I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 354 The Empress herself acts as a bodyguard?! Fortune teller Chen Mo!
dong dong dong-

Chen Mo knocked on the door again, but after waiting for a while, there was still no response.

"Looks like there really is no one here..."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, there was a soft creak, and the door opened a crack, revealing clear black and white eyes looking at him through the gap.
"Master Chen."

"Commander Ye?"

Chen Mo asked in confusion, "So you were inside? Why did it take you so long to open the door?"

"I was a little sleepy just now, so I took a short nap." Ye Zi'e blinked and asked, "Did you need something from me?"

Chen Mo didn't think much of it and said, "Regarding the matter in the Southern Frontier, although the higher-ups haven't urged us, we can't delay for too long. Anyway, we can't escape it, so we might as well finish it quickly."

Surprisingly, Ye Zi'e did not resist and nodded, saying, "Lord Chen is right. Then let's do as you say."

"Shall we make preparations and set off tomorrow?"

"It's all up to you, sir."

"it is good."

Seeing her cooperation, Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Then I won't disturb Commander Ye's rest any longer. Farewell."

"Goodbye." Ye Zi'e watched him leave until he disappeared around the corner of the stairs, then gently closed the door and turned back to her study.

A figure dressed in a plain long dress sat on a chair with her legs crossed, and said lazily, "Aside from official business, you two never exchange a single word of nonsense. What, is my presence here interfering with your friendship?"

Ye Zi'e hurriedly bowed and said, "Your subordinate and Lord Chen are merely colleagues, and there is absolutely no ulterior motive between us!"

"It's good that you know what's going on. Remember, I never give anyone a second chance," Yu Youhan said calmly.

"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered!" Ye Zi'e hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you really want to come with us?"

"You have a problem with that?" Yu Youhan raised an eyebrow.

"No, no objection, it's my honor." Ye Zi'e waved her hands repeatedly and explained, "It's just that the journey south is long and tiring, and there may be some oversights in taking care of you. Your Highness is a noble lady, and if your beauty is harmed, I would be unforgivable..."

"I don't need your care. Just keep your mouth shut and don't reveal my identity," Yu Youhan said.

She planned to secretly accompany Chen Mo on his trip south.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of careful consideration from various perspectives.

Wei Xuan wouldn't issue such an order without a reason; he must be acting on the emperor's orders. His purpose is currently unclear, but it is clearly aimed at Chen Mo.

Perhaps it was to get him away, or perhaps they had laid an ambush on the way; it's hard to say. After all, Chen Mo's talent and strength have already been enough to influence the overall situation.

No one can ignore a master who cultivates both Taoism and martial arts, especially since this is far from his limit!

For Yu Youhan, on the one hand, she was worried that the incident in the Southern Frontier would repeat itself, and on the other hand, she wanted to keep a close eye on Chen Mo to prevent him from doing anything reckless.

While that guy is having intimate affairs with other women outside, she has to endure the torment alone in the palace. If she is caught by the Empress or someone else, who knows how much more humiliation she will suffer!
Thinking about what happened yesterday, a hint of resentment and indignation flashed in Qingbi's eyes.

Since she came to Kyoto, she had never suffered such a humiliation. She was actually being ridden on by that big bear queen and spanked!

"This isn't over yet!"

"Once he returns from the southern border, he will have to give me an explanation!"

Ye Zi'e stood to the side with her head down, feeling a chill creep over her. Every hair on her body stood on end. She wondered if she had said something wrong and displeased the Empress.

"Miss?"

The air was quiet, and there was no response for a long time.

She cautiously looked up and found the study empty; the Empress had left sometime earlier.

"call--"

Ye Zi'e breathed a sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He slumped into a chair, his hands gripping the table, rubbing his temples, his expression full of worry.

"Taking the Imperial Concubine to the Southern Frontier?"

"This is too much..."

……

……

After leaving the Qilin Pavilion, Chen Mo did not return directly to the Ministry of Personnel, but instead walked southwest along the palace wall.

