Chapter 1062: Chapter 1032: Golden Hook in Water Brings Misfortune

Xue Bozhen ultimately did not refuse Qin Liuxi’s goodwill. His daughter had been missing for three days, and although he sent many people to look for her, no trace had been found.

He never considered these Taoist unconventional methods, but with Qin Liuxi offering help and with Lu Xun and Wen Shi vouching for her, he figured they might as well try.

Lady Xue had sneaked out, and when Xue Bozhen found out, he rushed after her. He didn’t have anything belonging to his daughter on him. He hesitated for a moment, but seeing the clarity and spirit light in Qin Liuxi’s eyes, he steeled himself and wrote down his daughter’s birth dates.

Before the group entered the city, they temporarily spoke inside Wen Shi’s carriage. As the birth dates were handed over, Xue Bozhen suddenly felt the warmth in the carriage, finding himself overly hot even while wearing a thick cloak.

He examined the carriage, even feeling the blankets inside. There was no sign of a fire being lit, so how was it so warm?

As Qin Liuxi took the birth dates and glanced at them, she made a slight calculation with her fingers. Her brows furrowed as she noted the Four Pillars were pure yin.

"What’s wrong?" Xue Bozhen noticed the change in Qin Liuxi’s expression and grew concerned, asking, "Is there something wrong?"

"Her Eight Characters’ Four Pillars are pure yin. In Taoist terms, she’s a Pure Yin Woman—born frail and prone to illness, but with diligent cultivation, she could live long. At twelve, she’s facing a major reincarnation, with ill fortune for the current year, encountering constant small misfortunes and an impending calamity."

Xue Bozhen’s face showed some cracks, saying, "You’re not mistaken. This year, my daughter has indeed been frequently ill. She even fractured her leg from a fall while walking, which kept her bedridden for three months. Now, with the onset of winter and the cold, she went with her mother to a hot spring manor on the outskirts of the capital for winter, yet she disappeared from the manor."

As he spoke, he seemed on the verge of tears, saying, "We only have this one daughter, and since she was weak from a young age, we’ve loved her dearly. She’s the apple of our eye, so to speak, but... Master, are you implying this calamity is connected to her disappearance?"

Qin Liuxi nodded gravely. Her mind sparked with a thought, her expression changed slightly, and she asked, "Which governmental office do you work for? Have you checked if there have been any missing girls recently, those under fifteen years of age? Even if not exactly fifteen, they must be unmarried."

Xue Bozhen was startled, frowning as he asked, "Are you suggesting a group crime?"

"Not quite a group crime, but the missing girls share Miss Xue’s birth characteristics—they’re all pure yin." Qin Liuxi suggested obscurely, "Recently, there’s been someone capturing pure yin girls."

"Why is that?" Xue Bozhen questioned in surprise, "Do human traffickers choose based on birth dates?"

Just as he spoke, a thought crossed his mind, and he looked at Qin Liuxi, asking, "Could it be that these girls are being used for some evil magic?"

Though not well-versed in evil magic, he had heard of it, especially the witchcraft that instilled fear. Now, with the female Taoist emphasizing pure yin birth characteristics, were these innocent girls being captured for some evil practice?

Xue Bozhen’s face darkened.

"We can’t be sure yet, but most likely." Catching people based on their birth dates is surely for some Yin Damaging Skill.

Xue Bozhen immediately lifted the carriage curtain and called his trusted aide to investigate at the governmental office.

Lu Xun and Wen Shi had not been in the carriage. Seeing Xue Bozhen’s dark expression, they exchanged a glance and approached, asking, "Mr. Xue, is there anything we can do to help?"

Xue Bozhen looked at Qin Liuxi.

Qin Liuxi said, "Recently, someone has been capturing girls with Eight Characters Pure Yin. Mr. Lu, please keep an eye out to see if there have been any such missing girls in the city."

Lu Xun’s expression shifted slightly. Could there be an Evil Path practitioner using such a Yin Damaging Skill?

"Actually, there’s no need to inquire deeply. If you find my daughter, there might be others like her together in one place," suggested Xue Bozhen.

Qin Liuxi nodded and re-evaluated the birth date’s omens and used the Divination Skill for tracking. After a while, she looked up and asked, "Within a hundred miles, where is there a Golden Hook?"

Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

Golden Hook, what is that?

Xue Bozhen thought for a moment and hesitantly said, "I don’t know about a Golden Hook within a hundred miles, but in Qishan Town, there’s a mountain with a lake at its base. When the water is clear, the mountain’s reflection looks like a golden hook. Does that count?"

Qin Liuxi nodded: "It counts."

The golden hook entering the water is a bad omen, as the divination indicated.

"Should we go there, then?"

Qin Liuxi glanced at the sky and said, "It’s too late. There’s no need for you to go. You won’t be of much help. My master and I will go alone."

If they were practitioners, they would only hold them back in a confrontational situation.

Xue Bozhen frowned, "But that’s my daughter."

"You would be a hindrance. If a fight breaks out, we might not be able to protect you. You can go on horseback; we should leave first to avoid changes in the situation. Get off the carriage."

Ah?

Xue Bozhen was pushed off the carriage by Qin Liuxi. Before he could react, the curtain closed.

As he came to his senses, wanting to argue with Qin Liuxi, he lifted the curtain and was dumbfounded.

Where did they go?

Wen Shi saw only Lady Xue sleeping soundly in the carriage, with no sign of Qin Liuxi and her companions. He rubbed his eyes several times, wondering where they had disappeared to.

He rushed over and checked inside, saying, "They’re really gone." He added excitedly, "Could this be the legendary Eye-Blocking Technique? Did they just walk out right under our noses?"

Lu Xun was speechless, "If it were that, they’d need to ride off, but there’s no sound outside."

"Then they flew." Wen Shi was even more thrilled, contemplating how much of this he could learn.

Xue Bozhen stood there dazed and finally understood why Lu Xun and the others esteemed Qin Liuxi so highly. With such skill, she must be incredibly powerful, right?

If she were on the battlefield, she could infiltrate the enemy camp silently and take down their leader with ease, couldn’t she?

His heart was ablaze, but when his gaze fell on his wife, pale-faced resting against the carriage wall, he shook off those unrealistic thoughts to focus on the urgent matter at hand.

Yet, thinking of his daughter’s disappearance, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the evil path kidnapper had used a similar technique to quietly take his daughter away.

This was terrifying, almost impossible to guard against. Could ordinary people even resist such an approach?

Xue Bozhen, holding onto the carriage door, thought of Qin Liuxi’s words about his daughter’s calamity. His heart tightened, his throat constricted, making it hard to breathe.

Lu Xun stepped forward, reminding him, "Mr. Xue, if we’re going to Qishan Town, we should hurry. Also, the recent events should not be widely shared."

Xue Bozhen straightened, nodding, "I’ll ensure my people keep their mouths shut."

Their public disappearance must not be disclosed, lest it brings trouble to them.

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