Chapter 36

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The next morning.

When Luo Qingchen was in the midst of a dream, he was suddenly jolted awake by a series of urgent knocks on his door.

"Who is it?"

He asked in a weak voice while rising from his bed.

Yet, the moment his feet touched the floor, his legs suddenly went soft, and he nearly lost his footing.

"Open up! It's the Town Guard Bureau!"

A cold, harsh voice came from outside the door.

Luo Qingchen walked to the entrance, leaning one hand against the wall for support while pulling the latch with the other to open the door.

Standing outside were Zhou Qingyang of the Town Guard Bureau and several others.

Zhang Jiu and two other guards from the building were also present.

Even Sun Ping, the manager of the building, had come.

The expressions on everyone's faces were grave.

"What were you doing in your room?"

Zhou Qingyang stared at him with sharp, piercing eyes as he asked.

Luo Qingchen, his eyes bleary with sleep and his expression haggard, replied, "Sleeping, naturally."

At this moment, his face was pale and his breathing shallow; even standing felt like a struggle, and he looked nothing like a robust cultivator.

Zhou Qingyang scrutinized him for a few moments before asking, "What were you doing last night?"

Luo Qingchen said, "Sleeping."

"Did you hear any noises?"

"No."

Luo Qingchen stood for a moment before feeling his breath grow unsteady and his respiration quicken.

The gazes of everyone outside were fixed tightly upon him.

Zhang Jiu suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "Brother Luo, Chen Ju, Wang Long, and Wang Hu were all killed last night, right in the room next to yours. Are you certain you didn't hear a single sound?"

Luo Qingchen's face displayed a timely look of shock. He froze for a few seconds before saying, "The three of them... were all killed?"

Zhang Jiu nodded heavily. "All three were killed. Not only that, but the blood in their bodies was drained dry—not a single drop left."

His voice trembled; he was clearly terrified.

Luo Qingchen maintained his look of shock and said nothing more, appearing as if he had been frightened out of his wits.

From the moment he began speaking with Zhang Jiu, Zhou Qingyang, who stood at the front, had been watching his facial expressions. Now, he spoke in a cold voice: "Are you certain you were sleeping here all night? You didn't hear any sounds, nor did you step outside?"

Luo Qingchen nodded slightly and said, "In my current condition, even if I wanted to go out, I'm afraid I lack the strength."

At this, Sun Ping, who was standing behind, spoke up: "Guard Luo had his blood drawn just yesterday; we all saw it, a large bowl full. And he had blood drawn only a few days before that, too. This shouldn't have anything to do with him."

Zhou Qingyang did not speak immediately. He stared at the youth's pale face for a while longer before reaching out and saying, "Show me your right hand. I need to check your current blood and qi."

Luo Qingchen frowned slightly but remained silent, extending his right hand.

Zhou Qingyang reached out with his left hand, gripped the wound on his wrist, and slowly closed his eyes.

Luo Qingchen clearly felt a surge of energy flow from his wrist into his body, as if it were probing for something.

His heart began to race.

A moment later, Zhou Qingyang opened his eyes and released his grip. His brows were locked in a deep frown as he said, "Qi and blood are weak, strength is exhausted; it is indeed the state of someone who has lost too much blood. In this physical state, it is impossible for him to be last night's killer."

A long-faced man in black robes standing behind him whispered, "Captain, all three were in the Bone Strengthening Realm. To kill them thoroughly, one would either need to be a realm higher, or... not human."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Qingyang's eyes as he said, "Judging by the wounds on the three, the one who killed them should be human. Chen Ju died from a punch that shattered his throat and heart, while the Wang brothers were killed by daggers piercing their throats and hearts. The reason the opponent could kill them is that they were already injured, immobile, and slow to react."

"If it were that monster, the killing would not be so complicated."

He paused, then added in a grave tone, "But this does not mean that the monster did not appear last night. The blood in the three bodies was drained completely, not a drop left. No cultivator could achieve that."

Zhang Jiu said with a trembling voice, "Does Captain Zhou mean that someone killed Chen Ju and the others last night, and then that monster appeared to drain the blood from their bodies?"

Zhou Qingyang said, "That is indeed a possibility."

At this moment, the long-faced man in black robes suddenly said, "Captain, if that is the case, could it be that the Heart-Plucking Monster is being kept by the killer?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.

