It was a colorful painting hanging in the innermost part of the dark room.
Bai Qiuling walked over quickly and stood before the painting to take a closer look.
There was a large stage drawn on the scroll. There were many people performing on the stage. It seemed like they were singing, but it also seemed like they were fighting.
There were many onlookers around the stage.
The angle of the painting depicted the audience outside the stage. It was as if the viewer was the audience. Looking up, one could see the huge, bustling stage.
The entire painting was exquisite and realistic. Many of the details were drawn so vividly that they seemed real.
The gray and white stage, the gentle sunlight in the open air, and the leaves rustling in the wind.
Bai Qiuling had never seen such an exquisite and realistic painting style. Compared to this style, her previous ink paintings were too expressive and lacked such a strong sense of immersion.
She felt as if she was really standing in the crowd, watching the stage from afar.
Bai Qiuling meticulously caressed the painting, touching it inch by inch in a mesmerized manner. From the angle of the painting, there was a crowd in front of her. They were all spectators watching the stage. There were old people and children around, and the outline of a passing carriage.
Slowly, as Bai Qiuling studied the pattern on a stool in the corner of the painting, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
She looked up and looked around.
The dark room was quiet. There was no sound at all. There were no sounds of guards moving around outside either.
Finding nothing wrong, Bai Qiuling returned her gaze to the painting.
But this time, she immediately realized something was wrong.
The long-haired woman in the painting had been watching the performance on the stage with the others. At some point, she had turned her head to look at Bai Qiuling, who was in front of the painting.
That pair of eyes seemed to be the eyes of a real person. They were intelligent and deep, and they were smiling as they stared at the girl in front of them.
"Ah!!"
Bai Qiuling screamed and took a few steps back. She fell to the ground and broke out in cold sweat.
"What … What's going on!?" Although she had heard of demons and ghosts, this was the first time she had encountered one.
The woman in the painting was still looking at her. Bai Qiuling's face was pale.
"I … I …" Trembling, she tried to get up from the ground. She couldn't get up for a long time.
Her legs turned to jelly …
"Poof."
Suddenly, her elbow touched something.
Bai Qiuling's entire body trembled as she froze.
Slowly and stiffly, she turned her face to the side and saw that a pair of feet had appeared beside her.
She wore a pair of bright red embroidered shoes and a long red dress.
Bai Qiuling's entire body began to tremble.
"Help … Help …" She wanted to call for help, but she didn't know why she couldn't make a sound.
"Let's go!"
Bai Qiuling's vision blurred, and she opened her eyes abruptly. She realized that she was lying on her back on the floor of the secret chamber, motionless. The ground was ice-cold. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream.
However, she did not know when another person had appeared in the dark room, and her hand was also held in this person's hand.
"You're Bai Qiuling?" The person was a young man, and he asked with a stern expression.
Bai Qiuling stared at him blankly. She quickly recognized him as the beggar who had stopped her earlier in the day to talk privately.
"You … you're that beggar? How did you get in?! "Her face was filled with confusion and a trace of fear.
"There's no one outside! I realized something was wrong, so I ran in! Listen up, Bai Qiuling, I'm here to save you. We can't stay here for long, we have to leave as soon as possible! " Li Shunxi explained quickly, his eyes still fixed on the huge scroll that he had scattered a bunch of talisman papers on.
Dragging Bai Qiuling's hand, he quickly retreated out the door. In the process of retreating, he kept his eyes on the huge scroll, not daring to slack off.
"You're here to save me?" Bai Qiuling caught her breath. Suddenly, she realized something. What did this person say?
There was no one outside? Impossible! This was the headquarters of White River Sect. Every once in a while, there would be patrols passing by, and there would be night watchmen, maids and servants fetching things. There would also be footsteps and whispers.
There were hundreds of people in such a huge headquarters, how could there be no one?
Li Shunxi saw that she still had a confused look on her face, so he simply bent over and carried her horizontally, rushing towards the opened wooden door.
The moment Bai Qiuling was picked up, she instinctively wanted to struggle, but she suddenly saw a figure in a long red dress flash by in the dark room she had just escaped from.
Just as she was about to scream, her throat froze, and she could no longer make a sound. Her eyes filled with terror, she allowed Li Shunxi to carry her out of the study.
The spacious courtyard outside was empty. Fallen leaves were blown by the wind and rolled on the ground.
The patrolling guards, the guards, the walking maids, the hurrying servants — everyone seemed to have made a pact, disappearing at the same time.
"What … what's going on!?" Bai Qiuling recalled that ever since she had entered the study, there had been no sound outside. Not to mention the maids and guards, not even the night watchman had passed by.
"There's a problem with something in your father's collection. The reason is very complicated. Let's get out of here first! "Li Shunxi calmly answered Bai Qiuling's question as he sprinted.
After a period of training, his strength and endurance had greatly improved. Coupled with his original abilities, sprinting while carrying a person was not a problem at all.
