Chapter 50

Outside the window, the night was as black as ink.

Zhou Qingyang, who had gone out to chase the monster, soon returned to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

The group had returned empty-handed.

After the black shadow plunged into the Black Forest outside, it vanished completely, leaving behind only a few drops of fresh blood.

The atmosphere inside the building was heavy.

Sun Ping ordered all the lamps to be lit.

Zhou Qingyang walked to the second floor with a grim expression, stood before Qingmei, and began to question her about what had just happened in the room.

"You saw that monster?"

Qingmei sat in the corner, her face deathly pale and trembling, her eyes filled with terror.

Hearing this, she nodded while weeping.

Zhou Qingyang quickly asked, "What did it look like? What were you and Zhao Yun doing in the room at the time? Where did the monster appear from? Tell me the whole process, every single detail, without missing a word!"

Qingmei covered her face, sobbing as she said in a trembling voice, "At the time... I was arguing with Zhao Yun in the room, and then... that monster suddenly appeared behind Zhao Yun, and then... then it took one bite... and bit off her head... sob..."

At this point, her entire body began to shake violently.

Clearly, she had been terrified by the scene.

"What did the monster look like?"

Zhou Qingyang immediately asked again.

Qingmei stammered, "It... it had such a huge mouth, its eyes were red, and its teeth were so sharp... It was pitch black, I... I didn't see clearly..."

Zhang Jiu added bitterly from the side, "That beast was covered in black mist; Brother Luo and I both saw it that night."

Speaking of this, he looked up at the first room ahead and shook his head, saying, "I thought that beast was Zhao Yun, but I didn't expect..."

Zhou Qingyang asked for a few more details.

Unfortunately, Qingmei had been scared out of her wits and could not answer most of them.

Zhou Qingyang had no choice but to return to the room to carefully examine the corpse, the claw marks on the screen, and the traces at the window.

"Head Zhang, besides this Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, is there anyone outside who hates you to the bone?"

He suddenly turned to ask Zhang Jiu.

The muscles on Zhang Jiu's face twitched a few times, and he nodded, though he did not speak immediately.

Zhou Qingyang understood and did not press further, turning to order, "Take the body away first, transport it to the graveyard to be burned, and remember to dig the pit deep."

"Yes!"

Two men from the Town Guard Bureau immediately entered the room to move the corpse.

Zhou Qingyang glanced at the room again and said in a deep voice, "Head Zhang, let's go to the next person. We absolutely cannot let that monster get away!"

The group left in a grand procession.

After exiting the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, Zhou Qingyang looked back at the small building behind him.

One of his men asked, "Captain, can the people guarding here be withdrawn?"

Zhou Qingyang whispered, "Withdraw to the shadows and continue the surveillance."

Zhang Jiu's expression changed, and he said tremblingly, "Captain Zhou, do you still suspect that the beast is hiding here?"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Qingyang's eyes. "Haven't you noticed that everything tonight was too coincidental? We just arrived here, just about to go upstairs, and the monster suddenly appeared. Moreover, it dared to kill someone under such circumstances, and the victim happened to be a girl in this building—a girl who happened to hate you to the bone."

Zhang Jiu asked, "Captain Zhou, you mean..."

Zhou Qingyang shook his head. "I am only guessing. Perhaps Zhao Yun had a connection to the monster or knew its secrets; otherwise, it wouldn't have killed her so suddenly at that moment. Of course, it is also possible that the monster was severely injured and needed to eat something to have the strength to escape, and it just happened to kill her. But I always feel that all of this is too coincidental."

He paused, then suddenly added, "Head Zhang, for the next few days, you must return to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion to patrol at night, and occasionally go to other parts of the town alone."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiu was startled. "Captain Zhou, are you going to use me as bait again? That monster is elusive. If you don't arrive in time next time, I..."

Zhou Qingyang patted his shoulder to reassure him. "I will apply for a treasure from above. You can carry it with you, and it will be enough to save your life. The monster is severely injured now and must continue to kill and feed in the coming days, or it will go mad and expose itself. It has been hunting you, so it must have a deep hatred for you. It won't give up until you are dead. Therefore, you are the best bait right now."

"But..."

Zhang Jiu's face fell, and he started to protest, but Zhou Qingyang's tone deepened. "Head Zhang, as long as that monster isn't caught, you will never be safe. If you aren't willing to cooperate and time drags on, the monster will recover from its injuries, making it even harder to catch. By then, you probably won't even dare to step out of your door! No, even if you don't leave your house, you will still be in danger of having your head bitten off and your heart ripped out."

Zhang Jiu shuddered at the thought. No longer daring to hesitate, he hurriedly said, "I am willing to cooperate, of course I am willing to cooperate."

He naturally knew that what the other man said was the truth.

Only by catching that beast as soon as possible and slaying it could he truly be safe.

"Let's go, to your next enemy."

Zhou Qingyang said no more and walked quickly to the front.

Inside the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, the headless corpse had already been removed.

The servants endured their fear and trembling as they cleaned up Zhao Yun's room.

The girls and maids of the pavilion were all gathered in the main hall, their faces pale and trembling, none daring to return to their rooms alone.

Sun Ping was naturally terrified as well.

But as the manager here, she had to pull herself together at a time like this.

She first sternly warned everyone that the night's events were not to be spoken of outside, then softened her tone to comfort them with kind words.

"Captain Zhou has already said that the monster has gone elsewhere and is severely wounded; Captain Zhou and his men will surely catch it. Everyone, go back to your rooms to rest. If you are truly afraid, you may stay two to a room, and the maids can also rest together..."

After much persuasion, she finally managed to get the crowd gathered in the hall to disperse in pairs.

Qingmei was still huddled in the corner of the second floor, shivering, the bloodstains on her body a shocking sight.

The other girls walked far around her when they saw her.

Sun Ping had no choice but to personally help her back to her room, then ordered a maid to fetch hot water to help her bathe and change into clean clothes.

"Xiao Lian, you stay here and look after her."

Sun Ping still had other matters to attend to, so after giving the young maid a few instructions, she went downstairs.

The entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion returned to silence.

Luo Qingchen remained in the building.

While others were busy, he stood in a corner on the second floor, gazing out into the dark night, lost in thought.

Once everyone had returned to their rooms, he walked back to the door of the first guest room in the hallway.

The scent of blood in the air had not yet dissipated.

From inside the room, a burst of stifled sobbing suddenly drifted out.

Luo Qingchen walked into the room and found the young maid named Xiao Cui sitting alone in the corner, hugging her knees and weeping softly.

She was Zhao Yun's maid.

Now that Zhao Yun was dead, she seemed not to know what to do.

"Xiao Cui..."

Luo Qingchen approached her.

Xiao Cui looked up at him with red, tear-streaked eyes: "Guard Luo, Miss A-Yun was such a good person, why did something like this have to happen? In this pavilion, only Miss A-Yun never hit or scolded us, and she often kept us company and chatted with us, wuu wuu... why do the good never live long..."

Luo Qingchen sat down slowly beside her, his gaze fixed on the vanity in front of them, and he murmured in a low voice: "Yes, why do the good never live long..."

"Brother A-Chen, I believe you will definitely be able to rise up."

In the evening, she had still been sitting there, draped in thin gauze, quietly combing her long hair in the mirror, showing him a gentle and kind smile.

"Brother A-Chen, I hope you can live well..."

He sat for a long time.

Luo Qingchen suddenly stood up, left the room, and walked toward the deepest part of the hallway.

Then, he knocked on the door of Qingmei's room.