Volume 3: Dragons Soaring and Phoenixes Dancing, Chapter 58: Reasserting Dragon Power
As the words were spoken, a man in his twenty-five or twenty-six years old, accompanied by two middle-aged men and dressed in the typical style of a wealthy young master, walked over. Chu Tianyu and Ouyang Ziyi both frowned at the same time.
A soft voice from Ouyang Ziyi reached Chu Tianyu’s ear: “Shi Wei, the second son of Shi Yundong, the chairman of Hengyun Group—the second-largest conglomerate in Hong Kong after the richest Li family—is a annoying guy. Though he appears frivolous on the surface, he’s a top student from Harvard Business School. He’s not only extremely cunning but also ruthless. According to my brother, he seems to have practiced some martial arts as well. Within less than a year after graduating, he drove his elder brother into a mental hospital. But he’s very wary of my brother…”
“Haha, Sister Ouyang, what are you whispering about? Let your brother hear too! You’re not avoiding me, are you? We’ve grown up together since childhood!”
“That ‘Shi Second Prince,’ are you that close to him? Who grew up with you? Hmph, delusional!” Ouyang Ziyi retorted shamelessly.
“First time is awkward, but the second time gets easier. Besides, counting from childhood, it’s been quite a few times already. How can we say we’re not close? Hehe, I know you’re just teasing me, Sister Ouyang, haha…” As he spoke, this Mr. Shi rudely pulled over a chair and sat down.
Even with his best temper, Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but frown and say, “This ‘Shi’ Prince, please be mindful of your tone. And no one here has agreed to you sitting down!”
“Huh? Sister Ouyang, you’re with some ‘person’? Wow, I didn’t see him just now. Who do you think you are to speak to this young master like that?” Shi Wei acted as if he had just noticed Chu Tianyu and spoke rudely.
“He’s my boyfriend. What’s wrong with that? Shi Wei, you’re not welcome here!” Now, in Ouyang Ziyi’s heart, no one could speak about her Chu Tianyu.
Shi Wei’s expression changed. He put aside his frivolous attitude and asked calmly, “Oh? So this is Sister Ouyang’s boyfriend? I was really rude just now. May I ask your name? Where are you from? Sister Ouyang, you really shouldn’t hide him from me. Let me get to know you better…”
“My surname is Chu. I don’t want to be your friend. By the way, this is a private conversation. Please leave!” Chu Tianyu said calmly.
“Chu?” Shi Wei frowned slightly and asked back. Clearly, he was thinking about any Chu-surnamed families or influential figures in Hong Kong.
In an instant, Shi Wei smiled, stood up, and left his seat, saying nonchalantly, “Hehe, since you have matters to attend to, I won’t keep you longer. By the way, young master Chu, I was rude just now. I really hope to become friends with you. Coincidentally, I’m hosting a special concert at my place this weekend. My father has also invited Uncle Ouyang. I hope you two will come too!”
Without waiting for Ouyang Ziyi to speak, Shi Wei continued, “Sister Ouyang, there’s no need to decline. I’m sure this concert won’t disappoint you. The invitations will be sent officially in a few days. Remember to come with young master Chu! Well, I won’t disturb you two anymore. I’ve reserved seats inside. Hehe, see you this weekend!”
After saying that, without waiting for Chu Tianyu and the others to respond, he turned and hurried inside with the two people behind him.
Chu Tianyu and Ouyang Ziyi exchanged a glance and remained silent for a while before Ouyang Ziyi spoke up, “It started strong but ended weak. His behavior today was very strange. Given his personality, he wouldn’t just give up so easily. And he even invited us to some concert? Could it be that hearing your surname Chu made him think of…? His scheming is quite deep!”
Some words remained unsaid, but Chu Tianyu understood what Ouyang Ziyi meant. After pondering for a while, he said, “Hmm, I don’t know if he can connect the dots, but at least I admire his patience. He was able to change his attitude immediately without figuring things out clearly. That alone is quite remarkable. And he indeed has the confidence to be reckless!”
