Chapter 326: Biting Cold
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei squinted his eyes suddenly. The patrol of Ghost Soldiers was information he had obtained from the shopkeeper at the store. He had always assumed that the footsteps heard during the midnight belonged to those creatures.
However, who could guarantee that what the shopkeeper had said was true? Moreover, the shopkeeper had torn off his disguise at the end and tried to forcibly keep Chen Fei in the store.
But this piece of information was something Chen Fei had paid for. If the shopkeeper had deceived him, wouldn’t that be a violation of the rules of exchange in Despair City?
Or perhaps, the twenty copper coins he paid back then were just for examining the merchandise?
Chen Fei’s brows furrowed slightly. These were things he couldn’t verify now. He couldn’t return to the store, and if he dared to return, he would surely be detained.
“How do I know if the information you provide is true?” Chen Fei whispered.
“We can make a contract, clearly written in black and white. If you understand Despair City, you should know that once such a contract is made, there’s no way to go back on it, no matter what!” The clinic’s head calmly took out a piece of paper from behind and handed it to Chen Fei.
Chen Fei sensed the cold aura on the paper but didn’t touch it. Instead, he used his elemental energy to hold the paper, displaying the contents in front of him.
After a while, Chen Fei withdrew his gaze from the contract. The content of the contract was straightforward, specifying the actions both parties needed to take, and the compensation Chen Fei needed to provide was one hundred copper coins.
“What do you say? By signing this contract, you won’t have to worry about the authenticity of the information I provide. One hundred copper coins may seem like a lot, but compared to your lives, it’s quite a reasonable price.”
The clinic head looked at Chen Fei, and the smile on his face seemed much friendlier than before, rather than the usual coldness.
“Once you sign, you’ll tell immediately?” Chen Fei asked, raising his head.
“Once you sign, I will tell you immediately, without any delay!” The clinic head firmly assured.
Chen Fei lowered his head to look at the contract, reached out his hand, and was about to sign it. However, his fingers paused in mid-air. The clinic head looked at Chen Fei with confusion.
“Why not sign it? Do you have any other concerns? 1 can add them to the contract if you like!” The clinic head tried to persuade.
“I just suddenly thought of something. Since you drafted this contract, I’m somewhat uneasy. How about 1 draft one myself? What do you think?” Chen Fei said and reached into the room with his right hand. A sword light flashed across the table, and a thin wooden strip, as delicate as a cicada’s wing, flew into Chen Fei’s hand.
“This is unnecessary!” The clinic head’s voice turned cold, and the previous warmth had vanished, who knows when.
“Is there anything wrong with it?” Chen Fei looked up at the clinic head.
The clinic head stared at Chen Fei, an icy aura spreading around him. Chen Fei maintained a calm gaze. Suddenly, the clinic head snorted, grabbed the contract suspended in mid-air, brushed his sleeves, and turned away, leaving.
Chen Fei watched the clinic head’s departing figure, shook his head slightly, and pointed at the wooden strip in his hand. The wooden strip instantly turned into powder and fell to the ground.
Chen Fei closed the door to the room and met the gaze of Chi Shuqing. Though she didn’t ask, it was clear that she was puzzled by the recent events.
“The ghosts in this city, none of them are kind!” Chen Fei explained softly, emphasizing the importance of remembering this point, which allowed him to see the many suspicious aspects of the clinic head. That’s why Chen Fei decided to draft his own contract.
As a result, the clinic head simply left, confirming that there was indeed a major issue with the contract.
Although Chen Fei hadn’t noticed anything strange on the contract before, it appeared overly fair, making it somewhat unrealistic. If Chen Fei had recklessly signed it, there could have been significant problems. The fact that the other party chose this particular moment to offer such information likely exploited the desperation of those seeking escape.
However, the clinic head’s earlier statement had left Chen Fei somewhat puzzled. Were the footsteps that appeared at midnight truly from the Specter Patrol? Or was there a more direct question: did “money talks” really work on those specters?
No one answered Chen Fei’s questions, and as time passed, night finally fell upon the Despair City.
The once bustling streets had become eerily quiet, and the entire world seemed to have fallen into silence.
The flickering green candlelight cast a slight sway, revealing the anxiety on the faces of Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang. On the other hand, Chen Fei continued to swing his sword, absorbing insights into the Slaughter Spirit Technique.
Being anxious wouldn’t change anything, and that was a principle Chen Fei always remembered.
Of course, the unease of Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang at this moment stemmed mostly from the continuous setbacks they had experienced in Despair City. Here, they had not achieved victory a single time.
Even their lives had been saved by Chen Fei. This had kept them in a state of reverence and awe towards Despair City.
As time gradually passed, the approaching midnight grew nearer. Chen Fei’s swinging arm slowly came to a stop, and he looked at the outside sky.
“Is it time to go now?” Chi Shuqing asked in a low voice.
They couldn’t wait until midnight had just arrived before heading out. Doing so would mean running into the Ghost Soldiers directly. They needed to arrive at the city gate in advance, so when midnight came, they could immediately leave the city.
“I’ll send my phantom to check.”
