Volume 2: Riding the Wind Chapter 35: Bullying the Innocent “Who does this person think they are? Giving ‘advice’? No one has ever spoken to this young lady like that! I came back out of kindness to see you, only to run into such an annoying and rude guy. It’s infuriating!” The cousin finally exploded, her high-pitched voice audible even to Chu Tianyu, who was quite far away. “Forget it, cousin. Look at how silly he looks. Why bother with him?” her aunt tried to comfort her. “No, aunt. He’s so annoying! With that silly look of his, he still dares to give orders. His words might be nice, but his attitude is terrible, especially that ugly face of his when he talks. It really makes me angry!” The aunt said nothing more. To be honest, she too felt mixed emotions at that moment. Just as her cousin said, they had always thought of themselves as pampered elites, yet they had never encountered anyone who spoke to them like that. Especially being scolded by someone so ordinary that they would hardly stand out in a crowd—it was understandable why her cousin was so upset. Seeing her cousin still fuming, she comforted her a few more times, and her cousin calmed down a bit. Seeing that silly guy’s dull expression, why bother with him? So she started the car and sped off, quickly overtaking Chu Tianyu, who was walking by, and disappearing at the end of the road… Chu Tianyu watched the departing car and the angry glare from the cousin as she passed by. He shook his head again. When he and his third master were practicing cultivation, his master had taken him to what were called high-society places, among elites and beauties. He really disliked such places. Although Chu Tianyu himself came from a wealthy family, he had never experienced the arrogance and superiority associated with wealth since childhood. This was largely thanks to his grandfather’s strict discipline. Aside from him going to practice with his master at an early age, his elder brothers attended ordinary schools without any private transportation. It’s fine to be rich or beautiful. Wealth isn’t wrong, nor is beauty. But if being rich and beautiful makes one think they’re superior and act arrogantly, it’s annoying! Maybe some people like that, but definitely not him! There were clearly more houses and shops along the road, but they were all selling groceries, tobacco, and alcohol. Chu Tianyu checked his watch—it was almost twelve o’clock. He quickened his pace, planning to find a small restaurant along the way for a meal. But before he could find a restaurant, he saw from afar the familiar car parked by the road!
Upon closer inspection, the spot where the Hummer was parked turned out to be a fairly clean restaurant. Chu Tianyu hesitated for a moment, considering whether to look for another restaurant, when he heard voices from inside: “Cousin, do you think eating here might upset some of those uptight folks? It seems like they plan to starve a bit longer and go to another restaurant; they don’t seem to want to come in here at all.”
“Then hurry up and eat! All this food can’t keep your mouth shut!”
“Mm, I’ll eat, I’ll eat…”
Chu Tianyu shook his head helplessly and decided to enter the restaurant anyway; otherwise, he would truly become one of those “uptight folks” being disturbed by others.
The restaurant wasn’t big, with only those two sisters as customers. Looking at the food on their table, they hadn’t eaten much. Given their driving speed, it seemed they had deliberately stayed to wait for him. So, he didn’t want to argue further and simply asked the owner for takeout, planning to leave right after getting it.
“Cousin, see? No matter how fast we eat, it’s useless! Didn’t you hear those folks order takeout? Clearly, they think we’re in the way!”
“And also, cousin…”
Chu Tianyu ignored their sarcasm, sitting quietly with his eyes fixed ahead, sipping the free tea, looking utterly at ease.
“Cousin, look at his annoying expression! It’s infuriating! I have to go over there and teach him a lesson.”
“How will you teach him? Tell him he shouldn’t have given us his seat? Tell him why he wasn’t splashed with mud by our car? Tell him why he doesn’t appreciate our ride? Tell him why he ignores us now?”
“No, cousin… He too… Anyway, I just can’t stand it!”
…
Hearing their words, Chu Tianyu felt so aggrieved! Who was actually making whom angry? He hadn’t cared about such things before—were honest people really so easy to bully?
Just then, the door of the restaurant was suddenly thrown open, accompanied by shouts and noise. A few young men who clearly weren’t up to no good streamed in.
