"The portrait? Where is it? Let me see it!" Xiao Yuhan immediately asked.
Ye Qingyun thought for a moment and said, "It's still hanging in Master's old room. By the way, why are you so concerned about Master's sweetheart?"
Xiao Yuhan bowed to Ye Qingyun, "Senior brother, it's not that I'm interested in Master's sweetheart, but rather in the name Su Li. Alright, you two chat first, I'll go take a look!"
After saying that, Xiao Yuhan left directly and headed to her master's former residence.
Ye Qingyun and Liu Jiantang exchanged a puzzled look, but when Liu Jiantang mentioned their master, a trace of guilt flashed in his eyes. Ye Qingyun patted him on the shoulder, indicating that he didn't need to worry too much.
Master's former residence is located within Senior Brother's sect leader's villa. In one corner, there is a room that has been uninhabited for a long time. Since Master passed away, Senior Brother has kept this room and has not touched anything inside.
Pushing open the door, it wasn't as dusty as I had imagined. It seemed that my senior brother still came to clean the house from time to time. Come to think of it, Senior Brother Ye was once Master's favorite disciple. Even though he was the most disobedient and the most troublesome, what Master appreciated most about Senior Brother was his pure heart.
The first thing Xiao Yuhan saw upon entering was the painting hanging on the wall. The painting depicted a woman, who should be the Su Li that her senior brother had mentioned.
Dressed in purple, with a sweet appearance, she wasn't stunningly beautiful, but rather pleasing to the eye. Her eyes were flawless, seemingly sparkling with countless stars. Standing under a tree, she turned her head to look back, raising her fist in a puffed-up manner. Her expression seemed angry, but her eyes were filled with love.
Xiao Yuhan was somewhat disappointed. Although she hadn't held out much hope, since the name Su Li came from the system and referred to Bai Yao's past life, it should be related to the white-clad woman in the illusion.
He wondered what connection the people with the same name might have. But the painting seemed to contain no useful information and bore no resemblance to the white-clad woman in the illusion.
The poem inscribed on the painting reads: "A hundred-year-old path before the Sanqing Hall, the secluded ancient temple is once again bathed in spring. Looking back, I see no trace of the past, and gazing eastward with lingering affection, half a lifetime has passed."
Xiao Yuhan couldn't help but sigh, realizing that her master was actually a lovesick fool. She smiled slightly, and after confirming that there was no more useful information, she shook her head, sighed, and prepared to leave.
Suddenly a gentle breeze blew by, bringing with it a tinkling sound. Xiao Yuhan looked over and saw a bracelet with a silver bell hanging on it. He was a little surprised, wondering why a bracelet was hanging here instead of a wind chime.
He immediately realized something and looked back at the painting. Wasn't that the string of silver bells on the woman's wrist in the painting?
Out of curiosity, he stepped forward and took the silver bell, but just as he touched it, a sudden sense of unease arose.
It was as if a pair of enormous eyes were staring at him from behind. Xiao Yuhan withdrew his hand and looked back, only to find nothing there.
He was the kind of person who didn't believe in superstitions, and immediately took off the silver bell and held it in his hand.
Suddenly, the painting in front of her turned around, and all around was darkness. Two fireballs, each larger than a person, suddenly appeared in front of her. Just as Xiao Yuhan was wondering what was going on, the two fireballs suddenly went out and then came back on.
He immediately realized that it was not a fireball, but a pair of eyeballs. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled an eyeball. The gaze fixed on him was very uncomfortable, just like the scene in the illusion when the woman in blood turned her head to look at him. It was terrifying and chilling.
"Junior Brother Xiao! Junior Brother Xiao!"
Suddenly, Xiao Yuhan was awakened by Ye Qingyun's shouts, which brought him back to reality. He was holding the silver bell in his hand, at a loss.
Ye Qingyun frowned slightly. "This is the Heart-Suppressing Bell, put it down! Even I dare not touch it lightly, what are you doing fiddling with it for no reason!?"
"The Mind-Controlling Bell? Is it some kind of magical artifact?" Xiao Yuhan asked.
"This should be a magical artifact crafted by cultivators from the Western Liang region. Have you ever seen Western Region dancers? Many of them wear bells like this, which can bewitch men's minds. However, these things are generally not very powerful in causing hallucinations. But this string of silver bells is different. It was probably originally made for use in battle. This was something that Senior Su Li carried with him back then, and later he left it with Master. Alright, stop fiddling with it and get out of here."
Xiao Yuhan was taken aback for a moment, and after thinking for a long time, she said, "Senior brother, can I have this?"
"What are you going to do with these things that belong to Master? Get out of here!"
"Senior brother, I'm not after this magic weapon. I just want to study it. I swear I will keep it safe and return it once I've figured it out!"
Ye Qingyun seemed to understand something, then asked in return, "Is it because you asked about Su Li today? But the Su Li you mentioned shouldn't be the same person as this Su Li, right?"
"It shouldn't be, but I always feel like there's some connection, so please trust me this once, senior brother. After all, Master is Master's legacy, I won't do anything reckless!"
Ye Qingyun pondered for a moment, then placed a restriction on the silver bell, saying, "I'll put a restriction on it so you won't get hurt by this thing!"
Ye Qingyun then handed the silver bell to Xiao Yuhan. At the same time, a disciple from the sect suddenly ran in from outside the door.
"Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened! Elder Shen's life talisman has cracked!"
The three brothers were all shocked. "What!?"
The Fate Talisman is a small magical artifact that every disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect possesses. It is made into a jade tablet using one's own spiritual energy. This object is connected to its owner's life, and if anything happens to the owner, the object will shatter.
This item was created many years ago during the great war between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Demonic Sect, in order to allow the sect to keep track of the situation of every disciple who was away from home. This tradition has continued to this day, and the place where the Life Talisman is placed is always guarded by a dedicated person.
The three brothers hurriedly went to the place where the life talisman was kept.
Ye Qingyun picked up the jade pendant representing Shen Huairu and examined it for a moment, then murmured, "Something really has happened. However, these subtle cracks are not easy to detect. It must be that Junior Sister's Dao Heart has been damaged. No, Junior Brother Liu, Junior Brother Xiao, you two go in person. For Junior Sister Shen to be in this state, it must be extraordinary! Set off immediately!"
Liu Jiantang and Xiao Yuhan set off immediately, knowing that Shen Huairu had gone to Lingsu City to find Li Wenruo. The two of them flew directly towards Lingsu City on their swords.
Lingsu City is an ancient capital of the Central Plains and the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty. It can be considered one of the most prosperous ancient cities in the Central Plains.
The two stopped using their swords when they reached the city gate. It was well-known in Lingsu City that the people of their Heavenly Sword Sect were famous, so they decided to travel in plain clothes in order to avoid attracting attention.
However, no matter how well the two hid, they were discovered by the imperial court as soon as they arrived near Lingsu City.
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