dmims Chapter 107: Sudden Enlightenment: The Living Anchor, the Sinking Iron in Place
Chapter 107: Sudden Enlightenment: The Living Anchor, the Sinking Iron in Place
The lights on Huguosi Street were still flashing, and the gray mist shrank to the front of the pancake cart, the brown marks left by the scalding soup curling back along the ground.
Sister Zhou's car was leaning against the side of the road, and no one touched the little bell, but it kept ringing, making people feel depressed.
Cheng Xiaojin stood in the middle of the street, his hands wrapped in dry cloth, the dark blue color of which quickly seeped through.
Tang Wanqing tightened the knot of the cloth for him, and immediately withdrew her hand when her fingertips touched the base of his palm.
"Six out of ten won't last long; don't use it as a get-out-of-jail-free card."
Cheng Xiaojin looked down at her.
"Miss Tang, are you worried about me?"
"I'm afraid that if you die, no one will pay back the money for the red thread."
Tong Kexin squeezed over with a bowl of hot soup, her eyes still red.
"He still owes me a pot of braised pork while I'm in line."
Tieguai Li dragged over half a chain and threw it on the ground.
"And my wages."
Zhou Banxian gestured with his compass next to the well cover, so angry that his beard stood on end.
"At this hour, you're still holding a creditors' meeting?"
Cheng Xiaojin didn't dare take the bowl, but only leaned over and took a sip. The hot steam hit her face, but her lips were still bloodless.
Tong Kexin stared at him.
Is it hot?
Cheng Xiaojin shook his head.
"It smells amazing, the best pot of Huguo Temple. Even people in Yincheng would have to take a number and wait in line just to smell it."
Stop joking with me.
Tong Kexin handed the bowl to the older woman next to her and turned to stir the fire at the bottom of the braised pot.
Grandpa Ma squatted beside the manhole cover, his enamel teacup tapping against the edge of the well.
"Little Jin, are you going to land here?"
Cheng Xiaojin touched the manhole cover with the tip of his shoe.
"The pit at the bottom of the whole city is missing thirty steps; this can fill the gap."
Zhou Banxian looked up and started cursing.
"Nonsense! Zhenhai Iron has its own stakes, but the old pits in Mancheng are the iron bones. If you put it into the well of Huguo Temple, the whole formation will be misidentified."
"Who said the site was changed?"
Cheng Xiaojin squatted down and wiped away the frost on the manhole cover with his sleeve.
"At the sinking point, the iron is returned to the third stake, but it is only to let it recognize the living street above first."
Tang Wanqing pressed three copper coins down on the edge of the well, and the edges of the coins immediately turned black.
"The soil here is shallow, there are many people, and the energy flow is chaotic. The Zhenhai Iron Suppression is unstable, and the backlash will first affect the living."
Tieguai Li placed his prosthetic leg against the well.
"Little Jinzi, this thing is harder to take care of than my leg. It almost chewed up both your hands in Mancheng just now."
Cheng Xiaojin did not answer.
The stew pot was still steaming, the pancake stall's small stove was being straightened, Aunt Liu was holding an iron basin, Aunt Zhang was holding a pot lid, and they were still cursing Yin Cheng for stealing their stall without paying.
These people looked terrified, but none of them left.
Cheng Xiaojin said, "The whole city is deserted."
Zhou Banxian glared at him, "Array formations are about location, not appearance."
Cheng Xiaojin raised his hand wrapped in cloth, pointed to the braised pot, the pancake cart, and then to the windows lit up on both sides of the street.
"The pot is hot, it's spread out, and people are still cursing. If you measure thirty steps up from the ground, that's all you'll find."
The wrinkles on Master Ma's face deepened.
The compass needle wobbled between three and seven, eventually leaning towards three.
Tang Wanqing stared at the black gas at the wellhead.
"Living anchor point".
Cheng Xiaojin responded.
"If the nine stakes are only supposed to be located in wasteland, why were they specifically buried under a residential area?"
