Kapitel 29: 25

At night, the piercing sound of crickets echoed incessantly. The evening breeze that brushed against faces was also warm, without a trace of chill.

In the roadside weeds, a small fruit knife glinting with a faint silver light lay quietly. The blade was no longer than a palm, shaped like a willow leaf, long and slender. It was the most common type of folding knife.

As the wail of the police cars faded away, the crowd gradually dispersed after a buzz of discussion, and the area returned once more to its usual tranquility.

Time slowly passed. Fewer people remained in the courtyard, and with tomorrow being Monday, no one tended to linger outdoors late at this time. After all, whether children or adults, they all needed to wake up early the following day.

When the last two elderly men leisurely packed up their chessboard and shakily made their way home, a slender figure quietly emerged from the shadow of a corner in one of the apartment buildings in the courtyard.

She wore a purplish-red short-sleeve T-shirt and blue-black denim shorts that exposed large pieces of her fair thighs. Her originally shoulder-length hair was casually tied up at the back, with her bangs combed into a fringe. The girl walked out of the shadows with her hands behind her back and a calm expression on her face. Soon, she disappeared down the road leading to the school gate.

Not even fifteen seconds later, another figure appeared around the corner of the apartment building, this time a male student in a black T-shirt featuring a large skull print on the chest and gray-black dress pants.

"This girl, dressed like this, she doesn't look at all like a middle school student!" the boy muttered as he walked to the spot where Chen Feng and the others had fought, carefully examining the area.

Though the boy's attire was a bit crude and showed a complete lack of basic understanding of clothing coordination, his every movement was quick and precise. When he walked, his steps were consistently measured and seemed to contain a unique rhythm. Even though his looks were ordinary, his mannerisms alone almost gave him an air of valor.

Under some dim streetlights, the boy swiftly searched through the bushes for something. He had a vague feeling that something here was drawing him, but he couldn't quite identify what it was. He could only search aimlessly.

Suddenly, a flicker of silver light caught his eye.

"This is it." The boy exclaimed with joy, grabbing the fruit knife from the bushes, folding it up, and swiftly clutching it in his hand. Then, he quickly disappeared back towards the shadows from which he had come.

An indistinct feeling told him that this knife was exactly what he needed most at this moment.

**********

"I can clearly feel that there is a faint presence inside it," Lin Feipeng held the fruit knife, staring at the silver blade. "According to the data, the True Force seed is the basis for practicing the Qi Cultivation chapter and the Basic Sword Technique, among other secret techniques. Since these secret techniques are based on True Force, the process of cultivation also inherently possesses an attraction to True Force."

Lin Fei pondered for a moment, "If there really is such a thing as True Force in this fruit knife, then perhaps I could try absorbing it."

Although it seemed absurd to him, how could a completely ordinary fruit knife contain something as substantial as True Force? And looking at it, the knife did not appear to be...

"Not right!" Lin Fei was suddenly startled. His expression turned peculiar. "How could this knife be several decades old??" His gaze fixed on a line of fine characters engraved on one side of the blade: Chen, January 3, 1990.

The front part was certainly the date, and the last part was likely the surname of the maker or the supervisor.

"It must be someone's prank, this brand-new knife, its style also very modern, couldn't possibly be several decades old." Lin Fei dismissed the idea and refocused. "Let's try to absorb this strange aura first."

He gently folded the small knife, formed the first pattern of the hand seal from the Qi Cultivation script with both hands. The knife fitted perfectly into a slot in the hand seal as if it was meant to hold something for absorption. This gave Lin Fei an even stronger affirmation. This hand seal might also require a certain item to facilitate absorption.

He slowly closed his eyes. The first pattern naturally emerged in his mind, a familiar sensation returning.

Energy gradually surged through his body, splitting into two streams that converged in his hands, forming the seal. Each time he practiced, the sensation of Qi and blood gathering in his hands made them feel warm. Usually, his hands were vigorous and flushed after practice.

But today's situation was different from usual.

As all the energy and blood that could be drawn were concentrated in his hands, suddenly, a trace of coolness gradually seeped from the small knife. This faint coolness was almost imperceptible, yet it was undeniably present. Against Lin Fei's somewhat warm hands, this hint of coolness stood out starkly against the darkness, distinctly clear.

