Chapter 25

Wu Yinyu removed the Red String, took out the Prophetic Diagram from the box, and slowly unrolled it.

But it was obvious—the scroll indeed bore no traces whatsoever, certainly not the ink marks she had imagined.

How could there be nothing? She had clearly heard Lu Beicheng say the diagram was covered.

Or… had there been traces originally, but they had quickly dissipated?

“Well?” Lu Dongqing was dizzy and disoriented, on the verge of collapse.

“I’m sorry,” Wu Yinyu shook her head, carefully placed the diagram back, and returned it.

Feng Pengqi, who was nearby, reached out and took it from her. He mimicked her actions exactly, opening it for inspection, only to find nothing as well.

“It’s fine,” Lu Dongqing’s face was ashen. Having lost two grandsons in succession, he hadn’t been able to sleep at night or rest during the day for the past two days. He looked as if he, too, had one foot on the path to the underworld.

Now that the prophecy had gone awry, and his second grandson, who had just returned, was bleeding from the eyes, he was even more anxious and terrified.

Wu Yinyu folded her arms. That mass of Ink Qi was stranger than she thought. If it could influence the Diagram, it must be powerful enough to render everyone speechless with terror.

Feng Pengqi felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. His body swayed violently. If someone nearby hadn’t stepped forward to support him, he would have collapsed to the ground.

“I still believe Sansheng and Yiqi aren’t gone,” Lu Dongqing said, his voice trembling. He looked around and added, “Since the Diagram states Sansheng is neither alive nor dead, doesn’t that mean he is trapped between the Yin and Yang Realms? I believe Yiqi and Qingshuang must be the same.”

“I hope you’re right,” Feng Pengqi was utterly out of options. He looked up sharply, his eyes bloodshot. “Do you have any other ideas?”

“I…” Lu Dongqing was silent for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. His face pale, he said, “I want to use the Ancient Method to find where they are. If we can get a clue, everything will certainly become clearer.”

Many ancient methods exist in this world for finding people and lost souls. There are ingenious techniques that walk the razor’s edge, and forbidden sorceries that were long ago outlawed.

But Wu Yinyu couldn’t fathom—if even the Prophetic Diagram was powerless, what method could possibly yield a clue?

She lowered her eyes, deep in thought. Standing beside Lu Dongqing and Feng Pengqi, she didn’t seem immature; instead, she appeared remarkably seasoned. After a moment, she probed, “What Ancient Method does Elder Lu intend to use? One unheard of by other families?”

Feng Pengqi’s cloudy eyes widened slightly. Suppressing his voice, he asked fearfully, “Lu Dongqing, you’re not thinking of Fate Altering Spirit Writing, are you?”

Clearly, Lu Dongqing’s plan had been guessed. He sighed heavily and admitted outright, “I have no other choice. I’m an old man anyway. But how old are Yiqi and Sansheng? How old is Qingshuang? That ancient method is prone to causing chaos, true, but what if it succeeds? If it succeeds, it means trading my life for their three lives. Can you tell me that isn’t worth it?”

His voice gradually rose. He suddenly lifted his cane and struck the ground forcefully with it.

There were still many people from other families in the courtyard. Hearing the commotion, they turned their heads, wondering why Elder Lu was suddenly so furious.

Feng Pengqi froze. He was also seventy or eighty years old, half his body already in the grave. How could he say it wasn’t worth it?

Wu Yinyu knew of that Spirit-Writing Method. It was different from what circulated outside. Outsiders saw Planchette Divination simply as invoking a spirit or god to possess a person, speaking through their body.

The reason no one in Five Gates used this method anymore was that the entity possessing would be fierce and malevolent, never virtuous. After the matter was done, sending them away inevitably meant destroying oneself. Otherwise, not only would the entity use that body to commit evil, but in the end, both body and soul would be annihilated.

Lu Dongqing slowly exhaled. Temporarily steadying his mind, he continued, “I truly am out of options. This incident is too strange. If left unresolved, more people will inevitably disappear. I… don’t wish for Five Gates to face such a catastrophe.”

There was some truth to this. First, Lu Sansheng, then Lu Yiqi and Feng Qingshuang. Who knew who would be next?

“I am afraid too,” Feng Pengqi leaned heavily on the person supporting him, shaking his head. “The Feng family still has two young ones who haven’t come of age.” As he spoke, he cast a glance towards the little girl clinging to Yu Zezhi’s side.

Lu Dongqing was exhausted. His hand gripping the cane, veins bulging, his feet trembling, he stepped back several paces and collapsed into a chair.

While the two elders spoke, Wu Yinyu secretly scanned the surroundings, trying to find any trace of that Ink Qi.

Unfortunately, it remained hidden.

The two disciples carried their master out of the house, chair and all, like a sedan chair.

The man seated in the chair still had blood dripping from his sole. Carried along the path, he left a trail of blood.

“Old Mr. Lu,” the man said weakly.

Lu Dongqing turned his head, about to stand, but the man waved his hand. “Old Mr. Lu, please remain seated. I can’t stand up now; how could I let you rise to greet me?”

The two disciples quickly set the chair down and stood silently behind it.

“I truly involved you this time,” Lu Dongqing felt guilty. He turned his head and beckoned an older hired hand, giving him a few quiet instructions.

The man, barefoot and bare-chested, yet sweating profusely in what should have been a cool early spring day—it was likely cold sweat from pain.

