A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

Shen Qingci lowered her gaze, her fingertips pressing on the dark red ribbon at her waist.

She didn't look back; her footsteps were clear, cold, and steady.

The sound of silver bells drowned out the hushed voice.

"At the intersection of Jia 3, turn left and pass through the oil press, avoiding the public surveillance cameras on the main street."

Chen Lang withdrew his arm, his tone slightly raised.

"Captain Shen got into character very quickly."

"Keep up, stop talking nonsense."

Shen Qingci exerted force with the arch of his foot and stepped onto the slippery bluestone downhill path first.

Chen Lang followed, wading through the mud and water.

The two turned into a narrow alley on the side of the main street, which had been soaked by years of rain and turned dark green.

The hovering ball followed closely behind, and the breathing lights on the outer shell of the machine completely shut down.

The wooden carved doors, faded window panels, and road signs along the way were all covered with flowing gray blocks by Titan. In the live broadcast room, there was only the muffled sound of rain hitting the tiles and the rubbing sound of boots.

The second floor of the teahouse.

The man in the dark windproof suit folded up the telephoto lens, forcefully ripped off the gimbal lock, slung his heavy camera bag over his shoulder, and rushed toward the wooden stairs.

Boom, boom, boom.

The heavy, hurried sound of people descending the stairs shattered the silence in the corridor.

Chen Lang's ears twitched, and he could hear everything behind him clearly, but his footsteps remained steady.

In the three-minute delayed live stream, the camera remained focused on the raindrops in front of the cloth shop, and tens of thousands of viewers were still discussing the needlework techniques in Miao embroidery.

Shen Qingci stopped in the middle of Qing Shi Lane.

The brick walls on both sides of the alley were covered with damp moss, and a bamboo lantern with a hole in it hung from the eaves.

She didn't look at Chen Lang, but pointed to a square stone block at the opposite corner of the alley.

A yellowed old playbill was pasted on the side of the stone block, its edges clearly pressed down by fingers, and the mud underneath was a darker color than the surrounding rain streaks.

Shen Qingci did not reach out to touch it.

Chen Lang lifted his foot, and with a deft touch, the sole of his shoe pried open a broken tile next to the stone pier.

Beneath the rubble lay half a piece of thin nylon rope, dyed a brownish-brown, with the knot pointing straight to the large dock to the east.

"This place has been tampered with," Shen Qingci said.

"The instructions left for the follow-up forces are also their pre-set encirclement lines."

Shen Qingci pulled the leather notebook from the inside of her belt, turned to the page with the folded corner, pressed out the pen tip, and drew a straight diagonal line on the original outline of her journey.

[Secret markings are unreliable. First assess the terrain, then determine your escape route.]

The penmanship is sharp as iron, penetrating the paper with its force.

Chen Lang's gaze swept across the paper.

"This rule is firmly established."

Shen Qingci closed the notebook, the pen cap making a crisp closing sound.

"Because I discovered it myself."

Chen Lang stepped aside, clearing the narrow stone path ahead.

"The entire route through the ancient city is at the captain's command."

Shen Qingci avoided the East Alley marked with secret signs and turned right into a narrow drainage path that was only wide enough for one person to pass.

Half a minute later.

The man, clutching a telephoto camera, rushed into the alleyway, panting heavily.

Two sets of messy footprints were imprinted in the muddy ground, and a silver packaging buckle brought from the cloth shop was stuck in the crack of the stone slab.

The man crouched down, quickly took a picture of the hook and footprints with his phone, and sent a string of encrypted text.

"The target is moving along the east alley towards the riverbank; surround them immediately."

The heavy footsteps rushed eastward.

Behind the corner of the drainage ditch, Chen Lang and Shen Qingci stood in the shadow of the abandoned wooden shed.

Shen Qingci turned around and glanced at the empty alleyway.

"Did you leave those hooks on the ground?"

