Chapter 34: Arrogance

A group of people moved through the dense forest. Zhang Yuezhen looked at the occasional bloodstains on the ground, her expression filled with excitement.

The Zhang family hated Sun Shu to the bone. If Zhang Yuezhen could seize this opportunity to kill Sun Shu, her position within the Zhang family would be secured, and no one would dare speak ill of her position as the manager of the medical clinic.

A temple appeared ahead, long since dilapidated. In the vicinity of Pingyin County, such ruined temples were not uncommon. The reason it hadn't completely collapsed was that passing merchant caravans occasionally camped here and tidied it up slightly.

"Everyone, take an detoxification pill!"

At Zhang Yuezhen's command, the guards hurriedly produced detoxification pills. Standing at the very back, Chen Fei also swallowed a pill.

"Whoever kills Sun Shu will receive half of the main family's bounty, and their wages will be tripled from now on!"

Zhang Yuezhen turned to face the guards and said in a heavy voice, "Sun Shu is already heavily wounded; as long as we are careful, it won't be a major problem. Now, you three, go in first!"

Zhang Yuezhen pointed to three guards. The three men exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and charged directly toward the ruined temple.

Half of the Zhang family's bounty—the amount was too tempting. They had never imagined that Zhang Yuezhen would be willing to offer so much. Furthermore, the triple wages would completely guarantee their future livelihood.

Most importantly, Sun Shu was injured.

As long as they were cautious, there was a chance they could kill him. Once Sun Shu was dead, their lives would be set for good.

The breathing of the other guards grew rapid; some even wished they could rush in immediately, fearing that if the first three actually killed Sun Shu, they would lose their chance.

Standing at the rear, Chen Fei watched as the first three men kicked open the temple doors and swarmed inside. Within moments, shouts and roars erupted from within.

"He really is here! You five, go!"

Zhang Yuezhen's eyes lit up, and she pointed to another five people to charge in. Those five were visibly excited. The sounds of fighting continued to echo from the temple. It seemed the first three had already engaged Sun Shu, and if they rushed in now, they might be able to finish him off.

The other guards likely thought the same; seeing that Zhang Yuezhen had not called upon them, they couldn't help but feel anxious.

Zhang Yuezhen kept her eyes fixed on the temple entrance. Out of caution, she did not let everyone rush in at once, fearing an ambush.

It now seemed that Sun Shu was truly struggling, as the fighting from the guards failed to resolve the situation.

"Manager, why don't we go in as well?"

Two remaining guards approached Zhang Yuezhen's side, speaking with urgency. They clearly wanted to reap the rewards; if they entered too late, they might only see Sun Shu's corpse, which was unacceptable to them.

Shouts continued to drift from the temple, and the sound of clashing weapons was incessant, as if the battle inside had reached its final stage.

Chen Fei stared at the temple when he suddenly felt a chill on his wrist. Looking down, he saw that the mark left by that eerie entity was now appearing very active.

Chen Fei's pupils constricted. This "bone-deep parasite" was usually quite quiet, and as Chen Fei's cultivation continuously improved, it had been gradually wearing away. Why had it become like this now?

"All of you, go in!"

Zhang Yuezhen pointed to the last two guards. The two responded excitedly and rushed in impatiently.

"You go too!"

Zhang Yuezhen looked at Chen Fei and said, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. It should be ending in there soon; you might have a chance to land the final blow!"

"Something is wrong inside. Listen—do the sounds coming from in there not sound similar to what we heard just now?"

Chen Fei looked at the temple and instinctively took a step back. He hadn't felt anything before, but once the mark of the parasite acted up, he listened intently to the sounds from within.

To Chen Fei's horror, although the shouting inside sounded intense, a careful listener would realize that many of the sounds were actually repeating.

During the heat of battle, one might subconsciously ignore this, but with careful observation, an anomaly could be detected.

"I told you to do something, not to give me your opinion. Now, rush in immediately, and don't force my hand!"

Zhang Yuezhen barked an order, turning to glare fiercely at Chen Fei. "Either go in obediently, or I will throw you in myself! In this clinic, I have the final say!"

"There is a problem inside! Listen closely!" Chen Fei looked at Zhang Yuezhen and shouted back.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yuezhen roared. Her long sword was half-drawn, and she pressed her aura toward Chen Fei. "Last time: go in, or don't!"

"I am the clinic's alchemist; I am not responsible for frontal combat. You have no right to command me!"

"Allowing Sun Shu to escape is enough for me to kill you right now without facing any consequences! Since you refuse the easy way, don't blame me!"

With a cold sneer, Zhang Yuezhen lunged toward Chen Fei and reached for his collar.

At the North City Clinic, Zhang Yuezhen allowed no one to defy her; she demanded absolute obedience. With the kill on Sun Shu imminent, she didn't mind making Chen Fei understand once again who the true leader of the clinic was.

"To hell with you!"

Chen Fei roared. His long sword unsheathed, and he thrust it toward Zhang Yuezhen.

Seeing Chen Fei's movement, a triumphant smile appeared on Zhang Yuezhen's face. He dared to draw his sword against her first; if she could only have given him a lesson before, now, even if she crippled him, no one would say a word.

A mere Skin-Refining stage cultivator, simply seeking death!

As she thought this, Zhang Yuezhen's grasp was about to accelerate when she suddenly realized the sword in Chen Fei's hand had vanished, leaving only a flash of light in her vision.

"No!"

Zhang Yuezhen's heart jolted. Just as she tried to dodge, a sharp pain erupted in her chest, followed by a total loss of sensation in that area.

In disbelief, Zhang Yuezhen looked down at the wound that had pierced through her chest, blood gushing out uncontrollably. She instinctively covered the wound, but she could not stop the flow.

She looked up at Chen Fei, her eyes filled with utter incredulity. How could a Skin-Refining stage cultivator possess such sword techniques that even she could not react to?

Chen Fei did not look at Zhang Yuezhen; instead, he stared at the temple.

As Chen Fei and Zhang Yuezhen fought, the previously boisterous temple suddenly fell silent. Faintly, Chen Fei saw a crimson gaze project from the temple, staring directly at him.

"There really is an entity!"

Chen Fei kicked Zhang Yuezhen in the abdomen, sending her flying backward toward the temple.

"No... don't!"

At this moment, Zhang Yuezhen seemed to realize something was wrong behind her. She let out a deathly scream before being completely swallowed by the temple doors.

Chen Fei's feet moved rapidly as he fled from the temple, his heart pounding violently.

It wasn't because he was nervous about killing Zhang Yuezhen, but because he feared whether he could escape this entity during this trip.