Chapter 31

At noon.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, pattering steadily until it soon drenched the gloomy little town.

The little town, already lifeless, grew even more silent and still.

There were no pedestrians in the streets, no smoke rising from the houses.

Even the Green Pavilion seemed deserted.

After returning to the second room in the back courtyard, Luo Qingchen lay down on the bed and never went out again.

Yet the eyes lurking in the shadows outside his door kept watch without pause.

Whether in an ancient jungle or on an endless grassland, any animal that was wounded would draw the watchful, covetous eyes of hunters.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

Luo Qingchen lay on the bed with his eyes closed, motionless. He seemed to be asleep, or perhaps he had fallen unconscious.

The knocking continued.

Then Chen Ju's concerned voice came from outside. "Brother Luo, are you all right? I've boiled some medicinal soup. I brought it over to help you recover."

There was still no response from inside.

Chen Ju knocked a few more times, then could only sigh and turn to leave.

A moment later.

Wang Long limped over to peer through the window, but cloth covered it, so he couldn't see a thing.

Soon, dusk came.

The door and windows of the second room remained firmly shut, and there seemed to be no movement inside.

"That kid's probably unconscious by now. It's only been a few days, and they took another big bowl of blood from him. Even if he hasn't passed out, he's definitely too weak to move."

"Let's wait a little longer."

"Brother, what exactly are you afraid of? Even if the others see us, they won't say anything. They'll just follow behind us and take some blood themselves. Whoever gets there first can take more."

"Have you forgotten how the two of us got hurt, and how those bastards took our blood?"

"We were careless that night, sure. But this time, that kid's already weak and drained. He's a lamb waiting for the knife. I refuse to believe anyone could have blood taken from them twice in such a short time and still have the strength to fight back."

"Let's wait a little longer. At the very least, we should find a way to see his condition with our own eyes."

While the brothers were talking inside, Zhang Jiu's stern shout suddenly came from outside. "Zhou Yan! Sun Tong! Why aren't you patrolling the front? What are you doing by Brother Luo's window?"

Wang Long and Wang Hu exchanged a glance, then immediately went over and opened the door.

At the same time, Chen Ju's door opened too.

Zhou Yan spoke up. "Chief, our shift hasn't started yet. We heard Brother Luo had a lot of blood taken from him again today and nearly passed out, so we came to check on him."

Sun Tong added, "That's right. We're all brothers, after all. We even brought him some supplements."

Zhang Jiu walked over with a dark expression, looked the two of them up and down, then scolded them coldly. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. How can you still be plotting against your own people at a time like this? We haven't caught the Heart-Plucking Monster yet, and everyone in the building is on edge. We're already short-handed. We ought to stand together and face our enemy side by side. How can you scheme against each other and try to hurt your own brothers?"

The two hurried to defend themselves against his reprimand.

Zhang Jiu waved a hand. "That's enough. Save your excuses and go patrol the front! If there's a next time, I won't go easy on you!"

The two said no more. They lowered their heads and hurried away.

"Hmph. Plotting against their own brothers—they're not afraid the heavens will punish them!"

Zhang Jiu watched them go and snorted. Then he went to Luo Qingchen's door and raised a hand to knock.

"Brother Luo, are you all right?"

The room was as quiet as before. No one answered.

"Could something have happened to Brother Luo?"

Zhang Jiu furrowed his brow.

Just then, Chen Ju came out of the room next door and said, "Brother Luo hasn't gone out all day. When he came back this morning, he was pale and staggering. I'm afraid he's already passed out. Chief, we need to get in and check on him."

"We should. For all we know, he's already dead in there."

At some point, Wang Long and Wang Hu had come out of their room too. Wang Hu urged him on.

Zhang Jiu glanced at him, then raised his hand to knock again. "Brother Luo! If you're all right, say something so your brothers know you're safe."

There was still no response from inside.

A trace of worry appeared on Zhang Jiu's face. He hesitated, then prepared to break down the door.

The others watched him closely.

On the stone bridge not far away, Zhou Yan and Sun Tong had returned at some point. Both were watching.

"Creak..."

But just then, the door suddenly opened.

Luo Qingchen appeared in the doorway, bleary-eyed. His face was still pale and bloodless, his expression especially haggard, and his aura was unmistakably weak.

He leaned on the doorframe with one hand, his legs limp beneath him as if he could barely stand.

"Brother Luo, are you all right?"

Zhang Jiu took one look at his face and hurriedly asked with concern.

Luo Qingchen replied in a weak voice, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Chief."

Zhang Jiu quickly grabbed his wrist to support him. "Good, as long as you're all right. You look terrible. Hurry back inside and rest."

As he spoke, he helped him back into the room and laid him down on the bed.

"Brother Luo, just rest easy. It's fine if you need a few days to recover. I'll take your patrol shift tomorrow night."

Zhang Jiu glanced at his face again and sighed. Then he left the room and closed the door for him.

Outside, Chen Ju said, "Brother Luo doesn't look well. Should we find a doctor to examine him?"

Zhang Jiu shook his head with a sigh. "What good would a doctor do when he's lost so much blood? Let him lie down and rest. Make sure he gets some proper meals over the next few days."

Chen Ju nodded, then glanced toward the window and sighed as well.

Wang Long and Wang Hu stood nearby, their expressions unreadable.

Zhang Jiu swept his gaze across them all and spoke sternly. "No one is to bother Brother Luo for the next few days. Let him rest properly. And if anyone forgets their honor and breaks the rules, don't blame me, Zhang Jiu, for showing no mercy!"

With that, he strode away.

Chen Ju turned to Wang Long and Wang Hu, smiling broadly. "Your injuries look much better, Brother Wang."

The two glared at him resentfully without replying, then turned and went back to their room.

They knew exactly who had taken part in drawing blood that night.

Chen Ju stood outside the window for a while longer, then returned to his own room as well.

Night fell soon after.

The light rain still drifted down, and the silent little town was quickly swallowed by darkness and rain.

Apart from the patter of raindrops, not another sound could be heard.

A black-furred cat walked soundlessly along the courtyard wall. Its eyes glimmered blue, two cold and eerie lights flickering in their depths.

"Brother, can we be sure now?"

"We can. Neither his complexion nor his aura can be faked. Tonight, we get our revenge!"

"Should we just kill him?"

"Hmph. The kid looks so weak, we don't even need to lift a finger. We just need to take a couple more bowls of fresh blood. Others are watching too. That kid won't survive the night!"

In the dark room, the two brothers spoke in low voices.

In another room, a dim oil lamp burned on the table while Chen Ju sharpened a slender, razor-sharp knife beneath its glow.

"His pulse is erratic, his breath weak, his body limp. He can't even clench a fist. Let's see where you'll run tonight!"

In the darkness outside, a shadowy figure stared coldly at the window and chuckled under his breath. His face, half-hidden in shadow, was twisted into a vicious grin.

At that moment, inside Luo Qingchen's room—

"Restore blood!"

At his mental command, all the remaining 15% of the blood in his second reserve Blood Bar instantly flowed into the first one!

Although the first Blood Bar still wasn't completely full, he immediately felt his body recovering at speed.

His spirit returned, and so did his strength!

He had deliberately waited until now to restore his blood so the people outside would be convinced that he was weak and drained, with no strength left to fight back.

And now was the perfect time to hunt!