Chapter 24: Acting

Sun Shu had a dark expression. After a moment of thought, he decided to let Chen Fei go for now. Otherwise, a long-distance pursuit like this would be too conspicuous; with a bounty currently on his head from the Zhang family, he might very well be captured.

However, just as Sun Shu was about to stop, he suddenly noticed that the running Chen Fei had slowed down. Although he was still faster than an ordinary Skin Refining stage or even Flesh Refining stage martial artist, his speed had fallen within Sun Shu's expected range.

"Was that a secret technique just now?"

Sun Shu's mind raced; this felt more reasonable. Otherwise, that level of movement technique speed—which even he, a Bone Forging stage martial artist, did not possess—appearing on a Skin Refining stage practitioner would be completely nonsensical.

"Kid, let's see where you can run!"

Sun Shu let out a cold laugh, his feet pumping as he closed in tightly. In just a moment, the distance between them was halved, narrowing to about twenty meters. At this speed, Sun Shu would be able to catch Chen Fei in just a few breaths.

As if sensing the pressure from behind, Chen Fei took the opportunity to glance back at Sun Shu. Seeing the distance rapidly closing, his face turned pale with fright.

Seeing Chen Fei's expression, a sinister grin spread across Sun Shu's face. He loved seeing people look like that—just like those low-level laborers, their life and death entirely under his control.

As if driven by the pressure of impending death, just as Sun Shu closed within ten meters, Chen Fei's movement technique actually quickened slightly, inching the distance between them back out.

"Desperate struggles!"

Sun Shu sneered and swung his right hand, a cold light flashing. Chen Fei's figure swayed, dodging the hidden weapon, but the sudden maneuver affected his speed, causing the distance to snap back to about ten meters.

Chen Fei ran with all his might; his neck appeared flushed red from the intense exertion, looking as though he might collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

Yet, Chen Fei persisted. The two of them engaged in a tug-of-war, the distance fluctuating between ten and twenty meters, sometimes even closing to within ten meters.

But in the end, Chen Fei managed to pull away through sheer desperation, preventing Sun Shu from ever truly catching him.

Sun Shu gritted his teeth, his fury mounting. Originally, he thought killing Chen Fei would be no harder than killing a chick.

But the movement technique Chen Fei displayed had actually startled him. He realized it was a secret technique and that he was only a hair's breadth away, yet that tiny gap felt like a vast chasm that he simply could not cross.

How could Sun Shu not be enraged? He was even beginning to lose his rationality.

"Wait, this is too close to the Zhang family estate!"

Sun Shu was chasing Chen Fei to the point of near-madness, the sensation of being so close yet so far making him lose his head. But looking at his surroundings, he suddenly snapped back to his senses.

A few hundred more meters and he would reach the Zhang residence. Right now, Sun Shu appeared high-spirited, capable of killing whoever he pleased. But if he actually reached the Zhang family, he would be the one dying.

In fact, even wanting to die might not be easy; being tortured was a certainty.

Sun Shu stopped dead in his tracks, casting a vicious glance at Chen Fei. He intended to retreat first; this location was too dangerous. Even if he wanted to kill Chen Fei, he wouldn't gamble his own life on it.

"Hmm?"

Chen Fei, who was still running forward, noticed the lack of movement behind him. He glanced back and saw Sun Shu standing still, watching him with a cold, predatory gaze.

Chen Fei flipped his body, landing on a rooftop. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath heavily, looking as if he might faint from exhaustion at any second.

"Consider yourself lucky. The next time we meet will be your death day!"

Looking at Chen Fei's state, Sun Shu felt as if he could snap him's neck with ease, making him want to step forward. Ultimately, however, Sun Shu hesitated, turned, and vanished into the alleyway.

Watching Sun Shu leave, Chen Fei's heavy panting stopped instantly, and his posture straightened up.

"Still a bit off. That Sun Shu is too cautious!"

His breathing smoothed out, and the skin that had been red from intense exertion returned to normal.

Indeed, all of this had been an act by Chen Fei, intended to lure Sun Shu toward the Zhang family estate. He had been performing the entire time, maintaining a specific distance to bait Sun Shu into losing his composure.

To make the act convincing, Chen Fei had even employed disguise techniques to appear that realistic and deceive Sun Shu. But in the end, it was still slightly lacking.

If he had gone another hundred meters and let out a loud cry, the Zhang family guards would surely have rushed out, and then Sun Shu would have had no escape. It was a bit of a pity.

Ultimately, it was because Chen Fei's own strength was still insufficient; otherwise, he could have captured Sun Shu himself and claimed that massive bounty.

"I'll go report to the Zhang family; that should be worth some reward money."

After a moment of thought, Chen Fei turned and continued running toward the Zhang estate.

Fifteen minutes later, several guards rushed out from the Zhang residence, heading toward the area where Sun Shu had disappeared. Chen Fei walked out of the estate leisurely, holding a pouch of coins.

The Zhang family were respectable people; news of Sun Shu earned him a reward of twenty taels of silver.

Chen Fei had originally wanted to find Zhang Sinan to ask for the recipe for the Light Spirit Pill, but since it was late, he feared he would be chased away if he went looking for her now.

Chen Fei circled through several alleys, and by the time he emerged, he had completely changed his appearance. A scar ran from the corner of his eye down to the corner of his mouth, giving him a fierce and sinister look.

Donning a mask and a bamboo hat, Chen Fei appeared in the Black Market.

"Here are the pills for this time." Arriving at a stall, Chen Fei handed over a medicine bottle.

"The quality is getting better and better!"

The stall owner glanced at the pills in the bottle, a smile spreading across his face. Although Chen Fei only came once every few days, he was consistent, and the high quality of the pills made them very easy to sell.

"Here is your money."

The stall owner counted out the silver and handed it to Chen Fei, saying with a smile, "Our master is very satisfied with your pills and wishes to engage in further transactions with you."

"That's easy enough," Chen Fei nodded, not refusing.

"Can you refine other types of pills? The Grass Return Pill is good, but it's a bit cheap. If you can provide higher-grade pills, we can negotiate the price further."

"Light Spirit Pills?"

"Yes, Light Spirit Pills would be excellent, or even Constant Float Pills!" The stall owner stared intently at Chen Fei. "If you can provide those two types, we can offer even better prices. We can even help you with other troublesome matters!"

Chen Fei's brow twitched. He rarely saw Constant Float Pills within the county, but Light Spirit Pills were quite common. Why was this man so desperate for these two specific types?

"I don't have the recipe, and I haven't refined them. If you can provide the recipe, I might give it a try."

"You must be joking. A Light Spirit Pill recipe is manageable; though expensive, the price is negotiable. But as for Constant Float Pills—who in Pingyin County would actually trade those?" The stall owner shook his head with a smile.