“Damn it, Erhei, you know what? That car outside is a Hummer! Damn, didn’t expect to see one here. It’s really awesome. I wonder whose…”
“Awesome? More awesome than that girl from yesterday? Damn, it’s just a crappy jeep! Is there really a big deal about it?”
“You act ungrateful when told you’re ignorant. That’s a Hummer! It costs millions!”
“What? Millions? Damn, it’s that expensive?”
“Hey, Sanpi, see? We’re lucky today! There are two pretty girls here!”
“Wow, it’s really top-notch stuff. Tsk tsk, look at that figure, that face, that skin, that aura…!”
“Haha, I told Qingtou, I wondered what would happen today with my eyelids twitching—turns out it’s a romantic encounter!”
“Hehe, yeah, indeed. My eyelids really are accurate predictors. Hehe, seeing such a beautiful girl, I’m already… ahahaha~~~”
Hearing these vulgar remarks, the two girls across from them were already seething with anger. Their feisty cousin clenched her fists tightly, trembling as if trying hard to suppress her fury.
On the other hand, though her cousin was angry, she remained calm, not even lifting her eyes, continuing to pick up food with her chopsticks and eat slowly.
Chu Tianyu had unleashed his abilities, sensing the auras and moods of everyone in the room. The shop owner had already hidden in a back room—clearly, these guys were notorious bullies. The reactions of the two girls were also within his expectations. Dressed like tough girls and driving luxury cars, they were definitely not easy opponents. Although he couldn’t sense any martial skills in them, their lack of fear or panic suggested they probably knew some skills like taekwondo or mixed martial arts, at least enough for self-defense. This was going to be interesting!
Just as Chu Tianyu settled in to watch the show, he heard a sarcastic voice say, “Damn, there’s still an annoying human here! Die…”
Saying that, one of the men with a bare chest and thick facial muscles lunged at him with a kick.
Chu Tianyu was frustrated! He hadn’t gotten to enjoy the show yet and had already become involved in trouble. The worst part was that he hadn’t done anything—no heroic attempts to save anyone, no righteous stand against injustice. Why were they kicking him without a word?
As the kicking foot neared, at the moment of impact, Chu Tianyu gently channeled his true energy, moving himself and the chair at an angle. With a loud “bang,” the man’s foot hit the back of the chair, which had just turned. Chu Tianyu then shifted to the side, causing him and the chair to fall into a corner of the restaurant.
“Haha~ Qingtou’s Foshan Shadow Kick has made great progress!”
“Yeah, that kid was knocked out without even making a sound. What a weakling…”
“Hehe, of course. Who do I am, huh? Haha~~~ Ouch~~~” Qingtou, who had just kicked someone, stood with his chest puffed out, speaking proudly. But before he could laugh arrogantly a few more times, he was kicked in the side from behind. Just like Chu Tianyu before, he was sent flying and crashed hard to the ground.
Only then did everyone realize that it was one of the two beautiful girls they had thought of as easy targets who had struck. It was that little cousin. She stood there with her fists in front of her chest and her feet in a bow stance, looking very confident.
“Damn you, you little bitch! You’re pretty fierce!”
“Yes, I didn’t expect to meet such a tough girl. Hehe, but I like it!”
“Hehe, right. This is a good chance to practice. Guys, go ahead…”
Thugs don’t fight in any particular way. These guys weren’t fools either; they could clearly see that the two girls in front of them were calm and unhurried, as if they had trained before. So they stood at various angles, grinning lewdly as they pressed forward—both to put pressure on them and to embolden themselves.
The little cousin didn’t care about any of that. She lifted a chair beside her to distract them, then aimed her fist at one of them and charged forward. Sure enough, she had trained—her speed was incredible. Although the thug had plenty of fighting experience, he still couldn’t dodge. Her fist hit his nose squarely, causing his muscles to twitch painfully. Tears and snot streamed down as he knelt down, clutching his nose. The others saw this as bad news and were about to pounce on her in a group attack when suddenly there was a gunshot, followed by the sound of a light bulb breaking on the ceiling and falling to the ground. Everyone present was shocked, and the thugs stopped as well, looking around in confusion.
