Chapter 16: A Show of Force

"Manager Sun is in his room right now. Shall I go announce your arrival?"

Inside the North City Medical Clinic, Liu Jun followed beside Chen Fei and asked in a low voice.

Ever since hearing that a new deputy manager was coming to the North City Medical Clinic, Liu Jun had been paying close attention. As a marginal figure within the clinic, his only hope for advancement was to latch onto a powerful patron.

A new deputy manager would surely be unfamiliar with many things upon arrival; approaching him now would undoubtedly earn him favor and potentially lead to becoming his subordinate.

"No need. We'll speak when Manager Sun is free."

Chen Fei shook his head. Sun Shu knew he was coming today yet made no effort to come out; this likely meant he either held no goodwill toward this "parachuted" newcomer or simply didn't care.

Whichever it was, it represented Sun Shu's stance.

Chen Fei didn't mind. Since coming to the North City Medical Clinic, he had never intended to gather evidence against Sun Shu or anything of the sort. His goal was simply to focus on alchemy, make money, and increase his cultivation.

As for the grand promises made by the Zhang family, Chen Fei had absolutely no intention of swallowing them.

"Does Manager Sun have any particular hobbies?" After taking a walk through the alchemy lab, Chen Fei turned to look at Liu Jun.

"Manager Sun likes kicking feet," Liu Jun said, his expression somewhat strange.

"Kicking feet?"

Chen Fei's expression flickered slightly. What a bizarre hobby. However, thinking of himself, he figured he probably appeared even more eccentric in the eyes of others.

"Mercy! I won't dare do it again!"

Noisy shouting drifted from ahead. Chen Fei walked out of the alchemy lab and into the backyard, where he happened to see several guards dragging a laborer. The laborer's face was bruised and swollen, and blood stained the corners of his mouth.

He was currently kneeling on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing, his eyes filled with terror.

"He was caught hiding medicinal herbs," Liu Jun explained in a low voice when he saw Chen Fei looking over.

Chen Fei frowned slightly. According to the clinic's rules, a laborer caught hiding herbs was to be beaten into disability. Of course, in practice, such occurrences were rare; usually, the laborer would just receive a severe beating and have three months' wages docked as a lesson.

Actual permanent disability was rare, reserved only for repeat offenders.

"My child is sick, I truly had no choice. I won't dare again, please spare me!" the laborer wailed, tears streaming down his face.

*Creak!*

The door to Sun Shu's room opened, and Sun Shu walked out leisurely. He approached the laborer step by step, looking down at him from a position of superiority.

"Manager Sun, I won't dare again, I beg you!" The laborer kowtowed violently, blood soon flowing from his forehead.

"In my presence, such things are always given only one chance."

A faint smile appeared on Sun Shu's face. The laborer's eyes widened in terror; just as he was about to recoil, a foot stepped firmly onto his palm.

"Ah!"

The laborer screamed in agony, but Sun Shu remained unmoved. Instead, he began to grind his sole with force. Blood quickly seeped from under his foot, soaking into the dirt.

"Spare—"

*Crack!*

Before the laborer could finish, Sun Shu kicked both of his arms, the bones snapping instantly. Before the laborer could even react, his body slumped forward uncontrollably.

*Crack!*

Another crisp sound rang out. Sun Shu had appeared behind the laborer at some unknown moment, stepping hard on the man's calf. The bone shattered, and blood splattered everywhere.

"Don't say I'm heartless; I've left you one leg."

Sun Shu spoke nonchalantly. The laborer had long since fainted from the pain, but a nearby guard immediately splashed water on his face to wake him.

"Thank... thank you, Manager Sun!" The laborer's lips trembled as he looked up at the lofty Sun Shu, whispering weakly.

Sun Shu's lips curled slightly. He glanced toward Chen Fei in the distance before slowly walking back into his room.

Liu Jun instinctively shrank his neck. Sun Shu's gaze just now had been too terrifying, sending a chill down his spine.

Chen Fei said nothing. He watched Sun Shu's retreating back before turning his gaze back to the laborer on the ground.

This was the fate of servants in this world: struggling to survive, yet liable to lose everything at any moment. Chen Fei's original self did not want to end up like this, and the current Chen Fei certainly wouldn't either.

Only by possessing great power of one's own could one escape such an end.

Chen Fei officially began his duties at the North City Medical Clinic, maintaining a harmless appearance. He offered no opinions on the existing affairs of the clinic, focusing solely on refining pills every day.

Chen Fei continued to increase the production of Blood Qi Pills, having the clinic sell them so he could amass the five hundred taels more quickly. He was far too covetous of that "Immortal Point the Way" technique.

At the same time, Chen Fei simplified the Grass Return Pill, which he had recently acquired. To his surprise, after simplifying the Grass Return Pill, refining Blood Qi Pills would now grant him experience points.

Chen Fei had previously thought that such a thing only happened when merging cultivation methods. It turned out that related pill recipes worked as well.

After all, half of the medicinal ingredients required for the Grass Return Pill overlapped with those for the Blood Qi Pill; that was likely the reason.

Since he didn't have to "cook" separate meals and was already refining Blood Qi Pills, the experience points for the Grass Return Pill rose rapidly every day.

Simultaneously, Chen Fei never stopped practicing his movement techniques. Finally, on the fifth day after obtaining the technique, Chen Fei completed the fusion of the four movement methods and cultivated them to the Great Perfection stage.

**[Technique: River-Crossing Cloud (Great Perfection)]**

Compared to before, Chen Fei had made significant strides in both flexibility and speed. He had seen practitioners of the Skin Refining Realm running before, and upon a slight comparison, he realized his movement technique was far superior.

However, he could not yet judge exactly what level he was at. Furthermore, the River-Crossing Cloud was far from the end; he intended to continue integrating other movement techniques into it.

Under the cover of night, Chen Fei, his face wrapped in a mask, ran freely through Pingyin County. The exhilarating sensation made him want to let out a long, triumphant roar, but he suppressed it. If he actually roared, the situation would likely turn into something else entirely.

"Hmm?"

As he sprinted into an alley, Chen Fei's ears twitched, and a faint scent of blood drifted through the air.

Chen Fei instinctively looked up. Someone was standing on the alley wall, having appeared at some unknown moment, watching him with interest. Chen Fei narrowed his eyes. Although this person also wore a mask and night-traveling clothes, they gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

"That bandit!"

Chen Fei suddenly realized—wasn't this the person he had encountered outside the city a while ago? At this moment, Pu Liao's injuries had not yet healed, and it was unknown how well he would eventually recover.

"Little brother, why bother running around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping soundly?"

Jian Liang's eerie voice drifted over. Chen Fei, like a startled deer, immediately leaped backward.

In the next instant, a flash of light appeared where Chen Fei had just been standing. With a dull thud, a flying dagger embedded itself in the ground, still vibrating slightly.

(End of Chapter)