Chapter 243 - 243: Should I Send Him Away?
Earlier, the old woman noticed that Chen Fei had not come over, and she didn’t know what he was doing. However, because she had two big fish from Lu Zhichun, the old woman didn’t pay too much attention to Chen Fei.
She had just glanced away for a moment, and then Chen Fei appeared, absorbing energy from her side in reverse. The energy she had painstakingly drawn from Lu Zhichun and the others was now flowing towards Chen Fei.
How could he progress so quickly, not only reaching a certain level but also continuously delving into the comprehension of the Wind Gathering Technique?
Lu Zhichun and the others were somewhat puzzled as they looked at the old woman. Things were going well, so why did she suddenly stop? Following the old woman’s gaze, they looked at Chen Fei and saw him blowing air.
Blowing air?
Lu Zhichun and his companion were currently single-mindedly focused on learning the Wind Gathering Technique. But seeing Chen Fei blowing air by himself left them somewhat dumbfounded.
What’s going on?
However, before they could think too much about what Chen Fei was doing, they chose to ignore it and continued to focus on the old woman.
Just now, we were talking about coordinating gestures. What if…” Lu Zhichun continued to earnestly seek advice from the old woman.
The old woman couldn’t forcibly stop Chen Fei; that would go against the rules. In the ancient village, rules were more important than anything else. Even the village chief could only make slight adjustments within certain rules.
So, the old woman continued to explain the key points of the technique to Lu Zhichun and his companion. She believed that, no matter how talented someone was and how well they understood the technique, their progress would eventually slow down and come to a halt.
The Wind Gathering Technique wasn’t like basic techniques such as the Extreme Mountain Fist. Once you reached a certain level of understanding, the next step was to refine the technique bit by bit, like grinding a water millstone.
In the old woman’s view, Chen Fei would eventually stop absorbing energy after a while. Even though he hadn’t absorbed any from Lu Zhichun and instead was being drained by Chen Fei, as long as Lu Zhichun and his companion absorbed more, it wouldn’t be a loss.
The village chief appeared next to Chen Fei, watching him blow air without saying anything.
Chen Fei was unaware of the village chief’s presence as he closed his eyes and blew air, constantly experiencing insights into the Wind Gathering Technique.
This experience was fascinating to Chen Fei. Was this the correct way to practice the Wind Gathering Technique? What had the old woman been talking about with Lu Zhichun and the others?
Not only were insights into the Wind Gathering Technique colliding in his mind, but there was also a surge of energy entering his body. This feeling of getting stronger with every breath fascinated Chen Fei.
Chen Fei didn’t even know how long he had been blowing air; he just felt that there wasn’t much air left in his lungs. He was about to take a deep breath when he suddenly felt someone patting his shoulder.
Chen Fei opened his eyes and found the village chief of Mi Village standing in front of him, smiling with a somewhat cold expression.
“Dear guest, are you dissatisfied with the Wind Gathering Technique?” the village chief asked with a sly grin.
“The Wind Gathering Technique is profound and powerful. How could 1 be dissatisfied?” Chen Fei shook his head.
“As long as you’re satisfied.”
The village chief glanced at the frequency at which energy was being drawn from Chen Fei’s spiritual crown. It had decreased but was still intermittent. Could someone comprehend the Wind Gathering Technique even while distracted by conversation?
Has this person’s comprehension really reached this level? Or is the technique exceptionally compatible with him?
“Village Chief, 1 believe there’s a shortcut to cultivating the Wind Gathering Technique, and I just discovered it,” Chen Fei said sincerely.
The fact that Mi Village was willing to contribute such a powerful technique showed their generosity.
Although the old woman also knew the Wind Gathering Technique, she probably didn’t have a deep understanding of it, so she hadn’t realized that there might be simpler methods to practice this technique.
Now that Chen Fei had discovered it, he decided to share it. The only thing was, learning this shortcut seemed to come at a cost – a whopping forty thousand taels.
With a technique as powerful as this in the village, they should be able to afford forty thousand taels, right?
You don’t need to say it; this is a secret you discovered on your own. No need to share it with us,” the Village Chief replied, his eyebrows slightly raised.
The events of yesterday were still vivid in his mind, and this human in front of him seemed rather peculiar.
The villagers surrounding them all turned their attention to Chen Fei.
He hadn’t drained the old woman’s energy enough, so was he planning to drain everyone present? Did he think they were easy targets?
The Wind Gathering Technique wasn’t known by all the villagers, and if Chen Fei were to reveal an unusual method of practicing it, just like yesterday, all the villagers would have to contribute their energy.
“What kind of secret is this? It’s just a matter of spending some money,” Chen Fei said with a smile when he saw the Village Chief’s refusal. This shortcut to cultivation really didn’t require much effort.
“Whoosh!
Suddenly, all the villagers retreated several dozen meters, distancing themselves from Chen Fei. They didn’t want to listen, and if Chen Fei insisted, they would continue to withdraw.
As long as Chen Fei hadn’t officially taught them the technique, there wouldn’t be a binding contract between them. Naturally, they didn’t want to listen and could leave.
Chen Fei, seeing the villagers’ reaction, couldn’t help but pause for a moment. He had kindly offered to share a shortcut to their cultivation, so why did they all run away? It was as if listening for a moment would cost them their lives.
