Chapter Five: The Failed Heroic Rescue

Cooking smoke curled lazily upward, stars filled the sky, and a gentle breeze brought with it an unusually fresh air that instantly invigorated Xiao Fei. The greatest advantage of ancient times, he thought, was the absence of air pollution and the lack of rumbling engines everywhere. Still, life was a bit impoverished; yet, since fate had granted him a new life as the young master of the Xiao family, he was determined to live up to the role.

Xiao Fei knew well the ways of young masters during the Republican era: they would stroll about with pet birds, pick fights, frequent brothels, flirt with servant girls, drink at pleasure houses, and listen to operas. At the very least, they dressed in fine silk with jade pendants at their waists.

But when Xiao Fei glanced down at himself, he saw only coarse homespun clothes, a patch at the knee, and, on sniffing, even a faint musty odor. Looking around, there were just two thatched huts facing each other, with two even smaller straw sheds behind—one likely the kitchen, the other an outhouse. Not far off, inside the tall walls, was the brightly lit “Xiao Family Mansion,” a stark contrast to his current circumstances.

He knew all this was due to that wretched Third Madam, and that he’d survived only because of his sister-in-law Liu Susu’s care.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fei silently resolved: Hmph, all that should rightfully belong to me, I will take back sooner or later!

Just then, Ling’er’s voice sounded in his mind: “Hee hee, congratulations, Master, congratulations!”

“Oh? And what’s the cause for celebration?” Xiao Fei asked in a measured tone. Having been in the Republic for only a short time, his speech had already taken on the era’s refined affectations.

“Hehe, Master, you just stood up to the strong for the weak and bravely rescued your widowed sister-in-law. The system has awarded you 100 energy points!” Ling’er replied cheerfully.

“Damn, is it that easy? If I do things like this every day, won’t I quickly rack up a ton of energy points?” Xiao Fei exclaimed excitedly.

“Hee hee, Master, you’re so clever—good at drawing inferences from one thing to another.”

“All right, enough of that. If I couldn’t even think of this, I’d be an idiot. Now tell me, with these 100 energy points, what exactly can I do? Can I upgrade the energy conversion system to level two?” Xiao Fei asked eagerly.

“Uh, Master, that’s not possible. To upgrade the energy conversion system from level one to level two, you need at least 1,000 energy points,” Ling’er replied.

“Ugh, that much?” Xiao Fei couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

“Hee hee, but don’t be disheartened, Master. With 100 energy points, I can exchange them for ten bags of rice, or five sets of clothes, or three boxes of medicine, or… a pair of wings…”

“Wait, wait, what was that? A pair of what?” Xiao Fei asked.

“A pair of wings! And not just any wings, but Thunderstrike Wings—capable of invisibility, instant summoning, and a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour.”

Boom!

The news caused another tremor in Xiao Fei’s mind. Rice, clothes, and medicine were not urgently needed, but the Thunderstrike Wings, which would allow him to fly like a bird, were irresistibly tempting.

“Ling’er, I want them, I want them, I want them…” Xiao Fei called out, thirstily.

“Uh, Master, you sound so… perverted,” Ling’er teased.

“Get lost, just hurry up!”

“Master, look at this…”

No sooner had Ling’er finished speaking than Xiao Fei felt a flash of light before his eyes, and suddenly, a pair of golden wings sprouted from his arms.

“Ah… Is this… is this real?” Xiao Fei still couldn’t believe it, and reached out to touch them. He could feel the wings, but it was still hard to accept—after all, this was just too damned bizarre.

“Master, do you want to try flying?” Ling’er asked.

“I want to, I want to, I want to…”

“Ugh, don’t sound so creepy! If you want to, just say so. Anyway, Master, these Thunderstrike Wings have already formed a mental bond with you—they’re now part of your body, and you can control them with your mind.”

“Really? Let me try… Invisibility!” Xiao Fei commanded tentatively.

In an instant, the wings vanished.

“Ah… it’s real…” Xiao Fei touched the spot where the wings had been, but felt nothing, as if they’d never existed.

“Come out!” he called next.

In a flash, the wings reappeared.

“Take off!” Xiao Fei thought to himself, and with a whoosh, he shot up from the ground. To any onlooker, it would have seemed as if he were a silent firework, soaring into the night sky until he disappeared into the darkness.

