Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 161: Follow Along and Have Some Fun

Chu Tianyu never imagined in his life that one day he would become a threat and a bargaining chip for others. But today, he encountered such a person—someone bold enough to try taking him by force. The moment those two burly men approached to capture him, he was ready to use his internal energy to blast them away. But Chu Tianyu suddenly had an idea, which is why those two tall men behind him lifted him up like a chick, with him playing along by feigning terror.

On the other side, Sophia was now hesitating. Although the truth was far from what that Eagle-Eyed man had said—Chu Tianyu wasn’t her lover at all, and if anything, he was someone she despised and criticized—she couldn’t stand by or ignore his safety, whether due to her father’s connections or Ou Yang Zi Yi’s influence.

But now it seemed she might not even be able to save herself. The Holy Power surrounding her from all sides was strong. Though it was still inferior to hers, as she wore a Ring of Holy Power, she was primarily a priest focused on defense and support, lacking many abilities to fight directly.

“Well, Miss Sophia, as long as you obediently follow us, I won’t trouble such a beautiful woman, let alone a compassionate priest…” the Eagle-Eyed man continued to pressure her.

“Just follow along and see who’s really playing tricks. Hehe, don’t worry—I’m telling you, they can’t hear us! Ugh, those people are really impatient, starting to eliminate outsiders already!” Suddenly, Chu Tianyu’s lazy and indifferent voice rang in Sophia’s ears, making her look at him in surprise.

Seeing only his lips moving, and with no reaction from the surrounding men who seemed to have heard nothing, Sophia was puzzled. How could one speak in such a way? The mysterious East… It was truly incredible! No wonder Ou Yang had such charm—her gentle smile, charming demeanor, and brave fighting skills. Ah, if only she were a man!

The Eagle-Eyed man saw that a few words of his had indeed made Sophia deep in thought, her face lost in distraction. He didn’t know what she was thinking. But it seemed that boy held a significant place in her heart, and it looked like she wasn’t planning to resist anymore.

He then waved at the two people behind him, ready to step forward and take them away by force. But suddenly, he heard Sophia shout, “Don’t touch me! I’ll just go back with you!”
Sophia’s reaction was all because Chu Tianye had reminded her to snap out of her thoughts of missing Ouyang Ziyi, prompting her to speak up and stop them. She simply did as Chu Tianye suggested.
The Eagle Eye man was pleased upon hearing Sophia’s words. He quickly waved his hand, signaling his men to pause for now. Thinking that Chu Tianye was still in their grasp, he wasn’t worried about Sophia pulling any tricks. Moreover, in their eyes, Sophia’s status as a priestess made her even less of a threat than an ordinary person!
“Please!” the Eagle Eye man gestured to Sophia with great courtesy.
Sophia walked expressionlessly with the two strong men toward the end of the street. From afar, several black Peugeot SUVs could be seen parked there.
Sophia walked quite calmly, but Chu Tianye didn’t fare as well. With his hands twisted behind his back by those two men, it was almost like being escorted. Moreover, the fact that such a good-looking young man like him could win over a girl of such stunning beauty seemed like an insult to tall, handsome, and strong men like them. Driven by intense jealousy, they would occasionally pull Chu Tianye’s arms upward hard to make him suffer…
As the vehicle jolted along, it seemed like a long time passed. Chu Tianye and Sophia saw the convoy leave the city, exit the highway, and finally turn onto a road that resembled a country path. Along the way, there were low hills and scattered small woods. Eventually, the convoy followed a wide asphalt road, passing by an orchard and a threshing ground, before arriving at a magnificent manor.
But when Chu Tianye and Sophia were brought into the manor’s reception hall, the people inside had already received word and were seated waiting for them.
“Count Shawei?” Sophia exclaimed in shock upon seeing the person sitting at the center. Before she could recover from her shock, a glance at the person beside her made her let out an even louder cry: “Priest Krigu? How… how could it be you?”
From Sophia’s tone, it was clear she never expected it to be them who had kidnapped them. Chu Tianye also took the opportunity to observe them.

Count Shavi indeed exuded an air of nobility, with a shrewd and cunning face and the smooth talk of a diplomat. Yet at this moment, he appeared arrogant and conceited. At his waist hung a magnificent short sword, its gold-plated hilt crafted by skilled artisans into a perfect curve.

The man whom Sophia called the Krigu Priest was tall and thin, with black spots on his face standing in sharp contrast to his pure white priestly robes. At first glance, it was clear he was a man of deep scheming.

