Portrait

"What a handsome Movement Technique!"

Jian Liang's eyes lit up slightly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw Chen Fei already fleeing desperately toward the mouth of the alley. Jian Liang gave a cold laugh and was about to chase after him and finish killing him when a sound suddenly came from the courtyard.

Jian Liang's brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and rushed back into the courtyard.

A moment later, Jian Liang stood atop the courtyard wall again, blood now staining the cuff of his sleeve. He looked around, but Chen Fei was nowhere to be seen.

Expressionless, Jian Liang felt that he might have seen that man somewhere before. But with such a Movement Technique, if he truly had seen it before, it should have left a deep impression. He should not have forgotten it.

Jian Liang frowned slightly. As the night wind swept past, he vanished from where he stood.

A li away, Chen Fei hid in a corner. Only after confirming that no one had pursued him did he let out a faint breath of relief.

His luck was far too outrageous. He had actually run into that group of Mountain Bandits inside the city. The family from before was most likely doomed. Facing those Mountain Bandits, Chen Fei could barely protect himself; saving anyone was utterly impossible.

"I got a little too carried away."

Chen Fei muttered to himself. If his Movement Technique had not reached Great Perfection and become almost instinctive, there was no way he could have dodged Jian Liang's slash.

"My cultivation is still too low." Chen Fei raised his head and looked toward the courtyard from before. "I still need to keep stacking my Movement Technique. The two don't conflict—if anything, they complement each other!"

He did not go to the Black Market right away. Tonight was likely to be anything but peaceful, so Chen Fei decided to find that Stall Owner tomorrow night instead.

Early the next morning, Chen Fei arrived at the Medical Hall and immediately heard that the place was in an uproar.

"What happened?" Chen Fei asked doubtfully.

"Last night, several wealthy households in the county were wiped out. They say blood flowed all over the ground." Liu Jun came up to Chen Fei and spoke in a low voice.

Chen Fei's brow creased. Last night, he had thought those Mountain Bandits had targeted only one household. Now it seemed they had come straight into the county to sweep through it.

"The County Government Office is furious. They've put out a huge reward—anyone who provides useful information will receive one hundred taels of silver."

Liu Jun continued, his gaze stirring with restless eagerness. After all, one hundred taels of silver was undoubtedly an enormous sum for people like them. Whether they would ever see that much money in their lifetimes was itself a question.

Chen Fei was tempted as well, but he immediately suppressed the thought.

He could not afford to provoke those Mountain Bandits yet. Besides, even if the County Government Office claimed it would pay one hundred taels, how much they would actually give in the end remained unknown. More likely, it would drag him into danger.

But letting the matter slide so easily would be letting those Mountain Bandits off far too cheaply.

And if no one suppressed those Mountain Bandits, they would likely come into the county to commit crimes again before long. When that happened, Chen Fei might still find himself in danger.

After offering Liu Jun a few words of encouragement, Chen Fei went to the Pill Room and began refining Qi Blood Pills.

After refining a few more batches today, he could raise the experience for the Grass Return Pill to Proficient Level. Then he could formally begin refining Grass Return Pills.

A quarter of an hour later, the pill furnace was opened. Five Qi Blood Pills lay neatly within, and the Panel showed that the Grass Return Pill's experience had increased by 5.

Experience was calculated according to the number of Qi Blood Pills produced. If it were not, Chen Fei would have had no way to raise the Grass Return Pill's experience to its current point within just a few days.

He placed the Qi Blood Pills into a medicine bottle, briefly cleaned the pill furnace, then began refining the second batch of Qi Blood Pills with no distractions in his heart.

The third batch, the fourth batch, the fifth batch.

After refining five full batches of Qi Blood Pills, Chen Fei could not help exhaling a breath of Turbid Breath.

