The old man pushed aside the stone slab, revealing a semi-circular passage with shallow earth vein water flowing at the bottom, its surface shimmering with a bluish light. The river was much wider than the narrow path, allowing two people to walk side by side. The old man bent down and crawled in, A Yao followed, and Snow Empress brought up the rear.
The water in the river was only ankle-deep at first, but after walking a few dozen steps, it rose to the calves. The old man said as he walked, "There's a confluence ahead where the waters of three branches meet. After passing the confluence, the water level will rise again. But there's a natural stone bridge over the confluence; you can walk across it."
"You've been walking here for forty years, have you ever seen anyone else come in?" Snow Empress asked from behind.
The old man didn't stop walking. "I've seen it twice. Once was over ten years ago, when a few people dressed in black robes wandered around the confluence for several days, trying to find the main entrance. I didn't let them find it and drove them away with a canal spear. The other time was last year, when a tall, thin young man, dressed differently from you, seemed to be from out of town. He walked in the riverbed for half a day and finally emerged from a crack on the north side of the Blind Zone."
"What clothes should I wear?" A Yao asked.
"It's dusty and gray, like work clothes. There are red stripes on the sleeves."
Snow Empress and A Yao exchanged a glance. The red ribbon. Old Dao's men.
"Did he say anything?" Snow Empress asked.
"He saw me, didn't say anything, and turned to run. I chased him for a while but couldn't catch him. That kid runs fast, like a rabbit." The old man paused. "He went north. North is the boundary of the Blind Zone, and beyond that is your Spirit Vein Bureau's old patrol road. It's probably covered in grass now."
The confluence has arrived. The waters of the three tributaries merge into one here, the surface churning with bluish waves, making a loud noise. The old man pointed overhead, where indeed there was a natural stone bridge spanning the river, about ten feet above the water. There were steps carved out of the stone bridge, though badly worn, they were still walkable.
The three men climbed the stone ridge. Standing on it, they could see the river continuing northward, the distant blue light fading until it disappeared into the darkness. The old man said, "About half a mile north of the stone ridge, there's an uphill slope leading to the northern edge of the Blind Zone. Your men should wait outside."
A Yao used her bamboo cane to probe the waterline on the stone beam. "The water level outside should have risen as well. If Yin Wujou has been watching closely, he should know we've activated our Vein Eye."
"Then let's go," said Snow Empress.
The three walked north along the stone ridge. The ridge became narrower and narrower, and in some places they had to squeeze past the rock face. The old man walked steadily, his bare feet not slipping on the stone ridge. After walking about half a mile, a slope appeared at the end of the stone ridge, covered with gravel and dry moss, with a sliver of white light shining through from the end.
The old man stopped at the bottom of the slope. "That's the northern edge of the Blind Zone. I went out once; there's a scree slope there, and below it is a dry ditch. If your people are digging a diversion channel outside, it should be near that dry ditch."
Snow Empress went up first. She squeezed through the narrow opening at the end of the slope, and outside was a gray sky. The wind blew in, carrying the smell of the sea and the earth. She climbed out and stood up. In front of her was a slope of gravel, and sure enough, there was a dry ditch at the bottom of the slope, with piles of freshly dug soil on the edge. But there was no one in the ditch.
" Yin Wujou!" she called out.
A response came from the east side of the scree slope. " Snow Empress!" Yin Wujou ran out from behind a large rock, clutching the Earth Vein Compass in his hand, his face covered in sweat. He ran down the slope, looked up, and shouted, "You're out! The water's risen! The compass was pointing very strongly just now, so I knew the Vein Eye was open. Deacon Sun is leading people to dig a diversion channel on the east side, and I'm keeping an eye on the water level here."
"How much has the water risen?" Snow Empress asked.
"The water level at the bottom of the third ditch has risen by more than four feet. As you said, I dug the diversion channel on the west side to divert the water to the depression to the west of the Blind Zone. But the one on the east side hasn't been dug yet; Deacon Sun said we'll decide after you come out."
A Yao climbed down the slope, the old man following behind. Yin Wujou saw the old man and paused for a moment. "This is..."
" The Vein Guardian," A Yao said briefly, "Held it for forty years. Now he's not guarding it anymore."
The old man stood on the gravel slope, looking up at the sky. The grey clouds hung low, and the wind tousled his white hair. He looked down at his feet; the webbing between his toes had shrunk to just a thin membrane. "Forty years without coming out," he said. "It's still like this outside. The sky is grey."
Snow Empress said to Yin Wujou, "Go and call Deacon Sun back. There's no need to dig the entire diversion channel. All three Vein Eye are open, the earth vein water circulation is normal, and the resentment in the Blind Zone will be suppressed. Digging two auxiliary channels is enough; don't divert all the water away."
Yin Wujou nodded and turned to run east. The old man walked down the gravel slope, his feet sinking into the soil of the dry ditch. He stood there for a while. "This soil is still acidic." He squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and rubbed it between his fingers. " The Vein Eye can't control the soil outside. We have to wait for the rains to wash it away for a few years before we can plant anything."
A Yao walked up to him. "What are your plans for the future?"
The old man scattered the soil and clapped his hands. "I don't know. Let's find a place to wash our feet first. I haven't worn shoes in forty years; the soles of my feet are as hard as stone." He glanced at the bamboo cane in A Yao's hand. "Take Meng Qi's bamboo cane. After the three Vein Eye are opened, the blue light on the bamboo cane will slowly dim. When it's completely dark, it means the earth's vein water is completely stable. At that time, you can insert the bamboo cane into the top of the stone pillar at the third Vein Eye to stabilize the cycle."
"Come back with me," A Yao said. "I haven't finished writing the maintenance manuals for the three Vein Eye yet. You've been guarding them for forty years; you know a lot that I don't."
The old man tilted his head and glanced at her. "You want me to write a manual for you?"
"Right."
The old man suddenly smiled, a smile different from the awkward one he'd given before; this one wasn't as unpleasant. "Alright. Anyway, my Vein Guardian is up. Writing manuals is easier than guarding Vein Eye."
Deacon Sun ran over from the east, followed by five or six helpers, all carrying shovels. Deacon Sun reached Snow Empress and looked her up and down. "Aren't you hurt?"
"No." Snow Empress sheathed her sword. "All three Vein Eye are open. This is the Vein Guardian; he'll come back with us. Leave two of the drainage channels open, and fill the rest back in. The leyline water is now circulating normally; there's no need to fill the Blind Zone."
Deacon Sun glanced at the old man, asked no further questions, and turned to arrange for people to fill the ditch. The old man stood by the dry ditch, watching the workers fill the excavated soil back in, and suddenly said, "When you're filling it in, don't block the ditch on the west side. That ditch directs water to the western depression, enough to irrigate those two acres of wasteland. There's an old jujube tree next to that wasteland; it's almost dead from drought."
Deacon Sun paused for a moment, then looked at the Snow Empress. The Snow Empress nodded. "Listen to him."