"Master, even you can't calculate it?" Chen Qiushi's body trembled as he learned the truth after the deduction. It was the first time he encountered something even Yao Yao couldn't precisely predict. His already anxious mood instantly became even more tense.
Yao Yao explained, "Uncle Chen, don't be too scared. The latter has a scheme; there will definitely be more actions after his death. You just need to supervise carefully and find some evidence, and Yao Yao will be able to deduce it again." Currently, it was all deduction out of thin air, and there was suspected interference from an opponent. It was quite normal for Yao Yao to be unable to calculate it.
These words subtly moved Chen Qiushi's heart, slowly calming him down. He slowly nodded and replied, "Alright, we will increase our efforts to monitor R Nation's movements." "Sorry for disturbing Master so late. Please don't take offense."
"It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong, Uncle Master," Yao Yao waved her hand casually. R Nation's shamelessness was something Yao Yao had witnessed firsthand. This time, even the ruler was dead. As the old Daoist priest said, bad people never have good intentions. So, preparing in advance was definitely not a problem.
And seeing the Master's demeanor, Chen Qiushi let out a long sigh of relief. He took a small step back and bowed. This bow was not only to thank her for her guidance but also to thank the Master for acting on behalf of China to defeat the Onmyōji's power.
This could be said to have resolved a major threat for future confrontations, because the Onmyōji's threat was far greater than that of ordinary people. Moreover, ninety percent of the Onmyōji in the Onmyōji Shrine were exceptionally gifted individuals. Yes, Chen Qiushi had seemingly panicked and been at a loss just now, but he had actually already probed for what he wanted.
Yao Yao didn't avoid or say anything throughout the entire process, which further solidified Chen Qiushi's conjecture. The large and small figures, thus, exchanged information in secret. When Chen Qiushi returned, his back seemed to want to fly with joy, completely devoid of the usual demeanor of an action team leader.
...
After the latter left, the Gu family living room quieted down. Gu Xuesong, sitting at the head of the table, remained silent for a long while, then said in a deep voice, "Regardless of the outcome, the Gu family will be prepared to respond. Also, during this period, everyone should try to stay home as much as possible and must return by nightfall."
In broad daylight, with many people around, the danger wasn't great. But once night fell, especially with Onmyōji able to control shikigami, it was truly difficult to guard against. Even though his daughter had given them many protective treasures, they were, after all, still ordinary people. It was always better to be cautious.
If something truly happened, his daughter would have to come and rescue them. Just thinking about it was enough. He still vividly remembered the last situation and didn't want to experience it a second time. The other members of the Gu family also shared this thought, nodding in agreement.
"There's nothing else for now. In short, let's just be careful!" Gu Xuesong didn't want to make the atmosphere too tense, so he kept his words brief. After some thought, he stood up and walked towards the study.
Since he was going to increase his family's involvement, some things needed to be clearly communicated to his secretarial company. Otherwise, if he suddenly didn't show up one day, it would cause panic within the company.
"Mommy, don't be afraid! Yao Yao will protect you closely!" Yao Yao wasn't actually very nervous. Having reached Rank 9, she could already vaguely perceive the heavens and earth. Since there was no major warning from the heavens and earth this time, it meant it shouldn't be a big problem.
However, she turned and saw Chen Hui frowning. Yao Yao was startled, thinking the latter was worried. She then softly held Chen Hui's large hand and began to comfort her in a milky voice. This wasn't to say she was biased, only protecting her mother.
It was just that her father and brothers were always running around outside, and Yao Yao was only one person and couldn't be split. But for her mother, having her was enough. Anyway, she would take her wherever she went, so there wouldn't be so much trouble.
However, her father and brothers also had their action team brothers and sisters to look after them, so there wouldn't be any problems. One must know that during this time, under her intermittent guidance, all her brothers and sisters had improved. Xuan Hui, who was at the forefront, had already stepped into Rank 5.
Those formidable Onmyōji had all been dealt with by her, and the cleanup was very thorough back then. They couldn't produce any evidence. Smuggling into the country was already difficult, so they certainly wouldn't openly cause trouble. The action team's brothers and sisters were perfectly capable of handling it.
"Thank you, darling." Chen Hui felt her daughter's soft little hand, and her eyes instantly softened. The more this was the case, the more she detested R Nation, who, despite living a good life, insisted on causing trouble.
...
For the next period, as Yao Yao had calculated. R Nation's ruler's suicide passed by like an insignificant interlude, quietly turning a new page. No armed conflict broke out between the two countries, and the previous tension gradually subsided. It wasn't until a new Onmyōji Head was elected, becoming R Nation's true spokesperson, that the matter finally came to a complete close.
Perhaps it was the change in power, but R Nation began to experience large-scale disappearances of its population. Some said it was the work of the mafia, while others said it was the newly appointed spokesperson clearing out remnants and sweeping away old factions.
