Chapter 42

"This is..."

Yang Guang walked to the corner, extended his fingers, and pinched a few medicinal herbs used for cultivation that were placed there, lowering his head to inspect them.

Then he turned his head to look at him and laughed, "Are these for cultivation?"

Luo Qingchen did not answer.

Yang Guang chuckled and released his fingers, seemingly disgusted that the medicinal herbs were too dirty, wiping his fingers on the clothes over his chest before turning around with a beaming smile, "It seems Brother Luo often takes medicinal baths. Did you mix in fresh blood?"

Luo Qingchen stood at the doorway, still ignoring him.

Yang Guang did not mind, casting his gaze around the room once more before walking to the table. He reached out and directly picked up a piece of meat from the bowl, putting it into his mouth to chew.

"Mm, truly fragrant."

As he chewed, a look of deep enjoyment appeared on his face.

Then he looked at him and laughed, "Brother Luo is truly blessed to have Miss A-Yun sell herself to support you. I heard that Miss A-Yun gives all the silver she earns to Brother Luo. Is that so?"

Luo Qingchen's gaze was gloomy, and he still did not speak.

Yang Guang smiled slightly and prepared to reach for the meat in the bowl again, but with a flick of his fingertips, the entire tray fell from the table.

"Clatter!"

The food and steamed buns on the tray all fell to the floor.

The bowl and plates shattered completely.

The steamed buns rolled under the table, the meat was knocked onto the ground, and the corn porridge spilled everywhere.

"Oh my, sorry, I accidentally knocked it over."

Yang Guang apologized hurriedly, then spread his hands with an innocent expression, "This is a disaster. Brother Luo just had his blood drawn today and is in need of nourishment. Sigh, it's all my fault for being so clumsy."

Luo Qingchen looked down at the fragments and food on the ground, his face still devoid of any expression.

"Brother Luo, I am truly sorry."

Yang Guang walked to the door, reached out to pat his shoulder, and apologized sincerely once more.

Luo Qingchen still did not speak.

He walked weakly to the table, slowly crouched down, and lowered his head, picking up the food from the floor bit by bit.

Yang Guang stood at the doorway, staring at his silent and humble figure for a while, then suddenly laughed, "By the way, Brother Luo, you don't mind if I go to Miss A-Yun's place tonight, do you? Sigh, actually, I wanted to go before, but I felt it might be unfair to you, so I held back. But thinking about it today, you should be happy that I go to spend money at Miss A-Yun's place. After all, the silver Miss A-Yun earns goes to you, doesn't it?"

Luo Qingchen kept his head down, picking up the food as if he hadn't heard a word.

"Since Brother Luo doesn't mind, then I'll be off. Don't worry, Brother Luo, we're brothers; I will definitely treat Miss A-Yun with tenderness."

Yang Guang finished with a beaming smile. Seeing that Luo Qingchen still had no reaction, his smile faded, and he left quickly.

By now, it was already dark outside.

The entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion was soon shrouded in cold, gloomy darkness.

At the main entrance, two young women dressed in thin, sheer gauze dresses were shivering in the cold wind, greeting the occasional passerby.

Yang Guang glanced at them and entered the building.

He went straight to the second floor and paused at the door of the first room in the corridor, a cold, sinister smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Then, he walked straight to the very end of the corridor.

"Creak..."

The door opened.

Qingmei appeared in the doorway wearing thin green gauze, her posture alluring. She snorted coldly, "I thought you weren't coming tonight and had gone to someone else's place."

Yang Guang closed the door, pulled her into his arms, lowered his head to kiss her small mouth, and laughed, "Since I promised you I'd come tonight, I definitely would. How could anyone else compare to you?"

Qingmei asked, "What if I had a guest tonight?"

Yang Guang laughed, "I came first, so you are naturally mine. Any guest who arrives would have to wait outside."

Qingmei raised an eyebrow, "Did you bring the silver?"

Yang Guang laughed heartily and pinched her buttocks, "I am yours, let alone silver. Once I succeed, what is mere silver?"

