Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 129: The Ryūshin Killing Formation

Mr. Qi, injured, barely managed to escape back to Zhou Tianxing’s secret room. Upon seeing Zhou Tianxing, the blood he had suppressed finally spilled out. Ignoring Zhou’s puzzled expression, he immediately dug out a bottle of precious medicine he kept there, poured out three pills, and swallowed them. Then he sat cross-legged and began meditating.
After a long while, he opened his weak eyes and said, “Mr. Zhou, I’m very sorry. Please forgive my failure…”
Zhou Tianxing cursed inwardly, “Nonsense! If you hadn’t failed, you wouldn’t have returned in such a state. Who knows if you’ve gotten into any trouble?” Yet he put on a concerned expression and said, “What are you saying, Mr. Qi? I never expected you to be so badly injured. I was extremely worried just now! What exactly happened?”
Seeing Zhou Tianxing’s sincere tone and lack of blame, Mr. Qi felt relieved and touched. After calming himself, he recounted what had happened. When he mentioned that the middle-aged man claimed to be Zhan Yupeng, Zhou Tianxing gasped, sensing something ominous.
He hadn’t expected that just to teach that Chu family kid a lesson, he initially thought sending some thugs to pretend to abduct him as a warning to Chu Tiancheng would suffice. But the man had bodyguards, and those thugs were beaten back. It was his own fault—he had been too busy lately and forgotten about this sensitive time; the other party must have also taken precautions.
But he couldn’t swallow this insult. Moreover, the Chu family had clearly started taking action, indicating they had no intention of cooperating with Tianxing Group. So, for safety, he brought in Mr. Qi this time, planning to “invite” that person over thoroughly. Yet still, it failed, and he returned in defeat.
“By this logic, that compound must be the headquarters of Longhun. That Zhan Yupeng is the current leader of Longhun—the one whose son disabled Chongyun!” Zhou Tianxing’s eyes showed fierce determination.
“Mr. Zhou, do you think this will cause trouble?” Mr. Qi asked anxiously.
“I can’t say for now. We’ll see as we go. But it’s strange—why would that Chu Tianyu happen to end up at Longhun? If Longhun had changed to Six Places, it would make sense. But this is puzzling!” Zhou Tianxing mused.
“Could he have done it on purpose?” Mr. Qi exclaimed in shock.

“Intentionally, I should have led you to six places—those are his grandfather’s direct descendants. Well, maybe it’s just a coincidence!” Zhou Tianxing said helplessly.
“I think so too. He can’t possibly know I’m going there, and that kid already has plenty of people around him. Under normal circumstances, there’s really no need to go to such lengths!” Mr. Qi agreed. Speaking of many people, he couldn’t help but recall that kid’s words, “Even with high martial arts skills, one can still be defeated by a kitchen knife!” Thinking that if it weren’t for that kid, he wouldn’t have ended up like this, he felt short of breath, his chest tightened, and he almost felt like vomiting blood again.
Seeing Mr. Qi’s face turn pale again and his expression pained, Zhou Tianxing quickly said, “Mr. Qi, you’d better rest soon. I won’t disturb you anymore!”
“Hmm, thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhou. Don’t worry. Once my sect’s people arrive, they’ll surely help you avenge this humiliation! Cough, cough, cough…”
“That’s great. And tomorrow, the experts from those families will arrive too. Hmph, by then…” Zhou Tianxing said fiercely at the end.
……
Chu Tianyu asked the car to take him to Ouyang Ziyi’s villa first, intending to take a good bath and change of clothes. Last night, to achieve the effect of being drunk, he had deliberately poured half a bottle of high-end XO on himself…
After washing up, seeing that it was still dark, Chu Tianyu drew his soft sword and practiced in the courtyard for a while. As his body warmed up slightly, he stopped practicing and noticed that it was starting to brighten outside. So, after tidying himself up a bit, he walked back to school.
Just as he reached the school gate, he saw Bai Lei and Bao Cai walking arm in arm, singing, “Two mice, two mice, running fast, running so fast…” as they came toward him!
The three of them happened to meet. Bai Lei and Bao Cai also exclaimed at the same time, “Damn, it’s you, the third one!” They didn’t ask why Chu Tianyu hadn’t returned last night; obviously, they were already used to his situation!
“Huh, what’s going on with you two? Is the sun coming up from the west? I’ve never seen you two get up this early. Don’t we have class today?”
“Chu Tianyu, you’re confused. Today is Saturday!” Bao Cai said in disbelief.
Chu Tianyu really had forgotten. He hadn’t slept all night last and thought it was still Friday! Seeing Bai Lei and Bao Cai standing close together affectionately, and not seeing the big guy anywhere, he curiously asked, “Why are you two walking together?”

