Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 81: Gangster’s Outburst

“Hehe, everyone, Mr. Chu just said he had to rush out due to an urgent matter. He asked you to continue enjoying your meal; he’s already paid for everything! If you have any further requests or need more dishes, just let me know!” Manager Wang entered the room, speaking politely with a smile.
As he spoke, he gestured to the security guards, signaling them to drag the guys lying on the ground out…
Bai Lei and Li Rou were also confused by this turn of events. Bai Lei had actually noticed something strange—Chu Tianyu seemed off today. Normally, such a situation would be the perfect chance for him, the “sharp sword,” to step in, just like when he avenged Chen Qing last time. This had been agreed upon during the winter break—challenging tasks were left to him!
Otherwise, why would he have dared to propose a one-on-one fight? He had thought that with Chu Tianyu’s backing, he could show off in front of these girls. But instead, Chu Tianyu held him back, and to his surprise, Chu Tianyu even took action himself. Though it was just a simple set of military boxing moves, Bai Lei knew those guys on the ground were in serious trouble!
“Chu Tianyu must be dealing with something!” Bai Lei concluded.
Though he thought so, he guessed he couldn’t solve it himself. But for the rest, he had to help Chu Tianyu cover things up. He said, “Hehe, I never thought that practicing a few martial arts moves in the club would be useful at a critical moment!”
“Really? Did you guys also participate?” asked the pretty girl A.
“Is it that amazing? I want to try it too!” said the delicate girl B.
“Yeah, I want to try too! Is there any self-defense training for women?” asked the ugliest-looking girl.
Good heavens! Hearing this, Bai Lei and Bao Cai looked at that girl and both thought, “You need self-defense? It seems others would need to defend themselves from you!”
But Bai Lei continued to boast, “Of course! Our martial arts are profound and extensive—far superior to trivial skills like judo or taekwondo! Not only do they strengthen the body, but also…”
As Bai Lei talked nonstop, everyone’s attention was quickly drawn to him—except one person: Li Rou.

Now she was extremely worried about Chu Tianyu, with endless wild thoughts in her head. Sometimes she wondered if Chu Tianyu had been injured in the fight just now and went to the hospital in a hurry to avoid worrying them. Other times she guessed that his sudden refusal in the car must have left him upset, hurting his feelings…
“Bai Lei, I’m done eating. I want to go back to school!” Li Rou suddenly said.
Bai Lei knew she was worried about Chu Tianyu and wanted to go back to school to see if he had returned. But since they had only eaten half of their meal and both main characters had left, it didn’t seem right for them who were just free-riding to stay behind!
However, Bai Lei was quick-witted. He came up with an idea and said, “Classmates, I have a suggestion. How about we have a big party tonight? We can pack up our food and go back to our dormitory to continue eating and chatting. That way, the atmosphere will be even warmer. After eating, we can play ‘Death Game’ all night. What do you think?”
Bai Lei’s persuasive suggestion was unanimously approved by everyone!
“Since everyone agrees, let’s ask the waiter to pack it up!”
Soon, Bai Lei started giving orders loudly, “Hmm, right, Bao Cai, you hold that fish head later…”
“Da Ge, you carry this box of drinks…”
“And those pretty girls, could you please help carry these plastic bags…”
“Damn it, you know how to talk but never lift a finger!” Bao Cai complained unhappily.
“Yeah, we’ve already taken everything. What are you doing?” Da Ge retorted uneasily.
Bai Lei, while picking his teeth with a toothpick, replied leisurely, “Pfft, what do you know? Everyone contributes to the revolution; it’s just a matter of division of labor. Someone has to take charge!”
“Die!” Instantly, Bai Lei was buried under a barrage of fruit peels thrown at him by the crowd.
…
Chu Tianyu barely managed to suppress the turbulent energy inside him as he rushed out of the bright restaurant hall. Although there were many pedestrians on the street and the streetlights were bright, it was still much dimmer than inside the restaurant. Without close attention, no one would notice the change in Chu Tianyu’s expression.

Chu Tianyu also felt his body temperature rising continuously, his face burning as if on fire, with a scorching sensation. It was a strange feeling—while his mind remained perfectly clear, able to recall how many streetlights he had avoided and how many intersections he had passed, his heart seemed to be beyond his control, filled with desire and brutality, with an urge to destroy everything at any moment. Chu Tianyu now tried to take secluded paths or less crowded alleys, but with the development of the city, there were very few such places left! His pace grew faster, and his body temperature rose even higher. Suddenly, he felt an explosion of energy within him; a swirl of dark mist enveloped him, and a powerful aura surged into the sky, causing distant thunder to rumble. Chu Tianyu’s senses seemed to expand along with this energy, detecting fluctuations in the energies of countless things. Soon, he sensed several large sources of energy not far away. Without hesitation, he transformed into a shadow and vanished into the darkness. When he reappeared, he found himself in an old-style Beijing courtyard. A strong black dragon aura instantly covered the entire courtyard, looking like dark clouds overhead, making it impossible to see inside. The people in the courtyard, sensing this pressure, rushed in as four figures. When they stopped, they were shocked by what they saw—the entire courtyard was shrouded in dark mist, and by the light from the buildings, they could faintly see a human-shaped shadow standing there, radiating intense energy that pressed down on them. They quickly used all their strength to resist. “This… friend, who are you? What is your connection to our families? Why come at us in the dead of night? What do you want?” asked an elderly man in his sixties, speaking reluctantly. “Fight me!” Chu Tianyu’s hoarse voice was completely distorted, sounding like that of some wild beast. “What? Friend, we’ve had no grudges in the past, nor any conflicts recently. What have our families done to offend you?” the old man asked desperately, clearly not ready to face such a formidable opponent. “No reason. Just… fight me!” Chu Tianyu said slowly, word by word.