“How so?” Ouyang Ziyi asked eagerly.
Chu Tianyu didn’t answer directly but instead asked, “Ziyi, your elder brother has such great martial skills. Why don’t you have any?”
Ouyang Ziyi replied without hesitation, “I wish I did! It’s just that Master Jin Zhen’s training method follows the Pure Yang path, which isn’t suitable for women to practice…”
“Oh, then you can find another master!”
Ouyang Ziyi rolled her eyes and said irritably, “Do you think this is like going to a market to buy groceries? You can pick and choose as you like. Master Jin Zhen also only agreed to teach my brother martial arts because of a coincidence and a favor owed to my father. Father says that these experts are legendary figures unknown to most people, living in seclusion and hard to find! Let me tell you, internal energy and lightness skills that exist only in novels are truly real, not just some fancy moves for physical fitness like you said…”
Chu Tianyu watched Ouyang Ziyi with a mysterious expression as she talked about her strongest skills, feeling amused. He thought to himself, “But this way, I’m much more at ease. It seems she’s more knowledgeable about these things than I am at least for now. Explaining things like xianxia to her will be much easier then.”
“Why are you smiling so slyly? Don’t you believe me?” Ouyang Ziyi snapped.
Seeing that Chu Tianyu still remained silent with a smile, Ouyang Ziyi was about to press further when suddenly she seemed to remember something and stopped talking. After pondering for a while, she said as if she had suddenly understood, “Oh, you little rascal! So that’s how it is…”
……
“Young master, did you notice that burly man at the table not far from them just now?” It was a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression who spoke.
“Mm, I guess he’s that bodyguard surnamed Chu. Just a muscular ordinary guy. What’s wrong with him?” Shi Wei replied.
“At first, we thought he was just an ordinary person too, but when the young master talked to them, especially when he deliberately provoked that Chu, the fighting spirit that erupted in that big man was simply terrifying!” Another middle-aged man added.
“Fighting spirit? I didn’t sense any,” Shi Wei said in surprise.
“Probably because first, he was targeting us two directly, and second, the young master hasn’t practiced for long enough to truly reach a certain level of cultivation, so he couldn’t sense it yet,” the first middle-aged man explained.
“Big brother is right. If it’s the first reason, then this man’s cultivation level is truly terrifying! Even if the two of us work together, we can’t guarantee we can handle him. Luckily, the young master quickly changed his tactics and didn’t act rashly. Otherwise…” The other middle-aged man continued.
Shi Wei was shocked and fell silent, then appeared deep in thought.
After waiting for a while, one of the middle-aged men, seeing that Shi Wei had finished pondering, quietly asked, “Young master, should we send someone to investigate right away? There are probably only a few people in the whole city who can afford to hire someone with high cultivation skills as a bodyguard. I believe we’ll get results soon! We can send someone to follow them here. Since Ouyang Family’s girl is here too, we can wait for an opportunity when they’re alone…”
Upon hearing this, Shi Wei waved his hand and said, “No need. Didn’t you notice he kept speaking Mandarin the whole time? He probably isn’t even from Hong Kong. Let’s put this aside for now—don’t alert them! Hmm, what trick is that old fox Ouyang Boshu up to again? We couldn’t find that Ouyang girl a while back, and now she suddenly shows up so openly—very suspicious. But none of this matters. Everything will become clear on concert day. By the way, Wu Tian, Wu Di—when will your masters arrive? Make sure we don’t miss the deadline!”
“Don’t worry, young master. Our master has already set off and will arrive in Hong Kong soon,” Wu Tian replied.
“Hmm, that’s good!” After saying that, Shi Wei fell into deep thought again, muttering to himself, “The Chu family? The Chu family? To have bodyguards that even the Wu brothers fear—this is no ordinary thing! There better not be any complications that give the Ouyang family another chance to catch their breath. I need to go back and discuss this with my father in detail…”
With that thought, Shi Wei immediately looked up and ordered, “Wu Tian, call Mr.Wei. Cancel today’s appointment for now…”
…
Midnight, atop a lighthouse on an island.
