Chapter 2: Reversal

"Boom..."

The intense cold current that burst from Du Fei's palm seemed to freeze the surrounding air instantly. Then, the cold air and the chaotic air currents collided fiercely, causing both figures to tremble violently.

"Ugh..."

Long Ao Tian emitted a strange, inexplicable sound. His originally calm expression suddenly changed, and he quickly retreated as if he had seen a ghost. After landing on the ground, he took several steps back, leaving deep footprints on the ground, and his face turned even more grim.

On the other side, Du Fei's body also quickly retreated backward. However, he was not as graceful as Long Ao Tian but rather crashed into the wall at the end of the alley in a rather狼狈 manner. His body suddenly stopped, and he felt a sweetness in his throat, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"What's going on? Why do I have true qi in my body?"

After years of futile effort, Du Fei was well aware that his meridians were blocked, making it impossible to draw the elemental forces of heaven and earth into his body, thus rendering him unable to cultivate. But why, at this moment, did he have true qi, which was absolutely impossible?

And the rather cold electronic voice in his mind? A system? Was it the computer system he was familiar with from his previous life? But why would a computer system appear in his mind?

Various questions arose, leaving Du Fei with many doubts. However, he did not have the time to slowly address these questions, as the crisis at hand was still unresolved... "Beep... The crisis has been temporarily resolved. Due to the significant burden on the host's body and mind from the automatic counterattack, the automatic defense mode is now temporarily deactivated!"

As the cold "beep" sounded, the icy feeling all over Du Fei's body quickly dissipated, replaced by an extreme soreness in his muscles, as if he had overexercised.

"Master Long, you..." In front of Du Fei, several black-clad figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the alley. A figure who seemed to be the leader quickly approached Long Ao Tian and asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing serious," Long Ao Tian shook his head slightly, his strange gaze falling on Du Fei. Then, he said coldly, "The intelligence was wrong. Wasn't it said that Du Fei was a once-in-a-century waste, unable to practice martial arts in his lifetime? How could he use the Ice Heart Qi? Moreover, triggering the Ice Heart Qi in this city would definitely be noticed by the old ghosts of the Du family. Today's mission is considered a failure..."

"Then, Master Long, what should we do now? Should we kill that kid directly?" the black-clad man said in a sinister tone.

"Do I need to teach you?" Long Ao Tian sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent, "If you don't cut the grass at the root, it will grow back when the spring breeze blows!"

As he spoke, Long Ao Tian stomped his foot on the ground, and his figure darted toward Du Fei like a ghost. At the same time, a faint blue light flashed around his body, and he struck out with a claw!

"System reactivating..."

Almost simultaneously, the cold "beep" sounded again, and Du Fei's body naturally took a half-step back. He felt a chill in his right leg, and a kick flew out, landing on Long Ao Tian's chest... "Puh..."

As his body was kicked and thrown to the ground, Long Ao Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, his face showing a look of shock and disbelief.

"Du family, Ice Blade Kick?"

"How is that possible!" Long Ao Tian's face was twisted with rage as he struggled to get up, his strange gaze fixed on Du Fei, unwilling to look away. After a moment, his expression changed again. Then, he glanced in the direction of the eastern part of the city, "The Du family's dogs still have a keen nose! Du Fei's life will be taken another day. Retreat!"

With that, Long Ao Tian gave Du Fei a cold glance, then quickly retreated. The several black-clad figures exchanged glances and quickly followed, disappearing into the alley in an instant.

"Are they gone?" Du Fei's body trembled slightly as he spat out another mouthful of blood. However, he still struggled to get to Xiao Ai's side, grabbing her wrist. After a moment, he sighed in relief, "Thank goodness..."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Fei's vision went dark, and he collapsed. However, at the moment of his fall, a faint ice-blue light flashed around his body, but it quickly disappeared into his body.

This phenomenon, which should only appear on an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, was now present on Du Fei, which was absolutely impossible. If anyone saw it, they would not believe it.

