Chapter 41: Using Six-Line Divination to Track the Murderer’s Movements

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Chapter 41: Using Six-Line Divination to Track the Murderer’s Movements

With so many rules to follow, they had insisted on looking at the photographs inside the municipal government building; they hadn’t believed Chen Yuan and had kept asking questions, wasting time. Well, look what had happened now. Yu Shenliu watched the Party Secretary with some schadenfreude. At this point, it was obvious that if something really did go wrong, the Party Secretary would definitely be held responsible.

“Party Secretary, there’s nothing left for us to do now, right?” he asked with a smile, not bothering to hide the fact that he was rubbing salt in the wound.

Shaken by Chen Yuan’s abilities, the Party Secretary was now somewhat nervous and helpless as well. He opened his mouth, then said in a voice half a pitch lower, “I’m afraid those in charge of public security are going to have to work a little harder lately. Have the traffic department assist as well. As for everyone else, it’s already very late tonight. Let’s call it a night.”

Anyone with eyes could see that Yu Shenliu had won this confrontation with the Party Secretary. There was nothing to be done about it. Who could blame him when his lover happened to be such a remarkable master? Although they had often heard their wives or subordinates discussing how extraordinary this Chen the Half-Immortal was, the people present in positions of authority had always assumed it was merely flattery from people trying to curry favor with Yu Shenliu, who had spread those rumors. Who would have thought that Chen Yuan really was that capable? Weren’t fortune-tellers and physiognomists these days supposed to be nothing more than charlatans?

Just as it looked like the matter was about to end, Chen Yuan spoke up. “Shenliu, do you have any coins?”

Coins? Yu Shenliu didn’t understand at first. He thought Chen Yuan wanted to buy something from a vending machine later, but surely this wasn’t the time to bring that up? Chen Yuan didn’t seem like the kind of person who would fail to understand the situation.

The others who hadn’t yet left the office had the same reaction. Why was the Half-Immortal suddenly asking for coins?

“I left in such a hurry that I didn’t bring my copper coins.” Chen Yuan looked up at Yu Shenliu as he spoke. He meant the antique coins he had gone to considerable trouble to collect. When Yu Shenliu had previously asked whether he collected the old coins for their value as collectibles or for some other purpose, Chen Yuan had told him that he could use them for divination.

So without his copper coins, he could use ordinary coins as a substitute? Was that what he meant?

Chen Yuan did indeed intend to use divination to determine where the escaped criminal would go. In his view, rather than letting the fugitive roam around and commit several more crimes, wouldn’t it be better if they could catch him as soon as possible? Chen Yuan could calmly sit down to eat after witnessing Boss Wang and Rong Yan receive their comeuppance because he believed that was simply their inevitable fate. They had brought it upon themselves, and justice would prevail. But if Chen Yuan encountered something like this, how could he simply stand by and do nothing? He couldn’t bear to.

Realizing what Chen Yuan meant, Yu Shenliu immediately reached into his pockets. Unfortunately, he usually carried only large bills, so finding coins was actually rather difficult.

“Does anyone have any coins?” Once he realized he didn’t have any, Yu Shenliu immediately asked the others in the office.

By now, everyone could tell that this wasn’t quite as simple as they had initially thought. One after another, they hurriedly searched their pockets.

“Give me three.” Seeing the commotion, Chen Yuan emphasized the request, then got up and walked over to the desk. “And some paper and a pen.”

It didn’t take long before three coins, along with paper and a pen, were placed in front of Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan glanced up at the clock on the wall. He wrote down the time on the paper, then wrote his own name and gender. After moving to a new line, he wrote the question: Where will the fugitive go?

With that, the preparations were complete. He looked around the room and said, “Keep quiet.”

He then clasped the three coins between his palms, held his breath, closed his eyes, and stood there without moving, as still as an old monk deep in meditation.

This time, compared with the earlier scene where Chen Yuan had examined the photographs, it was far more mysterious. Everyone in the office hardly dared to breathe as they stared fixedly at Chen Yuan.

In an extremely short span of time, Chen Yuan had already calmed his mind, cast aside all distractions, and focused entirely on what he had written on the paper: the current time, who he was, and what he wanted to ask. No one else knew what was going through Chen Yuan’s mind. All they could see was him standing there motionless, looking mysterious and inscrutable.

After remaining still for a while, Chen Yuan suddenly began shaking his hand, letting the three coins move around in his palm. After several shakes, he opened his hand and let the coins bounce freely across the desk. Once they came to a stop, he glanced at which sides were facing up and recorded the result at the bottom of the paper.

Then, with one hand, he quickly scooped up the coins and placed them back in his palm. He shook them between both hands several times before releasing them again. He recorded this result above the previous one.

After repeating the process six times, Chen Yuan finally let out a breath and set the coins aside. He picked up the sheet of paper on which he had recorded the results.

At this point, the people in the office watched Chen Yuan’s movements as though country women had just witnessed someone performing a spirit-medium ritual. They were dazzled and bewildered, with the same thought filling their minds: “I have no idea what he’s doing, but it sure looks impressive.”

The entire office remained deathly silent. No one dared make a sound. Chen Yuan was now in complete control of the room, and even the Party Secretary had no choice but to stay out of his way for the moment. His earlier doubts had already caused them to waste time. If he caused another problem because of his own interference, that would be even worse. So he said nothing and waited for the result.

