Something's wrong with this demon.

He practiced diligently all night without feeling tired.

The next day, it was dawn.

Luo Qingchen withdrew his fist, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the progress of his cultivation within his body.

[Strengthened Bones: 70/1000]

The cultivation progress has increased from 40 points last night to 70 points now!

The effect is still very good.

The medicinal effects within the bones are still largely intact.

This powerful medicinal energy made him realize once again the importance of blood.

No wonder the cultivators here would stop at nothing for blood.

Once outside, he couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Ju's house not far away. He saw that the doors and windows were still tightly closed, just like yesterday, and no one had come out.

He didn't knock on the door again, and went straight out of the backyard.

Tonight it will be their turn to patrol, and they'll surely see the other person come out then.

He went to the kitchen first, ate breakfast, and then left Baixianglou.

The streets remained gloomy and deserted, with pedestrians and vendors hanging their heads, their eyes vacant, their expressions blank, like walking corpses.

He went to the blood shop first.

Two more taels of silver are needed to retrieve the Ten Soul Banner.

Behind the counter, the old man in black robes was flipping through a book. Upon seeing him, he paused, then asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Luo Qingchen said, "I want to sell my blood one more time."

"What? Sell it again?"

The old man in black robes frowned, his gaze sweeping over the wound on the boy's wrist. He couldn't help but sneer, "Are you tired of living? You were selling a big bowl of this just the day before yesterday, and you're selling it again today? Aren't you afraid of dying already?"

Luo Qingchen said, "I need two more taels of silver."

The old man in black robes frowned, stared at him for a few more moments, and said indifferently, "Let me make this clear beforehand: even if you survive the moment after selling so much blood, you may fall ill later due to weakness. Getting sick here is no different from dying, and that will be none of my business."

Luo Qingchen replied, "This junior understands."

Seeing this, the old man in black robes said nothing more, took out a dagger and the large bowl from the counter, and then went over and closed the shop door.

"Only two ounces?"

Luo Qingchen nodded, placed her wrist on the counter, and said, "Two ounces only."

The old man in black robes didn't say anything more. He grabbed the man's wrist and lightly slashed it with his dagger.

The scabbed wound was reopened.

Bright red blood flowed out quickly and fell into the bowl.

Luo Qingchen stared at the blood in the bowl, feeling as if it were all a dream.

Perhaps because he frequently cuts his wounds, he no longer feels much pain; he only feels a cool, numb sensation there.

"Alright, two ounces."

After filling a small bowl with blood, the old man in black robes released his fingers from pressing down on his wrist, then took out two taels of silver from the counter and threw it onto the counter.

The silver coin made a crisp sound and bounced over to Luo Qingchen's blood-soaked wrist.

Luo Qingchen put away the silver, bandaged herself up simply, and left the shop.

The sky outside was as gray as night.

Luo Qingchen, carrying silver taels stained with blood, walked into Old Wu's general store.

An elderly man with gray hair and one arm was dozing off at the counter. Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyelids and glanced at him, saying wearily, "I'm too early. The things haven't been returned yet. I'll come back this afternoon."

Luo Qingchen took out the two taels of silver she had just earned from selling her blood and placed them on the counter. After a pause, she couldn't help but ask, "Senior, will my sister be alright?"

Old Wu glanced at the bloodstains on the silver and said calmly, "How would I know? I can only confirm that the item will be repaired for you. As for the soul inside, I can only say that it's probably fine."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, clearly not wanting to say anything more.

Luo Qingchen glanced at the silver on the counter one more time, then turned and walked out of the shop without disturbing them any further.

Knowing he would have to keep a vigilant watch during the night, he didn't linger on the street. Instead, he returned to the backyard of Baixianglou and entered the second room.

After setting up all the safety measures, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

I didn't sleep well.

Perhaps out of concern for her sister's soul and worry about the unseen dangers within the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, she had many nightmares between sleep and wakefulness.

He woke up in the afternoon and couldn't wait to go out.

When he arrived at Old Wu's general store, a woman dressed in a black robe with long, wine-red hair came out of the store. She glanced at him indifferently and then quickly left.

Luo Qingchen entered the shop, and before she could speak, Old Wu had already tossed the small flag he was holding onto the counter and said, "You've come at the right time. This Ten Soul Banner just arrived. The one you saw at the door was Senior Sister Chen, who repaired this Ten Soul Banner for you. She's a top-notch weapon refiner."

Luo Qingchen quickly picked up the Ten Soul Banner from the counter and examined it carefully, turning it over and over.

The two holes in the center of the flag have been repaired completely, with no trace of repair visible. However, the colors are more vibrant than the other faded areas.

The cracks on the flagpole are still there.

"The eight hundred taels you paid can only repair it to this extent, but it can at least last for another year or two."

Old Wu spoke up and offered an explanation.

Thank you.

Luo Qingchen's lips moved, wanting to ask again if the spirit of her sister in the flag was well, but she knew that the other party could not answer, so she could only thank her and turn to leave.

Unfortunately, he cannot see his sister's spirit yet.

Once, in a cave, he subtly inquired with Tian Feng about when cultivators could see ghosts.

The other party replied, "After the opening of the meridians, the soul technique has achieved minor success."

Body tempering is divided into flesh refining, bone strengthening, blood exchange, spirit nourishment, and strength enhancement. Only after completing all of these can one enter the Qi opening realm, and then cultivate soul techniques. After achieving minor success, one can see the soul.

Therefore, he must cultivate diligently and reach the Tongqiao realm as soon as possible in order to see his sister.

Even if he only sees a soul, he will be very happy.

He didn't linger on the street, but went straight back to Baixianglou, entered the second room, and continued his cultivation.

After retrieving the Ten Soul Banner, he felt much more at ease.

As for the debt problem, he doesn't need to think about it for now, because thinking about it won't do any good.

The seven hundred taels of silver owed to the pawnshop do not need to be repaid for the time being.

Even if it drags on for a month, the other party will not forcibly kill him and take his soul; instead, they will wait until he dies on his own before taking his soul.

After all, his life and his very being did not belong to him, but to Tian Feng.

As long as he doesn't die, he will naturally have a chance to get back the contract that pawned his soul.

He now needs to repay A-Yun the twelve taels of silver.

After all, A-Yun not only has to support herself, but also her whole family.

"Whoosh!"

He didn't think much of it and started practicing his boxing.

The light outside the window gradually dimmed.

As night began to fall, he quickly tidied up and left the room.

The door to Chen Ju's room, not far away, remained closed.

It was his turn to patrol the night with Chen Ju tonight, but the other party still hadn't come out by then, so it seemed there really was a problem.

"Squeak..."

Just as he was about to go to the building in front by himself, Chen Ju's door suddenly opened.

"Brother Luo, were you waiting for me? I'm glad I'm not late."

Upon seeing him, Chen Ju walked out of the house with a smile on his face and closed the door.

Luo Qingchen clearly saw the movement of his right leg, which seemed somewhat stiff.

By this time, night had completely fallen.

The entire Bai Xiang Lou was immediately plunged into boundless darkness.

The expressions on their faces began to become indistinct.