Chapter 548: Private Room

"What on earth is going on?!" Li Ruohong, still unaware of what had happened, watched all the guests rush out of the dance hall in terror. He turned his head, surveying his surroundings. Aided by the occasional flashes of lightning outside the window, he slowly walked towards the chaotic center of the dance floor.

He looked down in confusion at the pool of blood and pieces of flesh on the floor, carefully recalling the scene from moments ago. He vaguely remembered that for a fleeting moment, the bodyguard's body had appeared there, yet he hadn't touched the man at all, and then, in the blink of an eye, the body was gone.

"Was it a hallucination? That couldn't be right..." Li Ruohong looked around, noticing a few timid waiters still hiding in the corners. Even his other bodyguard, who had been with him all along, and the dance hall manager were now staring at him with terror-stricken faces, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Hey! What are you hiding for? Get out here!!" Li Ruohong roared. The few people instantly flinched in fear. But seeing the blood-stained blade in his hand, and recalling the scene where a single slash sent someone flying over ten meters, they cautiously took a few steps forward.

Noticing their gaze, Li Ruohong realized he was still holding the short knife. He immediately clanged it onto the floor beside him and walked towards them.

As he walked, they retreated, which provoked Li Ruohong into a furious outburst: "What are you hiding from??"

No sooner had Li Ruohong finished speaking than his peripheral vision caught his reflection in the nearby glass. As a pale bolt of lightning flashed, his blood-splattered face was clearly reflected before his eyes, startling him greatly in an instant!

Li Ruohong instinctively backed away a few steps from the glass. Only then did he recover his senses. He vigorously wiped his face twice with his hands, only to find them covered in reeking, fresh blood.

"W-what... what's going on?"

"B-boss... why did you kill Fu Sheng?" the sole remaining bodyguard asked, his face pale.

"I killed him? I didn't kill him! I just wanted to push him... he flew out on his own!" Li Ruohong replied instinctively. "Who told him to find me annoying? I just spoke to him a bit more, and he dared to talk back to me..."

The bodyguard's face grew even paler!

"Oh, by the way, where is Fu Sheng?" Li Ruohong looked around.

"You killed him!"

"I already told you! I didn't kill him!! I just pushed him a little; how could he die?! Is he hiding?"

"He's dead, we all saw it! His body vanished in the blink of an eye... it was as if, as if the floor ate him." As they spoke, their gazes fell upon the pool of mangled flesh and blood, their voices growing fainter.

"The floor ate him? Nonsense!" Li Ruohong didn't believe any of it. In his opinion, the bodyguard named Fu Sheng must have held a grudge against him and was using this method to get revenge. But what he couldn't understand was why, out of nowhere, blood was seeping through the floorboards.

Washed by the heavy rain, the bloodstains on the floorboards gradually faded, turning back into normal rainwater. But Li Ruohong's expression turned grim, as if he had just thought of something.

"Could it be...?" Li Ruohong turned to the few waiters and said, "I'm going upstairs to check. Don't follow me. Also, quickly clean this place up... Don't spread any of that nonsense about murder or ghosts. What happened today, keep it absolutely to yourselves, understand?"

The few people exchanged glances and lowered their heads in silence.

Li Ruohong didn't have time to waste with them. At this moment, the unease in his heart grew stronger. He pulled out a kerosene lamp from a cabinet, one he hadn't used in a long time, and lit it. Then, guided by its light, he walked step by step towards the second floor.

On the second floor's private rooms, no one remained either. This area was not generally open to the public; without proper identity or status, one couldn't even enter. Among the several private rooms on this floor, one was particularly unique. It was located in the deepest part, with no external windows or corridors, and no one except Li Ruohong had ever entered it.

Li Ruohong stopped at the entrance of private room 001. The dim, yellow light reflected his anxious face. After taking a deep breath, he still pushed the private room door open.

Inside the room was a spacious VIP chamber. Luxurious sofas surrounded an imported carpet. Another kerosene lamp flickered softly on the coffee table, its halo silently illuminating a corner of the room. However, within his line of sight, he couldn't see any figures.

Li Ruohong was startled. Before he could react, a cold glint instantly emerged from the corner, pressed precisely against his throat!

It was a knife wrapped in grayish-white bandages. Crooked, blood-red characters were inscribed on the bandages. It didn't look like a weapon of war but rather some kind of sacrificial tool. Yet its sharp blade was easily capable of slitting Li Ruohong's throat. Even though it was only pressed against his skin, fresh blood slowly trickled down the blade.

Li Ruohong's body instantly stiffened. He stammered, "T-two, two emissaries... It's me, Li Ruohong!"

Recognizing his face, the figure holding the knife in the corner's shadow slowly lowered the blade, and the killing intent in their eyes relaxed slightly.

"Li Ruohong, what's going on outside?"

"Not only did the power suddenly go out, but there's also all this commotion... I thought the people from the Transient Realm Painting were tracking us down." From another corner, a second figure slowly emerged. It was a man entirely cloaked in a black robe. The hood of his robe was embroidered with various strange symbols, making him appear mysterious and inscrutable.

"I don't know either; I was about to ask you," Li Ruohong frowned, looking at the two. "That blood seeping down from the floorboards... wasn't that your doing?"

The two robed figures exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.

"Our primary mission right now is to lie low and establish contact. How could we do something so conspicuous...?"

"...How strange, then what happened?"

Li Ruohong had assumed the recent blood seepage was their work. After all, their divine art was so similar to this phenomenon. Otherwise, he wouldn't have instructed the people downstairs to keep it a secret. Essentially, he wanted to conceal the presence of these two.

Li Ruohong paced around the private room, deep in thought, his eyes filled with anxiety: "Damn it... Although I don't know what's going on, the commotion just now wasn't small. I'm worried the police will come knocking... If that happens, this place won't be safe anymore."

The eyes of the two robed figures sharpened, and they exchanged a glance. "Our teleportation array is ready. If things go wrong, we can evacuate at any moment, so you don't need to worry about that. What's most important now is your uncle's situation. Have you spoken to him?"

"I've already informed him, and he's quite interested in you two. It just so happens that my uncle's birthday banquet is coming up soon. I can use this opportunity to get you into the manor so you can meet him privately."

"That would be best." One of the robed figures nodded. "The Big Dipper Conglomerate is currently the most influential civilian organization in Red Dust City, and it's also the primary target on our contact list... Our Boundless Realm looks forward to collaborating with Elder Mu."