Chapter 47

"Creak..."

The door slowly swung open.

Zhao Yun wore a gauzy, thin dress beneath a thicker blue-green cloak. Frowning slightly, she stood outside.

She looked troubled, as if weighed down by worries.

"A-Yun, is something wrong?" Luo Qingchen asked from inside.

Zhao Yun drew her cloak tighter around herself and said softly, "Brother A-Chen, may I come in and sit for a while?"

Luo Qingchen hesitated, then stepped aside. "It's cold out. Come in."

Zhao Yun entered with her head bowed. She looked around the room, then turned to him. "Brother A-Chen, have you gotten used to living here?"

Luo Qingchen left the door ajar. "It's all right. I'm used to it now."

Zhao Yun watched him in silence for a while, then sighed softly. "Xiao Cui told me. Some people came this morning to take your blood, and they said... they said that in half a month..."

She didn't finish. Her expression darkened.

Luo Qingchen's face remained calm. "Isn't this what being Blood Medicine means? From my very first day here, I was prepared for it."

Zhao Yun's lashes trembled. She looked up at him. "Brother A-Chen, have you never thought about escaping?"

Luo Qingchen fell silent for a moment. Meeting her gaze, he looked into her eyes. "A-Yun, have you thought about it? Have you thought about escaping?"

Zhao Yun smiled bitterly. "If I escaped, where could I go? Someone like me would meet the same fate wherever I went."

Then she looked at him, her eyes bright. "Brother A-Chen, you're different from me. You're a cultivator. If you escaped, you could go to many places. You could even go to Clear River City and live a good life."

Luo Qingchen said nothing.

Zhao Yun moved closer and lowered her voice. "Brother A-Chen, are you worried you won't be able to escape? I've heard guests talk about it. There's a chance of getting out through Blackwater River beyond the town, or through the Black Forest to the south."

Luo Qingchen looked at her. "The guests tell you things like that?"

Zhao Yun lowered her eyes and said softly, "When guests drink, they talk about all kinds of things."

Luo Qingchen nodded slightly and didn't press her further.

The two of them fell silent.

"Brother A-Chen, is it that you don't want to leave?"

Zhao Yun seemed to have sensed his thoughts and asked.

Through the half-open door, Luo Qingchen gazed into the night outside. After another long silence, he said, "I want to rise."

Zhao Yun paused, then studied him intently for a moment and nodded. "All right. I understand."

After a moment, she added softly, "Brother A-Chen, I believe you can do it."

She turned to leave.

But Luo Qingchen suddenly called out to her. "A-Yun."

Zhao Yun stopped at the door and turned to look at him.

Luo Qingchen hesitated, then met her eyes. "Did Zhang Jiu ever hurt you?"

Zhao Yun paused slightly, then shook her head with a faint smile. "Guard Zhang has never been to my room. How could he have hurt me?"

"Brother A-Chen, I'm going. Get some rest."

She opened the door and stepped outside.

But she paused in the shadow beyond the doorway and turned back to look into the room, her gaze gentle. "Brother A-Chen, I hope you can stay alive and well."

Then she drew her cloak tightly around herself and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The rear courtyard grew quiet again.

Luo Qingchen stood for a while in the pitch-black room, then went over, locked the door, and resumed cultivating.

Seven days later.

The blood stored in the second Blood Bar inside him was completely used up.

By then, his cultivation progress had reached 850/1000!

Only 150 left!

And Tian Feng was due to come down in about seven days!

Time was life!

He didn't dare waste a moment, nor did he dare save silver by buying animal blood. He went straight to the Blood Shop and spent one hundred and fifty taels of silver on three portions of human blood.

He used all the silver he had left to buy meat.

At this point, he could only stake everything on one throw!

What use was silver to a dead man?

It was already evening when he returned.

He immediately took a medicinal bath, ready to continue cultivating.

But just as he finished and was about to return to his room, Zhang Jiu suddenly appeared in the rear courtyard, beaming with excitement. "Brother Luo, I've got good news. We're close to finding that Heart-Plucking Monster! Everyone from the Town Guard Bureau is going out to search tonight, so no one will be patrolling the brothel. Go cover the front for now. You don't have to go outside—just keep watch in the building."

Luo Qingchen's expression shifted. "Did you find a clue?"

Zhang Jiu laughed. "More than a clue! That Heart-Plucking Monster is injured, too. The whole town is searching tonight. We'll definitely find the beast!"

"How did it get hurt?" Luo Qingchen asked.

Normally, given his personality, he wouldn't have asked so many questions.

It wasn't something he should have cared about, either.

Zhang Jiu seemed too excited to notice the subtle change in him. He gave a cold laugh and said bitterly, "That beast seems to have a grudge against me. It even tried to chase me down and kill me! Luckily, Captain Zhou had already caught on and had people following me in secret. As soon as the beast showed up, it walked right into our ambush. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep it there, and it got away."

Luo Qingchen said nothing more.

Zhang Jiu laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Brother Luo, thanks for your hard work tonight. Once we catch that Heart-Plucking Monster, we'll all be able to relax."

Luo Qingchen nodded. "I'll head to the front in a bit."

"Mm. I'll get going, then. I still have to join Captain Zhou in searching the Black Forest to the south."

Zhang Jiu didn't say anything more and hurried off.

Luo Qingchen stood there for a while, then went to lock the door and headed for the front courtyard.

Night was slowly falling.

The two girls from the brothel had come out and were standing by the entrance, soliciting customers.

Sun Ping stood beside them.

Luo Qingchen glanced at the three of them, went straight inside, walked around the first floor, and then went upstairs.

There didn't seem to be many customers tonight.

All the doors to the second-floor private rooms were open, and the girls were inside putting on their makeup.

As Luo Qingchen passed the first room, he didn't see Zhao Yun.

He stopped at the doorway, hesitated, and called inside, "A-Yun."

"Brother A-Chen, is that you? I'm taking a bath in here."

Zhao Yun's voice came from the corner of the room.

A faded screen stood there.

Behind it, steam swirled, and a figure was just barely visible.

Luo Qingchen stared at the figure for a few moments. "It's nothing. I'm on patrol tonight."

"Oh. Once I've finished bathing, if you're free, Brother A-Chen, you can come in and sit for a while. There probably won't be many customers tonight anyway."

Zhao Yun spoke softly as she washed in the tub.

"Mm," Luo Qingchen replied.

He glanced inside once more, then continued down the corridor.

He lowered his head and slowly tamped down the restless urge rising within him.

It was the Blood Sucking Skill inside him stirring at the scent of blood.