Chapter 3: The Ruined Temple

Chen Fei searched the two men's bodies, finding only a few copper coins. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Chen Fei glanced at the surrounding terrain and ran toward the southeast.

Night fell. Inside a dilapidated temple, the scent of meat wafted through the air, accompanied by the occasional sound of conversation.

Legend had it that a deity once lived on Pingyin Mountain, capable of overturning rivers and seas, omnipotent. Later, a temple dedicated to this deity was built on the mountain, though it was never particularly efficacious.

After only a few years, it fell into complete disrepair, becoming a temporary shelter for those spending the night on Pingyin Mountain.

Chen Fei carefully turned the rabbit meat over the branches. He had been lucky enough to catch a rabbit. At this moment, several handymen from the medical clinic were chatting while casting longing glances at the rabbit meat from time to time.

The medical clinic’s meals never included fish or meat; if one wanted to eat meat, they had to buy it themselves. But with a handyman’s wages, they couldn't even taste meat once a month.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A knocking sound echoed. One of the handymen went to open the door. As the cold wind blew in, Chen Fei instinctively glanced toward the door, his eyes narrowing slightly before he looked away.

"Great, rabbit meat! I was starving," Qi Chun said, overjoyed at the sight of the roasted rabbit.

"Just you? I thought the others were with you," the handyman who opened the door asked, looking outside with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know," Qi Chun replied, shaking his head as he sat on the ground, watching the rabbit meat that was nearly cooked.

"Crackle!"

The firewood, still damp, let out a sharp popping sound.

Seeming to find the silence a bit awkward, Qi Chun spoke up: "Guess what happened to me today? Once you hear this, you’ll definitely cheer!"

"What happened? Let's hear it," the other handymen said, their interest piqued.

"No rush, I happen to have something to say as well," Chen Fei suddenly interjected. "Do you know how I caught this rabbit today?"

Everyone turned to look at Chen Fei. The faint aroma of meat wafting under their noses made them increasingly restless.

Chen Fei stood up, looked at the group, and said: "Rabbits are agile; at the slightest sign of trouble, they run away immediately. Therefore, when you see a rabbit, don't make a sound. Approach slowly, and then do this..."

"Swish!"

A flash of light streaked through the dilapidated temple. Qi Chun stared blankly at Chen Fei, and the next moment, Qi Chun's head rolled onto the ground.

"Ah!"

The other handymen screamed in shock, looking at Chen Fei in disbelief. Chen Fei had killed someone—and right in front of them.

The crucial point was that they had no idea why Chen Fei would kill Qi Chun, and that was the most terrifying part.

Chen Fei didn't speak. He stared at the spot where Qi Chun’s neck had been; it didn't look like normal flesh and blood.

"Everyone, run!"

Chen Fei roared. Before leaving, he used his wood-chopping knife to hook the money pouch from Qi Chun’s waist, then bolted out of the temple without looking back.

"Hehehe!"

A gloomy laugh echoed through the temple. The other handymen, as if waking from a dream, saw the headless body stand up on its own. Realizing what was happening, they all fled the temple in terror.

Chen Fei’s expression was grim. He hadn't expected to actually run into a ghost on Pingyin Mountain. Fortunately, he had broken through to the Skin Tempering Realm during the day, which gave him some sensitivity to this kind of eerie aura.

Otherwise, if he had stayed in the temple, he didn't know what might have happened.

The most important thing now was to return to Pingyin County overnight. In the county seat, supernatural occurrences were rare, rumored to be because the county government office possessed a treasure that suppressed them.

Chen Fei didn't know if it was true, but he only wanted to get back as quickly as possible to be safe.

"Chen Fei, my neck hurts so much. That slash of yours hurt so much!"

A ghostly voice came from behind. Chen Fei’s expression shifted. Wasn't it said that after practicing martial arts, one's life-blood would be vigorous, and ghosts would target those with weaker life-blood first?

How had it caught up so quickly? Unless the other handymen were all dead?

Chen Fei ran with all his might. After reaching the Skin Tempering Realm, his stamina and speed had increased significantly; if he were being chased by an ordinary person, he would have shaken them off by now. But no matter how fast he ran, the cold, eerie aura behind him kept dragging at him.

"The Jishan Martial Arts Hall said that a martial artist's life-blood can resist ghosts. I have the realm, but I know very little about how to mobilize my life-blood."

Chen Fei looked at the "uninitiated" Jishan Fist on his panel. He also pulled out Qi Chun’s money pouch; it contained over two taels of silver, which was quite unexpected.

"Panel, simplify Jishan Fist!"

"Simplifying Jishan Fist... Simplification successful... Jishan Fist → Waving hands!"

Waving hands?

Before Chen Fei could understand what "waving hands" meant, insights into Jishan Fist suddenly appeared in his mind, and they came at an incredibly fast speed.

Chen Fei instinctively looked at the panel.

[Technique: Jishan Fist (Entry 23/100)]

The number 23 turned into 24 in the blink of an eye, then continued to climb. Chen Fei looked at his own arms; as he was running vigorously, weren't his arms waving?

Chen Fei couldn't help but exclaim; this simplification was on par with breathing techniques.

"Chen Fei, do you know where my head went?"

Qi Chun’s voice sounded right behind Chen Fei’s ear, as if he were pressed against his back. He could even feel the air exhaled while speaking.

Chen Fei’s expression changed, and he threw a punch backward. The various mysteries of Jishan Fist flowed through his mind, and the temperature of his fist rose rapidly.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Qi Chun shrieked. The spot on his chest that had been struck was now charred black.

"It works!"

Chen Fei’s eyes brightened. Instead of running, he gripped his wood-chopping knife and charged back at Qi Chun.

After entering the Jishan Fist, Chen Fei had a rough understanding of how to use his life-blood. He channeled it into the knife, and after a few slashes, Qi Chun’s limbs were severed.

"How are you so strong!"

Qi Chun shrieked miserably, but Chen Fei remained unmoved, swinging his knife repeatedly.

"Don't kill me! If you kill me, you won't survive either!"

Chen Fei’s movements paused for a split second. Qi Chun was definitely just a small fry; there might truly be some greater entity behind him. But if he didn't kill Qi Chun now, would Qi Chun let him go?

"Stop! I'll tell you how to survive!"

Qi Chun shouted, but he was met with Chen Fei’s blade.

At first, Qi Chun could still scream, but as his flesh dissolved, he could no longer make a sound. At a certain moment, Chen Fei, who had been swinging the knife mechanically, realized that Qi Chun had turned into a pile of ash.

"So that's how you kill a ghost!"

Chen Fei muttered to himself. Just as he was about to turn around, a sharp pain stung his wrist. He lifted his wrist to find a thin black line appearing there.

With no time to dwell on this sudden mark, Chen Fei ran toward Pingyin County.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei finally saw the city walls of Pingyin County.