106: Chapter 106 Demon Transformation

Outside the Qunfang Pavilion, the long street was deathly silent.

Dust and wood splinters drifted down through the air.

The surrounding clamor came to a sudden halt as everyone's gaze instinctively converged on the large crater smashed into the center of the street.

Inside the Qunfang Pavilion, the scene of singing and dancing also paused for a moment.

The originally lively atmosphere dropped to a freezing point.

Several guests who were enjoying themselves frowned and looked toward the source of the commotion.

However, after seeing that the disturbance came from a private room upstairs, almost everyone was stunned.

Such turmoil was extremely rare within the Qunfang Pavilion.

Let alone passersby, even those from the Demon Suppression Division who had been in the capital for a long time rarely encountered it.

The playful look on Li Changfeng's face froze, and several brothers from the Demon Suppression Division couldn't help but widen their eyes.

...

"Cough, cough..."

A faint coughing sound came from the bottom of the crater.

The smoke and dust gradually dispersed.

When the crowd saw the battered figure in the pit clearly, a burst of exclamations immediately erupted.

"That... that's Miss Ruyan?!"

"How is that possible! How could the top courtesan be thrown down from upstairs?"

At this moment, Ruyan had none of her former peerless grace from the stage.

Her clothes were torn, her hair was disheveled, and her fair skin was covered in dust and blood; she was clutching her chest, curled up on the ground in pain.

Just as everyone was in a state of shock.

Whoosh—

At the large hole broken through on the second floor, a tall and slender figure slowly appeared before their eyes, then leaped down.

He landed steadily on the ground.

The man held a long blade in one hand,

The blade's edge glinted with a cold light under the moon, reflecting a stern face.

After seeing the man's true face,

"Brother Chen?!" Li Changfeng was completely dumbfounded.

Wasn't this supposed to be a night of passion?

Wasn't he supposed to be relaxing?

How is the speed of his blade draw faster than taking off clothes?

Chen Ran's feet landed firmly; ignoring the astonished looks around him, he walked straight toward Ruyan at the bottom of the pit.

His steps were composed.

On the ground, Ruyan sensed the approaching footsteps and her body trembled violently.

Enduring the intense pain, she struggled to shrink back, her originally enchanting face now covered in tears.

"Young Master... Young Master, have mercy..."

She cried out while casting a pleading gaze toward the surrounding crowd:

"Help! This official has gone mad... I don't know how I've offended him, but he actually wants to kill me!"

Her voice was pitiful and heart-wrenching to those who heard it.

At this, the crowd immediately boiled over.

"In broad daylight, to actually commit such violence in the street?!"

"Can people from the Demon Suppression Division just kill whoever they want!"

Several wealthy Young Masters who had always lusted after the courtesan saw their goddess beaten like this and immediately grew anxious.

The perfect opportunity to play the hero saving the beauty was right before them.

"Stop!"

A Young Master dressed in a brocade robe strode forward, pointing at Chen Ran and shouting angrily: "Stop right there! Is there no law left? Men, take him down!"

The guards behind him exchanged glances and moved upon hearing the command.

Clang!

Longswords were unsheathed as several guards with abundant blood and Qi blocked Chen Ran's path, attempting to put on a show.

If they could serve this Young Master well, they wouldn't have to worry about their salaries for several years.

Chen Ran's pace did not falter.

He didn't even look at the guards blocking his way; although these guards had abundant blood and Qi and had entered the ranks,

They were at most around the Eighth Rank, hardly top-tier experts.

Chen Ran swung his arm.

The majestic blood and Qi within his body erupted violently.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Accompanied by several muffled thuds, the guards didn't even see how Chen Ran made his move before they were sent flying as if struck by a galloping stallion.

Blood sprayed wildly as they flew backward like torn sacks, smashing heavily against the distant walls.

The long street instantly fell silent.

The hand the brocade-clad Young Master had extended froze in mid-air; his face turned pale, and his legs began to shake.

However, the man opposite him didn't seem to pay him any attention, simply stepping forward further.

Chen Ran stepped over the fallen guards and walked up to Ruyan.

The terror in Ruyan's eyes was no longer faked.

She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something more.

Squelch—

A blade light flashed.

Without any nonsense, the long blade pierced directly through her heart, pinning her firmly to the bluestone pavement.

Gurgle.

Dark reddish-brown blood flowed out bit by bit along the wound, eventually slowly pooling into a small puddle.

The entire scene was pin-drop silent.

Everyone held their breath, looking at this scene in disbelief.

He really killed her?

That was the most famous courtesan of the Qunfang Pavilion!

The brocade-clad Young Master swallowed hard, backing away repeatedly in fear that Chen Ran's next target would be him.

However, an eerie scene occurred.

Ruyan, whose heart had been pierced, did not die.

She suddenly let out an extremely sharp and piercing shriek.

That sound did not belong to a human at all, stinging the eardrums of everyone present.

The "Ruyan" on the ground began to twist and struggle frantically; the red blood flowing from the wound changed, turning into a viscous green fluid.

As she struggled, the illusion maintaining her human form completely collapsed.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone, that beautiful skin suddenly split open.

Rip.

A hideously ugly, giant flying insect, half the height of a person, crawled out from the skin.

On its wings, the pattern of Ruyan's exquisite face was clearly imprinted, revealing a stiff smile to the crowd as the wings flapped.

"P-Painted... Painted Skin Butterfly!"

"Isn't that something that only exists in storybooks?"

Someone in the crowd cried out in a panicked, cracking voice, recognizing the creature.

This was a type of demon that relied specifically on consuming the essence of men to maintain a human form; it favored lively places, appearing as a devastatingly beautiful woman by day, while its victims would gradually wither and die.

This was a widely circulated story in the capital.

Blegh—

The brocade-clad Young Master, who had just been acting righteous and wanting to save the beauty, looked at the pool of green slime and the hideous giant insect on the ground; his stomach churned, and he leaned against the wall, vomiting profusely.

Thinking that he had actually wanted to... with this kind of monster just now, he wished he could spit out his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The surrounding commoners were even more terrified, screaming and scrambling backward.

"A monster! There's a monster!"

Seeing the scene about to spiral out of control, a loud shout suddenly came from the edge of the crowd.

"Everyone move aside!"

Li Changfeng finally snapped out of it and immediately drew the blade at his waist.

Leading several brothers from the Demon Suppression Division, he roughly pushed through the terrified crowd and strode into the center.

"Demon Suppression Division business! Unrelated persons, stand back!"

The unified roar immediately suppressed the panic on the long street.

Chen Ran expressionlessly pulled out his long blade.

With a flick of his wrist, the green demon blood on the blade was shaken off.

Clang.

The blade returned to its scabbard.

Under the moonlight, the young Jailer of the Demon Suppression Division stood tall, surrounded by a mess and the intimidated commoners.

Li Changfeng looked at the disgusting insect on the ground, then at the unfazed Chen Ran, and silently swallowed.

Chen Ran didn't go to enjoy himself at all; he clearly went to work overtime.

...