Dragon Subduing Elephant

The cowhide was clearly very old. Countless hands had rubbed over it, leaving it exceptionally smooth. Yet even so, the hide itself had suffered no damage.

"This doesn't seem like ordinary yellow cowhide. A demon beast?"

Some strange tales flashed through Chen Fei's mind. Rumor had it that, besides the aberrations, this world also possessed demon beasts.

Like human aberrations, demon beasts could cultivate on their own. They possessed keen Spiritual Wisdom and formidable strength.

There were no demon beasts within Pingyin County, though aberrations appeared often enough.

An hour later, Chen Fei rubbed his eyes and raised his head.

He had finished reading the cultivation method on the cowhide, but it had left him feeling lost in the clouds and mist. No matter how he looked at it, it differed vastly from ordinary cultivation techniques.

If Chen Fei were to cultivate it normally, he did not even know where to begin.

He wondered how Jian Liang had comprehended that set of Stormy Waves from this cowhide. Or perhaps Jian Liang's technique had not come from the cowhide at all, but from some other method.

Jian Liang had merely known that the technique recorded on this cowhide was precious, so he carried it with him and took it out to study from time to time.

Chen Fei looked at the cowhide and tugged on it with a little force. It did not move in the slightest. His expression shifted slightly as he pressed the edge of his sword against the hide and began to exert strength.

In the end, even when Chen Fei went all out, the cowhide remained completely undamaged.

"No wonder he kept the cowhide over his heart. He must have known how defensive it was."

Chen Fei suddenly understood. Yet in the end, Jian Liang had never gotten the chance to use the cowhide's protection.

Chen Fei's first sword had pierced straight through the center of Jian Liang's chest, while the second had gone through his throat. Chen Fei had instinctively thought that most people would carefully protect their hearts. He had not expected to strike true by sheer luck.

Technique: Dragon Subduing Elephant (Not Initiated)

"Fifty thousand taels of silver? Such an outrageous simplification cost!"

Chen Fei looked at the information displayed on the panel, his teeth aching so badly that he could not help baring them.

But that also reflected just how powerful and difficult this technique was to cultivate. Chen Fei's current killing move, Immortal Points the Way, had cost only five hundred taels back then.

This was a full hundredfold difference. Even with Chen Fei's current rate of earning money, he would need to save for a very long time—and could not spend any of it.

"Looks like I won't be able to cultivate it anytime soon." Chen Fei shook his head helplessly.

Early the next morning, several heads were hung from the gates of Pingyin County's northern district. Jian Liang's was among them.

The entire Pingyin County reacted violently, especially the refugees who had moved in. The expressions of some were particularly ugly. Some were bandits, while others were thieves and petty scoundrels.

The stance of Pingyin County yamen was equally clear: intimidation.

Only days after the crime had been committed, the County yamen had dispatched men to encircle and suppress them. Though many had escaped, many had also been killed. Jian Liang's head in particular filled some bandits with dread.

He was the Third Chief. He had clearly broken through the encirclement last night, yet he had still failed to escape death in the end.

"Big Brother, why don't we leave Pingyin County for now? Last time, Third Brother was cornered. This time, it turned out even worse. There must be an expert tracker in Pingyin County. Our simple disguises can't fool his eyes."

"Third Brother's vengeance hasn't been taken, and you want me to leave now?" Ling HanJun's gaze instantly turned savage.

"I'm just worried..."

Slap!

With a dull smack, Ling HanJun sent the man sprawling with a single slap, cutting off his words.

"Investigate! No matter what methods you use, find out who that person is! I want him to pay a blood debt with blood!"

Ling HanJun roared. Seeing the others trembling in fear, he took a deep breath and said, "Leave a few people behind. Everyone else, leave the city in batches first!"

No one dared defy him. They answered in unison and began searching for the person who had killed Jian Liang.

Night fell. Chen Fei changed his appearance and entered the Dark market. But he did not spot the bandits again. He had only remembered a few of them clearly; with the others deliberately disguised, it was difficult to identify them again.

Though he had not obtained the information he wanted, Chen Fei unexpectedly saw a bounty notice. The face on it was precisely the one he had deliberately assumed last night.

Anyone who provided useful information would receive one thousand taels. Anyone who captured the man would receive five thousand taels outright. With such lavish rewards, few people would be able to resist.

"This Dark market clearly has ties to the County yamen, yet those bandits actually put their bounty here."

Chen Fei shook his head slightly. It was clear just how badly those bandits wanted to kill him.

When he turned to leave the Dark market, there was unexpectedly another tail following behind him. Chen Fei deliberately took several extra detours before finally shaking the person off.

After returning to the courtyard, Chen Fei began practicing his swordsmanship.

He could not find the bandits for now, and he had no other options. Fortunately, their attention was focused on finding him, while the County yamen had the entire city on alert. He should be able to enjoy a few peaceful days.

Days passed one by one. The refugees gradually became true residents of Pingyin County, and the county stabilized. No one was murdered at night anymore. The only exception was the bandits' bounty, which had somehow risen to eight thousand taels.

It seemed that every martial artist had been drawn to this bounty.

There was no other reason. They were simply offering too much.

"What exactly are they after? Could it be for that piece of cowhide?"

Chen Fei suddenly began to understand. That cultivation technique was indeed strange. After reading it last time, he had already forgotten seven or eight parts out of ten. Given a little more time, he would likely forget it all.

After discovering this, Chen Fei deliberately copied the Dragon Subduing Elephant technique onto paper. Then something happened that made him suck in a breath of cold air. By the next day, several characters on the pages would mysteriously vanish on their own.

"What kind of principle is this?"

Chen Fei was utterly baffled. No wonder the technique had to be recorded on this kind of cowhide, and no wonder it had to be kept close to the body. Before mastering the technique, one probably had to read the words on the hide every so often.

"I have the panel, and the technique has already been recorded. Does that mean I can sell this cowhide?"

Chen Fei pondered in secret and realized that he had gained another layer of understanding about this world. But in Pingyin County, there seemed to be no buyer for this cowhide at all.

Or rather, even if there were a buyer, how could Chen Fei protect the silver he obtained after selling it?

"For now, I'll just use it as a heart-protecting mirror."

Chen Fei shook his head, completely cast the matter aside, and immersed himself in sword practice.

As time passed, Chen Fei had already integrated a third sword technique. His swordsmanship was becoming increasingly refined. His cultivation was advancing steadily, but he still could not break through to the Bone Forging Realm anytime soon.

However, his experiments with the Light Spirit Pill were gradually producing results. Perhaps after some more time, Chen Fei would be able to refine Light Spirit Pills himself.

"Come out. You're coming with me!"

The door to the Pill Chamber was kicked open, and Zhang Yuezhen strode inside, just in time to see Chen Fei's pill furnace explode.

"Disturbing someone during pill refinement is forbidden. That is the Medical Hall's rule!" Chen Fei's expression darkened.

"At North City Medical Hall, my words are the rules!"

Zhang Yuezhen waved a hand, cutting Chen Fei off without giving him the slightest face. "Stop talking nonsense. Go to the Zhang Family residence!"

"Why aren't you moving yet? If the Young Miss blames you, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Shan Xiang looked at Chen Fei and urged him impatiently.