Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 112: A Sunny Mood

As the fight among the three fighters intensified, with ever-more ingenious moves and increasing speed, the three of them seemed to hover in mid-air, their energy surging beneath their feet, forcing those around them to retreat step by step. Zhou Chongyun’s expression changed—he was shocked not just by being pushed back several steps by the energy emitted by those fighters, but also by how Zhan Zifeng could possess such high skills!
He had known about the prowess of those two evil-minded men since he was young. As long as he could remember, they had always been by his grandfather’s side, their appearance and physique remaining unchanged over the years.
There were four of them in total. It was said that his grandfather spent hundreds of millions each year to support them and their sect. Only two of them showed up today, which he thought should have been enough. But then he realized that damn Zhan Zifeng already had such remarkable abilities, which filled him with shock, envy, and even greater resentment. He wished Zhan Zifeng could be torn to pieces on the spot by his own side.
With these thoughts, Zhou Chongyun’s eyes turned red, his fists clenched tightly, as he stared grimly at the battle.
Qin Nianran was equally shocked!
Watching the fight, she completely overturned her understanding of what “strength” really meant. Compared to her own proud assets—martial arts and supernatural abilities—this encounter made her realize just how insignificant and weak she was!
In fact, Qin Nianran’s self-esteem didn’t stem from high intelligence, stunning looks, or her family background, but from her skills. It was these skills that gave her the power to control her own destiny. Intelligence and appearance were merely distractions; without such skills, it was uncertain whether she could even survive as a child!
Seeing those exquisite moves left her utterly fascinated, and she forgot about her conflict with Chu Tianyu. She couldn’t help but ask softly, “Are… are there really people with such skills in the world?”
“Mm, quite a few!”
“They must be top-tier experts, right?” Qin Nianran asked.
“To be honest, at most second-rate,” Chu Tianyu replied without even lifting his eyes.
“What!” Qin Nianran gasped in surprise, then opened her mouth again, unable to speak what she wanted to say.

Qin Nianran had originally wanted to say it was impossible. But she had experienced too much today. Take Chu Tianyu for example—she had no idea just how skilled he really was. However, judging from his ability to make her fly using qi just now, he was definitely not far behind those three people on the field…

The fight on the field finally came to an end when Zhan Zifeng, enduring punches and kicks, pressed his hands together in a move called “Eagle Strike Across the World” against one of them’s chests. At the same time, a flame-like energy rushed into that person’s body. As the sound of a broken sternum echoed, blood gushed from the man’s mouth, and with a scream, he collapsed to the ground. After convulsing, he was lifeless.

“Third Brother!” The other man ignored Zhan Zifeng, who was also injured and retreating, and frantically rushed at the fallen man, screaming in anguish.

Zhan Zifeng’s four subordinates, seeing him injured, immediately surrounded him, ready to act at any moment. But then they saw Zhan Zifeng wipe the blood from his lips, wave his arm, and send out a burst of energy that pushed them away. With a dark expression, his eyes fixed on Zhou Chongyun like those of an eagle as he stepped forward, shouting madly, “No one can make the Zhan family bleed—no one! You…”

Zhou Chongyun was already stunned by what he saw. Watching Zhan Zifeng approach step by step, seemingly unharmed, he kept retreating, his face pale with fear. When Zhan Zifeng shouted out that final “you,” Zhou Chongyun was shocked and collapsed to the ground.

“Ah~~~ Third Brother! Young man, I’ll make you pay for this!” Seeing his brother die, the remaining man roared in fury and charged at Zhan Zifeng like a madman.

Each move he made was with all his strength, a life-for-life battle. But anger couldn’t make up for the difference in skill, nor could it bring any victory. Without the two of them working together, Zhan Zifeng handled the situation much more easily, especially against his opponent’s desperate, furious attacks. On the surface, it seemed powerful, but in reality, it was a major mistake in combat—losing calmness and judgment, with every fierce move being full of flaws.

Zhan Zifeng didn’t give him any chance to fight back. He seized an opening, stepped forward, blocked his attacks with his palms, and as the opponent’s energy was exhausted, he didn’t pull back his hands. Instead, he leaned forward with his right shoulder and crashed into the opponent’s chest.

