The color of cinnabar itself is blood red, so when mixed with blood, it deepens, making it uncomfortable to look at.
Yan Qiongsi took a deep breath, mixed the blood-stained cinnabar evenly, then picked up a brush and wrote the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches on prepared paper with the cinnabar. Then she drew Yin and Yang with their polarities - Yang represented affirmation, while Yin represented negation.
After all this was done, she glanced at Shaoyao and Haitang.
The two hurriedly stepped forward, holding the divination brush with trembling fingers, not daring to breathe. Yan Qiongsi laid the paper under the fine sand of the divination tray and spread a thin layer of sand over the paper, barely revealing the red writing beneath.
A wooden frame in the shape of the letter "ding" was placed on the tray, with a pendant hanging down. Shaoyao and Haitang each supported the horizontal ends, their faces unnaturally pale.