“Hehe, my dear Sophia, don’t make such a fuss. Uncle Shavi just wants you to stay here for a couple of days, enjoy the rural scenery, and at the same time talk to your father, my dear Orsini brother, to hand over control of the Red Falu Knights. Now that all the other rulers have given up their powers, only your father remains. So, hehe, you’d better persuade him well!” Count Shavi said outright, revealing his intentions without any disguise.

Sophia was so angry that she trembled all over and couldn’t say a word. How dare Count Shavi threaten her so blatantly? Needless to say, he must have the backing of Archbishop Thorne—his right-hand man. The appearance of the Krigu Priest was clear evidence of this!

“Don’t you guys fear the police for doing this? It’s completely unreasonable and outrageous! I’m going to call the police!” Chu Tianyu suddenly shouted at Count Shavi and the others.

Sophia rolled her eyes inwardly, thinking, “Come on, you idiot! How can you say such childish things at a time like this? I really can’t believe it!”

“Hehe…” Clearly, Chu Tianyu’s words piqued Count Shavi’s interest, and he began to study Chu Tianyu closely. Even the usually serious Krigu Priest broke his usual composure and smiled, finding Chu Tianyu’s childish remarks amusing.

Even the man with the hawk eyes who had captured him shook his head in mockery.

Count Shavi turned his questioning gaze toward the man with the hawk eyes, as if asking, Who is this fool?

Obviously, the man with the hawk eyes was Count Shavi’s most loyal subordinate. How could he not understand his boss’s meaning? So he bowed quickly and said, “This ‘young master’ is a good friend of Miss Sophia. It is because of him that we were able to bring Miss Sophia here in a very friendly manner…”

“Oh!” As the Eagle-Eyed man said this, Count Shavi immediately understood, and his smile grew even more insidious. He first gave an approving look at his subordinates before saying with enthusiasm, “Good, good, Lepp, take them downstairs to rest properly. Tonight, we’ll give a proper welcome to my dear niece Sophia and her ‘good friend’! I think after an afternoon’s rest, my dear Orsini brother should be able to make a decision, haha…”
The Eagle-Eyed man named Lepp quickly responded and ordered several fierce-looking men to stand in front of Sophia, the meaning being obvious.
Now, besides being filled with anger, Sophia was also filled with doubts. What on earth was Chu Tianyu up to? Although at first she thought Chu Tianyu’s words were foolish, upon further reflection, she sensed something was wrong. Clearly, he had said those things on purpose—was he trying to cover up something?
Sure enough, Sophia and Chu Tianyu were then “courteously” asked to leave and taken to a house entirely built of stone blocks within the manor…
The interior was elegantly decorated, with valuables everywhere, but the whole house was just one large space. Despite some decorations, it still seemed rather empty.
Fuming, Sophia sat down on the sofa and began to complain angrily, “It’s infuriating! During one of the operations to hunt down vampires, my father even saved Count Shavi once. Who would have thought he’d do such a thing now… It’s absolutely despicable! And that Krigu—holding a sacred priestly position yet engaging in such vile acts. What’s more infuriating is thinking about his past prayers, and then seeing what he’s doing now—it’s a complete mockery of the church’s sanctity!”
While Sophia was complaining, Chu Tianyu took the time to inspect the entire room to ensure there were no hidden microphones or other surveillance devices. He found that aside from the locked door, there wasn’t even a guard. However, Chu Tianyu quickly figured it out: first, it seemed the place was loosely guarded on the inside while the entire village outside was under strict defense. He could tell this from the waves of sacred energy he had sensed along the way. Second, their identities—as a priest and an ordinary person—must have made the other party feel confident enough to leave them unattended!

“Your uncle Shawei has actually done quite well—at least he didn’t lock us in some basement or dark cell, which is already great!” After checking everything, Chu Tianyu saw that Sophia was still full of anger, so he spoke to comfort her.
It was fine when Chu Tianyu didn’t speak. But as soon as he did, it was as if he had stepped on Sophia’s tail, triggering her fury as if it had found an outlet for release. She shouted, “You! What exactly was your plan just now? Without you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this! It’s all your fault!”
Chu Tianyu was stunned, and Sophia was also stunned after venting her anger. For a moment, the room fell silent. Chu Tianyu didn’t say anything; he could very well understand Sophia’s feelings. In such a situation, anyone would find it hard to bear it, and it was normal for her to take it out on someone—especially on him, who had always been her target. Moreover, she didn’t know Chu Tianyu’s true strength, and his mysterious words left her confused. How could she not be anxious?
But soon, Sophia realized her attitude hadn’t been good, especially when she thought about how she had been targeting Chu Tianyu lately because of Ouyang Ziyi—it was really unreasonable. No matter what Chu Tianyu was like, it wasn’t her place to get angry. Besides, he didn’t seem like a particularly bad person; he always tolerated her rudeness or simply smiled it off.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ve been going through a tough time lately!” With that in mind, Sophia spoke up first, apologizing softly.
“Hehe, I understand. There’s really no need for an apology! I also acted on impulse this time, asking you to do this. If I think about it carefully, I was being rude too…” Chu Tianyu said with a smile.
“Rude? What do you mean?” Sophia asked, puzzled.
“I mean reckless!”
“Hmm, I actually understand your intention now. You wanted to see who’s trying to kidnap us, right?”
“Hehe, exactly.”
“Now that we know that, what should we do next?” Sophia asked repeatedly.
“They definitely want to use you to threaten your father. I believe they’ll ask you to talk to him over dinner. Just say you’re with me then! Let’s see how they proceed. Our task is to gather as much information as possible. Remember, the more arrogant the enemy, the more likely they are to speak the truth and make mistakes…”