"Iron suppresses water, and utensils suppress old energy. The last bit of strength that keeps Yin City in check is the people above who cook, argue, buy groceries, and haggle every day."
Tong Kexin turned around.
"So, this braised dish really works?"
"able."
Tong Kexin sniffed.
"Then the price will go up."
Cheng Xiaojin's expression changed.
"That's a separate matter."
Aunt Liu clamped the iron basin tightly.
"Xiao Cheng, you tell us what to do, and the aunties will listen to you."
Aunt Zhang swung the pot lid.
"I'll curse until my throat is hoarse, as long as I can get Sister Zhou back."
Cheng Xiaojin looked at the pancake cart, where half a block of frozen batter was still hanging on the handle.
"First stabilize the situation, then find people."
He turned to Tieguai Li.
"Brother Li, pry open the manhole cover."
"You should have said so earlier, it's a perfect match for my major."
Tieguai Li took out a wrench, inserted it into the gap of the manhole cover, pressed down with his waist, and the manhole cover flipped open halfway.
Cold steam rose upwards, covering several nearby plastic stools with frost.
Zhou Banxian placed the compass at the wellhead, and the needle rotated twice, pressing down to the number three.
"The third break in the true passage."
A low gurgling sound came from the well, like someone dragging a door latch underground.
Tang Wanqing laid out the copper coins along the edge of the well, threaded them with red thread, and smoke rose as soon as the thread touched the well opening.
"I'll press the door open first."
Cheng Xiaojin stopped her.
"Don't crush him."
"What do you mean?"
"Let it know there are people up there."
Tang Wanqing stared at him for a long time, then took back half of the copper coins, leaving only three to press against the edge of the well.
"You're starting to look more and more like your dad today."
Cheng Xiaojin's smugness faded somewhat.
"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
A cold draft blew up from the wellhead, and Master Ma said, "It might not be a good thing for you."
Cheng Xiaojin didn't chase after them, but called out to Tong Kexin, "Kexin, tell everyone to start cooking."
Tong Kexin was stunned.
"Now?"
"Now."
She shouted at the top of her lungs to both sides of the alley: "Everyone, light your stoves, put pots on the stoves, add oil if you have it, boil water if you don't have any vegetables, don't skimp on gas, or you'll have to pay Cheng Xiaojin!"
Cheng Xiaojin's face turned green.
"Why are you blaming me again?"
Tong Kexin pointed at him with an iron spoon.
"You said it needs to be popular."
Cheng Xiaojin gritted his teeth.
"Alright, the revolutionary expenses will be put on the tab first. All of you neighbors are witnesses. Yincheng will reimburse you."
Huguosi Street has really moved.
The braising pot boils again, the small stove is lit, the sauce pot is brought out, the stir-fried cabbage is put into the pot, and the kettle is bubbling.
As the lights on both sides of the alley came on, an old man stood in the doorway wearing a coat, while a child was held in an adult's arms and craned his neck to look out at the street.
The smell of cooking oil, the fumes, the curses, and the clatter of pots pressed down on the center of the street.
The gray fog receded by half a foot.
The Zhenhai Iron in the wooden box made a sound.
Cheng Xiaojin tilted his head, completely concealing his usual nonchalant attitude.
"Lift the iron."
Tieguai Li gritted his back teeth.
Are you sure?
"Sure."
Master Ma said, "Little Jin, you've made a mistake; there's no way to fix it."
Cheng Xiaojin turned his head.
"Master Ma, the city has already exhausted all the remedies."
The street corner quieted down.
"lift."
Tieguai Li and his cousin Zhou Jie lifted the quilt and dragged Zhenhai Tie out of the wooden box.
As soon as the iron body was removed from the box, the street temperature dropped, and the flames of the pots and pans recently died down.
Tang Wanqing draped the red thread over the iron surface; a section of the thread had turned black, so she gritted her teeth and stopped.
