It was a colored scroll hung at the innermost end of the secret chamber.
Bai Qiuling walked toward it and stopped before the painting, studying it closely.
The artwork depicted a broad stage crowded with performers—some singing, others locked in energetic sparring. Around the stage stood a dense crowd of spectators.
The perspective of the painting was unique: it placed the viewer among the audience, as though one were standing shoulder to shoulder with the painted figures, watching the lively scene unfold before them.
Every detail was rendered with striking realism…
…the pale gray stage… the warm, gentle sunlight… the rustling leaves in the nearby tree…
Bai Qiuling had never seen such an intricate, lifelike style. Compared to this, the ink paintings she had admired earlier seemed focused on abstract intent rather than vivid clarity. This scroll, however, struck her deeply with its near-living presence.
It felt as though she were truly among the crowd, watching the performance with them.
Entranced, she reached out and stroked the scroll lightly, her fingertips tracing along the painted surface. From the scroll’s perspective, all the figures in front faced the stage—elderly folk, children, even blurred silhouettes of passing horse carriages beyond.
As she examined the carved patterns of a bench in one corner of the painting, a faint sense of wrongness pricked at her.
She lifted her head and glanced around.
The secret chamber was completely silent. Not even the distant footsteps of guards could be heard.
Dismissing the unease, Bai Qiuling lowered her gaze back to the painting—
—and froze.
A long-haired woman who had previously been facing the stage was now turned around, staring directly at her.
The woman’s eyes were disturbingly lifelike—deep, vivid, and carrying a faint, knowing smile. Her gaze pierced straight into Bai Qiuling’s chest.
“AH!!”
Bai Qiuling cried out and stumbled backward, falling to the ground as cold sweat seeped across her skin.
“What… what’s going on!?” Bai Qiuling whispered. She had heard stories of the paranormal, but never had she encountered anything herself.
The woman in the painting was still staring straight at her. Bai Qiuling’s face drained of color, turning as pale as paper.
“I… I…” She trembled violently, trying to push herself upright. But no matter how she struggled, her body refused to obey.
Her legs had turned completely to jelly.
Thud.
Her elbow struck something behind her.
A frigid shiver rushed up her spine. Bai Qiuling froze, terrified to even breathe.
Slowly—painfully slowly—she turned her head.
A pair of legs stood beside her.
She had no idea when they had appeared.
Upon those feet were bright vermillion shoes embroidered with intricate patterns. Above them, the hem of a long red dress hung motionlessly.
Bai Qiuling’s entire body trembled.
“He… help…” She tried to scream, but her throat tightened; no sound escaped.
“GO!!”
A harsh shout exploded beside her ear. Her vision swirled violently. When clarity returned, she found herself lying flat on the floor of the secret chamber, as still as a dropped marionette.
Everything that had just happened… felt like a dream.
But she was no longer alone.
Someone was gripping her hands tightly.
“You’re Bai Qiuling??” A stern voice asked. It belonged to a middle-aged man, his expression grave.
Bai Qiuling blinked at him in confusion. Then recognition dawned—this was the beggar who had tried to speak with her earlier in the day.
“You… you’re the beggar? How did you get in!?” Her voice quivered, fear mingling with shock.
“There wasn’t a single soul outside! I sensed something was wrong and rushed in! Listen, Bai Qiuling—I'm here to save you. We cannot stay here another moment. We have to leave immediately!” Li Shunxi said urgently, his gaze fixed on the massive painted scroll.
The scroll was now plastered with talismans—dozens, if not more—each one hastily affixed by him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the exit. Even as they retreated step by step, he did not look away from the towering scroll, not even for a heartbeat.
“You’ve come to save me?” Bai Qiuling finally regained her breath. Her mind cleared in an instant. ‘What did this man say earlier…?’
‘There isn’t a single soul outside at all? Impossible!’
This was White River Sect’s headquarters—patrol teams passed at fixed intervals, the timekeeper announced the time, servants moved about and chatted.
‘How could an entire headquarters with hundreds of staff be completely silent?’
Seeing Bai Qiuling still dazed, her mind muddled, Li Shunxi crouched and lifted her into a princess carry before striding toward the partially open door.
The moment her feet left the ground, Bai Qiuling instinctively struggled—until, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette in a long red dress flickering past inside the secret chamber they had just escaped.
Her scream died in her throat. Paralyzed by terror, she let Li Shunxi carry her out of the study.
The courtyard outside was utterly deserted. Fallen leaves skittered across the ground, pushed by the wind.
Where were the patrols? The guards? The servant girls? It was as if everyone had vanished by silent agreement.
“What… what on earth happened!?” Bai Qiuling cried. Only now did she realize—ever since entering the study, she hadn’t heard a single sound from outside. Not even the timekeeper, much less footsteps or chatter.
“Something’s wrong with one of your father’s artifacts. It’s a long story—talk later! We need to get out first!” Li Shunxi shouted back, sprinting with her in his arms.
Months of training had strengthened his body far beyond what it once was. Combined with skills he already possessed, carrying someone while running was nothing to him.
“Daddy… Daddy… no, put me down! I need to find Daddy!” Bai Qiuling suddenly struggled, panic flaring through her.
