Chapter 12: Tiger Roar Breathing Technique
Zhong Yang's eyes sparkled with grievance. "I didn't remember anything wrong, my father really said…"
Smack.
Li Xiaofei slapped him again. "I'm telling you, you remembered wrong."
But even though his face had swollen to the point where it resembled a pig, Zhong Yang still didn't understand. But he dared not insist anymore. "Yes yes yes, I remembered wrong, my father didn't say that."
"Very good, don't believe rumors and don't spread rumors," replied Li Xiaofei as he nodded satisfactorily. "Miss Zhong Ling is a pure and virtuous young lady of noble character. I'm not worthy, and my teacher would never betroth his beloved daughter to a ruffian like me."
It was only now that Zhong Yang realized what was going on.
What a bootlicker. He had truly licked to the depths of the sky.
Li Xiaofei continued, "From now on, this matter is never to be mentioned again."
This surprised Zhong Ling even more. She was confident in her own beauty. She had always felt like a fragrant white lotus that grew out of the stinking mud of the slums. The flower rose from the mud but was not tainted, washed in the clear stream but did not become demonic.
Zhong Ling looked down on everything about the slums. There was no place for Li Xiaofei nor the slums in her future plans. She only wanted to leave and become someone who walked in the sunlight.
Yes, Li Xiaofei had once cared for Zhong Ling. But so what? She simply couldn't look at such a narrow-minded person. However, for some reason, Zhong Ling's mood became complicated when Li Xiaofei casually dissolved the engagement. Li Xiaofei's thunderous methods in dealing with Zhong Yang also gave her a huge shock.
Zhong Ling had to admit that this young man seemed different from what she remembered. But what of it? In the end, he was just a gangster from the slums. He wasn’t worthy of her.
Zhong Ling breathed out gently. "Thank you, Brother Xiaofei."
"Well, rest assured, I will always be my master's disciple. Since you’re willing to call me brother, I will protect you no matter what happens in the future," Li Xiaofei said lightly. This was also the only way to repay his master.
Zhong Ling nodded and looked at Zhong Yang, who was quietly pleading for mercy. But she ultimately did not reveal the true cause of her father's death. The direct culprit, Zhong Yuanbo, was already dead, and since Zhong Yang was still her younger brother, she began to soften a bit. Secondly, in Zhong Ling's view, even though Li Xiaofei had become stronger, he was not a match for the terrifying new rising genius of the Blackblood Gang, Dugu Que.
She would have to find a solution herself to resolve the deadlock. If all else failed, she would have to seek help from those senior brothers at school with influential backgrounds.
"The priority now is to arrange the master's funeral," Li Xiaofei said lightly.
He didn't try to guess Zhong Ling's thoughts. The girl was indeed very beautiful, and his previous self had been attracted to her. But five hundred years ago in 2022, Li Xiaofei had understood that being a lapdog didn't lead to a good end.
Moreover, for Li Xiaofei, who harbored a martial arts dream, martial arts were the eternal pursuit. Women were just embellishments on the martial arts path. They could be there or not; it didn't matter.
The reason Zhong Yuanshan had left a command in his will for Zhong Ling to marry him was simply an attempt to protect his daughter. In Li Xiaofei's view, he would have fulfilled Zhong Yuanshan's wish as long as he took good care of Zhong Ling, and whether she married him or not didn't matter.
After stabilizing the situation, Li Xiaofei walked out of the mourning hall and coincidentally met the panting Yang Cheng.
"Brother Fei, I didn't get on the motorcycle just now, I…" Yang Cheng gasped. His tongue was hanging out as he bent over. He felt like his lungs were about to explode.
"Next time, move faster," Li Xiaofei interrupted calmly, "Summon the heads of the gang for a meeting."
"Yes." Poor Yang Cheng was still gasping for breath as he ran off to make arrangements.
The impromptu meeting was quickly convened. When Li Xiaofei truly understood the current situation of the Cloudy Sky Gang, he couldn't help but be surprised. The situation was even worse than he had imagined.
The Cloudy Sky Gang had lost three hall masters, including Fang Sheng, and nearly a hundred members in the surprise attack by the Blackblood Gang last night. The deaths of Zhong Yuanshan and Zhong Yuanbo had reduced the highest ranks of the Cloudy Sky Gang to Li Xiaofei and another hall master named Chu Yuntian. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the Cloudy Sky Gang was finished. The monkeys were scattering when the tree fell.
