Chapter 47

"Creeeak..."

The door slowly opened.

Zhao Yun stood outside, wearing a thin, light dress beneath a thick, cyan cloak. Her brows were slightly furrowed.

She looked as though she were burdened by heavy thoughts.

"A-Yun, is something the matter?"

Luo Qingchen asked from inside the room.

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

Luo Qingchen hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. "It's cold outside. Come in quickly."

Zhao Yun lowered her head as she entered. She swept her gaze around the room before looking at him. "Brother A-Chen, have you grown accustomed to living here?"

Luo Qingchen pulled the door shut, leaving it slightly ajar. "It's fine. I've already gotten used to it."

Zhao Yun stared at him in silence for a while, then let out a soft sigh. "I heard from Xiao Cui that someone came to draw your blood this morning, and they also said... they said that in half a month..."

She stopped there, unable to continue, her expression turning dim.

Luo Qingchen's expression, however, remained calm. "As a Blood Medicine, isn't this how it's meant to be? I was already prepared for this the very first day I arrived here."

Zhao Yun's eyelashes trembled as she looked up at him. "Brother A-Chen, have you never thought about escaping this place?"

Luo Qingchen fell silent at her words. He met her gaze, staring into her eyes as he asked, "A-Yun, have you thought about it? Have you ever thought about escaping this place?"

Zhao Yun gave a desolate smile. "If I escaped, where would I go? For someone like me, it's the same everywhere."

Her eyes then brightened as she looked at him. "Brother A-Chen, you are different from me. You are a cultivator. If you escape, there are many places you can go. Even if you just went to Clear River City, you could live a good life."

Luo Qingchen did not speak again.

Zhao Yun moved closer to him and whispered, "Brother A-Chen, are you worried that you won't be able to get out? I've heard guests talk about it—actually, the Blackwater River outside the town and the Black Forest to the south both offer a chance to get out."

Luo Qingchen looked at her. "The guests talk to you about these things?"

Zhao Yun lowered her gaze and said softly, "When the guests have had too much to drink, they say many things."

Luo Qingchen nodded slightly, not pressing for more.

The two of them fell into a sudden silence.

"Brother A-Chen, are you unwilling to leave this place?"

Zhao Yun seemed to have read his intentions and asked.

Luo Qingchen looked through the gap in the door at the dark night outside. After another moment of silence, he said, "I want to ascend."

Zhao Yun was startled by his words. She stared at him intently for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I understand."

She paused, then added softly, "Brother A-Chen, I believe in you. You will definitely be able to do it."

With that, she prepared to leave.

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

Zhao Yun stopped at the doorway and turned back to look at him.

Luo Qingchen hesitated, then stared into her eyes. "Has Zhang Jiu ever harmed you?"

Zhao Yun was slightly taken aback. She shook her head and smiled faintly. "Guard Zhang has never been to my place, so how could he harm me?"

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

She opened the door and walked out.

However, she paused in the shadows outside the door, turned back to look into the room, and said with a gentle gaze, "Brother A-Chen, I hope you can live well."

Having said that, she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and quickly vanished into the darkness outside.

The backyard returned to silence.

Luo Qingchen stood in the pitch-black room for a while before locking the door and continuing his cultivation.

Seven days later.

The blood stored in the second blood bar within his body had been completely exhausted.

By this time, his cultivation progress had grown to 850/1000!

Only 150 remained!

And there were only about seven days left until the date Tian Feng was due to come down!

Time was life!

He dared not delay for even a second, nor did he dare to save silver by buying animal blood. He went straight to the Blood Shop and spent 150 taels of silver to buy three portions of human blood.

He spent all the remaining silver on meat.

At this point, he had no choice but to risk everything and make a desperate gamble!

If a person were dead, what use would there be in keeping the silver?

It was already evening by the time he returned.

He immediately began his medicinal bath, preparing to continue his cultivation.

Unexpectedly, just as he finished his bath and prepared to return to his room, Zhang Jiu suddenly arrived at the backyard, his face full of excitement. "Brother Luo, I have good news for you! We've almost found that Heart-Plucking Monster! The people from the Town Guard Bureau are all heading out tonight to search. There's no one to patrol the building, so you go to the front and cover for a bit. You don't need to go out; just keep watch inside."

Luo Qingchen's expression shifted as he asked, "Have you found a lead?"

Zhang Jiu laughed heartily. "More than just a lead! That Heart-Plucking Monster is even injured. With our town-wide search tonight, we'll definitely be able to flush that beast out!"

"How did it get injured?"

Luo Qingchen asked.

Under normal circumstances, given his personality, he wouldn't have asked so many questions.

This shouldn't have been a point of concern for him, either.

Zhang Jiu seemed to be in high spirits and didn't notice his subtle change in demeanor. He sneered and said bitterly, "That beast seems to have a grudge against me; it actually tried to hunt me down! Fortunately, Captain Zhou had sensed it early on and kept men following me in secret. The moment that beast appeared, it fell straight into an ambush. It's a pity we couldn't finish it off and let it escape."

Luo Qingchen didn't speak again.

Zhang Jiu smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Brother Luo, I'll leave the hard work to you tonight. Once we catch that Heart-Plucking Monster, we can finally rest easy."

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

"Alright, I'm off then. I still have to follow Captain Zhou to search the Black Forest to the south."

Zhang Jiu didn't say anything more and walked away quickly.

Luo Qingchen stood in place for a while longer, went over to lock his door, and headed toward the front courtyard.

By now, the curtain of night had slowly descended.

The two girls from the building had already come out and were standing outside the main entrance soliciting customers.

Sun Ping was standing nearby as well.

Luo Qingchen glanced at the three of them, walked straight into the building, circled the first floor, and then headed up to the second.

There didn't seem to be many customers tonight.

The doors to the various private rooms on the second floor were all open, and the girls were inside applying their makeup.

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

He stopped at the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and called out inside, "A-Yun."

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

Zhao Yun's voice drifted over from the corner of the room.

A faded screen stood there.

Behind the screen, steam swirled, and a figure was faintly visible.

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

"Oh, once I'm done bathing, if you're free, Brother A-Chen, you can come in and sit for a while. There shouldn't be any customers tonight anyway."

Zhao Yun said softly while bathing in the tub.

"Mm."

Luo Qingchen replied, took one more look inside, and continued walking deeper into the corridor.

He kept his head lowered, slowly suppressing the restlessness in his heart.

It was the restlessness of the blood-sucking skill within his body, triggered by the scent of blood.