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

not. I’ll capture all these shifts. If need be, you can unravel their

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

it’s not someone or something, then

in a hushed tone, “I haven’t quite grasped it yet… It’s

widened, and she exclaimed,

urgently asked, “What have

to the barren ground beneath her feet, her excitement palpable.

the Mother of

three hundred years ago? Why

can’t explain the reasoning, but I can sense

appealing through the clouds, what does she require of us?

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

a sphere that descended slowly. The air now teemed with moisture, and the atmospheric pressure was plummeting, making it difficult to breathe, akin to the prelude

her anxiety apparent as she paced restlessly. She lamented, “The hexagrams are becoming increasingly ominous, with the main hexagram gradually succumbing to Ke Gua’s influence. If I can’t devise a solution soon, I may not be able to save her… What do we do… What

inscrutable hexagrams, could only stand there, his

descend, creating a potent low-pressure system above Heaven Lake. Maria’s

her foot in frustration and exclaimed, “The hexagrams are becoming more perilous, with the main hexagram losing ground to Ke Gua. If I can’t find a solution soon, I