Chapter 643: Man Up, Stop Being Dramatic

Tears streamed through the gaps of the crippled man’s fingers as he covered his face. His shoulders trembled slightly. He couldn’t say it. As Li Xiaofei’s brother, he hadn’t stood up to fight when the foreigners had invaded. He hadn’t died defending his homeland.

Instead, he had fled for the sake of his family. He felt like a coward. A pitiful shadow cast beneath Li Xiaofei’s blazing glory; a clown who had no right to stand in the light. What right did a clown have to even speak the name Li Xiaofei?

After arriving in Haijing City, he had heard whispers of Li Xiaofei’s legendary deeds. It only made him more ashamed. Even when he was impoverished, struggling, and desperate, he had never once mentioned his connection to Li Xiaofei. He had never used that name to seek aid and his wife had understood. She had supported his choice without question.

But now, Li Xiaofei was here. That bastard had appeared right in front of him. The fragile thread of pride, shame, and guilt that had kept him together finally snapped.

"Where the hell did that thick skin of yours go?" Li Xiaofei walked up, and without waiting for an answer, wrapped him in a tight, crushing hug. "A man of high standards never bows his head. Look at you; what the hell happened to you? You let Sister Youwei and Little Du Juan suffer alongside you for this?"

The crippled man couldn’t hold it in anymore as he broke down in Li Xiaofei’s arms. He sobbed uncontrollably, letting out the kind of gut-wrenching, soul-crushing wail that only a man who had held everything in for far too long could unleash. He cried like a child, as grief, regret, and shame competed within him.

"Alright, alright, I’m here now. Everything will be taken care of," said Li Xiaofei, patting the crippled man’s shoulder. "Quit being dramatic. You’re a grown man, and after a few words of comfort, you start crying like a cat pissing itself? Where’s your dignity, huh?"

Then, he turned to Little Du Juan and winked playfully. He asked, "Little Du Juan, do you still remember Uncle Li?"

"I do." Little Du Juan looked nervously at her parents, then hesitated before asking, "Uncle, did you come to save us?"

Back in Liuhe Base City, Li Xiaofei had spoiled her like she was his own child.

Li Xiaofei nodded. "Yep. I came to see you guys. Am I welcome?"

Little Du Juan immediately nodded enthusiastically.

At this point, Zhou Ding could no longer hold back his frustration. "You little bastard, who the hell do you think you are?! Trying to act all high and mighty in front of me—"

But before he could finish, a massive slap landed on his face. The force behind it was so terrifying that Zhou Ding spun a full 1,360-degree rotation before finally stopping.

"What the fuck—" Zhou Ding saw stars.

In that instant, he realized the truth. This kid wasn’t normal. Even if his entire crew jumped in, they wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be better to retreat and regroup. He staggered backward, trying to mask his fear with rage.

"You... You dare hit me?! You little shit—you just wait!"

Then, he turned and fled with his men in tow.

"If you’ve got guts, don’t run! If you run, the cripple’s whole family is dead!" The City Management officers kept shouting threats even as they retreated.

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment but didn’t bother chasing them. Instead, he turned back to look at the disfigured, crippled man in front of him.

"Old Bai, what the hell happened to you? Scarred, crippled... each time I see you, you’re worse off."

The cripple was once known as Bai Longfei. Back in Red Flag High School, he had been one of Li Xiaofei’s few true friends. They had fought side by side on the school battle team.

Back then, Bai Longfei had hit the jackpot in life. He had married a wealthy beauty, Miao Youwei before even graduating, and gained an obedient, well-mannered daughter along the way. He had lucked out, beating life’s game before it even started. Yet, fate had played a cruel trick on him. Now, he had fallen to this state.

As Miao Youwei walked forward, she gazed at her husband’s pitiful figure, her eyes filled with pain and guilt. She said, "It’s all because of me... I ruined Longfei’s life."

When war had first broken out, the northwest region was on the verge of collapse. Countless students and martial artists had taken up arms, fighting to the death to defend their homeland.

At first, Bai Longfei was no different. But as the situation grew increasingly dire, he realized something, he wasn’t afraid to die. But he was terrified of his wife and daughter dying alongside him in this merciless war. Miao Youwei persuaded him to spend his entire fortune to purchase the last three plane tickets out of the northwest, fleeing to one of the major base cities for refuge.

