53: Pond, Koi, Moaning

Standing at the door, Jiang Lan pondered slightly.

He didn't know what the situation was like in the courtyard now.

If he went in directly, if there were people in the courtyard, he would definitely be discovered.

After all, what he knew was Concealing God Art, not invisibility.

Although it could maximize the chances of not being discovered by others, if they stood face to face, he would still be seen.

Moreover, this was in the Inner City.

Once something unexpected happened, it would be much more troublesome to deal with than in the Outer City.

After pondering for a while with downcast eyes, Jiang Lan looked up again.

He still decided to go in and see first.

Although it would be better to act when it was late at night, Jiang Lan did not intend to wait any longer.

The safety of his Aunt and his younger brother and sister depended on him.

The Altar Lord of the Green Lantern Sect had left, but who knew if he would return.

That day at the Yan Chun Pavilion, when Chen Heguang's children were mentioned, the Altar Lord's greed and desire in his eyes were not faked.

Jiang Lan had no doubt that if he hadn't happened to intercept him, that Altar Lord would definitely have indulged himself at Chen Heguang's house first before coming out to find him.

Therefore, as long as that Altar Lord was not dead, he would not be at ease for a single day.

And to ensure he killed him, Jiang Lan had to accumulate enough lifespan before that to raise his strength a notch.

The current Qi Gathering Stage Level 4 Realm was enough, but not guaranteed.

Sometimes, the unknown was the most troublesome.

To put it bluntly, Jiang Lan's understanding of that Altar Lord was currently limited to just the two words 'Altar Lord'.

As for his detailed strength Realm or whether he had any trump cards, that was completely unknown.

However, if he could find Hong Luan today, he might be able to get some information from her.

Both of them were from the Green Lantern Sect; even if there was a gap in their positions, it was impossible for them to know nothing.

With that thought, Jiang Lan's toes lightly tapped, and he lightly floated into the courtyard.

In the small pond next to Jiang Lan, several rather plump Koi swam, and it was unclear what they were fed to grow so large.

Besides that, the large courtyard was extremely spacious, giving off a strange sense of cold desolation.

It was as if... there was no human presence.

The five-courtyard mansion stretched as far as the eye could see; Jiang Lan looked around, and let alone people, besides those few plump Koi, there wasn't even a ghost's shadow.

However, those Koi were quite beautiful, and their colors were vibrant.

Red was the main color, and even the other colored parts of their bodies seemed to be covered with a faint layer of red.

Jiang Lan frowned slightly.

If he was unsure before, Jiang Lan now had at least an 80% certainty that Hong Luan was hiding in this courtyard.

For no other reason than that this large courtyard was eerily quiet.

Jiang Lan didn't know the identity of the owner of this courtyard, but being able to live in the Inner City, at the very least, there would definitely be no shortage of servants and maids.

It was late morning; not to mention it was time to work, but those servants and maids couldn't possibly all be hiding in their rooms sleeping.

"Creak—"

Just then, a grating sound of a door opening rang out.

Jiang Lan's heart stirred, and he quickly dodged behind a rockery.

Looking towards the source of the door opening sound, Jiang Lan's eyes narrowed.

What emerged was a man dressed as a servant, carrying a large wooden bucket.

However, Jiang Lan's attention was not on the wooden bucket, but on the man's face.

He recognized this person; it was clearly Huang Ming, the prisoner who was released three days ago.

But at this moment, Huang Ming's face was blank, his eyes lifeless, as if his soul had been extracted, and he was just carrying the wooden bucket, walking forward mechanically step by step.

Under Jiang Lan's gaze, in a short while, he walked to the pond where the plump Koi were kept.

"Splash—"

All the liquid in the wooden bucket was poured into the pond.

Jiang Lan saw clearly that the liquid was crimson, indistinguishable in color from human blood.

The crimson liquid entered the pond, instantly dyeing the small pond a light red.

The water surface immediately churned.

The Koi in the pond were like jackals smelling blood, swimming en masse towards the still not completely dissolved red, their mouths opening and closing, constantly swallowing and spitting.

Jiang Lan's eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary people; he could clearly see that the red was rapidly fading, and in a short while, the entire pond returned to its previous clarity.

He stood behind the rockery, unmoving.

Watching Huang Ming carry the bucket and return to the house, Jiang Lan then emerged from behind the rockery and came to the pond.

A faint scent of blood drifted into his nostrils.

It was indeed blood.

The few Koi in the pond were now swimming even more joyfully, and the red on their bodies seemed a few shades brighter than before.

Jiang Lan stared at the pond, lost in thought.

This place was quite eerie.

"Creak—"

Just as he was pondering, the door was opened again.

Instantly, Jiang Lan's figure vanished from its original spot, and when he reappeared, he was already behind the rockery.

The person who came out was still Huang Ming, and at this moment, the wooden bucket in his hand was once again full.

He repeated his previous actions, walked to the edge of the pond, and poured all the fresh blood from the wooden bucket.

"Splash—"

The pond boiled again, and the Koi eagerly opened their mouths, as if afraid that if they were a step late, they wouldn't get to eat.

At this moment, Jiang Lan was already pressed against Huang Ming's back.

As Huang Ming turned around, Jiang Lan, like his shadow, reappeared behind him, without making a sound, completely unnoticed by Huang Ming.

Following Huang Ming step by step to the room door, Jiang Lan watched him push open the door and followed him into the house.

Inside the house, it was as quiet as the courtyard.

Only in the very center stood a half-human-tall large wooden bucket, filled with crimson liquid.

Jiang Lan was thoughtful, thinking that the original occupants of this courtyard were now all in this wooden bucket.

He no longer hid, stepping forward to stand in front of Huang Ming.

But Huang Ming seemed not to see him at all, his face still blank, his eyes only on the large wooden bucket, walking step by step towards the center of the room.

"Thump."

He bumped into Jiang Lan, his eyes vacant, turned to the side slightly, and continued walking towards the wooden bucket.

Stepping in front of the wooden bucket, he picked up the bucket in his hand, scooped it into the large wooden bucket, and a large amount of crimson liquid was scooped into his bucket.

Jiang Lan's eyes flickered for a moment.

Was his mind clouded? Or had he already become a Puppet?

Under normal circumstances, seeing a living person appear in front of him, even if he wasn't startled, it was impossible for him to have no reaction at all, right?

But this Huang Ming seemed not to have seen him at all, and continued to do his own thing.

This was very strange.

Although Huang Ming was a bit strange three days ago, compared to now, it was a huge difference.

Just then, Jiang Lan's ears twitched.

A faint, almost imperceptible moan entered his ears.

"Woo woo..."