Chapter 34: Surprise

Li Feiyu remained unfazed, his face showing complete indifference, even as Han Li erupted in anger. He tilted his head, casually inserted his little finger into his ear, and began to pick it with an air of complete readiness for whatever might come his way.

After Han Li's outburst, he calmed down, seeing Li Feiyu's seemingly impervious demeanor, as if his words hadn't registered. Han Li then realized there might be something more to the situation.

"You're not an idiot or a megalomaniac," Han Li, now thinking clearly, questioned him. "There must be a good reason for doing something so reckless."

Li Feiyu felt a slight pang of regret seeing Han Li's anger subside so quickly and his usual rationality return. Yet, he immediately put on a pitiful, wronged expression and loudly protested:

"Oh, heavens! I've been truly wronged!"

"I wanted to explain just now, but you didn't give me a chance to say a word!"

"And now you're complaining about me again! I really can't win, can I?"

This bizarre, whining act of feigned victimhood was so obviously fake, its contrived nature apparent at a glance, that it made one want to give him a good smack. Han Li himself almost couldn't resist the urge to step forward and kick him into a comical, undignified heap.

"Stop your theatrics and explain yourself, quickly."

"Aren't you afraid your admiring junior brothers will see you acting like such a rogue?" Han Li retorted, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. "If they saw this lazy side of you, the dashing image of a cool killer you've cultivated would be utterly shattered." Han Li was in no mood for joking; if this matter wasn't handled properly, both of them would be in serious trouble.

Li Feiyu seemed to grasp Han Li's thoughts at that moment, so he didn't retort to the sarcasm. Instead, he lazily walked over to the bundle, bent down, casually picked up a secret manual, and straightened up. Standing upright again, a hint of mysterious light flickered across his face. With a slight smile, he handed the book to Han Li, then gestured with his eyes for him to open the cover and take a look.

Han Li casually took the thin manual, casting a puzzled glance at Li Feiyu. He was a little bewildered, unsure of what Li Feiyu was planning.

"Open it and see, you'll understand everything," Li Feiyu coaxed, his tone suggesting he was anticipating a good show.

"Why be so mysterious? Just tell me directly."

Despite his obvious displeasure, Han Li opened the book. As he opened the cover, the first page of the manual was revealed, on which the four large characters "Blinking Sword Manual" were clearly written in black on white paper.

"Hmm!" Han Li was slightly taken aback. It surprised him that the very first book Li Feiyu had casually handed him was exactly what he was looking for.

"Don't be too surprised yet; take a look at these other books," Li Feiyu said, immediately tossing over several more manuals.

Han Li caught each one, opened them, and quickly flipped through them. He was utterly dumbfounded. At the beginning of the main text of every single one of these books, the black characters "Blinking Sword Manual" were clearly written.

It was a long while before Han Li finally tore his gaze away from the books he held. He looked up, pointed at the large pile of manuals on the ground, and asked haltingly:

"You... please don't tell me that all... all of these are 'Blinking Sword Manuals'!"

"Unfortunately, Junior Brother Han, you've guessed correctly," Li Feiyu said, shrugging and spreading his hands as if in resignation. However, his slightly upturned lips and the gloating tone of his voice completely betrayed his feigned helplessness.

"This is impossible! There are nearly a hundred books here; how could they all be 'Blinking Sword Manuals'?" Han Li exclaimed, utterly ignoring Li Feiyu's theatrics, his voice filled with disbelief.

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

"When I suddenly saw so many manuals with the same name in the corner of the library, I was pretty shocked myself!" Li Feiyu muttered, rolling his eyes and feigning a lingering sense of shock.

Seeing Han Li's dumbfounded and speechless expression, Li Feiyu couldn't help but burst into laughter. To Li Feiyu, Han Li's startled and shocked expression was a truly rare spectacle. Usually, Han Li always appeared calm and composed in front of him, as if the concept of 'surprise' simply didn't apply to him. But seeing Han Li's wooden, dazed expression now made Li Feiyu feel that all his recent efforts had been worthwhile, completely justified.

A moment later, Han Li finally snapped out of his daze. He gripped the books tightly in his hand, lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then looked up with a thoughtful expression and spoke unhurriedly:

"Have you counted these books?"

"How many are there in total?"

"Of course, I counted them, and more than once," Li Feiyu immediately interjected, stating the exact number without hesitation. "There are seventy-four manuals with the same name."

"If we don't know the exact number of these books, it would be a huge problem if one or two went missing when we return them," he added, offering a slight justification.

Gently pinching the slightly yellowed pages, Han Li slowly flipped open one of the manuals in his hand and began to meticulously read through it.