"quick."
Cheng Xiaojin arrived at the well, standing a foot away from the iron body, his hand wrapped in dry cloth dangling in mid-air.
He didn't touch the iron.
A deep dragon's roar came from the iron face, black steam billowed out of the well, and two of the small stoves that had just been lit went out.
The crowd became chaotic.
Aunt Liu was holding the basin and backing away when Aunt Zhang grabbed her.
"Refund what? They haven't even paid the stall fee!"
Tong Kexin picked up an iron ladle and banged it against the braising pot, causing the flames to leap up again.
"You haven't been allowed up to Huguosi Street yet!"
The older women joined in, banging on pots and pans, the sound of them rattling, and a chorus of curses filling the air.
Cheng Xiaoqian was sweating profusely, and his voice was hoarse.
"Don't push. You're surrounded by water and people. We're letting you go home today."
The dragon's roar from Zhenhai Iron subsided.
Zhou Banxian stared at the iron body.
"Damn it, she's really listening to advice?"
Cheng Xiaojin took a breath.
"It listens to this street."
Tong Kexin stood by the pot, pointing the iron ladle at the well opening.
"Did you hear me? You're being told to get off at Huguosi Street!"
"Get down!"
People all over the street shouted along.
Tieguai Li roared, "One, two, three, sink!"
The Zhenhai Iron slid diagonally down the wellhead, and when its body touched the water vapor, a dragon's roar came from inside the well.
The windowpanes rattled, and bubbles rose in the soup pot.
There was no rebound.
No top brace.
The Zhenhai Railway sank down, like an old object touching its own doorstep.
Cheng Xiaojin pressed down with his suspended hand, drawing in the iron energy from a distance of one foot.
The metallic aura emanated from the edge of the dry cloth, and the blue thread climbed an inch up along the wrist before being pushed back half an inch by the heat of the street.
The sound of water at the bottom of the well was separated.
Zhou Banxian stared at the compass needle.
"The three beads are secure."
Tang Wanqing put away the red thread, and stuck a few copper coins on the edge of the well, preventing it from turning black again.
"Iron Demon didn't break out."
Master Ma stood beside the well.
Cheng Xiaojin closed his eyes.
Wet bricks, oil lamp, iron shovel scraping through the brick seams.
The younger Cheng Shouyi squatted in the lamplight and added half a line of text next to the vertical hook.
This time, Cheng Xiaojin saw things clearly.
Thirty steps in the human world.
He opened his eyes, his throat dry.
"arrive."
The sound of a bolt closing came from deep within the well.
Click.
The gray fog collapsed back to the ground, the shadowy alley receded inward, and the outline of the blue bricks disappeared beneath the asphalt road.
The pancake cart wobbled, and the wheels hit the ground.
No one was talking on the street.
Sister Zhou did not return.
Only a cracked bowl of batter rolled out from the very edge of the gray fog and stopped at Tong Kexin's feet.
Tong Kexin squatted down, hugged the basin to her arms, and didn't let go even though the cracked skin on her wrist was digging into it.
Cheng Xiaojin stared at the basin for a while before speaking.
"She still owes us a rebate."
Aunt Liu turned her face away and wiped her sleeves.
Aunt Zhang couldn't curse anymore; the pot lid hung limply beside her.
The cold air at the wellhead had mostly dissipated, and the Zhenhai Iron had settled at the bottom, with the sound of water becoming calm.
Master Ma stood by the well, the tea at his feet already cold.
"Your father probably saw this too."
Cheng Xiaojin turned around.
"Master Ma, can you speak now?"
Master Ma stared at the well opening for a long time without moving.
The teacup lid slipped from his hand, hit the edge of the well, and rolled to Cheng Xiaojin's feet.
"Go back and soak your hands first."
Cheng Xiaojin did not bend down to pick it up.
"What happens after you finish soaking?"
Master Ma's throat bobbed.
"After you've finished soaking," I said.