33: Chapter 33 The Place of Sorrow and the Pulse-Locking Nails

The words "Heartbroken Land" were like two stones cast into an ancient well, stirring up subtle yet real ripples in the old man's murky, deathly silent eyes.

His grip on the small hoe tightened until his knuckles turned white. Silence spread through the desolate mountain hollow, broken only by the feeble sound of wind in the distant forest. The old man did not look up, remaining focused on the hard earth he had been digging for over a decade without it ever loosening. His hoarse voice was even drier than before: "You... can tell?"

"The earth qi is stagnant, its vitality severed. Even the resentment has withered, leaving behind only a numb 'pain'." Lin Yuan's voice was soft, yet it was like a precise scalpel, dissecting the surface-level silence of this land to reach the deeply buried, nearly forgotten lesion. "This isn't a natural disaster, nor is it ordinary exhaustion of the land's power. It's as if... its lifeblood has been 'nailed' by something, slowly draining its essence. It has lost the strength to even 'cry' or 'hate,' leaving only a stifled, unbreathable breath trapped in its chest."

He was not describing soil compaction in a scientific sense, but rather the deeper "state" of this land perceived through his "Leyline Affinity" and the artistic conception of the "Void." It felt like a living person whose acupoints had been struck and meridians sealed, consciously feeling their vitality ebbing away, yet unable to struggle or scream, ultimately left with only hopeless numbness and a dull, bone-deep ache.

The old man finally turned his head slowly, looking directly at Lin Yuan for the first time. In those murky eyes, the numb calm was replaced by a complex emotion—there was shock, confusion, a glimmer of light from finally being "seen" after a long, lonely wait, and a hint of deep-seated sorrow that had almost been smoothed away by the years.

"You... are not one of those experts," the old man said with certainty. "They bring their machines, saying the soil lacks this or that, that the pH is wrong, that there's 'heavy metal pollution'... Bullshit!" He spat, his emotions rising. "This land, my grandfather's generation started growing herbs here. It's the best sunny slope on the southern foot of Luoxia Mountain! The soil was rich and fertile! Insects chirped, birds sang, and the plants all had spirit! It was only after that incident a dozen years ago... that it suddenly became like this! Overnight!"

"A dozen years ago? What incident?" Lin Yuan seized the key point.

The old man suddenly stopped, the excitement in his eyes fading, covered once again by caution and a deeper, more profound pain. He lowered his head and began mechanically digging the soil again, as if his previous outburst had never happened. "Old history. It's useless to talk about it. Even if you can tell, what can you do? Can you bring this land back to life?"

Clearly, that "old history" was a deeper scar in the old man's heart, one he was unwilling to touch easily.

Lin Yuan did not press further. He understood that gaining trust required patience and tangible actions. He stood up, walked to the center of the hollow, and closed his eyes, pushing his "Leyline Affinity" perception to the limit. At the same time, he cautiously released a trace of the Void God Spark, which was suppressed by his "Taixi," sending out the faintest ripple carrying a sense of "understanding" and "exploration," like the softest tentacle reaching out toward the "Heartbroken Land" beneath his feet.

The perception deepened.

The first thing he felt was the expected "stagnation" and "exhaustion." The flow of leyline energy here was nearly frozen, as if encased in thick ice. But deep within the "ice layer," he caught the source of the "resentment" and "pain" the old man spoke of—it was not an emotion of the land itself, but a foreign, imposed energy structure filled with plunder and imprisonment. It was like a cold, rusted, barbed nail, deeply "nailed" into a "node" where this land connected most closely to the leyline below!

This "energy nail" not only physically blocked the normal circulation and nourishment of the leyline energy, but it also acted like a greedy and malicious "pump," continuously, extremely slowly, yet firmly, extracting the vital spiritual essence stored within this land, as well as the wisps of essence leaking from the leyline below! The direction of the extracted energy flow... was blurred, pointing toward the southeast, further away.

What made Lin Yuan's heart sink further was that the structure of this "energy nail" carried a familiar and disgusting coldness, precision, and a baleful aura mixed with metal and blood—it had a certain degree of common origin with the evil aura of Mr. Mo's black wooden plaque, the Black-robed Man, and even the "metal baleful qi" required for the "ten thousand infant banner" ritual! It was just more hidden and "low-key" here, focusing on plundering the leyline's vitality rather than creating terror or controlling spirits.

Could it be... that this was also the "handiwork" of Mr. Mo or forces related to him? A dozen years ago? The timeline also seemed to match the period when Mr. Mo became active again after his silence.

He carefully perceived the details of the "energy nail." It was not a physical object, but an energy structure highly condensed and solidified at this feng shui node through a special evil art. The structure was exceptionally stable, forming a malignant symbiosis with the surrounding leyline and the land's vitality—forcibly removing it would likely cause the long-imprisoned leyline energy to instantly erupt in chaos, instead completely destroying this land or even triggering small-scale earth qi turbulence. It was like a malignant tumor growing deep into the viscera, intertwined with vital blood vessels and nerves; the surgical risk of removal was extremely high.

