Chapter 26

"Sorry, I still have to patrol."

Luo Qingchen flatly refused her invitation and turned to leave.

Whatever her purpose was, he would never go inside.

Zhao Laosan had come out of this very room before, and had just met a gruesome death outside the main gate. Who knew if the monster might suddenly appear again?

Besides, as a guard, his duty was to patrol, not sneak into a young woman's room to chat.

And what if he learned about A-Yun's situation? What would that change?

Knowing about someone else's suffering when he was powerless to help was worse than not knowing at all.

"Hmph, what are you so high and mighty about? You're just a mere guard. You really think I'd be interested in you?"

Having been ignored after taking the initiative to invite him, Qingmei immediately felt insulted. She stamped her foot and cursed a few times, then slammed the door shut with a bang.

Luo Qingchen pretended not to hear and continued leaning against the wall at the corner, resting with his eyes closed.

"That Heart-Plucking Monster seems to have a particular fondness for the people at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. First a guard, then a customer..."

"Could it be hiding somewhere inside the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion?"

"Maybe the blood on the Beast Trap that night wasn't human..."

"Or perhaps there isn't any monster at all. Maybe all of this was done by a human..."

He pondered in secret, growing more and more eager to get out of there.

The night passed without incident.

After daybreak, he had breakfast with Chen Ju, then they returned to the rear courtyard together.

They each went back to their rooms to rest.

Luo Qingchen entered the second room. After seeing that nothing inside was amiss, he shut the doors and windows and began to practice.

He hadn't slept all night, but he didn't feel the slightest bit drowsy.

He had to seize every moment to practice. Besides, he also needed to refine the remaining medicinal energy in his body as soon as possible.

Before long, the sound of fist practice rang out in the room.

At some point, Chen Ju silently appeared outside the window. He pricked up his ears and listened for a while before returning to his own room.

"That kid's quite diligent. I wonder if he added any fresh blood to the medicinal bath that night..."

"Without fresh blood, all that diligence is useless..."

After sneering to himself, he couldn't help practicing a few sets of punches as well. But, just like before, he found that they still had no effect.

"Without fresh blood, there's no medicinal bath. There's simply no way to practice."

"Trying to break through to the Blood Changing Realm through sheer hard work is probably harder than ascending to heaven..."

He lowered his fists, and a ruthless resolve gradually appeared on his face.

"By my reckoning, that kid's master should be coming down to draw blood soon. Afterward, he'll be at his weakest..."

Luo Qingchen practiced for only half a day.

That afternoon, he carefully set up a few things behind the doors and windows, then got into bed to rest.

He didn't dare sleep at night.

He slept until evening.

After going out to eat dinner, he returned to the second room and continued practicing.

He kept at it until dawn the next day, when he finally collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

By then, he had refined half of the medicinal energy in his body, and his practice progress had risen from 70/1000 to 105/1000!

Perhaps because he was using his own blood, the results were still excellent!

He was asleep until midday when a knock suddenly came from outside.

Zhang Jiu's voice sounded. "Brother Luo, come out quickly. Senior Brother Tian just came down from above and wants to see you."

Luo Qingchen opened his eyes and immediately got out of bed.

What was coming had finally arrived.

He went over, put away his mechanism, and opened the door.

Zhang Jiu looked him over and smiled. "Were you sleeping, Brother Luo? Senior Brother Tian just came down from above. He said he wanted to see you and is waiting for you in the front courtyard."

"I'll go right away."

Luo Qingchen closed the door, ready to leave.

Zhang Jiu suddenly sighed. "We practice without fresh blood, yet we still have to keep providing it for them. When you think about it, it's truly pathetic."

Luo Qingchen turned to look at him.

Zhang Jiu rolled up his sleeve and gave a bitter smile. "They drew my blood just yesterday, too. They took so much I nearly fainted on the spot. Brother Luo, you'd better plead with Senior Brother Tian first and ask him to take less, so you don't overtax your body."

Luo Qingchen nodded. "Thank you, Chief."

With that, he headed toward the front courtyard.

Once he had gone some distance, the wooden doors of two rooms nearby opened.

