The front of the movie script didn't capture Zhuang Wujian's attention.
It wasn't until she saw the words "Yin Ji" that her heart suddenly leaped, connecting it to something.
Yin Ji.
In reality, it was an ancient term within the Xuanmen, its meaning largely the same as described in the script.
It referred to someone who, observing the grand scheme of things, would immediately conceal their destiny in times of crisis, making it impossible for any instigators of trouble to find their fatal flaw.
Easier said than done.
As far as Zhuang Wujian knew, despite the many Xuanmen masters in the world, none had reached the level of being able to "Yin Ji."
"Then, does Su Ziyu, who is said to have hidden his destiny out of sheer bewilderment after hearing a legend about Master Kongkong, count as Yin Ji?"
Upon thinking this, Zhuang Wujian felt goosebumps erupt on her arms and back.
She carefully reread the script.
This time, Zhuang Wujian paid special attention to the detail about there being two Queens, a Great Queen and a Little Queen!
The Great Queen possessed a face that brought peace and prosperity to the nation, embodying humility and open-mindedness.
The Little Queen, with her porcelain-like skin, was exceptionally strategic and cunning.
"Su Ziyu, with his face that brings peace and prosperity to the nation. He can accept Li Qianfan's philandering outside, which is truly the epitome of humility and open-mindedness."
"Su Nanyin has porcelain-like skin! If she doesn't qualify as exceptionally strategic and cunning, then no one else does."
"The key point is—"
"The setup of the Great and Little Queens perfectly matches the dual-female-lead setting analyzed by Su Ziyu."
"Could it be that Li Qianfan is the legendary King?"
"The Great Queen is Su Ziyu, and the Little Queen is Su Nanyin?"
"And Mo Hongti and the others are the King's consorts?"
"Did Li Qianfan finally bring Su Ziyu back from two thousand years of the Black Abyss, reversing the path of death?"
"But what does the King's legend have to do with 209?"
"Could it be that after the King died, he went to the Heavenly Emperor's side? And 209 is what the King brought back when he re-entered the mortal world from the Heavenly Emperor's realm?"
"Only this explanation fits 209's mysterious and eerie nature, and aligns with the dual-female-lead theory!"
"Then what role does Hua Yin play in all of this?"
As Zhuang Wujian's thoughts raced, a deafening boom suddenly echoed in her ears.
BOOM!!
"Ah."
Zhuang Wujian flinched in shock and looked up abruptly.
Thunder.
That tremendous sound that made her heart tremble was definitely thunder.
But the night sky was filled with stars; how could there be thunder?
What surprised Zhuang Wujian even more was that despite her strong composure, she was still shaken by this sudden thunder.
Yet, the many spectators around her were still chatting and laughing, seemingly having heard nothing.
What was going on?
Astonished, Zhuang Wujian quickly asked Lin Xiuyan beside her, "Did you hear that loud noise just now?"
Loud noise?
What loud noise?
No.
Lin Xiuyan looked around, completely baffled.
"Why didn't they hear the loud noise, but I did? Did I have auditory hallucinations? Or. Wait!"
Zhuang Wujian looked down at the script. "What was I thinking about from the script just now?"
Zhuang Wujian would swear on her daughter Hua Yin's tiny tail—
She had thought of many things right before hearing the thunderclap.
What things?
She stared blankly at the script, but she couldn't recall anything.
Feeling inexplicably more agitated, Zhuang Wujian took a deep breath. She said to Lin Xiuyan with a calm expression, "It's windy here. I'll go to the car and read the script for a while."
Indeed.
The wind was strong by the river, and the temperature had dropped noticeably.
A thin layer of mist was even slowly rising from the river's surface.
Lin Xiuyan nodded and politely gestured for the sect leader to go ahead.
"Sigh, such a good figure. It's almost comparable to mine. It's a pity that someone as beautiful as the sect leader doesn't have a husband. Unlike me, who can get three minutes of supreme happiness from my husband whenever I want. The sect leader is truly pitiful."
Watching Zhuang Wujian's retreating back, Lin Xiuyan sighed softly with a look of pity, then turned her gaze to the yacht on the river.
A terrifying, sinister smile played on her lips.
Zhuang Wujian, who had already hurried to the car, couldn't see Lin Xiuyan's expression.
Even if she had, Zhuang Wujian wouldn't have had the mental capacity to ponder why she was smiling like that.
Because—
Zhuang Wujian gripped her hair tightly, staring at the script on her lap, racking her brain to remember what she had been thinking about just before she heard that booming sound.
What had she been thinking about!?
No matter how many times she looked at the script, even rereading every punctuation mark at least eight times, she couldn't find anything wrong.
Let alone recall what she had been thinking.
