Chapter 64: Flying Ascent Pill
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Of course, of course. That thief who killed your son must be an extremely ruthless individual. If such a person were to hide among the others on the caravan, it would undoubtedly spell disaster. Now that I have the opportunity to find him early, I should be the one thanking you!” Dong Yi chuckled heartily.
“You’re too kind, Supervisor Dong,” Xu Wangliang replied, quickly pouring a cup of wine for Dong Yi. “This is the Guest Immortal Brew.”
“Very well, very well,” Dong Yi said with a smile as he picked up his wine glass.
After three rounds of wine, Xu Wangliang bid farewell and took his leave. As Xu Wangliang departed, the smile on Dong Yi’s face faded, and he called over his subordinates.
“Three days from now, Xu Wangliang will lead his men in the search for the culprit. When the time comes, take these one thousand taels and distribute them to those who purchased the waist tokens as compensation.”
“Understood, Supervisor Ren Yi!” the subordinate quickly responded, flattering Dong Yi.
“When the time comes, I don’t want to hear any complaints or gossip. That will be all. You may leave,” Dong Yi waved his hand, and his subordinate promptly bowed and departed.
…..
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. The Xu family had ceased their citywide search as if they had given up.
During these few days, Chen Fei and Chi Defeng remained within the courtyard and did not venture elsewhere. Chi Defeng took the opportunity to recuperate his body, as he had recently sustained injuries and would soon embark on a long journey, which would be quite taxing.
Meanwhile, Chen Fei made the most of his time by cultivating diligently.
First and foremost, he had achieved Great Completion in his mastery of the Shocking Swallowing Art. Not only had his inner strength increased through the circulation of the cultivation technique, but the most significant advantage was that the number of pills he could consume daily had reached a new level.
Prior to reaching the Bone Tempering Realm, Chen Fei had been able to consume four Eternal Floating Pills per day. After reaching the Bone Tempering Realm, he could now ingest five without affecting his cultivation technique’s efficiency.
Now that the Shocking Swallowing Art had reached Great Completion, Chen Fei’s limit had soared to seven Eternal Floating Pills per day, thanks to the boost in inner strength cultivation provided by the technique.
Although the effectiveness of the Eternal Floating Pills had slightly diminished after breaking through to the Bone Tempering Realm, consuming seven per day, combined with the inner strength cultivation enhancement from the Shocking Swallowing Art, was still a significant advantage.
Based on Chen Fei’s estimation, reaching the Marrow Tempering realm, which required a progress bar of 100,000, would only take about one and a half years to complete.
Such rapid progress was a result of having a superior cultivation technique. Achieving the Marrow Tempering realm within a year and a half far exceeded the expectations of ordinary rogue cultivators.
Based on Chen Fei’s observations, many martial artists were unable to reach the Marrow Tempering realm throughout their entire lives due to limited talent and inadequate cultivation techniques. Those who managed to reach it were often already quite old.
For instance, He Yuanqiu, the man Chen Fei had killed a few days ago, had barely broken through to the Marrow Tempering realm at the age of 50.
However, Chen Fei’s cultivation speed was so astonishing that he had to pay a hefty price for medicinal pills.
Consuming seven Eternal Floating Pills in one day was equivalent to two hundred taels of silver. In one year, this equated to seventy thousand taels of silver. This far exceeded the wealth that an average rogue cultivator could accumulate.
Only individuals like Chen Fei, who could refine pills themselves, could sustain their cultivation needs and even amass a significant amount of silver.
In addition to cultivating his inner strength, Chen Fei made every effort to utilize his time efficiently. He spent his time studying a book on herbs.
This was not without reason, as he aimed to deduce the pill formula for the Flying Ascension Pill.
The Flying Ascension Pill was the most potent pill among the five realms of body refinement. In Apricot Fen City, only a few shops sold it. Its pill formula held significant value and was extremely difficult to refine. Many pill refiners capable of producing Eternal Floating Pills struggled to comprehend the basics of the Flying Ascension Pill.
