Chapter 20

The window pushed open silently.

The dark shadow waited in the darkness outside for a moment longer, and seeing no abnormality within the room, he flashed inside.

Holding a sharp blade, he crouched low and approached the bed step by step.

But soon, he realized something was wrong.

"Swish!"

He darted to the bedside and threw back the quilt.

However, no one was lying beneath it.

Just like last night, there was only a single pillow.

The muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably.

He had clearly seen that brat enter this second room...

Now that his poison smoke was exhausted, he feared he might fall into an ambush if he went searching in other rooms.

"I refuse to believe I can't get your blood!"

He couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Inside Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, the lamps burned all night long.

The guest's corpse was hauled away overnight, and the blood and claw marks in the room had already been scrubbed clean.

Everyone in the building received orders: the events of tonight were not to be spoken of.

When Luo Qingchen woke up from under the bed in the first room, the paper pasted over the window had already brightened.

He first felt the silver on his person, and finding it intact, he crawled out from under the bed. He carefully inspected the ground by the door and window, and seeing that the animal traps and silk threads were undisturbed, he finally set his mind at ease.

For the sake of safety, before going to sleep last night, he had exited the second room's window and switched to this first one.

Carrying such a large sum of money, he had to be careful.

He performed two sets of Bone-Strengthening Mountain-Opening Fist in the room, and only after breaking into a light sweat did he open the door and walk out.

Chen Ju happened to be returning from outside, and upon seeing him, he asked in surprise, "Eh, Brother Luo, didn't you sleep in the second room last night?"

Luo Qingchen glanced at him and said calmly, "That's right, I just got up and came to the first room to take a look."

"Oh?"

Chen Ju smiled and didn't press further, saying, "Right, Brother Luo, there is food in the kitchen. If you're hungry, you can go eat directly."

Luo Qingchen nodded, offered his thanks, and walked past him.

Chen Ju stood in place for a while, and not until Luo Qingchen's back had faded into the distance did the smile on his face gradually vanish.

Luo Qingchen was indeed very hungry, but he did not go to the kitchen.

He left Hundred Fragrance Pavilion directly and headed impatiently toward Old Wu's General Store on North Street.

The tattered Ten-Soul Banner could fall apart completely at any moment.

He had now saved enough silver and had to go to the general store to repair the Ten-Soul Banner as soon as possible.

Proceeding with caution, he soon arrived at Old Wu's General Store.

There were no other customers in the shop, only the white-haired, one-armed old man.

Seeing him enter, the old man said, "You've gathered enough silver?"

Luo Qingchen pulled two money bags from his chest. He first took out the seven hundred taels in banknotes, counted them one by one, and placed them on the counter. Then, he poured out all the silver fragments from the bag and said, "It should be eight hundred taels. Please weigh it."

Banknotes were easy to calculate, but the silver fragments required a specialized scale to weigh.

The old man glanced at the silver on the counter, took out an ebony steelyard from beneath it, and began to weigh it carefully.

"There are ninety-eight taels of silver fragments."

The old man held the small scale out in front of him so he could see clearly, then used his other hand to flick the banknotes on the counter, saying, "There are seven hundred taels in banknotes, so you are still short by two taels."

Luo Qingchen fell silent for a moment and said, "Senior, could those two taels of silver be..."

The old man didn't speak; he put down the steelyard, took out brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone from under the counter, and began to write.

After finishing, he stamped it with the shop's seal, handed it to him, and said, "Leave the banner; we can help you repair it first. Come back in two days, pay the remaining two taels, and take the banner back."

Luo Qingchen took the receipt, read it carefully, and said, "Many thanks."

He carefully pulled the tattered Ten-Soul Banner from his chest, but his heart was suddenly filled with trepidation and unease. "My younger sister's soul is inside this flag. Will it hurt her when it's being repaired?"

The old man said with an indifferent tone, "It will not."

Luo Qingchen looked at the flag in his hands, and for a moment, he couldn't bear to hand it over.

The old man began to lower his head to tidy up the banknotes and silver, ignoring him.

After a long while, Luo Qingchen finally handed over the flag in his hand slowly, unable to stop himself from adding, "I hope Senior can tell the person doing the repairs to be very careful. If it's really..."