Bai Lei curled his lips in disdain and said, “No way, Third Brother. Can’t you even understand this? Usually, there’s always an extremely ugly person by a handsome one, staying by their side—this is called contrast…” Before he could finish, Bao Cai was about to explode in anger. Chu Tianyu quickly pulled Bao Cai away. If these two continued like this, who knew when they would get to the point! “Alright, alright, Bao Cai, don’t take it to heart. This guy is just rude. Don’t listen to him—he’s not any better. Now that I’m here, isn’t he just providing contrast? That way, things are balanced!” Chu Tianyu said seriously as he tried to calm Bao Cai. “Go to hell, Third Brother! What balance? It seems like the two of you are even more handsome than each other, leaving me as the only one for contrast! Think of me, the great Bao Qingtian—though I’m a bit dark, a bit fat, and a bit short, my sister still loves me. It’s because I’m more delicate inside! Our Xiao Xue is just…” Bao Cai started fantasizing again. Having heard Chu Tianyu’s joke and about to confront him, Bai Lei glanced at Bao Cai, exchanged a look with him, and almost simultaneously stuck out his middle finger in disdain, saying, “Tch~~” “What’s there to tch about? It’s true anyway. Don’t be jealous of me—I wouldn’t even appreciate it!” With that, Bao Cai shook his unshaven ponytail for a week, sending a layer of white “snowflakes” flying—as cool as it got! Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei stepped back nervously, afraid of getting splashed with his dandruff… “Enough, stop talking. Bai Lei, where are you guys going?” Chu Tianyu asked. “Hehe, we’re going to buy tickets for Miss Xue Ning’er’s concert tomorrow! Don’t think it’s her first time performing—her voice is exactly like her sister, Miss Feifei!” Bao Cai interjected. Chu Tianyu looked at Bai Lei in confusion, implying, “Weren’t you there last night?” Bai Lei shrugged and replied, “For someone who loves art and music, nothing is more delightful than being immersed in beautiful melodies over and over again…” “Don’t listen to this scumbag. Just now he told me that going to a concert is just about watching how revealing the fans’ clothes are. They sing on stage while we just bask in the atmosphere! By the way, Chu Tianyu, why don’t you come with us? You can buy one ticket for Li Rou too. I bought it for Xiao Xue. I even took out a debt of 1,000 yuan just to get these two tickets!” Bao Cai quickly interjected to expose him.

Chu Tianyu thought it made sense too. Since there was nothing to do today, it would be better to accompany them to buy tickets, which would also be a surprise for Li Rou. Besides, the real work could only be done at night, so as to avoid boring waits. When the group arrived at the ticket office, the overwhelming crowd shocked them. It took a while before Bao Cai spoke up, “Damn, is this really necessary? I thought it was just Xue Feifei’s concert, and since it’s her first official performance, the tickets should be easier to get. Ugh…” Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei shared the same thought as Bao Cai. It seemed they had no choice but to ask those arrogant scalpers who kept appearing around them! “Which class? Classes A, B, and C are all sold out! Only the worst-class standing tickets are left, at 1888! I’ll give you a discount—1880 if you buy them right around the corner. How about that? How many tickets do you guys want?” The scalpers almost all spoke in the same tone. Bai Lei wanted to strangle those scalpers on the spot—standing tickets for distant areas were still priced at 1880! Even if they were rich, they shouldn’t make such excessive profits! Seeing Bao Cai’s disappointed expression, Bai Lei glanced at Chu Tianyu, his meaning clear—given your Chu family’s relationship with that Xue Ning’er, getting some good tickets shouldn’t be a problem, right? Chu Tianyu could only nod in understanding and say, “Let’s go back first. I’ll think of a way!” Bao Cai immediately rushed forward, grabbed Chu Tianyu’s hands tightly, and said, “Brother, I’ve been waiting for you to say this for so long! Don’t say anything else—tears are flowing!” “Damn, you idiot Bao Cai! If your tears are flowing, why are you wiping your snot on my clothes?” Chu Tianyu shouted. … That night, the warm spring breeze blew, causing the tender branches to sway slightly. A few cars were parked in front of a factory not far from the airport highway. The area around the factory was open, surrounded by walls with patches of broken glass. A large sign hung outside the factory gate: “Qianyuan Chemicals”. Inside one of the buildings in what used to be an abandoned factory, two groups of people were gathered. There weren’t many—four on one side, two on the other, plus three interpreters for reception. Chu Tianyu hid in the shadows, checking the time and list provided by the airport. The group from Europe should have arrived by now! Someone in the room raised this question. “Sir, we of the Japanese Ryūshin family are not used to waiting for anyone! And I don’t see any need for more useless people!” said one of the one-eyed Japanese men.

