Starforce Warriors

Chapter 23: You Actually Know Something

Join a school? I had already had enough in my past life. Did I travel five hundred years into the future to get an education? I came to become a great hero.

Li Xiaofei replied instantly, "Not interested."

But when he spoke, he suddenly felt a swelling and tingling sensation at the wound on his right shoulder. When he glanced down, he saw that the area hit by the short arrow had turned black and purple, with blood oozing out like pus.

Chen Fei seemed to just notice it and exclaimed, "Oh? That looks like neurotoxic alanine poison. It's already in your bloodstream."

Li Xiaofei was taken aback. "Poison?"

"Yes, it's one of the Ye family's exclusive deadly poisons. It can kill a ten-ton star beast and is very hard to remove with starforce. You're in trouble," Chen Fei said dramatically.

Li Xiaofei gave him a glance and asked, "Really? So how can I detoxify it?"

Chen Fei replied, "You need to wash it with 95 percent pure Furnace Stone Cleanser and then have a top expert like me use Starforce Qi to cleanse your body, focusing on your right shoulder. Do this repeatedly, and you'll recover in a month."

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment. He had heard of Furnace Stone Cleanser. Its price was comparable to Starforce Reagents and it was a limited strategic resource that was very hard to obtain. Skeptical, he secretly circulated his Starforce Qi to cleanse the wound on his left shoulder. To his surprise, the tingling and swelling sensation slightly lessened.

"How about this, Brother Eighteen? If you join my Red Flag High School combat team, I'll take care of healing and detoxifying you," Chen Fei said enthusiastically, his peach blossom eyes twinkling.

Li Xiaofei felt a chill run down his back.

This guy is too enthusiastic. Is he attracted to my looks and planning to lure me into the school before slowly taking advantage of me?

"Not interested.” He repeated.

Chen Fei couldn't understand why Li Xiaofei was so against going to school. He patiently tried to persuade him, "Brother Eighteen, now's not the time to be stubborn. Your life is at stake... huh?"

His peach blossom eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the inky black pus rapidly draining from Li Xiaofei's right shoulder wound. The wound's color was turning healthy at a visible rate.

Impossible!

Chen Fei leaned in closer and asked, "Do you have an antidote?"

"No," replied Li Xiaofei who had instinctively stepped back in disgust.

He didn't have an antidote, but it was clear that this so-called neurotoxin could be removed by his Starforce Qi. There was no need to worry anymore.

Chen Fei's eyes lit up even more, his excitement growing. He said, "You have immunity to all poisons? Wow, such a martial arts prodigy. Staying in the slum really is a waste. Don't you want to fully unleash your talents and become a true warrior? Come to our school. I can guarantee that you'll join the school team in the first year. Think about the great honor of participating in the city league. You might even join the city team and eventually the national team before becoming a highly sought-after Starforce General." He tried to persuade him earnestly.

At that moment, the sound of engines roared in the distance. Three silver hover cars skidded to a stop and a few young people jumped out of the cars. The tall, blond leader with a handsome face scanned the scene, his pupils contracting at the sight of the bodies scattered everywhere. His gaze finally landed on Zhong Ling.

"Junior Sister Zhong," he said worriedly, "Are you alright? I came as soon as I got your message."

"Senior Zhou, you finally came." Zhong Ling's eyes lit up like she had finally seen her savior, and she ran towards him.

"Junior Sister Zhong, did anyone hurt you?"

"This place is really filthy. Can people actually live here?"

"Is this where you live, Junior Sister Zhong?"

"It stinks! Let's get out of here quickly."

"Who was bothering you, Senior Sister Zhong? Tell us, and we'll help you get even."

The young people, all classmates of Zhong Ling, chattered noisily.

Zhong Ling finally relaxed at the sight of so many familiar faces. "Thank you, everyone, I'm fine."

She recounted what had happened and then pointed at Li Xiaofei, saying something to the blond young man leading the group.

The blond young man walked over and looked Li Xiaofei over for a moment. He said, "Hello, I'm Zhou Yiyou, Zhong Ling's senior. Thank you for stepping in to help just now."

