Compared to the Worm, Li Yifei wasn’t particularly worried now. This matter was no longer a concern, and the Li family women had even grown accustomed to this non-gendered state of life. It was quite manageable, thanks to these women being rational, career-oriented, and having sufficient grace to understand and feel for Li Yifei.

Li Yifei and Chen Junxiao had just bid farewell to the tutoring teacher and were preparing to have lunch when he received a call from Hu Yu’er. There was some noise on the other end, but Hu Yu’er simply wanted to check if they had eaten. After Li Yifei’s reply, Hu Yu’er said reassuringly, "That’s good then. I need to handle something now. I’ll contact you after I’m done!"

"Alright, you must keep moving forward, but sometimes it’s best to advance by stepping back!" Li Yifei suddenly said before hanging up.

Hu Yu’er bit her lip, contemplating Li Yifei’s words, but then she added, "But some things cannot be backed down from!"

Li Yifei didn’t know what she was referring to. After lunch, he couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. Back in his room, he told Chen Junxiao he was going to nap, locked his door, and opened the box containing the strangely shaped antiques. He took a deep breath, reached out for one of them, which seemed neither iron nor copper, with faint rust spots if observed closely. Once Li Yifei held it and slowly lifted it, he felt an eerie force surge to the surface, trying to penetrate his hand.

Having recovered to the point where his injuries were negligible, such an aura posed no threat to him. Li Yifei focused his mind, retracting his True Qi, and that wicked aura quickly seeped in. It seemed to instinctively want to enter a living body, soon flooding Li Yifei’s hand, not causing discomfort apart from a cool sensation. When the aura attempted to advance further, it encountered Li Yifei’s True Qi, producing a sizzling sound, but was quickly suppressed with a smile.

The evil qi within the antique continued to emerge, though significantly weakened. Activating his True Qi caused a clicking sound, as if a switch had been flipped, followed by cracking noises, with layers peeling off to reveal a new object inside.

Interesting, thought Li Yifei, as he no longer felt the evil qi but was left holding a brand new object. It was a cylindrical shape, with a very smooth surface, sealed at one end with a small hole at the other, appearing just broken. Li Yifei examined it, the object being about 25 centimeters long with a diameter of about ten centimeters, perhaps a bit less. The previous irregular exterior adorned with carvings had fallen away to reveal a more regular form.

No longer sensing the evil qi, Li Yifei turned the cylinder over, attempting to peer through the hole, only to find it pitch black inside. He considered for a moment, then shone his phone’s flashlight inside, but it remained dark, as though the light couldn’t penetrate.

"So, what metal is this?" Li Yifei wondered aloud. As he spoke, an image flashed through his mind. Not quite certain, he set aside the newly revealed object and picked up another one. Though different in appearance, it felt similar in hand, with the same evil qi driven away quickly, revealing the contents within.

Once the casing fell away, the object inside was similar to the first, differing only in size and volume, as it was slightly smaller.

Of the four antiques, Li Yifei unlocked three, leaving the last one untouched. Each released its evil qi before shedding its outer skin to reveal a cylinder inside. Li Yifei was tempted to forcefully break them open to see what lay within.

However, several trials proved fruitless, as these cylinders were too tough to tear apart by hand.

Regarding the last antique, an irregularly shaped object, Li Yifei refrained from touching it, having a vague impression of their possible origin.

While diving for fish once, Li Yifei accidentally encountered a coral reef around thirty meters deep, surrounded by depths over forty meters, protruding higher with unusual pillars inside, either neatly arranged or missing...

Yet those pillars were far larger, exceeding these by at least tenfold.

Recalling this, Li Yifei closed his eyes, reminiscing more, finding increasing similarities, suspecting that what he held was a miniature version of those pillars.

Contemplating this, he stroked his chin. Had he not encountered such happenings, he might have let it pass, but now faced with it, curiosity arose, especially with such sinister forces, eager to invade the human body. Li Yifei’s heart trembled at the thought—these antiques belonged to Chen Junxiao’s parents, both of whom were now dead, and even Brother Wang was tainted with the same aura. Could there be a connection...

At this realization, Li Yifei couldn’t sit still. He returned the peeled-off cylinders back into the box, after verifying there was no evil qi in the remaining items, then placed the three cylinders and the last intact one inside.

Carrying the box, Li Yifei approached Chen Junxiao and said, "I’m going out for a bit. Study well at home. If I’m back late tonight, just eat by yourself. Don’t worry about me!"

"Uncle, take care!" Chen Junxiao nodded.

Half an hour later, Li Yifei arrived at the village entrance, parked the car, and walked through the path, nearing the stone house. The scene seemed desolate after they left, so he headed to the seaside, oriented himself, removed his clothes, and stepped into the water.

Now close to his peak state, Li Yifei moved freely in the sea, swimming swiftly, capable of diving for long durations.

"What’s this..." Swimming along, Li Yifei suddenly halted, spotting a dark object beneath the sea. Approaching it, he discovered it was his car, far from shore, over a hundred meters away, possibly even farther. How had it drifted out here...

Thinking about it, Li Yifei noticed distinctive scratch marks on the vehicle, not impact marks, but claw or bite marks? Running his fingers over them, he concluded they resembled bite marks more closely, noting the rarity of clawed sea creatures compared to those with sharp, large teeth.

On that note, Li Yifei quickly turned, sensing an icy presence watching him, yet after looking back, found nothing.

He climbed into his car to retrieve his phone, recalling its last position. It appeared he drove directly into the sea, as the vehicle was relatively intact—no signs of overturning. After a brief search, he found his phone, pocketed it, and exited the vehicle, feeling that same danger again.

Usually, Li Yifei’s instincts are spot-on, especially with his restored abilities heightening his alertness to danger.

Li Yifei couldn’t dismiss the sensation, being aware of consecutive dangerous encounters, would be risking his life if he downplayed them.

Upon closing his eyes, his senses extended outward, rapidly detecting his surroundings.

At ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters, a hundred meters... underwater, he recognized various species, even small ones, vividly. After a minute, he opened his eyes, finally identifying the source of danger with a knowing smile. It was a creature he knew well, one he’d encountered before—a dreaded electric eel.

Referred to as a critter, Li Yifei was familiar with it, having suffered in its presence. The threat stemmed from an electric eel, though he couldn’t be sure if it was the same one that shocked him previously.

Questioning why an electric eel, a freshwater fish, dwelled in the sea, Li Yifei couldn’t figure it out. Checking his hypothesis, he dipped his fingers into his mouth, tasting the environment—bitter seawater, confirming its marine nature, increasing his confusion.

Meeting stingrays or other sea creatures wasn’t unusual, but an electric eel.

Closing his eyes again, Li Yifei pinpointed its position, hidden near the reef, compelling him to confront the threat. Despite uncertainties about its identity, he knew it could release 300 to 800 volts; lethal to humans, formidable against spanning crocodiles or buffaloes. It’s the true underwater menace, electric eels in Africa causing harm to wildlife or people alike, fatal or resulting in injury.

Approaching stealthily, Li Yifei spotted the reef, knowing the eel lurked beneath rocks, or buried in sand.

How would he hunt the electric eel? Clearly, not underwater, since any assault would trigger a high-voltage discharge, capable of continuous or pulsed shocks.