Chapter 190 - 8: Brothel, Drinking, Investigating the Case

Chapter 190: Chapter 8: Brothel, Drinking, Investigating the Case

"What were you dreaming about? Was it some dashing gentleman who paid to set you free?" another, slightly older woman immediately teased.

Her words immediately drew a chorus of sweet laughter from the surrounding women.

The face of the girl in the green skirt flushed slightly, and she scoffed.

"Oh, get out of here! What are you talking about? I’ve just been dreaming about men lately, and it’s a total mess—all sorts of them."

"Heh, I’d say you’re just a little hussy. Isn’t serving men all day enough for you? Now you’re dreaming about it at night, too?"

"Yeah, yeah! Sounds like she’s desperate for a man!"

The women burst into another round of laughter, and the conversation soon shifted to new rouges and powders.

The seemingly ordinary chat ended just like that.

No one there took the playful banter seriously.

Except for Chen Ye.

His hand, holding the wine cup, stopped in mid-air.

His expression remained calm, but a sharp glint suddenly lit up in his eyes.

’Dreams?’

’Dreaming of men?’

Those words struck him like a bolt of lightning, instantly clearing the fog in his mind.

’That’s it!’

’The problem isn’t in the real world—it’s in their dreams!’

’I’ve been looking for clues in the real world, searching for Demon Qi and Ghost Qi. That was the wrong approach from the very beginning!’

’The culprit doesn’t act in reality at all. It strikes within the target’s dreams, draining their Essence, Qi, and Spirit bit by bit!’

This would explain why no traces could be found at the scenes or on the bodies.

Chen Ye’s heart began to beat faster.

Not from nervousness, but from excitement!

’I’ve finally found a lead!’

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, and his gaze fell once again on the green-skirted girl who had been complaining about her dreams.

At this moment, the girl was chatting happily with her sisters, completely unaware of Chen Ye’s scrutiny.

Chen Ye didn’t approach her immediately.

He knew this wasn’t the time to alert the enemy. He needed more evidence to confirm his suspicions.

So Chen Ye paid his bill and quietly left the Drunken Spring Building.

After returning to the inn, Chen Ye didn’t rest. Instead, he sat cross-legged on his bed, calming his Heart Spirit and carefully reviewing all the information he had gathered over the past few days.

The deceased were all men who had been patrons of the Drunken Spring Building. The cause of death was a complete loss of Yang Qi, and they all had eerie smiles on their faces before they died. The people inside the Drunken Spring Building seemed to be fine.

Now there was a new clue: the women in the building were having strange dreams.

Connecting all the clues, a bold theory began to form in Chen Ye’s mind.

The culprit might not be one of the traditional Demons, Ghosts, and Evil Spirits.

But rather, some unknown entity capable of manipulating dreams and feeding on human Essence Qi.

It was using the Drunken Spring Building as its lair, and the women inside as bait and conduits.

When male patrons came into contact with the women, it would secretly plant some kind of mark on them.

Then, using the women’s dreams as a springboard, it would invade the dreams of the marked male patrons.

In their dreams, it would weave a blissful Illusion Realm for its targets, causing them to be unknowingly drained of all their Yang Qi amidst endless pleasure.

Until they were completely depleted and died suddenly.

And through this method, it continuously absorbed nutrients to strengthen itself.

This theory explained almost all the suspicious points perfectly.

The more Chen Ye thought about it, the more horrified he became.

But what kind of being could possess such bizarre methods?

「The next day.」

Chen Ye didn’t return to the Drunken Spring Building. He changed into a set of inconspicuous clothes and began to wander around the building, secretly observing every woman who came out.

Soon, Chen Ye locked onto the girl in the green skirt from last night who had complained about her dreams, and he began to follow her secretly.

The girl didn’t return to the rear courtyard of the Drunken Spring Building. Instead, she turned into a nearby alley and entered a very ordinary-looking house.

It seemed not all the women lived in the building.

Chen Ye waited at the mouth of the alley for a long time, until night had fallen and the lights in the house went out.

He knew the time had come.

With a flicker of movement, he silently vaulted into the courtyard and approached the girl’s window.

Chen Ye held his breath and gently pressed his ear against the paper of the window.

The room was quiet; he could only hear the sound of even, steady breathing.

The girl in the green skirt was clearly fast asleep.

Chen Ye didn’t act rashly. He was waiting, waiting for the thing to reveal itself.

Time passed, second by second. The surrounding alley was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

Just as Chen Ye’s patience was about to run out, something strange suddenly happened!

He keenly sensed an extremely faint yet incredibly bizarre wave of Energy suddenly spreading out from the direction of the Drunken Spring Building.

This fluctuation was formless and intangible; an ordinary person would never be able to detect it.

It was like an invisible net, instantly blanketing the entire area.

Immediately after, Chen Ye felt a minuscule wisp of Energy silently probe the room in front of him.

’It’s here!’

Chen Ye’s spirit surged, and his eyes instantly glowed with a bloody light!

Bloody Vision!

In his field of vision, the entire world transformed.

He saw a wisp of gray, smoke-like energy extending from the direction of the Drunken Spring Building. It passed through the wall and precisely connected to the space between the sleeping girl’s eyebrows.

And between the girl’s eyebrows was an extremely faint, almost imperceptible mark that was resonating with the gray mist.

Through this connection, Chen Ye could even vaguely see risqué scenes unfolding within the girl’s dream.

Meanwhile, the gray mist split into several thicker branches, extending out toward different parts of the city.

Chen Ye understood at once.

’Those branches must be connected to the unlucky bastards who’ve been marked!’

’This damn thing hiding in the shadows is using these women as base stations to launch remote dream attacks on its prey!’

But what shocked Chen Ye most was the source of this gray mist.

It didn’t come from any single person or object in the Drunken Spring Building.

But... from the Drunken Spring Building itself!