The jade rabbit sank in the west, and the crescent moon hung slantwise in the sky like a sickle.
The night was deep. The residence of the Shen Family's second branch in the southern part of the city lay utterly silent, with only a few wisps of lamplight swaying faintly and casting fragmented glimmers through the heavy shadows.
"Lord Blood Kill, this is the residence of the Shen Family's second branch. Shen Qinglan is inside!"
In the shadowed street corner beside the Shen Family's second branch, Jiang Yichen—ostensibly a student of the prefectural academy but in truth a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect—carefully pointed at the vermilion-lacquered gates across from them. His voice was lowered to a whisper, yet the fawning in it was impossible to hide.
"Mm."
The man called Blood Kill answered blandly.
He wore fitted crimson clothing and a savage blood-red mask that revealed only a pair of utterly emotionless eyes, like a venomous snake lying in wait.
A faint scent of blood lingered around him, and even the night wind nearby seemed to have congealed.
"Only you among us recognize Shen Qinglan. Your task later is to find her. Capture her alive if possible; if she resists, killing her is no matter. Just bring back her head."
"Yes, Lord Blood Kill!"
Jiang Yichen nodded hurriedly, then hesitated. "However, Lord Blood Kill, I heard that Shen Qinglan's father, Shen Zongyue, broke through to the Innate Realm a year ago and advanced to the Grandmaster realm. Do you think..."
"The Grandmaster realm?"
Blood Kill let out a scornful laugh, his tone dripping with contempt.
"He is merely a martial artist who has only just advanced to the Grandmaster realm!"
He raised a hand to rest on the blood-red curved saber at his waist. The skull embedded in