In just half a day, half of the gang's members had deserted. Now, there were fewer than fifty members left. Apart from a few loyal old members, the rest were all watching and ready to flee at any moment. Li Xiaofei's display of formidable combat ability had naturally cemented him as the backbone of the gang. Eyes filled with hope all turned to him in the meeting room.
"I'll only make three points," Li Xiaofei began. "Firstly, everyone should stick to their roles and not interfere with others. Secondly, I'll handle the threat from the Blackblood Gang myself. Thirdly, anyone who wants to leave the gang can do so anytime, but don't blame me for being merciless with my fists if you dare embezzle the gang's assets before leaving. Fourthly, from now on, I will call the shots in the Cloudy Sky Gang. Fifthly…" Li Xiaofei paused.
The audience was puzzled.
Didn't he say there were only three points?
Finally, Li Xiaofei scanned the crowd and concluded by saying, "That's all I have to say. Who supports it, and who opposes it?"
No one dared to speak.
Third Hall Master Chu Yuntian took the lead in seconding. "The former President has long wanted to pass the position to you. Since you’re willing to step forward to turn the tide, we'll follow your lead."
No one else had any objections.
"Very well," Li Xiaofei nodded in satisfaction. "No need to rush, everyone. Let's wait until we've overcome the crisis before officially electing the president."
There were no further objections from the crowd. Consequently, Li Xiaofei legally obtained the highest authority key of the Cloudy Sky Gang. He chose to enter President Zhong Yuanshan's office first.
The office was spacious, with amenities like a small training room, a tea table, a calligraphy desk, and most importantly, a Starry Sky Third Generation non-portable heavy-duty light-core computer. That was Li Xiaofei's target.
The computer occupied five square meters of space. It looked like a virtual cockpit from 2022. Five and a half metal arms arced over the back of the cockpit, resembling arms, as four light blue, coin-sized cursor dots hung at a thirty-degree angle from the cockpit.
This light-core computer was the most valuable asset of the Cloudy Sky Gang. Normally, only President Zhong Yuanshan was allowed to use this light-core computer. Li Xiaofei quickly sat in the cockpit, activated the light-core computer, entered the password, and successfully started it up.
"Please verify iris." The computer prompt appeared.
The central metal arm moved in front of Li Xiaofei, shimmering with a faint silver light. He leaned forward slightly, eyes widened, to meet the cursor. A beam of light scanned his eye.
"Iris verification passed, respected Operator Number Two, good afternoon," the light-core computer announced, all functions activated.
The other four cursor dots immediately started to pulse with energy as a pale silver, futuristic 250-centimeter screen appeared before him. It was only then that Li Xiaofei felt the weight of five hundred years of technological innovation. The slums had reminded him of the chaos of old Shanghai in the early 20th century.
The reason Li Xiaofei had full access to the light-core computer was because Zhong Yuanshan had set it up before his death. Only the two of them had known about this secret. Zhong Yuanshan had nurtured Li Xiaofei quite fondly; however, he had said that Li Xiaofei could only use this light-core computer when he became the president of the Cloudy Sky Gang. Today, the conditions had been met. Decades of accumulated wealth, various confidential files, channels, and more were stored in this light-core computer.
The Cloudy Sky Gang had stood in the slums for more than thirty years. They owned quite a few fixed assets and a certain amount of legitimate deposits. After browsing through the computer, Li Xiaofei gained a clearer understanding of the current situation of the Cloudy Sky Gang. But he didn't touch the money. A gentleman loves money, but only takes it rightfully.
Soon, a specially marked doubly encrypted folder appeared on the screen. Zhong Yuanshan had specifically prepared the file for Li Xiaofei before his death. Li Xiaofei entered the password Zhong Yuanshan had mentioned before, along with iris verification, and successfully opened it.
Inside were three video files named “Tiger Roar Breathing Technique”, “Gale Sword Technique”, and “Gale Steps”. They were all martial arts manuals.
Li Xiaofei was thrilled at the sight. What he lacked most now was a breathing technique for practicing starforce. LIttle Aunt said that he could only fully control the Mighty Vajra Fist by quickly improving his Starforce Level. He eagerly opened the video for the Tiger Roar Breathing Technique.
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