Chapter 19: No

Once again, it was a night shrouded in darkness.
The blackness of the night was swept by a matching ominous wind.
Within that chilling wind, a contingent of men and horses was retreating in disarray, their formation broken, chaos reigning.
Suddenly, a multitude of blood-red torches flared in the night sky.
The glow from the torches painted the heavens crimson, casting their fierce light over the faces below.
Beneath each illuminated face stood ranks of long spears, their cold steel tips glinting with murderous intent.
“Attack!”
A thunderous command split the night!
“Attack!”
Countless voices echoed back, as if the darkness itself had begun to boil and surge.
Wu Bo led his men, charging from the shadows at breakneck speed!
Among the fleeing soldiers, a formidable general spurred forward, sword drawn across his horse’s neck, shouting, “Name yourself if you dare!”
“I am Zhou Yu, Grand Commander of Eastern Wu. Dismount and prepare to die!” Wu Bo roared in return.
The enemy general’s face twisted with rage. With a howl, he swung his demon-faced blade in a deadly arc.
Wu Bo parried with his spear.
The two clashed viciously, exchanging blow for blow.
At that moment, several enemy archers emerged, bows drawn and arrows nocked, all aiming at once.
“Pause!” Yang Yi’s commanding voice boomed.
Chu Tianfeng immediately rushed forward, replacing Wu Bo on set.
A rain of arrows flew through the darkness.
Chu Tianfeng spun his spear in a dazzling shield, deflecting the arrows with swift precision.
Yet while he could protect himself, he could not shield his horse.
Suddenly, an arrow struck his mount, which reared in agony, throwing Chu Tianfeng to the ground.
The wounded beast bolted, dragging him along by the reins he refused to release.
Enemy soldiers closed in, blades and spears raised, hacking toward the vulnerable Chu Tianfeng.
After dashing several dozen meters, Chu Tianfeng let out a mighty shout, tapped his toe against the earth, and soared skyward, landing back astride his horse. With a single sweeping strike, he scattered several enemy soldiers.
“Cut!” Yang Yi’s voice crackled with excitement through the loudspeaker.
Applause and cheers erupted among the crew.
Standing amidst the crowd, Chu Tianfeng snapped his fingers: another five thousand in the bag!
After half an hour’s rest, the next scene was ready to shoot.
Now, the set was transformed into a blazing inferno, a sea of flames consuming everything.
Chu Tianfeng’s horse, grievously wounded, finally collapsed.
But as it fell, it carried Chu Tianfeng into the heart of the conflagration.
Before filming began, Chu Tianfeng donned a fire-resistant suit under his armor and doused himself with water.
Truthfully, such precautions were almost unnecessary for him. If he activated his true energy shield, ordinary flames would pose no threat.
He rolled through the burning scene, then leapt high, vaulting clear of the fire.
Wu Bo then took over, charging into the enemy ranks to slay foes and seize a new mount.
But that was Wu Bo’s business, and had nothing more to do with him.
For Chu Tianfeng, this scene was child’s play—no challenge at all, like picking up money off the ground.
Yet the performance fee was still five thousand.
Fearing his face might be burned, the production team even bought a special insurance policy for him, which left Chu Tianfeng both amused and exasperated.
With this scene wrapped, Chu Tianfeng’s recent filming tasks were complete.
He could finally relax for a while and enjoy some well-earned rest.
As he was removing his makeup, Zhang Qiang approached, asking if he wanted to continue as an extra.

