"I gently tapped the main *ding* and said, 'Old Liu, Zhao Zhuang, do you have any other clues about the Nine *Ding* in your village?'

The reason I had Zhao Zhuang navigate according to the direction of the seven ancient trees on the river was because I deduced that the ancient trees were imitating some kind of formation.

In the art of *Shu*, no formation is a dead object. Even things that seem fixed, such as formations composed of stones or trees, have a flow of *qi*. Those seven ancient trees, however, were dead objects. My deduction at the time was that the Seven Stars Formation only imitated the form of some kind of formation, without actually moving the entire formation to the village.

When the warship emerged from the water, half of the river was turned upside down, but one area of water remained unusually calm. I visually estimated the location of that area. The distance from there to the water pocket was about the same as the distance from Fish Basket Village. I could also see the flow of terrestrial *qi* between the waves. That's why I made the judgment to navigate according to the direction of the seven ancient trees.

None of my initial judgments were wrong, so why was I blocked here at the entrance of the underground palace?

Zhao Zhuang hesitated and said, 'I heard that when the trees were planted, something seemed to have been buried under them. However, no one has ever said exactly what was buried.'

Old Liu also said, 'We have a rule in our village: we can't enter the underground waterways. As for why, no one has ever said.'

I looked at the main *ding*, lowered my head, and pondered for a long time. 'Now, we need to take a gamble. If we win, we enter the underground palace. If we lose, we won't even be able to get out. Are you willing to gamble?'

Old Liu gritted his teeth and said, 'We've come this far. What's there to be afraid of? Mr. Li, go ahead!'

I drew my knife, raised my hand, and slashed at the main *ding*. The nearly inch-thick body of the *ding* was torn apart on the spot by the two divine weapons as if it were paper. The main *ding*, broken into three pieces, scattered on the ground, but there was no change in the underground palace.

Old Liu waited for a long time before saying, 'Mr. Li, did we bet wrong?'

I shook my head and said, 'I don't know either. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe we'll see the result soon.'

A moment later, the river water behind me suddenly surged, and layers of water spread towards the steps at an alarming rate. In no time, it had reached my feet.

As the four of us retreated, we passed the location where the main *ding* had been broken and were forced by the current to the end of the steps.

Just after I crossed the main *ding*, I felt a chilling pressure rolling towards me from the steps, as if a prehistoric beast was guarding the end of the steps, waiting for us to approach.

Old Liu was the first to succumb to the pressure. 'Mr. Li, let's not go up for now. There seems to be something up there.' Old Liu would rather go into the water than climb the steps again.

'Keep going! Until the water can't catch us.' As I desperately resisted the pressure above and continued to advance, Zhao Zhuang suddenly shouted, 'That fish is catching up!'

When I turned back, I saw the black fish revealing its dorsal fin and horns from the water. The black fish, which had rushed in from outside, floated to the surface but didn't make any further movements, as if waiting for an opportunity or waiting for orders.

'We bet right!' I straightened my back and raised my voice. 'Friends in the underground palace, won't you come out and meet us?'

Soon after I spoke, I saw a woman in formal dress with a pale face appear on the stone steps by the water—the water ghost I had been tracking.

The water ghost gently stroked the black fish's horns. 'I told you to listen to me, but you wouldn't. How else would you be so badly injured?'

The black fish trembled slightly, as if expressing its grievances.

The water ghost comforted the black fish softly for a few words before standing up and saying, 'You, surnamed Li, do you know what you've done?'

I said with a smile that wasn't a smile, 'All I've done is trap us in the underground palace. I can't get out, and neither can you. Am I right?'

'You...' The water ghost gritted her teeth and said, 'If you don't want to live, have you ever thought about the lives of the people in Fish Basket Village?'

I replied, 'I've trapped you in the underground palace, preventing you from causing trouble. How can the people of Fish Basket Village die? Actually, I'm also very curious about your current attitude. You're about to die here yourself, and you still have the mind to care about the lives of others?'

The water ghost suddenly laughed. 'I'm not worried about myself because I have a backup plan. I can come and go as I please in this place. What about you?'

I stared at the water ghost and said, 'You should still be able to get out of this place, but it will be impossible to come back in.'

I said in a deep voice, 'The eight ghost *ding* have returned to their positions, and the formation that seals the underground palace has been activated again. This time, there is no Guardian Water Camp sacrificing their lives to retrieve the *ding*. After you go out, can you still come in?'

The water ghost was slightly stunned and said, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

I chuckled softly, 'It doesn't matter if you don't know what I'm talking about. I can slowly explain it to you. However, this time and place don't seem like the proper way to treat guests! Aren't you planning to find a place for us to sit down and talk slowly?'

The water ghost's eyes turned red. 'You're thinking too beautifully.'

I gently shook a finger. 'It's not that I'm thinking too beautifully, but that you have to do it!'"