"Daddy … Daddy … No, put me down. I want to find Daddy!" Bai Qiuling suddenly came to her senses and struggled with all her might.
The two of them passed through the arched door of the study courtyard. Outside was a spacious corridor made of columns. It was empty, without a single person in sight.
Bai Qiuling's legs kicked wildly, her hands clawing at Li Shunxi's back as she screamed.
"Let go of me!!" In her fear, she bit down hard on Li Shunxi's arm.
"Ah!!"
In pain, Li Shunxi loosened his grip involuntarily. He was instantly enraged. He had worked so hard to sneak in to save someone, but Bai Qiuling had treated him this way. He was instantly enraged.
"Do you want to die!? The entire Twin Eagle City is in danger now. What's the use of finding your daddy!? "
"Thank you for saving me." Bai Qiuling took a deep breath after regaining her footing. She took two steps back and stared at Li Shunxi. "But something happened at home. I have to inform my father as soon as possible."
She was the sect master's daughter after all, not an ordinary girl. Her emotions did not break down, but gradually stabilized. She also discovered many suspicious points about Li Shunxi.
"You saved me. Our White River Sect owes you a debt of gratitude. Come with me to find Daddy. He'll definitely reward you. Whatever you want, he'll do his best to satisfy it."
Li Shunxi was helpless.
Since White River Sect was in trouble, Bai Zhenming was naturally not spared.
"I don't know you, and I don't know why you came to save me." Bai Qiuling gradually calmed down. Although she was still a little panicked, her thoughts were clear.
This beggar before her was definitely not the culprit. With so many experts around the headquarters, it was impossible for him to disappear without a trace.
If he had the ability, he could have just come in and taken her away. There was no need for him to beat around the bush to deceive her.
Bai Qiuling's thoughts spun rapidly.
"But we're in trouble now. If it's really as you said, and the entire Twin Eagle City is in trouble, if there's anyone we can count on, it's definitely my father."
"Your father …" Li Shunxi wanted to say something but stopped.
Bai Zhenming was indeed very strong. He cultivated both internal and external energy, and could be considered a top-notch expert of the Spirit Focus realm. He was infinitely close to Divine Prime.
But such martial strength was completely meaningless against demons and ghosts.
In the fate he saw, Bai Zhenming died in the courtyard of his bedroom. Surrounded by ghosts, he only managed to withstand a few blows before his heart was dug out and he died.
"It's no use even if you go …" Li Shunxi still wanted to persuade her.
But Bai Qiuling turned around and decisively ran into the distance. She had to tell her father what happened in the study as soon as possible.
And then there was the painting in the dark room. That painting was so bizarre that she broke out in cold sweat just thinking about it.
She had never fallen asleep while looking at a painting before. This was something she had never encountered before. And then there was the woman in the painting, and the feet beside her.
If this beggar had not woken her up, she might not have been able to see her family again.
"I have to find Daddy quickly! What on earth happened in the sect?! " Bai Qiuling turned to look at her surroundings. As she ran, she could not see a single person. Fear grew in her heart.
"Must you find your father before you leave?" Li Shunxi caught up to her and asked gravely.
"I don't believe what you're saying." Bai Qiuling jumped in fright. She stopped and took another step back, staring at Li Shunxi warily. "You can't imagine the strength of the White River Sect. Even if something happened, it's impossible for everyone to disappear at once!"
Looking at her determined gaze, Li Shunxi knew that it was impossible not to look for Bai Zhenming. He thought of knocking him out and taking him away, but some things and things could not be forced.
"Let's go. I'll go with you." He quickly took out a stack of talismans.
"Huh?" Bai Qiuling was stunned.
…
North Yard.
Lu Sheng's breathing was deep. He and Xu Chui sat in the yard, each with a pot of wine, chatting and giving pointers on martial arts.
At Lu Sheng's level, giving pointers to Xu Chui, who was only at the pinnacle of Strength Proficiency, was a piece of cake.
But what he was truly concerned about was not his recuperated injuries, nor was it the questions Xu Chui threw at him. Instead, it was the vaguely sinister air emanating from the White River Sect.
"Come to think of it, this White River Sect is rather odd. When I was wandering around the city, I was inquiring about the strange happenings around here for you. I just feel that everyone in Twin Eagle City is a little strange," Xu Chui mentioned after getting his question answered.
"Oh? How so? "Lu Sheng did not expect Xu Chui to notice it as well.
"The people here all seem lethargic, as if they're seriously lacking in sleep and rest. Many of them have dark circles under their eyes. I don't know why, "Xu Chui said with a frown.
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes. He suddenly recalled the Stained Glass Mirror case when he was in Tea Sect. At that time, the Tea Sect members looked just like this, with dark circles under their eyes and serious lack of rest.
"Come to think of it, how long has it been?"
Xu Chui was stunned. Then, his expression changed.
"A few days ago, the night watchman would pass by at fixed intervals, but I haven't heard him since then."
"Maybe something's wrong." Lu Sheng stood up slowly and stretched his limbs. "Let's go and take a look."
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