The area within a radius of several miles belonged to the imperial city, which was heavily guarded. A wide moat isolated the entire palace complex from the outside world. Only two buildings were adjacent to the imperial city: the Qilin Pavilion and the Observatory.

Previously, I learned from Liu Miaozhi that there were other hidden reasons for the Xu family's downfall, and I personally saw the "map" tattooed on their back.

What Chu Heng is searching for so desperately may very well be hidden in the observatory.

Chen Mo was quite concerned about this and had been looking for an opportunity to go inside and take a look.

After solving the chess puzzle at the Demon Suppression Division last time, Qi Chengze gave Chen Mo a token and promised that he could come to the Star Gazing Platform to find him if he needed anything. However, in order not to arouse the other party's suspicion, Chen Mo did not rush to visit.

I don't know when I'll be back after leaving Kyoto, so I'm planning to come here first to sound out the governor's opinion and see if I can find any useful clues.

As he saw the towering building in the distance, before he even got close, two black-clad guards suddenly appeared, blocking his way, and coldly said:

"This is a restricted area of ​​the imperial court; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter!"

Chen Mo took out his token and held it up in front of the two men. "I'm here to see the Supervisor. Please inform him of my presence."

Upon seeing the two characters "impermanence" engraved on it, the two men's expressions changed slightly. They hurriedly stepped aside, bowing and saying, "We apologize for our rudeness, sir. Please come in. The supervisor is already waiting for you."

"Tsk, looks like this brand carries some weight..."

Chen Mo muttered to himself.

The supervisor is a master of divination, with the ability to glimpse the secrets of heaven. It's quite normal that he predicted in advance that the supervisor would be coming.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the observatory, the vermilion gate was tightly closed, with crisscrossing gold nails and two ferocious beast heads holding copper rings.

He was about to reach out and knock when the door opened by itself, and an aged voice rang in his ears:

"Come in, thirty-third floor."

"Yes."

Chen Mo responded and stepped inside.

Only by entering it can you truly appreciate how enormous this building is.

The entire structure is made of white basalt rock, layer upon layer, reaching straight into the clouds. The surface is polished to a mirror-like shine, with faint cloud patterns flowing like fleeting shadows, making it quite mystical.

However, when he looked around, he saw no stairs, only a flat stone platform.

Standing on the stone platform, accompanied by a slight tremor, a cylindrical column rose up in front of me, with a groove on it, which looked to be about the same size as the token.

Chen Mo placed the token into the groove, and a "click" sound rang out. Then, densely packed tiny characters appeared, forming a circle around the token, ranging from "one" to "forty," which should represent the floors.

"This inexplicable sense of déjà vu..."

He tentatively twisted the token, and the numbers lit up one by one, finally settling on the number "thirty-three".

As soon as I let go, a strong sense of weightlessness suddenly came over me, and the platform rose at an extremely fast speed. The surrounding scenery was stretched into blurry lines, and almost instantly we were above the clouds!

"Wow, is this really an elevator from another world?"

Chen Mo's expression was full of amazement.

One has to admire the master craftsman's creativity; he achieved such amazing results using only array formations and mechanical techniques.

Stepping down from the stone platform, a narrow corridor stretched out before me. Reaching its end, the view suddenly opened up before me—

The vast open-air plaza was as flat as a whetstone, like a pavilion in the sky, where various stargazing equipment were displayed: astrolabes, gnomons, sundials, armillary spheres, and astrolabes...

Several officials dressed in their robes were standing in front of the instruments, carefully observing them and occasionally taking notes.

Even as Chen Mo walked by, he didn't notice at all.

At the end of the square stands an octagonal pavilion, constructed of ebony wood, with copper bells hanging from its eaves, which chime crisply in the breeze.

Inside the pavilion, two figures sat facing each other, the sound of chess pieces being placed echoing continuously.