"Old man," Lin Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the old man who was still mechanically digging the soil. "Was something buried underground here? Not an ordinary object, maybe... something metallic, carrying blood qi, or with a peculiar shape? Before the incident, or shortly after?"

The old man's digging motion froze again. He looked up abruptly, his eyes revealing unbelievable shock for the first time: "You... how did you know?!" His voice trembled. "Yes... there was something! A black, palm-sized thing that looked like a rusted iron piece, or maybe a bone, with very sharp edges, as if it had broken off from something... it was buried right under where that old locust tree used to be!" He pointed to the edge of the hollow, where now only a small pit and some traces of rotten roots remained.

"At the time, that thing 'popped' out of the soil by itself, on the third morning after the incident, with the sharp end pointing up. It looked evil! I wanted to dig it up and throw it away, but as soon as I touched it, I felt dizzy and panicked. Later, I invited the village elder who was still alive at the time to take a look. The elder said it was an ominous object and moving it would bring disaster, telling us to bury it back surrounded by incense ash and sticky rice, and then transplant that old locust tree on top to suppress it... But ever since it was buried back, the land got worse by the day, and the locust tree didn't live for many years before it withered and died!" The old man's words carried the fear and regret he had suppressed for many years.

Lin Yuan walked to the edge of the pit, crouched down, and gently touched the soil at the edge. Even after many years, and even if that "iron piece" had been removed (or buried deeper), he could still feel a trace of residual, extremely faint cold, sharp, and predatory energy. It was identical to the feeling of the "energy nail"!

It seemed that the "iron piece" was the physical carrier or trigger for the "energy nail"! It had been "planted" here specifically to nail down the leyline of this herb garden and plunder its vitality for some ulterior purpose. The transplantation of the old locust tree might have briefly suppressed or interfered with it, but it could not reverse the situation.

"What happened to that thing later?" Lin Yuan asked.

"I don't know." The old man shook his head, his eyes vacant. "After the locust tree died, I wanted to dig it up and dispose of it completely, but I dug three feet down and found nothing... It was gone, or... it had burrowed deeper." A profound sense of helplessness appeared on his face. "Since then, I could only guard this 'dead land,' watching it grow cold bit by bit. I'm not resigned to this... This is the root passed down by my grandfather and my father..."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked: "The 'incident a dozen years ago' you mentioned, did it also have to do with this 'iron piece,' or with some... unusual people? For example, were there any strangers active in the vicinity during that time? Or did anything special happen in the mountains?"

The old man's body trembled noticeably, his lips quivered, and his eyes showed a struggle. Eventually, his sorrow for the land and the desire to be "understood" seemed to outweigh his fear. He slumped to the ground, holding his head, his voice choked with sobs:

"Yes... there was a group of people. Their clothes and appearance didn't look like locals, and their language was hard to understand. About a month before the incident, they wandered around the north side of Luoxia Mountain for a long time, claiming to be doing some 'geological survey'... Later, on the very night of the incident, someone saw strange red light flashing several times in the northern hollow, along with sounds that seemed like chanting or wailing... The next day, word spread that a strange mummy was found on the north slope, wearing the survey team's clothes, but... but all the flesh and blood seemed to have been drained, leaving only skin covering bones, with a terrifyingly twisted expression... The authorities came and sealed off the news, saying it was an accidental sudden death, but that group of people never appeared again..."

"After that... a few days later, my herb garden started acting strange, and then that iron piece popped out..." The old man looked up, tears streaming down his face. "I always feel... that it was that group of people who provoked something in the mountains, and the retribution... fell on those of us who make a living from the mountain..."

A survey team? A strange mummy? Red light? Lin Yuan connected these pieces of information with the "energy nail" and the "plundering of vitality." A vague but chilling hypothesis gradually took shape: That so-called "survey team" was likely Mr. Mo or his subordinates. They were conducting some evil ritual or experiment on the north side of Luoxia Mountain (possibly related to some material or environment needed to refine the "ten thousand infant banner"). The ritual went wrong or required a massive amount of vital energy, so they planted this "plundering nail" at the spiritual node of this southern herb garden, forcibly extracting the leyline's vitality to replenish themselves or suppress a backlash! That mummy was likely a sacrifice from the failed ritual or a victim of the backlash!

If this conjecture holds true, then this "Heartbroken Land" is a hidden piece of evidence of Mr. Mo's past crimes, and also an "energy supply point" for his evil arts system!

Although the "nail" here might be in a semi-abandoned state due to the passage of time or because Mr. Mo later shifted his focus, its very existence, along with its malicious connection to the leyline, remains a huge hidden danger.

