Chapter 106: Who Is Lying?

Lu Siyu certainly would not give the white tiger to Tang Fei.

Tang Fei also knew that Lu Siyu would not give him the white tiger.

The reason he asked for that mechanical white tiger was to employ the tactic of "asking for a sky-high price to allow for bargaining," aiming to achieve his true goal: learning mechanical knowledge and craftsmanship from Lu Siyu.

It is better to learn how to fish than to be given a fish.

If he took the tiger, he would only ever have that one. If he acquired the knowledge and skills to build mechanical tigers, he could have countless ones.

For generations upon generations, endlessly.

Under Huang Tianmu’s firm insistence, Lu Siyu reluctantly accepted the condition.

She glared at Tang Fei with a fierce look and said, "If you dare to ask me questions while I’m sleeping next time, I will kill you..."

"Lu Siyu..." Huang Tianmu, who was still standing nearby, said angrily, "How can you speak to a classmate like that?"

"It’s fine, it’s fine." Tang Fei quickly smoothed things over, saying, "I respect Lu Siyu’s personal preferences and unique lifestyle habits; I am willing to agree to all her requirements."

He respected talented people. As long as she taught him mechanical arts, let alone not asking questions while she slept, even sleeping beside her wouldn't be a problem.

Tang Fei was a man who understood the importance of respecting his teachers.

"Alright, alright, both of you step aside." Huang Tianmu, suffering from a headache due to the two of them, said, "Also, you two have destroyed a large amount of public facilities and office equipment in the school... The logistics department is calculating the costs, and they will send you the bill."

"Teacher, this matter has nothing to do with me, right?" Tang Fei said with a look of grievance. "I was only forced to escape."

"Send it to me," Lu Siyu said expressionlessly, looking like someone with deep pockets. Huang Tianmu also knew that the Lu family was very wealthy and skilled at making money.

He nodded and said, "Then let student Lu Siyu be responsible for the compensation. After all, the primary responsibility lies with your mechanical tiger head."

Tang Fei and Lu Siyu walked out of the homeroom teacher’s office, and Lu Siyu turned and headed outside. Tang Fei asked, "Student Lu Siyu, where are you going?"

"Do I need to report to you where I’m going?"

"That’s not necessary. It’s just that I want to ask you a question." Tang Fei said.

"Ask again next time."

"But I want to know the answer right now."

Lu Siyu stared at Tang Fei for a moment, then turned and walked toward the direction of the classroom, saying, "I’ll give you ten minutes."

"Thank you, Teacher Lu," Tang Fei said happily. "I want to solve the problem of the power source for my mechanical beast."

Tang Fei presented his little bird to Lu Siyu and said, "It’s this little bird. If I replace the wood with steel, what should I use for its power source? And what kind of power source is the most stable and long-lasting? One that can support this little bird to fly high into the sky or even to more distant places?"

Lu Siyu looked at Tang Fei and asked, "Have you never tried the 'Heart of Uselessness'?"

"What is the 'Heart of Uselessness'?" Tang Fei asked curiously.

Lu Siyu scanned Tang Fei’s face with a suspicious gaze for a while before saying, "I will only do this once. Watch closely." Then, Lu Siyu sat down at the workbench, found a pile of mechanical parts, and began assembling them rapidly.

Tang Fei stood next to Lu Siyu, watching without blinking, not missing a single detail.

Lu Siyu’s movements were fast, very fast, so fast that it was dizzying.

There were many parts that Tang Fei felt he hadn't even seen clearly, yet, miraculously, this did not hinder his understanding.

He felt he could grasp every movement, even experiencing a sense of familiarity. Soon, he understood why he could follow along.

Wasn't this the standard procedure he used to install power devices for his little bird back on the Old Earth? Why did Lu Siyu know the techniques the old man had taught him?

Or was this the standard procedure on New Star, known to every student in the mechanical department? "Heart of Uselessness?"

Tang Fei thought to himself, *Could this technique be called the Heart of Uselessness? If it is clearly useful, why call it useless?*

Tang Fei had no time to ponder further; he focused his attention on every move Lu Siyu made, committing every technique and even her small, unique habits to memory.

Until Lu Siyu finished assembling a small black box, inserted it into the belly of the steel bird, and made a few adjustments, the mechanical bird began to whir and click.

Lu Siyu handed the mechanical bird to Tang Fei and said, "You try it."

Tang Fei followed his usual method, gently twisting the spring at the end of the bird’s tail. The bird’s belly emitted a clicking sound. This was a sign that the spring was tensioned.

After Tang Fei twisted it a few times, the bird in his palm began to vibrate. He twisted it a few more times and placed the bird on his palm.

The bird took flight with a *whoosh*, shooting straight into the sky...

*Clack!*

The bird’s body slammed into the ceiling, and just when Tang Fei thought it was about to crash and be destroyed, it began to flap its wings and fly toward other corners of the classroom.

Tang Fei looked at the bird in shock. *It worked? The bird finally flew?*

On the Old Earth, he had tried so many times, year after year, and the bird could never fly.

After arriving on New Star, he replaced the wood with steel, and with just a casual adjustment by Lu Siyu, the bird could fly?