One of the elderly men, with an air of otherworldly wisdom, was none other than Qi Chengze, the Director of the Imperial Observatory. Sitting opposite him was a woman in red, her skirt embroidered with phoenixes singing and the rising sun in gold thread. Her features were clear and sharp, her gaze piercing and dazzling, like the blazing sun itself.

"Chu Yanli?!"

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, not expecting to meet her here.

"I'm not playing anymore, it's pointless." Chu Yanli threw the chess piece into the chess box and said irritably, "You even figured out which move I was going to make beforehand, isn't that cheating?"

"This old minister did not use any supernatural powers. It was Your Highness's mind that was not at peace. Once the mind is in disarray, it is easy to make wrong choices."

Qi Chengze stroked his beard, shook his head and said, "I still remember when Your Highness was still young, you would come to this old minister from time to time to hone your chess skills, and you said that you would become a chess master sooner or later. Now it seems that you are still far from that goal."

"People seem to like lecturing once they get old?" Chu Yanli snorted and said, "I may not be as good as you at chess, but I'm an expert at killing. If I kill all the chess players in the world, wouldn't I be the number one in the Great Yuan?"

"..."

Qi Chengze's eyelids twitched.

Listen to this yourself, is this even human language?

They were exactly like that kid who chiseled through the chessboard, neither of them played by the rules. However, Chen Mo's disregard for the rules was different from the Princess's obvious murderous intent.

At this moment, Chu Yanli seemed to notice something, turned her head and looked on in surprise.

"Chen Mo? What brings you here?"

"This humble official greets Her Highness the Eldest Princess and the Supervisor."

Chen Mo approached and bowed respectfully.

Chu Yanli gazed at him, her eyes flashing.

After several days apart, the pressure emanating from this person had become even stronger, and even the Heavenly Decree Seal within his body was emitting waves of energy, as if sensing that intense pressure.

Could it be that this person has recently had another extraordinary encounter?
Qi Chengze asked, "Does Commander Chen have something to discuss with me?"

"I've just encountered some problems in my cultivation recently and would like to ask the Supervisor for some advice." Chen Mo glanced at Chu Yanli and said, "I didn't expect the Princess to be here as well. I wouldn't dare to disturb your enjoyment. I'll visit you another day."

After saying this, he prepared to take his leave.

Unexpectedly, Chu Yanli reached out and grabbed him, pulling him to her side. She smiled and said, "I won't bother you. I was just bored and came here for a stroll. You guys chat, just pretend I don't exist."

Seeing the two arm in arm, looking very intimate, a hint of surprise flashed across Qi Chengze's eyes, but he quickly looked away, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Chu Yanli didn't care about other people's opinions and asked, "But speaking of which, you don't cultivate the Dao of Divination, so why did you come to him for advice?"

This matter is rather complicated, and Chen Mo did not answer immediately.

"Ahem." Qi Chengze cleared his throat and took the initiative to explain, "Lord Chen has made a great contribution this time and is a hero of the Great Yuan. I admire him very much, so I gave him the 'True Explanation of Observing the World' as a gift, which can be regarded as forming a good relationship."

"I see."

Chu Yanli suddenly understood upon hearing this.

That was originally the Qi family's inherited method; it was his freedom to give it to whomever he wanted.

However, she keenly noticed that Qi Chengze said "gifted" rather than "taught," and the two did not address each other as master and disciple, so it seemed that he only gave her the books and did not actually pass on the teachings.

Divination is inherently obscure and difficult to understand, let alone for Chen Mo, who is a complete novice with no background in the subject. To come into contact with such a profound method is probably no different from reading a book written in the heavens.

I could only come to him for advice every now and then, and before long, I owed him more and more favors.

Seeking favors in return, casting a long line to catch a big fish—that's exactly the kind of thing that old fox would do!

Faced with Chu Yanli's disdainful gaze, Qi Chengze knew that his little thoughts had been seen through. His expression was slightly embarrassed, and he said, "The True Explanation of Guanshi covers the five arts of Taoism and its content is very complicated. It is normal that Lord Chen cannot understand it."

