Chapter 22: A Living Person Turns to Paper, Discovering a New Secret Room

Li Yan had not expected this outcome. It was clear that the energy contained within the portrait was far more powerful than his own.

He felt a sense of distress. He attempted to increase his energy output once more, but even then, he was no match for that force.

Inside the portrait, Qin Lian grew anxious. She had initially thought she was saved, but realized Li Yan was simply incapable of the task. She began to taunt him from within: "If you can't do it, why did you claim you would save me? I shouldn't have believed your nonsense."

Li Yan was already frustrated by his inability to solve the puzzle, and Qin Lian's words only stoked his anger. *If I weren't trapped here because I couldn't solve the mystery, do you think I would even bother saving you?*

He frowned and retorted, "If you say one more word, I’ll use my energy to wipe you out. Is that even human language? Dealing with you is well within my capabilities."

Qin Lian fell silent at this. But soon, she thought of something else and said mockingly, "You? Your energy couldn't even penetrate this a moment ago, yet you talk about wiping me out? What kind of empty boasting is that? I think you should just leave. You can't save me."

For a split second, Li Yan truly wanted to walk away, but he couldn't afford to yet. He suppressed the impulse. After a long moment of thought, he hit upon a plan. He began to hack at the portrait with his blade.

Strangely enough, while his energy would rebound upon contact with the portrait, the blade caused it actual damage. Li Yan felt more and more convinced that buying this knife had been a brilliant decision—especially since it hadn't cost him a cent. He felt quite pleased with himself.

Without lingering on the thought, he quickened his pace. Yet, he found it odd: the portrait didn't look particularly sturdy, so why did it only sustain minor damage after so many strikes? He couldn't fathom it, but he persisted.

Gradually, the portrait was destroyed. Once it was ruined, Li Yan considered using his energy to probe it again to see if he could enter, or to see if Qin Lian could emerge on her own. To his surprise, even with the portrait destroyed, his energy still could not enter, nor could Qin Lian come out.

Li Yan was even more bewildered. He continued to study the remains of the portrait, and it was then that he heard footsteps.

The situation was strange, as only he and Xue Huaiyuan were in the room. He hadn't moved, so had Xue Huaiyuan, who was tied to the bed, broken free? With that thought, he quickly turned to look at the bed. Sure enough, just as Li Yan suspected, Xue Huaiyuan had gotten off the bed and was now standing right before him, holding a knife.

Xue Huaiyuan glared at him, roaring, "Why did you touch the portrait? Why? You killed her! You killed her!"

Li Yan was so infuriated by the accusation that he let out a dry laugh. If not for the knife in Xue Huaiyuan's hand, he would have slapped him across the face.

"Don't be so dramatic," Li Yan said with a smile. "Put the knife down, and we can discuss this like reasonable people." His true intention, however, was to subdue him the moment he let go of the weapon.

Instead of dropping the knife, Xue Huaiyuan seemed to snap, lunging forward to plunge the blade into Li Yan's heart. Li Yan didn't understand the sudden ferocity, but he reacted quickly and began to fight back.

In the midst of their struggle, Li Yan discovered something chilling: Xue Huaiyuan was different. Or rather, he had been playing the fool all along. It was clear that he possessed real combat skills, yet he had feigned weakness. Why?

Li Yan felt increasingly suspicious. He sensed that Xue Huaiyuan was hiding a greater secret, and that the Xue Mansion itself might be a massive enigma.

The two fought for a long time without a clear victor. Both were injured and exhausted, yet they remained evenly matched. Left with no other choice, Li Yan shifted into his half-infected state, using his supernatural powers to fight. This time, he gained the upper hand, pinning Xue Huaiyuan to the ground within three moves.

Just as Li Yan was about to interrogate him, Xue Huaiyuan suddenly shriveled up and transformed into a piece of paper skin. Li Yan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. How could a living man turn into a sheet of paper?

Li Yan couldn't grasp it, but he knew he had been tricked again. He scanned the room, frowning. Everything seemed ordinary; there was no obvious place for Xue Huaiyuan to hide. Yet, he refused to believe it. He had been guarding the room, and he hadn't seen anyone leave. Xue Huaiyuan had to be hidden somewhere inside.

He began to tap and press against the walls. After much searching, he found a hollow section that depressed inward. Without hesitation, he pressed it. A door appeared, leading to another room.

A wave of intense blood and rot hit him, and as the door opened, a swarm of flies and bats flew out, nearly overwhelming him. Gagging from the stench, Li Yan forced himself into the hidden room.

He pinched his nose and looked around. There were over a hundred large crates and cabinets, the source of the foul odor. He already had an inkling of what was inside, though he struggled to accept it. He opened an unlocked crate to find it filled with the unrecognizable, decayed remains of human bodies. He gagged in disgust. He checked the others—all the same. The cabinets were even more sinister, housing entire, intact corpses.

Li Yan gasped, a chill running down his spine. Why were there bodies everywhere in the Xue Mansion? This wasn't a residence; it was a graveyard.