Chapter 17

"Big brother, I'm so hungry..."

At that moment, the tender voice of a little girl suddenly rang out from beyond the corner.

Luo Qingchen's raised dagger faltered.

Then, the voice of a little boy followed: "Xiao Yu, don't be impatient. Once we get home, big brother will cook for you."

Just then, a little boy and a little girl emerged from around the corner.

The boy, thin and frail, carried a large burlap sack on his back, while his other hand held onto a little girl dressed in thin, tattered clothes.

Both of them seemed to be picturing the meal they would have at home, their faces lit up with happy smiles.

Suddenly, they spotted the person hiding at the corner with a dagger in hand, and their smiles instantly turned to terror.

The boy hurriedly dropped the sack from his back, stretched out his arm to shield the little girl behind him, his eyes frantic and fearful. Though his body trembled slightly, he forced himself to look brave, his face stiffly contorting into a fierce expression.

He looked like a small beast baring its teeth to scare off an enemy when faced with danger.

Luo Qingchen's gaze shifted to the little girl behind him. He slowly put away his dagger, a trace of tenderness inadvertently surfacing in the depths of his eyes, and asked, "Is your name Xiao Yu?"

The little girl looked at him with panicked eyes and nodded.

"Xiao Yu, run!"

The boy immediately grabbed the sack from the ground, hurriedly pulled the little girl, and turned to run toward the end of the alley.

Luo Qingchen stood dazed, rooted to the spot.

A long while later, he stared at the alley entrance where the little girl had disappeared and whispered, "Xiao Yu..."

"Big brother, once we have money in the future, let's buy a big house. Just the two of us will live there, and we won't have to live here anymore and endure the cold stares of Uncle and Aunt..."

"Big brother, when you get married in the future, will you stop wanting me?"

"I'm very capable, you know. I can wash clothes, cook, serve tea, pour water, and even help you coax your wife, hahaha..."

The memories were like needles, each one piercing his heart, each one stinging with pain.

He exited the alley.

He walked aimlessly along the street, his mind preoccupied with the remaining silver he needed.

Ninety taels still missing...

He had nothing left to sell.

Without realizing it, he arrived once again at the stall belonging to Zhao Shi and his father.

Seeing the father and son sitting in the cold wind in their tattered clothes, he couldn't help but mock himself inwardly, yet he walked over anyway.

"Uncle Zhao, Brother Shi."

He greeted them and, without beating around the bush, stated his purpose directly.

"Do you have any extra silver?"

Zhao Shi was stunned by the question. Before he could answer, Zhao Laosan immediately pulled a bitter face and said, "Where would we have any extra silver? We barely make any money selling vegetables; we rely entirely on A-Yun's support."

Zhao Shi also sighed, "A-Chen, if you are in urgent need of money, you could try asking A-Yun. Perhaps she has some; she receives guests every day..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Laosan secretly nudged him with his elbow.

Zhao Shi gave an awkward smile and stopped talking.

"It's fine, I'll go ask someone else."

Luo Qingchen said no more, offered his thanks, and took his leave.

Behind him, Zhao Laosan's low, scolding voice rang out: "You fool, if A-Yun lends him the silver, what are we supposed to do? He's a cultivator now. If he refuses to pay it back, would you dare to demand it?"

Zhao Shi muttered, "Father, A-Chen isn't that kind of person."

Zhao Laosan whispered again, "Hmph, you can know a person's face but not their heart; people change. Didn't you hear what A-Tian said that day? This brat killed his own sister with his own hands—he's just as ruthless as that little mute!"

Luo Qingchen pretended not to hear and walked away.

After walking through the streets for a long time, seeing the sky begin to darken, he had no choice but to turn toward the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Tonight was his first night on patrol, so he naturally couldn't be late.

He would just have to endure tonight first and figure out a way tomorrow.

As he reached the entrance of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, he saw two men in gray clothes being led into the building by the manager, Sun Ping.

This was his first time seeing guests at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Just as he was about to enter the courtyard, his peripheral vision caught sight of something dropped near a corner not far to his right.

