The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

Having made up her mind, Su Yunruo took advantage of the cover of night to quietly arrive outside the Shen family mansion. She nimbly leaped onto the wall, carefully observing every move in the courtyard. After confirming that there was nothing unusual around her, she cautiously climbed over the wall and tiptoed towards the room where she had been eavesdropping.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and gently knocked. From inside came her second senior brother's alert voice: "Who is it?"

Su Yunruo quickly lowered her voice and replied, "It's me, Su Yunruo."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the second senior brother was visibly startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and opened the door. He looked at Su Yunruo in front of him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Junior sister, how did you know I was here? What brings you here so late?" the second senior brother asked in a low voice.

Su Yunruo dared not waste any time and hurriedly recounted the events of the day to her second senior brother in a concise manner, while handing him the three-inch-wide tattered piece of paper.

The second senior brother took the note and carefully read the words on it, his brows gradually furrowing. After a moment, he raised his head, looked at Su Yunruo with a serious expression, and said, "It seems that things are more complicated than we imagined."

Su Yunruo's heart tightened, and she asked anxiously, "Second Senior Brother, what does this mean? How could Luo Chun have disappeared?"

The second senior brother shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. But he still comforted Su Yunruo, saying, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to find Luo Chun. However, the situation is quite urgent now, and we can't delay any longer."

As he spoke, the second senior brother glanced at the night outside the window, then turned to Su Yunruo and said, "You rest here first, I'll go investigate Luo Chun's whereabouts."

Su Yunruo nodded. She knew her second senior brother was right; now was not the time to panic. She decided to follow his instructions and wait for his news.

Seeing that Su Yunruo had agreed, the second senior brother said nothing more and hurriedly left. Watching his departing figure, Su Yunruo silently prayed that she could find Luo Chun soon and solve the mystery.

Su Yunruo waited anxiously in her room for news of her second senior brother. She paced back and forth, her heart filled with worry. Time ticked by, and finally, she heard soft footsteps outside the door. Su Yunruo rushed to the door, opened it, and saw her second senior brother standing there, looking exhausted. "How is it? Any news of Luo Chun?" Su Yunruo asked urgently.

The second senior brother entered the house and shook his head. "I searched the entire vicinity but couldn't find any trace of her. However, I obtained some clues." He then handed Su Yunruo a slip of paper. Su Yunruo took the paper; it read: "Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), dilapidated temple in the eastern suburbs." Su Yunruo's heart sank. She looked at her second senior brother. "What does this mean?" The second senior brother analyzed, "This might be information left by the other party. Perhaps Luo Chun is there. Let's go to the dilapidated temple in the eastern suburbs first thing tomorrow morning." Su Yunruo nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Second Senior Brother said, "I'll have Shen Fang arrange a room for you. It's getting late, so you should get some rest. Tomorrow we'll go to the dilapidated temple in the eastern suburbs together." Su Yunruo returned to her room with a worried expression. Although she was physically exhausted, her mind was unusually active. She repeatedly thought about the situations she might face tomorrow and how to deal with them.

The next morning, Su Yunruo got up early, washed up, and went to the front hall to meet her second senior brother. The two set off together for the dilapidated temple in the eastern suburbs.

They remained vigilant throughout their journey, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. When they arrived at the dilapidated temple, the sun had just risen. The temple appeared long abandoned, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, without a trace of human presence. Su Yunruo and her second senior brother exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of unease. "Have we come to the wrong place?" Su Yunruo asked疑惑地问道.

The second senior brother frowned. "No, I believe the clues are correct. Let's search around again."

They slowly entered the dilapidated temple, which was covered in dust and cobwebs, clearly untouched for a long time. They looked around, hoping to find some clues.

Suddenly, Su Yunruo noticed a hidden door behind a dilapidated statue. Pushing open the door, she found herself in a dark passageway.

Su Yunruo and her second senior brother exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. This hidden door was clearly not randomly placed; it likely led to the secret of this dilapidated temple.

"Let's go in and take a look," the second senior brother said in a low voice, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Su Yunruo nodded, and the two cautiously entered the passage. It was dark and damp inside, filled with a musty smell. They could only rely on the dim light to move forward slowly.

The passage wasn't long and soon came to an end. Before them lay a basement containing strange objects that appeared to be ritual implements.

"Where is this place?" Su Yunruo frowned, feeling a sense of unease.

The second senior brother didn't answer. He walked to a corner and picked up a tattered book. The cover was covered in dust, but he could still make out the title—"The Record of Secret Arts".

"This is..." The second senior brother's voice was filled with shock.

Su Yunruo walked over and looked at the book in her second senior brother's hand, and she was also shocked. The book contained some long-lost secret techniques.

"Could this be a secret cultivation ground?" Su Yunruo wondered.

The second senior brother remained silent, turning the pages of his book as if each page were a door to an unknown world. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a spot on the page, his finger lightly touching it, as if he had discovered some important clue.

"Look here," the second senior brother said in a low voice, his tone tinged with surprise and doubt.

Su Yunruo leaned closer and, following her second senior brother's direction, saw that a mysterious ritual was clearly recorded on the page. And the goal of this ritual was to control people's minds!

"What does this mean?" Su Yunruo couldn't help but shiver, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

The second senior brother frowned, his eyes becoming serious: "It seems that this basement hides a secret even bigger than we imagined."

Su Yunruo nodded in agreement: "Moreover, these secrets are very likely related to the upcoming martial arts tournament."

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding that they had to unravel this mystery as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

So they decided to bring the mysterious book back to study its secrets more deeply. Perhaps, this book holds the key to unlocking all these mysteries.

The second senior brother carefully tucked the book into his robes, making sure it wouldn't be damaged. Then, they stood up and prepared to leave the basement.

"Let's go," the second senior brother said softly, his voice revealing firmness and determination.

Su Yunruo nodded and followed her second senior brother toward the exit. However, just as they were about to reach the stairwell, a thought suddenly flashed through Su Yunruo's mind.

"Wait, Second Senior Brother." She stopped and turned to look around, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What's wrong?" the second senior brother asked.

"Luo Chun isn't here, so who led us here? And where exactly is Luo Chun now?" Su Yunruo's voice was filled with worry.

Upon hearing this, the second senior brother also fell into deep thought. Indeed, they had originally thought they could find Luo Chun here, but now they had found nothing. So, who exactly set this trap, luring them here?

"Let's not worry about that for now. We need to send a message to Master immediately and tell him about this," the second senior brother said, his tone tinged with urgency.

Su Yunruo nodded in agreement. She knew time was of the essence and they couldn't delay any longer. So, they quickened their pace and left the basement.