Divination Sign Three: In a most inauspicious residence, encounter demons and monsters. Demons and monsters have many faces—behold them with Divine Eyes. On this journey, the guidance you received was "fortune."
Tracing the guidance: The Fox Demon would appear; this was an eventful autumn.
Seeing that the result before him had finally turned to fortune, Zhao Huai let out a slight breath of relief.
"It seems I'll encounter that Fox Demon on this trip. I'll have to be extra careful."
Just as Zhao Huai thought this, the divination result before his eyes changed once more! Divination Sign Three: In a most inauspicious residence, encounter demons and monsters. Demons and monsters have many faces—behold them with Divine Eyes. On this journey, the guidance you received was "calamity."
"What does this mean? Why did it turn back into calamity?"
Zhao Huai was instantly puzzled, and his face was even more blank with confusion.
Hadn't he changed the outcome from calamity to fortune? Could it have been useless? No, Zhao Huai felt that something must have gone wrong, so he slowly began to think it through.
He carefully recalled that previous time when he had avoided the chaos of war.
After he had shaken out fortune, he went to the Marriage Agency, and everything had gone smoothly.
The main reason was that he had encountered a benefactor, allowing him to turn danger into safety.
"A benefactor."
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Zhao Huai's mind.
Could this so-called benefactor have been the crucial factor behind the divination result?
Following that logic, every divination result had a crucial factor that determined fortune or calamity.
The more Zhao Huai thought about it, the more sense it made.
"I think I understand. Whether the final result of the copper coin divination is calamity or fortune still depends on my own actions."
"Changing the result of calamity and fortune merely provides a correct path. If the thoughts I put into action are harmful to me, then even if the path itself is right, if I take a wrong step or think the wrong thought, the result will still become calamity."
"For example, at the Marriage Agency, I found Qing Han's room by a strange twist of fate, and that was how I got out of trouble. If I had found another woman instead, it likely would have turned into calamity. So the crucial factor was her."
"And now, going to the Prefect's Residence is the right path, but perhaps my thinking is wrong, which is why it turned into calamity. Clearly, I still haven't found the crucial factor."
Zhao Huai continued pondering.
Naturally, the crucial factor had to be found through the divination verse. Each divination verse was different, and the difficulty naturally varied as well.
Fortune and calamity went hand in hand, fortune and calamity went hand in hand—it truly was no lie. Even with a fortunate result, one wrong step or one mistaken move could turn it into calamity.
Demons and monsters have many faces—behold them with Divine Eyes? What did that divination verse mean?
He must have chosen the wrong direction just now.
Zhao Huai pondered for a long while but still failed to identify the crucial factor.
Instead, the carriage he and Yan Jing had taken had already come to a stop.
The servant ahead hurriedly called out:
"Gentlemen, we've arrived."
Zhao Huai stepped down from the carriage. Before him stood an imposing residence, with two person-tall stone lions at its entrance and a striking vermilion-lacquered gate.
He could not help but sigh inwardly. The prefect's residence truly was grand and luxurious.
"Doctor Yan has arrived!"
The servant hurriedly reported.
"Quickly, invite him in!"
A steward had already been waiting inside the gate to receive them and led the two of them in.
The moment Zhao Huai stepped through the gates, he felt many pairs of eyes turn toward him.
The Prefect's Residence was still heavily guarded, though such precautions were probably useless against demons and monsters.
Li Chong hurried over from the courtyard, worry added to his already careworn face.
"Doctor Yan, you've finally arrived!"
As he grasped Yan Jing's hand, he caught sight of Zhao Huai from the corner of his eye and could not help asking, "And this is?"
"This is my close friend. He has some thoughts regarding your son's condition, so he came along," Yan Jing explained with a smile.
"Oh, I see."
Li Chong nodded, already taking Zhao Huai for Yan Jing's colleague and assuming he was also a doctor.
He did not think much more of it.
"Let me see your son's condition."
Yan Jing spoke with a solemn expression.
"Alright."
Li Chong led the way, hurrying without pause toward the bedroom.
Before entering, Zhao Huai looked up at the eaves and saw a crow perched in the parasol tree.
Its pitch-black eyes were opened wide and round.
Inside the room, Li Yanqing, who had once been lively and energetic, now lay quietly on the bed. His face was pale, and his lips were bloodless, making him look terribly frightening.
Seeing him reduced to this state, Zhao Huai frowned.
He also noticed that the talisman pasted to Li Yanqing's nape to suppress Demonic Qi had vanished without a trace.
No wonder something had suddenly happened. The talisman was gone—of course something would happen.
Who had torn off his talisman? Had he done it himself?
Or had it been the Fox Demon?
As Zhao Huai considered this, Yan Jing had already finished taking Li Yanqing's pulse, and his expression turned extremely grave.
"How is he?"
Li Chong's face was full of unease. He only had this one son; if something happened to him, his family line would be severed forever.
Yan Jing turned around and said gravely, "Your son's body has no problem, but the vital essence and blood circulation within him are rapidly fading away."
Li Chong did not quite understand and asked in return, "What illness is this? Can it be cured?"
Yan Jing frowned as he explained, "Your son does not have an illness. Demonic Qi has entered his body."
"What?"
Li Chong froze where he stood and muttered to himself:
"Demonic Qi? Where did Demonic Qi come from?"
"Doctor Yan, are you saying my son has been harmed by demons and monsters?"
Li Chong seemed only then to come back to his senses.
"Yes. And the Demonic Qi has penetrated deeply, already entering his meridians and spreading through every limb and bone in his body."
"Is there a way to save him?"
Hope filled Li Chong's eyes.
Yan Jing shook his head and said gravely, "It will be difficult. When it first enters the body, it can be sealed with True Qi and gradually purged. But now that it has penetrated too deeply, the best method is to destroy the culprit responsible for the Demonic Qi."
"Prefect Li, you should report this to the sect first. I'm sorry, but I too am powerless."
Yan Jing let out a sigh.
How could a matter involving demons and monsters possibly be resolved just like that?
Hearing the answer, Li Chong's face immediately turned ashen, and half his heart went cold.
Even if he reported it to the sect, it would take a long time for them to send someone.
By then, his son would already be beyond saving! Tears actually welled up in the eyes of this middle-aged man who appeared refined and strong.
"How did the talisman on your son's nape come off?"
At that moment, Zhao Huai's voice rang out.
"The talisman? You mean this?"
Li Chong slightly raised his head and took a crumpled mass of yellow paper from his sleeve.
"No wonder."
Seeing the talisman's miserable state, Zhao Huai immediately understood.
He had initially thought something was wrong with the talisman, but now it seemed there had been nothing wrong with it at all—it had merely been torn off.
Yan Jing picked up the talisman, crushed into a ball, studied it for a moment, then explained to Li Chong, "This is a talisman for suppressing demons. It contains powerful True Qi and should have been used to suppress Demonic Qi."
As he finished speaking, he gave Zhao Huai a strange look.
With the matter spelled out so clearly, how could Li Chong not understand what had happened?
It was plainly during their argument that he had torn apart his son's life-saving talisman.
He had directly caused his son's death!
"My son! It's all your father's fault! Your father shouldn't have hit you, shouldn't have scolded you—"
Li Chong could no longer hold himself together and wiped away his tears in grief.
He felt that his own actions had killed Li Yanqing.
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