Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 230: The Return of the Bat

At this moment, Ouyang Ziyi and Xue Feifei, who were handling some follow-up matters behind, also arrived, one in front and the other behind, one in light and the other in shadow. Of course, it was inconvenient for Xue Feifei to show up at the moment—things were already chaotic enough. If celebrity Xue appeared now, it would be absolutely chaotic!
However, when Ouyang Ziyi appeared, Gu Yu, who had remained calm, felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart. Chu Tianyu could even clearly sense his heartbeat.
Gu Yu still had some remarkable qualities. Though he saw the person he had long dreamed of pursuing, since he had let go, he must not harbor any improper thoughts, otherwise it would harm both himself and others!
So, aside from the initial emotional reaction upon meeting her, Gu Yu quickly adjusted his mindset. Facing Ouyang Ziyi’s arrival, he simply nodded kindly and smiled, treating it as a greeting among classmates, without saying much.
Seeing this, Chu Tianyu called out to Ziyi and then said to Gu Yu, “Classmate Gu, you put it nicely, but I think the initial mistake might lie with my friend. Still, your bodyguard gave him a lesson as well. If we consider it even, this misunderstanding should come to an end. Otherwise, if things continue like this, I’ll have to charge entry fees! Hehe…”
Hearing this, Gu Yu said generously, “Great! It’s rare to see you, Classmate Chu, being so reasonable. After all, it was somewhat on our part. For now, we’ll just express our apologies verbally. Next time, Classmate Chu, please give me a chance to treat you to a proper meal as a formal apology to that classmate. Okay, Classmate Chu?”
Chu Tianyu replied without any hesitation, “Sure! Since it’s your kind invitation, we can’t refuse! But we must first make it clear that this isn’t really an apology—it’s about becoming friends, right, Classmate Gu?”
Gu Yu was slightly stunned. He didn’t expect Chu Tianyu to agree so readily, so he quickly adjusted and said, “Yes, yes! That’s great. I’ll arrange everything, and you must come. It’s a deal, hehe!”
“Okay, it’s a deal!” Chu Tianyu said with a smile.
……
The crowd gradually dispersed. Staring at Chu Tianyu and his group in the distance, Gu Yu stood there lost in thought for a long time. It took some time before he snapped out of it, reminded by the bodyguard who had injured Bai Lei.
“Young master, what are you thinking?” asked the burly bodyguard.
“Fifth Brother, you have rich experience. What was your impression of that person just now?” Gu Yu asked.

Fifth Brother pondered for a while before saying, “Young master, even if you hadn’t asked me, I still would have told you—you must absolutely not mess with this person…” Before he could finish, Gu Yu couldn’t help but press further, asking, “What do you mean by that?” Fifth Brother quickly explained, “Oh, young master, don’t misunderstand. Judging from the way you spoke to him, he must also have connections. What I mean is that he’s inherently difficult to deal with!” Gu Yu frowned and asked doubtfully, “Inherently?” Fifth Brother nodded. “That’s right, inherently! Think about the people around the master—his strength is on their level; it’s a completely different concept from ordinary people!” Gu Yu was astonished. “Fifth Brother, are you saying Chu Tianyu is also a cultivator?” “Mm, it’s almost certain. And in my opinion, his strength is even higher than that of the few people supported by the master!” Fifth Brother replied matter-of-factly, as his own strength wasn’t enough for him to discern Chu Tianyu’s true abilities. Clearly, Fifth Brother’s answer surprised Gu Yu again, but after regaining his composure, he seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, Fifth Brother, between Chu Tianyu and Zhan Zifeng, whom do you think is stronger? I remember when you first met Zhan Zifeng, you said something similar!” Gu Yu’s question hit the nail on the head, leaving Fifth Brother deep in thought for a long time before he slowly raised his head and said seriously, “Young master, remember this—neither of them can be trifled with. Even the master might not be able to deal with them! But if I had to choose one, in my humble opinion, it’s better to offend ‘Zhan’ rather than provoke ‘Chu’!” Hearing Fifth Brother’s words, Gu Yu fell silent, lost in deep thought.

…

Along the way, Chu Tianyu verified the situation, and it was indeed not much different from what he had assumed—Bai Lei had initiated the conflict. But seeing Bai Lei’s embarrassed expression, he had truly made a fool of himself in front of Lan Yue and Chu Yunjiao this time, so it was best not to say anything more. The best course of action now was to let him face the consequences on his own; if he suffered, at least everyone else could have peace of mind! Bai Lei didn’t seem discouraged at all, but rather filled with grief and helplessness. He gazed at the sky, lost in thought, unsure what he was thinking at that moment.