Chu Tianfeng nearly dropped to his knees in disbelief.
His earnings these days had been substantial—four stunt jobs netted him twenty thousand, and with the twelve thousand donated by Peng Yongliang and the others, he now had thirty-two thousand in hand.
At the moment, cultivation was his highest priority. Playing bit parts might bring in cash, but the returns were paltry and a waste of precious time.
So he declined Zhang Qiang’s kind offer.
Zhang Qiang understood and didn’t press the matter.
As Chu Tianfeng left the makeup room, the sky suddenly opened up with a torrential downpour.
Having been so busy with filming and cultivation lately, he’d barely had a good night’s sleep.
He decided to grant himself a brief holiday, to sleep soundly for once.
“Hello!” Just as he was about to dash into the rain, a clear voice called out beside him.
Turning, Chu Tianfeng noticed two figures standing under the eaves—two strikingly pretty figures.
It was Xiao Yunmeng and Shi Xiaomei, and it was Xiao Yunmeng who had greeted him.
“Hello to you both,” Chu Tianfeng replied with a gentle smile.
“Do you have a moment?” Xiao Yunmeng asked hopefully.
Chu Tianfeng nodded.
“Our car is parked here, but our driver’s at the Century Hotel. The rain’s too heavy for him to come, so I was hoping you could give us a ride. Would that be alright?”
Chu Tianfeng hesitated, longing for sleep, but seeing the two women shivering beneath the eaves, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
Besides, the Century Hotel wasn’t far—just seven or eight miles along the road to Qianiao Lake Town. Even at a slow pace, they’d arrive in ten minutes.
“Do you have a license? How many years have you been driving?” Shi Xiaomei interjected.
Xiao Yunmeng rolled her eyes, snatched the keys from Shi Xiaomei, and handed them to Chu Tianfeng. “You can bring the car back tonight. The rain’s heavy, so drive carefully.”
Though Chu Tianfeng had held a license for over three years, he hadn’t driven much and was only an average hand behind the wheel.
“What should we call you?” As soon as they left the studio grounds, Xiao Yunmeng asked.
“Chu Tianfeng.” He kept his eyes on the road, not turning his head.
Xiao Yunmeng smiled, “I heard your riding skills are impressive. Where did you learn?”
“Self-taught,” he replied, unable to admit he’d once ridden spirit beasts and only recently switched to horses.
“Really? They say you can do a series of backflips on horseback, even the trainers were stunned.”
Xiao Yunmeng sounded genuinely surprised.
“Maybe the trainers’ eyes were playing tricks on them,” Shi Xiaomei cut in with a hint of disdain.
Chu Tianfeng glanced at the rearview mirror, catching sight of Shi Xiaomei’s curled lip.
“Sorry,” Xiao Yunmeng apologized quickly. “Actually, Xiaomei’s a good person, really.”
Chu Tianfeng couldn’t for the life of him see in what way.
Xiao Yunmeng could only shoot Shi Xiaomei a helpless look before turning back to Chu Tianfeng. “I heard you’re a stunt performer?”
“I’m a double, actually. I stand in for Wu Bo.”
Chu Tianfeng was candid; he knew Xiao Yunmeng must have heard as much.
Shi Xiaomei burst out laughing. “Has Wu Bo tried to recruit you for his studio?”
“How do you know?” Chu Tianfeng was puzzled. When Wu Bo had brought it up, they’d been alone in the makeup room. He’d never told anyone, and Wu Bo wasn’t one to gossip.
“Wu Bo’s always poaching talent. A lot of directors are annoyed with him. Director Yang warned us when we first arrived not to trust Wu Bo too easily,” Shi Xiaomei replied with a smirk.
Xiao Yunmeng could only shake her head with a wry smile.
Chu Tianfeng let out a silent sigh of relief—so that was it.
“I’d advise you not to work with Wu Bo,” Shi Xiaomei went on, tucking her hair behind her ear. “He’s not trustworthy. Hardly anyone stays at his studio for a full year.”
Chu Tianfeng thought to himself, Close call!
Perhaps not wanting Shi Xiaomei to gossip further, Xiao Yunmeng quickly changed the subject. “By the way, did Director Yang dock your bonus?”
“I never had a bonus to begin with,” Chu Tianfeng answered with a faint smile.
If he’d had a bonus, maybe he wouldn’t have needed to push himself so hard—dying dozens of times a month was a humiliating thought.

“They didn’t dock your pay, did they?” Shi Xiaomei asked, tapping the back of Chu Tianfeng’s seat.
He paused, then smiled wryly. “Let’s hope they don’t remember to.”
Money was tight, and he valued every penny.

———

The next day, after collecting his wages, Chu Tianfeng decided to buy some more spirit herbs.
He took the shuttle bus and reached Jianmen Market around noon.
There was a small restaurant by the station, so he stepped inside for a meal.
But the moment he saw one of the faces inside, he nearly turned and fled.
A square-faced young man—the same square-faced member of the Tomb Raiders he’d met before!
Beside him sat another young man with a long face and a prominent black mole on his forehead.
A few small dishes and bottles of beer sat on their table.
Remembering the confrontation at the antique market, Chu Tianfeng’s skin crawled.
He silently cursed himself for not checking the almanac before going out—how could he have run into such a bringer of misfortune?
The square-faced youth, of course, noticed him too, smiling slyly and even nodding in mock greeting.
Chu Tianfeng could only nod back, forcing himself to appear calm as he sat down.
He was certain the man was laughing at him—he could almost see the two large earrings dangling from the man’s ears sneering as well.
Sitting there was agony.
When his food arrived, he ate hurriedly, practically shoveling it down.
After finishing, he stood, nodded stiffly at the square-faced youth once more, and walked out as calmly as he could.
Once at the roadside, he flagged down a taxi and vanished in a puff of metaphorical smoke.
When Chu Tianfeng left the restaurant, the square-faced youth was eating, not planning to pursue him.
But when Chu Tianfeng moved to flag a cab, he happened to glance out and noticed two men following him—one of whom he recognized.
“How interesting,” the square-faced youth murmured, a sly smile playing on his lips.
He set down his glass, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood.
“What’s up, Senior Tan?” his companion, the mole-faced youth, asked.
He turned, following Tan’s gaze outside, but saw only an unremarkable young man about to board an equally unremarkable taxi.
“We’ll follow and talk as we go,” the square-faced youth said, rising.
Though a bit disgruntled, the mole-faced youth quickly took out his wallet, left two hundred on the table, and followed him out.
“Do you know who that kid was?” Tan asked, watching Chu Tianfeng get into the cab.
The other shook his head.
“Remember the alchemy furnace I gave to our master? I snatched it from him,” Tan said, not hiding his pride.
“What? Then why chase after him?”
Having already robbed the man, common sense would be to avoid him, not seek him out.
“I wasn’t planning to. But when I saw Hu Changde from the Salt Society following him, I decided to join the fun.”
By now, Chu Tianfeng’s taxi was long gone. The square-faced youth glanced at another cab by the curb.
“That kid is strange. He was the first to spot that alchemy furnace. And the Salt Society’s people never act without profit—Hu Changde is a top operative in the Hangzhou branch and doesn’t move lightly.”
“So you think…”
“I suspect they’ve found something—maybe even something connected to the Qianiao Lake treasure.”
Greed blazed in his eyes, as if he could already see a mountain of golden artifacts beckoning.
“Should we inform our master and bring more men?”
Uncertain of the others’ strength, the mole-faced youth felt uneasy.
“No, the lead is still tenuous. Let’s follow and see how things develop.”
With that, the square-faced youth raised his hand to flag a taxi in the distance.