"These are some packaging scraps that the fabric shop owner gave me as a freebie, so I'll use them as bait." Chen Lang gestured towards the stone path that hugs the riverbank behind him. "The footprints were also made by the old man who was picking vegetables earlier; the patterns on his shoes are pretty much the same."

Rainwater poured down through the cracks in the wooden shed, quickly washing away the yellow mud on the ground and cleaning up any remaining traces.

Shen Qingci leaned against the stone railing of the riverbank, his gaze sweeping over the churning muddy waters of the Tuojiang River.

"There are two more dark alleys side by side ahead. I'll go check the exits."

"Go, leave your back to me."

The two shifted half a body length apart, quickly scanning the hooks under the eaves, the cracks in the stone corners of the walls, and the forks in the road.

The levitating ball descended to chest height, avoiding all street signs, and captured the complete silhouettes of the two figures walking through the rain and fog.

Shen Qingci stopped in front of a towering firewall and raised his right hand to signal to stop.

Chen Lang took the portable testing kit from his waist and swept it around the corner of the wall, along the stone base, drainpipe, and roof tile.

Titan's feedback scrolled through the tactical visor.

Environmental investigation completed; no electromagnetic signal leakage or hidden sensors found.

Shen Qingci bent down to examine the water stains on the surface of the stone steps.

The moss on the steps was intact, without any newly applied yellow mud, and there were no newly tied knots under the eaves. The doors on both sides were bolted from the inside.

"This way, it's safe."

Chen Lang unfolded the telephoto line-of-view analysis diagram.

A red virtual gaze pierced the main road, fixated firmly on the rock-jumping pier they had originally planned to visit.

Shen Qingci stared at the ray, her eyes expressionless.

"They were convinced we would go rock jumping as usual."

"The old rule Zhao Yulan set for you back then was to always find Guandu when there's water." Chen Lang put away the testing kit. "But now you're in charge."

Shen Qingci opened the notebook, folded the page with the drawing of the jumping rock pier in half, and pressed it tightly inside the cover.

"I have no intention of hiding from these informants."

She tilted her chin up, letting the rain and mist wet her cheeks.

"But I will never perform according to the script written by Zhao Yulan."

Chen Lang bent his knuckles and firmly tapped the leather cover of the notebook twice.

"The new rules have been established."

Shen Qingci lightly traced a line on the watch face with his fingertip.

In the three-minute delay of the live stream, the camera finally cut to this narrow alleyway that was glistening from the rain.

A pair of dark black short jackets and deep blue Miao costumes stood side by side, their silver bells ringing steadily and powerfully with each firm step.

[Two hundred thousand people are online to help the young hero and the saintess overcome obstacles!]

[Qingci's walk now is so cool, completely unlike her hesitant demeanor when she first set out.]

[The way Lang Shen looks at himself is incredible; he's on high alert from all sides, like a top-tier bodyguard in action.]

[This image is perfect for wallpaper; the quality is absolutely top-notch!]

The spies who chased after them from the teahouse found nothing at the end of the east alley. All they could see were the crashing waves of the river and the empty, rocky beach. After their fruitless search, they could only angrily call for their accomplices over the walkie-talkie.

In the live stream with a three-minute delay.

Shen Qingci had already put away her notebook, turned the ebony prayer beads on her wrist, and looked at Chen Lang.

Titan's synthesized voice came through the headset again.

Three signs on the main street have been altered, and the enclosed area is being compressed inwards.

Chen Lang looked at the girl standing straight beside him.

Shen Qingci raised his chin, his gaze passing over the bustling main street and landing on the stone steps of the old city wall perched on the ridge on the west side of the ancient city.

"Route A3 is completely abandoned."

"I'll do as the captain says."

"Take Yi Road and go up the west city wall."

"Stay close."

The two figures, side by side, turned to the left onto the winding mountain path.

The hovering ball ascended and cruised, capturing the rain curtain, the ancient city, the long blue stone steps, and the silhouettes of those walking side by side, steadily advancing towards the misty mountain ridge.