The old man said impatiently, "If you aren't at ease, then don't get it repaired! I don't even want the trouble of taking it upstairs!"

Luo Qingchen said no more and placed the flag gently on the counter.

The old man put away the flag, tossed it casually into the counter, and said, "Come back the day after tomorrow to pick it up. Remember to bring the remaining two taels of silver."

Luo Qingchen nodded silently, took one last look into the counter, and then left without a word.

Stepping out of the shop, he felt a hollow emptiness in his heart.

He stood blankly outside the shop for a moment, then turned his head back toward the interior and murmured, "Xiao Yu, don't be afraid. In two days, your brother will come to take you away."

"Boom!"

At that moment, a sudden roll of thunder echoed across the sky.

He looked up to see black clouds pressing down, shrouding the entire town as if the end of the world had arrived.

Is it going to rain?

He did not linger on the street and headed toward the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Passing the corner where Zhao Shi and his father set up their stall, he saw them from afar, still sitting on the ground in a daze.

Luo Qingchen hesitated for a moment before walking over.

Upon seeing him, Zhao Laosan nudged Zhao Shi with his elbow and whispered, "This brat probably hasn't given up; he's likely here to borrow money again. I'll do the talking, you keep your mouth shut."

Luo Qingchen arrived at the stall and said, "Uncle Zhao, it looks like it's about to rain. Aren't you going to pack up?"

Zhao Laosan pulled a long face and sighed, "We haven't earned a single copper today, so how could we dare to pack up? If we don't make some money soon, I reckon in a few days, our father and son will be like that little mute, scavenging for food in the trash heaps."

Zhao Shi stood to the side, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Luo Qingchen was stunned at these words, recalling the terrified, scrawny figure fleeing yesterday, and asked, "Is she scavenging for food in the trash? Is she not working?"

Zhao Laosan sneered, "Are you asking about that little mute? We saw that little beast rummaging through the trash in the alley this morning, only to get a good beating from a few other vagrants! A little beast who killed her own father and mother—she deserves to be struck by lightning!"

Zhao Shi added, "That little mute has been mining at the ore plant, but I guess her body couldn't take it, so she didn't earn much. She's so frail, she's hardly cut out for mining; even my father and I wouldn't dare go there. I expect when she gets hungry enough, she'll end up selling herself at a brothel."

While Luo Qingchen stood in silence, Zhao Laosan glanced at his expression, assuming he was contemplating how to ask for a loan, and preemptively struck, "By the way, A-Chen, did you manage to get that silver yesterday? Do you have any extra? Could you lend your Uncle Zhao a little? Just a few coppers, maybe a dozen, enough for our father and son to eat for the next few days."

Luo Qingchen replied, "It's all gone."

"Sigh—"

Zhao Laosan let out a long groan, pulled an old coin purse from his chest, and flipped it open to reveal it was completely empty. "It's tough for everyone."

Luo Qingchen had originally intended to ask about A-Yun, but seeing their state, he could only exchange a few more words before bidding them farewell.

Returning to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, he went to the kitchen first.

There were a few steamed buns and several dishes on the stove. Just as he reached for a bun, the maid named Xiao Cui entered from the doorway and stopped him, "Guard Luo, these aren't for you to eat. The guards' meals have already been delivered to your respective rooms. If you didn't get yours, someone else must have eaten it."

Luo Qingchen paused, nodded, and left the kitchen.

Suddenly, Xiao Cui chased after him, handed him a steamed bun, and smiled, "This one is mine. I'm not hungry yet, so you take it."

The young girl looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, her nose covered in freckles.

Luo Qingchen was taken aback; he took the bun and lowered his head to thank her.

He was ravenous now. Although one bun wasn't enough, it would at least stave off the hunger for a while.

Today, he had to practice and undergo a medicinal bath.

Only by breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm as soon as possible would he have a chance to escape his current predicament.

He returned to the backyard.

He checked the second room, then the first, and finally the third.

There was no breakfast in any of the rooms.

It seemed his portion had indeed been eaten by someone else.

He didn't dwell on it; after finishing the bun, he began his practice in the second room.

As he unleashed several sets of the Bone-Strengthening Mountain-Opening Fist, his bones began to emit a series of crisp cracks, and waves of pain began to wash over him.

At the same time.

Outside the window, a dark shadow had silently appeared, unnoticed.