Chapter 34 Swept Away By The Sea
“The wind’s picking up. Brendan’s husky voice resonated.
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No sooner had he finished speaking than Gabrielle strode forward, seized him by the collar of his shirt, and swiftly yanked
him back.
With a thunderous crack, lightning struck right where he had just stood.
Brendan instantly felt his legs go weak. It was then he realized that if Gabrielle hadn’t yanked him back just a moment ago, he would probably have been struck dead. Even the stones on the ground had been split apart,
“Thank you,” he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Gabrielle stood there, her small hands behind her back, her face stern. Pulling out a sigil paper, she dipped a fingertip in cinnabar and swifily drew characters on its surface before sticking it to the cave entrance.
“Is that… sigil paper?” Nadia asked, somewhat taken aback.
She moved closer with a flashlight and saw the yellow sigil paper. Though the hastily scrawled characters were indiscernible, she recognized it as a sigil.
Gabrielle hummed softly in response.
The group exchanged glances before turning their attention to Gabrielle.
She met their puzzled gazes and explained, slightly irritated, “I grew up in the mountains, and my mentor was a monastery abbot. So, I also have some religious understanding on top of being well–versed in traditional medicine and medicinal herbs.” “Like what?” Nadia asked. She leaned over, her curiosity piqued.
She discovered that Gabrielle harbored many secrets, touching on areas she had never encountered before.
“Fortune telling, physiognomy, geomancy, and sigil drawing–I’ve picked up a little of everything,” Gabrielle replied. Then, pointing up at the sky, she added sofily, “When we disembarked, I noticed something off about the sky. That’s how I knew there’d be a storm tonight. Metaphysics is something our ancestors passed down. It can’t be wrong.”
Many people might think metaphysics is a sham and unreliable. Only those versed in it knew mastering metaphysics could give them insight into everything.
“Gabrielle, you truly are my little treasure! Come here. Let me love you.” As Nadia spoke, she stepped forward to take Gabrielle’s hands, continuously rubbing them.
While holding Gabrielle’s hands, she pressed them against her cheeks, saying, “Let me soak up some of your spiritual energy. I’ve been so unfortunate lately.”
Jennifer was also somewhat bewildered, stunned by Gabrielle’s words.
“You also understand geomancy? Are we going to die here?” she hurriedly asked.
Upon seeing the thunder strike so loudly, it felt incredibly dangerous.
“Don’t worry. We’re not dying today, Gabrielle reassured softly.
Brendan stood there and watched the two women chatter away with Gabrielle, wanting to interject but finding no opening in their conversation. In the end, he could only sit on a suitcase and listen
“Oh no! We left the meat outside, Nadia said, rising to her feet to retrieve it.
The thunder outside had ceased, but the fierce wind continued to howl. Everyone rushed out to retrieve all the meat, returning inside to stack it on a pile of tree branches. They observed a chaotic scattering of birds and beasts outside.
The wind rustled through the tree branches, and in the distance, the faint sound of the sea waves could be heard.
Chapter 34 Swept Away By The Sea
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spot is
wind. Our cave is located quite high up, but if the waves come crashing, water will inevitably get in. Plus, our chosen near century–old trees, a prime target for lightning strikes. It may seem dangerous, but this place wards off evil, Gabrielle explained in a hushed tone.
Lightning–struck wood is the most valuable material for metaphysical uses,
At that thought, she shifted her gaze to the two large trees outside. Once daylight broke, she planned to collect the branches struck by lightning and bring them back.
Just then, her phone vibrated with a sharp buzz.
Upon seeing an incoming call from an unknown number. Gabrielle hastily answered. Patrick’s voice came through the line. “Gabrielle, you were right! A storm is brewing!” he said excitedly. “How did you guess that?”
He had even double–checked with the weather bureau, who assured him there would be no wind. Yet, to his surprise, a wind did pick up in the middle of the night.
“I guessed it,” Gabrielle said softly. But once the wind picks up, the tide might surge inland. Though it won’t be too severe. you should still take precautions and move higher up as much as possible.”
Patrick hesitated momentarily before asking. “Is it safer where you are?”
“Yes,” Gabrielle responded softly.
The eight participants of the variety show had their cell phone signals blocked. Although the production crew could reach them, they couldn’t communicate with the outside world.
Hence. Patrick could locate them, but not the other way around. In other words, their phones were limited to taking photos, as they couldn’t connect to the internet.
“Would you mind if we come over! Some of the equipment is quite expensive,” Patrick quietly inquired.
After being jolted awake earlier by the thunder, they checked the live stream and overheard Gabrielle’s conversation with the others on the hidden camera feed.
They learned she understood geomancy and fortune–telling. Most importantly, she had drawn a sigil and placed it at the cave
entrance
People in their industry were quite superstitious, especially believing in geomancy. Hence, Gabrielle’s words were like a lifeline, prompting Patrick to call her immediately to confirm the maiter.
All right, I’ll send the cameramen over, Patrick said before hanging up the phone.
Not long after, the production crew strode over, carrying their equipment. They had just stepped into the cave when a violent storm broke out outside.
Nearby, a large tree was uprooted entirely, falling to the ground with a loud crash,
“D*mn! Good thing we ran fast! Otherwise, we’d have been done for, a crew member murmured.
Several timid ones huddled inside, while some took out their phones and recorded videos. As for the cameramen, they began live streaming, pointing the camera outside.
“Is the cave on “Team A’s end safe? Maybe we should call and check, Patrick murmured.
With that, he picked up his phone and made a call.
Over at Team A, Chloe had been throwing a tantrum and only just fallen asleep when a phone call woke her up. She picked up her phone and mumbled, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Patrick. The wind’s picking up now. How are things on your end? Can you confirm it’s safe?” Patrick quietly inquired. Upon hearing this, Chloe immediately sat up.
Realizing that a storm was raging outside, with relentless flashes of lightning, she shrank back slightly, murmuring, “Looks
Chapter 34 Swept Away By The Sea
getting dangerous there? It’s safer with more people.”
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Upon hearing this, Chloe replied with a trace of disdain, “Mr. Nicolson, we won’t bother going over. We’re all hiding in a cave anyway. What danger could there possibly be?”
“All right. Stay safe. With that, Patrick ended the call.
Seeing Patrick hanging up the phone. Chloe felt a pang of regret. A strange feeling prickled at her nerve, causing her to glance outside in mild panic.
“What happened?” Benjamin asked as he got up.
He squinted, looking out to find that a ferocious storm had already rolled in. A bolt of lightning cracked down, splitting a nearby tree in half.
“Sh*t!” he cursed abruptly,