Chapter 155: Chapter 121 Storage
On New Year’s Eve, the thirtieth night, the county town was brightly lit. Lanterns adorned every household, and though the wind was biting cold, it could not dispel the warmth and enthusiasm in people’s hearts during this special Spring Festival. The sound of firecrackers arose from the streets and doorways of every household; whether rich or poor, all heard the same crackling fill the air.
However, while every household celebrated and kept vigil, two figures chased each other across the eaves of Brocade Lane. One pursued the other, braving the cold wind amidst the continuous sound of firecrackers.
Chen Ku’s steps weren’t slow, his gaze tightly locked on the figure swiftly fleeing along the roofline ahead. Is that really my elder brother?
Honestly, ever since he’d transmigrated, his family had already been in that state. He only had vague memories of this elder brother, which was why he hadn’t recognized the figure immediately. But his mother and sister-in-law couldn’t possibly be mistaken. One was her own son, the other her husband; they would never forget the form of someone so close and familiar, even without seeing their face. Yet, as he chased the man, his doubts grew even larger. In his memories, his elder brother, Chen Xin, before the incident, was merely a ’smuggling apothecary.’ He trafficked medicinal ingredients from Yuan Country to Ji Country. Due to his crimes against the state and being reported by that scoundrel Huang Ba, he eventually fell into the Great Dragon River of Yuan Country, his whereabouts unknown. Such an image of Chen Xin suggested no particular strength. But now, the figure ahead was managing to pull away from him, even as he gave chase! This wasn’t normal. Chen Ku knew that even without the Swallow-Treading Horse active, his leg strength, bolstered by the Flower Fox Mink, far surpassed that of ordinary masters at the Great Perfection of Inner Qi. Yet he couldn’t catch up quickly?
Chen Ku frowned. He doubted the identity of the person ahead even more. It had been over a year, almost two years, since his elder brother Chen Xin’s incident... These doubts festered.
But since his mother and sister-in-law had recognized the man, he had to catch up and clarify things, no matter what.
So, he first disengaged the Zhao Chuanzu Transformation and activated the Swallow-Treading Horse.
Suddenly, his steps became swift as the wind. With single leaps covering forty to fifty feet, his speed was akin to ’Teleportation.’ He immediately shrank the distance to the figure ahead by a third and continued to close in.
However, Chen Ku, always cautious, remembered he was unarmed after switching to the Swallow-Treading Horse transformation. It was too late to return to his own courtyard for his staff, but the small courtyard in the outer city where he kept many personal belongings wasn’t far. The Five Thousand Stone Purple-Gold Heavenly Wolf Bow given to him by Instructor Chai Bao was there.
He also temporarily deactivated the Fire Beak Pot, swapping it for the Volcanic Crow. A streak of red smoke dispersed from beneath his feet as he slipped into an alleyway, then transformed into the Volcanic Crow to fetch the Purple-Gold Heavenly Wolf Bow.
And so, Chen Ku continued chasing the figure ahead, yet his astonishment grew. Something’s not right. My Transformation Diagram didn’t alert me—perhaps because he harbors no ill intent towards me. But the Skinny Dog Sense from the Flower Fox Mink Transformation also failed to detect any scent when he approached. Even now... using the Skinny Dog Sense to lock onto him, I can’t smell any scent from the person ahead...
This was rather eerie.
The Skinny Dog possessed the bloodline of the Ancient Great Demon ’Moon-Eating Heavenly Dog’ and had an extremely keen sense of smell. Chen Ku had come this far largely relying on the amazing olfactory abilities that began with the Skinny Dog, which had laid a solid foundation for him. In the many incidents he encountered later, the Skinny Dog’s sense of smell had provided him with great convenience and had never failed him.
This was the first time he couldn’t detect a scent from someone.
The man ahead, seemingly aware of Chen Ku’s pursuit from the moment he emerged, had been fleeing, trying to widen the gap. Despite several bursts of speed, against Chen Ku who had now transformed using the Swallow-Treading Horse, the distance between them steadily closed.
Despite this, it wasn’t long before the two, one pursuing and the other evading, left the confines of Baojiao County. They arrived at the desolate outskirts, with the Great Dragon River flowing vast and ceaseless nearby, its chilly air already striking their faces.
Fortunately, Chen Ku sensed the Volcanic Crow flying overhead. It was slightly faster than him and already in position. With a flick of its talons, it dropped the bow and quiver from mid-air.
Chen Ku leaped up, catching the Sky Wolf Bow in his left hand and securing the quiver with his right. His falling body spun, and he landed lightly on the top of a bare tung tree. He then drew an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and aimed at the fleeing man.
His Golden Eyes Hundred Li ability locked onto the fleeing man. A faint light glinted in Chen Ku’s eyes!
WHOOSH!
He released his fingers. The arrow shot from the string like a meteor, leaving a trail of sonic booms in the sky. In an instant, it covered a distance of 1,500 to 2,000 yards!
A meteor shot!
The man only felt a whistling airstream tear through the air behind his head. He instinctively turned to see an arrow streak past, five feet from his body...
The turbulence from the arrow whipped across his face.
The next moment, a sound like a small explosion of dust came from the ground behind him.
Turning back to look, he saw the arrow lodged askew in a tree over thirty yards away.
"I don’t care who you are! Stop right there! If you move another step, the next arrow won’t hit a tree—it’ll hit you."