Chapter 48: Everything is Ready

Ling Hanjun and his men remained on the spot, fuming with rage, watching helplessly as Chen Fei departed. Had the two archers been present, they might have been able to provide some resistance.

As it turned out, those two were the first to die.

"You won't escape!" Ling Hanjun hissed through gritted teeth, turning back to inspect the injuries of his subordinates.

On the other side, after leaving the black market, Chen Fei quickly returned to another courtyard he had rented within the county.

In Pingyin County, Chen Fei had rented many courtyards, specifically to ensure he had a place to settle if an unexpected situation arose.

"This archery technique is quite useful, but this longbow is a bit weak."

Recalling what had just happened, a slight smile appeared on Chen Fei's face. The power of the arrows was somewhat lacking; while it was no problem for dealing with the Flesh Refining Realm, it would be difficult against the Bone Forging Realm.

Especially against an elite of the Bone Forging Realm like Ling Hanjun, the bow was almost a mere decoration.

"Once I get to another place, I'll find an opportunity to buy a good bow. At the same time, I cannot let my cultivation slip."

Chen Fei calculated in his mind; internal strength cultivation was, after all, the foundation. Otherwise, even if a magnificent bow were placed before him, it would be useless if he couldn't draw it.

Chen Fei took out the wooden cabinet from his spatial storage and distributed the silver he held into different compartments according to proportion. This would make it easy to retrieve when needed.

Early the next morning, the Zhao family went to deliver medicinal herbs as usual, only to discover that several alchemists had been killed. When they arrived at Chen Fei's courtyard, they saw nothing but bloodstains on the ground; the people had completely vanished.

The living were not seen, and the dead were not found!

The Zhao family was utterly enraged. They joined forces with the rebels and began an all-out search throughout Pingyin County.

Chen Fei did not know if Zhang Sinan and the others had been found. He acted like an ordinary person, beginning to shop for supplies within the county.

Food, fresh water—anything Chen Fei deemed necessary, he bought.

In just one day, Chen Fei had filled the wooden cabinet in his spatial storage to the brim. Food, in particular, was the item he prepared most heavily.

Normally, finding food in the wild was manageable. However, Chen Fei was worried about abnormal occurrences. Since he had the spatial storage and weight was not an issue, he naturally brought as much as he could.

The next morning, Chen Fei looked at the steaming buns in his hand with a strange expression. These were buns he had placed in the spatial storage yesterday; yet, after seven or eight hours had passed, they were still hot, exactly as they were before he put them in.

"This spatial storage is quite impressive. Is time stagnant inside?"

Various thoughts flashed through Chen Fei's mind, but since he only had one spatial storage, even if he conducted experiments now, he wouldn't be able to achieve anything.

Since time was stagnant, he didn't have to worry about food rotting. Chen Fei decided to treat himself better; he took out all the dry rations he had originally prepared from the spatial storage and began heading back out to the streets to buy fresh food.

Due to the Zhao family's frantic search, the entire Pingyin County seemed quite turbulent. The already desolate streets were even more deserted, as everyone hid inside their houses.

Having finished his shopping, Chen Fei quickly returned to his courtyard, no longer wandering about.

Originally, Chen Fei had intended to visit Zeng Defang, as Zeng had been quite good to him back at the medical clinic. He had even considered suggesting that Zeng Defang leave Pingyin County.

But now that the man was heavily injured and had a family to support, the rebels would never allow such an alchemist to leave.

After checking the supplies in his spatial storage and confirming everything was in order, Chen Fei sat cross-legged and began to cultivate his internal strength. The sound of steady breathing echoed in the room as the night passed quietly.

In the early morning, Chen Fei disguised himself as an ordinary person and left the city.

He encountered no trouble at the city gates; after all, very few people could see through disguise techniques, and Chen Fei had practiced this technique to its peak, making it difficult for an average person to spot any flaws.

A few miles from the city, Chen Fei saw the agreed-upon location: Wind-Moving Stone.

Chen Fei did not approach immediately but instead found a high vantage point to observe. As the time approached the hour of Chen (7:00–9:00 AM), figures began to slowly appear there.

Chen Fei scanned the surroundings and found no ambushes; it didn't seem to be a trap.

Chen Fei glanced up to check the time and, without further delay, his figure leaped between the treetops. A moment later, he arrived at the Wind-Moving Stone.

Everyone present glanced at Chen Fei. Based on the movement techniques he had just displayed, an average Bone Forging Realm practitioner would be roughly at that level. Sometimes, without actually fighting, one could only judge a person's strength through such displays.

Chen Fei saw Chi Defeng; the two nodded to each other but did not speak.

Everyone was secretly sizing up those present. Chen Fei scanned the crowd once and stopped observing. They were all martial artists with cultivation; there were no ordinary people here.

"The time is almost up. It seems it's just us."

Qian Jiangjiang looked at the group and said in a heavy voice, "I won't say much more. Three hundred taels per person. I will lead the way to Xingfen City."

As soon as Qian Jiangjiang spoke, there was an uproar among the crowd. This price exceeded the expectations of most people. Even though they were martial artists, saving such a sum of money was extremely difficult.

"Three hundred taels is a bit expensive. Can it be cheaper?"

"Exactly. We are supposed to help each other on this journey. Asking for three hundred taels right off the bat is a bit much."

Someone couldn't help but speak up.

A smile played on Qian Jiangjiang's face as he raised his hand to calm them, saying, "It is indeed a bit expensive. If you do not wish to pay, we simply do not travel together. I am not forcing anyone to pay; it is entirely voluntary."

Several people exchanged glances. With the chaos of war outside and no merchant caravans available, the thought of traveling to another city alone was truly daunting, even for martial artists.

"Boss Qian, if we pay this, can you guarantee our safety along the way?" someone asked in a low voice.

"I cannot guarantee that. I can only say that we will advance and retreat together," Qian Jiangjiang said with a smile, shaking his head.

"With this much money, I'd rather be careful and continue living in Pingyin County than trek all the way to another place."

Someone snorted coldly and turned to leave. Another person hesitated before also withdrawing from the group.

A moment later, only six people remained.

Chen Fei looked at Chi Defeng with some surprise. This man, who was as greedy as life itself and practically wanted to shove all the fake medicine into Chen Fei's arms, was actually willing to part with three hundred taels?

"Fewer people actually means more safety."

Instead of being upset by the departure of the others, a smile appeared on Qian Jiangjiang's face. He said, "Everyone, please pay up."

"Here, three hundred taels."

Chi Defeng was the first to step forward and hand the silver to Qian Jiangjiang.

Seeing someone pay, the others followed suit, handing over their silver one by one.

Chen Fei had specifically stuffed five hundred taels into a large pack on his back just in case. He counted his silver and handed it to Qian Jiangjiang.

"Fine. Since we are traveling together, please introduce yourselves so we can look out for one another on the road." Qian Jiangjiang stowed the silver, his smile widening.