Going Back on His Word

Chen Fei bargained back and forth with Chi Defeng a few more times in the end, settling the price at ten percent above market rate, with the goods to be collected at this time six days later.

Chen Fei left the Black Market and returned to the courtyard he rented, a smile on his face.

In truth, even if the price of the herbs rose tenfold above market rate, it would not be that big a deal to Chen Fei. After all, once the herbs were refined into pills, the profit within had already multiplied several dozen times over.

But when doing business with others, it was impossible to simply agree to whatever price they named. The other party would not think you generous; they would think you easy to cheat, and all kinds of trouble would come knocking afterward instead.

Chen Fei pulled a Movement Technique secret manual from under the foot of the bed and began studying it.

Crossing River Clouds had already fused with the thirteenth secret manual. Each time, the time needed to cultivate it to Great Perfection grew shorter and shorter, which showed that the new manuals' supplementation to the Movement Technique was already weakening at an accelerating rate.

A quarter of an hour later, the new secret manual was finished, and the information for Swallows Fly in Pairs appeared on the Panel. Chen Fei fused the Great Perfection Crossing River Clouds with Swallows Fly in Pairs.

Cultivation technique: Crossing River Clouds (Perfection 7325/10000)

It was already close to Great Perfection right after fusing, which meant the room for improvement had become smaller and smaller. When the day came that fusing a new secret manual resulted directly in Great Perfection, it would mean this cultivation technique no longer had any possibility of improving.

Chen Fei's original idea of relying on the Fusion of all kinds of low-tier cultivation techniques to improve endlessly and create even stronger cultivation techniques was undoubtedly a bit of Wishful Thinking.

After all, when beginner cultivation techniques were created, their line of thought was very simple. Fortunately, the Panel could simplify those incomplete secret manuals; otherwise, Chen Fei truly would not know where he should go to find new cultivation techniques.

Several li away.

"Help me kill someone. If this matter is done, the favor you owed back then will be considered cleared."

"Who?"

"Qingzheng Medical Center, Chen Fei!"

"If you kill someone from Qingzheng Medical Center, the Zhang Family won't let it go."

"Bandits are running rampant in the county nowadays. When the time comes, leave some traces and pin it on those people—won't that settle it? And that brat has no small fortune now. That money will be a bargain for you!"

"Done. I'll take this job!"

The house fell silent again. One person had already left, while the other limped toward the table, the candlelight revealing a savage face.

"We went together that day. My leg was broken, and I became a cripple! Yet you comfortably became Deputy Manager. How can all the good things be taken by you?" The vicious murmur swayed along with the candlelight.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Pingyin County was rarely peaceful for a stretch of time. Those bandits did not appear again, as if they had already given up on Pingyin County.

Chen Fei moved between two points in a line: refining pills, cultivating, rubbing his face. His cultivation had already reached the critical point, and at the same time, when the Movement Technique secret manuals had fused up to the sixteenth book, they could Cannot Advance Further.

Chen Fei then simplified the high-tier Movement Technique he had deliberately collected and obtained a skill called Leaping Swiftly.

It was not a complete Movement Technique secret manual, only a section of skill. According to the insight Chen Fei received, after using this skill, his running speed would increase for a short period of time.

There would be some exhaustion afterward, but no other serious aftereffects.

Chen Fei was overjoyed and fused this skill into Crossing River Clouds without the slightest hesitation.

The current Crossing River Clouds, after fusing more than a dozen Movement Techniques, appeared extremely comprehensive. Fusing Leaping Swiftly did not turn Crossing River Clouds into some neither-fish-nor-fowl thing; instead, it gained an explosive Secret Art.

At the same time, its Proficiency dropped to Perfection (8123/10000).

With Chen Fei's current speed in cultivating Movement Techniques, cultivating it back to Great Perfection would only take a day or two.

"Because Crossing River Clouds has fused more than a dozen cultivation techniques, it can perfectly contain the secret skill of a high-tier Movement Technique. Then if my Sword Technique wants to perfectly fuse sword moves like Immortal Guides the Way, aside from a second Simplification, would fully fusing the basic Sword Technique also be a path?"

An idea involuntarily surfaced in Chen Fei's mind, but he immediately overturned it.

Sword Techniques were different from Movement Techniques. Leaping Swiftly was actually more like an explosive state rather than a certain kind of footwork, so it could be perfectly compatible.

