Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 158: The Campaign in Europe

“Tai Chi?” Bogulei repeated it as if asking.
“That’s right, Tai Chi. It embraces yin and yang, requires a calm mind and focused intent, moves with fluidity and completeness, distinguishes between emptiness and solidity, and balances hardness and softness… I saw you were impulsive and restless just now, so I used the principles of Tai Chi to help you calm down!” Chu Tianyu stepped forward, helped Bogulei up, and explained.
At that moment, Ouyang Ziyi also spoke out apologetically, “Duke Orsini, Miss Sophia, and Bogulei, I am truly extremely sorry. On the way, my boyfriend and I were joking around, and I wore men’s clothes, which may have caused you to misunderstand. I am really, really ashamed of the consequences. I tried to explain later, but things kept happening one after another… sigh…”
By the end, it was clear Ouyang Ziyi was explaining to Sophia alone!
No matter how sincere Ouyang Ziyi’s attitude was or how deeply she apologized, it was like a thunderbolt to Sophia, leaving her stunned. After a long while, she let out a cry and ran toward the castle, shaking her head violently as if still unable to believe what Ouyang Ziyi had said and unwilling to face reality.
Duke Orsini watched his daughter’s retreating figure helplessly. He truly couldn’t keep up with the thoughts and behaviors of today’s young people. He had nothing to say about this unfortunate “beautiful” mistake.
However, it was obvious this couldn’t be blamed on Ouyang Ziyi and the others, so he gave Bogulei a subtle signal—meaning, “With such a good opportunity, why are you still standing here? Go comfort her quickly!”
With the situation taking a sharp turn, no one present was happier than Bogulei. But he was experiencing both pain and joy. He had long wanted to chase after her and comfort Sophia, but only if he could move first!
Although Chu Tianyu had helped him up, his body was still under the impact of that spiral energy, refusing to obey his brain’s commands.
Seeing this, Chu Tianyu smiled slightly and gently swept at Bogulei. Bogulei felt his body lighten instantly, and the spiral energy disappeared. His body was once again under his control, and he felt even more refreshed. He looked at Chu Tianyu with deep gratitude before greeting Duke Orsini and chasing after Sophia’s retreating figure.

“Duke Orsini, the main reason for our visit this time is…,” Ouyang Ziyi said, at Chu Tianyu’s signal, hoping to take this opportunity to explain their purpose. But unexpectedly, Duke Orsini nodded slightly and waved his hand to stop her, looking around before softly saying, “I have a rough idea of why you’re here, but let’s discuss the details properly tonight, shall we?”
“No problem!” Seeing that their leader had spoken thus, Ouyang Ziyi didn’t insist any further.
At noon, Chu Tianyu and the others gathered in Sister Xin’s room to discuss future plans in detail. However, this time, Fernandi didn’t accompany them, saying he couldn’t stand those nobles, nuns, and priests at all. He only arranged a way to contact Chu Tianyu in case anything came up.
“Tianyu, what do you think we should do next?” Sister Xin asked.
Chu Tianyu looked at everyone and instead of answering, asked, “What do you think, Sister Xin?”
Sister Xin smiled slightly and said, “Does my opinion mean I can stop you?”
“Tianyu, Sister Xin, stop playing games! Whatever your plans are, mine is to avenge ourselves first and then rebuild Yishé Castle!” Ouyang Ziyi interjected.
“Yes, yes, we must rebuild Yishé Castle!” Grandpa Du’an said, tears streaming down his face.
“Grandpa Du’an, you still have the blueprints for Yishé Castle, right? Don’t worry. Once everything is settled, we’ll rebuild it, and we’ll hire the best architects and construction teams in Europe to restore it exactly as it was!” Chu Tianyu reassured Grandpa Du’an first, as he deeply understood the old man’s deep affection for the castle…
Having spent time with them these days, Grandpa Du’an realized that Chu Tianyu not only possessed mysterious martial skills but was also the backbone of the group, holding ultimate decision-making power. With his promise, Grandpa Du’an was overjoyed and said, trembling, “Okay, okay! I’ll participate too. I can describe every plant, every scene in Yishé Castle even with my eyes closed…”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa Du’an!” Everyone comforted him as well.
“After talking to Duke Orsini tonight, I think you all should return to your country first, including Grandpa Du’an!” At that moment, Chu Tianyu looked out the window and said meaningfully.