The one who fired the gun was the other “sheep” sitting in a seat. A small golden pistol rotated skillfully in her fingers as she spoke coldly, “Only one at a time. A duel is fine, but a group attack isn’t. If anyone disobeys, then bullets don’t care who they hit…” As she spoke, the barrel of the gun swept casually over the crowd, making its meaning perfectly clear.
With her aunt drawing a gun, the little cousin didn’t waste time. While the others were still trying to understand what was happening, she rushed forward quickly. She delivered a knee strike between each of their legs, below their abdomen, or a flying kick with a slanted leg. Not only were they unable to fight back in a duel, but they also doubled over, clutching their sides, jumping around, with tears streaming down their faces. It seemed this little girl was quite ruthless.
“Get lost! I’ll count to three—leave now immediately. If anyone else is still in my sight, they’ll bear the consequences…” As the gun-toting woman spoke coldly, the restaurant was now empty except for Chu Tianyu and the two of them. These days, local hooligans had to be tough, skilled in fighting, and smart too. These two women were clearly not to be trifled with—they carried guns, meaning they were either cops or bosses. Moreover, that expensive Hummer by the door probably belonged to them as well. With such a situation, it was best to leave quickly. If they stubbornly insisted on showing off and got shot dead due to their hooligan status, it would be a pointless death!
Chu Tianyu, pretending to be unconscious on the ground, didn’t expect things to go so simply. He thought he’d get to watch a good show! Well, it was better to stop pretending to be unconscious before those two fierce women came to check on him and caused more trouble. It was better for him to get up first!
Chu Tianyu staggered and finally managed to stand up. Then he heard his cousin mockingly say, “Oh, our hero! The fight is over, and you’ve woken up too. What a weakling—just a kick and you’re already like this. If it weren’t for us today…”
His cousin wanted to say more, but was interrupted by her older cousin, who said, “Cousin, stop talking. Enough!”
She then turned away without even looking at him and said indifferently, “We’re leaving. Do you want a ride? Those guys might come back for revenge at any moment…”
Hearing this, her cousin was amused. That idiotic-looking guy still hadn’t cried or begged for a ride. Fine, she’d tease him more once they got in the car.
As she thought about how to mock him in a profound and impactful way that left him speechless, she heard him say blankly, “I… I’d better not take a ride. I haven’t eaten yet! And I ordered food just now…”
Hearing this and seeing his idiotic expression, her cousin even felt the urge to “kill” Chu Tianyu…
Chu Tianyu was now as unafraid as a dead pig. Despite the murderous gaze from his cousin and the cold stare from his older cousin, he remained unmoved.
Finally, as the two sisters finished paying the bill and left the restaurant with expressions of pity, riding off in their Hummer, Chu Tianyu’s eyes lit up. He muttered to himself, “Eat first, work later!”
……
On a hill behind the mountain, there was a substation, along with two dilapidated cottages that seemed to have been abandoned long ago.
Though the houses were broken, they were quite lively inside, with the sound of playing cards and drinking constantly echoing.
“I said Sanpi, he’s really unlucky today—got stuck with two tough girls. My nose and private parts still hurt. Come on, drink with me to get the blood flowing.”
“Damn, Erhei, how dare you talk? You’re the biggest coward—knocked out by that girl in one hit. Such a weakling.”
“Hey, look at you! You always brag like an idiot about shooting people in the head without flinching. What about today? She just broke a light bulb, and you just stood there, too scared to move, letting her kick your nuts!”
“Are you looking for a fight?”
“Come on, who’s afraid of whom?”
“Enough already! I didn’t expect those two girls to be so tough. It’s frustrating enough. We’re all brothers who embarrassed ourselves—stop bullying each other.”
