Chapter 49

The hall was filled with the sounds of weeping.

The names Zhang Jiu spat out to save his own skin, along with the horrific deeds he confessed to, dealt a final, crushing blow to the low-status victims in the crowd.

Someone cried out and lunged at him.

But how could an ordinary person be a match for a cultivator?

Before the person could even get close, Zhang Jiu kicked them flying, a cold sneer plastered across his face. "You all deserve it!"

Then, with a savage expression, he turned to Zhou Qingyang. "Captain Zhou, it is better to kill the innocent by mistake than to let a single one escape! That Heart-Plucking Monster must be hiding among these people. Why not kill them all and be done with it?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, the crowd descended into chaos.

Some wept, some begged, and some cursed.

Two maidservants even tried to dash their heads against a nearby pillar in an attempt to commit suicide, though they were fortunately intercepted by the guards.

Sun Ping could no longer hold back, her face turning leaden. "Head Zhang, are you trying to silence witnesses by killing off all the servants of my Hundred Fragrance Pavilion? Will you be coming here yourself to serve tea, pour water, and wash our clothes?"

Zhang Jiu had already burned his bridges by exposing his own filth in public.

However, he still harbored some fear toward this manager, so he forced a smile. "Sister Sun, you misunderstand. I didn't mean all the servants."

Sun Ping raged, "The servants you speak of are all people of my Hundred Fragrance Pavilion! Every single person here has their value and their master! Do you think you can just kill them as you please? If the higher-ups investigate this, not even you, a mere guard leader, nor the Town Guard Bureau itself, could bear the consequences!"

Zhang Jiu's expression shifted, and he dared not speak further.

Zhou Qingyang, standing to the side, quickly mediated. "Sister Sun, there is no need for anger. We are only here tonight to catch that Heart-Plucking Monster; we would never kill the innocent. As for what Head Zhang just said, please do not take it to heart. We of the Town Guard Bureau would never do anything illegal or undisciplined."

He swept his gaze over the people in the hall and shouted, "Everyone, rest assured. We are only hunting the monster tonight and will not harm any of you. Once you are cleared by the inspection, we will release you immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the terrified servants calmed down slightly.

Zhou Qingyang immediately ordered his men to inspect the next person.

He then turned to Zhang Jiu and asked in a low voice, "Is that all? Are there no others?"

Zhang Jiu replied with a bitter face, "That is all."

Zhou Qingyang raised his eyes again, scanned those he had named, frowned, and turned back to him. "Head Zhang, you had better tell the truth. These people you mentioned are all servants. You haven't touched any of the girls in the pavilion?"

Zhang Jiu looked utterly innocent. "Captain Zhou, you know as well as I do that the girls here are the cash cows for the higher-ups. At most, I've given them some silver to sleep with them, or sweet-talked them into it. As for forcing them to do anything, even if you gave me more guts, I wouldn't dare."

By this time, the men from the Town Guard Bureau had finished their inspections.

Those named by Zhang Jiu were all clean, with no signs of injury.

The Demon Detecting Stone also showed no abnormalities after the check.

Zhou Qingyang wondered aloud, "Could it be that the monster isn't in this building? It has hunted you down time and time again, so it must hold a grudge against you. If it isn't here, then outside..."

"Wait!"

Just then, Zhang Jiu seemed to recall something. His expression shifted violently, and he suddenly looked up toward the second floor!

Zhou Qingyang's eyes lit up. "What is it? Did you think of something?"

Zhang Jiu's eyes widened, his face contorting rapidly before he suddenly shrieked, "I know! I know! It's her! It must be her!"

"Who?"

Zhou Qingyang asked urgently.

Luo Qingchen's gaze also turned icy as he looked at him.

