One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Nine o'clock in the morning, outside the North City Suburbs Villa Area.

The early autumn sun pierced through the thin mist and shone on the quiet tree-lined path.

Xia Qiu was dressed in a well-fitting black casual suit, her long hair styled in a bun, giving her a sweet yet dashing look. She leaned against an inconspicuous black sedan. A miniature communication earpiece was perched on her ear, as she quietly made final arrangements.

"Attention all teams on the perimeter: Plainclothes officers are to be deployed around the villa area, monitoring all entrances and exits. Without my orders, no one is to make any rash moves that might alert the enemy."

"Roger that, Captain Xia," came the crisp reply through the earpiece.

Xia Qiu disconnected the call and glanced at her watch. Just as she was about to look up, a soft sound of footsteps came from the other end of the tree-lined path.

Xia Qiu subconsciously turned her head, her gaze instantly freezing.

Jiang Shou usually wore a loose, somewhat baggy tracksuit or a wide-sleeved blue Taoist robe. Xia Qiu's impression of him was always that of a "somewhat handsome charlatan".

But at this moment, after changing into the cheap black suit he bought for job interviews during graduation season, Jiang Shou seemed to have undergone a complete transformation!

Under the constant cleansing and tempering of his marrow by the cold winter's essence, Jiang Shou's physical body had long since shed the impurities of mortals. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a back as straight as a pine tree. The ordinary suit he wore was transformed into a sharp, high-fashion piece by his perfectly sculpted muscles.

Coupled with his angular face, exuding an otherworldly and aloof air, and his deep, pure eyes, he radiates a captivating tension of both a "suit-wearing thug" and a "celibate" charm!

Xia Qiu's breath caught in her throat for a second, and a hint of undisguised amazement flashed in her peach blossom eyes. She even felt her heartbeat become a little erratic.

"Captain Xia, what are you looking at?" Jiang Shou walked over and looked at Xia Qiu, who seemed slightly dazed, with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong? Shouldn't we be setting off?"

"cough……"

Xia Qiu snapped out of her reverie, a fleeting blush crossing her fair cheeks. She immediately straightened her expression and coughed lightly, "Oh... I was thinking about some arrangements."

Xia Qiu composed herself and quickly got into work mode: "Remember your identity today, you are Xiao Jiang, a newly recruited probationary police officer in our county's criminal investigation team. When you go inside, follow behind me, observe more and talk less."

"Understood, Captain Xia." Jiang Shoujing gave a somewhat informal police salute.

The two walked side by side toward the luxurious villa with white banners hanging at the deepest part of the villa area.

Today is the last day of the Zhao family's funeral arrangements; the funeral procession will begin early tomorrow morning.

Outside the villa gate, wreaths and condolence messages were laid out in abundance. Black-clad bodyguards stood expressionless at the entrance, verifying the identities of those offering condolences.

Xia Qiu stepped forward and immediately showed his police ID: "Xia Qiu, Criminal Investigation Brigade, County Public Security Bureau. Representing the County Bureau, I'm here to offer my condolences to Secretary Zhao."

The bodyguard glanced at the police ID, then at Jiang Shou, who was standing behind Xia Qiu in a black suit with a cold expression, and didn't suspect anything. In this kind of situation, it was perfectly normal for a criminal investigation captain to bring a newly recruited trainee or assistant to go through the motions.

"Captain Xia, please come in." The bodyguard bowed slightly to let him in.

As soon as I stepped into the mourning hall on the first floor of the villa.

A suffocating, oppressive atmosphere filled the air. A huge wreath and a black-and-white portrait sat in the center of the hall, behind which lay the heavy coffin made of nanmu wood.

Zhao Jianguo, secretary of the county's Political and Legal Affairs Commission, is currently standing with his wife at the family members' thank-you area.

This usually imposing high-ranking official now had sunken eyes and a pale face, showing signs of sleep deprivation and excessive fear. He was mechanically bowing to the guests who came to pay their respects.

Xia Qiu led Jiang Shou to the portrait and accepted three incense sticks from the staff member next to him.

The two stood side by side and bowed slightly to the portrait.

At that very moment of bowing and lowering his head.

Jiang Shou closed his eyes slightly, his mind suddenly sank, and a wisp of true essence instantly split from his dantian and rushed straight to his eyes!

"The Art of Qi Observation," activated!

When Jiang Shou opened his eyes again, a faint golden light flashed deep within his pupils.

"Hiss~~!"

Jiang Shou gasped inwardly.

In the field of vision of the Qi Observation Technique, this is hardly a funeral!

Beneath the floor of the entire first floor of the villa, a dense black aura was churning wildly upwards! And within this viscous black aura, there were even traces of a ferocious, blood-red aura!

These scarlet resentments were extremely violent. They seemed to be alive, seeping up through the cracks in the floor and hovering menacingly in the air above the hall, as if they were about to devour everyone in the room at any moment.

"This resentment... it's gotten this intense?"

Jiang Shou put away his Qi-gazing technique and calmly inserted the incense stick in his hand into the incense burner.

After offering incense, the two retreated to the side of the crowd.

