Chapter 29: An Immortal Points the Way

All day long, Pingyin County remained calm and peaceful.

Chen Fei was somewhat puzzled. Did the people in the county magistrate's office not believe his message?

That was a possibility; after all, such a secretive method would be difficult to trust. However, at the very least, the magistrate's office should have sent someone to investigate.

If they had truly investigated with intent, they would have found some clues.

During the day, Chen Fei practiced the Lieshan Sword, occasionally studying the formula for the Light Spirit Pill to give his mind a change of pace.

To say the Light Spirit Pill formula he obtained from Chi Defeng was complete nonsense would be an exaggeration, but to say it had value, very little could be discerned from it.

Fortunately, Chen Fei had a panel. After simplifying the formula, he obtained a set of refining techniques for the Light Spirit Pill.

Every type of pill has many points that require attention during the refining process. This was when the refining techniques would be used to adjust the changes within the pill furnace.

Thus, this set of refining techniques was helpful to Chen Fei. However, the medicinal ingredients required for the next batch of Light Spirit Pills would have to be deduced by Chen Fei himself.

Chen Fei had thought about whether he could buy several similar formulas to try simplifying them, hoping to see if he could gain anything else.

But unfortunately, compared to cultivation manuals, formulas were niche; very few people could use them, and no alchemist would go around buying such nonsensical formulas.

Without a market, no one would bother to compose formulas out of boredom. While cultivation manuals could be a source of entertainment, something as tedious as a pill formula didn't even serve as a distraction.

Therefore, in addition to practicing his swordplay, Chen Fei would take out finished Light Spirit Pills to analyze their medicinal composition. Occasionally, he would refine a few batches to see the results.

As night fell, Chen Fei practiced in his courtyard.

This courtyard was no longer his original one; that residence had already been discovered by Sun Shu. Chen Fei did not know where Sun Shu was currently, and rather than being constantly on guard, it was more peace of mind to move to a new place.

Holding his long sword, Chen Fei moved and pivoted through the courtyard. Amidst the flashing sword light, sword qi faintly swirled around him.

"Kill!"

A voice suddenly drifted from afar. Chen Fei couldn't help but stop and turn his head toward the southeast, where flames were soaring into the sky. Chen Fei's brow twitched; wasn't that direction where the group of bandits was hiding?

"It seems the people from the magistrate's office have made their move!"

Chen Fei stared at the distant flames. The sounds of slaughter drifted in from time to time; though intermittent, Chen Fei could hear the brutality within them.

Aside from the distant fire, the lights in every household along the way had been extinguished. Clearly, the commotion over there had frightened many ordinary people, and at this moment, no one dared to make even the slightest sound.

"That group of bandits actually managed to break through the encirclement!"

Chen Fei's brow furrowed slightly. The sounds of slaughter in the distance began to spread in all directions. Clearly, the magistrate's office had not succeeded in the siege.

The sounds of fighting drew closer. Bandits were rushing toward this direction, with bailiffs chasing behind them. Gradually, the sound faded away; it was unclear whether the bandits had been killed or the bailiffs had been counter-killed.

A few scattered sounds remained, but things were gradually returning to silence. Chen Fei sheathed his long sword and was about to return to his house when three figures suddenly jumped over the courtyard wall.

The three of them froze for a moment when they saw Chen Fei in the courtyard.

"It's him."

Seeing Chen Fei, Jian Liang immediately recognized him as the physician from before. He hadn't expected to meet him here; it was a truly strange twist of fate.

"Who are you!"

Chen Fei took a nervous step back. As if overcome by excessive fear, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Kill him!"

Jian Liang gave the order, then turned cautiously to look outside the courtyard wall. If there was any movement outside, they would likely have to keep running. Those bailiffs were still hot on their heels.

As for the kindness of Chen Fei's previous medical treatment, Jian Liang didn't care at all. Letting them go last time was enough of a mercy. Now that they had met again, Jian Liang had no intention of revealing his true colors; he would simply kill the man.

"He... help..."

Perhaps due to extreme terror, even Chen Fei's cries for help sounded unnaturally hoarse. The two bandits sneered and approached Chen Fei, their blades swinging toward his head.

*Squelch!*

The sound of blades entering flesh rang out. The two bandits froze instantly. Subconsciously, they clutched their throats, where blood was now gushing wildly; the coverage of their palms could not stop the bleeding.

"Gah... gah..."

The sound of breathing mixed with blood emerged from the bandits' mouths, but they could no longer utter any words. The two figures collapsed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

Jian Liang turned around abruptly to see Chen Fei holding his long sword. The terrified expression from moments ago had long since vanished, replaced by absolute calm.

Looking at the two men still twitching on the ground, Jian Liang's eyes narrowed. He looked up at Chen Fei and said, "I didn't expect that I had actually misjudged you!"

"Now you can look closely," Chen Fei said, lightly tapping his long sword to flick the blood away.

"Presumptuous!"

Jian Liang roared. With a blur of movement, he appeared before Chen Fei, his blade turning into a phantom as it reached for Chen Fei's neck.

*Clang!*

The sound of clashing weapons rang out. Chen Fei was pushed back a step by the force. Just as Jian Liang was about to pursue, Chen Fei's long sword thrust toward his face.

*Slash!*

A streak of sword qi flashed through, leaving a bloody gash on Jian Liang's cheek and sending a few strands of hair flying.

A hint of shock appeared in Jian Liang's eyes. Just now, he had almost been pierced through the head by that sword qi. If he hadn't realized something was wrong at the last second and dodged, he would be dead.

After the fear came extreme rage.

An ant he could have crushed with a casual hand, whom he had spared out of pity, had nearly turned the tables on him. How could Jian Liang endure this?

"Die!"

With a roar, veins bulged on Jian Liang's forehead. The blade in his hand seemed to transform into crashing ocean waves, whistling toward Chen Fei.

*Thud!*

With a heavy sound, the sword blocking his front struck Chen Fei in the chest. Chen Fei was slammed against the courtyard wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"I will peel your flesh away, slice by slice!"

Jian Liang's eyes were bloodshot, his blood circulation pushed to the limit. In a few strides, he was before Chen Fei again, his long blade falling once more, the air seemingly filled with the sound of crashing waves.

"Sword Qi Traversing!"

Chen Fei suddenly let out a loud shout, and wisps of sword qi appeared on the blade.

Jian Liang's heart tightened. Recalling Chen Fei's previous sword qi and hearing such a domineering name for a technique, his long blade involuntarily slowed down slightly.

If something truly happened, Jian Liang could react immediately.

*Whoosh!*

There was no "Sword Qi Traversing." Chen Fei stepped forward with his right foot and appeared atop the courtyard wall. In the next instant, he was already running into the distance.

Jian Liang's eyes widened. He knew he had been played. His already furious state of mind completely broke; his blood boiled so violently that beads of blood could be seen seeping from his pores.

Jian Liang shot forward like a bolt, catching up to Chen Fei's back in just a few steps.

"Die!"

Jian Liang raised his blade high, about to swing it down, when a bright light suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Like a white horse passing a crack, it was as if an immortal were pointing the way.

(End of Chapter)