A look of contemplation appeared between Zhou Qingyang's tightly furrowed brows. After a moment of silence, he looked at the youth before him and said, "Guard Luo, you wouldn't mind if we searched your room, would you?"

Before Luo Qingchen could answer, he added, "In your current state, it is indeed impossible for you to be the killer. You have had your blood drawn twice, and there were witnesses both times. I just want to be certain that there is no hidden blood in your room. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Luo Qingchen nodded silently, turned his body, and stepped aside.

Zhou Qingyang walked into the room, first observing his surroundings, then taking a red jade stone from his robes and beginning to wave it gently in various places.

"If there is any hidden blood, even if it is inside a sealed bottle, this Blood-Detecting Stone can detect it."

He explained while conducting his search.

When every corner of the room had been checked, the expression on his face eased significantly. However, he still walked up to Luo Qingchen and scanned his entire body from head to toe.

Throughout the entire process, the Blood-Detecting Stone in his hand remained completely still.

"Guard Luo, sorry to bother you. Get some rest. If there is anything else, I will come to visit again."

Zhou Qingyang put away the Blood-Detecting Stone and prepared to leave.

He then looked at Zhang Jiu outside and said, "Head Zhang, I need to check your room now. I heard you have living quarters here as well as outside; I need to inspect them all."

Zhang Jiu gave a bitter smile and said, "Captain Zhou suspects me? I don't have the ability to kill three people at once, and I certainly wouldn't kill my own brothers."

Zhou Qingyang said expressionlessly, "It is my duty. I hope you will forgive me, Head Zhang."

Zhang Jiu let out a bitter laugh, said nothing more, and walked ahead to lead the way.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that his leg seemed to be injured. His attempt to walk with a composed gait looked somewhat unnatural upon closer inspection.

But no one asked.

Just as Sun Ping was about to leave with the others, Luo Qingchen hurriedly said, "Sister Sun, could you move me to a different place to stay? Could I live in the front courtyard or inside the main building?"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Sun Ping stop, but everyone else turned around to look at him.

Luo Qingchen said, "With so many people dead all at once, I am afraid the killer, or that monster, might appear again."

Sun Ping frowned, and before she could answer, Zhou Qingyang said, "Guard Luo, there is no need to worry. Starting tonight, I will personally lead men to patrol the building."

"But..."

Luo Qingchen wanted to say more, but Sun Ping had already lowered her head and walked away quickly with the others, her expression heavy.

The backyard soon returned to silence.

Luo Qingchen stood at the doorway for a while longer before slowly closing the door and sliding the bolt into place.

"Huu..."

He let out a long breath, then walked to the bed with unsteady steps and lay down.

His whole body felt weak, and he was dizzy.

Inside his body, the first blood bar, which had recovered to 100% after draining Chen Ju's blood, was now down to only 70%.

He was truly suffering from excessive blood loss now, and his body was frail.

Last night, he had steeled his heart and, enduring the urge to vomit, directly drank 30% of his own blood!

The blood he had consumed did not immediately convert into the blood in his blood bar.

Now it seemed that everything had been worth it.

If he hadn't done that last night, he feared that when Zhou Qingyang grabbed his wrist to check his vitality earlier, the problem would have been discovered immediately.

At that time, he would have had no way to explain himself.

Now, his suspicion had been cleared, and the 280% blood in his second blood bar, along with the 120 taels of silver on his person, were safe for the time being.

However, he must not be careless at a time like this.

He was not in a rush to replenish his blood right now.

For the sake of safety, he prepared to get a good sleep first and would replenish his blood when night fell.

Although Chen Ju and the Wang brothers were dead, the danger here had not been lifted.

When night arrived, it would once again be a time fraught with peril.

Therefore, by the time night came, he had to be at full blood to maintain his strongest physical state and combat power.

As for medicinal bath cultivation, he had to have absolute patience and endure for now.

Starting tonight, Zhou Qingyang would be leading men to patrol the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

In the eyes of others, he was now a man suffering from excessive blood loss and extreme physical weakness; he must not reveal any flaws.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Just as he was pondering these matters, a series of urgent knocks suddenly came from outside.

The heartstrings he had just begun to relax suddenly tightened once again!