It was already completely dark by now, almost 8:30, and Gu Qin had been busy since noon.
This time, Gu Qin's task seemed easy, but it was not. The person who set up the Yin Sha array should have a cultivation level similar to hers, just entering the early stage of refining essence into qi. The Yin symbols he drew were also low-level talismans. Otherwise, with mid-level or high-level talismans, they could gather Yin energy without needing objects from the dead. Although they claimed their cultivation levels were equal, Gu Qin was still superior. She had the Heavenly Eye, which made her cultivation easier than others, and she had over twenty years of experience from her past life. Even though she was in the early stage of refining essence into qi, her strength was already comparable to that of others in the later stages.
However, both breaking and setting up arrays consumed one's vital energy, and setting up an array was even harder. It required the coordination of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Simply put, the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams form the framework and positions for setting up arrays. There were too many variables involved. In metaphysical terms, this relates to five arts, but within that, there are countless interconnected aspects. Furthermore, this array was slightly different from a feng shui array.
Jiang Ni couldn't help but ask, "Miss Gu, what if that person comes back to set up the array on the construction site?"
Gu Qin was quite sure this time. "Even if he comes, he won't dare to set up the Sha array again." This was a battle of techniques between two practitioners. The poisonous methods the other person used would injure him if she broke his array. Even if he wasn't injured, trying to set up a Yin Sha array in this Gathering Spirit Array would be quite difficult.
The three members of the Jiang family were a bit stunned. Before, when they had come to the construction site, it always felt cold and eerie. Now, it felt much more comfortable, and the cold, sinister energy was gone. Gu Qin said, "As for the payment, it's two million. You can pay me after twenty days. I'll give you my bank account number then." She had an ID card but hadn't yet opened a bank account. Two million was actually a small amount; she was starting from scratch, with no reputation yet.
Jiang Ni was not polite. "Thank you, Miss Gu, for trusting us. We will definitely pay you the reward in twenty days. Are you going back to the base now, or do you want to have dinner first?"
Gu Qin glanced at the sky. "I still have some things to bury on the mountain. I'll go back to the base later."
Jiang Ni immediately decided, "Then I'll accompany you, and we can have dinner after you come down. I'll send you back to the base then." Jiang Cheng also followed up, "I'll wait here too." Finally, Jiang Dad went back first. When he was leaving, Gu Qin suddenly said, "Mr. Jiang, if you know any real estate developers who need my help, you can come find me."
Jiang Dad responded with a few "ohs," and his attitude towards Gu Qin could be described as respectful.
After Jiang Dad left, Gu Qin went to the place where she usually cultivated and buried the things from the black paper. This place was a piece of auspicious land she had selected in Mount Dai. Now the matter was completely resolved. By the time she came down the mountain, it was already past ten o'clock. The three of them had dinner together, and then they sent Gu Qin back to the base.
Jiang Ni and Jiang Cheng were both astonished by everything they had seen today. On the way back, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Sis, do you think Miss Gu is worried that we might renege on the payment?"
"You're stupid!" Jiang Ni almost wanted to hit her brother again. "After what you saw today, do you think we would dare to renege on the payment?"
Jiang Cheng fell silent.
The next morning, Gu Qin resumed training, but Instructor Yang seemed to be somewhat targeting her. He said that she had taken a leave of absence yesterday and had to make up for the training she missed. Most of the classmates didn't recognize her, though some were from the same school. Some were gloating, while others were defending Gu Qin. Lin Xinxin was one of those defending her. Gu Qin stopped her and whispered in her ear, "Don't confront the instructor head-on. This little bit of training is nothing to me."
Lin Xinxin was still furious but ultimately listened to Gu Qin's advice and didn't directly confront the instructor. So, when all the other classmates were resting, Gu Qin was still training. By the time it was almost dinner, she had finished running ten kilometers of light-load cross-country. Instructor Yang had been following her the whole time, and when he saw that she completed the ten kilometers without changing her expression, he silently thought to himself, "What a good seedling."
It was a pity that this good seedling's aspirations didn't lie in joining the military.
As Gu Qin had expected, the array she broke had serious consequences. On the top floor of a high-rise building in Dai City, a woman suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. In an instant, she knew her array had been broken. She quickly sat cross-legged, placing her palms upward on her knees and making a series of hand gestures to steady her mind.
Two hours later, the woman slowly opened her eyes, her face still pale. She was very beautiful, though her age was hard to determine. She had dark red, large curly hair, pale skin, and bright red lips. She wore a black long dress, and her aura was somewhat gloomy. She appeared to be in her thirties, but her eyes revealed a sense of maturity.
