Chapter 33: Pursuit

Zhou Li's eyes widened in terror. Just as he was about to struggle, a sharp pain shot from his neck, and the next moment, everything went pitch black.

"Ah!"

Seeing Zhou Li collapse limp on the ground, Zhou Shi let out a terrified scream. But as soon as the sound left his throat, he found his mouth covered by a palm, rendering him unable to make a sound.

"It was you spying on me during the day, wasn't it!"

Sun Shu looked down at Zhou Shi. One hand covered Zhou Shi's mouth while the other gripped his throat, pulling him close.

Tears instantly welled up in Zhou Shi's eyes. His legs kicked violently, but he could not break free; he could only watch as Sun Shu's face drew closer and closer.

"Every decision comes with a price. Do you understand? Jie jie jie!"

Sun Shu suddenly let out an inexplicable laugh. The hand gripping Zhou Shi's neck began to tighten. Zhou Shi's eyeballs bulged uncontrollably, and in the next instant, a mist of blood filled the dilapidated courtyard.

"The price... the Zhang family..."

Sun Shu muttered to himself and released his grip. Zhou Shi's corpse slumped to the ground.

Outside the courtyard wall, a small figure was currently witnessing everything through a hole in the wall.

Zhao Qi clamped his hands tightly over his mouth, desperate not to make a sound.

Every day, Zhao Qi would look into the neighboring yard through this hole. Sometimes, when the courtyard was empty, he would watch with great interest.

But today, Zhao Qi regretted it. He had witnessed a murder.

Zhao Qi's teeth chattered incessantly, yet he dared not make a sound. He knew that if he made even the slightest noise, that killer would come for him.

Zhao Qi stared fixedly at Sun Shu, watching him leave the courtyard.

Zhao Qi let out a tiny sigh of relief and released the hands that were desperately covering his mouth. As his heart settled slightly, he looked up at the hole one last time, only to find an eyeball staring directly back at him.

"Ah!"

Zhao Qi let out a piercing scream, his body scrambling backward in terror.

"So, there's a little mouse hiding here after all..."

...

North City Medical Clinic.

Inside the alchemy room, Chen Fei's movements were constant as a medicinal fragrance drifted from the furnace.

*Bang!*

With a muffled thud, the entire furnace vibrated, and the medicinal scent instantly turned into the smell of something burning.

Chen Fei frowned slightly. He opened the furnace lid and, seeing the charred remains inside, shook his head helplessly.

"I don't know which ingredient I'm missing; I keep getting stuck here."

Chen Fei scratched his hair, cleaned the furnace, and reviewed the details of the recent refining process. Suddenly, the sound of commotion drifted in from outside.

Chen Fei stood up and walked out, seeing a handyman speaking with an agitated expression.

"Manager Chen."

Liu Jun was also nearby. Seeing Chen Fei, he hurried forward to greet him.

"What happened?"

"Something happened to this handyman's family. It seems his kin were murdered. He's begging us now, hoping the clinic can give him an advance on his wages."

Chen Fei glanced at the handyman. His face was sallow, showing clear signs of malnutrition; he had likely been recruited from the refugee population.

"Give him the money. Consider it from my own pocket."

Chen Fei pulled out a few taels of silver and turned to leave. This was likely all Chen Fei could do. If he gave any more, the handyman probably wouldn't be able to keep hold of the money.

As Chen Fei walked away, the handyman's voice, filled with tearful gratitude, drifted from behind. Chen Fei waved a hand dismissively and returned to the alchemy room.

Setting the incident aside, Chen Fei continued his research on the Light Spirit Pill.

An hour later, Chen Fei rubbed his head, feeling a slight headache; his progress had been minimal. However, this was normal; reverse-engineering ingredients from a finished pill was an incredibly difficult task.

Nevertheless, Chen Fei found enjoyment in it. His overall progress was decent, and he was confident that if he kept grinding, he would eventually reconstruct the recipe for the Light Spirit Pill.

Chen Fei picked up the longsword beside him and began practicing within the alchemy room.

This was Chen Fei's current life: aside from his daily, non-negotiable internal strength cultivation, his time was spent either on swordsmanship or alchemy.

This method of near-constant exertion, leaving almost no time for rest, did not cause Chen Fei to collapse; instead, he remained energetic every day.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by.

During these ten days, Pingyin County was far from peaceful, and the situation outside the county had already become turbulent.

The imperial army sent to suppress the rebels had actually been defeated. They were currently retreating, pulling back their defensive lines step by step.

The momentum of the rebels naturally surged as they pressed closer, gradually encroaching upon the imperial forces. Not only that, but rebels had also appeared in several other towns and counties. Through internal and external coordination, the scale of the rebellion grew increasingly massive.

Within Pingyin County, another member of the Zhang family's direct lineage had died. However, the Zhang family's control over Sun Shu's movements had become increasingly precise. Once, they had even engaged him in combat, though Sun Shu managed to escape.

As for Chen Fei, he had successfully integrated his swordsmanship into the fourth set.

[Cultivation Method: Fire Pattern Sword (Perfection 7124/10000)]

Compared to the original Green Mountain Sword, the Fire Pattern Sword was now at least seventy percent more powerful.

Just as he had done against Jian Liang in the past, Chen Fei could now hold his own using his current swordsmanship. If the Fire Pattern Sword were raised to the Great Perfection realm, while he might not be able to kill Jian Liang, he would certainly be able to defeat him.

To be able to fight across cultivation realms using a single set of swordsmanship spoke volumes about its excellence. Compared to the inherited techniques of the great families in Pingyin County, Chen Fei's swordsmanship was no longer inferior.

In the clinic's main hall.

Chen Fei was chatting with a physician, discussing the medicinal properties of various herbs. Since he had been stuck on the Light Spirit Pill for a long time, discussing properties with a physician sometimes provided him with new insights.

While they were chatting happily, Zhang Yuezhen appeared in the clinic.

"All guards, follow me. Chen Fei, you come too!"

Zhang Yuezhen shouted. Seeing Chen Fei in the hall, she thought for a moment and called him along as well. He possessed at least Skin Refining realm cultivation; compared to the defenseless physicians, he would be a useful asset.

More importantly, Zhang Yuezhen wanted to continue testing Chen Fei's mettle.

Chen Fei's expression shifted slightly, but after a moment's thought, he followed behind.

A short while later, all the clinic's guards had assembled. With a wave of her right hand, Zhang Yuezhen charged forward without a word of explanation.

The others were confused but followed close behind.

Chen Fei ran in the middle-rear of the group. Before long, they had left Pingyin County and arrived at a mountain forest. A figure was standing there, pacing anxiously. Upon seeing Zhang Yuezhen, the figure hurried forward to meet them.

"Is Sun Shu still over there?" Zhang Yuezhen asked tensely.

"He is, and he is indeed injured. But we must finish this quickly, otherwise, others will likely arrive soon once they hear the news," Zhang Qiang said with a smile, weighing the pouch of money Zhang Yuezhen handed him.

"He's just one Sun Shu. I'll remember this favor!"

"I'll head back and wait for your good news!" Zhang Qiang said, cupping his hands.

Zhang Yuezhen laughed loudly and hurried past Zhang Qiang. The guards behind them finally understood; they had found Sun Shu. It seemed Zhang Yuezhen intended to claim the glory and eliminate the Zhang family's recent source of anxiety.

(End of Chapter)