Chapter 44

"Whoosh!"

After night fell.

Luo Qingchen immediately replenished his Blood Bar and began cultivating in his room.

At this time, the backyard was the safest place.

Captain Zhou was patrolling the building with his men, and the others no longer dared approach the backyard without permission.

The medicinal energy surged through his body. It was the perfect time to temper his sinews and bones!

Three days later.

He found another opportunity and took a medicinal bath.

After he had fully absorbed the medicinal energy this time, his cultivation progress had reached 700/1000!

Pig's blood was indeed useful, but its conversion rate was clearly inferior to that of human blood.

Over the previous three days, he had gained a pitiful thirty points after absorbing the medicinal energy.

This time, however, he had gained a full seventy points.

Still, he was already quite satisfied.

After all, the pig's blood had cost only one or two taels of silver. It was well worth the price.

At this point, the blood in the second Blood Bar inside him was down to 40%.

Meanwhile, after subtracting the cost of the meat he had bought to eat, he still had a whopping three hundred and twenty taels of silver.

If nothing unexpected happened, that silver and the blood would be enough for him to break through to the Blood Changing Realm.

Even if he counted only human blood, one medicinal bath cost fifty taels of silver, so he could afford six more.

Adding the 40% blood in his second Blood Bar, he could take seven medicinal baths in all!

But...

The seven-day deadline was almost up, and Tian Feng would probably come to collect his blood soon.

He might come again the following week.

So, by that reckoning, he would certainly have fewer chances to take medicinal baths.

He could only race against time, cultivating and breaking through as quickly as possible to escape his current fate once and for all.

In the afternoon, he took a nap.

At dusk, he went to the kitchen for dinner. Just as he was about to return to his room and continue cultivating, Zhang Jiu came over and said, "Brother Luo, are you feeling better? Captain Zhou took his men somewhere else. There was a murder there this morning, so tonight it'll be just the two of us on patrol."

"This morning? Was it that Heart-Plucking Monster again?" Luo Qingchen asked.

Zhang Jiu sighed. "Who knows? Captain Zhou got the news and hurried off with his men."

Luo Qingchen didn't ask any more questions. He nodded. "I'm fine. I can patrol."

"Good."

Zhang Jiu looked troubled. After giving his instructions, he left.

Luo Qingchen returned to his room and hurriedly practiced a few sets of boxing forms. Only when dusk settled outside did he head to the front courtyard.

Zhang Jiu was standing by the main entrance, talking with Sun Ping.

In front of them, two of the women from the building wore thin veils and twisted seductively, doing their best to beckon passersby on the street.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to pay them any attention.

When Zhang Jiu saw him, he beckoned. "Brother Luo, go patrol the building first. I'll come in a little later."

Luo Qingchen nodded and went inside alone.

The building was quiet and deserted. Only the maids moved about softly, busy with their work.

Most of the women's doors were open.

Some sat in their rooms staring blankly, some were putting on makeup, and others stood in their doorways chatting with the women next door.

After a string of murders in the building, Sun Ping had ordered that every woman keep her door open at night if she had no guests.

The women were willing to do so. At least it made them feel safer.

Luo Qingchen patrolled the first floor.

Some of the women greeted him when they saw him, while others ignored him. Most were rather cold.

They couldn't be bothered wasting their energy on someone who couldn't bring them any benefit.

There were only two guests on the first floor.

After finishing his patrol, Luo Qingchen went up to the second floor.

The first room on the second floor had its door open.

Zhao Yun wore a pale blue veil and sat before her dressing table, staring blankly at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

Luo Qingchen glanced at her and walked past the doorway.

In the last room, Qingmei was also sitting at the table, staring blankly. She looked utterly dejected.

Luo Qingchen glanced at her and was about to walk past when Qingmei suddenly called out, "Guard Luo, could I speak with you for a few moments?"

Luo Qingchen stopped but didn't respond.

Qingmei rose and came to the doorway. She looked at him with a complicated expression, then fell silent for a moment and gave a bitter smile. "I may have misjudged you."

Luo Qingchen looked at her, unsure what she meant.

Qingmei slowly lifted her head, her face wreathed in self-mockery. "When Chen Ju and I were together, he promised to take me upstairs once he broke through to the Blood Changing Realm. That night, he went to see you, and never came back. A while ago, Yang Guang and I got together. He also promised to take me upstairs once he broke through. I gave him all my silver, but... after he left, he never came back either."

As she spoke, she fixed her gaze on him. "They both went to see you that night. Did you know? You must have. They took your blood, and you could barely walk, yet every time, they were the ones who died while you were still alive and well."

"Are you saying you suspect I killed them?" Luo Qingchen asked.

Qingmei gave a bitter shake of her head. "Everyone knows you were injured. You couldn't possibly have been capable of killing anyone. But I can't help thinking... your luck really is too good."

Luo Qingchen's expression remained calm. "What exactly are you trying to say, Miss Qingmei?"

Qingmei stared at him intently. "I told you, I think you're incredibly lucky. So I think you'll go farther than the other guards in this building. If there's a cultivator in this place who can make it upstairs, I think it should be you."

Luo Qingchen said nothing more and prepared to leave.

Qingmei suddenly grabbed him, her voice pleading. "Guard Luo, I really want to go upstairs. I don't want to stay in this dark, sunless place anymore. If you can help me, I'll give you all the silver I earn from now on. I'll do anything for you... serve you, even... secretly help you take your guests' blood."

Luo Qingchen pried her hand off and said slowly, "I can't even help myself. How could I help you?"

With that, he strode away.

Qingmei stood in the doorway, watching his retreating figure disappear into the distance. She slowly lowered her head and gave a desolate smile, murmuring, "Then... who can help me?"

"Brother Luo, let's make a round outside first," Zhang Jiu called from downstairs as Luo Qingchen came down.

The two of them left the building together.

As they went out the main entrance, the two women standing outside shivered in the sobbing night wind.

There were hardly any pedestrians on the street.

Only after the two of them had walked into the darkness nearby did Zhang Jiu lower his voice. "Business has plummeted lately. I reckon word's gotten out about the deaths in the building. And people have been dying elsewhere in town, too. Everyone's talking about that Heart-Plucking Monster, so they don't dare go out at night anymore."

"Not a single clue?" Luo Qingchen asked.

"They've confirmed it's a Demonic Beast that can possess people, and they're still searching for it. Captain Zhou suspects that Heart-Plucking Monster will come out to hunt again in the next few days. They've stepped up patrols lately, and it hasn't dared show itself. But Demonic Beasts need to feed regularly. Otherwise, they'll reveal their true forms."

As the two of them walked and talked, a faint noise suddenly came from the courtyard wall beside them.

"Who's there?"

Zhang Jiu immediately drew the knife at his waist and turned to look at the wall on his left.

Luo Qingchen instantly tensed and took several steps back.

A black-furred cat stood atop the wall. Its glowing blue eyes shimmered in the darkness, cold and eerie.

"It's Sister Sun's cat. You gave me a fright."

Zhang Jiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his knife.

He was about to speak when the cat suddenly widened its eyes and looked into the darkness behind them. Then it arched its back, its fur bristling all over!

"Meow—"

It let out a sharp, shrill yowl, then sprang off the wall and fled in panic.

At the same time,

a bone-chilling cold came over Luo Qingchen and Zhang Jiu from behind!

It was as though something had crept right up to them!