Complete one practice method every day

After carefully putting away the manual, Chen Yue searched Gu Yiqiu and found a few gold leaves and some loose silver coins. As for Guo Xun, he only had a small amount of silver coins and nothing else.

After doing all this, Chen Yue didn't linger. He activated the Breath Concealing Technique, suppressing his aura to the lowest level. At the same time, he unleashed the Cloud-Soaring Thousand-Layer Step, his figure moving like a wisp of smoke, silently and swiftly heading towards Youlin County.

The benefits of mastering the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield technique are comprehensive.

Not only has its defensive power increased dramatically and its internal energy become more refined, but more importantly, the connection between its muscles, bones, internal organs, and blood has been strengthened to a whole new level, forming a more stable and unified power.

This directly impacts absolute strength, explosive power, and even body coordination.

Chen Yue was able to catch up with Gu Yiqiu, who was using a secret technique to escape, not only because of his exquisite movement skills, but also because of the absolute speed and explosive power brought about by the transformation of his body.

Several miles were covered in the blink of an eye.

The towering city walls of Youlin County came into view once more. Chen Yue easily scaled them and silently landed inside the city.

Instead of returning directly to the inner courtyard of the Chen residence, he first went to the secluded courtyard where he had previously met with Shen Dujiang.

The courtyard was in a mess, but no one was there.

Chen Yue glanced around and saw the several packets of medicinal herbs on the table that hadn't been taken away yet—the very ones Shen Dujiang had failed to gather. He stepped forward and collected all the herbs; these were things he urgently needed and couldn't be wasted.

Then, Chen Yue moved again, heading towards another backup contact point in the west of the city, which was a nearly abandoned courtyard.

Like a night bird returning to its nest, Chen Yue nimbly vaulted over the low earthen wall and landed in the courtyard.

Almost at the same moment he landed, a faint scraping sound of a short blade being drawn came from the shadows in the corner of the woodshed in the courtyard.

"It's me," Chen Yue said in a low voice.

Shen Dujiang's tense figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He gripped a pair of short daggers tightly in his hand, his eyes bloodshot, clearly on high alert.

Once he saw that the person who came was indeed Chen Yue, Shen Dujiang suddenly relaxed.

He strode forward, looked Chen Yue up and down, and saw that although his clothes were slightly dusty, his breathing was steady and long, and he had no obvious injuries. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"You shook them off? Thank goodness! Thank goodness for your unpredictable movements, otherwise... I'm afraid I would really be in grave danger today!"

Chen Yue did not answer immediately. He walked to the old, dusty wooden table in the room, pulled over a stool that was barely usable, brushed off the dust, and slowly sat down.

Then, looking up at Shen Dujiang, whose face was full of concern, he calmly said, "I didn't shake him off."

"Didn't shake them off?" Shen Dujiang was taken aback.

"That Marrow Refining Realm movement technique is ridiculously fast, and he even used a secret method to stimulate potential. I tried my best but couldn't shake him off; he was right on my heels." Chen Yue's tone was as calm as if he were stating a trivial matter.

Shen Dujiang's voice became somewhat strained: "Then...then how did you...?"

He simply couldn't imagine what chance of survival there was in that situation, where one couldn't escape using agility.

Chen Yue looked at Shen Dujiang, a faint smile suddenly appearing on his lips, and slowly said, "I've switched sides with them."

"What?!"

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, Shen Dujiang's hair stood on end, and he involuntarily took a step back, his back hitting the cold earthen wall with a dull thud.

He instinctively reached for the dagger hidden at his lower back, his eyes filled with horror and vigilance.

But when he met the fleeting smile in Chen Yue's calm eyes, he instantly realized what was happening.

"you……!"

Shen Dujiang blushed, somewhat embarrassed and angry, and pointed at Chen Yue, "You can't joke like that! I'm too old to be scared!"

Chen Yue's smile deepened: "I thought that, given your cautious nature, the first thing you'd do upon hearing that I'd surrendered would be to break through the window and run away without looking back."

Upon hearing this, Shen Dujiang's anger turned into a helpless, bitter smile. He released his grip on the dagger and said self-deprecatingly:

"To be honest, for a split second just now, I did have that thought. But then I thought, given the skills you just showed me, if I really tried to escape, I'd probably be dragged back by you before I even got out of this alley. Besides..."

Shen Dujiang paused, his gaze towards Chen Yue complex. "If you really join them, given my limited abilities and what I know, I'll be forced to join anyway, and maybe I can survive for a few more days. If you try to escape alone, you'll die even faster."

Chen Yue chuckled softly, found some tea leaves in the corner, started brewing tea, and casually asked, "Where did you shake off the person chasing you?"

Mentioning this, Shen Dujiang regained some face:

"That guy's movement skills are far inferior to those in the Marrow Refinement Realm. He easily outmaneuvered him in those maze-like alleys of the South District. But you, you haven't told me how you escaped?"

Chen Yue put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a slight clinking sound against the rough wooden table.

He raised his eyes and looked calmly at Shen Dujiang: "I was indeed unable to escape immediately, so I killed both of them."

Shen Dujiang's smug expression froze instantly. He blinked, looked at Chen Yue's serious face, and chuckled dryly, "I told you we're not joking, let's talk about something serious..."

Chen Yue shook his head:

"This time it's no joke. One was at the Marrow Refining Realm, and the other at the Bone Forging Realm. They were both killed. Their bodies were in the wasteland outside the city. We even took some things with us."

As Chen Yue spoke, he took out the Vajra Palm manual from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

Shen Dujiang glanced at the manual, then suddenly looked up at Chen Yue, trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke on the other's face.

However, Chen Yue's eyes remained calm and unwavering.

Shen Dujiang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he subconsciously swallowed.

"You...you're serious? That's a Marrow Refining Realm expert plus a Bone Forging Realm expert! Last time at the black market, you were quite formidable against that Bone Forging Realm expert, but..."

Shen Dujiang was at a loss for words. There was a fundamental difference between the Marrow Refining Realm and the Bone Forging Realm. Although Chen Yue's strength was amazing, it was clearly not up to this level of reversal!

"You're really not kidding?" Shen Dujiang's voice trembled slightly, whether from fear or excitement, it was hard to tell.

Chen Yue looked at his expression, smiled slightly, and didn't explain further. He simply pushed the manual in front of him again.

Shen Dujiang stared at the manual for a long time, and finally, he let out a long sigh.

He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup without caring how hot it was, and took a sip. The scalding tea flowed down his chin, wetting his clothes, and only then did he seem to calm down a bit.

He put down the teapot, looked at Chen Yue, and said with a wry smile, "Now I'm starting to believe you when you say you've sided with them. So, have you managed to get any information out of them?"