It also contains... the opportunity to understand Mr. Mo's methods, and perhaps even trace his energy network in reverse!

"Old man," Lin Yuan's voice remained calm, yet carried a hint of determination, "this land might still be saved."

The old man jerked his head up, a look of disbelief erupting in his eyes: "Re...really?! You can save it?!"

"I cannot guarantee it," Lin Yuan said candidly.

"The 'root of the disease' underground is very deep and very toxic; forcing its removal carries too much risk."

"But I can try to first 'loosen its bonds' and 'alleviate its pain' to see if I can awaken a tiny bit of its own vitality."

He needed to verify his new insights and also needed to understand more characteristics of this "energy nail."

This would be a dangerous "clinical surgery."

"What do I need to do?!" The old man wanted to stand up in excitement.

"You don't need to do anything, just watch from the side and don't let anyone disturb us."

Lin Yuan signaled for him to be quiet.

"Also, if you see anything... unreasonable later, don't be afraid, and don't make a sound."

The old man nodded vigorously, his hands tightly clenched together, his murky eyes fixed intently on Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan returned to the center of the mountain hollow and sat cross-legged.

He did not attempt to directly touch or pull out the deeply buried "energy nail," but instead sank his consciousness once again into "Leyline Affinity" and the "Void God Spark."

This time, his goal was not "attack," but "communication" and "guidance."

He imagined his consciousness turning into countless pale golden light spots, finer and softer than spider silk, slowly penetrating downwards along the surface of the leyline energy's nearly solidified "ice layer."

He bypassed that cold, vicious "nail," attempting to make contact with the "Earth Spirit consciousness," or rather the "primal vitality," of this land itself, which had been imprisoned and suppressed for over a decade and was now so weak it was nearly extinguished.

At the same time, he integrated his insights from the "Authority of Order" regarding "clearing blockages" and "identifying potential energy," as well as his ideas from the concept of "Optimization" regarding "establishing a benign micro-circulation," into this communication.

This was an extremely slow process that required immense patience.

It was as if he were waking a patient who had fallen into the deepest coma and was bound by heavy chains; he could only use the gentlest fingertips to touch the patient's most delicate nerve endings, conveying thoughts of "understanding," "comfort," and "support."

Time passed bit by bit.

The mountain hollow was silent, with only the wind wailing through the withered branches.

The old man held his breath, his eyes unblinking.

Just when the old man was almost about to think that Lin Yuan had just sat down and fallen asleep—

Beneath Lin Yuan, on that gray, hardened patch of land, within an extremely small circle (about the size of a washbasin) centered on where he sat, the color of the soil seemed... to deepen ever so slightly.

It was not an obvious visual change, but a "feeling," as if that circle of land, from absolute silence, was struggling with great difficulty to reveal a hint of "moisture" so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Immediately following this, at the edge of that circle of soil, at the root of a piece of debris from an unknown, long-withered and blackened weed clinging to the ground, an extremely, extremely slow sprout of tender green, smaller than a needle tip and nearly transparent, emerged!

The sprout was so fragile, as if it could be blown away by a single breath, but it had truly appeared, struggling to produce a bit of new vitality on a body that had been dead for who knows how many years!

The old man quickly covered his mouth to keep from crying out.

His whole body trembled violently, tears streaming from his eyes and flowing freely down the deep wrinkles on his face.

It had been over a decade!

For the first time, he saw living green on this "dead land"!

Even if it was only as big as a needle tip!

Lin Yuan also sensed this subtle change.

A weak but pure thought of gratitude and longing, belonging to the land itself, flowed back along his connection of consciousness.

Although it was just a drop in the bucket, this proved that his approach was correct!

There was no need to violently destroy the "nail."

He could awaken the land's residual vitality, establish a local "energy micro-circulation," "moisten" and "soften" the imprisoned leyline bit by bit, gradually weaken the "nail's" influence, and perhaps even find an opportunity in the future to "transform" or "expel" it!

But he also immediately felt a wave of intense dizziness and weakness.

Performing such delicate mental operations while in the "Taixi" state consumed a huge amount of energy.

Moreover, merely awakening this tiny bit of vitality was already his current limit.

To truly "heal" this land, he would need more powerful strength, a longer duration, and perhaps he would also need to find the main body or control hub of that "nail."

He slowly withdrew his consciousness and opened his eyes; his face was even paler than before.

"Old man," his voice was a bit ethereal, "did you see? This land is not completely dead. It's just... been bound for too long and is too weak."

The old man fell to his knees with a thud and tried to kowtow to Lin Yuan: "Immortal! You are a living immortal! I beg you to save this land! Save this little hope for our old Zhou family!"

