Sky-cracking Rider

"Ah! No problem, Xiao Jiu, thanks for the trouble!"

Chen Fei took Xiao Jiu from his own shoulder and placed it on the hospital bed.

Comforting the frail little girl was just a small effort.

"Jiu!"

The light body of the Pure Light Sparrow landed on the bedding, not even disturbing a single crease on the surface.

"Xiao Jiu! I'm Pu Meihui, hello!"

The little girl gratefully glanced at Chen Fei, and with a mix of surprise and delight, reached out to the little bird.

"Jiu!"

The little bird hopped forward a few steps, fluttered its wings, and landed in the tender palm of the girl's hand.

The little claws tickled her palm, making Pu Meihui burst into a merry giggle, probably the happiest in a while.

"Old Piao, let's step outside to talk!"

Chen Fei gestured towards the door, obviously having something to discuss.

"Oh, okay!"

Pu Aihua glanced at his daughter, nodded, and followed Chen Fei outside.

Chen Fei leaned against the wall in the hallway outside the hospital room, taking in his former colleague.

The face that used to always smile now seemed deeply troubled. It appeared that after returning home, to care for his daughter, he had taken on a lot of stress, and it had left him looking much worn.

"Are you, um, tight on money?"

"I..." Pu Aihua just began to open up, then hesitated, quickly realizing something, and with a bitter smile, vigorously shook his head, saying, "Little Chen, I know you want to help me, but... your debts probably aren't all paid off yet, right?"

Both being in tough spots, they were all struggling, better not to trouble others.

Since being terminated, he and his wife had opened a small diner in Han River City to maintain family planning; if his daughter fell ill, the couple had to take turns, one caring for the daughter and the other for the diner.

Even though they could just manage, their financial condition at home was still getting tighter each day, with never a breather. The modest income from the small diner all went to hospital treatment and hospitalization fees.

"It's okay, I can now pay off a substantial amount immediately, reducing the pressure quite a bit. But don't be too quick to refuse, I have a batch of items you could sell. With your skills, you might make good money and ease the urgency."

Chen Fei held out his hand to stop Pu Aihua from speaking further and continued, "Don't worry, I picked up these items for nothing, no cost involved, they were meant to be sold anyway, might as well not let outsiders benefit. Handing them to you might even make more money!"

In Habulav, he had handled some parcels, some sent to his home for his elder brother and sister-in-law; some for Little Sister Chen studying at university; some for the Jiu Defense Company's Chapala City office in Mesoamerica; some for Aircrew Base 911 in the Xingdu Kush Mountain Area.

Just rerouting what was meant for his elder brother and sister-in-law to Old Piao was merely about bearing an extra handling fee. The boxes were probably still en route; changing now should still be in time.

Adding together what his elder brother and sister-in-law could make, they couldn't outperform Old Piao, a sly merchant. So it was better just to work honestly and leave the selling to a professional like Old Piao.

"Really, really? I am so sorry!"

Pu Aihua rubbed his hands together, he was most skilled at buying low and selling high, and he did have confidence in that.

"The merchandise is natural fluorescent crystals, originally from deep within a dead volcano in the Central Great Desert of the Ocean Continent, raw clusters of large crystal bodies, if sunlit for two hours, they can glow continuously for six hours, available in various colors. You can either sell them as raw stones or processed beads like Luminous Pearls, weighing roughly two hundred kilograms altogether. Your commission is 40% of the net profit, should be no problem!"

Chen Fei briefly explained the situation of this deal.

A timely help, giving tools rather than just a fish, as after all, this was business, not sympathy or charity, and it was easier for Old Piao to accept it too.

Professional matters should be handled by professionals, this deal surely wouldn't fail.

If Old Piao managed to sell at a good price, Chen Fei might consider passing him the later deliveries to the Chapala office as well, creating a win-win, mutual happiness.

"I'll only take 10%, that's enough!"

Pu Aihua held up a finger, his mind racing, already thinking how he could get a high price for these fluorescent crystals, he might even need to make up a fantastic story.

As long as the story was good enough, even a bit of dog poo could be spun into something celestial, fetching a sky-high price.

The Central Great Desert of the Ocean Continent—the setting for the story was too good.

Chen Fei was surprised to hear that Old Piao was only taking a 10% profit, saying, "Ha! Did you grow a conscience, you sly merchant?"

Previously, Old Piao wouldn't have even considered a deal without at least a 30% cut. Giving an extra percentage was also to help alleviate the pressing need.

These days there was nothing worse than having no money, no illness beyond medical costs; once hospitalized, it was like starting a financial black hole, even the wealthy couldn't withstand such drain, possibly leading to a dramatic fall in fortunes.

"Hey, hey, you really think I'm stupid? 10% is plenty!"

Pu Aihua laughed naively, clearly recognizing Chen Fei's supportive intentions.

Compared to directly providing financial help, he preferred this kind of commission-based, no-investment trading, earning a bit of handling fee.

"40%, agreed..."

Chen Fei held up four fingers.

True relationships weren't about trade, talking business spared hurting feelings, the other party could earn more, and he wouldn't lose either.

After all, it was a no-cost deal, hard even to make a loss.