Qingmei snorted coldly, "You had better not lie to me! I've already given you all the silver I earned. If you dare to lie to me, I'll fight you to the death!"

Yang Guang hurriedly raised his fingers to swear, "If I lie to you, may I die a horrible death!"

Qingmei rolled her eyes at him, not dwelling on the topic further, and asked, "Did you go see that brat?"

Yang Guang lowered his fingers and sneered, "I did. That brat is quite cautious; the room is full of traps. No wonder he's managed to survive until now."

"However, he is so weak now that he can't even stand steadily. I deliberately made things difficult for him and humiliated him, but he didn't even dare to make a sound. You didn't see it—I knocked the food Zhao Yun gave him onto the floor, and he didn't dare say a word. He just crawled on the ground like a dog, picking up the food to eat. Tsk tsk."

Qingmei said hatefully, "He deserves it!"

Yang Guang laughed, "What, are you resentful just because you couldn't seduce that brat?"

Qingmei gritted her teeth, "How am I not better than that Zhao Yun? The blind fool, acting so high and mighty. He deserves to have his blood drawn every day!"

Yang Guang narrowed his eyes, glanced out the window, and whispered, "Keep the lights on in your room later; don't turn them off. I'm going to the backyard for a moment and will be back soon."

Qingmei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

Because that night, Chen Ju had said the exact same thing, yet he had gone and never returned, vanishing forever.

"Are you going to take that boy's blood?"

She asked in a low voice.

Yang Guang replied, "I won't be the one to lead the charge. Even though that kid looks weak right now, who knows if he has any hidden cards? I'm just going to watch the show and get a head start on understanding the dangers."

He paused, then added coldly, "Of course, if someone else succeeds, I'll naturally follow suit and take some for myself. Judging by the situation, that kid won't live much longer anyway."

Qingmei's lips moved as if she wanted to persuade him otherwise, but she didn't speak.

Naturally, she also wanted him to cultivate quickly and break through, so that he would have the chance to take her away from this hellhole.

Half an hour later.

Yang Guang left through the window and, taking advantage of the night, returned to the backyard without a sound.

He hid in the shadow of a large tree and observed carefully for a while. Seeing that it was still early and no one seemed to be coming, he pondered for a moment, glanced left and right, and headed toward his room.

He felt it was safer to stay in his own room.

During this period, he had naturally become aware of the existence of the Heart-Plucking Monster.

Although that monster hadn't appeared for many days, no one could guarantee that it wasn't currently hiding in some dark corner, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

He didn't dare stay out in the darkness for long.

"Click..."

He took out his key, unlocked his door, and stepped inside.

He had set up some small traps behind the door and windows; after checking them carefully, he found nothing unusual.

The second thing he did upon returning was to check the silver hidden under the floorboards.

He walked to the corner, took out a dagger, pried up the floorboard, and reached in to touch the bulging money bag hidden inside, finally setting his mind at ease.

That little slut Qingmei has saved quite a bit of silver, but it's still not enough for me to buy blood for cultivation. I need to find a few more little harlots and get more silver. If I do that...

Just as he was touching the money bag in the hole and planning his future, he suddenly felt a chill wash over him from behind.

He shivered involuntarily.

He whipped his head around, only to see a fist brimming with power rapidly enlarging in his pupils!

"Boom!"

Before he could react, the fist slammed heavily into his throat.

With a crisp snap, his throat bone shattered!

His vision went black instantly. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to scream, but no sound could escape his throat. He wanted to struggle and resist, but for a moment, he couldn't muster any strength.

The next second.

A flash of cold light appeared, and a dagger plunged directly into his heart with a "thud"!

He widened his eyes, reaching out his hands in terror and trembling, trying to grab onto something, but he caught nothing.

The dagger began to twist cruelly, and his heart was shredded in an instant.

Bright red blood gushed rapidly from his wide-open mouth, and his vision began to blur...

In the final breath of his life, his dilated pupils clearly reflected the face that had been so humble and silent toward him just that evening.

At this moment, that face looked as ferocious as an Asura.