A moment later, several figures quickly appeared in the dim night sky. After a brief hesitation, they all landed in the alley.

The leader was a sallow-faced old man, followed by several young men and women in tight-fitting robes.

After a quick glance at the ground, a rather handsome young man frowned and said, "Third Elder, this is the only son of Fourth Uncle's family. The other one seems to be his personal maid... However, didn't we receive news a few days ago that Fourth Uncle's family had been completely wiped out? Why is he here?"

"The waste from Fourth Uncle's family?" The old man, known as Third Elder, his face darkened. After a moment, he waved his sleeve slightly and said indifferently, "Fourth Uncle severed ties with our Du family for that woman, and he disgraced our family's honor. This son of Fourth Uncle... the offspring of a demon woman?"

After a moment of hesitation, Third Elder pursed his lips and said reluctantly, "If it were up to me, I would let this boy fend for himself. However, just now, the head of our family sensed the Ice Heart Qi of our Du family... He is, after all, a member of our Du family. If he dies here, it would disgrace our family. Fine, take him back. I believe the head of our family will also want to know the details of Fourth Uncle's situation... After all..."

At this point, Third Elder coughed slightly but did not continue, only gesturing. Then, his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.

The remaining young men and women exchanged glances. After a moment, the leader nodded slightly, and the others quickly helped Du Fei and Xiao Ai to their feet, then quickly headed toward the eastern part of the city.

"Xiao Ai..."

When Du Fei struggled to open his eyes, he found himself in a room that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

This strange scene made him pause for a moment. Then, he quickly turned his head and saw the delicate face of the girl pressed against his chest, with faint tear marks on her pretty face. Whether from exhaustion or relief, the girl was clearly still asleep.

"What's going on..."

After a confused look around, Du Fei carefully moved Xiao Ai's body, but this slight movement woke her up.

She quickly wiped the tear marks from her face and said joyfully, "Young Master, are you okay... Don't worry, we have already arrived at the main house of the Du family. The head of the family has already sent for a physician to help you recover. The physician said that although you are injured, the other party did not use lethal force, so you should be fine after some rest."

"Is that so?" Du Fei smiled, but the pain in his chest made him frown. However, he did not say anything more and instead propped himself up, leaning against the bed, and said softly, "What's the situation now?"

Hearing this, Xiao Ai's brows furrowed slightly. After a moment, she said softly, "I heard from the servants of the Du family that we were found unconscious in the alley and were rescued by the Third Elder of the Du family. We are currently resting in a small courtyard of the Du family, which is said to be where the master lived during his youth."

"The place where Father used to live?" Hearing this, Du Fei turned his head and looked around carefully, then nodded slightly. No wonder this place felt both familiar and strange; the layout was similar to his father's room.

After a few more glances, Du Fei took a deep breath, and a look of hatred flashed in his eyes. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "I once heard Father say that he was originally an inner disciple of the Du family in Bujue City, but he betrayed the Du family... The current head of the Du family is my grandfather... Has anyone come to ask about our family's situation in the past few days?"

Xiao Ai's expression was somewhat complicated. After a moment, she sighed and said, "No, but I think they are waiting for you to wake up before they ask. You just rest, and I will go and gather information."

With that, Xiao Ai got up, intending to help Du Fei get comfortable.

"Fine..." Du Fei sighed slightly. After a moment, he said softly, "We are now living under others' roofs, so it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

There was another thing Du Fei did not say: Du Tian's position in the Du family was awkward, and their current situation was even more awkward. It was quite normal for the Du family to not welcome them. Moreover, his reputation as a waste... Thinking of this, Du Fei suddenly patted his head. He almost forgot that before being knocked out by Long Ao Tian, some kind of system seemed to protect him and allowed him to use true qi?

Although he did not know why or what the system was, perhaps by properly utilizing this so-called system, he would have a chance to cultivate!

However, now was not the right time. He should wait until the night was deep and quiet to thoroughly study what this so-called system was.