Li Xiaofei frowned slightly.

What right does he have to thank me?

But since they were Zhong Ling's classmates, he nodded back politely.

"Thank you for your efforts," Zhou Yiyou continued, "We'll take Junior Sister Zhong back to school."

Li Xiaofei frowned again. He looked at Zhong Ling and asked, "Do you want to go back to school?"

Zhong Ling raised her head and said, "Brother Xiaofei, thank you for risking everything to save me. I know you care about me and like me, but..."

She looked a bit guilty and lowered her head slightly. Then she lifted her head again to meet his gaze, speaking seriously, "But we are from different worlds. It's impossible for us to be together. I hope you can forget about me soon."

Li Xiaofei was speechless inside. She was a typical self-centered girl. The only reason he had hesitated was because he wasn't sure if the school could protect her. After all, he had promised his master to keep her safe. He thought for a moment and looked at Chen Fei for an answer.

"She goes to Qishen Academy, a well-known elite school in the rule-of-law district that’s under the Qi family's protection. The Ye family wouldn't easily mess with students from Qishen Academy. Plus, she'll be very safe with my guarantee," Chen Fei explained understandingly.

Li Xiaofei felt reassured as he looked back at Zhong Ling and said, "You know my number. Contact me if you need anything."

The other students looked at Li Xiaofei in contempt and slight mockery.

A toad wants to eat swan meat? A small gang enforcer from the slum dares to covet the beautiful flower of a prestigious high school?

"We'll take good care of Junior Sister Zhong. You don't need to worry," Zhou Yiyou said sternly. "In the future, please understand your place and avoid contacting her to prevent unnecessary trouble."

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

If nothing happened, he didn't want to be entangled with Zhong Ling anyway.

Zhou Yiyou nodded in satisfaction. "I'm glad to see you understand. Let me give you some advice. Once in a gang, always in a gang. It's almost impossible to get out and clean up your life. It's better for you to find a woman here in the slum, marry her, and live a simple life. That's the best choice for you."

Li Xiaofei couldn't be bothered to argue with someone like him and replied, "Alright."

Zhou Yiyou seemed pleased with this response. The students got back into their cars, and the sports cars roared away. Li Xiaofei breathed a sigh of relief. Zhong Ling's issue was temporarily resolved, and he could focus on other things. Like... looting bodies.

First, he secured Wu Potian's Dragon Fang Sword. Then he turned and started searching the bodies of the Dugu father and son, moving from one corpse to another. Much to his delight, he found four intact Third Grade Starforce Reagents. His depleted supply of Starforce Reagents was now replenished.

Additionally, he discovered four fingernail-sized bone fragments shining in Dugu Ques remains. They were the Lightning Mantis's inscribed treasure bones. These were even more valuable than Starforce Reagents.

He also found several intact manuals, including the incredible speed technique Blink Step and the ancient martial secret technique Three Steps Cicada Catch, which allowed for a sudden burst of absolute speed. There were also various other valuables that amounted to quite a fortune. Li Xiaofei grinned from ear to ear. He had struck gold.

Chen Fei’s eyelid twitched as he watched Li Xiaofei methodically loot the battlefield.

"What are you planning to do next?" he asked, moving closer.

Li Xiaofei glanced at the man with the peach blossom eyes, feeling annoyed. "Why are you still pestering me?"

"Because I'm very interested in you," Chen Fei said with a wide, ingratiating smile. "Come on, tell me, Little Eighteen, what are you planning to do next?"

Li Xiaofei stared at Chen Fei's face. He hesitated for a moment. When he decided he probably couldn't beat this guy, he suppressed his urge to hit him. "I plan to unify the entire slum," he declared, wiping the blood from his hands and straightening. "I want to free this lawless place from the gang's oppression and end the exploitation of ordinary people."

This was also his master Zhong Yuanshan's greatest wish before he died.

"And then?" Chen Fei asked.

"Become stronger," Li Xiaofei said.

"How will you become stronger?" Chen Fei pressed.

"By cultivating," Li Xiaofei replied.

Chen Fei laughed and asked, "Do you think you can become strong by shutting yourself away to train?"