After hearing what Chu Tianyu said, Sophia still frowned and said, “I know all of this you mentioned, and it’s true. But what good does it do if we understand all their schemes? What’s the point of telling my father you’re with me? Not to mention Count Shawei, whose level of sacred power is almost on par with my father’s. And that Kligu Priest—his strength is utterly unfathomable. He’s one of Archbishop Thorne’s most trusted lieutenants! Moreover, sacred power permeates every corner of this manor; it’s impossible to escape!”
Chu Tianyu didn’t continue on that topic but instead asked, “Can you also sense that sacred power?”
“Yes, any Golden Priest has this ability to some extent. What’s there to be surprised about?” Sophia replied.
“Oh, nothing, nothing!” Chu Tianyu now understood Sophia’s mood better—she knew how heavily guarded this place was!
“I really don’t know how you suddenly came up with such an idea. Now, with so many experts here, even with you here…”
At that moment, Sophia’s tone stopped abruptly, as if frozen in thought. After a while, it seemed she sensed something, her eyes gradually shining as she looked at Chu Tianyu and slowly asked, “You… you just said ‘can also sense…’, right? That means you already know about the situation here, right? If you know everything yet still say this, it means you must be extremely confident, right?”
Facing Sophia’s series of “rights” and “rights”, Chu Tianyu smiled, knowing that this young lady had finally figured it out…
She continued, speaking as if asking questions and talking to herself at the same time, “Plus, your mysterious way of speaking before you arrived, and your pretended foolish act of showing weakness just now…”
After a pause, she suddenly snapped her fingers in realization and said, “You’re not some contact at all! You’re that mysterious force! Am I right?”
Chu Tianyu didn’t say a word, responding only with a silent smile.
Sophia completely shed her earlier worry and anger, focusing entirely on studying Chu Tianyu. Sometimes she tried to understand how he single-handedly eliminated those families, other times she asked about the differences between Eastern martial arts and her sacred power. Finally, she tested various skills on him—protection, blessings, the God of War, and so on—to see if there were any amazing effects…

In the end, Chu Tianyu really feared her and quickly shifted the conversation and her attention to their next actions. Chu Tianyu first shared his general ideas; as for the specific steps, it would depend on the situation that night—mainly to see if they could obtain more secrets. According to Chu Tianyu, this “fat sheep” couldn’t be easily let go!

“What? You’re interested in someone else’s manor?” Sophia exclaimed in shock after hearing Chu Tianyu’s plan.

“What’s wrong? The environment here is so nice. I’ve only read about such beautiful manors in books—beautiful estates, fresh morning breezes, fine wines, and endless orchards. Hehe, isn’t this exactly the place of my dreams?” Chu Tianyu said nonchalantly.

“This… it feels a bit like robbery, doesn’t it?” Sophia said hesitantly.

“What robbery? If they hadn’t kidnapped us and brought us here, how could I be attracted to such a wonderful place? And those robbers, don’t you think so?” Chu Tianyu said with a sly smile.

Faced with Chu Tianyu’s reasoning, Sophia really couldn’t come up with any counterargument; she just felt something was off…

Chu Tianyu had his own plans for this place. Besides its pleasant scenery, what was more important was that he intended to seize it and establish their Xuanji Sect’s military headquarters here. Without a solid base, any talk of sharing control over half of Europe would remain just empty words!

After that, Chu Tianyu discussed in detail with Sophia the steps to take after meeting them and how to get more insider information and secrets. According to Chu Tianyu’s plan, it would be best to obtain some concrete evidence for future use…

Time quickly turned to evening. Sophia now seemed light-hearted and eager, her excitement seemingly uncontrollable. Just then, the footsteps outside finally came, as Sophia had long awaited.

“The show’s about to begin!” Sophia said excitedly.

Chu Tianyu nodded with a smile and said, “Step one: face the banquet with a smile!”