“Please wait a moment; the flight from Europe might be delayed…” The translator explained in Japanese, bowing repeatedly.
On the other side, a Korean man with a square face, seemingly able to understand Japanese, flew into a rage at what the one-eyed Japanese man said!
“Damn it! Aren’t those Europeans known for being the most punctual?” the one-eyed Japanese man stammered in Chinese.
The translator was stunned before responding, “It might be a problem with the flight!”
Just then, the translator’s phone rang. Upon seeing the number, he quickly answered it, nodding repeatedly as he said, “Yes.”
After hanging up, he said with a deeply apologetic expression, “There’s been an issue in Europe. The people sent there never boarded the plane—they disappeared mysteriously on their way to the airport…”
He then signaled the other translator to explain to the Koreans. As soon as the other translator began speaking, the Korean man with the square face replied in fluent Chinese, “No need to explain. I can speak Chinese and understand Japanese too!”
With a fierce look, he glared at the one-eyed Japanese man, his intent clearly provocative.
“Hello! My name is Ryūsuke Ryūshō!” said the one-eyed Japanese man as he stepped forward and extended his hand.
“Kim Myung-hoon!” The Korean man also extended his hand without hesitation and shook it firmly with the Japanese man. Suddenly, both of them tensed, a surge of energy emanating as they faced off, each exerting all their strength.
After a brief standoff, as Ryūsuke Ryūshō continued to apply pressure, Kim Myung-hoon’s forehead began to sweat, and his body trembled slightly. Clearly, his strength was inferior to Ryūsuke Ryūshō’s, and he wasn’t skilled in this art either.
Just as Kim Myung-hoon clearly felt he couldn’t hold on any longer, Ryūsuke Ryūshō gathered all his strength and shouted, “Go!” A massive force erupted, knocking Kim Myung-hoon completely off his feet and sending him flying straight into the wall behind him…
Although the other translators were all core members of Tianxing Group—otherwise they wouldn’t have been involved in this—they still hadn’t anticipated such a scene and were so shocked they forgot to step in to stop it!

Though Kim Myung-hun was slightly inferior in skill, he suddenly contracted his body in a tight space at close range and miraculously adjusted his posture to form a unique rolling motion. At the moment he reached the wall, he kicked off with both legs, propelling himself back at high speed, followed by a flash of silver light. He flew at lightning speed toward Ryūsuke Ryūshō, while Kim Myung-hun continued to rebound, delivering a palm strike at the same time.

Ryūsuke Ryūshō reacted quickly. Drawing his sword, he channeled his energy into it, making it seem as though the sword and he became one entity, and slowly swung at the flash of silver light.

The seemingly slow sword strike actually arrived first, hitting the silver light with a “ding~~” sound. Just as he prepared to show his triumph, two more flashes of silver light appeared behind the first one, splitting left and right due to the energy shock in the air. They curved around Ryūsuke Ryūshō’s sword and headed straight for two vital points on his shoulders. Startled, he quickly shifted his position to dodge one, while an additional short blade appeared in his left hand, perfectly blocking the last flash of silver light.

The series of movements flowed smoothly, especially the appearance of that final short blade—its speed and precise angle clearly indicated it was a life-saving or deadly ultimate technique.

Yet Ryūsuke Ryūshō still lost, as he had no third hand or third sword. He could never dodge Kim Myung-hun’s palm strike. With a muffled groan, he was sent stumbling back several steps.

Having succeeded with one strike, Kim Myung-hun did not pursue further. His palm strike clearly wasn’t at full force either. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said disdainfully, “Is your skill even slightly better than trash?”

“Ahhhh~~” A few curses were heard, and the remaining three Japanese men drew their swords, ready to attack. The translators, seeing this, finally reacted and stepped forward to stop them, trying to calm the situation.

Humiliated by this defeat, Ryūsuke Ryūshō wouldn’t give up so easily. With a fierce shout, he sheathed his short blade, grabbed his sword with both hands, and prepared to strike with a wind-inducing gesture.

“Mr. Ryūshō, please calm down. We’re all friends—let’s talk this out!”

“Go to hell~~” Ryūsuke Ryūshō spat out in Chinese. His sword swung horizontally, and before the translator could even make a sound, blood sprayed from his neck as he died on the spot.

The two Koreans didn’t charge forward; instead, they each stepped back, their expressions grim, hands clenched as if gripping something tightly, eyes fixed intently on each other’s next move, showing no sign of weakness or fear despite being outnumbered. At this critical moment, the door opened on its own. Chu Tianyu, wearing a mask, walked in slowly. Amidst the surprised expressions of both sides, he glanced at them leisurely. His calm gaze sent chills down their spines, prompting them to slightly adjust their tactics, focusing their main defenses on this unexpected intruder.