"The entrance is in the storage room next to the kitchen," Jiang Shou said in a low voice, in a volume that only Xia Qiu could hear.

Xia Qiu nodded slightly, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the corridor on the right side of the hall that led to the kitchen and back-of-house area.

Xia Qiu frowned deeply after just one glance.

At the entrance to the corridor stood two burly bodyguards in black. Like gatekeepers, they guarded the entrance, their eyes scanning each approaching guest warily. Clearly, they had received strict orders to forbid anyone from entering the back area.

"There are bodyguards guarding the place." Xia Qiu's lips moved slightly, her voice barely audible. "Trying to force our way in will definitely alert Zhao Jianguo. I don't have a search warrant, so I can't get in at all. What should we do?"

Jiang Shou followed Xia Qiu's gaze and glanced at the two bodyguards, a faint, cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Captain Xia, get ready. When things get chaotic, just follow me and rush in," Jiang Shou said softly.

"Making a mess? What are you trying to do...?"

Before Xia Qiu could finish speaking, she saw Jiang Shou suddenly put his hands in his trouser pockets, slightly turn his body to the side, and hide most of his body in the blind spot of the crowd.

Jiang Shou closed his eyes.

The true essence within his dantian instantly surged, and following his will, it flowed through Jiang Shou's body, directly traversing a distance of more than ten meters, precisely enveloping the offering table in the center of the hall!

"rise!"

Jiang Shou let out a cold shout in his heart.

next second!

The hall, which was originally tightly closed and without a breath of wind, was now completely dark.

The two "eternal lamps" on the offering table, which could burn for seven days and seven nights to light the way to the underworld for the deceased, suddenly shook violently for a moment, and then...

With a "poof," they went out simultaneously without warning!

Before anyone could react...

"Splash...!"

The two enormous paper wreaths, each over two meters tall, placed on either side of the portrait, lost their balance and crashed heavily onto the open ground in front of the guests!

"Bang!"

Immediately afterwards, the apples, pastries, and other offerings neatly arranged on the altar, along with the heavy brass incense burner, seemed to be swept away by a strange force, rolling off the table with a "clatter" and scattering all over the floor!

The most crucial thing is!

The huge black-and-white photo frame in the center snapped with a "crack." Young Master Zhao's portrait slammed face-down onto the ground with a loud "bang," shattering glass everywhere!

"Ah~~!"

A series of terrified screams erupted in the hall!

The wealthy ladies and political and business figures who came to pay their respects were terrified and retreated hastily, plunging the scene into extreme chaos.

"What...what's going on?!"

"The eternal lamp has gone out, and the portrait of the deceased is upside down... This is a terrible omen!"

When Secretary Zhao and his wife, who were standing in the family appreciation area, saw this scene, their faces turned deathly pale, and even their lips trembled uncontrollably.

Zhao's wife's legs went weak, and she collapsed into Secretary Zhao's arms, her eyes filled with terror.

"It's over... Could it be that Mr. Liang's efforts down below failed?! Those wronged souls... those female ghosts have come up to claim my life?!" Zhao Jianguo was covered in cold sweat.

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Jianguo, barely suppressing his shock, roared at the bewildered security personnel around him:

"What are you all standing there for?! Go help! Tidy things up, prop the picture frame up! Hurry up!!"

I heard the boss roar.

The guards around the room, as well as the two bodyguards who were originally stationed at the entrance to the kitchen corridor, abandoned their posts and rushed to the center of the mourning hall to maintain order and clean up the mess.

"Now!"

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Shou's eyes.

At that very moment, when everyone's attention was drawn to the strange and unusual event in the center of the mourning hall.

Jiang Shou grabbed Xia Qiu's wrist, slipped along the edge of the crowd, and disappeared into the unguarded corridor!

The two moved with extremely light and fast steps, and in the blink of an eye, they pushed open the wooden door of the storage room next to the kitchen and slipped inside.

"Click".

The door closed gently, completely shutting out the noise from outside. The storage room was dark, with no lights on.

"What did you just do?" Xia Qiu gasped for breath in the darkness, her heart still racing. Although she hadn't seen Jiang Shou make a move, she had a gut feeling that the chaos outside was definitely related to this guy.

"It's just a little magic trick," Jiang Shou said without further explanation.

Following the dim light of the storage room, his gaze quickly locked onto the huge oak wine cabinet on the innermost wall.

"The entrance is behind this wine cabinet."

Jiang Shou strode to the wine cabinet and quickly activated his Qi Observation Technique...

Reach out and touch the second-to-last bottle of Lafite red wine on the left, then press it down hard.

"Click~"

A dull thud of mechanical gears meshing echoed from behind the wine cabinet.

The once perfectly fitted oak wine cabinet slowly developed a thin crack in the middle.

Upon seeing this, Xia Qiu immediately stepped forward, braced his hands against the edge of the wine cabinet, and tried to push open the disguised hidden door.

"Um?"

Xia Qiu frowned. She tensed her arm muscles, used her waist to push forward with all her might.

However, this seemingly unlocked oak hidden door was surprisingly heavy, and Xia Qiu, who had been through countless battles and received combat and strength training, couldn't push it open.