Yet, it was only after escaping that he realized the truth. The entire country was on fire. Nowhere was safe. From that moment on, their family of three became drifters. Homeless, penniless, and utterly lost, they wandered from city to city, squandering every last coin they had just to survive. By sheer luck, they eventually stumbled into Haijing City. It was there that Bai Longfei paid the ultimate price.

During a battle against star beasts, he had thrown himself in harm’s way to protect his wife and daughter. He had been engulfed in flames, and burned nearly to death. It was only his unwavering will to protect them that pulled him back from the brink of death.

But the man who emerged from the fire was no longer Bai Longfei, the proud fighter of Red Flag High. He was now a broken, crippled shadow of his former self, scarred, maimed, and powerless.

His face and strength were both gone. Reduced to relying on charity just to survive. But fate was never merciful. Without money, status, or allies, the family of three suffered endlessly in Haijing City.

Miao Youwei fell gravely ill. Little Du Juan endured hunger and fear every day. Bai Longfei never stopped seeing himself as a deserter and a coward who had abandoned his homeland.

He couldn’t bear to speak Li Xiaofei’s name. So, he kept struggling in silence. It was then that Zhou Ding appeared. The corrupt City Management captain, hungry for Miao Youwei’s beauty, had been harassing them nonstop.

Each day was a living nightmare. And today, Zhou Ding’s cruel scheme had nearly destroyed them. If it weren’t for Li Xiaofei’s timely arrival, the family of three would have been doomed.

"You idiot—you've been smart all your life, yet you chose the dumbest moment to be stubborn." Li Xiaofei couldn't hold back his scolding. "That worthless pride of yours made Sister Youwei and Little Du Juan suffer. And for what? A man protecting his wife and child—what the hell is wrong with that? If I were in your shoes, I might've run even faster than you did!"

Bai Longfei let out a heavy sigh, unable to argue.

Li Xiaofei continued. "You’re not a traitor. You didn’t flee the country. You’re still here in Haijing City, so where the hell is all this guilt coming from? Stop acting like you’re some tragic hero carrying an unbearable burden."

Bai Longfei felt ashamed and embarrassed.

"Alright, enough of this melodramatic bullshit." Li Xiaofei smirked. "Your injuries? I can fix them. Once you’re healed, you’ll be back to being a handsome, badass fighter again."

As he spoke, he placed his hand on Bai Longfei’s shoulder. These star beast-inflicted burns, unlike the scars on Little Aunt’s face, were ridiculously easy to heal. It was child’s play for Li Xiaofei.

A gentle surge of Dual Sacred Fire flowed into Bai Longfei’s body. First, it annihilated residual star beast corruption, and then purified the lingering fire poison. Finally, it stimulated blood, bone, and flesh regeneration.

It took no more than three to five breaths for the burn scars on Bai Longfei’s face and limbs to vanish. His crippled leg straightened as it was fully healed. Even the inner qi within his dantian was restored. The strength he had lost returned to him in an instant.

"I..." Bai Longfei was overwhelmed with pure joy.

His eyes shone with excitement, his whole body trembling with disbelief. For a moment, he thought he might actually faint from shock. Beside him, Miao Youwei covered her mouth with both hands, her pale face streaked with tears of happiness. She was overjoyed to see her husband whole again.

"Papa is handsome again! Papa is back to the way he was before!" exclaimed Little Du Juan, jumping up and down with excitement.

Li Xiaofei laughed, picked her up, and spun her around three or four times.

"Alright, let’s go home! Uncle brought some delicious food—our Little Du Juan deserves a feast!"

Once they walked back into the run-down house, Li Xiaofei pulled out a spread of food. This time, Bai Longfei didn’t hold back. He devoured it with reckless abandon.

"This is amazing!" said Little Du Juan. Her mouth was covered in grease, nodded furiously as she stuffed her cheeks.

When she saw her husband and daughter smiling again, Miao Youwei couldn't stop her tears from falling once more.

"Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Your illness isn’t serious. It’s just exhaustion, stress, and malnutrition. You just need some proper rest and nourishment. It’s not some terminal disease, so stop overthinking it."

Li Xiaofei reassured Miao Youwei. Only then did the family of three finally breathe a sigh of relief. But before they could even finish their meal... Trouble arrived.

Zhou Ding was back. And this time he brought dozens of men with him.