Chapter 335: New Year's Eve Turmoil

At that moment, everything clicked for Li Xiaofei.

Little Aunt is truly not an ordinary person.

When he thought back to all the mysterious things about her, Li Xiaofei suddenly realized that many unanswered questions were now clear. He was eager to confront her and confirm his suspicions.

But just as he was about to get up, he hesitated. Perhaps some things were better left unspoken. Maintaining this unspoken understanding might be the best choice.

"When will you two recover from your injuries?" Li Xiaofei asked, glancing at the two mummies in front of him. "The base city needs a city leader, and someone has to clean up the mess with the Realm of Traces."

“You’re worse than a capitalist with how you push us,” Lei Yinuo groaned. “Your aunt said the bandages can come off by midnight, and we should be fully mobile.”

Xie Renyu nodded in agreement. The forbidden technique had effectively blown up their hearts. But as Five Spirits Realm experts, they had nurtured their internal organs and had an incredible amount of vitality. While a shattered heart would be fatal to most, it wasn’t the end for them. Little Aunt’s miraculous medical skills had allowed them to walk away from death’s door.

Li Xiaofei felt reassured. Outside, snow began to fall. The winters in the northwest always brought heavy snow.

“Oh, by the way, kid,” Lei Yinuo said suddenly. “Interested in joining the Dragon Group?”

Li Xiaofei smiled. “I am.”

It was Lei Yinuo’s turn to be surprised. He had expected to spend some effort to persuade Li Xiaofei. But to his shock, it was so easy that he almost wondered if he’d misheard.

Li Xiaofei saw the question in Lei Yinuo’s eyes and calmly explained, “If even someone like Xie Renyu, an heir to a prestigious family, is willing to risk his life for Great Xia, do you think I, an outstanding high school student with the Qinling and Kunlun badges, would do any less?”

Xie Renyu burst out laughing, half amused and half indignant. “What are you talking about? I, too, have lofty ambitions and aspirations, okay?”

The room was soon filled with joyful laughter.

***

A few days later, Ye Liuying was acquitted and released without charges.

The Inquisition did not send any new investigators to Liuhe Base City. The deaths of Edward, Clove, and the four Golden Body Realm Punishers had dealt a significant blow to the Inquisition and crippled their operations for the time being. Of course, this debt was now marked against Great Xia’s Dragon Group.

Lei Yinuo left after he finished wrapping up the situation in Liuhe Base City. Xie Renyu, on the other hand, remained in his position as city leader, quietly continuing his development. However, his relationship with Li Xiaofei improved significantly.

Though they didn’t appear overtly close, the shared experience of battle had forged a strong bond of trust between them. Meanwhile, Hu Yuer continued to cling to Li Xiaofei, seeking him out at every opportunity. Now that she had experienced the benefits of dual cultivation, she was relentless in her pursuit. Dual cultivation provided a quick way to boost Li Xiaofei’s strength, so he saw no reason to refuse.

Li Xiaofei had promised his aunt that once his inner qi reached the Five Spirits Realm, she would reveal the method to heal the scars on her face. This was one of the most pressing matters on his mind. Now that he suspected Little Aunt’s true identity as a hidden Saint, Li Xiaofei felt an increasing sense of urgency. He didn’t want to wait until university to begin his next breakthrough; he wanted to start now.

Unfortunately, the cultivation technique for opening his acupoints was still out of reach, despite Li Xiaofei using his connections to search for it everywhere. Xie Renyu discreetly sent over a few manuals on Acupoint Opening Realm techniques, but Little Aunt dismissed them after reviewing them. She felt they were unworthy of Li Xiaofei.

Despite his growing impatience, Li Xiaofei managed to restrain himself, knowing that rushing now could lead to mistakes.

At the same time, the High School War God League continued. Red Flag High School was playing at home against Jintai High School. Once again, it was a one-sided match. Li Xiaofei and Yan Chiyu sat comfortably on the bench, as they had throughout the tournament. Even top players like Fang Buyi, Bai Qiqi, Bai Longfei, and Ren Dong found themselves on the bench.

Red Flag High School didn’t even need their star players; the newcomers they sent in secured an easy victory.

Headlines like "Absolute Domination, Red Flag High School Reigns Supreme", "The Sudden Rise of Red Flag High School", "Analyzing the Causes of Red Flag High School’s Success", and "Red Flag Martial Arts: A Paradise of Ancient Martial Techniques" flooded websites, videos, livestreams, and forums.

As Red Flag High School advanced steadily toward the championship, the Education Department had increased its resource allocation to the school. The number of transfer applications surged, with Zhong Ling being just one example. In a span of just over ten days, more than two hundred high school students submitted transfer requests to Red Flag High School, all of which were approved.

Many renowned teachers were either reassigned by the Education Department or voluntarily applied to teach at Red Flag High School. A once quiet campus was suddenly bustling with activity. The future looked incredibly bright.

Now, the end of the year had finally arrived. Great Xia’s annual Spring Festival, a traditional celebration, was upon them. The high schools were given a one-week break. In this era, winter and summer breaks had become quite short.

Snowflakes drifted gently from the sky on New Year's Eve, covering the ground in a blanket of white. The once lively campus of Red Flag High School had become eerily quiet.

Bang!

In his office, the principal with the peach blossom eyes slammed his fist onto his desk.

Just before the break, he had received frustrating news. The academic paper he had painstakingly written over the last ten years had been rejected by several top-tier light-network databases in the country. The reason? Insufficient quality.

This cold rejection infuriated him. But what enraged him even more was that he had just learned that the very same paper, rejected for its lack of quality, had been published under someone else’s name in those same top-tier databases.

Not only that, but it had been prominently featured and heavily promoted! The name of the person who took credit for his work was all too familiar.

Plagiarism! Theft! Robbery!

"Dammit, playing this dirty game on me?" The principal roared in his office. "Wait for my lawyer's letter, you scumbag!"

But just then, his phone rang. Over the next hour, Chen Fei received several light-core calls. Afterward, his energy seemed to deflate. He sat alone in his office, silent for a long, long time.

Knock, knock.

Li Xiaofei knocked on the door and entered. A strong smell of smoke hit him in the face.

"Huh? Principal, I thought you didn’t smoke?" Li Xiaofei said in surprise, eyeing the cigarette butts scattered carelessly on the floor. "What’s going on today?"

The principal lifted his head; his eyes were bloodshot.

Li Xiaofei was startled. "You... don’t tell me you’re heartbroken or something?"

He looked terrible.

"None of your damn business." The principal rasped, "What do you want?"

Li Xiaofei was slightly taken aback as he replied, "It's New Year's Eve, and my family made some dumplings. I thought I’d bring some over for you, seeing as you’re, you know, a single dog... but seriously, what’s going on here?"