Chapter 17: A Reasonable Argument

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Not long after returning from the stables, Chu Tianfeng was summoned to Zhang Qiang’s office.

Chu Tianfeng thought Zhang Qiang wanted to see him about exceeding his horseback riding time and hurried to apologize.

“No problem,” Zhang Qiang said with a chuckle, motioning for him to sit. “I heard you’re quite skilled at riding?”

Chu Tianfeng offered a modest smile. “I manage well enough.”

“The horse trainer said he saw you leap on and off the horse. You must have ridden often before, right?” Zhang Qiang didn’t sit, instead turning to the water dispenser.

“Occasionally,” Chu Tianfeng replied with a knowing smile as he watched Zhang Qiang’s movements.

It seemed to have become Zhang Qiang’s habit to pour him water; of course, Chu Tianfeng thought it was a good habit worth keeping.

“Ha, Wu Bai’s fight scene has already been delayed for several days. I was worried your riding skills weren’t up to par and thought we’d have to postpone even longer.”

Zhang Qiang poured a glass of water, set it on the coffee table before Chu Tianfeng, and gestured for him to help himself.

“Thank you,” Chu Tianfeng said gratefully.

“Get ready. We’ll hold a screen test this afternoon. If all goes well, we’ll start shooting tomorrow night. How does that sound?”

Every day of delay cost the crew hundreds of thousands, so Zhang Qiang’s mood was understandable.

“No problem,” Chu Tianfeng replied cheerfully.

The crew couldn’t afford delays—neither could Chu Tianfeng, whose finances were much worse than the production’s.

“Good. Here’s the script. We’ll discuss other details on set tomorrow,” Zhang Qiang said, handing him a folder.

“Alright. Thank you, Director Zhang.”

After leaving Zhang Qiang’s office, Chu Tianfeng hurried to the cafeteria and grabbed a quick bite.

The afternoon’s audition went very smoothly. Yang Yi was quite satisfied and gave Chu Tianfeng some encouragement, also showering the makeup artist with praise.

Toward dusk, Chu Tianfeng, as usual, made his way to the lakeside.

The sun had just set, the sky awash in crimson—like a river stained with blood, both mournful and magnificent.

The clouds above seemed set ablaze by some fiery magic, burning fiercely.

It was a breathtaking sight.

But Chu Tianfeng was in no mood to appreciate it.

Half a mile away, Peng Yongliang and his companions were even less inclined to admire the view.

The six of them, fully armed, were meticulously searching every tree and bush.

“Damn it, we were right on his tail and still lost him again,” Yuan Qi grumbled, frustrated.

Determined not to lose Chu Tianfeng as they had the previous night, he had skipped dinner and stood watch at the crew’s gate, a few buns in hand.

He’d seen Chu Tianfeng head out toward the lake with his own eyes.

“Don’t lose hope. He can’t have gone far,” Peng Yongliang said.

He was in much the same state as Yuan Qi—he hadn’t slept well for two nights, driven only by the urge to catch Chu Tianfeng and give him a beating.

“This place is so remote, not even a road. What’s he always coming out here for?” Wei Neng wondered aloud.

Yuan Qi, hearing this, grew suspicious. “Is there treasure buried here?”

“You’re overthinking. This place is deserted—even birds don’t bother. Why would there be treasure? And even if there were, why would only Chu Tianfeng know and no one else?” Peng Yongliang scoffed. If fortune were to fall from the sky, it ought to land on him, not someone like Chu Tianfeng—any other outcome would be a waste.

The others nodded in agreement.

“Maybe he’s just looking for a scenic spot to bury himself,” Wei Gong, usually quiet, suddenly spoke up.

“Exactly! Ha!” Yuan Qi laughed. “We can’t let him down.”

Peng Yongliang, however, gritted his teeth. “I don’t want to bury him. I want to chop him up and feed him to the fish.”

Suddenly, someone pointed into the distance and shouted, “There’s someone over there!”

Everyone looked up at once.

About two hundred meters away, beneath a large tree by the water, several rocks of various sizes lay scattered.

Upon one of the rocks, a human figure sat cross-legged.

Both the rock and the person appeared pitch black.

Though his face was indistinguishable, Peng Yongliang was certain it was Chu Tianfeng—he’d left earlier wearing a black T-shirt and black pants.

The others realized as much, their faces breaking into wild grins.

“Surround him—don’t let him escape!” Peng Yongliang ordered in a low voice.

“This time, we have to take him out,” Peng Qi’s expression flashed with malice.

The group fanned out, slowly closing in on the figure by the water.

Minutes later, the six of them reached him, making their presence known.

“Chu Tianfeng!” Peng Yongliang roared.

Sure enough, it was him.

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But what happened next greatly exceeded Peng Yongliang’s expectations.

Chu Tianfeng slowly opened his eyes. He neither panicked nor tried to flee.

Instead, he smiled faintly, as if greeting old friends: “What took you so long?”

Peng Yongliang and Yuan Qi, full of doubts, exchanged glances, then looked around warily.

Surrounded, Chu Tianfeng had no reason to be so calm.

One man against six—under normal circumstances, he should be scared out of his wits.

Yet he seemed utterly unconcerned.

There could be only one reason: he must have backup—and not a small number.

The others weren’t fools either and began searching the area with wide eyes.

Of course, Chu Tianfeng saw their nervousness and couldn’t help but laugh.

His laughter only confirmed their suspicions and made them even more uneasy.

“Chu Tianfeng, call your men out! Let’s settle this openly!” Peng Yongliang’s heart was pounding.

The others felt the same.

They’d come to attack, not to be attacked.

Chu Tianfeng laughed even harder at this.