However, the conversation quickly shifted to the Tiancai Dibao brothers. Their views on food truly impressed everyone, and the occasional insightful remark they made would make everyone laugh heartily! Especially when they saw Xue Feifei—they seemed familiar with her. It was because they thought finding this beautiful girl would surely lead them to their master uncle. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, so they were even more proud. They opened their mouths wide and boasted about it again, forcing Chu Tianyu to become the target of ridicule once more and earning him the glorious title of “a true beast.”

Amidst the laughter, only Ouyang Ziyi occasionally cast meaningful glances at Chu Tianyu and then at Qin Nianran. Clearly, she hadn’t missed the changes in Qin Nianran’s expression toward Chu Tianyu throughout the journey. So while everyone else was focused on the jokes between Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei, Ouyang Ziyi still leaned over to Qin Nianran’s ear and whispered, “Hey, the eldest wife—now it seems justified to call you that, right? Hehe…”

Faced with Ouyang Ziyi’s teasing, Qin Nianran gently curled her lips and replied softly in Ouyang Ziyi’s ear, “Mm, the younger concubine—I have no objections!”

After saying that, the two looked at each other. After going through so many twists and turns, they finally had an answer—a clear answer. They smiled at each other, their understanding evident in their eyes…

Laughing and chatting, they arrived at the villa complex where Ouyang Ziyi lived. By now, dusk was approaching. It seemed the two “elders” had said everything they needed to and discussed everything thoroughly. It should be fine for them to return now without disturbing them!

The others didn’t feel anything special, but Qin Nianran looked uneasy. To be honest, this involved her aunt’s happiness. Moreover, Chu Tianyu had said that his master was essentially a figure from the xianxia genre, already over a hundred years old—so it was uncertain whether he still had human emotions! So, at this point, Qin Nianran was more worried about her aunt’s future fate.

At this moment, besides Qin Nianran’s concern, Chu Tianyu also frowned, as if sensing something. Just as he was about to speak, a series of loud explosions came from Ouyang Ziyi’s villa ahead, as if something was exploding in succession.

Everyone was shocked. Having been with Chu Tianyu for a while, they knew this wasn’t an ordinary explosion but rather the sound of someone competing.

Chu Tianyu’s expression changed even further—someone was actually bothering his master. But soon his expression relaxed, replaced by a helpless smile as he said to everyone, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry; it must be a misunderstanding. I’ll go and explain first. After I persuade them to leave, you can come over!” With that, he left the confused crowd behind and glided forward like a large bird. Everyone knew Chu Tianyu was extraordinary, but this was the first time they had seen him use such skills, leaving them wide-eyed in astonishment. His shock was further mocked by Bai Lei, who passed by and said, “Country bumpkin! What’s that? Haven’t you seen our solid and stable fighting style? That’s real skill!”
…
When Chu Tianyu arrived in the villa’s courtyard, he saw two dark figures locked in a struggle, like two masses of black mist. One was, of course, his master, Kuang Ru. The other seemed to be a genuine mass of black mist, not an illusion created by rapid transformation.
Chu Tianyu wasn’t surprised by this. It was indeed a mass of black mist, but it wasn’t formed through rapid transformation—it was his master’s body that had changed, because that person’s name was Fernando!
Although the fight was intense, Chu Tianyu could tell that his master and that old bat were more engaged in a sparring match. With their skills, it should be no problem to stop at the right moment. Moreover, Chu Tianyu noticed that his master had held back most of his strength. The reason he continued fighting with Fernando was probably out of curiosity and fascination with Fernando’s ever-changing and bizarre tactics, wanting to understand them better.
Since that was the case, Chu Tianyu didn’t rush to interrupt them. Instead, he glanced around and saw Qin Nianran’s aunt standing helplessly to the side, looking nervous and hesitant, clearly worried.
Chu Tianyu felt relieved. The fact that Qin Nianran’s aunt was still here at this moment was a good sign. It meant their conversation had not yet reached a point where Third Master had clearly rejected her. Otherwise, given her proud and aloof personality, she would never have stayed another moment.
But when Chu Tianyu turned his gaze elsewhere, a bad sign appeared. Wherever he looked, Sophia was peering around, clearly not interested in the fight but rather searching for someone…