George, noting Maria’s horrified expression and her unusual nervousness in speech, wasted no time in inquiring, “Miss Clark, what do you make of this sight?”

Maria responded, “This… The dark clouds appear chaotic and unruly, yet there’s an underlying complexity, a sense of… it feels akin to the Zen Gua image from the Book of Changes’ sixty-four hexagrams.”

“Zen Gua?” Geena exclaimed, clearly taken aback, “Could this cloud actually represent a hexagram?”

Maria nodded, murmuring, “Zen hexagrams are always intricate. Ancient wisdom tells us that when upheaval arrives, laughter turns bitter; a shocking event in the distant field, no mourning for the blade. When this hexagram appears, it’s a merging of the main hexagram and the guest hexagram, signifying an unforeseen, earth-shattering occurrence.”

George, now even more astounded, inquired, “Who possesses the ability to divine from the sky’s clouds?”

Maria appeared befuddled, “I’m not sure… But… This divination seems to have commenced precisely when we arrived. I don’t think it’s man-made.”

“Unnatural, then…” Geena questioned, “Could it be a natural occurrence?”

Maria shook her head, saying, “The secret eludes me…”

As they spoke, the sky’s dark clouds continued their rapid transformation. Thick clouds seemed to draw from an unending well in the heavens, covering the entire Heaven Lake valley in a relentless surge.

Maria frowned, gazing skyward with wide eyes, whispering to herself, “The hexagrams shift too swiftly… I… I cannot fathom it. What are you attempting to convey? Can you clarify? At all?”

The enigmatic clouds, of course, remained indifferent to her muttered queries, their transformation unabated.

Growing impatient, Maria anxiously noted, “There are so many variables, each demanding extensive comprehension. With their rapid changes, another hexagram emerges in the blink of an eye. I… I truly cannot discern…”

Hearing this, Geena swiftly retrieved his mobile phone, activating video recording. “Miss Clark, fret not. I’ll capture all these shifts. If need be, you can unravel their meaning later.”

hints at a plea for aid, but it does not clarify who or what seeks it. It’s not something we can

or something, then what exactly

clouds, responded in a hushed tone, “I haven’t quite grasped it yet… It’s neither someone nor something… Just…

eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “Ah!

“What have

ground beneath her feet, her excitement

Mother of

perplexed, “Didn’t the Mother of Pu’er fail to transcend three hundred years ago? Why would she

“I can’t explain the reasoning, but I can sense it.

pondered, “Assuming you’re correct, and it is indeed the Mother of Pu’er appealing through the clouds, what

is her plea. This ceaselessly shifting hexagram suggests she’s trapped within this tumultuous hexagram, unable to break free. It hasn’t revealed what

moment, the dark clouds had grown denser, coalescing into a sphere that descended slowly. The air now teemed with moisture, and the atmospheric pressure was plummeting, making it difficult to breathe, akin to the prelude to a

lamented, “The hexagrams are becoming increasingly ominous, with the main hexagram gradually succumbing to Ke

inscrutable hexagrams, could only stand there, his

dark clouds continued to thicken and descend, creating a potent low-pressure system above Heaven

main hexagram losing ground to

enigmatic hexagrams, attempted to

must be within our capabilities. But

anxiously, “You’re right, Young Master… we can’t disperse these dark clouds. Your power can attract thunder, but it only affects tangible entities. Dark clouds are like thunder and lightning’s companions; they won’t be deterred by thunder. So, what options

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255