Chen Yuan glanced at what he had recorded and immediately identified it: the fifty-seventh hexagram of the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching , the Xun Hexagram !

Xun: Success through what is small. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to see the great person.

Initial Six: In advancing and in retreating, the perseverance of a warrior furthers.

Nine in the Second: Penetration under the bed. Priests and magicians are used in great number. Good fortune. No blame.

Nine in the Third: Repeated penetration. Humiliation.

Six in the Fourth: Remorse vanishes. During the hunt three kinds of game are caught.

Nine in the Fifth: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse vanishes. Nothing that does not further. No beginning, but an end. Before the change, three days. After the change, three days. Good fortune.

Top Nine: Penetration under the bed. He loses his property and his ax. Perseverance brings misfortune.

Chen Yuan had no time to ponder the many meanings of the Xun Hexagram. The first thing that came to mind was only one question: “The Xun Hexagram governs the southeast. The fugitive has headed southeast.”

The moment those words left Chen Yuan’s mouth, the silence in the room was shattered, and everyone erupted into an uproar. The southeast of Yulei City was none other than Jincheng City!

It made sense, too. Jincheng was the provincial capital, with well-developed transportation. If the fugitive wanted to escape, using the provincial capital as a route to flee across the country or even out of the country would be extremely convenient. Thinking to head southeast immediately was actually quite clever of the fugitive.

The officials of Jincheng, however, were the ones who suffered. What were they supposed to do now? They had worried about this very possibility, and now it had actually happened. If the fugitive came to Jincheng and committed another major crime, they would inevitably be implicated. Even though Chen Yuan had just demonstrated an astonishing ability, no one had the mind to pay attention to him anymore. They immediately began arguing and shouting over how to find the fugitive.

The problem was that there were railways, highways, and waterways between Jincheng and Yulei City, with multiple ways to travel. Trying to intercept a single fugitive was extremely difficult. More importantly, there was practically no way to do it without disturbing the public. But disturbing the public would also hurt the officials involved. They were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Chen Yuan had done everything he could. He returned to Yu Shenliu’s side and watched the others argue and shout.

He had done his part. What happened next was no longer his concern. Even if he was worried that something might happen, there was nothing more he could do about it. So he looked at Yu Shenliu and asked softly, “Shall we go home?”

“Party Secretary, is there anything else you need us to do?” Yu Shenliu immediately asked after hearing Chen Yuan. The implication was clear: if there was nothing else, they were leaving.

“Well…” The Party Secretary looked at Yu Shenliu, then at Chen Yuan. “Master Chen has done us such a great service today. We certainly have to thank you. How about we all have dinner together later?”

He was trying to get closer to Chen Yuan now. But he really didn’t understand. No matter how much he tried to cultivate a relationship with Chen Yuan, metaphysics wasn’t about personal connections. And no matter how much he tried to curry favor with him, could it really compare to Yu Shenliu taking Chen Yuan in, helping him obtain a household registration, and sorting out his shop for him?

Chen Yuan had already eaten dinner that evening and had absolutely no desire to eat anything else. Besides, he could guess that the “dinner” the Party Secretary was talking about would probably involve everyone drinking round after round until they were falling-down drunk. He had no interest in that whatsoever. And as far as Chen Yuan was concerned, he had no need for the Party Secretary’s protection in the first place. Even if he did, didn’t he still have Yu Shenliu?

So he slowly but firmly shook his head. “Sorry, I’d like to go home and rest.”

Talk about not giving someone face. The Party Secretary froze for a moment, looking at Chen Yuan and then Yu Shenliu. Then he suddenly gave them an ambiguous smile.

“Haha, I understand. Rest, rest! Then I won’t keep you, Master Chen and Mayor Yu!”

What a sleazy mind. Yu Shenliu sneered inwardly. Whether his contempt came from the jealousy of someone who could look but not touch, or from the genuine indignation of an upright gentleman, however, was anyone’s guess.

Chen Yuan was preoccupied with something else. There seemed to be something wrong with the Xun Hexagram from earlier. Time had been too tight, so he had simply determined the fugitive’s direction without considering the other thoughts that had flashed through his mind at the time. Now that the moment had passed, trying to recall them left him somewhat confused.

The Xun Hexagram. There was another problem hidden in it. But what exactly was it?

The Xun Hexagram was considered moderately auspicious. It was not an evil hexagram, and represented gaining through humility and benefiting through yielding. Thus, going with the flow was the best course of action. Xun represented wind, formless and unpredictable, penetrating everywhere?

Penetrating everywhere? Could the fugitive really evade the checkpoints along the various roads and make it all the way to Jincheng? That would be troublesome. And the Xun Hexagram also carried the meaning that submitting to others would make everything go smoothly. If the fugitive submitted himself to someone else and everything went smoothly for him…

“Shenliu, does Jincheng have an underworld?” Chen Yuan asked, having thought of something.

Ever since he had transmigrated to this world, all the environments he had encountered had been extraordinarily peaceful and safe. But even in the brightest light, there would always be darkness. So if Jincheng really had an underground criminal underworld, Chen Yuan wouldn’t be surprised.

“Ah, yes. Why?” Yu Shenliu nodded as he answered while driving.

Jincheng did indeed have an underworld, though it kept a very low profile and wasn’t particularly powerful. Such an existence was unavoidable, so the government officials had never gone all-out to eradicate it. That would be pointless. As long as everyone observed certain boundaries, things would be fine.

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