Chapter 26

"Sorry, I still have to patrol."

Luo Qingchen flatly rejected her invitation and turned to leave.

Regardless of her motives, he would never step inside that room.

Zhao Laosan had just left that very chamber before dying a gruesome death outside the main gate; who knew if the monster might suddenly reappear?

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

As for A-Yun's situation, what good would knowing do?

To know of another's suffering yet be powerless to help was worse than not knowing at all.

"Hmph, acting so high and mighty. You're just a mere guard; do you really think this lady has eyes for you?"

Having her invitation ignored, the girl felt insulted. She stomped her feet, cursed a few times, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Luo Qingchen pretended not to hear, continuing to lean against the wall at the corner, closing his eyes to rest.

That heart-gouging monster seems to have a particular fondness for the people in Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. First a guard, then a guest...

Could it be hiding right here in the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion?

Perhaps the blood on the animal trap that night wasn't human...

Or perhaps there is no monster at all, and all of this is the work of a human...

He pondered silently, feeling an increasing urge to leave this place as soon as possible.

The night passed without incident.

After dawn, he and Chen Ju ate breakfast and returned to the backyard together.

The two went to their respective rooms to rest.

Luo Qingchen entered the second room, and after seeing that nothing was amiss, he closed the doors and windows and began to cultivate.

Despite not sleeping all night, he felt no trace of drowsiness.

He had to seize every moment to cultivate; furthermore, the remaining medicinal energy in his body had to be refined as quickly as possible.

Soon, the sound of punching echoed through the room.

At some point, Chen Ju appeared silently outside the window, listening intently for a while before returning to his own room.

"The kid is diligent, but I wonder if he added fresh blood to that medicinal bath..."

"Without fresh blood, all the diligence in the world is useless..."

He scoffed, unable to resist practicing a few sets of fist techniques himself, only to find that, as before, they remained ineffective.

"Without fresh blood for the medicinal bath, there is simply no way to cultivate."

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

He stopped his movements, a look of vicious determination gradually appearing on his face.

"Calculating the time, that kid's master should be coming down to collect blood soon. Once the blood is taken, that will be his weakest moment..."

Luo Qingchen only cultivated for half the day.

In the afternoon, he carefully set up traps behind the doors and windows before lying down to rest.

He dared not sleep at night.

He slept until nightfall.

After going out for dinner, he returned to the second room to continue his cultivation.

It was not until dawn the next day that he finally collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

By now, half of the medicinal energy in his body had been refined, and his cultivation progress had increased from 70/1000 to 105/1000!

Perhaps because he used his own blood, the results remained excellent!

He slept until noon when a knock suddenly came from outside.

Zhang Jiu's voice called out, "Brother Luo, come out quickly. Senior Brother Tian from above has arrived and wants to see you."

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

What was meant to come had finally arrived.

He went over to retract his traps and opened the door.

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

"I'll go right away."

Luo Qingchen closed his door and prepared to leave.

Zhang Jiu suddenly sighed and said, "We have no fresh blood for our own cultivation, yet we have to keep providing it to them. It's truly pathetic when you think about it."

Luo Qingchen turned to look at him.

Zhang Jiu rolled up his sleeve and gave a bitter smile. "I just had my blood taken yesterday. They took so much I nearly fainted on the spot. Brother Luo, you'd best beg Senior Brother Tian to take a little less later, so you don't collapse."

Luo Qingchen nodded, "Thank you, Boss."

After saying this, he walked toward the front courtyard.

Once he had walked far away, the wooden doors of the two adjacent rooms opened.

Chen Ju stepped out first, looked at the retreating figure in the distance, and said, "Boss, how much longer do you think we can keep living like this?"

Zhang Jiu did not speak.

Wang Long and Wang Hu also emerged from their room. Wang Long sighed, "We just live one day at a time. If we can hold out until we break through to the Blood Changing Realm, everything will be worth it."

"Sigh, without fresh blood to cultivate, when will we ever reach the Blood Changing Realm?"

Wang Hu sighed along with him.

Zhang Jiu glanced at the group and said, "I'm going to the front to take a look, lest Brother Luo faints with no one to help him."

With that, he left.

The eyes of Chen Ju and the others flashed, and they immediately followed, speaking in unison, "Boss, we'll go take a look too."

Just then, Zhou Yan and Sun Tong, who had just come out of their room, exchanged a glance and followed as well.

In the front courtyard.

Tian Feng was dressed in a black robe, and his once gray hair had turned completely jet-black; his entire aura seemed to have grown even more formidable.

When he saw Luo Qingchen, he merely gave him an indifferent look and asked, "How have you been faring 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 and said, "Come here. I need to draw some blood for my cultivation."

"Yes."

Luo Qingchen walked over and voluntarily rolled up his sleeve.

Tian Feng's gaze fell upon the wound on his wrist, and he frowned. "Have you drawn blood these past few days?"

Luo Qingchen lowered his head. "This disciple only took a few drops to cultivate."

Tian Feng stared at him with a cold, sinister gaze.

Luo Qingchen immediately felt a chill rise up his back.

He kept his head bowed tightly, held his breath, and remained motionless.

After a few seconds, Tian Feng finally spoke in a cold voice, "You must remember that your blood is for my use first. You may cultivate, but you must not delay my blood collection. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

Luo Qingchen replied respectfully, "This disciple understands."

Tian Feng said nothing more. He stared at him for a few moments before extending the dagger in his hand, slicing open his wrist, and beginning to draw blood.

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

The blood soon filled the entire large bowl.

"Rest well. I will return in half a month."

Footsteps quickly retreated past the main gate.

When Luo Qingchen raised his head, the man's figure had already vanished outside the gate.

"Brother Luo, are you alright?"

At this moment, Zhang Jiu's voice sounded from behind him.

Then, Chen Ju's voice followed, "Brother Luo, hurry and bandage that wound."

Chen Ju took out some gauze and walked quickly to Luo Qingchen's side, bandaging the wound with a face full of concern, yet deep within his eyes as he looked at the blood on the wound, he could not hide his deep greed and covetousness.

Wang Long, Wang Hu, and the others also suddenly approached with great enthusiasm to offer their concern.

"Thank you all, I am fine."

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

After thanking them, he used his physical discomfort as an excuse and stumbled away.

The group watched his staggering back, sniffing the lingering scent of blood in the air, their eyes filled with various expressions.

"Add blood!"

Back in his room, Luo Qingchen did not hesitate and 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 would likely have gone into shock by now.

Clearly, the man had no intention of making this a sustainable arrangement.

After all, he likely had more than one Blood Medicine; if one died, it didn't matter, as he could simply use the remaining flesh and blood.

You want me to die? I refuse to die!

Not only will I not die, but I will live well, and I will live longer than you!

He clutched his mangled, bloody wound and swore to himself.

At this moment, he looked out the window again.

He had to keep the blood in his first blood bar at 100% at all times to ensure his body possessed its peak combat strength; otherwise, in this sinister environment surrounded by wolves, he could lose his life at any moment.

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

Therefore, tonight would likely be a restless one.