Chapter 243: Secret Chamber? Reuniting with Pan Li!

However, Li Qingluo quickly discovered the strangeness and abnormality of these corpses.

These corpses happen to all be women.

Although the corpses are not rotted, their cheeks are sunken, and from the neck down, they are mostly just skin clinging to bones, emaciated; it looks as if they were drained of blood while alive…

Li Qingluo turned the fire striker in her hand to another direction, and when she met a pair of eyes that could still move, she couldn't help but jump in fright: "Ah!!!"

Hehe… haha…

The other party stared at her, tilted her head, and smiled strangely.

Li Qingluo shoved herself backward, then again sized up the living person before her…

She is a young lady.

Her hair hung sparsely, she had lost most of her teeth, her face was covered in blotchy acne, her true age indiscernible, but she looked gravely ill!

Moreover, her mental state was not quite normal; she crouched with her feet and placed her hands on the ground like a dog.

Upon seeing Li Qingluo, her hands and feet truly moved like an animal's, coming toward her together.

Li Qingluo immediately drew her dagger and shouted, "Don't come over!"

Seeing the dagger, this person was indeed frightened.

After clutching her head and letting out a startled cry, her face instantly turned pallid; she turned her head and leapt into a corner, squeezing herself tightly behind a corpse to hide.

It's good that she's afraid.

Li Qingluo kept gripping the dagger in her hand.

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from behind the wall: "Hey, is anyone next door?"

Upon hearing that sound, Li Qingluo immediately replied, "Who are you?"

Just thinking that there was someone awake and able to speak on the other side of the wall, Li Qingluo was completely convinced she wasn't dreaming.

"I am the eldest daughter of the Pan Manor, Pan Li. And you?"

Pan Li!?

How was she also captured?

Li Qingluo fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I am Li Qingluo."

Indeed, instead of the expected scolding or mockery, a low exclamation came: "Is it you? Luo… it's you, Miss Li? How could it be you?"

Li Qingluo: "I saw you on the street and intended to go find you, but I lost consciousness in an instant."

Pan Li was very surprised: "That person was you? No wonder… you were wearing a veil, I didn't recognize you."

I want to see you, Luo… Miss Li, see if you can find a gap to get out; I'll also try to figure something out—let's meet.

Li Qingluo immediately replied, "Okay."

Soon after, Pan Li transmitted a startled cry, possibly because she also touched something like a corpse next door.

Li Qingluo didn't have time to comfort her; she quickly stood up and felt around the walls.

Since she could get in, she must be able to get out.

Indeed, she soon felt a crack in the wall, which appeared to be a stone door.

But where is the mechanism to open it?

Before Li Qingluo could figure it out, footsteps sounded outside, and with a "Boom—", the stone door opened just then.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Qingluo immediately put away her fire striker, then turned and leaned against the wall with her dagger in hand.

A black shadow entered, holding a dim yellow oil lamp.

Li Qingluo silently lunged forward, grabbed the person, raised her dagger, and was about to slash their throat.

But obviously the other person was not ordinary either; they seized her wrist and twisted it hard, causing Li Qingluo's dagger to clatter to the floor.

Then they turned and gave Li Qingluo a heavy punch to the stomach.

Li Qingluo let out a muffled groan; in pain, she involuntarily bent over.

Still trying to sneak attack me? You actually have weapons hidden on you—damn it!

Judging by the voice, this person turned out to be a woman as well.

Relying on her tall, sturdy build and believing her absolute strength had subdued Li Qingluo, she lifted her leg to kick her hard again.

But Li Qingluo suddenly reached out; with a "Whoosh—", her sleeve arrow shot, striking the opponent's leg before they could react.

Then she swiftly leapt onto the person, quickly unfastened the bracelet on her wrist, and wrapped it around their neck.

You…

The opponent widened their eyes, one hand frantically striking Li Qingluo while the other struggled to glare fiercely at the woman before them.

Gradually, the opponent's breathing slowed, and Li Qingluo, following their collapsing body, fell to the ground again.

This person never imagined, even in death, that the woman captured today would wake so early and hide so many concealed weapons on her person.

This was the first time they had brought back someone like this.

They never expected that the first to cause a death would be their own guard's fate…

Li Qingluo stepped forward, picked up her dagger, kicked the burning oil lamp to one side, then quickly went out the door to the outside.

This was a pitch-black, deep corridor with no visible end.

Li Qingluo saw a lamp on the wall, immediately took it down, held it in her hand and lit it, then walked toward the neighboring room.

She felt around the wall for a long time but found none of the expected mechanisms.

Until Pan Li's voice came from inside: "Try feeling the lamp fixture on the wall?"

Lamp fixture?

On the bare wall, only the lamp fixture could conceal a mechanism.

Li Qingluo tried nudging it, then twisting it; finally looking at the lamp in her hand, she propped her foot up and placed the lamp back where it was.

With a "Click—", the stone door shifted.

It turned out that the switch to activate it was just placing the lit lamp on the lamp stand—I really hadn't expected that.

Pan Li behind the door sprang out at once, saw Li Qingluo, was overcome with excitement, and flung herself into an embrace.

