Broken Temple

Chen Fei searched the two men and found only a few copper coins. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. After checking his bearings, Chen Fei ran southeast.

Night fell. Within a broken temple, the faint aroma of roasting meat drifted through the air, accompanied now and then by voices in conversation.

Legend had it that Pingyin Mountain had once produced an immortal who could overturn rivers and seas, capable of anything. Later, an Immortal Temple had appeared on Pingyin Mountain, though it was not particularly efficacious.

After only a few years, it had fallen completely into disrepair, becoming a temporary shelter for those spending the night on Pingyin Mountain.

Chen Fei carefully turned the rabbit meat on the branch. His luck had been good—he had caught a rabbit. Several Medical Hall laborers chatted idly nearby, their gazes repeatedly drifting toward the rabbit meat, their eyes filled with longing.

The Medical Hall's meals had no fish or meat. If they wanted meat, they had to buy it themselves. But on a laborer's wages, they could not taste meat even once in a month.

Knock, knock, knock!

A knock sounded at the door, and one of the laborers went to open it. Cold wind swept inside. Chen Fei instinctively glanced outside, his eyes narrowing slightly before he withdrew his gaze.

"Wonderful, rabbit meat! I was starving to death." Qi Chun was overjoyed at the sight of the roasted rabbit.

"Just you? I thought the others were with you too." The laborer who had opened the door looked outside and asked in puzzlement.

"I don't know either." Qi Chun shook his head, sat on the ground, and stared at the nearly cooked rabbit meat.

Crackle!

The firewood still held moisture, and it let out a small popping sound.

Perhaps feeling that things had become too quiet, Qi Chun said, "Guess what I ran into today? Once you hear it, I guarantee you'll cheer!"

"What happened? Let's hear it." The other laborers had been hooked.

"No rush. I happen to have something to say too." Chen Fei suddenly spoke up. "Do you know how I caught this rabbit today?"

Everyone turned to look at Chen Fei. Threads of meat fragrance drifted beneath their noses, making them increasingly restless.

Chen Fei stood and looked at the crowd. "Rabbits are alert. At the slightest rustle of wind or grass, they'll immediately run away. So when you spot a rabbit, don't make a sound. Slowly get close, then do this..."

Shhk!

A flash of light streaked through the broken temple. Qi Chun stared blankly at Chen Fei, and the next moment, his head rolled straight to the ground.

Ah!

The other laborers screamed in shock, staring at Chen Fei in disbelief. Chen Fei had killed someone—right before their eyes.

The crucial thing was that they had no idea why Chen Fei had killed Qi Chun. That was what terrified them most.

Chen Fei said nothing. He looked at Qi Chun's neck, where there was not a trace of what normal flesh and blood should have looked like.

"Everyone, run!"

Chen Fei roared. Before leaving, he hooked up the money pouch at Qi Chun's waist with his woodcutter's knife, then charged out of the broken temple without looking back.

Heh heh heh!

A sinister laugh rang through the broken temple. The other laborers woke as if from a dream. Seeing the headless body rise on its own, they instantly understood something and fled the broken temple with terrified faces.

Chen Fei's expression darkened. He had not expected to truly run into a ghostly anomaly on Pingyin Mountain. Fortunately, he had broken through to the Skin Tempering Realm during the day, allowing him to sense this strange aura somewhat.

Otherwise, if he had remained in the broken temple, who knew what might have happened afterward.

The most important thing now was to return to Pingyin County overnight. Strange incidents rarely occurred within Pingyin County's city walls. Rumor had it that the County yamen possessed a treasure that kept them suppressed.

Chen Fei did not know whether that was true. He only wanted to get back as quickly as possible, where it would be safer.

"Chen Fei, my neck hurts so much. That slash of yours hurt me so badly!"

A faint voice drifted from behind him, and Chen Fei's expression changed. Hadn't they said that martial artists possessed vigorous qi and blood, so anomalies would go after those with weaker qi and blood first?

How had it caught up so quickly? Unless all the other laborers were already dead?

Chen Fei ran with all his strength. After reaching the Skin Tempering Realm, both his stamina and speed had increased dramatically. If an ordinary person had been chasing him, he would have long since shaken them off. Yet no matter how fast Chen Fei ran, the icy aura behind him remained latched onto him.

"Extreme Mountain Boxing Gym said that a martial artist's qi and blood could contend against anomalies. I have the realm now, but I know very little about how to mobilize qi and blood."

Chen Fei looked at the Extreme Mountain Fist on the panel, which he had yet to master. At the same time, he opened Qi Chun's money pouch. There were actually more than two taels of silver inside, greatly exceeding Chen Fei's expectations.

"Panel, simplify Extreme Mountain Fist!"

Simplifying Extreme Mountain Fist...

Simplification successful... Extreme Mountain Fist → Swinging Arms!

Swinging arms?

Before Chen Fei could understand what swinging arms meant, insights into Extreme Mountain Fist abruptly appeared in his mind, arriving at an astonishing speed.

Chen Fei instinctively looked at the panel.

Cultivation Method: Extreme Mountain Fist (Beginner 23/100)

The number 23 became 24 in the blink of an eye, then continued to rise. Chen Fei looked at his arms. As he sprinted at full speed, weren't his arms swinging?

Chen Fei could only call it impressive. This simplification was every bit the equal of the breathing technique.

"Chen Fei, do you know where my head ran off to?"

Qi Chun's voice sounded directly beside Chen Fei's ear, as though he were pressed right against Chen Fei's back. Chen Fei could even feel the breath from his words.

Chen Fei's expression changed. He threw a punch backward. The profound intricacies of Extreme Mountain Fist flowed through his mind, and the temperature of his fist rapidly rose.

Bang!

With a dull impact, Qi Chun let out a shriek. The place where his chest had been struck was already charred black.

"This can work!"

Chen Fei's eyes lit up slightly. Rather than fleeing, he gripped his woodcutter's knife and charged back at Qi Chun.

After gaining a basic grasp of Extreme Mountain Fist, Chen Fei had roughly understood how to use qi and blood. He now poured it into the woodcutter's knife in his hand. After several slashes, Qi Chun's limbs were severed apart.

"How can you be this strong!"

Qi Chun howled miserably, but Chen Fei's expression did not change as he continued swinging his blade.

"Don't kill me! If you kill me, you won't survive either!"

Chen Fei's movements paused slightly. Qi Chun was surely just a minor lackey; perhaps there truly was some greater anomaly behind him. But if Chen Fei did not kill Qi Chun now, would Qi Chun spare him?

"Stop, and I'll tell you how to stay alive!"

Qi Chun shouted, but Chen Fei's blade was his only answer.

At first, Qi Chun could still scream. Later, as his flesh and blood dissolved away, he could no longer cry out at all. At some point, Chen Fei, mechanically swinging his blade, discovered that Qi Chun had already turned into a pile of ash.

"So this was how anomalies were killed!"

Chen Fei muttered to himself. Just as he turned to leave, a sharp pain suddenly struck his wrist. He raised it and saw a thin black line appear there.

With no time to think about the line that had suddenly appeared, Chen Fei ran toward Pingyin County.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei finally saw the walls of Pingyin County.