Chen Fei shook his head slightly, and a figure emerged from his body. The figure wavered briefly before transforming into Chen Fei’s appearance.
The Slaughter Spirit Technique!
With the flow of his elemental energy, it was like a sharp blade striking the phantom. The phantom’s aura, belonging to Chen Fei, was instantly stripped away, and in an instant, the phantom became a lifeless shadow.
Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang were somewhat surprised by this scene, not because they found the phantom strange, but because the phantom’s aura had disappeared.
In particular, Ren Zhongyang, as a member of the Primordial Sword Sect, understood the techniques of Soaring Heaven, and he naturally knew that the aura of the phantom of Soaring Heaven Technique would be completely identical to that of the original. It was extremely difficult to completely conceal one’s aura, just as many Aperture Tempering realm cultivators struggled to do so. However, Chen Fei’s phantom had achieved it.
The phantom’s body swayed slightly and dissipated into thin air within the room, like a fleeting dream.
In Chen Fei’s main body’s field of vision, the phantom had already leaped out of the clinic and was carefully heading towards the city gate.
The night was pitch black, and in the darkness of Despair City, you could barely see your own hand in front of your face. The moon in the sky only provided a faint glimmer of light to the city.
Relying on his memories from daytime, the phantom swiftly arrived at the city gate. There were no obstacles along the way, but the streets were filled with a chilling aura, making people extremely uncomfortable.
Chen Fei’s phantom looked at the city gate ahead, which was still closed, but Chen Fei could sense that it was different from how it usually appeared. Tonight, the city gate would indeed open.
Back in the clinic, Chen Fei’s eyes suddenly opened, and he looked at Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang. Several copper coins shattered, transforming into the power of the origin and flowing into their sea of consciousness.
Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang’s spiritual states trembled slightly, feeling clearer and more focused than ever before. Their control over their bodies also became more acute.
“Let’s go!”
Chen Fei shouted in a low voice, his figure swaying, and he disappeared from the room. Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang dared not delay and followed closely behind him.
At this moment, there was less than half an hour left until midnight.
As soon as they entered the street, Chen Fei felt the ubiquitous chill attempting to forcefully penetrate his body. He had felt a slight sensation of it during the daytime, but it was much more pronounced now.
With a physique tempered by reaching the Aperture Tempering realm, even without resistance, he could naturally withstand the harm of this chill.
But at night, the chilling force multiplied several times. When Chen Fei’s phantom was out, he didn’t feel it significantly, but now he immediately sensed the difference.
Fortunately, under the influence of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, Chen Fei’s own vitality was like a furnace. It would take hours, if not more, for the chilling force to even attempt to engulf him.
However, Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang did not possess such a physique.
Standing on the street, they shivered suddenly, and their faces turned somewhat bluish.
Especially Chi Shuqing, who was already heavily injured, found it even more difficult to resist this chilling force.
Chen Fei remained silent, his body turning into a virtual shadow as he rushed toward the city gate. Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang followed closely behind him. Since it was not yet midnight, the ominous footsteps had not appeared yet.
In less than a moment, the three of them arrived at the city gate smoothly. Chen Fei’s phantom turned to look at him, then flickered and merged back into his body.
Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang nervously scanned their surroundings. Midnight was approaching, the exit was right in front of them, but whether they could leave depended on what changes might occur next.
As Chen Fei observed the city gate, his expression suddenly changed. He turned to look at a street corner to the right, where a figure appeared – surprisingly, it was Liao Hanqin from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
However, compared to his previous vibrant self, Liao Hanqin now appeared somewhat disheveled, and his aura had decreased by more than a few notches from its peak.
As Liao Hanqin appeared, Chen Fei glanced at another location, where two more figures emerged – Wu Yongzhao and Jiang Ronghe from the Divine Flame Sect.
Compared to Liao Hanqin’s disheveled appearance, Wu Yongzhao’s aura not only didn’t weaken but instead seemed to have further advanced. If it weren’t for the wrong location, and if Wu Yongzhao were willing, he could have broken through to the mid-stage of the Aperture Tempering realm at this moment.
Chen Fei was somewhat surprised and then recalled the Divine Flame Sect’s claim to have extensive research on the Strange Heart Realm. The intensity of the phantasms within the Strange Heart Realm surpassed that of the Despair City by far.
Liao Hanqin’s expression tightened upon seeing Wu Yongzhao, and his gaze was filled with vigilance. Wu Yongzhao gave Liao Hanqin a cold glance but made no further move.
Clearly, they hadn’t truly left Despair City, and Wu Yongzhao was unwilling to take action here, as it would be digging their own grave.
The chilling cold at the city gate grew deeper and heavier, and another elder from the Big Dipper Tower emerged. After that, no one else appeared.
Chen Fei looked around, and the late Aperture Tempering realm expert he had seen before didn’t show up? Something was amiss! Had they overlooked something?
Chen Fei went over every detail in his mind regarding the past few days, and his thoughts suddenly stopped.
The Ghost Soldiers, midnight, the city gate!
Chen Fei’s face changed abruptly. He grabbed Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang’s bodies and vanished from the city gate in an instant..