Chapter 25

"Hmm?"

When Luo Qingchen patrolled to the window on the second floor, he suddenly caught the scent of blood drifting in the air outside.

At the same time, the blood-sucking skill of the second health bar within his body began to stir restlessly.

"Someone died?"

His heart tightened, and he cast his gaze toward the darkness outside.

However, it was pitch black out there; he could only vaguely make out the silhouettes of some trees and houses, seeing nothing else.

Without hesitation, he went downstairs immediately.

Chen Ju was at the corner of the first-floor corridor, flirting with a woman named Huang Li. He said something that made the woman giggle incessantly.

Seeing him come down, Chen Ju called out, "Brother Luo, is something the matter?"

Luo Qingchen replied, "Everything is fine upstairs. I'm going outside to take a look."

Chen Ju chuckled upon hearing this. "Brother Luo is truly diligent. Why don't you patrol the courtyard first? I'll take the second half of the night."

Luo Qingchen agreed and walked out the door, neither hurried nor slow.

He did not linger in the courtyard; after glancing left and right, he stepped directly out of the main gate.

Perhaps due to the blood-sucking skill in his body, his sense of smell for blood was extremely keen. The moment he stepped outside, he caught an even more intense stench of blood.

At the same time, the blood-sucking skill within him grew increasingly restless.

He locked his target precisely on a large tree a hundred meters ahead. After cautiously scanning his surroundings and seeing nothing unusual, he walked over with quick strides.

Soon, he saw a corpse beneath the large tree.

The corpse's head was gone, and a bloody hole had been torn into its chest, the heart within also missing.

The ground was covered in blood.

Judging by the clothing, shoes, and build, it was Zhao Laosan, who had left the building only a short while ago!

Luo Qingchen's pupils constricted. He followed the trail of blood on the ground toward the dark woods on the left side of the road, holding his breath.

The dark woods were deathly silent; nothing could be seen.

Without hesitation, he immediately approached the corpse, extended his palm, and activated the blood-sucking skill.

If he wanted to survive here, he naturally wouldn't waste any blood.

That was why he had risked coming out alone.

In an instant, the blood in his second health bar rose from 30% to 50%!

Just then, the corpse began to change.

He immediately withdrew his palm and stopped.

The corpse had already lost too much blood from its severed neck and chest; there wasn't much left inside.

If he drained it dry, he feared it would arouse suspicion.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed a faint sound of footsteps behind him.

"Someone is dead!"

He immediately shouted, feigning panic as he stumbled back a few steps, then turned and ran toward the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

After running only a few steps, he collided with someone.

Chen Ju emerged from the darkness, his expression shifting. "What? Someone died again?"

As he spoke, he hurried forward. One glance at the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood on the ground made him exclaim in shock, "It's that Heart-Plucking Monster again! This time, it even ate the head!"

Luo Qingchen said, "I'll go call for help!"

Just as he was about to leave, Chen Ju suddenly grabbed him. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at him and whispered, "Junior Brother Luo, don't you want to obtain some blood for your cultivation?"

Luo Qingchen paused, acting as if he didn't understand.

Chen Ju gestured toward the corpse on the ground, his tone seductive. "Ready-made blood—it's a waste not to use it. For now, only the two of us have discovered the body. If we each take a little blood to bring back for medicinal baths, no one will ever know."

Luo Qingchen pretended to consider it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Chen Ju smiled with satisfaction and patted his shoulder. "Good brother!"

With that, he immediately pulled a porcelain bottle from his robes, preparing to step forward and collect the blood.

Luo Qingchen followed him over.

Who would have thought that at this very moment, a clamor of footsteps would suddenly come from the street nearby.

The group marched in an orderly line, carrying lanterns and moving with great speed.

Chen Ju cursed under his breath and hurriedly tucked the porcelain bottle away.

As the group of people rushed up to them, Chen Ju immediately stepped forward to meet them, his face full of feigned terror. "Captain Zhou, someone has been killed here again! I was just on my way to notify you!"

The leader of the group was tall, dressed in black robes, and appeared to be in his thirties. His gaze was quite sharp. Upon hearing this, he immediately walked to the corpse and narrowed his eyes to observe it.

This man was named Zhou Qingyang, a squad leader in the Medicine Man Town Guard and an official disciple of the Demon Controlling Sect.

"When was this discovered?"

After observing for a moment, Zhou Qingyang turned his head to look at the two men, his expression stern.

