Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 255: Xue’s Mood

The snow on the road seemed to have a purpose, guiding Chu Tianyu through twists and turns right in the city area. She remained silent, her masked face showing no expression at all, making it impossible to discern any clues.

Yet, during this process, Chu Tianyu discovered one of her secrets: every so often, she would lift her right hand slightly, with a faint chill emanating from it. This small gesture happened whenever she walked, making it very concealed. If not for Chu Tianyu sensing that chill, he might never have noticed it.

From this, Chu Tianyu deduced that she must have left hidden marks on those men during their earlier confrontation using that white chill, and then relied on some special technique or tracking method to sense them from afar.

Indeed, things were as Chu Tianyu had guessed. Xue was indeed tracking them in this way. Thanks to her sensing ability, despite the winding paths, they quickly found a noisy dance hall filled with loud music and chatter. Upon arriving there, even Chu Tianyu sensed something and quickly located the four brothers using familiar auras. Except for the fourth brother, the others were each with a heavily made-up, revealingly dressed woman, flirting shamelessly in public.

Chu Tianyu and Xue circled the area again but didn’t see Lord Qin. But since they had found these men, the big fish wasn’t far away.

Chu Tianyu quietly unleashed his powers and began searching. Before he could discover anything, Xue pulled his hand, her breathing becoming rapid. After a pause, as if remembering something, she suddenly spoke intermittently, “It’s… too noisy here. Let’s find a place first. I… I need to talk to you about something.”

Chu Tianyu smiled. Though her hand was slightly cold, it felt soft and smooth in his grip, stirring his emotions. He also sensed that Xue seemed unusually agitated, causing his heart to race. Even her hand trembled as she pulled his hand, so he tightened his grip and joked, “Heh, I thought you’d suddenly become mute! Finally speaking up! Is it the rock music here affecting you? Your hand is shaking like that…”

Xue paid no further attention to Chu Tianyu’s teasing. With a complex expression, she gave him a glare before firmly pulling him out of the hall. Only when they reached a quieter place did she release his hand and look straight at him. After a long pause, she said, “Although I don’t know why you’re following them or who you are, I believe you’re not a villain. I’ll leave these people to you—I won’t get involved anymore. It’s a small way to repay your help just now. Well, that’s all I have to say. We’ll never meet again. Goodbye!” Without waiting for Chu Tianyu to respond, she turned and walked away, afraid that he might misunderstand her intentions. Chu Tianyu was both surprised and confused—why would she leave so suddenly and decisively?

In truth, Xue knew her own feelings well. Earlier, when Chu Tianyu had silently released his energy, she had sensed it. But this sense wasn’t that she had noticed him cultivating—even his master, Kuang Ru, might not have been able to detect it at his current level. Instead, due to her innate constitution, she felt an indescribable attraction emanating from Chu Tianyu, causing her heart to tremble instantly. A warm current spread through her body, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort and delight. In her eyes, Chu Tianyu became hazy, like a magnet, making her want to throw herself into his arms and stay there for a while…

That’s why she instinctively reached out, grabbed Chu Tianyu’s hand, and lifted his arm. But at that moment, Chu Tianyu’s energy was disrupted by her pull, and he quickly retracted it, snapping Xue out of her daze. Her face turned red, and her heart raced. If not for the mask covering her face, even in the dim light, people would have noticed her face, which was as red as silk.

Thus, Xue’s sudden actions were a last-minute improvisation. Otherwise, how could she explain pulling him along? Deeper down, she was afraid she might not be able to resist Chu Tianyu’s charm and end up falling for someone she had never even met. The consequences would be unimaginable—harming both herself and others. With her constitution and the Ice Soul energy within her, even cultivators with equal amounts of natural energy couldn’t withstand it. Her fate was likely to be the same as her master’s—enduring in silence and dying alone. Experiencing human love would probably remain just a distant dream forever…

Watching the figure of the snow disappear, Chu Tianyu was puzzled but didn’t delve deeper into it. After all, following Master Tai’s trail again was like regaining something lost. With all the commotion tonight, they must have already alerted the others, and they surely realized that the location of that courtyard had been exposed, so they wouldn’t fall into a trap again.

Moreover, if the lead was severed, it was likely they wouldn’t use Qianfeng’s power for now. Relying solely on Chu Tianyu, no matter how skilled he was, it would be difficult to find them in such a vast crowd!

So, after calming himself down, Chu Tianyu gathered his strength and soon detected Master Qin’s presence in a mezzanine behind the dance hall. In just a few moments, moving like a phantom, he arrived at his target. Instead of searching for a specific room, he simply went out onto the street, glanced up at a gable on the second floor, then stood casually by the roadside, leaning against the wall, and listened attentively.

