Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

March 25, Saturday.

Yan Yu climbed out of bed and calmly glanced at the alarm on his cellphone.

On his reminder list were the words "Qiantang River Tide".

He silently got dressed, ready to head out, when he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen on the bed ask:

"Today is Saturday, don't you have to... you know, do homework?"

Yan Yu was inwardly shocked. This Demonic Sect Enchantress had been here for only three days and now she even knew about "weekends off"! Smarter than many private company bosses!

"Master asked me to go out for an errand," he said, putting on his shoes at the entrance without turning back.

"Can I come with you?" Zhao Yuanzhen's eyes lit up.

"Aren't you afraid of Mei Yingxue?" Yan Yu turned and asked with a smirk.

Mentioning Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, sulkily saying:

"Then... then you must come back early."

Yan Yu sneered, but didn't expose the enchantress's insincerity, and took the subway straight out.

He was going to watch the tide on the Qiantang River.

On the original timeline, that is on March 25 this year, something ridiculous happened:

Two tourists from Chongying Country fell into the water while watching the tide on the Qiantang River and were saved by a local patrol organization after half an hour. Later, this incident was highlighted as a commendable case on the news program "2727 Silver Eye".

It was only at the beginning of May, when a completely different tide on the Qiantang River revealed the submerged layer tower beneath, that the authorities realized that those two "Chongying tourists" were actually civilian onmyojis who had come from afar because they found some information in ancient texts and aimed to steal treasures from the Mysterious Realm.

These people sneaked into the Mysterious Realm beneath the tides, took the treasures, and just as they surfaced and prepared to forcefully resist the approaching river patrols, they were mistaken for drowning foreign tourists and saved. They were taken to the hospital and received meticulous care, even their medical expenses were reimbursed through public funds... What can I say?

Apart from "we have always been warm and hospitable to foreigners," there doesn't seem to be anything else to say.

If you ask Yan Yu for an opinion, these foreign visitors have come a long way to explore the underwater historical attractions, and you patrol on boats and rashly fish them out, that's just impolite—You should have let them admire the underwater scenery as long as they wanted, consistent with our national tradition of warm hospitality!

It's up to me to uphold our international image!

The carriage of Line 5 subway was packed, and Yan Yu, unable to find a seat, could only hold onto a handrail while skillfully pulling out his cellphone to read a novel.

Change to Line 2, then to Line 9, followed by the intercity railway and finally bus Route 332, the journey taking nearly 3 hours. By the time he arrived at Haiping Tidal Viewing Park, it was already 12 p.m.

In a nearby Xichuan ramen shop, he ordered a bowl of beef noodles for 18 yuan, topped with only a few beef slices thin as cicada wings. The chef's knife skills were truly astonishing. When slicing the meat, it's probable that the cow didn't even feel it, and a patch could easily cover the cut.

Yan Yu devoured the noodles in short order, feeling a blazing spirit of combat kindling in his heart.

I spent a whole morning and even endured a frustrating lunch; if I don't ensure you stay submerged and are treated generously, I'll slap my own face three times when I get back!

Upon reaching Tidal Viewing Park, Yan Yu leaned against the railing with arms folded, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm and hospitality, eying every passerby as if they were Chongying tourists.

Still, his gaze couldn't discern nationalities. Only around 1 p.m. did the tide of the Qiantang River begin to surge violently.

Not far away, two Chongying tourists, wearing sun hats and carrying large backpacks, were also observing the mighty river tides and spoke to each other in whispers using Chongying Language:

"Tanaka-san, how much longer do we have to wait?"

"Don't be impatient, Oishi-san. According to the records left by my ancestors, we must wait until the third quarter of the noon hour for the Qiantang tidal bore to split and reveal the submerged pagoda beneath."

"Are you sure there's no mistake in those records?"

"Of course, these records have been passed down in my family for generations, and their written date can be traced back to the post-Nara period. It was precisely when a great many wokou were rampant in China, and my family even has celadon looted from China!"

Tanaka Taichi stared at the surging tides and continued,

"It's said that during my ancestors' last raid from the mouth of the Qiantang River at the third quarter of the noon hour, the waters suddenly parted, revealing the inverted pagoda within the tide, startling everyone into hurriedly turning their ships.

It was only later discovered to be one of the twin pagodas specially constructed by the monks at the behest of the King of Wuyue, Qian Chu, to suppress the tides. 'The Liuhe Pagoda on land, the Liuhe Pagoda submerged beneath the tides'—this one beneath the waters is the very core of the formation suppressing the tides!"

After a moment of silence, Oishi Mochio spoke,

"The Age of Dharma Decline has continued to this day, and the Liuhe Pagoda by West Lake has long been empty. What makes you so sure, Tanaka-san, that the treasures in the submerged Liuhe Pagoda have not been pilfered by the ancients of Lu Country in advance?"

"Even if someone had taken them beforehand, you and I would merely have wasted our time and effort, without any substantial loss," Tanaka Taichi was dismissive. "But if the treasures are still there, and considering that Lu Country is still unaware of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, you and I are very likely to get them past customs unnoticed and back to our country!

Endless fame and fortune will naturally follow!"

"...That's true; in that case, I'll take this gamble with you. May the great Amaterasu in the heavens bear witness and bestow good fortune upon me!"

Oishi Mochio clapped his hands lightly three times and closed his eyes to call softly upon the name of Amaterasu.

The third quarter of the noon hour arrived in a flash, and the Qiantang tide grew even more turbulent. The waters, white as a bolt of silk and bright as frosty snow, suddenly parted and scrubbed the banks on both sides, revealing the murky outline of a stone structure in the middle.

Now's the time! Their eyes gleamed as they quickly climbed over the railing. Under the terrified gazes of the surrounding tourists, they jumped into the water.

Two hundred meters away, Yan Yu's gaze sharply locked onto the two men.

I've found you!

He too vaulted the railing and plunged into the water.

————————

Though the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was a global phenomenon, the order in which it occurred was not the same everywhere.

According to retrospective research by future generations, it seems to be related to the memetic cognition of traditional culture—in simple terms, the more intense the traditional historical and cultural atmosphere of a society, the more rapid the advent of Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

In a certain sense, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence itself could be considered driven by idealism.

Lu Country had actually been exposed to the concept of Spiritual Energy Resurgence quite early on, due to Mei Yingxue's arrival, but for various reasons—such as 'a big ship is hard to turn around,' 'a child does not speak of wild and supernatural things,' 'hope this isn't another qigong fad,' and so on—the response was actually half a beat too slow.

The act of treasure-thieving by Chongying Country undoubtedly delivered a heavy blow to the still-confused upper echelons, akin to the attack on Pearl Harbor, swiftly silencing the voices of dissent.

However, even if this incident held positive significance, Yan Yu had no intention of allowing it to happen.

It was for a simple reason: the treasure concealed within the Liuhe Pagoda at the riverbed, used by the ancient King of Wuyue to suppress the Qiantang tides, was known as the "Tianhe Stabilizing Divine Heavy Iron," cast during the time of Yu the Great's efforts in flood control.

If this object were stolen by Chongying's Onmyoji, within a few years, the ferocity of the Qiantang tides would rapidly increase. Not only would Haiping County bear the brunt of it, but the entire Jiangnan textile plain would be threatened, eventually forcing the construction of a large sea barrier to barely preserve the Jiangnan textile plain.

Yan Yu rapidly descended through the water, his gaze fixed on the two figures struggling to swim toward the inverted tower, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile.

Our international friends, please hold your steps for a moment, and let me extend the hospitality of a host!