“Since you still hide your true intentions, we too won’t be cautious—we’re not cowards, but…” The old man wanted to say more. The black dragon energy within Chu Tianyu could no longer bear it and roared fiercely, “You talk too much! Here’s my move!” With that, Chu Tianyu generated an even stronger gale and charged straight at the old men. The old men had also been maintaining their martial energy in readiness. Seeing Chu Tianyu’s fierce attack, they didn’t dare be careless and summoned all their strength, blocking with their palms in a posture resembling “Three Yangs Open Prosperity.” The moment they made contact, the decades of hard cultivation the old men had built up were swallowed by Chu Tianyu’s overwhelming power. Without a second’s pause, they spat blood and were flung backward, crashing heavily into the wall with a loud “Boom!” that created a huge hole.

“Old man…” As a figure rushed toward the injured old man, faint cold glimmers were released from her hands, aiming straight at Chu Tianyu to stop his pursuit. Along with these glimmers, two other figures attacked from the left and right, using fists and feet in a fierce assault on Chu Tianyu. In fact, Chu Tianyu had just fought hard against the black dragon energy, barely managing to recover most of his true energy; otherwise, that old man would have been reduced to flesh paste on the spot!

Yet this damned black dragon energy seemed especially sensitive to all forms of true energy. Those with cultivation skills were also found under its guidance, and judging by their strength, they were at least at the same level as Shaolin Zhiyu. For the subsequent attacks, Chu Tianyu didn’t move at all—the cold glimmers couldn’t even get close to him and fell back mid-air.

Chu Tianyu simply enjoyed the attacks from these two. Their true energy had its own unique characteristic: after being released, it seemed to have a spiral force that tried to penetrate his body. But under the might of the dragon energy, its power was like scratching through boots—useless. Still, Chu Tianyu finally felt a bit better, as if the pressure around him was somewhat relieved during their attacks.

But this relief was extremely weak and minimal. By the end, they were clearly exhausted, and even the old man’s spouse stepping in to help was of no use. Sensing that their energy had completely waned, Chu Tianyu took advantage of their full-force attacks like finding a rebound point, gathering all his true energy and slamming it at them.

A fierce force surged forward, instantly sending several people flying. This was also Chu Tianyu’s deliberate move to save their lives. As the punch blast pushed them aside, it also slammed hard into the floor of the entire house. With a loud “boom,” the whole house collapsed instantly, and a huge crater appeared on the ground, with dust and smoke billowing up.

Amidst the stunned expressions of everyone present, Chu Tianyu, surrounded by dark energy, swiftly flew across the sky in search of the next energy concentration point.

In the air, after that earlier outburst, Chu Tianyu finally managed to control the growing desire for destruction within him. Although it hadn’t diminished at all, at least it wasn’t increasing any further. Fortunately, he could control it; otherwise, if it continued to grow, he wasn’t sure if he would go mad, lose his sanity, and be overwhelmed by a desire to kill and destroy…

The capital city truly hid many talented and powerful individuals—countless cultivators and hermits with great skills. Chu Tianyu tried to target places where he sensed slightly stronger energy responses from the Black Dragon energy. Once he arrived, he didn’t give them a chance to talk; he attacked right away. After they fought back, he let them strike first, then used their attacks to launch his own counterattack, aiming at the ground or nearby buildings!

At this point, to these cultivators who had suffered unjustly, Chu Tianyu was nothing but terror—a manifestation of destruction…

Actually, it wasn’t Chu Tianyu’s fault. He had also tried to find open areas to release all that energy, but without any energy currents to draw it out, that damned Dragon energy refused to leave, leaving him extremely frustrated!

As he continued fighting, Chu Tianyu could no longer remember how many battles he had fought or how many buildings he had destroyed. But it was like quenching thirst with poison—the more he fought, the more addicted he became. Yet it also broadened his horizons, as he was exposed to various martial arts techniques he had never seen before, as if being demonstrated for him. These unique moves were extremely beneficial to him.

But now, Chu Tianyu’s mood grew increasingly anxious. As he continued to sweep through the capital with such strength, the energy that the Black Dragon energy could detect became smaller and more scattered. There were hardly any cultivators left for him to vent his fury on!