Special Operations Team, inside the office. "Minister, this is the list of missing persons we tried our best to collect using our hidden agents." A young team member held a thick stack of documents in his hand. He stood in front of the desk, his expression hesitating.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Minister, do we really need to trouble the Master again? Didn't the scout from over there say that there's no unrest within R Nation, and a few missing people isn't a big deal!" The young team member felt that the Minister was being somewhat redundant.
One must know that the Master only had a good impression of them; she wasn't a member of their department. Each time they went to her, it was likely that the accumulated goodwill would quickly run out. This was a powerful figure who could easily defeat profound cultivators.
To put it bluntly, this goodwill, like the Tai Cang Sect last time, could save their lives at a crucial moment. Therefore, the Master's goodwill was not just the Minister's personal goodwill, but the collective "wealth" of the action team. How could the Minister squander it so casually?
"I've always told you to read more, but you just wouldn't listen. Now, with such an obvious problem right in front of you, you can't even see it. You're truly disgracing our action team." "I don't have time to explain to you now.
Come with me quickly." Chen Qiushi heard his subordinate muttering non-stop and immediately flew into a rage. He wasn't angry that his subordinate was complaining, but that he wasn't taking his work seriously.
The birth dates and times of these missing people had such glaring commonalities: all the female victims were born in yin years, yin months, and yin hours, while all the male victims were born in yang years, yang months, and yang hours...
One must know that yin for females and yang for males was normal, but it was extremely rare for someone to have all eight characters of their birth chart perfectly aligned with yin or yang due to variations in birth time.
It was no exaggeration to say it was one in a thousand. Now, all the missing people were these one-in-a-thousand individuals. It was obvious that this was abnormal! Yet, his subordinates stubbornly failed to notice this and were even trying to persuade him not to abuse "goodwill." Simply idiotic!
"This..." The young subordinate hadn't expected his superior to suddenly erupt. His head recoiled in fear, and he dared not speak. Although his superior was usually amiable, it didn't mean he lacked authority.
On the contrary, when such a cheerful person's face changed, it was more frightening than someone who always had a cold expression. This meant that the latter was genuinely in a terrible mood.
The young subordinate, well-versed in office politics, knew very well that he couldn't upset his superior at this moment. So, he obediently clutched his documents and scurried after him. Because the road to the Gu family was already familiar, the journey was smooth.
Chen Qiushi successfully met Yao Yao, who was playing shuttlecock with Chen Hui. Seeing his arrival, she had to stop to greet him. Chen Qiushi didn't even bother to apologize. He simply and thoroughly explained the information he had gathered to Yao Yao.
"Master, R Nation has taken so many ordinary people with unusual fates. Can you deduce what they are trying to do?" Chen Qiushi was not skilled in I Ching hexagrams.
He could tell something was wrong, but nothing more. As for using his hidden agents to continue investigating? Not only was it uncertain whether they could find anything, but time was also running out. With so many missing people, if the other party truly intended something, they probably had almost enough.
Yao Yao quickly read the documents, her brows slowly furrowing. Clearly, she had spotted the clue. Without hesitation, she pulled out her Five Emperors Coins from her bag and quickly began to deduce. But it wasn't that she couldn't deduce; rather, she suddenly found that the heavenly secrets had become extremely chaotic, as if completely disturbed by someone.
"Uncle Chen, I can't calculate it either!" Yao Yao said, her voice a little heavy. This was the second time Yao Yao had encountered such a situation. The last time was with the "cage" set by the Undying Bone. Vaguely, Yao Yao felt an inexplicable similarity between the two.
"Even you can't calculate it? Then we're in trouble now." Chen Qiushi's face changed again and again. But thinking carefully, he felt something was off. The strongest person in R Nation was undoubtedly the deceased Ikeda.
His ashes were probably already in some fish's belly by now. The strongest person in the entire small country wasn't even an opponent for the Master in a single clash. Who would have the ability to disrupt the Master's divination? A flash of lightning passed through his mind. The next moment, he suddenly realized something: Ikeda's death was inherently suspicious...
The death of a selfish and narrow-minded leader would subconsciously draw the attention of the whole country, even the whole world, to this topic. At this time, small internal conflicts would not attract attention, thus allowing things to be done smoothly.
And who would have this motive? Chen Qiushi thought in reverse: it could only be the biggest beneficiary after Ikeda's death. This person's name immediately came to mind: Fujiwara Kenichi, the new head of the Onmyōji Shrine, and one of the three former vice-heads.
Chen Qiushi said, "Master, I will immediately issue a Level One dispatch order, instructing all our hidden agents in R Nation to fully monitor 'Fujiwara Kenichi'." He wanted to see what the latter was up to. But before he could act, he saw the Master's expression change.
"It's too late!" Chen Qiushi was startled. He followed the Master's gaze. Then, he saw the originally clear sky, without any warning, rip open into a blood-red fissure. Scarlet blood rain poured down overwhelmingly. In the ethereal realm, chilling cries echoed.
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