Lin Fei's concentration couldn't help but waver. At the same time, this coolness came quickly and left just as rapidly, disappearing in an instant. Pulled out of his state of visualization by this disturbance, Lin Fei gradually opened his eyes and picked up the small knife again.

He was surprised to discover that the small knife seemed to have experienced decades in a moment, its entire body was covered with specks of rust.

"Is it because of the breath I absorbed?" he pondered.

The breath was extremely faint; if he weren't paying close attention, it would be difficult to feel. Once inside his body, it quietly drilled into the lower abdomen area.

"Does this count as True Force?" Lin Fei put down the knife. He closed his eyes again and began the Visualization of the second Qi Cultivation pattern. Since the section on Qi Cultivation was to be practiced with True Force, he now tried to mobilize this breath. If he could mobilize it, then it was very likely True Force; if he couldn't, then it definitely was not.

He had just successfully completed the Visualization when that faint breath instantly drilled out from the Dantian area and split into two, entering his hands that formed the Hand Seal.

"It worked," Lin Fei exclaimed joyously, knowing he had likely achieved the necessary step of acquiring the seed of True Force.

"Although I'm not sure why this knife contains what's called True Force, looking at its surface smoothness, the knife has very possibly fallen off those two men earlier. Could it be that one of them possesses True Force?" Lin Fei wondered thoughtfully. "It's unlikely, for if they really had True Force, they wouldn't have been knocked down by Chen Feng so easily. The most likely possibility is that this item stored a trace of True Force, which one of them acquired and used as a regular knife."

His guess coincidentally hit the nail on the head regarding the real situation.

"Now I shouldn't worry too much about that. Let's see the effect after having True Force," Lin Fei suppressed his doubts and focused on his Visualization.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes in perplexity again.

"There's no difference from before?" The Visualization of the second picture and its effect were exactly the same as before, which was to make his body feel slightly lighter, a sensation that would gradually fade after twenty minutes.

At that moment, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the living room door. Lin Fei stopped his Visualization, quietly opened his bedroom door, and took a few steps towards the living room. He saw his sister Lin You holding a cream-colored leather notebook, changing her slippers.

Standing outside the still-open door was a tall young man, Chen Feng himself.

"Thank you for today's help," Lin You said softly.

"It's nothing. I was the one who dragged you into this, so now we're even. Don't come looking for me in the future, and I won't come looking for you either," Chen Feng said indifferently, then turned and walked away.

Lin You hummed softly, watching as Chen Feng descended the stairs. Only then did she gently close the door.

"What did Chen Feng say to you?" Lin Fei walked into the living room and asked calmly.

"Nothing much," Lin You casually replied, getting ready to head to her room. But Lin Fei's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Going out so late, and with Chen Feng bringing you back, if you don't clarify things for me, don't blame me if I tell mom and dad tomorrow that you're in a premature relationship!" Lin Fei pointed out sharply, hitting right at Lin You's biggest fear.

"What does it have to do with you?!! If you dare say that, so will I! Just try me?" Lin You stormed over, her eyes wide and fierce.

"The problem is, someone has to believe you for it to matter," Lin Fei stood his ground, unflinching. "Tell me what happened just now? And what have you been hiding lately? Otherwise, I'll tell mom and dad!" He decided to confront Lin You, of course, only to make her stop hiding the supernatural world from him. As for his own rebirth, if he revealed it, he might be captured and experimented on as a guinea pig the next day. Naturally, the matters of the Sword Dao True Solution also needed to be kept secret. Still, with his cooperation, matters might not deteriorate as badly as they did in his previous life.

"What do you mean?" Lin You's heart tightened, but she tried not to show it.

"What do I mean? Last time at the bus station, you took a black notebook from that woman. I saw it all from the basketball court. And what did Chen Feng mean by 'dragging you into this'? What's all this about?" Lin Fei's words were clear and direct, stripping away Lin You's façade. "Don't take your brother for a fool. Mom and dad often aren't home and haven't noticed, but I'm different."

Lin You's expression darkened. "Some things, you're better off not knowing," she still tried to struggle.

"Are you that much older than I am? I'm your brother!" Lin Fei raised his voice. "I saw Chen Feng knock down those two men earlier. If you don't clarify things for me today, let's wait until mom and dad come home at eleven and talk it over then."

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