Ouyang Ziyi leaned comfortably in Chu Tianyu’s arms, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. Despite being in the middle of the sea at night and on such a high lighthouse, she didn’t feel cold or the effect of the sea breeze at all.
“If I had known I had you as a heater, why would I prepare anything? It would be a waste of time, and I wouldn’t have brought all these extras…” As she spoke, Ouyang Ziyi pointed at the items on the ground while snuggling closer to Chu Tianyu.
Chu Tianyu was utterly bewildered, looking at the pile of military camping gear, coats, gloves, wind caps, face masks, skincare creams, antifreeze oils, and more scattered around the lighthouse…
Earlier, this young lady had led him away mysteriously from two private clubs and three storage banks, where they retrieved five bags and boxes of various sizes. She then picked out what she claimed was the most important part of a sniper rifle—a piece about the size of a handbag—that she said she would keep, while leaving less important items like backpacks as tall as a person and heavy metal weapon cases to Chu Tianyu to handle…
“Miss Ouyang, it seems like you didn’t really worry about any of these things. It was me who carried them all up one by one…”
Ouyang Ziyi ignored him completely, pouted, and snapped, “Who asked you to hide it from me? You said you practiced some exercises to strengthen your body. Luckily, I remembered what you said earlier—that you knew my elder brother had cultivation skills. Just by meeting him once, you could figure out his background. Add to that your sneaky look—how could anyone not know? Right, Hero Chu?”
Chu Tianyu smiled and said, “Of course. Who would think there’s anything we, the brilliant and clever Miss Ouyang, can’t figure out?”
“Ugh, I know you’re saying it on purpose. With such great skills, why don’t you quickly unblock my meridians, transfer a hundred or eighty years of cultivation to me, and give me some internal martial arts manuals suitable for me that can keep me young?”
“Wow, do you think I’m a god? Transmitting cultivation is pure fantasy. It might work if I channel energy into your meridians, but first, since you haven’t trained before, you can’t handle it. Second, due to the law of conservation of energy, even if you could, it would only last briefly before disappearing completely and causing serious damage to your meridians. Unless you have a solid foundation, it’s possible to help you channel energy, strengthen your base, and speed up your training process…”
“I know, you’ve already explained it. Actually, with you here, Ziyi is already satisfied…” Ouyang Ziyi said sweetly.
The two stayed affectionate for a while before Ouyang Ziyi asked again, “By the way, Tianyu, what do you think of that ‘idiot’ we met today? I feel something’s off. Be careful!”
“Hmm, there is indeed a problem,” Chu Tianyu replied.
“What did you notice?”
“The issue lies in the change in his attitude. If he were really a playboy, as he claimed, he would never give up so easily. But if he’s as good at disguising himself and as scheming as you said, he wouldn’t have provoked us out of nowhere from the start, unless he had some ulterior motive. Considering your family’s situation lately…”
“The answer is obvious!” Ouyang Ziyi interjected.
Chu Tianyu stretched and casually said, “Yeah, this matter is getting increasingly interesting…”
Just then, two sets of lights came from afar, likely from two cars.
“Ziyi, look at the sea,” Chu Tianyu suddenly said.
Through the night vision binoculars, Ouyang Ziyi faintly saw a dark shape resembling a ship slowly approaching the shore under the light.
“Hehe, they’ve finally arrived!” Ouyang Ziyi said excitedly as she set up her sniper rifle, quickly handing the wind direction meter to Chu Tianyu as well.
Chu Tianyu looked at the enthusiastic Ouyang Ziyi and shook his head, thinking to himself, “This girl is really crazy. Going through all this trouble just to use alloy-laced rubber bullets to shoot at some of their lackeys!”