"Lu'er, there are so many dead bodies behind the door! How—how are you over there?"

Li Qingluo smiled at her: "There are a few as well. Miss Pan, we two……when did we become so familiar that you call me Lu'er?"

Pan Li's expression stiffened at those words.

"This… I… we've met several times after all, Miss Li won't mind, will she?"

Li Qingluo: "I don't mind. But after we escape, I'll slowly settle this score with you!"

She gave Pan Li a glare; Pan Li looked terrified: "Settle a score with me? Why? When have I offended Miss Li?"

Li Qingluo: "Miss Pan hasn't offended. But some people have."

Li Qingluo said this while observing Pan Li's expression; seeing Pan Li completely stunned, Li Qingluo curled her lips.

Heh, letting her agonize over this for so long—she really deserves a good beating.

But now isn't the time to talk about this; Li Qingluo asked Pan Li: "How long have those people in your room been dead?"

Pan Li came to her senses, she shook her head: "I don't know. I have no matches on me, I couldn't see clearly at all—I just… just felt them."

Li Qingluo then quickly went back in once more.

Much like her side, there were six corpses, all female.

Likewise, their faces were bluish, their bodies withered, skin clinging to bone.

After Pan Li followed her in and came out, her face turned deathly pale.

"Their corpses aren't rotting at all—could they have just died…?"

Li Qingluo: "Probably not. Maybe they took some medicine that prevented decay. And you haven't noticed—these corpses have no stench of decay, have you?"

Upon hearing that, Pan Li quickly realized: "That's right!"

Li Qingluo led Pan Li forward, holding up the lamp.

"Where is this, do you know?"

"Also, were you abducted on the street? Do you have any idea who did it?"

Pan Li hesitated a moment, and Li Qingluo immediately saw through it: "You don't trust me? If we're even slightly careless, we could both meet our end here today—have you considered that?"

"Just what place is this, do you know?"

Pressed with relentless questioning, Pan Li could no longer conceal the truth and blurted out: "This is the Pei household!"

Li Qingluo: "What?"

Pan Li: "If I'm not mistaken……this is indeed the Pei household. Do you believe me? Although I can't explain it clearly right now, I truly know this is the Pei household…"

Li Qingluo: "I believe you."

She grasped Pan Li's hand and told her firmly, "Pan Li, no matter what you say—no matter how bizarre, shocking, outrageous, or astonishing—I will believe it."

"You say this is the Pei household, so I naturally believe it as well."

Pan Li's eyes instantly reddened.

She was about to say more when faint voices came from ahead.

Li Qingluo and Pan Li, having nowhere to hide, quickly lit the lamp on a nearby stand, then snatched it up and darted into a stone door that had just swung open.

The stone door had just shut when faint voices came from outside: "What's up with the green lamp? We've waited a while and there's been no movement."

"We need to hurry up—quickly take these two out first; the third master wants them urgently."

Another chimed in: "Why the rush? The dozen or so we sent out from the palace last time weren't all dealt with just a few days ago?"

"These days the old master's been demanding more and more, and with such a big operation… could it attract the Court of Justice's attention? I'd say the two we brought back today don't look like ordinary young ladies from a common household."

The earlier man snorted coldly: "What's it to you to worry about all this?"

"We just obey the third master's orders; of course we'll get our share of the benefits."

"Otherwise, the Pei mansion's maidservants have been dying off in batches—do you really think no one would notice the Pei family?"

"This time, that masked woman was spotted by the third master on the street; he pointed her out and said he'd been looking for her for days."

"As for the Pan family's young lady, she's someone a noble patron asked the third master to fetch; we just need to bring her out and hand her over to the third master."

"Oh no! Heavens… the green lamp's dead!"

"Quick, call someone—this masked young lady in the room killed the green lamp and fled—ah!! What thing!!"

"It's a monster—quick, let go of me—ah——"

After several successive screams, the outside fell silent.

Li Qingluo looked at Pan Li, who was also staring at her; the two faced each other.

Pan Li suddenly shuddered: "I… I'm a bit scared……"

Li Qingluo: "You're not afraid of death, so what's there to fear in this world? Come on!"

Having said that, Li Qingluo pulled Pan Li up, glanced at the wall, saw there was likewise a lamp stand, and placed the lit lamp she was holding onto it.

After going out, the two hurried back to the room Li Qingluo had been staying in.

Seeing indeed two more corpses lying on the floor, Li Qingluo immediately raised the lamp to shine toward the corner.

"Is it you? Don't be afraid, come out. I've put my dagger away."

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman hiding behind the corpses in the corner crawled out.

Her mouth, chin, neck, and even her entire chest were drenched in fresh blood; Pan Li glanced at the corpses on the floor, seeing the blurred bite marks on their faces and necks, and instantly understood how she had killed these two.

Although her appearance was horrifying and strangely, Pan Li indeed felt no fear of her.

Moreover, she gazed at the two of them with a timid look and even flashed a placating smile.

This scene was truly eerie and somewhat nauseating.

Li Qingluo: "Are you someone who was captured, or are you actually a member of the Pei family?"