“I usually don’t get involved in such messy fights, but if these two dogs start barking and making noise in our yard, it really irritates me! Besides, I’ve got time these days and feel like having some fun fighting a few mad dogs—after all, I’m idle anyway…” Chu Tianyu’s icy tone carried no hint of humor despite his casual words.

Yuzo Ryusen, who seemed irritable, surprisingly didn’t retort or curse in the face of this insult. Instead, he gave a signal to his companions, who slowly formed a formation—with one person at the front and three behind—with Yuzo Ryusen himself taking the lead role.

The two Koreans also inadvertently increased the distance from Chu Tianyu, likely because their martial arts or attacks were most effective at range. Chu Tianyu ignored their small moves, giving them plenty of time to prepare. For some reason, he felt a strong urge to kill today, as if a long-suppressed desire was finally ready to be unleashed.

So, if they wanted to fight, he’d make it a thorough fight. It would also be a chance to see those exotic martial arts—preferably from stronger opponents, so he could fully vent his pent-up anger.

In fact, the moment he saw them start fighting, Chu Tianyu felt this impulse—a thrill of hunting! It seemed the carefree experience in Motuo contrasted sharply with the restrictions and repression he faced in real life, triggering such an emotion in him.

“Who… who are you? What grudge do you have against us?” Yuzo Ryusen asked awkwardly. Clearly, Chu Tianyu’s imposing aura from the moment he entered made him realize, no matter how arrogant he was, this man was extremely powerful.

“A Chinese!” Chu Tianyu replied directly.

“……” Ryūsuke Ryūshō was speechless; it seemed today would not end well. They had clearly come to stir up trouble, so he said no more, merely raising his katana with its sharp tip aimed at Chu Tianyu, radiating lethal intent!
“Are you ready? Let’s go at once! Let me see what the so-called mighty Ryūshō family is all about!” Chu Tianyu said in disdain.
Chu Tianyu’s words and expression utterly enraged the Japanese men. With a loud shout, “Ryūshō Killing Formation!” their energies seemed to merge instantly. Ryūsuke Ryūshō, driven by the murderous intent behind him, leaped into the air. Using the momentum from his upward motion, he twisted sharply mid-air, his katana flashing as he delivered a powerful downward slash with a loud tearing sound. A blade of energy shot forth, instantly striking Chu Tianyu in the face.
At the same time, a dragon-like sound came as Chu Tianyu’s coiled sword unleashed a white ribbon of energy that shattered the blade of energy.
“ Ridiculous! I thought it was some fancy killing formation—turns out it’s just a weak blade of energy, used to embarrass oneself!” Mocking, Chu Tianyu moved swiftly with his sword, darting into the formation of the four advancing Japanese men.
When those Japanese men arranged their formation, Jin Mingxun was shocked—unexpecting them to have such a powerful formation. The four blades of energy intertwined, seemingly multiplying from four to eight, then to sixteen, forming an impenetrable web of blades. Around them, a massive nascent blade energy array spun continuously, leaving deep marks wherever its energy passed—on walls and chairs…
Moreover, Ryūsuke Ryūshō could even use this spinning energy to slash out waves of blade energy in mid-air! But to his surprise, the unexpected intruder was even more astonishing. Somehow, he conjured a long sword resembling a flexible ribbon, moving like a dragon. No matter how the sword twisted, its tip always precisely met the incoming blade energy, dissolving it silently without a sound, as if Ryūsuke Ryūshō’s slashing movements were merely for show, producing no real blade energy at all!
However, Chu Tianyu was intrigued by how their simple formation could generate several times more power than they themselves. When he rushed in, the four of them changed their formation again. The three behind Ryūsuke Ryūshō immediately spread out and retreated, once more using him as a spearhead, concentrating all their strength on him.

After a few exchanges, Chu Tianyu also figured out their so-called Ryusei Killing Formation. It essentially involved one person channeling the strength of all four to maintain an absolute advantage over the enemy through a powerful attack.
No more playing around. Chu Tianyu shook his Panlong Sword, instantly straightening its blade, and imitating Ryusei Ichiro’s earlier slashing motion, he delivered a sweeping strike!
A mighty surge of energy roared forth. Such intense force seemed even Jin Mingxun and the others could feel it. As a fierce gust of wind blew, it instantly shattered Ryusei Ichiro and the others’ formation, leaving deep wounds on each of their chests with terrifying force. Driven by this immense power, they were flung backward. At the same time, a voice filled with disdain rang in their ears: “Ryusei Killing Formation? Nothing but trash!”