Chapter 35: Cycle

“How did Sun Shu turn into a ghost? He appeared in the city multiple times before, and was even cornered by the Zhang family once. Didn't they say the county magistrate's office had a treasure that could suppress supernatural entities!”

Chen Fei's mind raced, but unfortunately, no one could provide him with an answer.

“Is Sun Shu still over there?”

“He is, and he is indeed injured. But we must finish this quickly; otherwise, if others get word, they will likely arrive soon as well.”

“It's just one Sun Shu. I'll remember this favor!”

“I'll head back and wait for your good news!”

Faint voices suddenly drifted from ahead. Just as a sense of relief washed over Chen Fei, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Why did the content of this conversation sound so familiar?

When Chen Fei arrived ahead and saw the people in the distance, his scalp suddenly went numb.

“Holy shit!”

Chen Fei nearly cursed out loud. In his eyes, Zhang Qiang, Zhang Yuezhen, and the others were currently conversing, with a line of guards following behind Zhang Yuezhen. At the very tail of the group, Chen Fei saw himself.

“Sun Shu, he's appeared! Kill him!”

Zhang Yuezhen suddenly looked toward Chen Fei and shouted loudly, her expression extremely manic. It wasn't just Zhang Yuezhen; the guards, and even Zhang Qiang, were all looking at Chen Fei with bloodshot eyes.

Chen Fei's figure flickered, tracing an arc as he sprinted past this group of things that were neither human nor ghost.

“Sun Shu, you can't run... you can't run, Chen Fei...”

Zhang Yuezhen's voice drifted toward him, indistinctly. At first, she was calling for Sun Shu, but by the end, it had turned into Chen Fei's name. Chen Fei instinctively looked back; the people who were once bright and elegant were now covered in blood.

Zhang Yuezhen had a sword wound on her chest, and her left arm had vanished for some unknown reason. She was now chasing him frantically, the coldness in her eyes making one's skin crawl.

Sprint!

He suddenly activated his movement secret technique, and Chen Fei's speed surged. The encroaching, chilling aura was instantly left far behind.

“Chen Fei... Chen Fei, it hurts so much... you dared to defy your superiors... I'll kill you, kill you...”

Crazy, illogical voices drifted from behind. Chen Fei did not look back again, running desperately toward Pingyin County.

He knew he couldn't handle this group of entities; only by returning to Pingyin County could he save his life.

Fortunately, Chen Fei's movement techniques were indeed exceptional, especially in his sprinting state, far exceeding the Bone Forging Realm and even those entities. After a short while, Chen Fei saw the walls of Pingyin County ahead, and the chilling aura behind him had vanished.

“Finally back!”

As he entered the city walls, a sense of warmth washed over him, causing Chen Fei to let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

“Going to the Zhang family... this is going to be a big deal.”

Chen Fei caught his breath, thinking about the recent turn of events. This matter would give the Zhang family a massive headache. If it hadn't been for the fact that others in the medical clinic had seen him walking away with them, Chen Fei would have preferred to avoid this.

But since so many people had seen him, trying to deny it would only make him more suspicious.

Chen Fei found a deserted alley, struck his own chest with a palm, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, he slammed himself against the ground with force, making himself look battered and bruised.

“This should be about right.”

Chen Fei stood up and grinned; it would be somewhat unbelievable if he showed no injuries at all.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Fei arrived at the Zhang residence and met Zhang Sinan.

“What did you say? Everyone is dead!”

Upon hearing Chen Fei's words, Zhang Sinan stood up abruptly.

“It is possible that Sun Shu has turned into a ghost.”

Chen Fei recounted most of what had happened, except for his conflict with Zhang Yuezhen.

Zhang Sinan paced back and forth, her brow furrowed deeply. While the death of the guards was a pity, it wasn't a significant loss to the Zhang family. However, the death of a Bone Forging expert like Zhang Yuezhen was difficult to accept.

Especially Sun Shu—if he had truly turned into a ghost, the difficulty of resolving this matter would skyrocket.

“Follow me!”

Zhang Sinan said, walking forward, and Chen Fei followed behind.

A moment later, the two arrived in Zhang Ting's study.

Chen Fei recounted what had happened once more. Zhang Ting was furious, but he did not direct his anger at Chen Fei.

Chen Fei was an alchemist with a Skin Refining Realm cultivation; he had simply been lucky to survive. No matter how one assigned blame, it couldn't fall on Chen Fei.

Furthermore, an alchemist was a very important asset to the Zhang family's medical clinic.

On the contrary, Zhang Yuezhen had sought out Sun Shu with only the guards from the North City clinic just to claim credit, resulting in her death and potentially alerting Sun Shu's side.

In Zhang Ting's eyes, Zhang Yuezhen's death was well-deserved.

“You did well to bring back the news. You may take your reward and leave.”

Zhang Ting glanced at Chen Fei and waved him off, then turned to Zhang Sinan and said, “Summon the clan elders!”

“Yes!”

Zhang Sinan nodded and led Chen Fei out.

“What reward do you want?”

Zhang Sinan whispered. To reward merit is something the Zhang family had always championed.

“A movement technique manual!”

Chen Fei thought for a moment. The recipe for the Light Spirit Pill was definitely out of the question, and internal energy cultivation methods were Zhang family legacies that wouldn't be given. He had already milked the sword techniques dry last time; instead, he could still strengthen his movement techniques.

Encountering a ghost today, if his movement techniques hadn't been exceptional, he likely would have died. Therefore, no matter how much he strengthened his movement techniques, it wouldn't be considered excessive.

“Very well!”

Zhang Sinan glanced at Chen Fei, assuming he was simply shaken by the incident, and nodded her agreement.

“Could I choose, just like last time?”

“Fine!”

Zhang Sinan's brow furrowed slightly in impatience, but she did not refuse. She called her personal maid, Shan Xiang, and told her to take her command token to collect the manuals. Meanwhile, Zhang Sinan went to find the clan elders one by one.

An incense stick's time later, in Zhang Sinan's courtyard.

“Three movement technique manuals. The Eldest Miss said you must make your choice within fifteen minutes!”

Shan Xiang looked at Chen Fei with disapproval. It made no sense that Chen Fei could return alive when Zhang Yuezhen had died.

“Fifteen minutes?”

Chen Fei's brow furrowed. That wasn't enough time for the panel to record the manuals. Seeing Shan Xiang's expression, Chen Fei understood. He reached into his robe, pulled out five taels of silver, and pressed it into Shan Xiang's hand.

“What are you doing!”

Shan Xiang's eyes widened, and she wanted to throw the silver away. But feeling the weight of the silver, she found herself reluctant to let go. As Zhang Sinan's maid, Shan Xiang's wages were not high; she would need to save for one or two months to earn five taels.

“I only need forty-five minutes. I hope Miss Shan can make an exception.”

Chen Fei pulled out another ten taels of silver and pressed it into Shan Xiang's hand. Shan Xiang was rendered speechless; she tucked the silver away and looked elsewhere.

A smile appeared on Chen Fei's face as he hurriedly picked up the manuals.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei left the Zhang residence.

【Techniques: One Leaf Crossing (Not mastered), Cloud Climbing Step (Not mastered), Wind-Walking Triple Fold (Not mastered)】

Looking at the movement techniques recorded on the panel, Chen Fei's heart raced with excitement. Compared to the manuals bought in the black market, these were undoubtedly much more profound. Once integrated into his current movement techniques, they would surely take his skills to a new level.

Though today was dangerous, he had not come away empty-handed.