On the spot, the man was knocked off his feet and staggered several steps back, roaring in anger. But Zhan Zifeng didn’t give him a chance to catch his breath—immediately pressing forward, he struck with a decisive blow. His fist seemed to carry a layer of flame as it instantly broke through the man’s hasty defense and slammed into his chest!

Again, the chest—same crackling sound of bones breaking, same gush of blood, and the same outcome: the man was sent flying far away and died on the spot!

At the same time, Zhan Zifeng flashed into motion, dodging the blood spray like a ghost, and appeared before Zhou Chongyun in an instant. With a domineering stance, he glared coldly at Zhou Chongyun, who was already terrified beyond measure…

Zhou Chongyun’s bodyguards had already turned and run as soon as Zhan Zifeng’s gaze fell on them, screaming in panic. At that moment, Zhan Zifeng’s vicious expression seemed to come straight from hell. Seeing the living example on the ground, those bodyguards didn’t care about Zhou Chongyun at all—survival was what mattered!

“I said you’d have to pay for your actions…” With that, Zhan Zifeng suddenly kicked Zhou Chongyun, who was lying collapsed on the ground.

With a “bang,” Zhou Chongyun was thrown backward. As his head tilted up, blood sprayed out from his broken nose.

Seeing Zhou Chongyun fall, though his face was covered in blood, it was clear Zhan Zifeng hadn’t used any internal energy—just a plain, forceful kick. Clearly, he intended to torture Zhou Chongyun slowly.

“Stop, please, stop! I know I was wrong. Qin Nianran is yours—take her. I’ll never fight you again…” Zhou Chongyun pleaded fearfully, speaking incoherently.

As he spoke, it seemed as if new strength suddenly filled him, and he quickly knelt down, frantically kowtowing to Zhan Zifeng, repeating, “Please spare me, please spare me…”

Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran, who were watching secretly, exchanged a glance. Chu Tianyu’s expression meant, “He really does it for you!” while Qin Nianran’s clearly meant, “There’s nothing we can do!”

“Do they really treat people’s lives like this?” Qin Nianran couldn’t help but ask softly.

Chu Tianyu opened his mouth but said nothing. Sometimes, letting her experience it firsthand was better than telling her a hundred times. And obviously, she didn’t need an answer right then.

On the field, Zhan Zifeng completely ignored Zhou Chongyun’s pleas for mercy and once again pressed his foot onto his face, accompanied by a scream like that of a slaughtered pig. Zhou Chongyun’s face was utterly destroyed—his entire face swelled instantly, one of his eyeballs bulged out from being stepped on, and his mouth was filled with broken teeth. The intense pain left him without even the strength to vomit!

All he could do was tremble continuously and utter indistinct words: “Pity… pity… me…”

Zhan Zifeng showed not the slightest pity. He stepped forward and kicked again, crushing Zhou Chongyun’s entire head, forcing his face flat against the ground. He even rubbed his foot on it a few times, causing Zhou Chongyun to wail in agony. Only then did Zhan Zifeng slowly bend down and say to him calmly, “Do you now understand what it means to suffer unbearably? Do you understand what strength is? Do you know what I meant by my words just now?”

With a final fierce shout, Zhan Zifeng kicked Zhou Chongyun’s head violently. However, he controlled the force well, causing only a layer of skin to tear off Zhou Chongyun’s face without causing further serious damage.

Zhou Chongyun’s screams gradually faded. Overwhelmed by fear and the excruciating pain in his face, his consciousness began to blur. Other than emitting a few unconscious groans, he was now nothing but a pile of ruined flesh.

Zhan Zifeng lifted his foot and hooked it downward, flipping Zhou Chongyun’s body over so that his “face” was now facing the sky—assuming that mass of blood and flesh could even be called a “face” or “face”…

“Remember, no matter who you are, you must pay for your actions. And your punishment isn’t just this—it’s…” After saying that, Zhan Zifeng leaped into the air, channeling all his energy into his right foot. When he landed, he precisely stepped on Zhou Chongyun’s pelvis. First came a “pfft” sound of rupture, followed by a “crack” as the pelvis broke!