But after just a few words, his body against the wall trembled, his expression changed, and his surprise was beyond description. For it was Chu Tianfeng, his elder brother, who was talking to Master Qin!

“Young Master Chu, I’m sorry for the delay. I couldn’t make it on time as planned. I sincerely apologize,” Master Qin said first. Clearly, the conversation had just begun.

“No need to apologize. Given Master Qin’s character, you must have truly encountered trouble, otherwise you wouldn’t be three hours late. By the way, has the problem been resolved?” Chu Tianfeng asked calmly.

Hearing this, Master Qin looked helpless, but he didn’t hide anything and said directly, “Young Master Chu, to be honest, our whereabouts may have been discovered. Two groups have appeared, each with higher cultivation levels than the last. Especially that mysterious person who showed up last—I think it would be easy for him to take our lives.” Then, Master Qin recounted the entire sequence in detail.

After listening, Chu Tianfeng took some time to process it before saying thoughtfully, “It seems that person’s goal is to use a long-term strategy to catch a big fish, not to alert others prematurely. As for the subsequent changes, it can only be said that his plan was interrupted by the first group…”

Before Chu Tianfeng could finish, Master Qin interjected, “Exactly. Your analysis matches mine. That’s why I concluded it were two separate groups, definitely not accomplices.”

Chu Tianfeng frowned and asked, “Master Qin, can you figure out who these people are? Could they be here because of our plan? With enemies so powerful and our whereabouts exposed, how can you still feel confident enough to meet me here?”

Chu Tianfeng asked three questions in a row, especially the last one, which already carried a hint of reproach. Yet Lord Qin remained calm, smiling slightly and saying, “Young Master Chu, rest assured. We will uncover everything about these people. As for today’s meeting, I believe you’ve heard the saying ‘do the opposite.’ Knowing that we’ve detected their presence, they will surely be more cautious and focus on gathering information about us, never expecting us to proceed as usual. To be honest, I’m also worried about their strength. Other than today, I can’t guarantee that we won’t be tracked again in our next encounter. So, today is relatively the safest time, which is why I kept insisting on continuing the meeting. Along the way, we deliberately took many detours and pretended to stop in various places, ensuring no one noticed us before coming here. This delay is why you had to wait for three hours.”

After hearing this, Chu Tianfeng felt relieved but also a bit embarrassed. He changed the subject and said seriously, “Since Lord Qin has thought of everything so thoroughly, I was overthinking it. Let’s get back to business and discuss our next steps…”

“Hmm, Young Master Chu, our next actions might need to change. First, we should meet as little as possible. As for the means of communication, I’ll inform you later. Regarding what you mentioned about bodyguards, I had arranged four for you, but their whereabouts have been exposed. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a while longer. We’ll arrange something else for you.”

“That’s not a problem. I only wanted bodyguards as a precaution, in case my third brother gets desperate and resorts to violence, which would ruin everything!” Chu Tianfeng said calmly.

“Young Master Chu, you must control your third brother carefully. In front of others, even your closest confidants and aides, don’t show any hostility. Keep your emotions such that it seems you only look down on him but tolerate him out of brotherly grace, without caring about gains or losses. In fact, sometimes, you might even have to help him in front of your grandfather,” Lord Qin said astutely.

Chu Tianfeng nodded slightly and said, “I’ll make sure of that. My grandfather isn’t an ordinary person; nothing can be hidden from him. To be honest, there are many cases of brothers fighting among themselves like Bai Gu’s. As the eldest brother, I’ve witnessed too many tragedies. In fact, by learning from history, many things don’t need to be fought over at all. As long as you do your duty, everything will naturally belong to you. It’s just that those who act as ‘eldest brothers’ are either too incompetent or too eager for quick success, leading to fratricide—something that’s utterly intolerable for those in positions of authority!”
At this point, Chu Tianfeng paused before continuing, “Actually, when it comes to the third brother, I never really intended to ‘deal with’ him in the first place. Our third brother has been an idiot since childhood; he’s quite pitiful. It seems he’ll only reach an ordinary level of ability as an adult. I really misjudged him. If it weren’t for that luxury gala that alerted me, and where I accidentally discovered his unusual qualities and his vast backing—companies like Oulijia Bao Group, Fudu Industrial, Xunlei Technology, and so on—I would have been completely surprised. After that, I quietly investigated and deduced on my own without alerting anyone. Especially later on, when he actually participated in… well… anyway, I was almost deceived by his low profile.”
Hearing this, Lord Qin frowned but didn’t dwell on Chu Tianfeng’s unfinished sentence. Instead, he asked, “Young Master Chu, is your third brother really as you described—possessing extraordinary wisdom and mysterious martial skills?”
Chu Tianfeng remained silent for a while before saying, “My previous judgment was that… but now it seems that wisdom might have been my mistake. It’s very likely that someone is manipulating or planning behind the scenes. However, it’s absolutely true that he has superb martial skills, and he’s been training since childhood. His current level must be that of a master among masters!”
“Someone else is manipulating him? Who?” Lord Qin asked in surprise.
“His fiancée—the granddaughter of the chairman of Fudu Industrial, the so-called genius girl, Qin Nianran!” Chu Tianfeng replied without hesitation.
Lord Qin had clearly heard of Qin Nianran’s name and reputation. He nodded and said, “Her? No wonder. To be honest, her business tactics are well-known even in our faction’s business department…”

