Chapter 31

Cowhide

Jian Liang’s heart was cold, and he tried to dodge it but found that he couldn’t move fast enough.

This sword was too fast, so fast that it could only be seen as a flash of light.

While Chen Fei’s strength and reflexes were at most at the level of the Body Tempering Realm, his swordsmanship was strong, especially since he had cultivated Sword Qi, which was amazing. But at this level, there shouldn’t be such a sword technique appearing on Chen Fei’s body. This kind of sword technique shouldn’t appear in a place like Pingyin County, even those aristocratic families in Pingyin County couldn’t possibly have such a legacy.

“Chi!”

A bloody wound gaped in Jian Liang’s chest from front to back. Although it was not large, the injury was enough to be fatal. Jian Liang’s attack involuntarily weakened, and he fell off the wall, landing on the ground.

“What kind of sword technique is this?”

Jian Liang looked up at Chen Fei with difficulty but only saw Chen Fei’s expressionless face appearing in front of him, stabbing toward his head with a sword.

“Chi chi chi!”

Three hidden weapons suddenly flew out from Jian Liang’s sleeve, but Chen Fei’s sword qi flashed, knocking the hidden weapons down. That was when he saw Jian Liang desperately running towards the distance.

Chen Fei’s feet flashed, and he caught up with Jian Liang in a few steps.

Jian Liang felt the movement behind him and felt bitter in his heart. He had planned to delay a bit to get his hidden weapons out, but he didn’t expect Chen Fei to completely see through his plan. Chen Fei wanted to kill him without so much as another word.

This was not the kind of decision a small alchemist should make. However, the way he made it was even more stable than some old rivers and lakes. After all, when people are about to win, they are inevitably relaxed, even complacent, but Chen Fei didn’t, he just wanted to kill him first.

“Spare me, I will agree to any conditions you have!”

Jian Liang shouted loudly, but what he got was Chen Fei’s sword piercing through his throat. Jian Liang wanted to dodge, but he was powerless.

Chen Fei drew out his long sword, and Jian Liang fell weakly to the side of the road, staring at Chen Fei with deep resentment in his eyes.

Chen Fei looked at him, without any fear or hesitation. A killer must be killed, this was Chen Fei’s belief, and he would surely adhere to it.

Jian Liang was not afraid of Chen Fei even if he was alive, now that he was dying, what could a mere gaze do to Chen Fei!

Jian Liang raised his finger and pointed at Chen Fei, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, his head fell helplessly to the side, and he breathed his last.

Chen Fei went forward and searched Jian Liang’s belongings. As one of the leaders of that group of mountain bandits, Jian Liang’s wealth was definitely something. Apart from the money, Chen Fei was also very interested in Jian Liang’s techniques.

After a moment, a look of joy appeared on Chen Fei’s face as he found a piece of cowhide, densely written with many characters.

Chen Fei couldn’t help but think of the faint sound of waves that echoed when Jian Liang attacked just now.

Warriors generally store their incomplete martial arts techniques close to their bodies, as they are uneasy leaving them elsewhere. They can also take them out from time to time to study and gain insight, furthering their cultivation.

Chen Fei stuffed the parchment into his chest and continued to search, but suddenly footsteps could be heard approaching.

As Chen Fei lowered his head, his expression changed rapidly. His eyes elongated into phoenix eyes, and several more wounds appeared on his face. His body also grew slightly in size, all in a silent moment.

“Third brother!”

The pained voice sounded as Ling Hanjun looked at Chen Fei in disbelief, with Jian Liang lying in a pool of blood in front of him.

The two had escaped from the encirclement together and hid in a few courtyards, ready to assist each other in case of unexpected circumstances.

However, when Ling Hanjun heard a commotion from Jian Liang’s location, he rushed over only to find Jian Liang already dead.

He hadn’t died in the hands of the constables but rather here.

“I will kill you!”

Ling Hanjun went crazy, brandishing his big knife and charging toward Chen Fei. The other bandits also rushed towards him, ready to support Ling Hanjun.

Chen Fei had already taken the silver from Jian Liang’s pocket and glanced at Ling Hanjun. His figure flashed, and he was already running towards a distant place.

In terms of essence, Chen Fei was still just in the Body Tempering realm, and his strength and reaction time were inferior to those of Bone Tempering warriors. If it weren’t for the Immortal Way sword technique, he wouldn’t have been able to kill Jian Liang at all. In a prolonged battle, Jian Liang could have worn him down.

In the face of Ling Hanjun, who was stronger than Jian Liang, and the surrounding bandits, Chen Fei knew he had lost his mind to confront them head-on.

“Over there, chase after him!”

The constable’s voice suddenly came from behind. Chen Fei’s expression changed slightly, considering whether to intercept these bandits for a while so that he could join forces with the constables to kill them.

However, he immediately dismissed the idea.

Apart from the fact that Ling Hanjun was now full of grief and indignation and would fight to the death, risking the danger of being encircled, he would also probably kill Chen Fei first. The constables, who didn’t recognize Chen Fei, would also see him as a bandit and surround him together.

Chen Fei stepped on the roof tiles, and they were undamaged as he ran several meters. Such a body technique was enough to make more than ninety percent of Bone Tempering warriors sweat.

At this moment, the bandits were chasing behind him, but the gap was widening.

Ling Hanjun’s eyes were bloodshot, and he wished he could tear Chen Fei apart. However, he could only watch as the distance between them continued to increase.

” I will kill you even if it’s the last thing I do!” Ling Hanjun roared and turned around, running in another direction.

Chasing them any further would not yield any significant results, and his men would be sacrificed. Ling Hanjun could only swallow his anger.

After a while, Chen Fei lost track of the bandits.

“Clearly, I’d overestimated myself.”

Returning to the courtyard with the alchemy room, Chen Fei sat under the eaves and looked up at the starry sky.

Last time in the dark market, he was able to follow that group of bandits because he didn’t really intend to. But today, those bandits must have used various methods to evade being chased.

Apart from being superior in body skills, Chen Fei’s ability in both vision and tracking is actually mediocre. If he still acted like a tail, those bandits would probably have been caught by the yamen already.

“Should I find a book to enhance my vision or learn tracking techniques?” Chen Fei was tempted, but when he thought about the tasks he had arranged now, he couldn’t help but sigh. Time-wise, Chen Fei was really squeezed.

This matter can only be planned later when he has some free time.

Chen Fei took out Jian Liang’s money bag and opened it, feeling somewhat disappointed. It was estimated that the stolen silver was hidden elsewhere, and there were only a few dozen pieces of broken silver in the bag.

If it were before, Chen Fei would have been happy. But now that he has succeeded in alchemy, this amount of money is no longer satisfactory.

He burned the money bag in the fire and opened the piece of cowhide.

Chapter end