Chapter 1613: Someone Broke In
At this moment, the bright moonlight was gradually obscured by the clouds, and then, both inside and outside the manor, a thick fog surged. The fog came quickly, enveloping the area almost in the blink of an eye.
It really felt a bit like an isolated island depicted in the movies.
The air was heavy, sticky, and gave an indescribable sense of discomfort.
Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes narrowed, and she pulled Zhou Xia towards the main door of the Ancient Castle at a quick pace.
Zhou Xia muttered, "... why is there so much fog these days? If it rains tomorrow, we won’t be able to go out..."
"Let’s discuss it tomorrow." Gu Qiaoqiao replied nonchalantly.
Before they could act, the diligent old butler had already opened the door for them.
Standing in the hall, Gu Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but glance at the bas-relief on the wall. Under the bright light, the round stone seemed to emit an eerie glow, but the malevolent energy on it was no longer present.
At this moment, there were still several servants busy with their tasks, and the diligent old butler followed behind them as if they were about to leave together after finishing their work.
Today, she and Zhou Xia returned a bit late, and upon checking the time, it was already eleven o’clock.
Is there something more to happen at this hour?
Gu Qiaoqiao concealed the thoughts in her eyes and allowed Zhou Xia to lead her upstairs.
Though they were not in the same room, their rooms were next to each other. Tonight, Zhou Xia seemed to be glowing with happiness, her cheeks flushed, basking in love’s embrace. Gu Qiaoqiao said no more, but stopped at the door because Zhou Xia called her, "Qiaoqiao, if Danny and I get married, will you come?"
Gu Qiaoqiao looked at Zhou Xia, immersed in happiness, and nodded slowly, "If you marry Danny, I will definitely come."
Zhou Xia’s face lit up with joy, "Then you rest early, we still have plans to go out tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Gu Qiaoqiao responded noncommittally.
Then, both of them entered their own rooms.
Gu Qiaoqiao stood by the window, looking at the empty grounds of the manor, her brows furrowing slightly. Nonetheless, she went to wash up, as she couldn’t be sure anything would happen tonight.
By the time she was done, it was almost midnight. Gu Qiaoqiao lay tossing and turning in bed for a while, and everything inside and out was as silent as usual. Was she overthinking?
Gu Qiaoqiao had been running around all day and was quite tired. As she was about to drift off to sleep, she suddenly heard noises outside.
Gu Qiaoqiao flipped out of bed. She had set up a special barrier at the Ancient Castle’s entrance, which would alert her if anyone intruded. At that moment, the faint, wave-like sound in the air confirmed that someone had indeed broken in.
Quickly, Gu Qiaoqiao moved to the window, quietly pulled back the curtain, and looked out, immediately spotting three people standing on the lawn, one of whom was Danny, while she recognized another person from meeting them at the gate.
The third man was a stranger, with a full beard, appearing somewhat older.
There was no moonlight now, only layers of fog engulfing the area. Yet, Gu Qiaoqiao could still clearly see the true form of the three people within the mist, each having black wings on their backs, leisurely flapping in the air, churning the surrounding fog like rolling waves.
At this moment, an unexpected drowsiness hit Gu Qiaoqiao. Her eyes sharpened, and she quickly placed her fingers on her forehead, channeling spiritual energy in to restore her clarity.
Gu Qiaoqiao did not hesitate further, quickly getting dressed, opened the door, and listened carefully, only to find the entire Ancient Castle eerily quiet, so silent she couldn’t even hear breathing.
She returned to the bedroom and through the gap in the curtain observed those standing by the barrier, frowning. They seemed puzzled too, wondering why they couldn’t find the gate amidst the dense fog.
But just then, one of them took out a black, wand-like object, drawing a strange circle in the air, which made Gu Qiaoqiao’s heart skip a beat. She realized her barrier had been broken, indicating these were indeed figures from the Western Mystic Sect.
So far the Gu Family Ancestor had not appeared, and she didn’t know whether he had confronted these people. The situation left Gu Qiaoqiao anxious, but the current scene pulled at her heart even more.
What should she do?
Should she rush down to confront them or observe what they were doing? Suddenly, Gu Qiaoqiao thought of a critical issue. Even if she went down to see what they were doing, she wouldn’t understand what they were saying.
Gu Qiaoqiao did not hesitate any longer; this matter required Zhou Xia to be involved first.
Gu Qiaoqiao then walked out of the bedroom, forcefully pushing open Zhou Xia’s door.
At this time, Zhou Xia was evidently deep in slumber, having fallen asleep earlier than Gu Qiaoqiao.
Trying to wake her up normally wouldn’t work.
Gu Qiaoqiao swiftly moved to Zhou Xia’s bedside, pressed a hand to her forehead, and then performed a Sky-drawing Talisman. In a matter of moments, a faint ice sword talisman was drawn and cast around Zhou Xia. The room’s temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and Zhou Xia opened her eyes, startled to see Gu Qiaoqiao standing beside her, and jumped up in fright. Gu Qiaoqiao reacted faster, covering her mouth, then casting an invisibility talisman on her. She whispered, "Don’t make a sound. It looks like there are intruders in the Ancient Castle. Follow me to see what they are saying?"
Intruders?
Zhou Xia was taken aback and stammered, "Shouldn’t we... look for my dad and the butler? What can the two of us do?"
As she spoke, Zhou Xia’s face remained pale with fear from the sudden fright.
Her body was even trembling slightly.
"No, everyone in the castle is in a deep sleep. We can turn invisible; the intruders can’t see us. I just want you to eavesdrop on what they are saying."
"Do we need to hide?" Zhou Xia asked timidly, still processing the gravity of the situation, surprised by Gu Qiaoqiao’s boldness.
What was going on?
Why had there suddenly been an intrusion?
And how come everyone in the Ancient Castle was in a deep sleep? It all sounded so eerie.
Gu Qiaoqiao shook her head, "No need to hide. Follow me; we’ll be invisible. The thieves won’t see us. And stop asking questions, I’ll explain everything tomorrow!" Gu Qiaoqiao’s tone turned impatient towards the end.
She then quickly pulled Zhou Xia out of the bedroom.