"Thump, thump, thump!"
Zhang Jiu came to the door and began knocking as he called out.
His voice brimmed with excitement.
The urgent knocking rang especially harshly through the quiet back courtyard.
"Head Zhang, I'm not feeling well."
Luo Qingchen looked toward the door and refused.
"Not feeling well?"
Zhang Jiu stopped knocking, paused, then sighed. "What a shame. I was going to ask you to come see how we killed that Heart-Plucking Monster! We've already chopped off both its arms, and they turned out to be a woman's arms. Heh, there's no way that beast can escape tonight!"
Luo Qingchen fell silent for a moment, then said, "Congratulations, Head."
Zhang Jiu laughed. "Brother Luo, once that beast is dead, I won't have to spend every day jumping at shadows anymore. All right, I won't disturb your rest. I need to go fetch a few more people. Tonight, we'll make sure to tear that beast limb from limb, and hack it into a thousand pieces!"
With that, he hurried away.
The outside fell quiet again.
Luo Qingchen stood in the dim room, his chest rising and falling, sweat covering his body as his expression shifted slightly.
But soon, he cut off his thoughts and resumed his training.
He had no time to waste.
"Whoosh!"
His fist shot out, carrying the weight of a thousand catties.
Yet before he had finished the set, his gaze strayed to the bed, to the pink purse lying on top of the clothes.
He stopped.
After standing quietly in the room for a while, he went over, put on his clothes, and left.
He washed his face by the well in the back courtyard.
He raised his head and glanced at the murky sky, then went to the pavilion.
It wasn't dark yet.
The guests