Chapter 27

The doors and windows were tightly shut.

In the dim room, Luo Qingchen continued cultivating until night fell outside.

Within him, his cultivation progress continued to rise rapidly.

[Bone Fortification: 105/1000] had already become [Bone Fortification: 115/1000].

His bones had grown stronger through the painful tempering, and the power held in his muscles seemed to have increased considerably as well.

"Whoosh!"

He clenched his fist and punched.

As the wind howled around it, the force behind the blow was clearly much greater than before!

"My cultivation progress is increasing, and so is my strength..."

"Even among cultivators of the Bone Strengthening Realm, speed and strength vary. Naturally, their abilities differ too."

"I wonder who's stronger, Chen Ju or Wang Long?"

"I've only just entered the Bone Strengthening Realm, so I was weaker than them to begin with. But I have medicinal blood baths, which let me improve faster, while their progress is slow—or they've even stopped improving altogether. So I should surpass them soon..."

He lowered his fist and looked out the window.

The light, dim before, had now faded into darkness.

After nightfall, the entire town was shrouded in a dark, sinister, and terrifying atmosphere.

The Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, where several murders had taken place in a row, was even worse.

Here, people were scarier than ghosts.

After a short rest, he didn't go out. Instead, he crawled straight beneath the bed.

Outside, several pairs of eyes were hidden in the darkness, motionlessly watching the door and windows of the second room.

"Brother, should we make our move?"

"Not yet. Wait a little longer. We're not the only ones watching him. Let someone else go first. From what's happened these past few days, that kid's no simple character. We don't want to get burned."

Wang Long and Wang Hu's voices sounded low in the darkness.

Another half an hour passed.

Wang Hu finally couldn't hold back. "That kid's had so much blood taken from him, he's probably already passed out. We need to hurry. If someone else gets there first and we show up afterward, then if the kid's dead, they might pin it on us."

Wang Long said nothing, his gaze still fixed on the door and windows.

Nearly another half an hour passed.

Wang Long glanced carefully around, then finally made up his mind. "Let's go. We'll take his blood!"

The two crept along the wall and soon reached the window of the second room.

"There's no sound inside. That kid's probably been asleep for ages. Who could handle losing that much blood?"

Wang Hu was already itching to get started.

Wang Long listened outside the window for a while longer, then took out a thin blade and slipped it through the gap, nudging open the latch.

"Creak..."

The window quietly swung open.

They peered into the dark room for a moment. Then Wang Long whispered, "I'll go in first. Follow me and keep watch here by the window."

Wang Hu nodded and whispered, "Brother, take plenty. That kid's a cultivator; he won't die so easily. And remember to feel around his clothes and see if he has any silver."

Wang Long didn't reply. He glanced into the room once more, then, without further hesitation, climbed through the window.

But the moment he landed, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the soles of his feet!

"Ah!"

A cry escaped him, and he immediately sprang back up!

But as soon as he landed, even more sharp pains stabbed into the soles of both feet!

Hearing him, Wang Hu thought he was under attack. He hurriedly grabbed his dagger and leapt in through the window. The instant he landed, several stabbing pains shot through the soles of his feet too!

The brothers sprang up in pain, then came down again—but each time they landed, even more agonizing pain stabbed into their feet!

Then they couldn't help but jump again, and land...

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Stop jumping! Just stop!"

Wang Long finally realized what was happening. Enduring the pain, he forced himself to stand still, hurriedly took out a fire striker, and lit it. Then he looked down at the floor.

As the flame illuminated the pitch-black floor, the brothers were both shocked and furious!

The entire floor was covered in densely packed iron nails. Every sharp point faced upward, glinting with a sinister chill in the firelight and making their scalps crawl.

There were even nails in the corners and on the table!

The whole room was practically a hell of iron spikes!

No wonder they'd been impaled every time they jumped and landed.

"What a vicious little bastard!"

The two cursed under their breath and looked down at their feet, only to see iron nails embedded all over both soles!

Blood had already soaked through their shoes!

"There's no one on the bed. Go! Hurry!"

Wang Long made an immediate decision. Enduring the piercing pain, he crouched and used both hands to push aside the densely packed nails. Then he dropped to his knees and, with his butt raised and feet lifted, crawled awkwardly toward the door, clearing the horrifying mass of nails ahead with his hands.

"Clink, clink, clink..."

The nails he pushed aside rang out with a crisp sound, strangely clear in the still night.

Watching his brother's posture, Wang Hu felt utterly humiliated. He'd wanted to grit his teeth and keep walking on his feet, but after just one step, pain seized his whole body. He grimaced and nearly passed out.

"Hss..."

He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. He no longer cared about his dignity or appearance. Following his brother's humiliating example, he dropped to his knees, lifted his butt and feet, clenched his teeth, and crawled toward the door one agonizing step at a time, his lips trembling.

"Ah—!"

Just as Wang Long reached the doorway, he suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream!

Dizzy from the pain, he'd been using his hands to clear away the densely packed nails ahead when, without realizing it, he suddenly touched a Beast Trap. With a sharp snap, its open steel jaws clamped down on his right hand. The blade-sharp teeth pierced right through his palm from above and below, locking together around it!

Wang Long's scream made Wang Hu flinch behind him. He was so terrified that he wet himself.

"Brother! What happened?"

He asked in a trembling voice.

Wang Hu's voice broke with tears. "Ah..."

The brothers lay on the floor with their butts sticking up, trembling from pain and fear.

Wang Long quickly came to his senses. Gritting his teeth and enduring the agony, he tried to pry open the Beast Trap clamped around his hand.

He knew that if they didn't get out of there, they'd be in even greater danger!

Both brothers had fallen into the trap and were badly injured. If they didn't leave quickly, then in a little while...

"What's that smell?"

Just then, they caught a faint, unusual fragrance.

Wang Hu looked up in confusion and suddenly saw a thin tube poking through a gap in the window. Green smoke was pouring from its opening.

The smoke had already spread through the entire room.

The two had been so shocked, frightened, pained, and flustered by the nails covering the floor that they hadn't noticed.

"Someone's pumping poison gas in here!" Wang Hu cried.

"Hold your breath! Hurry, hold your breath!" Wang Long shouted frantically.

But it was too late.

The nails had pierced their feet, leaving them unable to walk. Even without the poison gas, they were already powerless to fight back.

As their vision darkened and they grew drowsy, overcome by pain and fear, the door suddenly creaked open.

A shadow walked in from outside.

In one hand, he held a dagger that gleamed with a sinister chill. In the other, he carried a large bowl for collecting blood.

At the moment he passed out, Wang Long suddenly found it deeply ironic.

Tonight, the brothers had planned to treat Luo Qingchen as their prey and take his blood. But now, they'd become someone else's prey.

"Beasts!"

The brothers passed out.

Blood from their feet spread across the floor. The thick stench of it made the greed in the shadow's eyes burn brighter.

He immediately cut their wrists with the dagger and began collecting their blood.

He took just one bowl, then left at once.

Not long after he had gone, another figure appeared, carrying a dagger and a large bowl.

Then two more figures appeared...