Chapter 23: Ambush

But as an alchemist, Chen Fei dealt with these medicinal herbs every day; no matter how fake you made them, Chen Fei would still recognize them.

"What? More fake medicine!"

Chi Defeng acted as if he had only just found out, shouting loudly, "Little brother, no matter! I knew those people weren't honest, so I specifically had them harvest an extra portion this time. That way, your ten portions of herbs won't be short."

As he spoke, Chi Defeng dragged out more herbs from another room and laid them out before Chen Fei.

Chen Fei looked at Chi Defeng. The man had prepared two contingencies: if the fakes weren't discovered, he'd consider it a profit; if they were, he had backups.

This Chi Defeng was truly a talent.

"Let me check again."

Chen Fei stepped forward to inspect the new batch. A moment later, his expression darkened; there was another portion of fake herbs mixed in.

Chen Fei stood up and looked at Chi Defeng.

"More fakes? This is too much, truly too much!"

Chi Defeng shook his head like a rattle, flipped his hand to pull a package of herbs from behind his back, and handed it to Chen Fei. "Check these. It's a good thing I prepared enough."

"..."

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Fei left the black market with his bundle. The merchants in this market truly shared a single trait: they were all driven solely by profit. Because he understood this, Chen Fei hadn't thought about replacing Chi Defeng.

At the very least, the quality of the herbs Chi Defeng provided was decent, and he delivered on time.

Returning to his rented courtyard, Chen Fei entered his alchemy room. He spent over an hour refining all the herbs into Grass-Returning Pills.

As his proficiency neared Great Perfection, the pill yield of the Grass-Returning Pills became increasingly high. From ten portions of herbs, Chen Fei managed to refine a total of thirty-one Grass-Returning Pills.

"Selling these will allow me to simplify the 'Immortal's Path-Pointing' technique."

A smile couldn't help but appear on Chen Fei's face. He had been eyeing this sword technique for a long time. Once he mastered it, he would possess a signature killing move, giving him a chance to fight even against enemies stronger than himself.

The next morning, before Chen Fei could even head out, Liu Jun came knocking at his door.

"Something terrible has happened!"

Liu Jun looked extremely panicked upon seeing Chen Fei.

"What happened?" Chen Fei handed him a cup of tea and asked with a smile.

"Manager Sun... Manager Sun has fled, and he killed many people!"

As Liu Jun spoke, his body trembled uncontrollably; the bloodstains on the clinic floor seemed to flow before his eyes once again.

"Don't panic. Tell me clearly what happened." Chen Fei's expression instantly turned serious.

"This morning, people from the main household came, saying they wanted Manager Sun to go to the Zhang family to discuss some matters. As it turned out, Manager Sun tried to run..."

Liu Jun took a few sips of tea and calmed down slightly, recounting the morning's events in detail, which allowed Chen Fei to understand what had transpired.

The Zhang family guards had sent Sun Shu to their estate. Sun Shu used the excuse of returning to his room to fetch something, but he actually intended to escape through a secret passage in his room.

Indeed, Sun Shu had dug a secret passage in his room, seemingly prepared for the possibility of being discovered. However, the Zhang family guards who came this time were very cautious and immediately noticed something was wrong.

They rushed into the room and fought Sun Shu.

Sun Shu displayed immense strength; out of five guards, two were killed directly, and he still managed to escape.

The Zhang family was enraged. They reported it to the yamen and personally funded a bounty for Sun Shu. They even offered a significant sum of silver to anyone who could provide information on his whereabouts.

As the deputy manager of the clinic, Chen Fei naturally had to go to the clinic once he heard the news.

"Physician Qin is dead?"

Shortly after arriving at the clinic, another piece of news arrived. Physician Qin, who had arrived at the North City Clinic a few days ago, had just been killed in the street.

The killer wore a bamboo hat, making his face impossible to see, but Chen Fei knew the killer was Sun Shu.

"Such a strong desire for revenge!"

Chen Fei muttered to himself. Sun Shu likely guessed that his exposure was related to Physician Qin, especially since Physician Qin had just visited the North City Clinic a few days prior.

What Chen Fei hadn't expected was that after escaping the clinic, Sun Shu didn't immediately leave the county town, but instead went out of his way to assassinate Physician Qin. He was a ruthless man who didn't let a grudge last overnight!

Everyone in the clinic knew about this, and the Zhang family naturally knew even sooner.

The Zhang family was now truly beyond fury. Sun Shu's actions were a direct insult to the Zhang family's dignity. Unsurprisingly, the bounty amount instantly doubled, reaching a level that made even Chen Fei feel a bit tempted.

However, considering Sun Shu's current strength, Chen Fei dismissed the thought.

Among the five guards this morning, there was one in the Bone-Tempering Realm and four in the Flesh-Training Realm, yet Sun Shu was able to kill two and leave calmly under their siege. Chen Fei's current small frame was not enough to withstand a fight with Sun Shu.

The entire day, the North City Clinic was in chaos, and everyone was distracted.

As night fell, Chen Fei left the clinic and headed toward his residence.

After winding through several alleys, just as he was about to step into his courtyard, Chen Fei suddenly stopped. He looked around with a hesitant expression, slowly stepping back a few paces.

"You are quite perceptive. You didn't notice me before!"

A voice rang out. At some unknown moment, a dark figure appeared on the courtyard wall, looking down at Chen Fei. The gaze was so cold it made one's body shiver.

"Manager Sun?"

Chen Fei's pupils constricted slightly. Although the newcomer's face was covered, Chen Fei could recognize his silhouette, especially since the man made no effort to hide his voice.

"I am no longer a manager; I am merely a stray dog!" Sun Shu laughed lowly, his voice piercing like countless fine needles stabbing into one's neck.

"Manager Sun is joking."

Chen Fei quietly retreated a few more steps, his eyes fixed on Sun Shu. "May I ask why Manager Sun has come here?"

"I thought about it carefully today—why the Zhang family discovered my business. One reason was that Qin fellow, and the other... was you!"

Sun Shu's cold gaze stared directly at Chen Fei. "So, before I leave Pingyin County, I had to come see you. Otherwise, I wouldn't feel quite satisfied."

"Manager Sun, you've misunderstood!"

"What I believe to be right is right. As for your thoughts, what does that have to do with me? If I want to kill you, what business is it of yours!" Sun Shu laughed loudly.

"Manager Sun makes a good point. Farewell, Manager Sun!"

As Chen Fei's voice fell, his figure blurred, and he vanished from the spot.

"Trying to run? Did you ask for my permission!"

Sun Shu let out a cold snort and lunged forward, immediately pursuing Chen Fei's footsteps. However, after following for only a moment, Sun Shu's arrogant smile slowly faded.

Sun Shu had assumed he could catch Chen Fei in a few strides. But now, the distance between them was growing wider and wider; in just a moment, they were already dozens of meters apart.

And as time passed, the distance continued to expand.

Sun Shu's eyes were filled with shock. Hadn't Chen Fei just recently broken through to the Skin-Training Realm?

Was this the movement speed a Skin-Training Realm practitioner could possess?