After listening to my master's words, I gained some understanding of this Yin Yang Gate.
It turned out to be merely a passage connecting to the underworld.
It was just the path everyone had to take after death.
It wasn't as terrifying or mysterious as I had imagined.
And Chu Yue and the others had accidentally entered the passage while riding the elevator.
Now, they were trapped within this passage.
As for what it looked like inside, my master didn't know.
After all, my master had never entered the Yin Yang Gate, and only had secondhand knowledge.
What we needed to do now was to wait for the Yin Yang Gate to open, and enter it using the same method.
Then, we would find a way to bring them out.
It sounded simple, but the implementation was likely to be quite difficult.
My master summarized three points.
First, lack of experience.
This meant many unforeseen dangers and changes.
Second, timing.
It required precision down to the second to possibly enter the Yin Yang Gate.
And currently, this was only theoretical from my master, and its success was uncertain.
Third, how to return.
If we went in and successfully found Chu Yue and the others.
How would we get back?
Since no one had ever entered, no one could predict what changes might occur inside.
If we could enter but not leave, it would be meaningless.
My master mentioned these three points.
The inherent danger was imaginable.
But since we were in this line of work, even with danger, we had to push forward.
Moreover, among those who had an accident was my friend Zhang Chu Yue.
Currently, all we could do was hope she could hold on.
Hold on until we came to rescue her tonight.
At this moment, my master and I repeatedly rode the elevator.
We were calculating the timing.
And this particular elevator had been ordered by Zhang Youguo to be off-limits to company employees.
Security guards were also instructed to patrol and monitor it twenty-four hours a day.
Because we didn't know how to successfully enter the Yin Yang Gate.
So, my master and I practiced following the route Chu Yue and the others took in the elevator each time.
She entered the elevator from the thirty-sixth floor with a group of colleagues.
One minute later, it arrived at the negative third floor.
After the elevator doors opened, they left the elevator and disappeared.
Until the next morning at 9:31 and 9:32 AM, they called Zhang Youguo and me respectively.
From the company news that Zhang Youguo learned,
Chu Yue and her colleagues had just finished overtime after completing a project.
Chu Yue was going to take her colleagues for a late-night snack.
One colleague had a family emergency and didn't go with them.
She was packing up in the company and left a bit later, thus narrowly escaping.
We practiced all day long.
We ate boxed lunches for both lunch and dinner.
Because we had to precisely time our entry and exit from the elevator down to the second.
Any slight error could cause us to miss the opening of the Yin Yang Gate.
After riding the elevator for a whole day, my head was throbbing.
After reducing the error rate to below ninety percent, my master and I finally sat down to rest.
At this point, I spoke to my master:
"Master, should we contact Aunt Yunxia and the others?"
My master waved his hand:
"No need. This is something our master and disciple can handle."
Seeing that my master said so, I simply replied with an "Mhm" and said nothing more.
Zhang Youguo had also accompanied us for the entire day.
Seeing us rest, he chimed in:
"Master Gu, do you need anything else? If so, I'll go and get it immediately!"
My master waved his hand:
"No, now we just need to wait."
Although my master said so, Zhang Youguo still couldn't suppress his nervousness and worry.
Ten hours had already passed.
He called Chu Yue every few minutes, but he couldn't get through.
According to my master's theory,
This should also be for a reason.
In the morning, the Yin Yang Gate opened during the hour of fire and yin, connecting to the outside.
Therefore, Chu Yue and the others could make calls out.
But once this time period passed, the Yin Yang Gate closed again.
So, no matter how they called, contact was impossible from either side.
After resting for a while and waiting for a bit.
The sky was gradually darkening.
After practicing more than ten additional times, my master and I, feeling confident, arrived at the thirty-sixth floor.
Checking the time, it was 9:28 PM.
According to my master's calculations, the Yin Yang Gate would open in less than three minutes.
We would enter the elevator at 9:30:18 PM.
After pressing the elevator button, the doors would close in three seconds.
That would be 9:30:21 PM.
After fifty-eight seconds, it would arrive at the negative third floor.
At that time, it would be exactly 9:30:23 PM.
As long as my master's theory was correct, we would enter the Yin Yang Gate at this precise moment.
Heading to the underground parking lot, entering the alternate dimension...
As time was drawing near, I was still a little nervous.
Zhang Youguo also widened his eyes, and said with a look of melancholy:
"Master Gu, Daoist Qin, I'm counting on you."
My master nodded, remaining silent.
I responded with an "Mhm," and replied:
"Uncle Zhang, don't worry! We will successfully find Chu Yue and the other missing people."
My master was looking at the time while touching the elevator buttons with his hand.
With his other hand, he held a feng shui compass.
Suddenly, the steady needle of the compass in his hand began to spin.
A "sizzling" sound reappeared with the Yin Yang fish diagram.
And the time was around 9:30:10 PM.
Seeing this, my master's eyes lit up, and he said with surprise:
"As expected, this is indeed the entrance to the Yin Yang Gate.
Little Qin, get ready, we're going in..."