On the ancient nautical charts, many small islands were often marked with circles, and Huo Sining focused on the ink dot in the ocean position, but she stared at it for over ten seconds without understanding anything.
The parchment was originally drawn with ink pens, so ink dots on the map itself were not unusual.
But the strange thing was, next to the other dots representing islands, there were annotations explaining the area of the islands, flora, and fauna, but only this dot had no written markings.
This made Huo Sining feel puzzled. If this island was a necessary stop on Shen Wansan’s nautical route, why didn’t he provide any explanation? If they hadn’t surveyed the island, why go to the trouble of marking it?
Huo Sining saw clearly that many islands were not included in this chart; only those passed by ships were included. So what was the purpose of this dot being drawn here?
Doubt flashed in Huo Sining’s eyes. Before she could think it through, Gu Xu saw something different beside her.
"What is this writing? Why don’t I recognize it? Is it traditional script?" Gu Xu frowned, pointing to a small line of text at the bottom of the chart, puzzled.
Huo Sining froze for a moment and followed the direction of his finger.
Seeing that line of text, Huo Sining was immediately dumbfounded.
At the bottom of the parchment was a line of extremely peculiar script, crooked and twisted, not quite seal script but resembling it. Gu Xu didn’t recognize it, but Huo Sining was very familiar with it.
Because amongst the four wooden boxes she collected, the complete Bagua Chart on one of the parchments had similar writing. Although she didn’t recognize a single character, she was sure that the writing on the Bagua Chart and this parchment were of the same script.
Seeing these characters, Huo Sining’s heart skipped a beat, and a ridiculous thought flashed in her mind.
Could it be that the four Bagua Charts were somehow linked to this map left by Shen Wansan?
Or, perhaps, those Bagua Charts were drawn by Shen Wansan himself?
Huo Sining’s thoughts raced, her gaze once again fell upon the unmarked dot.
Could this dot indicate the exact location mentioned in the four Bagua Charts?
If that were the case, what was the purpose of these Bagua Charts? What was this place hiding that warranted such painstaking efforts?
The more clues she gathered, the more puzzled Huo Sining became. To unravel this mystery, it seemed the key lay in deciphering these strange characters. If their meaning could be uncovered, most of the mystery would likely be solved.
Huo Sining felt helpless but knew that such matters couldn’t be rushed. After discussing with Gu Xu for a while, it was already past ten at night, and both felt a bit tired. Huo Sining put away the parchment and the agate cup, then urged Gu Xu to return to his room to rest.
Gu Xu acted shamelessly, demanding a goodnight kiss with a playful expression.
Under Gu Xu’s intense gaze, Huo Sining’s face turned slightly red. She hesitated before quickly standing on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek.
Receiving this brief kiss from his wife, with her fresh young fragrance filling his nostrils, Gu Xu felt both joyful and content. His heart surged with emotions.
However, remembering their upcoming plans, Gu Xu suppressed his thoughts and obediently returned to his room.
Seeing Gu Xu leave, Huo Sining locked the door and headed to the bathroom to take a bath and then sleep.
Meanwhile, Gu Xu quickly showered and began his wall-climbing journey.
As a Soldier King, his climbing skills were excellent. When booking the hotel, Gu Xu had already scouted that its outer walls were uneven, and each room had an external balcony window, making them easy to grip. This kind of wall was no challenge for him.
With no fear of embarrassment, he climbed from his balcony to his wife’s next door, using a bank card to easily open the sliding glass door and entered Huo Sining’s room.
Seeing the clothes his wife had thrown on the bed, Gu Xu suppressed his excited heartbeat and nonchalantly lifted the quilt to get into her bed.
The hotel’s bathrooms were separated by semi-transparent glass, and seeing her graceful figure moving inside, Gu Xu’s throat tightened.
Almost thirty years old, and being a normal man, how could he not have such thoughts? Stimulated by such a scene, his breathing became rapid, tense with every nerve, wanting to look away but reluctant to.
Huo Sining, unaware the intruder had broken in, happily finished bathing and ran out draped in a towel, only to look up and meet Gu Xu’s bright, fiery eyes.
Her mind went blank, freezing on the spot.
Gu Xu was equally dazed.
Wrapped in a towel, with her shoulders dripping water, her hair cascading over her chest and back like seaweed, barefoot on the floor, her slender waist resembling a mermaid’s, and her large dewy eyes staring at him.
In that moment, Gu Xu felt his breath stop, his gaze darkening, involuntarily swallowing.
The sound of his gulp brought Huo Sining back to reality. She glanced at the locked door and widened her eyes, demanding, "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"
She looked at her towel-covered self, instinctively wanting to retreat to the bathroom.
But in her panic, she stepped on something, slipping and falling backwards.
In an instant, seeing her fall, Gu Xu’s expression changed. He quickly reacted like a ferret, darting to the bathroom, catching the falling Huo Sining, easily pulling her into his arms.