“That’s right! Those two girls are really amazing—those figures, those faces… If only I could kiss them, even as a ghost, it’d be worth it! I can’t help but think about it…”
“Can’t help it? Seems that girl didn’t kick hard enough, hahaha…”
“Damn, I’ve been through countless battles—I’m tough! You idiot, Snake, you’re always so violent. If it weren’t for your perverted behavior, killing that lonely college girl last time, we wouldn’t be in this mess now!”
“Why rush? We can find a girl in a few days. It’s summer—there are plenty of girls traveling. You’re not worried about finding someone to satisfy you, huh? Haha…”
“Haha, you’re right…”
…
“You guys probably don’t have a chance!” Suddenly, a cold voice spoke slowly, cutting through the laughter and noise in the room. It sounded like it exploded in everyone’s ears, sending a chill down their spines.
It took a while for them to recover, and they shouted outside, “Who is it? Get out here, you bastard!” Their voices were loud, but weak and fearful, unable to hide their terror. Their final cries were trembling.
A person covered only with a simple towel appeared before them. Upon closer inspection, they wore flip-flops, jeans, and a T-shirt—typical casual clothes.
“Oh, so you’re the guy from the restaurant I kicked unconscious… little…” Before he could finish the insult, the speaker realized in horror that as the masked figure at the door’s eyes flashed coldly and raised his right hand, his five companions had already collapsed, their fates unknown…
“Damn it! Who is that?” Qingtou exclaimed in shock. He tried to run away right away, only to find that his legs, apart from trembling, no longer responded to his commands!
A stench of excrement and urine filled the room, and Qingtou was so terrified that he defecated and urinated on himself.
The masked man seemed not to notice at all. He walked up to him, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked in a deep voice, “I have a question for you!”
“What, what question?” Qingtou said in a trembling voice. At this moment, he regretted everything—he should have stayed at home when his eyelid had twitched. Why did he go out? It was all because of their reckless urging about the eyelid twitch meaning good luck. Now, disaster had truly befallen him!
Chu Tianyu slowly untied the towel covering his face and said, “I suppose you’ve recognized me by now. I originally wanted to teach you a lesson and ask you a question. I didn’t expect you to be capable of such horrible and despicable acts. Then it’s no wonder I had to do this!”
“Comrade, no, big brother, please spare me! I have an 80-year-old mother and a child under a year old. I’ll definitely reform and start over…” Qingtou kept switching between “I” and “this wretch,” speaking incoherently.
“Stop talking nonsense. I only have one question for you. If you want to harass women, go ahead. But why did you kick me right away when I was sitting there quietly, saying nothing and doing nothing?”
Upon hearing this, Qingtou immediately started beating himself in the mouth. “I deserve to die! It’s all my fault—I was blind!”
Chu Tianyu watched coldly and calmly interrupted, “Answer my question first!”
“Yes! Yes…”
After answering a few times, Qingtou regained some strength. He secretly glanced at Chu Tianyu. Seeing his honest, naive, and innocent face, his fear lessened a bit. But when he caught sight of his fellow men lying motionless on the ground, his heart tightened again. He said in a trembling voice, “At that time, I saw the three of you there. Although I felt you weren’t together, you… you just seemed…”
“Seemed honest and easy to bully, right?” Chu Tianyu finished.
“Mm…” Qingtou murmured in a barely audible voice before continuing, “So, I thought I’d take action first—to scare those two girls and show them what happens, and also…”
“Stop hesitating. My patience is limited!” Chu Tianyu pressed further.
“Secondly, if we don’t bully someone like you, it won’t show our strength. Bullying you is simply… just for fun…”
“Oh, so it’s pointless not to bully, is that it?”
“Mm…” Qingtou replied softly.
“It’s pretty much what I thought. The reason I kept you around was to test this. But do you know what the cost is for bullying honest people? Do you know what happens to scum like you?” Chu Tianyu’s tone grew colder and colder, making Qingtou shiver.
“Brother, brother, I deserve to die! I know I was wrong. Please let me go…” Before he could finish speaking, Qingtou couldn’t even make a sound before falling facefirst to the ground.
Only then did Chu Tianyu retract his finger from the air and mutter to himself, “Just die!”