But considering her past behavior, it wasn’t so surprising. With no other choice, he picked up the instrument and cooperated with her. Since he was already idle, he might as well take this opportunity to stir up chaos—maybe there would be some unexpected gains.
While everything was sorted out here, in the distance, the vehicles had also stopped, and the people getting out used flashlights to send signals, guiding the boats to dock safely.
Ouyang Ziyi, through her high-powered night vision scope, could see clearly enough and said in confusion, “Huh? Why are there only two station wagons? They don’t seem like they’re here to pick up goods!”
“Could they be here to pick up people?” Chu Tianyu guessed, recalling his own earlier assumptions.
Just then, people started coming off the boat. Ouyang Ziyi and Chu Tianyu could see clearly now—those who were coming down were all foreigners, dressed in various strange outfits: mercenaries in bulletproof vests, gentlemen in tuxedos, business professionals in sharp suits, sexy women in daring outfits, and even a priest.
“T-Tianyu, who are all these people?” Seeing this, Ouyang Ziyi wasn’t sure whether to follow the original plan and continue shooting at those “lackeys.”
Chu Tianyu, however, had an idea. He released a slight aura and watched closely. Sure enough, the alluring woman and the priest immediately sensed it.
They didn’t exchange many words. Chu Tianyu barely saw the priest turn his head slightly, after which several figures around him rushed toward the lighthouse.
To Ouyang Ziyi, it seemed like in the blink of an eye, everyone except the priest disappeared, as if they had vanished suddenly.
Chu Tianyu led Ouyang Ziyi aside and whispered, “Don’t speak yet. Listen to me! Don’t worry. I lured them here. I released a slight aura earlier, and as expected, that woman and the priest sensed it. I guess they’re the hidden forces guiding them. But judging from their movement and speed, they’re not highly skilled—maybe they just have some special abilities. By the way, do you remember what I told you before? Stay right behind me. As long as you stay by my side, you can enjoy the show!”
After saying that, Chu Tianyu took out two masks from Ouyang Ziyi’s bag, and the two put them on. He also joked, “Hehe, it seems our Miss Ouyang really didn’t prepare in vain…”
Ouyang Ziyi quietly leaned against Chu Tianyu, feeling his presence, her heart remaining restless for a long time. “I can’t believe it. Just a few days ago, I thought Chu Tianyu was just someone with outstanding character, acting foolishly, and only somewhat cute, which attracted me. His previously indifferent behavior—how could anyone connect it to the extraordinary abilities he now possesses, which even ordinary people wouldn’t dare imagine? He simply dismissed them with remarks like ‘at most a little’ or ‘it’s nothing.’ And now, I feel that as long as he’s by my side, I don’t need to worry about anything anymore…”
Just as Ouyang Ziyi was filled with emotions, five more figures appeared on top of the lighthouse, standing in a fan shape across from them.
“Who… are… you… people?” It was still that woman who spoke first, in stiff Chinese.
“Hmph, I’d rather ask you—what are you up to here in the middle of the night, sneaking into our country to do some shady things?” Chu Tianyu replied coldly as well.
“Pfft~” Ouyang Ziyi, standing beside him, watched Chu Tianyu, also masked, shaking his head and speaking in an exaggerated, humorous tone, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Shit…” Clearly, although the woman didn’t fully understand the words, she understood the meaning.
The tall mercenary beside her let out a low growl, his massive fist striking toward Chu Tianyu in a flash. “No~” With the woman’s cry to stop him, Chu Tianyu didn’t move, but his fist struck first, hitting hard.
With a loud “Bang~”, there was a crunching sound of bones in the air. The mercenary didn’t even grunt before flying backward. The man in gentleman’s attire and the one in a suit, shocked, each used their abilities—one created layers of blood mist, the other’s muscles swelled instantly, tearing through his suit. Together, they barely managed to counteract the force of the giant’s backward flight, but both spat blood and stepped back several steps.