Chapter 31: Suppressing the Dragon and Elephant

The cowhide must be quite old; it appeared very smooth, as if it had been caressed by countless hands. Yet, despite this, the overall material of the hide remained undamaged.

"It doesn't seem like ordinary yellow cattle hide. A demon beast?"

Certain strange tales flashed through Chen Fei's mind. Rumor had it that in this world, besides the "weirdness," there were actually demon beasts.

Much like the human-related weirdness, demon beasts could also cultivate themselves. Not only were they intelligent, but their strength was also immense.

However, there were no demon beasts within Pingyin County, though the weirdness appeared frequently.

An hour later, Chen Fei rubbed his eyes and lifted his head.

He had finished reading the cultivation technique on the cowhide, but he felt somewhat lost. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed vastly different from ordinary cultivation methods.

If Chen Fei were to attempt to practice it normally, he wouldn't even know where to begin.

He wondered how Jian Liang had managed to derive that "Surging Waves" technique from this cowhide. Or perhaps, Jian Liang's technique didn't originate from this hide at all, but from some other method.

It was simply that Jian Liang knew the technique recorded on this hide was precious, so he carried it with him, taking it out to study from time to time.

Chen Fei looked at the cowhide and gave it a slight, forceful tug, but it didn't budge. His expression shifted slightly; he took his sword blade, pressed it against the hide, and began to apply pressure.

Even when Chen Fei exerted his full strength, the cowhide showed no sign of damage.

"No wonder he kept the hide against his chest; he must have known its defensive capabilities."

A realization dawned on Chen Fei, though in the end, Jian Liang had not utilized the hide's defense.

At that moment, Chen Fei's first strike had pierced directly through the center of the chest, and the second had pierced the throat. Chen Fei's instinctive thought had been that most people would carefully protect their hearts, but he hadn't expected that his aim would accidentally hit the mark.

【Cultivation Technique: Dragon-Suppressing Elephant (Not yet mastered)】

"Fifty thousand taels of silver... such an exaggerated simplification fee!"

Looking at the information prompted on the panel, Chen Fei's mouth twitched in a sour grimace.

However, this also reflected the power and the difficulty of cultivating this technique. Chen Fei's current killing move, "Immortal's Path," had only cost him five hundred taels back then.

This was a direct hundredfold difference. Even with Chen Fei's current rate of earning money, it would take a very long time to accumulate, and he wouldn't be able to spend it in the meantime.

"It seems I won't be able to practice it in the short term," Chen Fei shook his head helplessly.

Early the next morning, several severed heads were hanging from the north gate of Pingyin County, and Jian Liang was prominently among them.

The entire Pingyin County reacted violently, especially the newly arrived refugees; a few individuals looked particularly grim. Some were bandits, while others were petty thieves.

The attitude of the Pingyin County magistrate's office was also quite clear: intimidation.

A case had just been closed, and within two days, the magistrate's office had dispatched men to suppress the group. Although many had escaped, many others were killed. Jian Liang's head, in particular, sent shivers through the hearts of some bandits.

This was their Third Leader. He had clearly broken through the encirclement last night, yet he still couldn't escape death in the end.

"Big Brother, why don't we withdraw from Pingyin County first? Last time, Third Brother was cornered, and now it's turned into this. There must be a master tracker in Pingyin County; our simple disguises won't be able to evade their eyes."

"We haven't avenged Third Brother yet, and you want me to leave now?" Ling Hanjun's gaze instantly turned fierce.

"I'm just worried..."

*Slap!*

With a dull thud, Ling Hanjun struck the man down with one hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Investigate! No matter what method is required, find out that person's identity. I want him to pay in blood!"

Ling Hanjun roared. Seeing the others trembling in fear, he took a deep breath and said, "Leave a few people behind; the rest of you, exit the city in batches!"

The others dared not disobey. They complied and began searching for the person who killed Jian Liang.

As night fell, Chen Fei appeared in the black market wearing a different appearance. However, he did not see any trace of that group of bandits. This was mainly because Chen Fei only had a strong impression of a few individuals; with the others intentionally disguised, they were difficult to identify.

Having failed to obtain the desired information, Chen Fei unexpectedly saw a bounty poster. The face on it was exactly the one he had specifically transformed into the previous night.

Providing useful information would earn one thousand taels; capturing the person would earn five thousand taels directly. Such a massive sum would likely be irresistible to almost anyone.

"This black market clearly has the backing of the magistrate's office. To think those bandits actually placed a bounty here."

Chen Fei shook his head slightly, realizing just how much this group of bandits wanted to kill him.

As he turned to leave the black market, he realized he was being tailed. Chen Fei intentionally took several detours before finally shaking the person off.

Returning to his courtyard, Chen Fei began practicing his swordplay.

Since the bandits could not be found, Chen Fei had no other way. Fortunately, their attention was focused on finding him, and with the magistrate's office on high alert throughout the city, he should be able to enjoy a few days of peace.

As time passed day by day, the refugees gradually became true residents of Pingyin County, and the county stabilized. No one was being murdered at night anymore. The only exception was the bounty on the bandit, which had actually increased to eight thousand taels.

It seemed that the eyes of all martial artists were drawn to this bounty.

There was no other reason—it was simply too much money.

"What is the point of this? It couldn't be for that cowhide, could it?"

Chen Fei suddenly had a realization. That technique was indeed strange. After reading it last time, he had already forgotten most of it; in a while, he would likely forget it entirely.

Upon discovering this phenomenon, Chen Fei had specifically recorded the "Dragon-Suppressing Elephant" technique onto paper. As a result, something that made him gasp in shock occurred: the characters on the paper would mysteriously vanish a few words every day.

"What is the principle behind this?"

Chen Fei was somewhat bewildered. No wonder the technique had to be recorded on that cowhide, and no wonder it had to be kept close to the body. Before mastering the technique, he would likely have to read the words on the hide from time to time.

"I have the panel, and the technique is already recorded. In that case, can I sell this cowhide?"

Chen Fei pondered privately, realizing he had gained another layer of understanding regarding this world. However, it seemed there were no buyers for this cowhide in Pingyin County.

Or rather, even if there were buyers, how could Chen Fei protect the silver he obtained after the sale?

"For now, I'll just use it as a heart-protecting mirror."

Chen Fei shook his head, casting the matter aside to immerse himself in practicing his swordplay.

As time went on, Chen Fei had integrated the third set of sword techniques, and his proficiency was steadily increasing. His cultivation was progressing steadily, but he could not break through to the Bone Tempering Realm in the short term.

However, his experiments with the Light Spirit Pill were gradually yielding results. Perhaps in a while, Chen Fei would be able to refine the Light Spirit Pill himself.

"Come out! You're coming with me!"

The door to the alchemy room was kicked open, and Zhang Yuezhen walked in, just in time to see Chen Fei's medicinal pill causing an explosion in the furnace.

"Disturbances are forbidden during alchemy. That is the rule of the clinic!" Chen Fei's expression was somewhat unpleasant.

"In the North City Clinic, my words are the rules!"

Zhang Yuezhen waved her hand to interrupt Chen Fei, showing him no respect at all. "Stop talking nonsense. Go to the Zhang family estate!"

"Move quickly, otherwise, if the Eldest Miss blames you, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Shan Xiang looked at Chen Fei and urged him unceremoniously.