragon Vein and the amplifier of Water Lord capability.
"Daoist Master."
Qin Geng suddenly spoke and pointed to a fork in the road ahead.
"Go to the right."
Zhao Yuanji, who was holding Compass and frowning, was stunned. "Fifth Master, Compass shows that the left is the door of life and the right is the door of death."
"Compass is interfered by the magnetic field here and is not accurate."
Qin Geng said in a determined tone, "The left side is a dead end, with a cliff at the end. Although the right side looks dangerous and the water is fast, you can lead to the next node by following the water."
Zhao Yuanji looked at Daoist Chi Song with some hesitation.
Chi Song Daoist priest looked at Qin Geng, then looked at the dark right side road.
The lantern in his hand suddenly flashed twice.
"Listen to Qin Geng."
Daoist priest Chi Song made the final decision. "He is River-Blocking Guard. He is more effective than Compass in this underwater road."
The team turned to the right fork.
Sure enough, not long after walking, although the water flow became rapid, the space suddenly opened up.
At the end of the fork on the left, there was a faint sound of falling water, which was obviously an abyss.
"It's amazing!"
Zhao Yuanji wiped off cold sweat and gave Qin Geng a thumbs up. "Fifth Master, you are simply a living map under the ground!"
Qin Geng smiled and said nothing.
He put his hand on his chest, feeling the hot Copper Lotus Seed.
As he went deeper, he felt that his connection with this Underground Dark River was getting closer and closer.
It seems that he is not exploring, but patrolling his own territory.
"Everyone, be careful."
Qin Geng suddenly stopped and his face became solemn.
"What's wrong?"
Xia Jingyi held the handle of the knife nervously.
"Front----"
Qin Geng stared at the bottomless dark water ahead, his pupils slightly contracted.
"The front is no longer a natural river."
"I heard the sound of gears turning."
"Also, the smell of rust."
Chi Song The lantern in Daoist Master's hand suddenly lifted up, and the light illuminated the front.
I saw a huge iron gate standing in the middle of the wide river.
The iron gate was ten feet high, stained with rust, and covered with Western characters and strange runes.
On the rock walls on both sides of the iron gate, there are actually several huge bronze animal heads inlaid with black smoke spitting out from the beast's mouth.
"Foreigners's stronghold!"
Zhao Yuanji shouted lowly.
"No."
Chi Song Daoist priest narrowed his eyes and his voice was cold.
"This is Dragon-Locking Gate."
"Foreigners This is Yin Mountain's dragon energy, which has been locked here forcibly, and some messy things have been raised with the help of dragon energy!"
"Now that we've encountered it, we can't pretend we didn't see it."
Chi Song Daoist Master's aura suddenly burst out, and the gray Daoist robe made a rustling sound.
"Zhao Yuanji, find the blasting point."
"The rest of you, prepare to fight!"
"There must be a watchdog guarding this place!"
Before he finished speaking, the huge iron gate suddenly made a heart-wrenching "squeak" sound.
A crack slowly opened.
A strong corpse smell, mixed with the unique sulfur smell of steam engines, gushes out from the crack in the door.
In the darkness, two scarlet searchlights lit up, like two huge bloody eyes, staring at everyone.
Qin Geng took a deep breath, and Black Gold Thread Soft Armor tensed up on his body.
He felt it.
Behind that door, there is a big guy.