Xu Peng couldn't explain his current situation—not why he was here, nor his own abnormal state.

An icy, sinister malice radiated from behind him. Even under the noon sun, the strong young man shivered as if trapped in a winter gale.

Undoubtedly, something lurked behind him...!

Normally bold, Xu Peng now lacked the courage to turn around. Confucius avoided spirits and the supernatural, but faced with real phenomena, Xu Peng stood frozen. His chaotic mind devised no plan.

He wanted to move, to escape this dangerous building edge. Yet an invisible force pulled his legs and body backward. The pressure kept growing.

"A three-foot crimson stage... all things turn to song! Singing farewells, long sorrow fades to nothing; where red blooms brightest, ash remains... May someone remember someone, in their finest years..."

"My lord, I've waited till beauty turned to bone... How much longer must I wait for you..."

The mournful opera tune echoed again. Its heart-wrenching melody could shatter any stone-hearted man. Xu Peng longed to drown in its twists. His eyes slowly grew vacant.

Even the fear on his face diluted into eerie joy. The blended expression turned absurdly horrifying!

"Hmph. Ungrateful fool!"

Senior Bailin's oppressive gaze pierced Xu Peng instantly. Her eyes, sharp as tangible blades, triggered a shrill, inhuman scream from behind him!

The ear-splitting shriek shattered the enchanting song. Xu Peng stumbled as the binding force vanished. He staggered away from the ledge.

His heart pounded wildly!

After just a few steps, his legs buckled. He collapsed to the ground.

Is this Senior Bailin...?

Her eyes were cold, her face solemn. Her proud stance held none of her usual gentle grace—she resembled a sovereign ruler. Where she stood was her dominion. Unstoppable!

Arrogantly powerful, Bai Ling now was like the lone sun at the sky's zenith. Her bright eyes saw all below, leaving nothing hidden.

Xu Peng's worldview shattered today. First, ghostly songs nearly made him fall from a height. Then, he witnessed Senior Bailin's impossible side. It felt like a dark corner of the vast world had been pried open.

Following Bai Ling's gaze, Xu Peng finally dared to look back.

Facing Senior Bailin from afar floated a beautiful maiden puppet! It danced mid-air to faint, elusive melodies. Hard to believe a puppet could move so fluidly, unsupported.

Though artificial, it evoked pity. Tears glistened at its eyes; its glances held sorrowful grace. Its aura made one forget terror and yearn for it.

It wore a blood-red robe, unnaturally vivid. Golden threads coiled around azure luan and fiery phoenixes. Its sleeves, spread wide, dwarfed the puppet itself.

"Bai Ling... what is that thing?"

Xu Peng sensed Senior Bailin knew exactly what it was. But her reply was an icy glare he'd never seen.

"That thing—don't look unless you want madness. Bringing you here was my mistake. Sleep peacefully. Wake, and forget everything."

Her cold gaze held no warmth for a subordinate—only the cruelty of viewing him as insignificant grass.

Unsurprisingly, Xu Peng lost consciousness.

Senior Bailin refocused on the gorgeous puppet. Its deep sorrow failed to sway her. The puppet tried to snatch Xu Peng, but Bai Ling's presence repelled it like a flood beast.

Ancient tales spoke of objects becoming spirits. Such supernatural events still lack explanation today.

But in a massive organization, these are categorized as Containment Entities. Humans are rational yet fragile. Uncontained, these mad things cause disasters.

Bai Ling knew Containment Entities well. She often encountered them. Even Senior Bailin herself was an uncontainable Entity!

Qianning City was special. With Bai Ling here, Containment Entities treated it like a playground. As long as no lives were lost, she and a certain organization turned a blind eye.

They lacked energy to handle them all. Junior Li Ming mattered most. Others dying? Tolerable, if not excessive.

But a Containment Entity this brazen—daring to kill in Qianning, even at Qianning High School—was Bai Ling's first encounter.

Whether sentient or not, attacking Xu Peng in daylight was a slap to her face.

This explained why the usually gentle Senior Bailin now raged with such dominance.

"They say deep in the hundred-flower land lives an old lover... sewing embroidered shoes! A serene elder... still waiting for the warrior's return."

Seeing Bai Ling unmoved, the puppet grew bolder. It sang the self-pitying tune, drawing near as if weeping about a faithless lover.

Any other woman might yield to such undying, unrequited love. But Senior Bailin only gave a cold laugh.

"Truly mad or playing dumb—take one more step, and don't blame me for what follows."

Can Containment Entities die? Yes. Bai Ling had killed many. How? She didn't know. But she could.

"You've waited a millennium... must you still aid that faithless man...?"

The puppet hesitated, drawn to Xu Peng despite sensing Bai Ling's danger. Its thousand-year grudge burned too fiercely to quell.

"Ridiculous. Is every man your faithless lover? In Qianning, I know all. You have multiple deaths on your hands. The Second Weather Bureau's wanted notice is mine."

"Faithless lovers... all deserve death! Even shattered to dust, I'll spare no faithless man in this world!"

Reasoning with a Containment Entity was foolish. Bai Ling's gentle smile twisted into a cold sneer. Acting wild before her was truly asking for death.