“What?” Everyone except Sister Xin exclaimed in shock.
Chu Tianyu pondered for a while before slowly saying, “I don’t want what happened that night to happen again! We can’t be this lucky and fortunate every time. This place isn’t like home; I’m powerless to ensure your safety!” He paused to give everyone time to think, then walked slowly to the window before speaking again, “Actually, this attack on Yishé Castle is far from as simple as just seizing a sacred relic. In other words, Yishé Castle is nothing but a pawn in someone else’s hands, a place used as a slaughterhouse…”
“Tianyu, what are you saying? I don’t quite understand,” Ouyang Ziyi asked doubtfully.
Chu Tianyu turned to look at her and said coldly, “What I say isn’t important. What matters is the price those people will have to pay for what they’ve done to Yishé! So, I hope you all go back to your country. I’ll handle the rest!”
“I agree with Tianyu! We’ll return to Paris tomorrow and fly back home! Without us here, Tianyu can act more freely…” Sister Xin said suddenly as everyone was still deep in thought.
With Sister Xin’s explanation, Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou fell silent, understanding their intentions. The lessons from that night also made them realize that if they stayed, Chu Tianyu wouldn’t be able to do anything.
“Tianyu, what… what are you planning to do?” Ouyang Ziyi still asked, not giving up.
Chu Tianyu stared outside, not turning around, and said coldly, “I’ve said it before—this place isn’t like home. Without any influence, there are no constraints either…”
…
That night, in a secret room of Xiangbo Castle, only Chu Tianyu and his group were present. On the Duke Orsini’s side, there were only him, Sophia, and Bogulei.
Sophia’s eyes were red and swollen, her expression depressed—clearly she had cried bitterly. Strangely, Bogulei, who was by her side, also looked worried, lost in his own thoughts. But I remember back then…
“Sophia, consider your relationship with that Ouyang just a beautiful misunderstanding. Don’t be too persistent! Besides, it’s not a big deal. Maybe years from now, you can even smile at the memory!” Bogulei gently comforted Sophia, who was crying bitterly in his arms.

“Sofia, don’t you still know my feelings for you? I love you—I’ve loved you since I was a child. I love your blue eyes, your golden hair, you…” Bogulei took the opportunity to keep pouring out love words. But before he could finish, Sofia suddenly stopped crying, pushed him away, and stared at Bogulei in disbelief. After a pause, she said in a hoarse voice, “No, that can’t be. I’ve always considered you my brother! The feelings I have for you are at most those of siblings—there’s no way there could be any romantic feelings… You’re my brother!”
…
So as Bogulei recalled those moments, he silently repeated the word “brother” in his mind. How could he feel happy when his heart was filled with sorrow?
“Duke Orsini, I once again express my deepest apologies for the harm caused to Miss Sofia due to Zi Yi’s misbehavior!” Chu Tianyu spoke first, clearly trying to establish himself as the main focus of this conversation.
Sure enough, Duke Orsini looked at Chu Tianyu from head to toe in surprise. From what he had heard, he had thought Chu Tianyu was just Ouyang Zi Yi’s bodyguard. And judging from his exceptional skills this morning, he knew Chu Tianyu was quite skilled.
He seemed to remember Chu Tianyu being called Ouyang Zi Yi’s fiancé, but he hadn’t given it much thought at the time. Now it seemed Chu Tianyu was the real person in charge of this conversation, the one who made decisions, not that tomboy Ouyang Zi Yi!
So he adjusted his focus and said to Chu Tianyu, “Heh, it’s fine. How can we blame you for such a trivial matter? Sofia is overthinking things! Anyway, let’s not dwell on these minor incidents. Tell me why you’re here.”
“I’d like to ask Mr. Orsini, what’s your opinion on the incident at Esher Castle?” Chu Tianyu asked.
Orsini tapped his ashtray and replied calmly, “Someone stole a sacred relic. We got word of it and came to defend it. That’s all.”
“Do you know who stole it?” Chu Tianyu asked immediately.
“The only group with enough power for that in all of Europe are the Brits!” Duke Orsini answered without hesitation.

“Oh, in that case things seem quite simple. With the vacuum left by the Nordic War God faction, and Castle Yishé as the catalyst, the power struggle between Patriarch Thorne and Galeir, the Eagle of Britain, has begun! But is it really that simple and logical? I suppose Mr. Orsini must have his own clear opinion on this. I guess your hints today were also inspired by some feelings, right?” Chu Tianyu kept asking questions one after another, finally stirring up some emotion in Duke Orsini, who had remained calm from the start.

He gave Chu Tianyu a deep look before saying after a long pause, “What you’re trying to say, I dare not even think about it, and there’s no evidence either…”

This time, before Duke Orsini could finish speaking, Chu Tianyu interrupted, “If you dare not think about it, then why are just the three of you here at the meeting? Why were you ambushed by the enemy on the road? And aren’t those sent to defend the castle all sharing one common trait—obeying only the church’s orders and not those of Patriarch Thorne’s personal family or faction? Ha, actually, such clichéd plots and tactics are far less clever even in any history book we have in China!”

Upon hearing Chu Tianyu cut him off, Duke Orsini raised his eyebrows but remained silent. Chu Tianyu smiled at him and also fell silent, the two of them locked in a puzzling exchange.

