Chapter 407 - 8.7 Team Quest
Lu Yizhou’s boots made sharp clicking sounds against the marble floor. The interior of the mansion was mainly built on wood, illuminated by the flicker of candlesticks along the way. The shadow reflected on the wall was akin to the soundless struggle of the trapped spirits, giving off an uncanny vibes that was a perfect addition to such a gloomy mansion.
A huge staircase greeted him as soon as he entered, divided into both sides that led to different wings of the building. But that was not the thing that drew Lu Yizhou to a stop.
It was the large painting that was hung in the middle.
There were three people on it. It was easy to guess their identity; Master and Madam Knox, as well as their daughter. Master Knox looked in his thirties, with dark raven hair and razor sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through the canvas. However, his stern expression seemed to mellow in the presence of his beloved wife and child, making him look like a loving husband and father. As for the Madam and Miss...
"Holy shit..." Ji Yan stopped beside him, eyes wide in apprehension as he scanned the painting. "What the hell has happened here?"
The Madam and Miss’ faces had been blackened by charcoal. The aura of hatred was especially strong, or so Lu Yizhou perceived. It was as if whoever had done this had wished that the people in the painting would be condemned to Hell.
Remnants of skin could be discerned through the black marks, and the stark contrast just made it all the more disconcerting. If the light was not bright enough, Lu Yizhou would have thought that both of them were headless.
He turned to Baines who was watching their reaction with a somber look on his face.
"This is the only family painting Master has," Baines explained, actually looking a bit forlorn as he gazed at the ruined canvas. "At least when everything was still fine and Madam and Miss hadn’t succumbed to illness yet. After that... Madam’s physique was not the same anymore. This painting must have reminded her too much of the happy times and in exchange, inflicting more pain on her current stead. So she tried to burn it down..."