Naturally, the price of the Flying Ascension Pill was exorbitant. Each pill was priced at a hundred taels, more than three times the cost of an Eternal Floating Pill.
Since Chen Fei did not possess any remnant formulas this time, he started studying the herbal book. By gaining a deeper understanding of the herbs’ medicinal properties, he would have a higher chance of success when deducing the formulas in reverse.
Even if not for deducing the Flying Ascension Pill, a better understanding of the herbs’ properties would enable Chen Fei to directly refine other types of pills. In short, there was no harm in expanding his knowledge in this area.
In the early morning, the Immortal Cloud Caravan’s station was already bustling with people. The crowd consisted of itinerant cultivators who had purchased their train tickets.
While the Immortal Cloud Merchant Band did not provide food, they did offer carriages. Although a bit crowded, the cultivators endured it in order to reach Xianyun City.
Chen Fei stood amidst the crowd, listening to the conversations around him. Suddenly, the entire caravan fell silent. Chen Fei turned his head to see what had caused the commotion and his eyes narrowed. He exchanged glances with Chi Defeng.
The caravan’s manager, Dong Yi, had arrived. Accompanying him were Xu Wangliang and Wu Changli.
“Caravans are meant for the righteous, not for evildoers. Someone murdered Brother Xu’s son. I am here to conduct an investigation. I apologize for any inconvenience caused,” Dong Yi announced loudly.
The crowd looked at each other uneasily, unsure of how to respond.
“If there are murderers among us, then we should investigate as soon as possible,” a few voices spoke up from the crowd. Around twenty individuals voiced their agreement, which somewhat eased the discomfort felt by the rest of the people.
Dong Yi smiled at Xu Wangliang, pleased with the response.
Xu Wangliang signaled to Wu Zhangli, who did not dare to waste any time. He summoned the Gu worm from his arms.
“The blood-sensing Gu worm!” Chi Defeng’s pupils widened slightly, struggling to maintain his composure. He refrained from looking in Chen Fei’s direction, fearing that it would draw attention. However, he was extremely anxious.
Chen Fei heard Chi Defeng’s whisper and overheard the surrounding crowd discussing the Gu worm. He understood its function—to track the scent left on weapons through bloodstains.
Chen Fei felt his horizons expanding, and he felt fortunate about his earlier decision. Sensing Chi Defeng’s unease, Chen Fei discreetly moved his finger, releasing a stream of energy that gently brushed against Chi Defeng’s sleeve.
Chi Defeng was momentarily startled before regaining his composure. This was the secret signal they had established beforehand.
The Gu worm circled in the air for a while but showed no intention of flying toward the crowd. Instead, it hissed at Wu Zhangli.
Wu Zhangli’s expression changed, and he stole a glance at Xu Wangliang, swallowing nervously. He then proceeded to walk the gu worm past the itinerant cultivators, one by one.
The peculiar appearance of the Gu worm raised a few eyebrows among the cultivators as it passed them. Wu Zhangli led the Gu worm through the crowd, and some cultivators began to frown slightly. However, as the Gu worm continued without incident, the discomfort lessened.
Chi Defeng, feigning nonchalance, breathed a sigh of relief as the Gu worm passed by without any reaction, even in front of Chen Fei.
A short while later, the Gu worm reached the end of the itinerant cultivators, having inspected them all.
Captain Wu stood in front of Xu Wangliang and shook his head. Xu Wangliang, with a dark expression, looked at the cultivators with a sense of frustration. He had a gut feeling that his son’s killer was among them, yet he couldn’t identify the culprit.
Xu Wangliang clenched his fists tightly before reluctantly releasing them.
“We will be departing in fifteen minutes,” Dong Yi announced, his gaze fixed on Xu Wangliang. This was the most he could do.
Chen Fei observed Xu Wangliang’s receding figure and smiled.
Fifteen minutes later, the Immortal Cloud Caravan set off. Chen Fei sat in a corner of the carriage, listening to the conversations around him. An elderly man seated in front of him caught his attention.
“Judging by your appearances, you’re all heading to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, right? However, entering the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect won’t be an easy feat!”