But before he finished speaking, they heard Pu Meihui's cry of alarm from inside the room.

"Ah!"

Chen Fei and Pu Aihua exchanged a glance and rushed into the hospital room.

"Ha!~"

When Old Piao saw his daughter and Xiao Jiu, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Chen Fei, however, revealed a smile.

"Jiu!"

A light orb, the size of a ping-pong ball, formed in front of Xiao Jiu's sharp beak and then plunged into the girl's chest.

Pu Meihui felt a warmth in her chest, and her previously labored breathing gradually became smooth and strong.

"This, what is this!" Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

Pu Aihua was astonished as she watched the scene unfold.

The Pure Light Sparrow was indeed a Magical Beast, but not every Pure Light Sparrow could cast spells.

"Jiu!"

The Little Bird chirped lightly again and adeptly conjured another light orb.

"Light Healing Technique!"

Chen Fei was not surprised at all.

The little one had finally understood what he meant when he said, "Xiao Jiu, can you please help?" which was exactly this.

Beyond physical strikes, the almighty Xiao Jiu could attack, defend, kill, bury, cut, weld, and even act cute!

"Huh?~"

Old Piao was almost at a loss for words, the hairs on the back of his head standing on end as he mechanically turned his head, looking at Chen Fei with disbelief.

Back then, the bird egg he had picked up and tricked Rookie Chen Fei into thinking was a Magical Beast's egg was just meant to be a harmless prank, but fate had played a cruel joke on him!

The fool was actually himself!!!

If he had this little creature that could repeatedly release the Light Healing Technique by his side, his daughter might not have been able to regain normal health, but she wouldn't be frequently hospitalized like now, constantly lying ill in bed.

For his daughter, this old father had truly had his heart torn to pieces.

"Jiu!~"

The light orb, which had been the size of a ping-pong ball, now grew to the size of a fist, and Pu Meihui's entire being began to slightly glow.

Xiao Jiu unleashed a strong spell, the Second Rank Light Series Healing Spell "Light of Redemption," whose effect was more than ten times that of the First Rank "Light Healing Technique." Even at death's door, it could snatch back a breath of life.

"Jiu!" "Jiu!" "Jiu!" "Jiu!" "Jiu!"...

The sickroom was filled with the sounds of bird chirping, and the "Light Healing Technique" continued without stop. Magical Beasts casting spells did not need to chant incantations, and accordingly, it was difficult for them to learn other spells or more spells of the same elemental series. The number of spells they could master was far fewer than that of humans.

For Xiao Jiu, who was now Third Rank, a spell like the First Rank was hardly a burden; a brief rest and it could quickly recuperate.

With the continuous impact of the Light-based Spells, Pu Meihui's condition rapidly improved, visible to the naked eye; her pale complexion began to take on a hint of color, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, the whole person, though still panting, looked completely different from her earlier listlessness.

At that moment, Chen Fei spoke up, "Alright, Xiao Jiu, you can stop now. Too much of a good thing can be harmful; let's take a break first."

Although the effects of the Light-based Spells were immediate, they were based on consuming one's own vital energy.

Pu Meihui was innately weaker, and it was better to stabilize her condition now that she had improved slightly; after all, using "Light Healing Technique" and "Light of Redemption" too much could turn them into deadly spells.

Xiao Jiu did not understand this principle, but Chen Fei did.

"It, it, Xiao Jiu... it..."

Old Piao pointed at the Little Bird, almost crying out loud.

This little creature that he had personally given away turned out to be the key to saving his own daughter.

Before this, he had thought about asking Ability Users to help treat his daughter. On one hand, he couldn't find anyone, on the other hand, the cost was too great. Ordinary people, even if they spent all they had, couldn't afford it, not to mention the priceless Magic Medicines.

The Earth Order First Rank Magic Medicine "Life Resuscitation" that had once pulled Chen Fei back from the brink of death was not something Pu Aihua could ever access, even if he became a lifetime crook, even if he had saved enough money, he still couldn't obtain such Magic Medicine from those powerful figures.

Chen Fei lowered his voice and whispered in Old Piao's ear, "A Third Rank Pure Light Sparrow, shh, keep it a secret!"

After all, this was a hospital, and he was wary of trouble.

Helping Old Piao was one thing, but volunteering to help others out of sheer redundancy was another; he wasn't in the mood to play the saint or big shot, especially with strangers who might not appreciate his help or could even ridicule him behind his back as a big fool.

"Eh? Eh!!!!!!!!"

Pu Aihua quickly covered his mouth.

He had never eaten pork, but had he not seen a pig run?

A Third Rank Magical Beast, even a Pure Light Sparrow, was a remarkable being.

Chen Fei patted Old Piao's shoulder and said, "I will stay in Han River City one more day and leave tomorrow!"

The implication was clear without words.

"Mmm!"

Pu Aihua nodded vigorously, naturally prepared to treat him well.

"Mr. Police Officer, that's him!"

A voice suddenly came from the entrance of the sickroom.

Chen Fei and Pu Aihua turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice; the guy who had run away crying earlier had come back, and this time he had brought two uniformed police officers.

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