Ban Xia slowly opened her hand, and the coin quietly lay in her palm, showing heads.
"Good, it's heads, which means the work to come will go smoothly!"
Merely chanting spells was no longer sufficient, as recent work had shown signs of resistance to spells. To enhance the effectiveness of telekinesis, Ban Xia began flipping a coin before working. If the coin landed heads up, it meant that the work would proceed smoothly; if it was tails, she would toss it again.
She threaded the coin onto a red string and wore it around her neck again.
Then she climbed to the rooftop and placed a small compass at her feet. Once the needle was stable, she used a rock to draw a cross on the hard cement, pointing toward the four cardinal directions of southeast, northwest.
