Chapter 13

Night fell quietly.

The already dim, gloomy town immediately became even darker and more sinister, as though drenched in thick ink.

The pedestrians on the streets seemed to vanish all at once.

The clamor and noise of the previous moment turned into an eerie silence the next.

A cold night wind blew from the ancient, sinister black forest, carrying black mist and the rotten, damp smell of decay.

By the time Luo Qingchen arrived at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, night had completely fallen.

Two lanterns hung before the main entrance.

Their light was cold and dim, as faint as fireflies, as though it might be snuffed out by the wind at any moment.

Standing outside Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, Luo Qingchen looked up at the small building before him and discovered that this Green Pavilion was nothing like the Green Pavilions he had imagined.

The Green Pavilions in his imagination had red walls and green tiles, carved railings and painted beams, luxurious and exquisite. Women in colorful gauze dresses called out in sweet voices; rich, pungent fragrances that made one dizzy rushed at one's face; guests dressed in splendid robes came and went in an endless stream, arms draped over one another's shoulders.

But the Green Pavilion before him was gray and gloomy, completely devoid of color. It was eerily quiet inside, filled with the dead stillness of a grave.

The three-story building was made of black wood and gray tiles, crude, shabby, and falling apart. Some rooms even had broken windows. As for brightly dressed women with seductive voices, there were none at all.

The entire building was silent, as though no one lived there.

Only the faint lamplight glowing behind several windows showed traces of human habitation.

"What are you here for?"

As Luo Qingchen stood at the entrance, looking around in confusion, a plump woman in a coarse gray dress came out from inside. She scrutinized him warily and said, "If you're here to play with the girls, just go in. What are you skulking around outside for? Planning to steal something?"

Luo Qingchen handed over the wooden token in his hand. "I have come to serve as a guard."

"A guard?"

The woman froze for a moment. She took the token, examined it carefully several times, then looked him up and down again. Her attitude remained indifferent. "So you're the new Guard Luo. Come in."

Then she called toward the interior, "Head Zhang, another new guard has arrived. Come out and receive him!"

After shouting, she turned back and said coolly, "Guard Luo, I am the manager here. My name is Sun Ping, though everyone calls me Sister Sun. If anything happens in the pavilion from now on, you can come find me."

Luo Qingchen cupped his hands. "Thank you, Sister Sun."

Sun Ping said nothing more. She returned the wooden token to him and turned to leave.

At that moment, a burly man in black martial attire strode quickly out from the courtyard. Seeing him, the man frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "You're the new guard? With that build... you don't look like it. Have you broken through to the Bone Strengthening Realm?"

Luo Qingchen said, "I only just broke through."

As he spoke, he held the wooden token out before him.

The burly man glanced at the name on the token and pushed it back. A smile immediately appeared on his face. "I was only asking casually. Since you're here, we'll be brothers from now on. My name is Zhang Jiu, and I'm the head of the guards at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. Everyone calls me Head Zhang. You can call me that too."

As he spoke, he patted Luo Qingchen on the shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you to where you'll be staying. We can talk as we walk."

Luo Qingchen thanked him and followed behind.

"There are seven guards here in total, including you. Two people per shift. We patrol at night and rest during the day. Usually, nothing major happens in the pavilion. It's mostly drunk guests causing trouble. If you run into them, just stop them."

He then explained several rules.

For instance, guards could not drink while patrolling, could not bring strangers inside, and could not enter the girls' rooms without their permission.

As he spoke, he turned and smiled. "That's what the rules say, but even if you break one, there won't be much punishment as long as you don't go too far. Working here is definitely much easier and more pleasant than working elsewhere."

"Oh, and one more thing. Once you work here, you can't work anywhere else. You're not allowed to go out and earn extra money during your free time either. That's expressly forbidden. If you're caught, the consequences will be severe. There are many people in this town, but not enough places to work. We can be considered cultivators, so we can't smash other people's rice bowls..."

The two passed through the corridor on the left and arrived behind the small building.

Before them lay a spacious rear courtyard, with a pond, stone bridge, houses, trees, and more.

But like everywhere else, it was gray and gloomy, steeped in lifeless decay.

The water in the pond was black, as was the stone bridge spanning it. The houses were built of gray wood, and the trees held not a trace of green, as though they had long since withered and rotted away.

Luo Qingchen could not help asking, "Head Zhang, why is everything here black or gray?"

Zhang Jiu turned to look at him. "Did you just arrive in Medicine Man Town?"

Luo Qingchen said, "I arrived today."

Zhang Jiu smiled. "No wonder."

He then explained, "It has always been this way here. Perhaps it's because of the black mist, or perhaps because of the Demon Mine. Everything around us is black or gray. Even if you enter wearing colored clothes, they'll soon turn into one of those two colors."

"The Demon Mine?"

Luo Qingchen's heart stirred.

Zhang Jiu said, "The place where Demon Stones are produced. Most of the medicine men in town work there."

Luo Qingchen immediately asked, "Head Zhang, when I came here, I heard that guards can receive two taels of silver, one Demon Stone, and a share of cultivation herbs every month. When can I collect them?"

He had to hurry and cultivate, break through to the Blood Changing Realm as soon as possible, and leave this place.