Chen Ju came out first and watched the retreating figure. "Chief, how much longer do you think we can keep living like this?"

Zhang Jiu didn't answer.

Wang Long and Wang Hu came out of their room as well. Wang Long sighed. "We'll live one day at a time. If we can hold on until we break through to the Blood Changing Realm, it'll all be worth it."

"Ah, without fresh blood to practice with, when will we ever break through to the Blood Changing Realm?"

Wang Hu sighed along with him.

Zhang Jiu looked at them. "I'll go up front and take a look, in case Brother Luo faints and there's no one to help him."

With that, he left.

Chen Ju and the other two exchanged glances, then immediately followed, speaking in unison. "Chief, we'll go take a look too."

Just then, Zhou Yan and Sun Tong came out of their rooms. They exchanged a glance and hurried after them as well.

The front courtyard.

Tian Feng wore a black robe. His once gray-white hair had turned completely black, and his entire presence seemed to have grown even more powerful.

When he saw Luo Qingchen, he gave him a cool once-over and asked, "How have you been here?"

Luo Qingchen replied respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Master. Everything is well."

Tian Feng said no more. He took out a dagger and a large bowl. "Come over. Your master needs to draw some blood to practice."

"Yes."

Luo Qingchen walked up and rolled up his sleeve of his own accord.

Tian Feng's gaze fell on the wound on his wrist. He frowned. "Have you had your blood drawn these past few days?"

Luo Qingchen lowered his head. "This disciple only drew a few drops for practice."

Tian Feng stared at him with a frigid gaze.

Luo Qingchen immediately felt a chill rise from his back.

He kept his head bowed, held his breath, and stood utterly still.

After a few seconds, Tian Feng finally spoke coldly. "Remember, your blood must be provided for my use first. You may practice, but you mustn't interfere with my blood draws. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be."

Luo Qingchen replied respectfully, "This disciple understands."

Tian Feng said nothing more. He watched him for a few moments, then held out the dagger and cut open his wrist, beginning to draw blood.

As the blood flowed out rapidly, Luo Qingchen's head began to spin, and his face grew pale.

Soon, an entire large bowl was filled to the brim with blood.

"Rest well. I'll come again in half a month."

His footsteps quickly passed through the gate.

When Luo Qingchen raised his head, Tian Feng had already disappeared beyond the gate.

"Brother Luo, are you all right?"

Zhang Jiu's voice sounded from behind him.

Then Chen Ju called out too. "Brother Luo, quick, let me bandage your wound."

Chen Ju took out some gauze and hurried over to Luo Qingchen, his face full of concern as he bandaged the wound. But deep in his eyes, as he looked at the blood on it, there was unmistakable greed and hunger.

Wang Long, Wang Hu, and the others also came over, suddenly showing him a great deal of concern.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm fine."

Luo Qingchen suddenly felt an even deeper chill rise from his back, making his skin crawl.

After thanking them, he staggered away, claiming he felt unwell.

They watched his unsteady retreating figure and breathed in the lingering scent of blood in the air, their eyes revealing a variety of expressions.

"Restore blood!"

Back in his room, Luo Qingchen didn't hesitate. He immediately refilled the blood in his first Blood Bar.

The reserve blood in his second Blood Bar instantly dropped from 50% to 15%.

Tian Feng had just taken a full 35% of his blood. An ordinary person might already have gone into shock.

Clearly, the man had no intention of drawing blood a little at a time.

After all, he might have more than one Blood Medicine. Even if Luo Qingchen died, it wouldn't matter; Tian Feng could simply make use of the flesh and blood he left behind.

"If you want me dead, I'll be damned if I die!"

"Not only will I survive, I'll live well—and I'll live longer than you!"

Clutching his bloodied wound, he silently swore to himself.

Then his gaze turned toward the window.

He had to keep the blood in his first Blood Bar at 100% at all times. Only then could his body maintain its greatest fighting strength. Otherwise, in this perilous place, surrounded by wolves on every side, he could lose his life at any moment.

Now, in the eyes of the others, he had lost too much blood and was at his weakest.

So tonight would probably be anything but peaceful.