Before arriving at Jia Sheng's home, Hua Jianming had contacted him. With Jia Sheng's permission, they hired a locksmith to open his door.
Chen Miao sensed nothing when they first entered, but Wang Wei's ritual soon produced a different result.
The white rice that had only trembled at the bottom of the bowl before began bouncing higher and higher as Wang Wei chanted, rising more than ten centimeters above the celadon bowl's rim.
As this happened, the grains visibly darkened one by one. Only when the entire bowl of rice had turned pitch-black did Wang Wei stop chanting.
The black rice fell back to the bottom of the bowl.
Wang Wei took a talisman Chen Miao did not recognize from her pocket, lit it, and dropped it into the bowl.
After the flames died, the bowl of black rice had somehow become a bowl of black water.
Wang Wei stepped forward and sat cross-legged in front of the circle.
After chanting a few lines, she reached out with both hands and lifted the bowl of black water.
She raised it high, then adjusted the copper coin held in her mouth so its square hole faced outward.
Looking up at the bowl of black water, Wang Wei tilted her hands slightly.
The black water fell in a thin, vertical stream, passing straight through the copper coin and into Wang Wei's mouth.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Once Wang Wei had swallowed all the black water, she set the celadon bowl down.
Then Chen Miao, who had been watching from a distance, saw a layer of black spread over her eyes.
It looked somewhat like Xiao Bai's Yin-Yang Dharma Eye when it switched to its "yin" aspect.
During this process, Chen Miao sensed fluctuations of soul power emanating from Wang Wei.
Come to think