Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Is there nothing going on at home recently?" Xu Damao sat opposite him, his tone calm, but he seemed to inadvertently reveal a sense of vigilance. Li Xiangqian knew that this old man was the kind of person who saw through people's hearts. He didn't say much, but every word revealed a kind of wisdom that came from going through vicissitudes of life.

"Nothing." Li Xiangqian frowned and forced a smile. "I've just been troubled recently. I thought since you're older and more knowledgeable, could you give me some pointers?"

Xu Damao nodded slightly, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "Tell me, what's bothering you?"

Li Xiangqian was silent for a while, his inner anxiety and doubts intertwined into a surge of emotions, and he finally couldn't suppress it. He said, "I always feel something is wrong with my land recently. When I was turning the soil yesterday, I found some hard objects in the soil, like stones, but not like stones. There were some strange symbols on them, and they felt a little vibrating when touched." He paused, staring at Xu Damao, "Uncle Xu, didn't you always say that there are some unknown things about this land? Can you tell me what is going on?"

Xu Damao's eyes became deep and he was silent for a long time. He lowered his head, as if he was thinking about something, or as if he was recalling something long ago. After a moment, he raised his head and slowly said, "You really did not choose the wrong person. This land is indeed a little unusual. Many years ago, something you could not imagine happened here. At that time, I was still a young man, and I heard from my parents that they often saw some strange signs on this land. At that time, many people did not know that this land seemed to be buried with some unknown secrets."

Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat and he quickly moved closer. "What's the secret?"

Xu Damao raised his eyelids and glanced at Li Xiangqian with a trace of worry in his eyes. "I heard from my father that some people paid a huge price to get the secret of this land. Some people tried to dig up the things buried underground, but they all ended up badly in the end. Ask whatever you want to ask, but I advise you not to touch that land easily."

Li Xiangqian felt more and more depressed, as if something was approaching quietly. He was silent for a moment, suppressing the shock in his heart, and asked in a low voice: "Do you know what those symbols are?"

Xu Damao looked at the sky outside the window and whispered, "The symbols are ancient totems, representing some kind of ancient power, and are closely related to the mysterious power of the land. It is said that this land was once a place for sacrifice, specifically used to house some... unknown things. My father has only heard some rumors about these symbols, and I don't know what is going on. But I know that the closer people are to the truth, the more dangerous they are."

Li Xiangqian was horrified, but his doubts did not diminish. Instead, they deepened. He tried to suppress his fear and continued to ask, "What should we do now? Is this land really out of our control?"

Xu Damao was silent for a moment, his face gradually becoming serious. He lowered his head, as if weighing whether to say more, "If you really want to know, I can tell you something. But..." He paused, his eyes complicated, "You must be prepared. Many people, once they know these secrets, can never turn back."

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat quickened, realizing that he seemed to have touched the edge of a taboo. He took a deep breath and said, almost gritting his teeth, "I'm ready."

Xu Damao was silent again for a moment, then whispered: "Okay, since you insist on knowing, then I will tell you. In fact, the so-called 'unknown secret' is not just the strange nature of this land. It has something deeper. Those symbols are the marks of some ancient power, and this land was once the center of a ritual. These rituals are closely related to some supernatural powers..."

Li Xiangqian's eyes suddenly widened, and he was almost suffocated by this sentence. He couldn't help but interrupt Xu Damao, "Supernatural power? Are you saying that this land has been used for some kind of sacrifice?"

Xu Damao nodded, with a complicated look in his eyes. "Yes, but that is not an ordinary sacrifice. It is to appease the power of those ancient beings and prevent them from being awakened. Those powers are not something that we humans can understand. Many people have tried to interfere with them, but none of them ended well."

Li Xiangqian's mind was in a mess, and the fear in his heart became stronger. Sacrifice, ancient power, supernatural... These words seemed to open up a huge mystery, and he was deeply trapped in it and couldn't extricate himself.

Li Xiangqian's thoughts seemed to be pulled by a powerful force, and he fell into chaos. He sat there, and Xu Damao's words seemed like an invisible chain, tightly binding every nerve in his heart. Sacrifice, ancient power, all of this sounded like a strange legend from a distant myth. But the intuition in his heart told him that this was not groundless, and there must be some unspeakable truth behind it.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. The air in the room was a little dull. Xu Damao still sat there with his head down, his eyes revealing a complex emotion. Li Xiangqian felt the hidden warning in the silence, as if every second of silence was forcing him to make a choice, and this choice was destined to change his life.

"Uncle Xu," Li Xiangqian finally spoke, his voice low and slightly trembling, "I know what you mean by these words, and I know that the road ahead will not be easy. But..." He paused, his mind entangled with complex emotions and doubts, "I don't know what to do now. Really, I can understand your concerns, but if I give up all this, does it mean that I will get nothing? And if I continue..." He paused, as if weighing his words, "If I continue, I may never be able to turn back."

Xu Damao's eyes became deeper, as if he saw through Li Xiangqian's inner struggle. "You know in your heart that if you choose to continue, you may never be able to get out. You will be drawn to this land, and you may not even know why you live." He spoke slowly, and every word seemed like a warning from the bottom of his heart.

Li Xiangqian lowered his head, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the yellowed newspaper on the table, but his mind was still running fast. He knew that Xu Damao was right. Over the years, he had seen incredible things that were far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. If he really uncovered the secrets behind this land, he didn't know what he would face. Perhaps this would be an endless abyss that would swallow up all his reason and courage.