*Old man, do you see this? My bird is flying.*

*My steel bird is flying.*

*If only you could see this,* Tang Fei thought to himself.

Whenever he and Fatty had the slightest achievement, their thought was always: *If only the old man could see this.*

Moreover, the power of this steel bird seemed endless.

It circled the classroom again and again, as if it would never stop. Tang Fei looked at Lu Siyu and asked, "How do I make it stop?"

"I don't know," Lu Siyu said.

"You don't know?" Tang Fei’s eyes widened. "How could you not know?"

"You only asked me to help solve the power device; you didn't ask me to set up a retrieval system."

After saying this, Lu Siyu turned and walked out of the classroom.

Tang Fei stared at the bird, circling round and round...

In the end, he could bear it no longer. He pulled a dogleg knife from his pocket and stabbed it into the body of the steel bird.

*Bang!* Sparks flew everywhere.

The steel bird’s body was pierced by the knife, and it stumbled as it fell toward the ground. The other students watched in amazement and gathered around Tang Fei.

"Student Tang Fei, you’re amazing. You’re the only one who has dared to disturb the class monitor’s nap and still had her willing to teach you skills..."

"Exactly, she should have thrown you out the window..."

"Lu Siyu is a mechanical genius, known as the greatest talent since our mechanical department was founded... With the guidance of this genius, Tang Fei’s manufacturing skills will surely improve rapidly..."

"Student Tang Fei, don't forget to take us with you when you take off."

Tang Fei chatted modestly with everyone for a while before asking, "Classmates, do you know what the 'Heart of Uselessness' is?"

"What 'Heart of Uselessness'? Never heard of it."

"Yeah. Is that a mechanical trick? It sounds useless..."

"Maybe it’s the secret specialty of some mechanical master... We only learn the public version of mechanical knowledge from textbooks..."

"Lu Siyu might know; I heard she is a descendant of Lu Ban... the ancestor of our machinery..."

Tang Fei fell into deep thought.

The old man had taught him a craft, and it turned out a girl named Lu on New Star knew it too. He had assumed it was common mechanical knowledge, but none of the students in his class had heard of it. If Lu Siyu wasn't the old man’s illegitimate daughter, this made no sense...

But why did Lu Siyu say she didn't know the old man?

What was the truth? Was the old man lying, or was Lu Siyu lying? Perhaps, were they both lying?

After a cold shower, Tang Fei put on a shirt, a suit, and a tie... He looked at himself in the mirror. *What a dashing young man in this chaotic world.* Fatty came over and praised, "Brother, you look so handsome."

"Is there anything that needs improvement?" Tang Fei asked.

"No," Fatty shook his head, saying, "I don't think you could get any more handsome."

"That’s good then," Tang Fei said. "For an occasion like this, we only need to show a little bit of our skill to be astonishing..."

He walked over and pulled Fatty’s shirt collar out from his suit, saying, "If you feel uncomfortable, you can wear other clothes."

Fatty was very heavy, so he didn't like wearing suits.

Fatty shook his head and said, "Brother, it’s fine. I’ll just bear with it... Everyone is wearing a suit. If I don't, people will laugh at me."

He wasn't afraid of being laughed at, but he was afraid of his brother being laughed at.

He knew that people on New Star always liked to look at others through colored glasses, and he didn't want his failure to fit in to cause his brother to be mocked.

"It’s fine. You are the closing disciple of Dean Shang Xiulin. If anyone dares to laugh at you, just slap them."

"Brother, can I really slap them?" Fatty asked in surprise.

"Of course," Tang Fei said. "It’s best to shout this while you do it..."

That way, people might go easier on them for the sake of Dean Shang Xiulin.

"Yeah." Fatty nodded seriously and said, "Brother, I’ve noted that down."

Tang Fei patted Fatty’s chubby face and smiled, saying, "I’m just joking. We are going to Phoenix’s birthday party today, where there will be many powerful people... and their children. So, no one will mock us."

"Besides, the person having a birthday wants nothing more than to be happy. Let’s not cause any trouble, let’s not talk too much... In any case, there’s no one we know there tonight, so we can just find a corner and hang out for a while."

"Brother, I heard that people on New Star eat birthday cakes. I’ve never eaten a birthday cake before."

"Right, after we eat the birthday cake and give the gift... we’ll come right back. We still have ten thousand sword strikes to practice today."

"Brother, what gift are you giving Sister Phoenix?" Fatty asked.

Tang Fei felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Why do you keep asking that?"

"I don't know what to give her... Can your gift count as one from both of us?" Fatty asked with a pleading look.

"No," Tang Fei refused righteously. "A gift represents one’s own heart. Sister Phoenix has been so good to you, yet you didn't even prepare a gift. Gongshu Lei, doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"It hurts," Fatty said. "But I really can't think of anything to give Sister Phoenix. She seems to have everything; she’s not lacking anything."

"Then just give her your birthday blessings," Tang Fei said.

"Can I do that?"

"Yes," Tang Fei said. "As long as it’s a blessing from the heart."

"Oh." Fatty nodded and began to think about how to offer his blessing. This also seemed quite difficult...