Cold River Solitary Fishing Painting

That day, just as Lu Chen finished the morning drills, a clerk carrying orders hurried over to find him.

"Little Banner Lu, Captain Li has ordered you to proceed to the Council Hall immediately."

Lu Chen's heart stirred. He knew the peaceful days were over.

He did not dare delay. After straightening his clothes and cap, he hurried toward the Demon Suppression Division's core—the Council Hall.

The spacious Council Hall was steeped in a grave atmosphere.

Captain Li Deyang sat high in the seat of honor, his face as dark as still water.

Below him, Deputy Commander Liu and several other influential figures from the Imperial Guard Camp stood on either side, their expressions solemn.

In the center of the hall stood a middle-aged eunuch dressed in luxurious brocade robes, pale-faced and beardless, with an arrogant expression.

"Lu Chen, this is Eunuch Sun from the palace," Captain Li introduced in a low voice when he saw him enter.

"Greetings, Eunuch Sun." Lu Chen clasped his hands in an even, unyielding salute.

Eunuch Sun merely gave a nasal "Mm," too lazy even to raise his eyelids. The arrogance ingrained in his very bones was plain for all to see.

A trace of barely perceptible disgust flashed through Captain Li's eyes, but he still patiently said, "Three days ago, something strange happened at Anle Duke's Mansion. The duke's heir, Zhao Yu, died suddenly in his own study. The coroner examined the body and found no external wounds or signs of poisoning. He died peacefully, as though he had merely fallen asleep. Yet his Three Souls and Seven Spirits had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell."

"The Prefectural Office investigated for three days without finding any leads, so they had no choice but to report it upward. The matter has alarmed His Majesty, who specially dispatched Eunuch Sun to oversee the case. Our Demon Suppression Division has been ordered to assist in the investigation."

Captain Li's gaze fell upon Lu Chen.

"The study at Anle Duke's Mansion has already been completely sealed off. I need someone meticulous as a hair's breadth and highly sensitive to the aura of evil entities to conduct the first inspection inside. Lu Chen, your bloodline is unusual, and you can break through falsehood. There is no one more suited to this task than you."

Anle Duke's Mansion?

That was one of Nanling's great clans.

Lu Chen's heart gave a violent leap!

"This subordinate... accepts the order."

Thoughts raced through Lu Chen's mind, but his face wore only the gravity and resolve of one accepting a mission in the face of danger.

"Good." Captain Li nodded in satisfaction. He took out a token and handed it to Lu Chen. "This is your inspection warrant. Remember: only you may enter that study. Until the truth is uncovered, no one is allowed near it—including Eunuch Sun."

"Captain Li, what do you mean by this?" Eunuch Sun's face darkened, and he said in a shrill voice, "I have been ordered to oversee this case. How can I be barred outside the door?"

"Please quell your anger, Eunuch." Captain Li replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The evil aura in that study has yet to be identified, and there may be unknown dangers within. Lu Chen's bloodline is unique, so he may be able to protect himself. But if the Eunuch were to come to harm, Li... could not bear that responsibility."

His words were watertight. They gave the other man face while holding firmly to his principles, leaving Eunuch Sun with an ugly expression but no grounds to lash out.

Lu Chen accepted the token, and his impression of Captain Li improved by another measure.

Though this man had his own selfish motives, he handled matters with considerable method. At the very least, openly, he protected his own people.

Anle Duke's Mansion stood on Vermilion Bird Street, the most prosperous street in Nanling Prefecture. It covered vast grounds, with vermilion gates and high walls, imposing beyond measure.

Yet at this moment, an unshakable pall of gloom hung over the extravagant residence.

A cordon had long since been set up before the mansion gates. Dozens of constables from the Prefectural Office and warriors from the Demon Suppression Division had surrounded the place so tightly that not even water could pass through, forbidding any idle bystanders from approaching.

Led by an imperial guard, Lu Chen entered the oppressive ducal mansion without obstruction.

A middle-aged man dressed as a steward, his face grief-stricken, had been waiting for some time. He was the very man who had plotted with Foreman Wang behind the scenes that day.

At the sight of Lu Chen, an exceedingly well-hidden flash of resentment and venom passed through his eyes, only to be covered at once by perfectly measured sorrow.

"You must be Little Banner Lu of the Demon Suppression Division?" The middle-aged man stepped forward and clasped his hands. "I am Fu An, steward of the ducal mansion. The Young Master... sigh. I ask that Little Banner Lu must uncover the truth for our young master and find the true culprit!"

He put on such a performance of tears and anguish that he seemed truly heartbroken beyond measure.

Lu Chen sneered inwardly, though his face remained stern. "Steward Fu, please restrain your grief. Take me to the study."

"Yes, yes. This way, my lord."

Under Fu An's guidance, Lu Chen passed through several courtyards and arrived before a separate small building located deep within the estate, guarded with exceptional strictness.

The doors and windows of the little building had already been plastered with special yellow talismans from the Demon Suppression Division. A faint, killing aura permeated the air, barely suppressing the subtle chill emanating from within.

"Little Banner Lu, inside... is the Young Master's study." Fu An pointed at the tightly shut door, fear appearing on his face. "Since the incident, apart from the coroner from the Prefectural Office, no one has dared go inside. You... you must be careful."

Lu Chen nodded, ignoring him as he strode forward and tore away one of the sealing talismans on the door.

Creak—

As the door slowly opened, a scent rushed toward him, mingling old books and ink, precious incense, and an extremely faint aura of deathly stillness that seemed to come from the depths of the underworld.

Lu Chen instantly activated his [Eye of Delusion Breaking]. A glimmer of clear light, imperceptible to ordinary people, silently flowed through the depths of his eyes.

The entire study instantly looked different in his sight.

Through the vision of his [Eye of Delusion Breaking], this luxurious and elegant study presented an utterly different, hair-raising scene.

Countless minute specks of ink, invisible to the naked eye and resembling dust, floated through the air.

They slowly revolved in a regular pattern, forming a vast, invisible vortex. At its center hung the Cold River Solitary Fishing Painting on the wall behind the desk.

Within the painting, an old man in a straw rain cape and bamboo hat sat alone in a boat, fishing amid a river of cold snow.

Its artistic mood was lofty and solitary, its brushwork vigorous and powerful. At a glance, it was clearly the work of a master.

But in Lu Chen's eyes, the river in the painting was not water at all. It was the River of the Dead, formed from endless resentment and deathly energy!

The lone fisherman was not some immortal sage with an otherworldly bearing, either. He was a Ghostly Shadow draped in a straw rain cape, his back turned to all living beings, exuding boundless ominousness and hunger!

And beneath the dead-still waters of that River of the Dead, Lu Chen could even see a blurry, transparent figure struggling in agony. It was the extracted Three Souls and Seven Spirits of Zhao Yu, Heir of Duke Anle!

How was this a painting? It was clearly a living hell that imprisoned souls and devoured life!