Chapter 45

"Clang!"

Zhang Jiu reacted in a flash.

He drew his saber, turned, and slashed in one fluid motion!

But the saber he raised never came down. It froze above his head.

Behind the two of them,

a terrifying monster, over six feet tall and wrapped in black mist, had opened its enormous, fanged maw and was lunging to bite Zhang Jiu's head!

Zhang Jiu's saber was already caught in the monster's claws.

A life-or-death moment!

He immediately let go of the saber and shouted, "Brother Luo, run!"

As he shouted, he grabbed Luo Qingchen beside him and shoved him straight toward the monster.

Then, seizing the chance, he turned and ran.

Though Luo Qingchen had been on guard, he hadn't expected Zhang Jiu to be so despicable—or to use all his strength.

Just as he was about to be shoved into the monster's gaping maw, he twisted urgently and narrowly dodged it!

The monster seemed to pause in surprise.

But before he could steady himself, it swung a claw and sent him flying.

He hit the ground hard.

Strangely, the monster's terrifying, blood-red eyes only glanced at him before it leaped right over him and continued chasing Zhang Jiu.

"Help! Help me—"

Zhang Jiu fled for his life, shouting as he ran.

When he reached the entrance to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from a nearby street.

And the monster that had been chasing him just moments ago vanished in an instant.

"G-Guard Zhang, what happened?"

The two young women standing at the entrance were so startled by his cries and terrified expression that they panicked.

By then, Zhou Qingyang had arrived with his people.

"What happened?"

Zhou Qingyang immediately asked in a grave voice.

Zhang Jiu was already scared out of his wits, his legs trembling. He hurriedly pointed into the darkness behind him, gasping, "A m-monster! A monster!"

As soon as Zhou Qingyang heard him, he led his people toward the darkness.

At that moment, Luo Qingchen was walking toward them, clutching his blood-soaked shoulder.

The moment Zhou Qingyang and the others saw him, they drew their sabers and asked, "Where's the monster?"

Luo Qingchen's face was pale with pain. He shook his head and said, "The monster chased Head Zhang that way. I don't know where it went now."

At that, Zhou Qingyang immediately led his people farther into the darkness in pursuit.

Zhang Jiu stood trembling in the dim light at the entrance. He didn't dare go inside, but neither did he dare flee into the pitch-black street. He looked utterly terrified.

The two young women beside him were also huddled together, shivering.

When Luo Qingchen emerged from the darkness, clutching his wound, Zhang Jiu froze for a moment, then hurriedly explained in a trembling voice, "Brother Luo, are you all right? I was going to pull you along with me when I ran, but in the panic, I somehow failed to grab you."

Luo Qingchen reached the entrance and said nothing.

Zhang Jiu said nothing more either, his unsettled gaze fixed on the darkness ahead.

A moment later,

Zhou Qingyang returned with his people. He swept a sharp look over the two men, then walked up to Luo Qingchen and examined the wound on his shoulder.

A deep claw mark, almost to the bone, had been torn into it.

"Did you see what the monster looked like?" he asked gravely.

Zhang Jiu quickly replied, "It was tall and huge, its whole body shrouded in black mist, and its mouth was full of terrifying fangs!"

Luo Qingchen added, "Its eyes were blood-red."

Zhou Qingyang considered this, then looked at Zhang Jiu again, puzzled. "Why did that monster chase you? If it was hungry, it could have killed Guard Luo, who was left behind. Why insist on chasing you?"

Zhang Jiu made a long face. "How should I know? I'm just as confused. Could it be because I'm bigger?"

Zhou Qingyang looked around, his expression grave. "It was right behind you a moment ago, then vanished the next. How could it have moved that fast?"

His sharp gaze suddenly fixed on the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

"Unless it jumped over the courtyard wall!"

That immediately made Zhang Jiu and the two young women shudder.

Zhou Qingyang gave an order at once. "Liu Chang, go to the Town Guard Bureau and bring another squad here. Surround the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion! From this moment on, no one inside is to be allowed to leave!"

"Yes!"

A young man behind him answered immediately and ran off.

"Now I'm going to search every person and every room in this building! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we'll find that monster!"

After saying this coldly, Zhou Qingyang led his people inside.

Then he turned to Luo Qingchen and Zhang Jiu. "You two come inside as well. You're not to leave for now!"

He didn't need to say it. Zhang Jiu was already following close behind him, still shaken.

The two young women at the entrance hurried inside too.

Luo Qingchen tore off some of his clothes, hastily bandaged his wound, and followed them in.

As he entered the main hall, he glanced back at the pitch-black courtyard wall.

If he hadn't been mistaken, the monster had indeed jumped inside.

"Sister Sun, have all the girls and guests come out and stand by their own doors. No one is to move!"

As soon as they entered, Zhou Qingyang issued the order in a low voice.

Sun Ping furrowed her brows. Though she knew this would offend the guests, she didn't dare say anything.

She had been outside moments ago and had naturally heard their conversation.

If a monster really had jumped inside, then the girls and guests in the building were all in danger.

She hurriedly sent a maid to call everyone out room by room.

Then she rushed upstairs herself, knocking on the occupied rooms and explaining the situation.

Soon, hurried footsteps echoed throughout the building.

Many girls came out of their rooms and anxiously asked what had happened, but no one explained.

Several guests were badly frightened too.

Zhou Qingyang took out the Demon Detecting Stone and began checking the rooms on the first floor one by one.

Besides examining the people, he also had his men search every corner of each room.

But he seemed short on manpower, so he instructed Zhang Jiu, "Head Zhang, take Guard Luo upstairs and keep watch. Make sure everyone in every room is standing by the door. If anyone hasn't opened their door, or there's no one outside it, call for me at once!"

Zhang Jiu hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

Then he said to Luo Qingchen, "Brother Luo, let's go upstairs!"

Luo Qingchen endured the pain and followed him up to the second floor.

Sun Ping had already called all the girls out of their rooms.

Several guests had hastily thrown on their clothes and stood at their doors, looking flustered.

"Sister Sun, what on earth happened?" one of the guests asked.

Sun Ping had no choice but to explain. "The Town Guard Bureau is conducting an inspection. You know that everyone in town has to be checked during this period."

"The Town Guard Bureau?"

When the guests heard it was the Town Guard Bureau, they didn't dare say anything more.

Luo Qingchen and Zhang Jiu made a round of the second floor. Once they had confirmed that every room's door was open and someone was standing at each one, they returned to the stairwell and kept watch there.

Zhang Jiu had clearly been badly frightened. His legs were still trembling.

He sat down on the stairs, sighed, muttered a few curses under his breath, and began thinking things over.

Just then, Luo Qingchen felt a searing pain in his shoulder.

The blood from his wound had already stained his clothes and bandage red.

As he leaned against the wall and silently endured the pain, Zhao Yun, standing by the first room, suddenly noticed his condition. She hurried back into the room, fetched gauze and medicine, and called, "Brother A-Chen, come here. I'll bandage you up."

Luo Qingchen glanced at her, hesitated, then walked over.

Zhao Yun quickly removed the bandage for him. The moment she saw the wound, she gasped in alarm. She hurriedly picked up some wound medicine, sprinkled powder over it, then swiftly wrapped it in clean gauze.

"Brother A-Chen, does it hurt?" Zhao Yun asked softly as she bandaged him.

"It's only a flesh wound," Luo Qingchen replied.

At that moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on something.

There seemed to be a trace of scarlet still clinging beneath the girl's pink fingernails.