Zhang Jiu said with manic excitement, "Captain Zhou, I just remembered someone! Back then, her father wanted to force her into prostitution here, so he called many men to rape her, and he called me too. I brought several men over and we tortured her for three days and three nights. She kept trying to kill herself at first, but she finally broke. I just thought about it carefully—this is terrible! Most of the people who have died in town over these past few months were the very men who raped her! So I am certain now, the killer must be her! That Heart-Plucking Monster must be her!"

As these words fell, everyone in the building looked on in shock.

Sun Ping also suddenly looked up toward the second floor.

She naturally knew who the girl Zhang Jiu was talking about.

A powerful killing intent erupted from Zhou Qingyang as he barked, "Who is it? Give me the name!"

Zhang Jiu gritted his teeth, looked back toward the second floor, and spat out, "Zhao Yun!"

Zhou Qingyang immediately looked up and shouted, "Where is Zhao Yun? Stand out!"

Just then, a girl upstairs said in a panic, "A-Yun and Qingmei are fighting in the room! Qingmei called her a slut, A-Yun couldn't take it and started cursing back at the door, so Qingmei rushed in..."

"Move! Everyone, follow me upstairs!"

Zhou Qingyang waved his hand, and he and his men charged toward the second floor, brimming with murderous intent.

Zhang Jiu drew his blade and followed behind.

Just then, a woman's terrified scream suddenly erupted from the first room on the second floor!

"Ah—"

The sound was sharp and wretched, causing everyone in the building to tremble.

The girls at the railing turned pale with fright and began to scream along with her.

"Get out of the way!"

Zhou Qingyang's expression shifted, and he hurriedly quickened his pace, rushing toward the doorway of the first guest room.

The men from the Town Guard Bureau and Zhang Jiu followed closely behind.

"Captain Zhou, what happened?"

Zhang Jiu reached the doorway and asked in a trembling voice, his gaze immediately darting into the room.

At that sight, he was so terrified that the color drained from his face.

Standing stiffly before the vanity mirror in the room was a headless corpse! From the severed neck of the body, blood was gushing out like a fountain!

The carpeted floor had already been stained into a pool of bright red blood!

On the screen near the window, a terrifying, blood-stained claw mark remained!

Zhang Jiu stammered, "Where is the monster? Where is Zhao Yun?"

At this moment, Luo Qingchen also arrived at the doorway.

Before the vanity mirror, the headless corpse, dressed in thin cyan gauze, swayed after spraying a large amount of blood and collapsed onto the floor.

Standing nearby was a woman covered in blood, her mouth wide open, screaming incessantly.

That blood-drenched woman was actually Qingmei!

When Zhang Jiu saw her clearly, he froze, his face filled with astonishment, before he looked back at the corpse on the ground in disbelief.

The headless corpse on the floor was actually Zhao Yun's.

Zhao Yun was dead...

Killed by the monster...

"What did you just see?"

Zhou Qingyang hurriedly gripped his blade and rushed into the room to ask.

Qingmei was trembling all over, her face deathly pale, still screaming with a hoarse voice with her mouth wide open.

"Speak! What did you see?"

Zhou Qingyang immediately grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.

Only then did Qingmei, shivering, point toward the window and cry out, "Mon... monster..."

Just then, someone downstairs suddenly shouted urgently, "Captain! A black shadow just rushed out from the courtyard wall and bolted into the dark woods outside!"

"Pursue! Pursue immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyang immediately led his men and rushed downstairs.

Zhang Jiu stood in the room, stunned for a few seconds, before hurriedly turning to follow them down.

Qingmei also let out a shriek and stumbled out of the room, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the corridor outside.

The building was instantly thrown into chaos.

Inside the first guest room, however, silence returned.

Luo Qingchen stood alone in the room, looking at the headless corpse on the floor and the dark red blood covering the ground, as still as a wooden statue.

The thick, pungent scent of blood assaulted his nose.

But at this moment, there was no impulse within his body.

He did not know how much time had passed.

His gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on the slender fingers tucked into the corpse's sleeves.

The nails on those fingers were as bright red as blood.