The onlookers were completely confused by their cryptic conversation. Even Sophia and Bogulei, who were previously sad and gloomy, were drawn to their talk and listened intently.

After a long while, it was still Duke Orsini who broke the silence, saying with a bitter smile, “Even if I knew the truth, what could I do? You’ve seen our strength now—we were almost wiped out. What role can the few of us left play?”

“Whether one can do it is one thing, but whether one wants to do it is another!” Chu Tianyu said meaningfully.

Duke Orsini’s eyes lit up. “What if we do want to?”

“If you do, then gather some people and provide me with some information. The rest is up to me!” Chu Tianyu said calmly.

“What, just you?” Duke Orsini exclaimed in shock.

“That’s right, just me. I think it’s time, Mr. Orsini, for the two of us to have a private talk!” Chu Tianyu said without even lifting his eyelids.

…

When only the two of them were left in the room, Chu Tianyu simply conjured the Mo Yan Sword. The unparalleled sword energy of heaven and earth finally allowed Orsini to witness what true strength entailed, as well as the terrifying, unfathomable power of Eastern cultivators… When Chu Tianyu put away the Mo Yan Sword, Orsini seemed to have exhausted all his strength under the pressure of that sword energy and collapsed onto the sofa. His eyes were vacant, and it took a long time before he murmured, “I… I finally believe that the Norse God of War was indeed defeated by an Eastern cultivator…” At these words, Duke Orsini’s eyes lit up, as if he had made up his mind. He said, “Mr. Chu, I… I decide to take this gamble with you, to comfort those souls who died due to schemes and deceptions…” After a pause, he added quickly, “Chu Tianyu, apart from intelligence, is there anything else we need to do?” Chu Tianyu did not answer but instead said, “Duke Orsini, since we share the same goal, let’s discuss the matter of interests now!” “What interests?” Duke Orsini asked, pretending to be confused. “Hehe, Mr. Orsini, I think you deciding to take this gamble isn’t just because of my strength! The most important thing is that if we succeed, you and your family will gain control over most of Europe…” Chu Tianyu said with a smile, stopping at that point. Duke Orsini’s heart trembled—he finally realized that this mysterious young man was far from as simple as he had thought. Orsini had always believed that although this man possessed incredible power, his age meant he wouldn’t think deeply, and with such immense power at such a young age, even if he tried to hide it, his pride and youthful impulsiveness would prevent him from being overly cautious. After all, great military strength often led to a simplistic approach to solving problems… But clearly, he was wrong! He forgot that this man was Chinese. Not to mention Chu Tianyu’s unique experiences and trials, even among ordinary Chinese people, there are many who master the Three Kingdoms stories and memorize Mao Zedong’s thoughts by their teens… “What are your conditions?” Orsini asked helplessly. “Very simple, just two points! First, help me restore Castle Esher to its original state. I know there are many things that can’t be bought with money!” “Agreed, no problem with that!” “Second, control over half of Europe’s underground forces!” “What?” Orsini exclaimed, almost jumping up in shock.

Chu Tianyu said calmly and unperturbed, “There’s nothing! You can consider it again on your own. In fact, I’m only discussing this matter with you out of consideration for Sofia’s act of sacrificing herself to block that attack for Zi Yi. Without your cooperation, my actions might be more troublesome and take longer, but I’ll still go after that Thorn and the London Eagle without fail! As for the rest of the mess, I guess with your current strength, it’ll be hard for you to handle it all at once, right?”
After saying that, Chu Tianyu stared intently at Orsini, observing the shifting expressions on his face. Clearly, his words of pressure had hit Orsini’s weak point, forcing him to weigh his own strength and consider the pros and cons.
After thinking for a long time, Orsini finally seemed to make up his mind and said, “I agree, but you need to give me some time for now. We have a few very close allied families who are also victims this time. Without their support, even if I agree to you, it might just be empty words!”
“No rush. I’ll send them back to their country first tomorrow. I’ll wait for your news in Paris! Hehe, though I’m not in a hurry, there are those who are. I’d like to remind you that with your strength greatly diminished, there must be people who are worried about you. Hurry up…”
With that, Chu Tianyu turned and left without looking back, leaving Orsini alone, deep in thought with a furrowed brow. As he watched Chu Tianyu’s retreating figure, his eyes showed a look as if he were about to deal with a demon…
Meanwhile, Chu Tianyu, as he left, gazed down the corridor, thinking about his plans, and muttered to himself, “Heh, although the secret of the ‘War Shackles’ is insignificant, its meaning still exists. It’s said to be related to Europe’s future and destiny. Since it’s an ancient prophecy from the Yishé Castle and has been unsealed, then let me be the one to change this so-called future and destiny! Otherwise, wouldn’t that be another form of desecration against these War Shackles, which are revered like gods by the European Church? Hehe…”