CHAPTER 1357: CHAPTER 1348: THE LAST RESORT

"How did things go?" Unexpectedly, Xiao Yifei thought Ci Xin would scold him, but to his surprise, the first thing she said was a question of concern.

"Not bad." Xiao Yifei said with a smile, although he hesitated, "Aunt... won’t blame me for asking them for help?" Because this was a last-ditch effort decided only by him and Muyun, and Ci Xin had been quite opposed to it before.

"Let it be, let it be," Ci Xin laughed, "With the nation and family in crisis, since this is a last resort, just go with your thoughts."

Xiao Yifei was driving a red Bora, leisurely cruising on the wide road. He checked the time; it was already 4:50 PM.

At this slow pace, there’s no way he could get home by 5 PM.

Although Chen Hao was lazy, he didn’t go so far as to like driving at a snail’s pace. It wasn’t intentional to be late; it was the office rush hour now, with streams of people and cars on the road, making it seem like the entire nation was concentrated here.

Xiao Yifei sighed, muttering to himself with indifference, "Can’t let the stomach suffer." A thought crossed his mind, and he sharply turned the car right, squeezing into a line of bicycles.

After shutting off the engine and getting out of the car, curses erupted all around him. However, Xiao Yifei lazily walked into a street food stall, ordering two portions of pan-fried buns and a large bag of soy milk.

Back in the car with breakfast, the cool air conditioning felt refreshing. The weather was insanely hot; it was already September and still so muggy.

"You’re back, Yifei brother."

A sweet and gentle girlish voice stopped Xiao Yifei in his tracks. Turning with a mischievous smile, he saw the girl next door, Li Xue’er.

Li Xue’er skipped over, her fragrance wafting into his nose. Xiao Yifei took a greedy deep breath and chuckled, "Li Xue’er, you’ve grown up, huh? You’re almost at my chin now!"

Li Xue’er pouted proudly, her ponytail swinging behind her, her beautiful face full of pride, "Of course, I’m about to take the college entrance exam, so I’ve naturally grown up."

Xiao Yifei looked her up and down, his eyes filled with admiration, his gaze stopping regretfully at her not very large chest, "Yeah, you’ve grown, but why doesn’t it show in a certain area?"

Li Xue’er immediately became both shy and annoyed, her pretty face flushed red, scolding, "**!" She then covered her chest, stopping Xiao Yifei from looking.

Xiao Yifei shrugged, withdrawing his gaze helplessly, but his eyes suddenly narrowed again, chuckling, "Can’t see anything up front, have you grown anywhere else?"

Li Xue’er froze, her whole face turning red like blood, nearly hot enough to fry an egg. Raising her leg, she angrily kicked Xiao Yifei, cursing, "Damn Yifei brother, you’re a big scoundrel, scoundrel!!! I’m not talking to you anymore!"

Saying that, Li Xue’er really couldn’t stay any longer and turned to run away.

Xiao Yifei lovingly rubbed his chin, watching the youthful and lovely back of the girl next door, a sudden sadness flashing in his eyes. Li Xue’er had always seen him as a role model, a genius brother.

He was naturally a genius, not just in academics, but also within the family. The Xiao Family wasn’t an ordinary one; it was an ancient cultivation family passed down for thousands of years. This world was filled with countless secrets, and those legendary cultivators weren’t mere legends. Xiao Yifei was one of them.

Unfortunately, fate had its jokes. Ever since he was ambushed on the night he broke through to the Fifth Layer at thirteen, no matter how hard he worked for the past five years, he couldn’t advance an inch. His realm had been stuck at the Fifth Layer, even regressing, leading to his self-abandonment, neglecting both studies and kung fu practice.

He turned his attention to games, sports, and reading novels. Occasionally, he’d get into fights and roam around aimlessly, becoming a delinquent.

The family was completely disappointed with this former rising star, diverting their attention to other young talents instead.

The result of not studying properly was that Xiao Yifei, who once had a chance at a prestigious university, only barely got into a second-tier so-called "chicken" university in Jiangdong City, the Jiangdong Institute of Technology, and tragically in the History Department.

"Li Xue’er, your brother isn’t the genius he once was. Though still handsome, he’s a delinquent, no longer your model, well-behaved Yifei brother!"

Xiao Yifei sighed, begrudgingly continuing toward home. As he reached Little Mirror Lake, 500 meters from home, the sky suddenly turned dark with rolling clouds, and thunder rumbled.

Xiao Yifei looked up gloomily at the sky. When had the weather forecast ever been accurate? It looked like a violent storm was brewing, with heavy rains flooding cities across the country recently.

He wanted to use his movement technique to dash home, but it was rush hour, with people everywhere, preventing him from showing his skills. Xiao Yifei had no choice but to hurry along.

Boom!

An incredibly bright bolt of lightning struck down, a dragon-shaped flash heading straight for Little Mirror Lake. With a loud crash, the surface of the water burst, waves rolling, lighting up with a dazzling array of colors.

Just as Xiao Yifei reached the lakeside, accompanied by the massive dragon-shaped lightning, a torrential downpour began.

His foot slipped, and with the eerie croak of a frog, Chen Hao helplessly slid into Little Mirror Lake.

"Someone’s fallen into the water!"

Amid a piercing cry, someone noticed Xiao Yifei had fallen in. However, Xiao Yifei had some kung fu. Being a cultivator, albeit not very skilled, he held his breath to avoid swallowing water and prepared to swim up when he saw a mesmerizing rainbow glow emerging in the water.

"What on earth is that? Let’s take a look."

Instead of rushing to the surface, Xiao Yifei swam deeper towards the rainbow light. It seemed alive, dodging a golden python’s pursuit as Xiao Yifei approached. The python, as thick as an arm, gleamed with golden light, its eyes shining like small headlights.

Oh my, a spiritually awakened snake demon? Xiao Yifei was shocked. He knew beasts could cultivate just like humans. Although he’d heard of it, and the family possessed a few spiritually awakened beasts, they were family treasures he’d never seen.

Seeing such a creature for the first time naturally left him astounded. But just as he opened his mouth in surprise, the rainbow light suddenly enveloped him, a warm sensation spreading from his abdomen, even warming his soul.

Oh crap, am I dying? What is this? Could it be the soul of a demon beast struck by lightning, about to possess me?

Xiao Yifei quickly steadied his mind to resist the possession, fearing his soul would be taken over.

But after a moment, nothing happened. Instead, he felt extremely comfortable, and the golden python eyed him with fear.

Without warning, it flicked its tail and vanished into the depths of Little Mirror Lake.

Splashes of water reached above, as several dark figures rushed down, likely someone coming to rescue him.

Xiao Yifei’s eyes flickered. He’d been in the water a while, and by normal measures, should be nearly unconscious. He couldn’t let it seem like he was fine.

Unable to investigate the changes in his body, Xiao Yifei maneuvered his limbs, swimming upwards. About three to four meters from the surface, he began to play dead, his body naturally quivering slightly to keep from sinking, instead slowly floating upwards.