Everything Was Ready

Ling Hanjun stayed where he was, hopping mad, watching Chen Fei leave with no way to stop him. If the two archers had been there, they could at least have delayed him a little.

Yet those two had died the fastest.

"You won't get away!" Ling Hanjun gritted his teeth and turned back to inspect his subordinates' injuries.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Dark market, Chen Fei quickly returned to another courtyard he had rented within the county.

Chen Fei had rented many courtyards throughout Pingyin County, so that if anything unexpected happened, he would have a new place to settle.

"This archery technique is quite useful. This longbow is just a little too weak."

Thinking back on what had just happened, Chen Fei could not help but smile. The arrows were still somewhat lacking in power. They were enough against Muscle Tempering Realm martial artists, but against Bone Forging Realm experts, they would be hard-pressed to suffice.

Especially against someone like Ling Hanjun, one of the best among the Bone Forging Realm, bows and arrows were practically just decorations.

"Once I get elsewhere, I can look for an opportunity to buy a good bow. At the same time, I can't let my cultivation fall behind."

Chen Fei calculated silently. Internal Energy cultivation was ultimately the foundation. Otherwise, even if a fine bow were placed before him, it would be useless if he could not draw it.

Chen Fei took the wooden cabinet out of the Space Grid and stored the silver in his hands proportionally in different compartments, making it easier to retrieve when needed.

Early the next morning, the Zhao Family went to deliver medicinal ingredients as usual, only to discover that several alchemists had died. When they arrived at Chen Fei's courtyard, they saw only bloodstains on the ground. The man himself had vanished completely.

Neither alive nor dead, he was nowhere to be found!

The Zhao Family flew into a complete rage. Together with the rebels, they began a full-scale search throughout Pingyin County.

Chen Fei did not know whether Zhang Sinan and the others had been found. He simply acted like an ordinary person and began purchasing supplies throughout the county.

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

In less than a day, Chen Fei had packed the wooden cabinet in the Space Grid to the brim. Food in particular was what he had prepared the most of.

Under normal circumstances, finding food in the wilderness was still manageable. But Chen Fei worried that something abnormal might happen. Since he had the Space Grid and carrying capacity was not an issue, naturally he would bring as much as he could.

Early the next morning, Chen Fei looked strangely at the steaming buns in his hand. He had put these buns into the Space Grid yesterday, yet seven or eight hours had passed, and they were still piping hot—exactly as they had been when he put them in.

"This Space Grid is rather impressive. Is time practically stagnant inside?"

All sorts of thoughts sprang into Chen Fei's mind. But he currently had only one Space Grid. Even if he conducted those experiments now, he would have no way to verify the results.

Since time was stagnant, there was no need to worry about food spoiling. Chen Fei decided to treat himself better. He took all the dry rations he had originally prepared out of the Space Grid and went back out to buy food.

Because of the Zhao Family's frenzied search, all of Pingyin County seemed somewhat noisy. The streets, already desolate to begin with, had become even more sparsely populated, with everyone hiding inside their homes.

After buying what he needed, Chen Fei hurried back to the courtyard and stopped wandering around outside.

Chen Fei had originally planned to visit Zeng Defang. After all, back at the Medical Hall, Zeng Defang had treated him fairly well. Chen Fei had even once considered having Zeng Defang leave Pingyin County with him.

But now, Zeng Defang was seriously injured and had a whole family in tow. The rebels would never allow an alchemist like him to leave.

After checking the supplies in the Space Grid and confirming that nothing was amiss, Chen Fei sat cross-legged and began cultivating his Internal Energy. The sound of his steady breathing echoed through the room as the entire night slipped by without a sound.

At dawn, Chen Fei disguised himself as an ordinary man and left the city.

Nothing unexpected happened at the city gate. After all, there were very few people capable of seeing through the Disguise Technique, and Chen Fei had cultivated it to its peak. Ordinary people would find it difficult to spot any flaw.

Several li outside the city, Chen Fei saw their agreed meeting place: Windstone.

Chen Fei did not approach immediately. Instead, he found a high point and observed from there. As the time of chen drew nearer, figures slowly began to appear.

Chen Fei surveyed the surroundings and found no ambush. It probably was not a trap.

Chen Fei looked up at the time and, no longer delaying, leaped between the treetops. Moments later, he arrived at Windstone.

Everyone present glanced at Chen Fei. The movement technique he had deliberately displayed just now was about as good as that of an ordinary Bone Forging Realm martial artist. Sometimes, without actually fighting, one could only judge a person's strength through such things.

Chen Fei spotted Chi Defeng. The two nodded to each other, but did not speak.

Everyone was secretly sizing up the others present. Chen Fei swept his gaze around once, then stopped observing. They were all martial artists with cultivation; there were no ordinary people here.

"The time is about right. It seems these are all the people we have."

Qian Jijiang glanced at the group and said in a deep voice, "Qian will not waste words. Three hundred taels per person, and Qian will take the lead for this stretch of the journey to Xingfen City."

As soon as Qian Jijiang spoke, the crowd stirred. This price exceeded most people's expectations. Even though they were martial artists, saving up such a sum was still harder than climbing to the heavens.

"Three hundred taels is rather expensive. Could you lower the price?"

"Exactly. We'll be helping one another on the road ahead. Asking for three hundred taels right off the bat is a bit much."

Someone could not help but speak up.

Qian Jijiang smiled and raised a hand to press the matter down. "It is a bit expensive. Those unwilling to pay need not travel with us. Qian is not forcing anyone to hand over this money. It is entirely voluntary."

Several people exchanged glances. Outside, war and chaos reigned, and there were no merchant caravans. Having them travel alone to another city genuinely made them nervous. Even martial artists were no exception.

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

"That cannot be guaranteed. I can only say that we will advance and retreat together when the time comes." Qian Jijiang smiled and shook his head.

"With that money, I might as well be careful and continue making a living in Pingyin County. Why travel such a long distance somewhere else?"

Someone snorted coldly, turned around, and left. After hesitating for a moment, others also withdrew from the group.

A moment later, only six people remained.

Chen Fei looked at Chi Defeng in surprise. This man was greedy for money as if it were his life and had wanted nothing more than to stuff all his fake medicine into Chen Fei's arms, yet he was willing to spend three hundred taels?

"With fewer people, we'll be safer instead."

Rather than being displeased by the others' departure, Qian Jijiang smiled. "Everyone, pay up."

"Here. Three hundred taels."

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

With someone taking the lead, the others followed and handed over their silver in turn.

Chen Fei had deliberately stuffed five hundred taels of silver into the large bundle on his back, just in case. Now, he counted out the silver and gave it to Qian Jijiang as well.

"Good. Since we'll be traveling together from here on, everyone should briefly introduce themselves, so we can look after one another on the road." Qian Jijiang put away the silver, the smile on his face growing even broader.