He looked closely and realized it was a gray money pouch!

The pouch looked plump, as if it were filled with quite a lot of things.

His heart skipped a beat. He looked around, and seeing that no one was nearby, he quickly walked over, picked it up, and tucked it into his robes.

Once inside the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, he went straight to the backyard.

Chen Ju happened to be coming out of his room. Seeing him, he remained as enthusiastic as ever: "Brother Luo, I'm going to grab a bite to eat; I'll come back to call you in a bit. By the way, I've already placed the Demon Stone and medicinal herbs needed for this month's cultivation in your room. Check them later to make sure nothing is missing."

Luo Qingchen offered his thanks.

Chen Ju waved his hand with a smile and walked away quickly.

"Put it in the room? Which room?"

Luo Qingchen watched his retreating figure until he was far away, then turned and entered the second room.

Sure enough, a package was sitting on the table in the corner.

Instead of checking the medicinal herbs first, he pulled the gray money pouch he had picked up outside the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion from his robes, opened it quickly, and dumped everything inside onto the bed.

"Clatter..."

It was all silver!

However, they were all tiny, broken pieces of silver; there wasn't even a single larger ingot.

Some of the silver pieces were even stained with black grime.

Clearly, these pieces had been saved up one by one by the previous owner.

Luo Qingchen carefully weighed them in his hand and estimated there were over forty taels in total.

Faced with this unexpected windfall, his heart was filled with pleasant surprise, and he immediately tucked it away with great care.

"Still about fifty taels short..."

He decided to find a way to get the rest tomorrow.

After putting the silver away, he walked to the table and opened the paper package. Inside lay a black stone the size of an egg, along with some dried medicinal herbs still attached to their roots.

"Is this the Demon Stone?"

He picked up the black stone and examined it closely.

Back when Tian Feng was brewing medicine in the cave, he had only seen the herbs; as for the Demon Stone, he had never laid eyes on it once.

Why would this Demon Stone react to fresh blood?

He wondered to himself.

This was a question most disciples of the Demon Controlling Sect likely shared.

Once I resolve my sister's situation, I must begin my cultivation. Only by breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm can I completely shed this identity as a Blood Medicine, forever at the mercy of others.

He gripped the Demon Stone in his palm and thought to himself.

After stowing away the Demon Stone and the herbs, he took out the Bone-Strengthening Mountain-Opening Fist he had obtained from Zhang Dashan and began to study it page by page.

Outside the window, the sky quickly darkened.

Just as he was pondering the fist technique, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Chen Ju's voice: "Brother Luo, it's time. We need to go on patrol."

Luo Qingchen put away the manual and went to open the door.

Chen Ju glanced into the room and said with a beaming smile, "Brother Luo, have you checked the herbs? Nothing missing, right?"

Luo Qingchen replied, "Nothing is missing. Many thanks, Brother Chen."

Chen Ju chuckled and said, "Let's go. We'll take a walk outside first, then head into the building. There aren't many guests tonight, so I doubt there will be any trouble."

Luo Qingchen followed behind him, listening as he chatted about the goings-on in the pavilion.

"Most of the people who spend money here are poor folks. They don't come for fun, but to satisfy their physical needs. The girls here are cheap, and there's free tea and pastries, so they naturally love it."

"But, being poor, they love to brag and cause trouble after a few drinks, sometimes even beating the girls. As long as it doesn't go too far, we don't need to intervene..."

"If they hurt the girls or damage the property, as long as they are willing to pay, everything is negotiable."

"Of course, if they try to dine and dash, beating them half to death is perfectly fine."

As Chen Ju spoke, he led him out the main gate and toward the darkness on the right.

Luo Qingchen glanced at that cold, gloomy darkness, paused, and fell a step behind.

As soon as the two entered the darkness, Chen Ju suddenly turned his head and smiled: "Brother Luo, did Head Zhang tell you?"

Luo Qingchen asked, "Tell me what?"

Chen Ju's face was full of smiles as he said, word by word, "After dark, you must not go out."

Luo Qingchen's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks.