Chapter 80: Friend

As the evening lights began to shine, Li Xiaofei checked his portable light core. It was already 7:30 PM.

He said, "It's getting late. We should head back."

He had spent so much time out with the city leader's daughter that any further delay might actually prompt the police to come looking for them.

"Alright," Tan Qingying said, somewhat reluctantly.

They walked to the alley entrance, and she mounted her motorcycle, asking, "Do you want me to give you a ride?"

Li Xiaofei was about to say something when she cut him off, "No refusing."

Li Xiaofei said, "Then why did you ask?"

Tan Qingying's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled and said, "Get on."

Li Xiaofei looked at the heavily modified motorcycle and suddenly felt an urge to give it a try. He asked, "How about I ride?"

Tan Qingying, surprised, asked, "You can ride?"

Li Xiaofei replied, "Yes."

Tan Qingying was even more surprised, asking, "You like motorcycles too?"

Li Xiaofei said, "More than like, I'm obsessed."

Jingle.

Tan Qingying unhesitatingly tossed the keys over and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

The motorcycle engine roared to life at the mouth of the alley. In the next instant, it sped off swiftly. Tan Qingying sat behind, confidently wrapping her arms around Li Xiaofei's waist. The girl's cheerful laughter trailed behind them like the sound of silver bells. Soon, they reached the entrance to the slums.

Tan Qingying jumped off the bike and said, "I didn't expect that, idol, your riding skills are pretty good."

Li Xiaofei replied honestly, "Still a bit behind yours."

Tan Qingying proudly raised her chin and said, "I had professional training... How about I teach you?"

"Sure," Li Xiaofei agreed without hesitation.

It was already 8 PM, and the sky was completely dark. Tan Qingying showed no intention of leaving as they kept finding various topics to continue the conversation.

Li Xiaofei chatted with her for a bit longer, but finally, he couldn't help but say, "It's getting late. You should head home. It's not safe for a girl to walk alone at night. Let me take you back."

Tan Qingying smiled and pointed behind her. Li Xiaofei turned to look. About a hundred meters away, a gray rugged off-road vehicle had appeared by the roadside.

Next to it stood a tall, thin man. He wore a black tailcoat suit and an odd wide-brimmed hat, as if he were about to attend a classical ball. He leaned casually against the car door, smoking a cigarette.

The glowing cigarette tip flickered in the dim light, intermittently revealing and concealing his face. But in that brief moment, Li Xiaofei felt a chill spread throughout his body, as if he were being watched by an extremely dangerous predator.

A master. No, a strong one. An unprecedentedly terrifying strong one.

Li Xiaofei felt every hair on his body stand on end. No wonder City Leader Tan Zhenwei was so confident in letting his daughter roam freely. He had arranged for a powerful protector to watch over her. That was fitting for a top-tier official's child.

Li Xiaofei took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and handed the keys back.

"Well then... see you." He smiled and started walking towards the slums.

Tan Qingying watched his back, a smile forming on her face. Although it was her first meeting with Li Xiaofei, for some reason, she felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Hey," she suddenly called out loudly.

Li Xiaofei turned to look at her.

"We... are friends now, right?" she asked with a smile.

It only took Li Xiaofei a second to answer, but for Tan Qingying, it felt like an eternity. She looked into Li Xiaofei's eyes and took a quiet deep breath.

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment and said, "I don't have many friends. You can be one."

"Yay!" Tan Qingying jumped up in joy.

She laughed as she walked up to Li Xiaofei and extended her hand. "Hand it over."

"What?" Li Xiaofei asked, confused.

"The light core," Tan Qingying huffed. "Didn't we agree to meet at Uncle Chen's shop for a meal sometime? Yet you didn't even give me your number... Hmph, no sincerity at all."

Li Xiaofei suddenly understood. He laughed helplessly and took out his portable light core. Tan Qingying smiled, dimples appearing on her cheeks. She dialed her own number from his device. Then she took out her own mini light core and saved the incoming call.

Finally, she handed his light core back to him. "That's better. Don't ignore my calls."

She didn’t wait for Li Xiaofei to respond as she turned away. She mounted her motorcycle, and disappeared down the street. The tall, thin man standing by the roadside silently put out his cigarette and drove away.

Li Xiaofei couldn't shake the feeling that the man had smiled at him just before getting into his car. It was a smile filled with ambiguous meaning.

***

The crescent moon hung in the sky like a hook. Li Xiaofei sat in the center of the living room, breathing slowly. His current cultivation had reached the peak of the ninth stage.

As his cultivation increased, he vaguely sensed that the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique seemed to be falling behind.

"Of course, the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique is a foundational breathing technique. It would be significantly less effective for high-stage cultivation," he mused.

But then he shook his head and said, "No, my thinking is wrong."

Invincible Qin had mentioned that the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique was a technique specially chosen by Chen Fei for his students.

Li Xiaofei hadn't grasped the deeper meaning of this statement before. But after seeing Chen Fei standing on equal footing with City Leader Tan Zhenwei today, Li Xiaofei realized that the peach-eyed principal was anything but simple.

So how could this technique be ordinary if the not-so-simple peach-eyed principal had painstakingly chosen it?

Perhaps all the students at Red Flag High School haven't truly understood the value of the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique?

He closed his eyes and began to recall Invincible Qin’s words during today's martial arts special training class. Some explanations he had previously overlooked gradually resurfaced in his mind.

Li Xiaofei's body moved naturally as he followed his train of thought. He gradually entered a profound state, as if he had entered a new realm. He finally discovered the true essence of the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique.

His breathing became slower. It felt as though his entire body was being refined with each breath. This time, he no longer sought to complete a full breathing cycle in the shortest time possible. Instead, he did the opposite.

Slow. Slow down. Follow the rhythm, embody the intent of wind and thunder. But constantly slow the pace, slower and slower...

Moonlight fell over his entire body like frost as Li Xiaofei's breathing grew slower. Gradually, he felt a profound stillness within himself. It was almost like he could hear his own heartbeat, and the sound of blood flowing through his veins. He could even feel every pore on his body contracting and expanding with his breaths.

It felt as though all his hairs were swaying with each contraction and expansion. Gradually, Li Xiaofei's breathing slowed to one breath every thirty seconds. Then one breath every minute. Then one breath every three minutes. His breathing kept slowing, but his physical state improved more and more. This defied science. It didn't conform to biology.

Li Xiaofei vaguely sensed that he seemed to be locking all the starforce qi within his body, preventing any energy from leaking out. At the same time, he felt as though he were absorbing external energy through his pores and expelling the impurities from his body.

Amazing! Could this be the profound essence of the Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique when cultivated to its deepest level?

Li Xiaofei was both surprised and delighted. He confirmed multiple times that in this state, his body was indeed unharmed. His cultivation speed was now exponentially more efficient.

"So that's it," muttered to himself.

A smile appeared on Li Xiaofei's face.

A gentle breeze brushes the hills, thunder shakes the nine provinces. The Wind and Thunder Breathing Technique can be both slow and fast. The subtlety of its use lies in the heart. But there is great power within this alternation of speed.