Though his Qi Blood Pill technique had reached Great Perfection, refining them continuously like this still drained his concentration somewhat. Chen Fei glanced at the Panel, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Pill Refining Art: Grass Return Pill (Proficient 2/1000)

"I can refine Grass Return Pills now!"

Because they valued Chen Fei's pill-refining skill, and also as a way of supporting his refinement, the Medical Hall specially provided him with one set of Grass Return Pill herbs for free every day.

Five sets of Grass Return Pill herbs had already accumulated at Chen Fei's feet. If all went well, he would obtain at least several Grass Return Pills shortly.

Chen Fei regulated his breathing for the time it took an incense stick to burn. Then he carefully cleaned the pill furnace and placed the herbs inside one by one according to the Pill Recipe.

He focused completely. After all, this was his first time personally refining Grass Return Pills. Chen Fei treated every change in the medicinal properties within the furnace seriously and adjusted accordingly.

A quarter of an hour later, medicinal fragrance began spreading through the Pill Room, instantly overwhelming the lingering scent of Qi Blood Pills.

Two quarters of an hour later, Chen Fei lifted the furnace lid. A single pill lay quietly inside.

Chen Fei carefully took it out and examined the Grass Return Pill closely.

The outer layer of the pill was not smooth enough, and upon close inspection, tiny traces of herbs had not fully fused into it. All of this would affect the Grass Return Pill's final efficacy, and if it were sold, its price would be somewhat lower as well.

But none of those flaws could conceal the smile on Chen Fei's face.

Even if its medicinal efficacy was a little weaker, it was still far better than a Qi Blood Pill. If Chen Fei could take one Grass Return Pill every day, the time needed to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm would shrink drastically.

The appearance of those Mountain Bandits had left Chen Fei feeling increasingly unsafe.

He opened his mouth and swallowed the Grass Return Pill. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Chen Fei began circulating the Wind Suspension Breathing Technique. His expression soon became as still as an ancient well, and he completely sank into cultivation.

Who knew how much time passed before Chen Fei awoke? The fatigue from refining pills earlier had long been swept away, and he looked utterly invigorated. When he looked toward the Panel, a smile involuntarily rose on his face.

Realm: Skin Tempering (593/1000)

The Grass Return Pill had increased his cultivation by a full 15 points. Previously, even with the Wind Suspension Breathing Technique and Qi Blood Pills at Great Perfection, Chen Fei would still have needed nearly a month to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm.

Now that he had switched to Grass Return Pills, although he could only take one per day, he would need only half a month. The time had been cut in half.

Perhaps in the eyes of other martial artists, such a reduction in time held little meaning, since a Grass Return Pill cost dozens of times more than a Qi Blood Pill.

One Grass Return Pill: ten taels of silver. Fair to All, Young and Old—no bargaining!

This half-month reduction had been bought entirely with piles of silver taels. It was extravagantly wasteful.

But as an Alchemist, Chen Fei understood that the herbs used for the two differed in value by, at most, a factor of two. The rest was entirely the value of skill.

And now, Chen Fei had mastered that skill.

"To quickly save up enough silver taels, it looks like I'll have to sell some Grass Return Pills at the Black Market."

Chen Fei pondered inwardly, but his hands did not stop as he continued refining Grass Return Pills.

Night fell, yet the County Government Office was brightly lit. Suddenly, a pebble flew in and struck the wall with a dull thud.

The Yamen Runners moved at the sound and discovered an envelope beneath the pebble. Inside was a portrait. On closer inspection, it was unmistakably Jian Liang's likeness—vivid and lifelike.

Several li away, Chen Fei, who had learned sketching in his previous life, had already entered the Black Market and arrived before the Book Stall.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei left the Black Market. His bundle now held ten Basic Movement Technique Manuals, along with one Advanced Movement Technique Manual and one Miscellaneous Art.

This Miscellaneous Art was a Disguise Technique. Not only could it alter one's appearance; according to the manual, once cultivated to a profound level, even one's physique could be transformed.