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 come back empty-handed.

After the shadow disappeared into the Black Forest outside, it vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a few drops of fresh blood.

The atmosphere inside the building was heavy.

Sun Ping had someone light every lamp.

With a dark expression, Zhou Qingyang came to the second floor and stood before Qingmei, questioning her about what had happened in the room.

"Did you see that monster?"

Qingmei sat in the corner, her face deathly pale. She trembled all over, her eyes filled with terror.

At his words, she nodded through her tears.

Zhou Qingyang hurriedly asked, "What did it look like? What were you and Zhao Yun doing in the room? Where did the monster come from? Tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end. Don't leave out a single detail!"

Covering her face, Qingmei sobbed and spoke in a trembling voice. "At the time... Zhao Yun and I were arguing in the room when... when that monster suddenly appeared behind her. Then... then it bit... bit her head off... Sob..."

As she spoke, her whole body began shaking violently.

Clearly, the sight had terrified her out of her wits.

"What did the monster look like?"

Zhou Qingyang immediately asked again.

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

Zhang Jiu said bitterly from the side, "Black mist obscured that beast. Brother Luo and I both saw it that night."

At this, he glanced up at the first room along the corridor and shook his head. "I thought that beast was Zhao Yun. I never imagined..."

Zhou Qingyang asked her about a few more details.

Unfortunately, Qingmei had been so frightened that her wits had deserted her, and she couldn't answer many of his questions.

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

"Head Zhang, apart from this Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, is there anyone out there who hates you to the bone?"

He suddenly turned and asked Zhang Jiu.

The muscles in Zhang Jiu's face twitched a few times. He nodded, but didn't say anything right away.

Zhou Qingyang understood and didn't press him further. Turning away, he ordered, "Take the corpse away first and burn it at the Graveyard. Remember to dig the pit deep."

"Yes!"

The two people from the Town Guard Bureau immediately went into the room to carry out the corpse.

Zhou Qingyang glanced at the room again and said gravely, "Head Zhang, we're going to find the next person. We absolutely can't let that monster get away!"

The group immediately set off in a grand procession.

After leaving the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, Zhou Qingyang turned and looked back at the little building behind him.

Someone behind him asked, "Captain, can we pull out the people keeping watch here?"

But Zhou Qingyang said quietly, "Move them into the shadows and keep watching."

Zhang Jiu's face changed. He stammered, "Captain Zhou, do you still suspect that beast is hiding here?"

A glint flashed in Zhou Qingyang's eyes. "Haven't you noticed how suspiciously well everything lined up tonight? We had just found this place and were about to go upstairs when the monster suddenly appeared. It even dared to kill someone under those circumstances, and the person it killed was one of the girls in this building. And that girl just happened to hate you to the bone."

Zhang Jiu said, "You mean..."

Zhou Qingyang shook his head. "It's only a guess. Perhaps Zhao Yun had some connection to the monster, or knew its secret. Otherwise, it wouldn't have suddenly killed her right now. Of course, it's also possible that the monster was badly wounded and needed to eat something to regain enough strength to escape, and happened to kill her. But I can't shake the feeling that everything lined up too perfectly."

After a pause, he suddenly said, "Head Zhang, over the next few days, you'll need to return to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion to patrol at night and occasionally take a walk alone around other parts of town."

Zhang Jiu was startled. "Captain Zhou, you're going to use me as bait again? That monster appears and disappears without a trace. What if you can't get here in time next time? I..."

Zhou Qingyang patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll apply for a treasure from above. Once you have it with you, it'll be enough to keep you alive. That monster is badly wounded now, so it'll have to keep killing and feeding over the next few days. Otherwise, it'll go berserk and expose itself. It's been hunting you all this time, so it must hate you deeply. It probably won't rest until it kills you. That makes you the best bait."

"But..."

Zhang Jiu grimaced, about to say more, but Zhou Qingyang's voice turned stern. "Head Zhang, as long as that monster isn't caught, you won't be safe. If you're unwilling to cooperate and we let too much time pass, the monster will recover, and it'll be even harder to catch. By then, you probably won't even dare to leave your house! No—by then, even if you stay inside, you could still get your head bitten off and your heart ripped out."

Zhang Jiu shuddered at his words. How could he dare hesitate? He hurriedly said, "I'm willing to cooperate. Of course I'm willing."

He knew the other man was telling the truth.

Only by catching that beast as quickly as possible and killing it could he truly be safe.

"Let's go. We're heading to your next enemy."

Zhou Qingyang said no more and strode ahead.

The headless corpse had already been taken away from the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

The servants, fighting their fear and trembling, cleaned Zhao Yun's room.

The girls and maids in the building gathered in the main hall, their faces pale and their bodies shaking. None of them dared to go back to their rooms alone.

Sun Ping was naturally badly frightened too.

But she was in charge here, so she had to pull herself together at a time like this.

First, she sternly warned everyone not to speak of tonight's events outside the building. Then she softened her tone and comforted them gently.

"Captain Zhou already said the monster has gone elsewhere, and it's badly wounded. Captain Zhou and the others will definitely catch it. Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest. If you're really scared, two of you can stay in one room. The maids can rest together in a room too..."

After much coaxing, she finally got everyone gathered in the hall to leave in pairs.

Qingmei was still trembling in the corner on the second floor, the blood staining her clothes a horrifying sight.

When the other girls saw her, they all kept their distance.

Sun Ping had no choice but to help her back to her room herself. She then told a maid to bring hot water so Qingmei could wash properly and change into clean clothes.

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

Sun Ping still had other things to attend to. After giving the little maid a few instructions, she went downstairs.

The entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion gradually fell quiet again.

Luo Qingchen remained inside the building.

While the others busied themselves, he stood in a corner on the second floor, gazing into the darkness beyond the window, lost in thought.

After everyone had returned to their rooms, he went back to the entrance of the first room along the corridor.

The smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Suddenly, a muffled sob came from inside the room.

Luo Qingchen entered and saw the little maid named Xiao Cui sitting alone in a corner, hugging her knees and crying softly.

She had been Zhao Yun's maid.

Now that Zhao Yun was dead, she seemed at a loss about what to do.

"Xiao Cui..."

Luo Qingchen came to stand before her.

Xiao Cui raised her head and looked at him with reddened eyes, her face streaked with tears. "Guard Luo, Miss A-Yun was such a good person. Why did something like this happen? In this whole building, Miss A-Yun was the only one who never hit or scolded us. She even often chatted with us. Sob... Why don't good people live long?"

Luo Qingchen slowly sat down beside her. Looking toward the dressing table in front of them, he murmured, "Yes... Why don't good people live long?"

"Brother A-Chen, I believe you'll definitely make it up there."

At dusk, she had still been sitting there, draped in a thin veil, calmly combing her long hair before the mirror and smiling at him with warmth and kindness.

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

After sitting for a long time,

Luo Qingchen suddenly stood up, left the room, and headed toward the far end of the corridor.

Then he knocked on Qingmei's door.