“Ah… Am I really flying? This feels amazing!” Xiao Fei was exhilarated; the wind howled past his ears, and the ground below was a fathomless abyss—proof enough that he truly was airborne.

Though the speed wasn’t extraordinary, the sheer thrill was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

He had watched many fantasy dramas, always yearning for and even admiring those cultivators who could fly on swords. He never imagined that he, Xiao Fei, would one day fly as well—a pleasure that no woman could bring him.

Riding a white horse doesn’t always make you a prince; sometimes you’re a monk. Growing wings doesn’t always make you an angel; sometimes you’re simply a birdman—like Xiao Fei.

“Hahaha… too good! Invisibility… ah—”

Bang!

Too caught up in his excitement, Xiao Fei wanted to test the wings’ agility and uttered “Invisibility” again, forgetting he was several hundred meters in the air.

It was, after all, his first flight. First times are always a bit nerve-wracking, even confusing—(and really, that’s true for all first times, especially that one; as for which “one,” well, you know). Xiao Fei didn’t even have time to react before he crashed hard to the ground, face-first in the dirt.

“Pffft, pfft…” Xiao Fei spat out a mouthful of dirt. “Damn it, Ling’er, you got me into this!”

“Master, you can’t blame me. You gave the Thunderstrike Wings the wrong command during flight, and now you’re blaming me and cursing? Hmph, I’m not talking to you anymore,” Ling’er replied, aggrieved.

Thinking about it, Xiao Fei realized she was right. “My dear Ling’er, I was wrong to blame you. But since the Thunderstrike Wings are linked to me, shouldn’t they protect me? Without a protection mechanism, mistakes like this are bound to happen again. Besides, the flight speed doesn’t meet my expectations. In the future, you know, in urgent situations, speed is survival. Can’t the flight speed be improved?”

“Hmph, I’m not talking to you!” Ling’er pouted, like a sulky girl.

“All right, all right, my dear Ling’er, how about a kiss from me?” Xiao Fei said shamelessly.

“Ugh, you wretched master. Fine, I give in. Considering your talent in thinking of ways to improve the Thunderstrike Wings, I’ll forgive you. As it happens, there’s plenty of room for improvement—the upgraded Thunderstrike Wings will not only fix the bug you mentioned, but also add auto-navigation and even the ability to fire bullets!”

“What? Auto-navigation? Bullet-firing? Seriously?”

Xiao Fei was astounded. That meant he’d have a high-tech GPRS satellite navigation system and an efficient defense system at his disposal!

“However, to improve the wings, you’ll need more energy points.”

There it was again—energy points. Xiao Fei silently grumbled that these points were just like game coins: the more, the better.

“In that case, I’ll just do more good deeds. After all, I’m good at heroic rescues, saving abducted women, helping lost girls, that sort of thing,” Xiao Fei said slyly.

“Pfft, what an unserious master! Ling’er looks down on you!” Ling’er retorted.

“Help! Help! Bandits! Let go of me… please… you beasts…”

Just then, a girl’s cry for help came from not far away.

“Yes! A damsel in distress—my chance for heroics!” Xiao Fei made a triumphant gesture, silently summoned the Thunderstrike Wings, and in an instant arrived at a farmhouse several hundred meters away.

Inside, two burly men were ransacking the house. An elderly couple lay on the floor, their fate uncertain, while another brute pinned a young girl down, tearing at her clothes. Her top had been ripped open, revealing a pink undershirt and the slight swell of her chest, which made the bandit’s eyes light up.

But it wasn’t just the bandit whose eyes lit up—Xiao Fei’s did too. Still, rescuing her was more important. Such a beautiful girl absolutely could not be defiled by bandits.

Without hesitation, Xiao Fei whipped out a Browning pistol and fired three shots at the bandit—bang, bang, bang. However, since it was his first time using a gun, not one shot hit its mark; all three went wide. And those were the only three bullets the system had given him.

Hearing gunshots, the bandits were terrified and immediately threw up their hands, begging for mercy. But when no further shots came, they cautiously turned to see a ragged, bewildered youth fiddling with his gun.

Xiao Fei realized he’d botched things—his face flushed red, then white. Staring at the three burly men glaring back at him, he awkwardly raised his hand and waved, saying sheepishly, “Hi, everyone.”

[PS: Brothers, this is a new book and needs your support most—please click, bookmark, and vote as much as possible. Brother Fei will even send you a pair of Thunderstrike Wings!]