Zhou Chongyun, who had almost fallen silent, suddenly sat up with a deafening roar. Instinctively, he tried to cover his vital area, but his hand reached only empty air. By then, he had already lost consciousness and his body collapsed limp once again. This kick not only rendered him impotent but also shattered his pelvis—even if he survived, he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair…

After kicking him, Zhan Zifeng turned away without any expression, murmuring, “Remember, my surname is Zhan—Zhan Zifeng!”

Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran watched as Zhan Zifeng walked away into the distance, along with the figures lying scattered on the ground, and fell into silence.
After a long while…
“Are they all dead?” Qin Nianran asked in a low voice. Though she tried hard to stay calm by relying on her willpower, the slight tremor in her voice revealed her inner turmoil.
“Pretty much. Even if one of them is still alive, it’s better for them to be dead…” Chu Tianyu said frankly.
Qin Nianran understood what Chu Tianyu meant and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Chu Tianyu continued, “That Zhan Zifeng also came to see me!”
Qin Nianran was shocked and asked, “Really?”
“Mm, just a brief conversation!” Chu Tianyu replied calmly. After a pause, he suddenly changed his tone and said, “That Zhan Zifeng is trying to win you over, right? Actually, in today’s fight between those two factions, no matter who wins, the outcome will be the same! Although we had an agreement beforehand, I still want to say that Zhan Zifeng isn’t a trustworthy person. Be careful around him. I advise you to stay away from him!”
These words might have been just Chu Tianyu’s casual remarks, but the speaker had no intention, yet the listener took it to heart. Qin Nianran felt something stir in her heart—a complex emotion she had never experienced before. She was speechless for a moment, even unable to say the words she had wanted to blurt out: “What’s it to you?”
“Hello, is this the emergency center? There’s someone seriously injured here. Also, please call the police. There are quite a few dead people here. The location is…”
“…”
“Who are you asking? Just an ordinary passerby!”
“…”
Chu Tianyu came out of the payphone booth and shrugged at Qin Nianran, saying, “That’s all we can do!”
Qin Nianran stared at Chu Tianyu blankly, seemingly lost in thought. Only upon hearing his words did she seem to react and suddenly asked, “Are you good at flying?”
“Average!” Chu Tianyu replied modestly, instinctively.
Chu Tianyu was puzzled as to why Qin Nianran would ask such a question when everything seemed fine. Suddenly, the engine of a car started. Having similar experiences before, Chu Tianyu knew something bad was about to happen!
Sure enough, Qin Nianran said from inside the car, “Then there’s no need to take a car. It saves some fuel money!” With that, she stepped on the accelerator. The powerful roar of the sports car sent up dust and smoke as it disappeared from Chu Tianyu’s sight in an instant.

Chu Tianyu was already used to it and joked to himself, “Well, if they won’t let me sit, then I won’t sit. At least this way I’m contributing to the country’s environmental protection by saving fuel!”
He also thought it was fortunate he was wearing sportswear—perfect for jogging back, so he could say he was doing morning exercise if he met anyone!
Early in the morning, after his “morning exercise,” Chu Tianyu returned to the hotel with hot soy milk and vegetable buns. He had originally wanted to buy fried dough sticks, but considering they were both still recovering from last night’s hangover, it was better to eat less greasy food.
As soon as he entered, he saw Zhou Jie already up, standing by the window, staring blankly at the outside scenery, while Da Hu was still snoring loudly…
Chu Tianyu slowly approached Zhou Jie and showed him the breakfast in his hands. Zhou Jie shook his head. Chu Tianyu didn’t insist, so he put down the breakfast and stood beside him, watching the outside together.
“Am I really so worthless?” Zhou Jie asked softly, keeping his gaze fixed ahead.
“What does it mean to be successful and what does it mean to be worthless?” Chu Tianyu countered.
“I know you all want to comfort me, but I just can’t figure this out myself!” Zhou Jie finally said, somewhat moved.
“If your heart is a flame, it can emit light and heat. If your heart is ice, it remains at zero degrees even when it melts! Why not give yourself a sunny mood?” Chu Tianyu said slowly.
“What do you mean by a sunny mood?”