By then, they had passed through the arched gateway of the study’s courtyard and entered a wide corridor lined with round pillars. It too was deserted—completely devoid of any human presence.
Bai Qiuling’s legs thrashed wildly as she clawed at Li Shunxi’s back, panic twisting her voice.
“LET ME DOWN!!” Terrified, she sank her teeth into his elbow.
“AH!!”
Pain shot through him, and Li Shunxi reflexively loosened his grip. Fury surged through him—he had risked everything to infiltrate the manor and save her, only to be attacked for his effort.
“Do you want to die!? The entire Twin Eagle City is in grave danger! What’s the point of finding your daddy!?”
“Thank you for saving me.” Bai Qiuling steadied herself, drawing in a deep breath. She stepped back, eyes fixed on him. “But if something has happened in my house, I must inform my father immediately.”
She was the Sect Master’s daughter, not a sheltered noble girl. Instead of collapsing into panic, she forced herself to think—and the man before her grew more suspicious by the second.
“You saved me, and White River Sect owes you a debt. Come with me to find my father. He’ll reward you. Whatever you want—if it’s within his means, he’ll grant it.”
Li Shunxi could only look at her helplessly.
Trouble had already descended upon White River Sect. Bai Zhenming, too, would not have escaped.
“I don’t know you. And I don’t know why you came to save me.” Bai Qiuling’s voice steadied. Though fear lingered, her mind was clear.
The man before her wasn’t a murderer. There were dozens of guards and experts within the headquarters; he alone could not have made them vanish. If he truly possessed such terrifying power, he could have simply stormed the chamber and taken her. There was no reason to invent convoluted lies.
Her thoughts flowed rapidly.
“But we’re in danger now. If it’s really as you say—that the entire Twin Eagle City is in trouble—then the one person we can rely on is my father.”
“Your father…” Li Shunxi hesitated, unsure whether to speak the truth.
Bai Zhenming was undeniably strong—both an inner and outer force cultivator, a Spirit Focus pinnacle expert on the verge of stepping into Divine Prime.
But such prowess held no weight against demons and devils.
In the destiny Li Shunxi had foreseen, Bai Zhenming died in his own courtyard, surrounded by ghosts. He had barely withstood a few strikes before the swarm tore out his heart.
“There’s no use even if you go…” Li Shunxi tried to stop her.
But Bai Qiuling had already turned and sprinted into the distance. She had to warn her father about what had happened in the study.
And that painting—just remembering it sent a chill through her bones. To be forced asleep by a painting was something she had never even heard of. And the woman in the scroll… the pair of legs that appeared beside her…
Had this beggar not awakened her, she might never have seen her family again.
‘I must find Daddy immediately! What on earth has happened to the sect!?’
As Bai Qiuling ran, she glanced around desperately, yet not a single person appeared. The emptiness only heightened her terror.
“Must you find your dad before you’ll leave?” Li Shunxi called, chasing after her.
“I don’t believe your words.” Bai Qiuling stopped abruptly, retreating a step as she stared at him warily. “White River Sect’s strength is beyond your imagination. Even if something happened, everyone wouldn’t just disappear together!”
The unwavering determination in her eyes told Li Shunxi that she would never abandon the search for her father. The thought of knocking her unconscious and carrying her away flickered across his mind, but he knew some choices couldn’t be forced.
“Fine. Let’s go—I’ll go with you.” He reached into his chest and drew out a thick stack of talismans.
“What?” Bai Qiuling stood stunned.
…………
Northern Court.
Lu Sheng and Xu Chui sat leisurely in the courtyard, each with an urn of wine at hand. Lu Sheng spoke in a relaxed tone, offering martial arts guidance as Xu Chui listened earnestly.
With Lu Sheng’s level of cultivation, advising a pinnacle Strength Proficiency practitioner like Xu Chui was effortless. But his mind was not on his recent recovery, nor on Xu Chui’s endless stream of questions—it lingered instead on the sinister aura he sensed lingering over White River Sect.
“Speaking of which, this White River Sect feels rather strange. Earlier, my subordinate wandered around the city to see if anything unusual had happened. I feel like everyone in Twin Eagle City is acting a little odd,” Xu Chui remarked casually after receiving answers to his queries.
“Oh? Strange in what way?” Lu Sheng hadn’t expected Xu Chui to notice something as well.
“The people all look drained of spirit, as if they haven’t slept in days. Many even have dark eye bags… I can’t figure out why,” Xu Chui said with a frown.
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly recalled the stained glass mirror incident at Tea Sect. The people there had exhibited the same symptoms—sunken eyes, pallid faces, the unmistakable look of severe sleeplessness.
“Come to think of it, what time is it now?”
Xu Chui froze for a moment, then his expression darkened.
“These past few days, the timekeeper announced the time regularly. But we haven’t heard a single announcement in quite a while.”
“Something may have happened.” Lu Sheng rose slowly, stretching his limbs. “Let’s go take a look.”
----89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LRIjanIKY
[Editor’s Note:] If you'd like to support the series and unlock more chapters, visit Patreon for early access and exclusive content.89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Amg300fgu
https://www.patreon.com/taleriareads89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckFu1Cnrne
and then Add to home screen.