He shook his head. “Old Mr. Lu, what are you saying? The regret should be mine. It is I who am lacking in skill, unable to help you find your grandson.”

“This was something none of us could have anticipated,” Lu Dongqing’s face was full of bitterness. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “May I ask, little master, did you see anything unusual when climbing the Mountain of Blades?”

“Unusual…” The man pondered for a moment, his expression gradually turning grim. The cold sweat on his forehead seemed to multiply.

Seeing this, Lu Dongqing knew something was indeed off. He pressed, “What kind?”

The man gripped the chair’s armrests tightly. As his senses returned, his gaze steadied. Streaming with cold sweat, he said, “Pitch blackness, as if black clouds blotted out the sky and covered the earth. No exit in any direction. I couldn’t advance, couldn’t retreat. Just as Second Young Master stopped chanting, I happened to return from my spirit wandering in the Grand Void.”

Black clouds?

Wu Yinyu scoffed internally. Probably not black clouds, but Ink Qi. She shot a glance at Yu Zezhi, then subtly slanted her eyes towards the gate. She wasn’t sure if Yu Zezhi understood her hint.

Yu Zezhi coolly met Wu Yinyu’s gaze. Turning to Lu Dongqing, she said, “Elder Lu, regarding your intention to use the Ancient Method, the Yu family dares not agree. But if it must be used, why not let us younger ones handle it? Should the entity summoned by Spirit Writing prove truly troublesome, we still have the strength to counter it.”

Wu Yinyu twirled the Smoking Pipe in her hand, listening with disinterest. She was clearly trying to signal Yu Zezhi to find an excuse to leave.

But she couldn’t blame Yu Zezhi for not getting her hint; after all, they weren’t that familiar.

Though, she was rather curious—how could someone who appeared so cold and detached be so articulate?

Lu Dongqing naturally refused Yu Zezhi’s goodwill. He sat up straighter. “This matter will not drag you young ones in further. Speak no more of the Ancient Method.”

Yu Zezhi nodded. Looking down at the top of Yu Suhan’s head, she said calmly, “Bringing Suhan here was a lack of consideration on my part. She seems to have been frightened. It’s not appropriate for us to linger at the Lu Residence, so we must take our leave now.”

As she spoke, the hand pressing on Yu Suhan’s shoulder lifted, and she gently nudged the girl’s back.

The little girl clutching the bunny sniffled, her eyes reddening instantly. In a moment, she looked on the verge of tears.

Wu Yinyu saw that small action of Yu Zezhi’s very clearly. So she had understood the hint.

The Lu family hadn’t had a child this young in a long time. Lu Dongqing’s heart softened at the sight and quickly said, “Don’t bring Suhan here again next time. Children’s souls are unstable; they get sick easily when frightened. But this can’t be blamed on you. After all, Yu Xiangge and… ah, let’s not speak of this. Quickly, take Suhan home.”

Yu Zezhi nodded in agreement and said politely, “Thank you for your understanding, Elder Lu.”

She bowed slightly and led Yu Suhan out, but not before casting an extremely faint glance at Wu Yinyu.

Wu Yinyu raised an eyebrow.

Lu Dongqing waved his hand wearily. “Yinyu, you go back too. Old Feng and I will discuss further.”

“Then I shall take my leave,” Wu Yinyu nodded.

Leaving the Lu residence, Wu Yinyu pulled open the car door and sat in the back seat. Looking forward, she saw Yu Zezhi had already settled into the driver’s seat.

Outside the Lu residence, the ground was covered in red paper from the burnt-out firecrackers. After the bustle, it seemed extraordinarily desolate and bleak.

A ritual that should have lasted until late into the night had ended while the sun was still high in the sky. It was somewhat lamentable.

Wu Yinyu glanced at the girl sitting beside her, noticing Yu Suhan’s eyes were now clear and bright, without a trace of tears.

Yu Suhan hugged her stuffed toy tightly, motionless, once again in a defensive posture.

“I was wondering if Boss Yu hadn’t understood my meaning,” Wu Yinyu teased.

“I couldn’t very well leave directly,” Yu Zezhi’s reasoning was perfectly sound.

Wu Yinyu leaned back. Her hair bun pressed against the headrest was quite uncomfortable, but she remained still. She said slowly, “I suspect that the matter of the Prophetic Diagram being obscured was the doing of that mass of Ink Qi.”

“I think the same,” Yu Zezhi fastened her seatbelt and reached out to touch the Triangle Talisman hanging from the rearview mirror.

The red talisman swayed a few times before slowly settling straight down.

Wu Yinyu weighed her words carefully. “To be honest with Boss Yu, there is something that puzzles me.”

“Tell me,” Yu Zezhi turned slightly, a hint of intriguing amusement in her eyes, hard to decipher.

Very faint, but traceable.

“The matter of the Ink Qi… I don’t yet know how to bring it up with Elder Lu. After all, only the two of us can see this thing. Others would mostly think we’re trying to deceive them, wouldn’t you agree?” Wu Yinyu was trying every way to drag her into the same boat.

“Indeed,” the corner of Yu Zezhi’s mouth lifted slightly.

Wu Yinyu raised her gaze, looking over with feigned languidness. “If Boss Yu isn’t busy, care to stop by my place? I can tell you about what’s puzzling me.”