The Charismatic Charlie Wade

George, noting Maria’s horrified expression and her unusual nervousness in speech, wasted no time in inquiring, “Miss Clark, what do you make of this sight?”

Maria responded, “This… The dark clouds appear chaotic and unruly, yet there’s an underlying complexity, a sense of… it feels akin to the Zen Gua image from the Book of Changes’ sixty-four hexagrams.”

“Zen Gua?” Geena exclaimed, clearly taken aback, “Could this cloud actually represent a hexagram?”

Maria nodded, murmuring, “Zen hexagrams are always intricate. Ancient wisdom tells us that when upheaval arrives, laughter turns bitter; a shocking event in the distant field, no mourning for the blade. When this hexagram appears, it’s a merging of the main hexagram and the guest hexagram, signifying an unforeseen, earth-shattering occurrence.”

George, now even more astounded, inquired, “Who possesses the ability to divine from the sky’s clouds?”

Maria appeared befuddled, “I’m not sure… But… This divination seems to have commenced precisely when we arrived. I don’t think it’s man-made.”

“Unnatural, then…” Geena questioned, “Could it be a natural occurrence?”

Maria shook her head, saying, “The secret eludes me…”

As they spoke, the sky’s dark clouds continued their rapid transformation. Thick clouds seemed to draw from an unending well in the heavens, covering the entire Heaven Lake valley in a relentless surge.

Maria frowned, gazing skyward with wide eyes, whispering to herself, “The hexagrams shift too swiftly… I… I cannot fathom it. What are you attempting to convey? Can you clarify? At all?”

The enigmatic clouds, of course, remained indifferent to her muttered queries, their transformation unabated.

variables, each demanding extensive comprehension. With their rapid changes, another hexagram emerges in the

“Miss Clark, fret not. I’ll capture all these shifts. If need be,

It hints at a plea for aid, but it does not clarify who or what seeks it. It’s not something

pressed, “If it’s not someone or something, then

a hushed tone, “I haven’t quite grasped it yet… It’s neither someone nor something…

her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “Ah!

asked, “What

Maria’s eyes as she pointed to the barren ground beneath

the Mother of

the Mother of Pu’er fail to transcend three hundred years ago? Why would she seek our aid now? And… Is she communicating through

murmured, “I can’t explain the reasoning, but I can sense it.

correct, and it is indeed the Mother of Pu’er appealing through the clouds, what does she require of us? How

don’t know… all I perceive is her plea. This ceaselessly shifting hexagram suggests she’s trapped within this tumultuous hexagram, unable to break free. It

into a sphere that descended slowly. The air now teemed with moisture, and the atmospheric pressure was

hexagrams are becoming increasingly ominous, with the main hexagram gradually succumbing to Ke Gua’s influence. If I can’t devise a solution

could only

a potent low-pressure system above Heaven Lake. Maria’s breathing grew strained, and her

exclaimed, “The hexagrams are becoming more perilous, with the main hexagram losing ground to Ke Gua. If I