Chen Ju hurriedly replied, "We just found it. When we were out on patrol, we smelled blood. We came over to check and saw this corpse."

Zhou Qingyang stared at the two of them for a few more moments, then crouched before the body and placed two fingers on its chest.

There was still warmth there; it had indeed died only a short while ago.

However...

He suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp as he stared at them. "The blood inside this corpse has been almost entirely drained. Did you two touch him just now?"

An incredibly powerful aura instantly pressed down upon the two men.

Chen Ju's face changed, and he hurriedly cried out in grievance, "We only just arrived! Even if we were given a hundred times the courage, we wouldn't dare to drain the blood from this corpse without authorization. Besides, we don't even know what kind of monster killed him—who knows if his blood is poisonous? I beg Captain Zhou to investigate clearly."

Zhou Qingyang stared at them sharply for a while longer before ordering, "Search them."

"Yes!"

The two team members behind him immediately stepped forward and began to search Chen Ju and Luo Qingchen.

Any vessel used to store blood would be easy to detect.

Luo Qingchen had nothing on him, but two porcelain bottles were found on Chen Ju.

Zhou Qingyang took the bottles, opened the stoppers to inspect them, and found them completely empty. He then returned them.

Chen Ju forced a smile. "Captain Zhou, would you like us to take off our clothes as well?"

Zhou Qingyang ignored him. He pulled a red jade stone from his robes, rubbed it against Chen Ju's chest a few times, and then placed it against his forehead.

Chen Ju's expression turned grave. "Does Captain Zhou suspect this person was killed by a Demonic Beast?"

This Demon Detecting Stone was only used when checking for Demonic Beasts.

Zhou Qingyang placed the red jade stone against Luo Qingchen's chest and forehead, pausing for several breaths before explaining in a flat tone, "The Heart-Plucking Monster is elusive and has killed many people lately. It is either a demon or a Demonic Beast. Everyone in town must be checked these past few days."

Chen Ju looked fearful. "If it really is a Demonic Beast, that would be terrifying."

Zhou Qingyang put away the red jade stone and warned them, "Do not speak of tonight's events to anyone, lest you cause a panic."

Having said that, he waved his hand. "You may return. I will come find you if I need anything."

The two men agreed respectfully and walked toward the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Once they entered the building, Chen Ju cursed in a low voice, "Using his master's power to bully others! He's only just entered the Blood Changing Realm, yet he's so arrogant!"

Luo Qingchen did not respond and walked straight upstairs.

Chen Ju watched his back, his expression gradually turning gloomy.

He hadn't had a medicinal bath in a long time, and his cultivation had stagnated. He was in urgent need of blood now.

It was a pity; he had been just one step away.

"What a fool. He didn't take the blood that was right there. If it weren't for that brat shouting just now, the Town Guard wouldn't have arrived so quickly..."

He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, then withdrew his gaze to continue patrolling the rooms on the first floor.

Luo Qingchen arrived at the corner of the second-floor corridor and looked at the first room ahead, a complex emotion appearing on his face.

From inside the room came the muffled sobbing of a girl.

Her father had treated him so poorly; he wondered how she would feel when she learned of the man's death tomorrow.

Would she feel relief, or would she feel sorrow?

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

Luo Qingchen closed his eyes and looked at the blood in the second blood-bar within his body, thinking to himself: In a few more days, Tian Feng will come down to collect blood. I hope he doesn't discover anything unusual.

There was still a lot of medicinal energy within his body, and he had to refine it as quickly as possible over the next two days.

Once Tian Feng left, he would look for another opportunity for a medicinal bath.

Only by breaking through to the Blood Changing Realm as soon as possible could he leave this gloomy and dangerous place.

"Creak..."

Just as he was closing his eyes and thinking, the door to the room at the very end of the corridor opened.

The woman named Qingmei poked her head out, beckoned to him, and whispered, "Guard Luo, come here for a moment."

Luo Qingchen's expression flickered. He walked over and stopped at the doorway. "Is something the matter, Miss Qingmei?"

Seeing that he seemed somewhat nervous, Qingmei covered her mouth and chuckled. "It's nothing. I don't have to entertain guests tonight, and I can't sleep for the moment, so I wanted to invite Guard Luo inside to chat."

She was draped in thin gauze, her fragrant shoulders exposed, and her fair chest was vaguely visible.

At the same time, her long, bright red fingernails slowly slid from her chin down to her neck, then continued sliding further down, her eyes filled with a charming and seductive smile.

"About the matter regarding A-Yun..."

She blinked and whispered.