Lin Yuan hurriedly stepped aside to avoid it and reached out to support him: "Old man, get up! I am not an immortal, I just... know a few methods of regulation. The root of this land's disease is too deep to be cured in one go. I need time, and I also need some... special 'medicinal catalysts'."

He already had a plan in mind.

To completely solve the problem here, he might need to tackle it from two directions: first, continue to deepen his understanding of the "Void" path and "Optimization" to increase his strength; second, find the destination of the "nail's" energy and figure out exactly what Mr. Mo did here years ago, which might help him find the key to breaking or utilizing this "nail."

"Tell me! What medicinal catalysts do you need? I will smash my pots and sell my iron, go into the mountains to dig up extinct old herbs, and get them for you!" the old man said eagerly.

"It's not those." Lin Yuan shook his head and looked towards the southeast—the direction where the "nail" was drawing energy.

"Old man, what do you know about the direction beyond Luoxia Mountain to the southeast? Over a dozen years ago, or in recent years, have there been any special changes over there? For example, are there any newly built, rather strange buildings? Or have you heard any... strange rumors about 'earth qi' or 'feng shui'?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, frowning as he tried to recall: "To the southeast... once you leave Luoxia Mountain, the terrain flattens out, near the development zone... any special changes?"

He thought for a long time, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Ah! It seems there was! About seven or eight years ago, that piece of wasteland near the old riverbed to the southeast was bought by a big boss from out of town, who said he wanted to build some 'Ecological Cultural Park' and fenced off a large piece of land. But strangely, after fencing it off, there was no major activity; they just built a very high wall around it, and occasionally construction vehicles would go in and out, very mysterious. Some people nearby said that passing by outside that high wall at night sometimes felt very desolate and gave them the creeps... but some also said the boss believed in feng shui, and that the place was a setup arranged by a master to gather wealth and nurture health... I don't know if it's true or not."

Ecological Cultural Park? High wall? Mysterious? Gives people the creeps?

A small alarm bell rang in Lin Yuan's heart.

This description, combined with the "nail's" energy flow, made it hard not to make associations.

Could that be the "receiving point" or "storage station" where Mr. Mo plundered vitality back then? Or perhaps it was even one of his secret strongholds now?

"What is the name of that cultural park? What is the boss's name?" Lin Yuan pressed.

"The name... it seems to be called 'Summer Palace... Summer Palace something Park'? The boss's surname... is it Jia? Or Gu? I can't remember clearly, anyway, he is a mysterious person who rarely shows his face."

The old man tried hard to recall. "You ask this, is it related to the land's disease?"

"It might be related." Lin Yuan did not deny it.

"Old man, please keep today's events strictly confidential. Do not tell anyone, including the fact that I have been here. I will come to this land again in the future. Before I am ready, just keep watch as usual, and don't do anything special."

Although the old man was full of doubts, seeing that needle-tip of green, he already regarded Lin Yuan as a god, and nodded hurriedly: "I understand! I understand! Since the immortal has ordered it, I will definitely do as you say! I won't say a word even if I'm beaten to death!"

Lin Yuan nodded and glanced at the sky.

There were less than six hours left until "Taixi" expired.

He must return as soon as possible, or at least find a safe place to deactivate the technique.

"I'm leaving now. Take care."

He shouldered his backpack and prepared to leave.

"Immortal!" The old man called out to him, trembling as he took out a small package wrapped tightly in oil paper from his bosom and shoved it into Lin Yuan's hand.

"This is some ginseng whiskers from an old wild ginseng passed down by my grandfather; it's the best thing for sustaining life. I've hidden it for over ten years and couldn't bear to use it... Your complexion is poor, this... this is for you to nourish yourself!"

Looking at the old man's calloused, trembling, yet sincere hands, Lin Yuan did not refuse.

He took the small package and thanked him solemnly: "Thank you. These ginseng whiskers might really come in handy."

He turned and walked back into the desolate mountain forest.

Behind him, the old man knelt in place for a long time, looking at the needle-tip-like green sprout, crying and laughing, as if he had guarded a long, dark night for over a decade and finally saw a glimmer of dawn.

But in Lin Yuan's heart, it was even heavier.

The "Heartbroken Land" of Luoxia Mountain, the mysterious "Summer Palace" in the southeast, Mr. Mo's "ten thousand infant banner," and the soul seal and debts on himself...

The clues began to intertwine, pointing to a larger, darker network of conspiracy.

He touched the package of old ginseng whiskers in his bosom and sensed the state of his body, which was still enveloped by "Taixi."

Time was truly running out.

He had to return to the leyline ruins before "Taixi" expired, or... find a new fulcrum where he could temporarily stay safe and allow him to take further action.

The mountain wind wailed, and the forest waves sounded like a lament.

And he, like an unknown chess piece that had quietly fallen onto this huge chessboard, was using his own way to try to "optimize" this dead end that had long been filled with murderous intent.