“That’s not a big deal. After all, with your support, no matter how talented she is, she can’t cause much trouble. It’s my third brother I’m truly wary of—his martial skills are formidable. As you know, Master Qin, in this regard, I’m just an ordinary person who feels utterly overwhelmed and powerless.” Chu Tianfeng spoke up.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll immediately send a few people with Heavenly Qi to assist you. It won’t take more than five days,” Master Qin assured him.

“People with Heavenly Qi? They must be experts. From what I’ve deduced and understood, my third brother’s cultivation has reached an advanced level…” Chu Tianfeng didn’t finish his sentence before being interrupted by Master Qin’s voice.

“Young Master Chu, don’t worry. Let me give you an example: Among ordinary people, even the weakest cultivator can easily defeat someone who’s quite strong. Similarly, those with Heavenly Qi can effortlessly defeat the strongest cultivators!”

“Master Qin, do I really have no chance to learn martial skills?” At this mention, Chu Tianfeng’s eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.

Master Qin shook his head regretfully. “You can learn them, but you’ve already passed the stage of laying a foundation. Practicing now at best will only strengthen your body. To achieve anything significant would require twice the effort with half the result—it’s not worth it.”

Hearing Master Qin’s reply, Chu Tianfeng grew disheartened. Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time he had raised this issue. After all, any ordinary person who learned about the existence of cultivators and the internal energy and lightness skills described in books would feel a desire to learn them. Especially for the young master of the Chu family, who possessed vast wealth and a prominent status!

“Never mind. I’ll focus my efforts on the Chu family instead. Master Qin, since your men have already been exposed, why not help me with something? I’m not sure if it will cause you trouble though.” Chu Tianfeng, being someone who could handle both triumph and defeat, quickly regained his composure and spoke as if he had a plan.

Master Qin knew well what kind of person he was—someone who understood subtleties. Realizing that Chu Tianfeng’s last remark about potential trouble was also a hint about possible complications for himself, he smiled slightly and said, “They are all die-hard warriors. They’ll either kill or kill themselves—they won’t compromise in any way. And with their cultivation level, aside from today’s unexpected situation, I believe few people can defeat them. As for our matter, it remains between you and me; no one else is aware of it.”

“Alright, then help me take care of a few Koreans—those remnants of the Kim family from last time. According to reports from Korea, they seem to have traced me. Each of them is extremely skilled; ordinary people have no chance against them. If it weren’t for inside and outside cooperation last time, we would never have had the chance to take over the Kim family and carry out our Han City plan. And even so, they managed to escape successfully—their strength really can’t be underestimated. It seems one of them uses some kind of hidden weapon that only works against the Kim family; it’s quite formidable. You need to be sure you can handle them. Oh, by the way, there are a few lists here as well. Give them to me so I can deal with them too. Didn’t you say it’s better to have less contact until we figure out who’s spying on you? Let’s finish what needs to be done this time, and for now, it’s better to avoid contact for a while.” Chu Tianfeng pleaded.

“There’s absolutely no problem with that!” Lord Qin replied while taking the lists.

“Well, next, I need to act as a proper ‘elder brother’ and also deal with my so-called genius sister-in-law. I really want to see—no matter how smart or clever she is, how can she even compete with me?” Chu Tianfeng sighed and slowly clenched his fists.

Hearing this, Lord Qin chuckled and said, “Yes, with Prince Chu’s current strength, not to mention having half of the Chu family’s power at his disposal, even if the entire Chu family were in her hands, with the criminal syndicates and hidden families you’ve acquired, their assets are enough to help you create a new Chu family—one truly yours!”

Chu Tianfeng showed no sign of pride at Lord Qin’s words. He simply said calmly, “That still depends on you. Without the cooperation between our two families, just those skilled individuals within the syndicates and families would be enough to give me trouble. There’s no talk of taking over then.”

“Hehe, the same goes for us. Prince Chu deserves a lot of credit for us being able to get back into the game so quickly! Come, let’s drink to a more pleasant cooperation between us from now on.”

“Ding…” With the clinking of two glasses, a joyful laugh filled the room.

Outside, Chu Tianyu, who had heard everything, was no longer shocked. With his eyes narrowed and a calm expression, devoid of any excitement, he simply uttered two words: “Elder brother…”