The script for the Han River's evil plot was still based on a ridiculous ancient legend.
It was no different from the soap operas Han City was so adept at producing.
At most, it was a legend about a certain King being jointly defeated by enemies, which was then exploited by an evil entity to create a new sun and moon.
Other than that—
"What was I thinking about just now?"
As Zhuang Wujian muttered to herself for the nth time, her pupils suddenly constricted!
She—
She had accidentally glimpsed the heavenly secret of the Four Phoenixes Circling the Beam formation!
The absolute core of the Four Phoenixes Circling the Beam formation had reacted, forbidding her from peeking.
That loud noise, heard only by Zhuang Wujian, was a warning from the formation's core.
It was also a reminder not to continue racking her brain to recall what she had been thinking.
Otherwise, she would suffer qi deviation!
Realizing this abruptly, Zhuang Wujian dared not delve any further.
She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, murmuring, "Who was it that warned me? Could it be Su Ziyu, whose destiny is hidden?"
About ten minutes earlier—
While the Han River was starry, Longxu, with its six-hour time difference, had just seen the sun set.
Su Ziyu and Mo Hongti, after finishing their day's work as usual, began their meal.
"Sigh, I wonder when Qianfan will come around. Realize that his being alive is more important than anything. Must I really ask Grandmother to use brute force to bring them together?"
Worried, Su Ziyu reached for her water glass.
However, her mind was elsewhere, and as she reached for the glass, her elbow knocked over the decanter of red wine onto the floor.
CRASH.
The decanter shattered instantly, emitting a loud noise.
Mo Hongti, who loved watching videos while eating, screamed in alarm, "Ah!"
Su Ziyu also flinched and quickly stood up. "I'm so sorry, Sister Hongti. I accidentally knocked over the decanter. Please check your feet to see if you've been cut by the broken glass."
"It's okay, it's okay."
Mo Hongti lifted her fair foot and took a napkin to wipe away the blood-like wine: "That's strange. It was just a decanter falling. Why such a loud noise? I thought it was thunder just now."
"Perhaps the quality of this glass container is unusual."
Only after confirming that Mo Hongti's foot was not injured did Su Ziyu sigh in relief.
However, she felt a sharp pain in her right calf.
She looked down and saw a piece of broken glass embedded in it.
Blood was flowing down her fair skin.
Mo Hongti also saw it—
She quickly called out to a maid who had entered upon hearing the loud noise, "Quick, call a doctor! Young Madam has cut her leg on the broken glass!"
The news of the Young Madam accidentally knocking over the decanter and cutting her leg with broken glass during dinner quickly spread throughout Longxu.
It also reached the ears of Yang Xiao, Li Xiao, and Li Wujiang, who were hosting Master Kongkong at a banquet.
Master Kongkong genuinely did not want to come to Longxu.
But Empress Dowager Xiao had declared, "If that heretic monk dares not come, he shall perish without a burial place!"
Master Kongkong, not wanting to perish without a burial place after death, had no choice but to scurry to Longxu to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Xiao.
However, while coming and while eating and drinking, he would say what he should, and absolutely not say what he shouldn't.
Even if Empress Dowager Xiao were to chop him into pieces with a knife, Master Kongkong would not utter a single forbidden word!
Master Kongkong was engaging in wordplay.
Empress Dowager Xiao, her patience worn thin, was exchanging glances with Wujiang's daughter-in-law, signaling her to use force to make Master Kongkong tell the truth.
Suddenly, Xiu Zi, Li Xiao's chief secretary, entered and announced that the Young Madam had cut her calf.
"Hmph, it's just cutting her calf with broken glass, it's not that big of a deal. Ziyu isn't some fragile porcelain doll that can't be touched."
Just as Empress Dowager Xiao scoffed, she saw Master Kongkong's face change dramatically, his left hand forming a claw-like shape as he rapidly began to divine.
Li Xiao immediately sensed something and asked softly, "Master, will something happen to Ziyu's injury?"
Master Kongkong blurted out, "Yin Ji activation!"
What was Yin Ji activation?
What was Yin Ji?
Where was Yin Ji activating?
Yang Xiao paused for a moment, and Master Kongkong sprang to his feet, grabbing Li Xiao's hand and heading out. "Li Xiao, come with me quickly!"
"Where are we going, and why?"
Yang Xiao and Li Wujiang asked in unison.
"You two must stop! Absolutely do not follow."
Master Kongkong turned back, his voice more stern than ever.
Li Wujiang's expression shifted.
Yang Xiao, however, said grimly, "What if I insist on going?"
"Then you might as well let Su Ziyu die," Master Kongkong said, pulling Li Xiao's hand and hurrying out the door.