“If you’ve got guts, come out! Hiding isn’t the way of a real man!” Yuan Qi shouted at the surrounding bushes.

Chu Tianfeng was nearly in tears from laughing.

The Wei brothers, the more timid of the group, couldn’t help but tremble.

“Alright, enough games. I’ll be honest—there’s only me here,” Chu Tianfeng said as he slowly stood.

Peng Yongliang didn’t believe him. He waved his machete. “Fine, single combat it is!”

He thought to himself, the enemy must have numbers—only by proposing a duel could he neutralize their advantage and have a chance.

Chu Tianfeng’s lips curled in a faint smile. “I don’t have time to waste with you. All of you, come at me together.”

Peng Yongliang was increasingly confused. It really did seem like Chu Tianfeng was alone—no backup.

If he had help, why risk fighting six alone?

Was he looking for a beating?

But Chu Tianfeng really seemed intent on fighting all six alone, and looked utterly unconcerned. What was going on here?

Possessed by a superhero?

Didn’t seem like it.

In any case, it didn’t add up.

Seeing the group hesitate, Chu Tianfeng lost patience.

He didn’t want to waste time on these halfwits.

With swift hand seals, he summoned the Wind Riding Technique.

His figure flashed, gliding down from the rock and charging at Peng Yongliang’s group.

A collective gasp—Peng Yongliang and the others were terrified at his ghostly speed.

Anyone with an eye could see—no ordinary person could move like that.

This wasn’t a superhero—more like an evil martial arts master out of legend!

No wonder he was so fearless, joking even as he faced six.

Bang!

Peng Yongliang bore the brunt—before he could react, Chu Tianfeng sent him flying with a punch, his machete clattering to the ground.

A wretched scream followed.

Next was Yuan Qi, standing right beside Peng Yongliang.

They say proximity brings opportunity; being close, he received the next fist.

Chu Tianfeng’s punch landed heavily on his shoulder.

Another scream and he traced a graceful arc through the air.

Thud! Thud!

The two landed in succession, flattening the grass beneath them.

Chu Tianfeng spun toward the Wei brothers.

Wei Neng reacted quickly. As soon as Chu Tianfeng leapt forward, he dropped his stick and fell to his knees with a thud.

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Wei Gong hesitated a moment, but his learning was quick—he knelt down just as promptly.

Chu Tianfeng rushed over, fist poised in midair.

“Chu Tianfeng, we’ve got no grudge, right?” Wei Neng managed a smile, shameless as could be.

“You chased me with a stick and claim we’ve no grudge? What am I supposed to think?” Chu Tianfeng replied, glancing at the other two.

Those two were deeply unsettled—by both Chu Tianfeng’s prowess and the Wei brothers’ reaction.

They weren’t heroes themselves and had no desire to learn the art of screaming from Peng and Yuan. Though reluctant, they too knelt down slowly.

“Chu Tianfeng, we have even less reason to fight you,” one cried out.

Their relationship with Peng Yongliang was as shallow as with the Wei brothers—they weren’t about to risk their necks for him.

“We only came because Peng Yongliang talked us into it and for the money. We never wanted to cause you trouble,” Wei Neng protested, still wearing that shameless grin.

“Yes, yes,” one of the others chimed in immediately.

At times like this, survival trumped pride or loyalty; all that went out the window.

The ship of friendship with Peng Yongliang had thoroughly capsized.

“Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. Even if I wanted to stop, I’d have no reason to,” Chu Tianfeng said, swinging his fist toward Wei Neng.

“There’s a reason! Really, there is!” Wei Neng cried, reaching for his pocket.

Chu Tianfeng halted, wary of his right hand.

But Wei Neng only pulled out a wallet, quickly removing all the cash and holding it up with both hands. “How’s this for a reason?” he pleaded.

Chu Tianfeng couldn’t help but laugh, giving the stack of bills a cursory glance.

He was desperately short of money—if someone offered, he couldn’t and wouldn’t refuse.

He hadn’t paid the rent in Hengdian, nor the utilities. In a month or so, he’d owe a huge sum to Tianhai Film Academy.

And the last of his Foundation Elixir would soon run out—he’d need to buy more spirit herbs.

Still, the cash Wei Neng offered was rather thin, maybe two or three thousand at best—a bit stingy.

Seeing his frown, Wei Gong followed suit, pulling out a much thicker wad—over four thousand, by the look of it.

“Alright, that’s a good enough reason.” Chu Tianfeng pocketed both sums.

He turned to the other two. “And your reasons?”

He was a little ashamed of himself. He used to steal what he needed—now he’d stooped to outright robbery.

Though these people were hardly innocents.

But theft and robbery were very different.

Stealing required skill; robbery required none—just a threat: “This mountain is mine, this tree I’ve planted. If you want to pass, leave a toll!”

No challenge, no satisfaction.

So he resolved to stick to thieving in the future.

“Here’s mine,” one said, holding up three thousand or so.

Chu Tianfeng accepted it with a smile.

The last man, trembling, handed over a few hundred with a pained expression. “It’s all I have.”

Chu Tianfeng was deeply disappointed, took the money, and gave him a light slap on the head. “Next time, be more frugal.”

The man saw stars but dared not utter a word.

Meanwhile, Peng and Yuan were still groaning.

Chu Tianfeng walked over.

Ignoring their struggles, he took their wallets and emptied them. “You carry so little and dare call yourselves tough guys? Shameful!”

Then he gave each a kick. “Get out of here! I’d better not see you again!”

He’d thought of killing Peng and Yuan, but that would mean killing the others too, or risk word getting out—an unmanageable mess.

But aside from those two, he really had “no grudge” with the rest, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Besides, after netting more than ten thousand, his mood was greatly improved—a general pardon seemed only fitting.