"But fusing the basic Sword Technique to completion will still be beneficial for me when I fuse other high-tier Sword Techniques in the future. At the very least, its inclusiveness will be much stronger."

Chen Fei pondered. His footwork could be considered to have risen to another stage now. Next would be his cultivation and the moves he used against enemies. Grinding Proficiency was something without end; it could not be stopped at all.

As for his cultivation, Chen Fei glanced at the Panel. It was only short by a few points now.

Chen Fei could not help sitting cross-legged, continuously circulating the Wind Suspension Breathing Technique. The qi and blood in his body began to surge ceaselessly. Chen Fei's skin began to redden slightly, and a stream of heat flowed over his skin before gradually seeping into his muscles.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Fei's body trembled slightly. A brand-new power bloomed from within his body, and Chen Fei involuntarily opened his eyes.

Rustling sounds came from all around. In the darkness, Chen Fei could see a little farther than before.

Within the extreme silence of the black night, many scattered, clamorous sounds were mixed in. The two sensations blended together, filling Chen Fei's mind and spirit.

"Someone's here!"

Chen Fei suddenly turned his head to look outside the door. In the clarity after his breakthrough, Chen Fei sensed something strange within the courtyard. There was a person hiding there.

Chen Fei lifted the longsword in his hand, opened the door, and walked straight into the courtyard, like someone who could not sleep at night and had come out specially to relieve his boredom.

"Hiss!"

Chen Fei shifted his body to the left. A cold gleam flashed past, and a Flying Knife scraped against the courtyard wall. At the same time, a black shadow leaped from the corner onto the top of the wall and stared coldly at Chen Fei.

The Black-Clad Man did not speak. With a flicker of his figure, he had already vanished from where he stood.

Chen Fei looked at the Black-Clad Man's back. Recently, he had always felt as if someone was secretly following and observing him. Chen Fei had thought it was someone sent by Sun Shu. But today, this person had hidden all the way inside the courtyard, and when he realized something was wrong just now, he had directly made a move. Clearly, this could not be explained as simple tracking.

Swiftly!

The qi and blood in his body circulated along a specific route. Chen Fei felt his body suddenly become lighter, and the surroundings seemed to slow all at once.

A light breeze brushed past. As the branches swayed, Chen Fei completely saw the trajectory of the leaves' movement.

The next moment, Chen Fei stepped back with his right foot and, in the blink of an eye, arrived behind the Black-Clad Man. The Longsword in his hand had already thrust out.

The Black-Clad Man sensed something strange behind him and instinctively turned his head, only to see the Longsword stabbing toward him. His eyes were filled with terror and disbelief. How could Chen Fei be so fast!

According to the information he had received, Chen Fei had clearly only broken through to the Skin Refining Realm not long ago.

And out of caution, he had even deliberately tailed him for several days, confirming Chen Fei's cultivation and finding no one else protecting him. That was why he had planned to make his move today, kill Chen Fei, and end this commission.

But now, what was with the Movement Technique and sword moves Chen Fei was displaying?

"Hiss!"

The Sword Blade pierced straight through his chest. The Black-Clad Man collapsed onto the ground, his mouth full of blood.

Chen Fei flashed to one side, looked down at the Black-Clad Man, and said, "Who sent you?"

"Promise you won't kill me, and I'll tell you," the Black-Clad Man said in a low voice, clutching his wound.

"Fine!" Chen Fei thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Pu Liao. He's the one who sent me!" the Black-Clad Man said through gritted teeth, feeling that Pu Liao had tricked him into a pit. Once he got back this time, he would definitely make Pu Liao pay the price!

Chen Fei's brows knitted at once, somewhat unable to understand. He had not even gone looking for trouble with Pu Liao, yet Pu Liao had actually found someone to kill him.

"Can I go now?" The Black-Clad Man struggled to stand. Chen Fei's sword had crippled his strength, but he could still barely move.

Looking at the Black-Clad Man, Chen Fei shook his head slightly and walked closer step by step, saying, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"What are you planning to do? You just promised not to kill me! You can't go back on your word!" the Black-Clad Man screamed in terror.

"I broke my word!"

Sword light flashed. The sword tip pierced through the Black-Clad Man's heart. The Black-Clad Man stared at Chen Fei in disbelief, then slowly fell backward.