Just as Chu Tianyu wandered through the night sky, three extremely powerful energies streaked across the distant north, radiating an evil aura. Chu Tianyu felt delighted—heaven was merciful! Finally, he could encounter such powerful evil forces that would allow him to wreak havoc!

At the thought of this, a sense of fierce competition and bloodthirst arose. Chu Tianyu was also shocked, startled by his own intense emotions. Uncontrollably, his body moved forward under the embrace of dragon energy, chasing after those three streams of energy at high speed.
…
“Shao Lin’s bald fools and those stinky Taoists from Tiandao Temple—don’t push people too far! We’ve been chasing you for days and nights, yet you still insist on wiping us out completely. Where are all your so-called Buddhist and Taoist principles?” said several ordinary-looking people surrounded by them.
“Hmph, how dare you talk about Buddhist and Taoist principles? How about I explain national laws to you first! Your so-called ‘Soul’ organization robs first and arrests later, and is even involved in multiple murders. This time, there’s no way you can escape—just surrender!” Tian Zhan stepped forward and said.
“I know you’re Tian Zhan, the second-in-command of that Dragon Soul group—Shao Lin’s layman with braided hair, skilled in Hunyuan Yiqi and Dragon Claw techniques. But with your limited abilities, you’d be better off catching thugs or thieves. Stay out of our business, or no matter it’s Dragon Soul, Shao Lin, or Tiandao Temple, it will be easy for us of Soul to wipe you all out!”
“Tian Zhan, stop wasting words with them. I think they’re just buying time!” said a master from the Zhan family.
Hearing this, Tian Zhan waved his hand, and several figures rushed out from within the dark circle. He himself also launched a powerful attack with a sharp cry.
Realizing his plan had been exposed, the man was prepared and blocked the attack with his unique energy technique, Huifeng Boshui.
As the battle began, those surrounded seemed powerless, retreating step by step as their defensive circle was squeezed to its limit.
The leader was extremely anxious, unable to break free from Tian Zhan’s attacks. In terms of skill, he was actually stronger than Tian Zhan, but due to the urgent situation and distractions, Tian Zhan was going all out. With the balance shifting, he now had the upper hand, forcing the leader into chaos with his successive attacks.
At that moment, several loud howls echoed across the sky, growing louder as they approached. Eventually, the piercing sounds disrupted the fighters, who stopped fighting and focused on resisting with their energy.
The people of Soul smiled in joy, while Tian Zhan and Zhi Yu felt uneasy. After much effort to trap these members of Soul, could they have brought more reinforcements?

Sure enough, as the three black shadows rushed in with fierce winds, several members of the Dragon Soul faction and disciples of the Zhan family were blown away by the force, falling to the ground like piles of rotten meat and dying on the spot. Zhi Yu quickly pulled Tian Zhan back, clearing the area where the fight had taken place, only to see three thin old men dressed in black Zhongshan suits appear in the middle. Zhi Yu felt a severe headache—his past experience had taught him that this Soul Organization’s experts kept appearing one after another, each more powerful than the last. However, this seemed to indicate that the organization wasn’t very large or well-organized; otherwise, they wouldn’t keep spreading their forces, meaning they didn’t usually stay together! Although the old men wore the same clothes, pine, bamboo, and plum patterns were embroidered on their chests, symbolizing the “Three Friends of Winter.” “The National Security Bureau is handling this case. Who are you…?” Before the Zhan family expert who came with Tian Zhan could finish speaking, Old Man Pine sent a palm strike that severed his heart vessels, causing him to collapse. “Haha, what kind of country is this? I started my career during the Republic of China! Tonight, we’ll kill everyone!” With arrogance, he threw another punch at Tian Zhan and the others… Suddenly, an even louder and more frenzied shout of “Kill~~~!” came from afar, accompanied by thunderous booms, moving at a speed many times faster than those of the Three Friends of Winter! A swirl of black mist flashed forward, rushing at Old Man Pine like a mountain pressing down. Poor Old Man Pine, with only a hundred years of cultivation, tried to resist the dragon energy that had been cultivated for thousands of years. Before he could show off his strength, he was struck by Chu Tianyu’s powerful punch. He was instantly crushed by the black energy, his flesh torn apart, bones broken, and blood splattered everywhere—yet all was enveloped by the black energy, which gradually evaporated him under its immense force. At the same time, the scorching heat generated by Chu Tianyu’s punch expanded rapidly, accompanied by the powerful energy in the air, shooting forward and creating a storm of black dust that rushed at the remaining two old men and the Soul Organization members behind them! The remaining old men, Bamboo and Plum, were terrified and bit their tongues to instantly boost their cultivation using secret techniques, then used all their strength to resist. As soon as they made contact, the black energy, sensing such great power, emitted a brilliant black light, followed by a massive explosion. Everything in its path—people and objects—was instantly destroyed, reduced to ashes.