Chapter 51: Cloud-Swallowing Force

Qian Jijiang's face was flushed. Watching the speed at which the candle in his hand burned, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He glanced back at the others and found they had all kept up. Just as he was about to turn his head, his eyes suddenly locked onto the old woman, Feng Yu.

Feng Yu's face was tinged with a greenish hue, which was nothing unusual, but at some unknown point, her eyes had turned pitch black. There was no human emotion within them, only a profound, icy void.

Following behind Qian Jijiang, Chen Fei's heart jolted when he saw the sudden change in Qian Jijiang's expression. Looking back, he also immediately noticed the abnormality in Feng Yu.

As if sensing their gazes, the corners of Feng Yu's mouth slowly curled upward, stretching all the way to her ears in a grotesque grin. A bone-chilling sensation surged through their hearts.

Draw the bow, shoot the arrow!

While everyone else was running with all their might, Chen Fei was the only one who had reserved some strength. His body spun, and the arrow in his hand shot straight toward Feng Yu.

*Bang!*

Before the arrow could even reach her, Feng Yu's head exploded. Flesh, blood, and green mist instantly diffused in all directions.

Chen Fei instinctively held his breath, yet he still felt a wave of dizziness flooding his mind. Looking at his exposed skin, it had already turned a sickly green.

Bursting out of the area shrouded in green mist, a medicine bottle appeared in Chen Fei's hand. He swallowed three or four detoxification pills in one gulp. He then tossed the remaining pills to the others; they caught them instinctively and swallowed them immediately upon seeing they were detoxification pills.

Everyone had been caught off guard by Feng Yu's sudden transformation. Fortunately, they all possessed considerable experience in the martial world; holding their breath had been an instinctive reaction, and by taking the pills, they managed to suppress the toxins in their bodies.

No one spoke, and no one knew when Feng Yu had been possessed by a ghost. For now, everyone simply kept running forward with their heads down.

After an unknown amount of time, Qian Jijiang was the first to stop.

Spitting out a mouthful of bloody mist, Qian Jijiang's flushed face eased slightly. The red candle in his hand was now burning calmly, and the surrounding mist had completely dissipated.

Chi Defeng's face was pale, looking as if he might faint at any moment. Yan Qing and Yan Ding were covered in blood, their faces terrifyingly white.

Chen Fei was also exceptionally fatigued. The "Bone-Attaching Parasite" had been too active just now, causing him to expend much more physical strength than usual. However, compared to the others, Chen Fei was in the best condition.

"We will walk a bit further, then find a place to rest."

Qian Jijiang took a deep breath. Although they had escaped immediate danger, he felt they were still too close to where it had happened. For safety's sake, it was better to put more distance between them and that place.

No one objected; the others had developed sufficient trust in Qian Jijiang.

The three hundred taels spent were not wasted. If not for Qian Jijiang today, it was hard to say how many people would have died—total annihilation was a real possibility.

Chen Fei glanced at the red candle in Qian Jijiang's hand. He decided that after asking about it later, he must buy dozens of them to keep in his spatial storage. This outside world was simply too dangerous.

They traveled for half an hour before Qian Jijiang finally stopped.

After carefully inspecting the surroundings, Qian Jijiang nodded to the group. Only then did everyone truly let their guard down. They were survivors of a narrow escape, still trembling from the lingering fear.

After finding a suitable place to camp, the group began to doze off from exhaustion.

Chen Fei sat cross-legged, using his *Jingxuan Jin* to slowly recover his strength. From night until dawn, nothing else happened.

They continued their journey during the day, but unlike the relaxed state of the previous few days, everyone was now operating at full alertness.

"I think I've worked myself too hard. I can actually smell the roasted meat from Zuixiang Restaurant. It smells so good!"

During a mid-way break, Chi Defeng sniffed the air and murmured helplessly.

Chen Fei glanced at Chi Defeng. That nose was something else.

Just now, to soothe himself, Chen Fei had taken advantage of a bathroom break to take some roasted meat out of his spatial storage and finish it quickly. The moment they returned, Chi Defeng had caught the scent.

"What's Zuixiang Restaurant's roasted meat compared to this? Once we reach Xingfen City tomorrow, it's my treat!" Qian Jijiang laughed loudly, looking at Chi Defeng.

Although most of the red candle had been used and the white candle was completely gone, as long as they reached Xingfen City safely, it would be a victory.

Chi Defeng chuckled, gave a wave of greeting, and fell silent.

Travel, rest, travel again.

Finally, the silhouette of a city appeared before their eyes. Everyone's heart leaped; they had finally arrived at Xingfen City.

Five days was not a long time. If they hadn't encountered that village, traveling would not have been particularly taxing for martial artists of their stamina. But that eerie entity had scared them half to death, and the old woman, Feng Yu, had met her end.

The five of them unconsciously quickened their pace. Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the gates of Xingfen City.

Compared to the county town of Pingyin, Xingfen City was undoubtedly much larger; one could tell just by the height of the city walls. Furthermore, unlike the deathly quiet Pingyin County, Xingfen City was bustling with people and activity.

After paying the entry fee, the five stood on the street and looked at one another.

"Since we have arrived at Xingfen City, we shall not disturb the three of you further. Until we meet again!" The Yan couple cupped their hands and then disappeared around a street corner.

"What are your plans?" Chi Defeng looked at Chen Fei.

"I intend to continue to Xianyun City," Chen Fei said after a moment's thought. Setting aside whether he could join the Xianyun Sword Sect, the stable environment there alone made it suitable for his slow development.

Not to mention, there would surely be more cultivation techniques and secret manuals there; it shouldn't be like Pingyin County, where everything was kept under tight lock and key.

"There will certainly be merchant caravans heading to Xianyun City from Xingfen City. It will be safer for you to follow one of them," Qian Jijiang said with a smile.

"They say the Xianyun Sword Sect is unrivaled under heaven. Since I've left Pingyin County, I want to go take a look as well." Chi Defeng looked at Chen Fei and laughed softly. "How about the two of us become traveling companions and go together?"

"I couldn't ask for more!" Chen Fei replied with a respectful salute.

"Let's not just stand here talking. Come on, let's find a good inn and have a proper meal!"

The three laughed loudly and walked down the street.

As night fell, Chen Fei sat cross-legged in his inn room.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qian Jijiang had scouted the area and obtained information.

In about a month, the Xianyun Merchant Caravan would arrive in Xingfen City from elsewhere, and from there, they would continue their journey back to Xianyun City.

Given that the caravan used the name "Xianyun," one could imagine the connections behind it. Consequently, the caravan was extremely powerful; if he could hitch a ride, traveling to Xianyun City would be very safe.

As for the fare, it would naturally be extremely expensive, but Chen Fei would not be stingy with such silver.

"I need to start selling my pills again, and I should also see if there are any good pill recipes or cultivation techniques for sale here," Chen Fei muttered to himself before closing his eyes.

The next morning, Chen Fei appeared before a shop.

Weapons, pills, and even cultivation techniques—this shop actually traded in all of them.

"Internal strength techniques? Of course we have them. Would you like to see this one, sir?"

Hearing Chen Fei's request, the shopkeeper took a manual from the shelf and placed it before him. "A while ago, a disciple from a sect was at his wit's end and sold this technique to us."

Chen Fei's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the manual.

*Cloud-Swallowing Strength!*