Surprise

Seeing Han Li fly into a rage, Li Feiyu took no offense. His face remained full of indifference.

He tilted his head, stuck his little finger into his ear, and set about cleaning it with great concentration, looking ready to send a general against an army or pile up earth against a flood.

After venting his anger, Han Li saw that Li Feiyu's skin was as thick as a city wall and that he seemed not to have heard a thing. Han Li calmed down instead, feeling that there was something strange about the matter.

"You're not an idiot, and you're not an egomaniac. You must have some reason you can give for doing something so reckless," Han Li asked, having come to his senses.

Seeing the other man's anger vanish so quickly and his usual reason return, Li Feiyu felt a little disappointed. But he put on a pitiful, aggrieved expression and loudly protested his innocence again and again:

"Heavens! I've really been wronged!"

"I did want to explain just now, but you didn't give me a chance to open my mouth!"

"And now you're complaining about me. I really can't do right either way!"

His protests, delivered in that peculiar voice, were so fake that anyone could see through the act at a glance. He looked like he was just begging for a beating.

Han Li could hardly hold himself back from stepping forward and kicking him face-first into the dirt.

"Cut the act and explain yourself."

"Aren't you afraid those junior brothers who worship you will see you acting like a rogue? If they caught sight of you looking so lazy, wouldn't that dashing image of a cold-blooded killer you've built up be shattered to pieces?" Han Li gave him no pleasant looks and mocked him a little.

He really wasn't in the mood to fool around with him now. If this matter was handled badly, both of them would be in enormous trouble.

Li Feiyu seemed to understand what Han Li was thinking, so he stopped trying to rebut his mockery. Instead, he sauntered over to the bundle, bent down, picked up a secret manual at random, and stood up.

Once he was standing straight again, a mysterious gleam appeared on his face. With the hint of a smile, he handed the book to Han Li, then motioned with his eyes for him to lift the cover and take a look.

Han Li took the thin manual and gave him a puzzled look.

He was a little confused, unsure what trick Li Feiyu was up to.

"Open it and take a look, and you'll understand everything," Li Feiyu coaxed, his tone that of someone eager to enjoy a good show.

"Couldn't you just tell me? Why all the mystery?"

Though his face was full of reluctance, Han Li still lifted the cover.

Opening it revealed the manual's first page. There, in black ink on white paper, the words "Blinking Sword Manual" were written in large, clear characters.

"Hm!" Han Li was slightly taken aback.

The first book Li Feiyu had casually handed him was exactly what he wanted. That surprised him a little.

"Don't be surprised just yet. Take a look at these books too." Li Feiyu promptly tossed several more manuals over to him.

Han Li caught them one by one. After opening them and quickly leafing through them, he froze in astonishment.

In every one of these books, the words "Blinking Sword Manual" were written plainly in black ink before the main text.

After a long while, Han Li finally pulled his gaze away from the books in his hands.

He raised his head, pointed at the great pile of manuals on the ground, and asked haltingly:

"D-don't tell me that th-these are all Blinking Sword Manuals!"

"Unfortunately, Junior Brother Han, you've guessed right." Li Feiyu shrugged and spread his hands, putting on a helpless expression.

But his slightly upturned lips and the gleeful tone of his voice were completely at odds with what he was saying.

"That's impossible. There are nearly a hundred books here. How could they all be Blinking Sword Manuals?" Han Li paid no attention to his little act and questioned him in disbelief.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"When I suddenly saw so many manuals with the same name in a corner of the library, I got quite a shock myself!" Li Feiyu rolled his eyes and muttered, looking as though he was still shaken.

Then he saw Han Li standing there in a speechless daze and couldn't help bursting into laughter.

For Li Feiyu, the sight of Han Li's startled, astonished face was a rare spectacle.

Normally, Han Li was always calm and unhurried in front of him, looking as though he had everything well in hand, as if the word "surprise" could never apply to him.

But seeing Han Li standing there so woodenly and stupidly now made Li Feiyu feel that his hard work over the past few days hadn't been wasted. It was entirely worth it.

A moment later, Han Li finally came to his senses.

Clutching the books tightly, he lowered his head and pondered for a short while. Then he raised his somewhat thoughtful face and spoke unhurriedly:

"Did you count these books?"

"How many are there altogether?"

"Of course I counted them, and more than once. There are seventy-four manuals with the same name in total," Li Feiyu replied at once, giving the exact number without hesitation.

"If I didn't know exactly how many there were, and happened to leave one or two out when I put them back, wouldn't that really cause a huge problem?" he added, offering a brief explanation.

Han Li gently pinched the slightly yellowed pages between his fingers and slowly turned them, carefully reading through one of the manuals he held.