This place was sinister and strange, dark and decayed. Whether it was the environment or the people living here, none of it resembled a place where normal humans should live.

He did not want to stay any longer than necessary.

Zhang Jiu looked at him and smiled. "You'll get the silver after one month. As for the Demon Stone and cultivation herbs, I can bring them to you tomorrow."

Luo Qingchen hurriedly thanked him.

Zhang Jiu smiled. "We're brothers. Why be so polite?"

As they talked, they crossed the stone bridge and arrived before a row of crude houses.

Zhang Jiu shouted toward one of them, "Chen Ju, Wang Long, Wang Hu, come out! We've got another new brother!"

"Creak..."

The moment he finished speaking, a wooden door opened.

Two sturdy young men with similar features, one tall and one short, walked out of the room.

Their skin was dark, their eyes gleamed sharply, and they strode with the gait of dragons and tigers, carrying an imposing air. Their gazes upon Luo Qingchen held a measure of scrutiny.

Zhang Jiu introduced both sides.

Luo Qingchen cupped his hands in greeting and politely greeted them.

The two brothers were rather cold. They merely nodded and said, "Head Zhang, we still need to cultivate. We'll go back inside first."

At that moment, the wooden door of another room opened.

A small, thin young man with sleepy eyes came out. He first yawned, then ran over with a face full of delight, staring at Luo Qingchen as he examined him. "Head Zhang, is this the new brother?"

Zhang Jiu smilingly introduced them. "From now on, you and Brother Luo will be on the same team."

The young man named Chen Ju familiarly moved close to Luo Qingchen and said warmly, "Brother Luo, not bad. You broke through to the Bone Strengthening Realm at such a young age. You must be very talented. Once the two of us patrol together, we'll be like blood brothers. If there's anything you don't understand here, just ask me."

Luo Qingchen cupped his hands. "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Chen from now on."

Chen Ju laughed. "What trouble? It's only right, only right."

Zhang Jiu added, "The other two are patrolling inside the pavilion. You can meet them tomorrow. Since you just arrived, get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow night, you'll patrol with Chen Ju. He'll teach you some of the rules. If there's anything you don't understand or anything you need, ask him."

With that, he prepared to leave.

Luo Qingchen suddenly said, "Head Zhang, is there any place in town that repairs items?"

"Items? What kind of item?"

Zhang Jiu stopped and asked curiously.

Luo Qingchen said, "I have a damaged dagger that needs repairing."

He certainly could not casually tell others about the Ten-Soul Banner.

Though it was only the lowest-grade magical artifact, he still had to fear people setting their sights on it.

Having just arrived, it was better to be cautious.

Zhang Jiu smiled upon hearing that. "You might as well forge a new one. Repairing it would probably cost more than making another dagger."

Luo Qingchen sighed. "It was a gift from a relative. I cannot bear to discard it."

Zhang Jiu thought for a moment, then said, "There's an Old Wu's General Store on North Street. You can go ask tomorrow, though I can't guarantee they can repair it."

Luo Qingchen cupped his hands in thanks.

Zhang Jiu said nothing more and turned to leave.

Chen Ju said enthusiastically, "Brother Luo, come on. I'll take you to where you'll be staying. The three rooms on the right are all empty. Pick whichever one you like. The beds, bedding, bathing tubs, and other things inside are all complete."

"Three rooms?"

Luo Qingchen looked toward the three rooms and silently thought, What a coincidence. These should be the rooms left empty by the three guards who died miserable deaths, shouldn't they?

Even now, no one had taken the initiative to mention the three guards' gruesome deaths to him.

Clearly, this matter was not simple.

Of course, he could not bring it up himself either. A-Yun had secretly revealed it to her brother. If the pavilion manager found out, A-Yun would likely suffer for it.

So for now, he could only keep the matter in his heart.

He would look for an opportunity to probe into it while patrolling tomorrow night.

"This one, then."

He chose the first room, pushed open the door, and walked inside.

Chen Ju stopped outside rather than following him in. Smiling, he said, "Brother Luo looks quite tired too, so I won't disturb you. If you need anything, come find me. You can just call out from the doorway."

"Thank you, Brother Chen."

Luo Qingchen thanked him.

Chen Ju smiled and turned to leave.

When he returned to his own room, the warm smile on his face vanished. He sneered, picked up a chunk of charred meat from the nearby table, and gnawed on it as he said, "Another one who came to die."

In the room next door, Wang Long and Wang Hu were also speaking in low voices.

"That kid moved into Zhao Wu's room. Zhao Wu had his heart ripped out and died in that room. Half his face was eaten too. I wonder whether that monster will appear again."

"I hope he can live a few more days, so we can draw some fresh blood first."

Outside the window, the night deepened.

When Luo Qingchen lit the oil lamp on the table and the dim yellow light illuminated the room, he saw a claw mark deeply carved into the wall near the bed, as well as a pool of black blood on the floor.

At that moment, with a "whoosh," a gust of sinister wind blew in, and the flame on the table swayed violently.

The light in the room flickered between bright and dark.

When he turned around to look at the oil lamp on the table, the narrow window in the wall behind him had somehow opened a crack.

Within the darkness beyond that crack, a pair of eyes had appeared eerily.