"Although we are not master and disciple, I will not hold back and will certainly tell you everything I know without reservation."

If he still can't see the relationship between the two by now, then he's wasted decades in the court!
He adopted this posture, naturally to impress Chu Yanli.

"This kid is not only in love with Ling Ningzhi, but he's also hooking up with the Princess?"

"This is absolutely outrageous..."

Chen Mo originally wanted to subtly probe how much Qi Chengze knew about what happened back then, but now it seems that the opportunity is gone.

All I could say was seriously, "It's not that I can't understand it, but I've encountered some problems in practical applications."

"Practical applications?"

Qi Chengze shook his head secretly.

He knew better than anyone how profound the contents of "The True Explanation of Observing the World" were. If no one had guided him, he probably wouldn't even have been able to understand the general outline, let alone apply it!
However, considering that Chen Mo was still young and arrogant, and especially in front of the princess, it was normal for him to be stubborn and refuse to admit it, so he did not expose him on the spot.

"If there is anything you don't understand, Commander Chen, please feel free to speak."

"Thank you for your correction."

After a moment's thought, Chen Mo said, "It mainly concerns the combination of appearance, momentum, and hexagram. I try to filter out useful information from infinite variables in order to deduce future trends, but the results I calculate are always far from reality."

"..."

You're getting cocky just because I said you're fat, aren't you?
You've only learned a few terms, and you're already acting like a fortune teller?
Qi Chengze raised an eyebrow and waved his hand. The surrounding clouds gathered and formed a bright mirror, reflecting the scene in the city below, where pedestrians flowed like ants on the streets.

As the camera zooms in, the viewpoint focuses on a street vendor.

The man was standing on the street, hawking his freshly baked pies.

“Since we’re on the topic, let’s give it a try.” Qi Chengze asked, “How many pancakes do you think he can sell in the next fifteen minutes? Just give me a rough estimate.”

Although he was somewhat annoyed by Chen Mo's pretentious behavior, he still gave him face and did not ask for an exact number, as long as it was something close.

However, Chen Mo was not impressed. After observing carefully for a moment, he said, "Five."

?

Qi Chengze was stunned.

The numbers Chen Mo mentioned were exactly the same as the results he had seen!
How could you guess so accurately?
"Then tell me, who did you sell them to?" Qi Chengze pressed.

A glint of silver flashed in Chen Mo's eyes as he said, "A thirty-year-old woman bought two tickets, a laborer working at the mansion across the street bought two tickets, and a five-year-old girl bought one ticket, but..."

"But what?"

"The little girl ended up getting the cake from the hired hand, who was kind-hearted."

???

Qi Chengze's expression froze.

Chu Yanli asked curiously, "Is Chen Mo right?"

Qi Chengze moved his throat but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his head to look at Mingjing.

As time went by, the woman and her hired worker appeared one after another, and just as Chen Mo had predicted, they each bought two pancakes.

A short while later, a little girl with patched clothes came to the stall, carefully took out a few copper coins, counted them carefully for a long time, and then handed them to the vendor.

After receiving the pie, even though he was drooling with envy, he didn't eat a single bite. Instead, he tucked the steaming pie into his pocket and walked towards the alleyway on the side of the street.

As a result, he tripped over a stone without paying attention and fell hard to the ground. The meat pie in his arms flew out and was stepped on several times by passers-by.

"My cake!"

Ignoring the pain, the little girl crawled over and picked up the meat pie.

However, the pancake was dirty and the filling had leaked out, and she was so heartbroken that tears streamed down her face.

The worker, who was squatting by the roadside eating lunch, saw this scene and looked down at the second meat pie in his hand that he hadn't eaten yet.

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, handed his own to the girl, took the pancake, blew off the dust, and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

"..."

The air was quiet on the high platform.

Qi Chengze looked at Chen Mo with a blank expression.

No way, you really know how?!

(End of this chapter)