The woman was somewhat frightened. When she came to Dai Mountain, she had investigated thoroughly, knowing that there were no high-level practitioners there. But how could someone break her array? The woman walked to the bedside and made a phone call. Soon, a middle-aged man wearing glasses entered. He was dressed in a suit, slightly plump, with small eyes and thick eyebrows. Upon entering, he immediately said, "What is it, Miss Yan?"
The woman walked to the large window and looked at the view of the city as the lights began to shine, the streets busy with traffic. "The array has been broken. Go investigate where the problem lies."
The middle-aged man was stunned. "Wha... What? How could Miss Yan's array be broken?"
The woman turned around and glared at the man, "Are you questioning me? Go investigate immediately. If there is someone with superior skills in Dai City, and if they interfere with this matter, you won't be able to monopolize the real estate market here."
"If there is truly a high-level practitioner, then there's no other way?" The man seemed anxious. The woman, Miss Yan, was introduced to him by his older brother, and he only knew her as Yan Zhen. He didn't have any other information about her. His older brother had helped her rise to her current position and later introduced her to him. He had only met her a month ago. Unlike his older brother, this man had a greater desire for money. He had been doing well in Dai City but was still unsatisfied and wanted more. The first step was naturally to control the real estate market. If he could monopolize Dai City's real estate industry, he would be able to solidify his position in the city.
Things had been progressing smoothly, and Miss Yan had been helping him. As expected, all the real estate developers had been experiencing problems. They just needed to wait for the net to close, but unexpectedly, a powerful practitioner had appeared out of nowhere.
"If there really is such a practitioner, there's no other way. Go check where the issue lies," Yan Zhen said.
The middle-aged man immediately began investigating the problem.
The Jiang family returned the next day, telling the workers to go back to the construction site. However, half of the workers refused, saying the site was cursed and they were afraid of accidents. Jiang Jianguo did not force them and allowed the others to continue working. These workers were actually quite worried but knew that Jiang Boss was a good person who never delayed payments and always treated them well. When nothing happened after a day of work, they were relieved.
This had a huge impact on Jiang Cheng. Seeing that the workers had no problems, he quickly apologized on the online post. The son of Old Zhao replied quickly, "Now you see how awesome our sister is, huh?"
Jiang Cheng sneered. "Forget it, still trying to get connected with her, huh?"
The son of Old Zhao didn't respond for a while. Jiang Cheng closed the post, opened the game interface, hesitated for a long time, then closed the game and picked up an economics book.
Two or three days later, the rest of the workers realized nothing had happened on the construction site and some wanted to return. Jiang Jianguo did not stop them and allowed them to come back. As a result, the workers were all very grateful to Jiang Boss and worked even harder.
The middle-aged man with glasses quickly figured out what had happened. He had sent people to every real estate company, including the Jiang family's site. Within a day, he figured out that the problem originated with the Jiang family. A few days ago, there had been frequent accidents on the Jiang family's construction site, which was clearly the work of Miss Yan. However, the day before yesterday, Miss Jiang had brought someone with her, and the later events were unclear because Miss Jiang had instructed everyone to leave. The man didn't even see who Miss Jiang brought with her, only knowing that the person was small in stature.
The middle-aged man quickly informed Yan Zhen, and the two of them went to the Jiang family's construction site to investigate. Yan Zhen brought a compass, and when they arrived, she checked the compass and her face turned pale. "Forget about the Jiang family. There is someone with superior skills protecting them. You can't mess with them. This matter is over."
The compass showed a strong presence of spiritual energy. This... what kind of expert was this? Such a huge effort to restore the Yin-Yang energy on the construction site by setting up a Gathering Spirit Array. She couldn't compete with this person.
Although somewhat disappointed, the middle-aged man knew it was hopeless. He nodded, "As you say, Miss Yan. Miss Yan, should we go back now, or...? How about my daughter's heart condition? There was originally a young girl who matched her blood type, and they were on the operating table, but that girl was too clever and escaped, suing the hospital. Should we act now?"
Yan Zhen looked at the compass and replied, "Let's put that aside for now. I've been injured and can't use my arts for the moment. The magic I used to save your daughter will allow her to live for another six months. It's not urgent."
"Thank you, Miss Yan," the middle-aged man, Su Guangzhi, said.
Gu Qin was naturally unaware of these developments. She was still focused on her military training. By now, it was already August 28th, the eighth day of military training, and they had started heavy-load cross-country runs. The classmates were all complaining.
The events of the past few days had a huge impact on Jiang Jianguo. He now believed that there were truly practitioners with superior skills in the world. Even though he hadn't believed it before, witnessing everything with his own eyes was too shocking. He planned to introduce Gu Qin to an old friend. Jiang Jianguo had several good friends in Dai City, one of whom was also involved in the real estate business. Their businesses didn't conflict. He dealt with residential properties, while his friend was in charge of large commercial malls and hotels. Lately, his friend's businesses had been facing frequent problems as well.