Chapter 146
sincerely.
Lu Sheng smiled at her gently, then led his men away.
Bai Qiuling stood in the corridor, leaning against a thick round pillar as she watched Lu Sheng leave. She was perplexed.
‘Trouble? Apart from daddy meeting that two black-robed men secretly a few days ago, nothing much of note has happened lately. What trouble might happen in Twin Eagle City?’
Bai Qiuling thought hard, but to no avail. Finally, she gave up wondering and continued on to find her daddy. She had a problem about martial arts to consult him.
Leaving the corridor, she sat on a sedan, about to head in the direction of her father’s study.
"Eldest Young Miss, that man who claims to be your friend is here again," a bodyguard came and reported.
"Eh? Haven’t I asked him to leave? A con-man at
"Dong dong dong."
Bai Qiuling knocked on the wooden doors of the study.
Sunset hues dyed the deserted surroundings of the study. Even the sect disciples originally on sentry duty were nowhere to be found.
"These men… all they know is to slack off. When daddy comes back, I’m going to complain for sure," Bai Qiuling might be kind, but she was not indulgent in an unprincipled manner.
Such matters violated the sect’s rules. The study was an extremely important place to her father and had always been guarded by the elite White Robe Guards. But now, none of them were to be found.
Mumbling to herself, she knocked again.
"Dong dong dong."
It remained deathly still inside; it seemed like her daddy wasn’t in.
‘Maybe he’s gone to meet his two friends,’ Bai Qiuling thought. Since her father wasn’t around, she glanced left and right, then took out a string of keys from her belt furtively. She aimed one of the keys at the wooden door lock and inserted it, then turned it lightly.
"Ka-cha."
She pushed hard against the door.
‘Heheh, since daddy isn’t in now, I can take a peek at the secret chamber I’ve always wanted to see.’ A sly look appeared on Bai Qiuling’s face. Quickly, she scuttled into the room, spun round and shut the door.
The study was a picture of quiet serenity. Rows of shelves stood nearly. Very faintly, the sunset rays spilled into the room through the white paper windows, dyeing the interior of the study a faint red hue.
Bai Qiuling looked left and right, then quickly ran to a shelf against the wall deep in the study with great familiarity.
She found a book on the shelf and pulled it out. Then, she reached into the gap left by the book with her hand and pressed on something.
"Ka."
A light thud rang out from some machinery in the wall. Slowly, a blank white wall beside the shelf began moving aside, revealing a hidden square door.
This supposed secret chamber wasn’t strictly speaking a secret chamber. Bai Qiuling had known the method of opening it for a long time. What was hidden inside were the beloved antiques and treasures that her daddy, Bai Zhenming, cherished and collected.
Ancient paintings, ancient books, some rare burial treasures excavated from graves, and odd rarities were all somehow fixed to the wall by Bai Zhenming.
Bai Qiuling stalked into the secret chamber and began touring the place excitedly.
Time trickled by. Unbeknownst to her, the light rays s.h.i.+ning in from outside grew dimmer and dimmer, leaving the secret chamber darker and darker.
Bai Qiuling lost track of her time. By the time she got to the rarities collection, dusk had descended. Yet, she only had time to view half of the items in the chamber. The oil torch hung on the wall in the secret chamber had also been burning for a long time.
Bai Zhenming’s collection was too vast. A large part of it comprised of paintings and antiques, which happened to be Bai Qiuling’s interest.
She had been too engrossed in finding items to her own liking amidst the collection that she forgot the time.
"It’s too late… I should get going…" the sky outside had already turned completely dark. Bai Qiuling had no idea how long she had spent in the secret chamber.
But she knew that if daddy discovered that she had snuck into the secret chamber, he would absolutely fly into a rage.
She stuck her tongue out.
"Last one, last one. Just one more item…"
She surveyed the entire secret chamber, reluctant to part with the place. Before long, her gaze fell on an enormous painted scroll.