Chapter 16

At noon.

Luo Qingchen returned to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion and went straight to find Zhang Jiu, the head of the guards. Swallowing his pride, he asked to borrow some money.

He had only just arrived and didn't know anyone else.

But before he could even name an amount, Zhang Jiu grimaced. "Brother Luo, I only get three taels of silver a month, and I've spent it all already. You'd better ask someone else."

Luo Qingchen had no choice but to go to the back and look for Chen Ju.

Chen Ju had been all smiles when he saw him, but the moment he heard why he'd come, the smile vanished. He took out his money pouch and opened it for Luo Qingchen to see, sighing. "It's not that I don't want to lend it to you, brother. Just look for yourself—there isn't a single coin in here."

Luo Qingchen gave a bitter smile. He said no more, murmured, "Sorry for the trouble," and took his leave.

A hundred taels of silver was surely a fortune to anyone here.

Most Blood Medicines probably didn't have that kind of money.

And even if someone did, why would they lend it to a stranger they'd only met yesterday?

Clearly, borrowing money wasn't going to work.

He stood dazed in the courtyard for a while, then looked at the wound on his wrist.

It seemed he could only rely on himself.

He'd already sold everything he could sell—even his soul. All that was left was to sell his blood.

The Ten-Soul Banner couldn't wait any longer, and neither could his younger sister.

Without hesitating again, he left the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion and went to a shop on North Street.

A black flag stood outside, bearing two large, blood-red characters: "Blood Shop."

Here, people could not only sell blood but buy it as well.

Luo Qingchen entered the shop and addressed the black-robed old man behind the counter. "I want to sell blood. How much can I get for one donation?"

The old man glanced at him, then took a large bowl from beneath the counter. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Fill this bowl, and you'll get five taels of silver. If you're a cultivator, you'll get ten."

Looking at the large bowl on the counter, Luo Qingchen couldn't help remembering the days when his blood had been drained in the cave.

The bowl Tian Feng had used back then had been just like this.

Filling it would take at least twenty percent of the blood in his body.

For some frail people, losing that much blood at once could easily be fatal.

But he didn't need to worry.

There was still twenty percent of his blood left in his second reserve Blood Bar. In other words, he could sell that twenty percent without affecting his current physical condition.

The Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was full of danger. He had to keep his body strong.

"I'm a cultivator. Can you pay me a little more?"

Luo Qingchen asked.

The black-robed old man replied expressionlessly, "I already told you. Cultivators get ten taels. And you need to show me a signed document from your master agreeing to let you sell your blood."

Luo Qingchen fell silent for a moment. "I don't have one."

The old man's expression darkened at once. "You came to sell blood without the document? Are you here to make a fool of me?"

With that, he waved his sleeve to chase him off. "Get out!"

But Luo Qingchen didn't leave. He raised his wrist and said calmly, "I need money right now. I need it badly. You can cut into these wounds. If anyone finds out, I'll say I did it myself while cultivating."

The old man frowned, about to speak, but Luo Qingchen continued, "You can take off one tael. I only need nine."

A glint flashed in the old man's eyes. He stared at Luo Qingchen for a while before saying, "Seven taels. I can give you seven, no more! Without the document, our shop is taking a risk too. You'd get the same price selling on the black market or secretly to cultivators."

Luo Qingchen remained silent.

The old man snorted. "If you don't want to do it, then leave. I don't want to take this risk either."

Luo Qingchen glanced at the wound on his wrist once more. Then, without hesitation, he raised his right hand and placed it on the counter. "Then seven taels."

The old man looked at him again but said nothing. He came out from behind the counter and shut the shop door.

"Remember, if word gets out, you're responsible for the consequences!"

After another warning, the old man returned behind the counter, took a dagger from beneath it, and began drawing blood.

As crimson blood flowed from the wound opened by the dagger, Luo Qingchen's face showed neither pain nor fear. Instead, a trace of bewilderment and confusion—something he had never felt before—flickered across it.

The large bowl was soon full.

He simply bandaged the wound, pocketed the seven taels the old man gave him, and walked out of the shop.

The sky outside was a dull gray, and there were hardly any people left on the street.

After walking some distance, he suddenly felt that someone was following him again.

He didn't stop, continuing forward for another few hundred meters before suddenly turning into a nearby alley and taking the dagger from his sleeve.

He was still ninety taels short.

He had nothing left. If he wanted to get money, he could only keep selling blood.

To the black market, to cultivators.

But he had no extra blood left in his body to sell, so...

He would have to drink blood!

No matter who was behind him, he had to risk everything now: kill them and drain every last drop of blood from their body!

To survive, for his younger sister, he had to become a true fiend!

"Woo—"

The icy wind wailed through the shadowy alley.

He suddenly quickened his pace and disappeared around the corner of the alley on the right.

Before long, faint footsteps sounded in the silent alley.

When they reached the corner, Luo Qingchen, hidden in the shadows, suddenly darted out and grabbed the other person by the throat. The dagger in his other hand swiftly pressed against their chest!

The person clearly hadn't had time to fight back before he subdued them!

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, tightened his grip on their throat, and dragged them into the corner of the alley on the right. He pinned them to the ground, then raised his dagger, ready to plunge it down hard.

But just then, he suddenly stopped.

The person pinned beneath him had disheveled hair and a face smeared with black grime. A long scar marked her right cheek. She was small and thin, dressed in ragged clothes, and her dark eyes stared at him in alarm.

Was she the Little Mute?

The Little Mute he and his younger sister had often helped back in Clear Water Town?

The dagger in Luo Qingchen's hand trembled slightly. He wanted to pretend he didn't know her and plunge it down, but he hesitated...

Taking advantage of the moment, the girl beneath him shoved him away with all her strength, then scrambled to her feet and staggered off.

Luo Qingchen remained kneeling where he was, watching her small figure flee the alley. His expression shifted several times, but he didn't chase after her.

The alley fell silent.

Only the wailing wind still wandered through it.

No one knew how long passed.

Just as he put away the dagger and prepared to leave, he suddenly heard another burst of footsteps from the neighboring alley.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately drew his dagger again.

As the footsteps drew closer, every muscle in his body tensed. His gaze turned icy as he pressed himself against the wall by the corner. Slowly, he raised the dagger in his hand, ready to strike.

This time, he absolutely couldn't hesitate again!