I am not exaggerating; the power of the mountain god is something only those who have encountered it truly know. I believe if Li Zuoquan were still alive, he certainly wouldn't allow me to summon souls on Qingfeng Mountain.
Seeing my continued refusal, the paper artisan grew somewhat anxious but could do nothing. We were merely cooperating, and he couldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to.
Truthfully, I was still somewhat inclined to use the Yin Gua method to find Li Zuoquan. In the cave camp, Zhang Dabiao and I searched but did not find the bodies of Fang Niubizi, Kang Pangzi, or Zhao Defu. This indicated they were still alive.
Li Zuoquan's Yin soul was on Fang Niubizi, so performing a Yin Gua would allow me to locate his Yin soul, indirectly finding Fang Niubizi and the others. This was the only and fastest way to find Zhao Defu.
However, the moment I saw the black-furred zombie, I rapidly dismissed this idea from my mind, as I did not wish to repeat past mistakes.
"A flat price of three million. If you can calculate Li Zuoquan's location, I'll give you thirty thousand," the paper artisan said after a moment of silence. "I know you need money. If you agree to help me find Li Zuoquan's location, I can give you the money upfront."
"..."
"It's not about the money, it's about the lack of safety guarantees! Can you guarantee that if we summon the mountain god, you can deal with it?"
Three million!
To say I wasn't tempted would be a lie. But no matter how much money there is, one needs to be alive to spend it. Otherwise, all the money is just waste paper, utterly useless. No fool would agree to such a deal.
"A flat price of five million," Fang Huixin said calmly when the stalemate persisted. "If you are willing to help, I'll give you another five million. Song Qingyun, opportunities like this to make money don't come often. You should think carefully."
I licked my lips, feeling them a bit dry. Just by performing a divination to find Li Zuoquan's location, I could earn eight million for free. No wonder my master had so many money chests in his basement. It seems calculating Yin Gua earns money too easily.
Since things had reached this point, even if not for their sincere invitation, I had to consider the eight million. As the saying goes, "The bolder a person, the greater their output." Damn it, I'll go for it.
"We've been talking for so long, but I still don't know your name. Surely we can't just call you 'paper artisan'?"
The paper artisan smiled awkwardly. "I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Xu, and my given name is Yi."
"Xu Yi?" I was taken aback. "Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. Xu is quite a powerful name." Su Dan Fiction Network.
Xu Yi smiled humbly. "My master gave me this name. As I was the only disciple in our sect, he named me thus. It doesn't carry the powerful meaning you suggest, Song brother."
I nodded and replied, "Brother Xu, you mentioned earlier that you have a way to deal with the mountain god. What is it?"
Xu Yi remained silent. Instead, he took out a square sandalwood box from his bag. Much of the paint had peeled off, revealing the original purplish-red wood. He then opened it and took out a nine-tiered pagoda of ancient design.
Although the pagoda was small, its craftsmanship was exquisite. Each of its six corners had a small copper bell hanging from it. As it was taken from the sandalwood box, it emitted clear, crisp sounds that were exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
Looking at the palm-sized paper pagoda, I couldn't help but frown. How could such a small object possibly deal with a mountain god? It wouldn't even be enough for it to step on.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Xu Yi explained, "This is a Zhenzhi Baoguang made by my master himself, specifically for suppressing evil spirits. As long as their strength does not surpass that of a Ghost King, they can be suppressed within it. Even a Ghost King can be trapped by it, giving us enough time to escape."
"Alright, since you have a way to deal with the mountain god, let's try it. But who among you has Li Zuoquan's birth date and hour?"
Xu Yi shook his head and looked at Fang Huixin. "Boss Fang, do you know his birth date and hour?"
"Birth date and hour?"
Fang Huixin frowned and replied, "I don't know that. But I know he celebrates his birthday on the eighteenth of June every year. Does that count as his birth date and hour?"
"Yes!"
Knowing Li Zuoquan's birthday, I could easily calculate his birth date and hour. However, after calculating it, I frowned.
His birth date and hour were remarkably similar to the birth date and hour Li Zuoquan had given me for Heizi. This sent a jolt through me. Could it be such a coincidence?
I looked at Fang Huixin doubtfully and said, "Boss Fang, this is not a trivial matter. Are you sure you haven't misremembered Li Zuoquan's birthday?"
Fang Huixin's expression darkened. "Do you think I'm a teenage child? How could I joke about something like this? He truly celebrates his birthday at this time every year, and it has never changed."
"Hmm."
I first took out a yellow paper from my bag and wrote Li Zuoquan's birth date and hour on it. Then, I took out an incense stick and wrapped it with Li Zuoquan's birth date and hour.
I threw everything on the small coffee table onto the ground, then scooped up some of the surrounding sand and spread it flat. After lighting the incense stick wrapped with Li Zuoquan's birth date and hour, I chanted a mantra, and the incense stood upright on the table.
Seeing my technique, Xu Yi exclaimed, "Xun You Xiang! It seems you are indeed a descendant of the Yin Gua lineage."
Xun You Xiang is a method specifically used to locate Yin souls. After lighting the incense, it began to move slowly across the surface. I then took out the white paper I had prepared earlier and wrote the eight trigrams—Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui—according to the Bagua directions.
For every segment the incense burned, I measured its length and direction of movement and drew the corresponding positions on the paper.
As the incense burned, I drew more and more on the paper until the entire stick was consumed.
Seeing me stop writing, Xu Yi's face lit up with joy. "Found him?"
"Yes, he is here."
I picked up the map that had been placed on the table earlier and, following the route drawn on the paper, circled a spot on the map.
"Quick, let me see."
Xu Yi excitedly snatched the map from my hand, his excitement evident.
On the other hand, Zhang Dabiao, seeing my furrowed brow, nudged me lightly and whispered, "Why the grim expression? Are you tired?"
I shook my head and replied, "I'm not tired. I just can't figure out why Li Zuoquan's Yin soul would be hidden in the valley where the mountain sprites were. That place is not a good omen."
The leader of the mountain sprites had once said, "It was captured to guard the valley." I don't know if they have left yet. If they haven't, then none of us would be able to enter.
After hearing my explanation, Zhang Dabiao breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it was something serious. That has nothing to do with us. Let them worry about it!"