Chen Fei noticed that the Village Chief had also moved away, and he couldn’t help but shake his head. He took a deep breath again and continued to blow air.
The insights that had appeared intermittently before were now flowing continuously into Chen Fei’s mind, and at the same time, a surge of energy appeared in his body, making his mind clear and his body robust.
Chen Fei blinked his eyes slightly and immersed himself in the pleasure of cultivation.
Time passed quickly, fifteen minutes, and then half an hour.
After such a long time, Lu Zhichun and his companion finally achieved a basic understanding of the Wind Gathering Technique.
Having absorbed energy for over half an hour, Lu Zhichun and his companion appeared somewhat withered, as if they were on the brink of exhaustion. The power of the Aperture Tempering realm stemmed from their apertures, but the most essential power was not limited to apertures.
What Mi Village absorbed was not ordinary elemental or vital energy; it was something closer to the fundamental source. This source existed in everyone, but martial practitioners refined it to become stronger.
Lu Zhichun and his companion had suffered severe damage to their fundamental foundations.
In theory, the old woman should have been quite satisfied with absorbing so much energy, but then Chen Fei appeared. After such a long time, the fact that he was still comprehending the Wind Gathering Technique at an unchanging and stable pace filled the old woman with panic.
Chen Fei’s rate of comprehension showed no signs of slowing down; it was steadily increasing. It neither increased nor decreased. The old woman had already absorbed most of the energy from Lu Zhichun and his companion, and it had flowed into Chen Fei’s body.
The old woman watched Chen Fei, who seemed to be on an endless journey of comprehension, with a growing sense of panic in her heart.
If Chen Fei continued without interruption, not only would he have to return everything he had plundered, but the old woman’s own power might also be entirely given to him.
The thought of this scenario made her tremble, and the once cold smile on her face had vanished, replaced by a look of anxiety.
The old woman turned to the Village Chief, hoping he could assist her.
However, the Village Chief, seeing the old woman’s gaze, remained motionless. He couldn’t change the situation either. This was a rule enforced by compulsion, and in Mi Village, it had to be this way.
Lu Zhichun and his companion stood still, physically and mentally exhausted. They had learned a profound technique, but now that they had stopped, there was no sense of happiness.
Their bodies’ instinctual warning, previously suppressed by their quest for enlightenment, had resurfaced, and due to their fundamental foundations being severely damaged, this warning was even stronger.
Strong enough that, despite their mental suppression by Mi Village, they still forcefully remembered many things, such as their spiritual weapons!
In the next moment, all their spiritual weapons fell into the hands of Lu Zhichun and his companion.
Spiritual weapons had an innate connection, especially when their owners were in danger, and this connection now surged forth.
Lu Zhichun and his companion remembered their spiritual weapons, and they ignited the spiritual weapons’ sentience, making their mental clarity even stronger, and they became more aware of the peculiarities in their bodies.
“Szzz…”
The sentience of the spiritual weapons began to burn, enhancing Lu Zhichun and his companion’s abilities. This kind of burning caused significant damage to the spiritual weapons and might eventually turn them into semi-spiritual weapons.
But Lu Zhichun and his companion couldn’t afford to consider that now. As they remembered more and more, their expressions grew increasingly gloomy. Although they hadn’t fully recalled everything, they understood that they couldn’t stay here any longer.
“Let us leave this place!”
Lu Zhichun looked at the Village Chief and roared in a low voice, the spiritual weapons in their hands emitting a faint glow. Hua Daohong vigilantly scanned their surroundings, ready for any potential danger.
The Village Chief, upon hearing Lu Zhichun’s words and seeing the clarity in their eyes, revealed a cold and malicious smile on his face.
“Mi Village does not allow violence. Otherwise, do you think you’d still be alive?”
The Village Chief dropped the pretense because it was futile at this point. Under the influence of their spiritual weapons, Lu Zhichun and his companion couldn’t be deceived.
However, the Village Chief remained composed. This was Mi Village, and it had its own rules. If they could achieve their goals through force, there would have been no need for the recent series of events.
Mi Village had seen martial practitioners below the Aperture Tempering realm come and go, but in the end, they all became part of the village’s fish. As for those below the Aperture Tempering realm, they could only become chickens or ducks.
Being a fish wasn’t a privilege granted to everyone who came here.
“We’re leaving!”
Lu Zhichun glanced at Chen Fei in the distance and shouted to Hua Daohong. The next moment, the two of them rushed towards the village’s outskirts. They had considered directly attacking the Village Chief and the villagers, but every time they entertained that thought, their minds went into a frenzy of warning.
Clearly, going for a direct confrontation might lead to an even quicker death.
The Village Chief sneered as he watched Lu Zhichun and his companion’s retreat. Leaving Mi Village wouldn’t be that easy!
“AHHH!”
Suddenly, a scream echoed, and the Village Chief turned to see the old woman running in terror toward another direction. In just a brief moment, the energy she had absorbed from Lu Zhichun and his companion had been drained by Chen Fei.
And now, Chen Fei was continuously siphoning energy from the old woman, never stopping, with no sign of when he might cease.
Was it necessary to get rid of this one as well?
The thought immediately crossed the Village Chief’s mind..