The master walked ahead, holding a compass, using its needle to orient himself.
The compass could also detect the presence of malevolent energy in the surroundings.
Zhang Youguo and I walked on either side, quietly observing the master.
The master inspected from the negative first floor all the way down to the negative third floor, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
I heard the master muttering to himself and asked from the side:
"Master, can't you find the cause?"
The master furrowed his brow slightly:
"I haven't seen anything strange so far."
Hearing the master's words, Zhang Youguo became truly panicked:
"Master Gu, you must save my daughter!
She's my only daughter, and she can't be in trouble.
Please..."
Zhang Youguo truly loved his daughter; his eyes reddened as he spoke.
No matter how high his social status or how much money he had, he was still an ordinary father.
The master then spoke to comfort him:
"Boss Zhang, please don't worry.
Everything has a reason. This Taoist will check carefully!"
After speaking, the master continued to look at the compass in his hand.
He walked the entire circumference of the negative third floor.
However, the result was still a great disappointment.
There were still no clues.
The garage still showed no abnormalities...
The master's expression was grim, and he said nothing.
I carefully recalled what Chu Yue had told me when she called.
Meanwhile, Zhang Youguo also spoke of some strange occurrences at their Qinggang Group.
He offered them for my master and me to reference.
However, the content felt to have no reference value.
Things like strange noises in the equipment room, figures in the stairwell, lipstick marks on the glass, and so on...
Finally, I thought of something important.
I quietly said to the master:
"Master, this matter is extremely bizarre.
When I received the call, Chu Yue was very clear.
She said she was on the negative fourth floor of the company, and she repeated it twice!
I remember this very clearly.
However, in reality, there is only a negative third floor here.
Master, have you ever considered a question.
Under what circumstances would a perfectly good building gain an extra floor?"
I shared my thoughts and reasoning.
The master, having been in this line of work for many years, was rich in experience and knowledge.
Often, it wasn't that he couldn't understand things.
It was just that he knew too much, and sometimes hadn't considered certain possibilities.
Upon my prompting, his heart stirred, and his eyes narrowed slightly:
"Hmm! It does seem to be the case.
Xiao Qin, quickly check what time Miss Zhang called you.
Boss Zhang, what is Miss Zhang's birth date and time."
The master asked urgently, as if he had already found the solution.
Zhang Youguo and I nodded repeatedly in agreement.
I checked the incoming call time on my phone.
Nine thirty-two AM.
"Master. Nine thirty-two AM."
I said directly.
Zhang Youguo also told the master Chu Yue's birthday.
The master nodded slightly, began to calculate on his fingers with one hand, and looked at the compass in his hand.
He murmured:
"From nine to eleven AM is the Si hour.
Qi rises and surges, Yang fire is born.
The five elements are fire.
The call was at nine thirty-two, approximately the second quarter of the Si hour.
In the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Si hour corresponds to Yin branches, and Yin branches turn clockwise for two quarters..."
While calculating, the master had me hold the compass.
He then began to adjust the markings on the compass with his hand.
Our compass is a very special feng shui compass.
It has twelve markings that can rotate on their own...
The master spoke while adjusting the compass markings.
With his other hand, he was rapidly calculating using the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches method.
Finally, the twelve markings on the compass were turned more than ten times.
Although I am the master's disciple.
I could only understand the logic of the master turning the compass markings based on the correlation of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches with time and the five elements at the very beginning.
I didn't understand the subsequent ten-plus turns of the compass markings at all.
Zhang Youguo, being an outsider, could only stand by, anxiously watching.
However, my master's face gradually showed a smile.
Finally, I heard my master exclaim excitedly:
"That's right, that's it, it's just like this..."
Seeing that the master had stopped calculating and was speaking like this.
I quickly asked:
"Master, what is it? Do we have any clues?"
The master nodded:
"Look!"
He then extended the compass to me to look.
As I looked, I saw that the three needles on the compass were actually spinning rapidly.
And their speed of rotation was extremely fast.
However, they were all rotating clockwise.
Because the needles were black, white, and red.
With the continuous spinning, a "yin-yang fish" pattern appeared in the center, which looked very strange.
"Master, this represents..."
I couldn't understand.
The master smiled calmly:
"This indicates that yin and yang are in harmony and interconnected here.
This place is not as simple as it appears on the surface.
Here, there is a Yin-Yang Gate.
And it's right beneath us..."
After speaking, he stomped on the ground.
"Yin-Yang Gate?"
I was completely bewildered.
What is this Yin-Yang Gate?
My knowledge was insufficient, so I didn't understand what the master meant by "Yin-Yang Gate."
At most, I could only read the meaning from the literal words.
"Yes, Master Gu, please tell me directly! I'm really, really worried about Yueyue..."
Zhang Youguo was also very anxious.
The master grunted, signaling us to follow him.
He also explained:
"To put it simply.
The Yin-Yang Gate is a door, a passage, connecting the human world and the underworld.
And coincidentally, there is such a passage in your company building.
If this Taoist priest guesses correctly.
Miss Zhang and the others may have already left our world..."