Chapter 37: I Am a Thief

As the two were speaking, the shrill wailing of police sirens sounded from outside.

“Let’s go, if we wait any longer, it’ll be too late.” Chu Tianfeng charged out ahead.

He hadn’t expected the police to arrive so soon. Had he known, he wouldn’t have bothered rescuing Long Fei and would have paid a visit to the cashier’s counter in the lobby instead. What he needed most right now was money—tuition fees were due, and he was still short several thousand.

“All right!” Long Fei, of course, had no idea what Chu Tianfeng was thinking. All he knew was that he was filled with gratitude toward his savior.

The two of them dashed out of the basement, saw that the coast was clear, and hurried onto the street.

“My benefactor,” Long Fei called out as they ran, “were all the Salt Society members killed by you?”

“Maybe a few managed to escape,” Chu Tianfeng replied with a slight smile.

He knew that while he had cleared the sixth floor, there were surely still Salt Society members on the other floors, most of whom had probably made their getaway by now.

“My benefactor…” Long Fei began, but Chu Tianfeng quickly interrupted, “Stop calling me that, it sounds awkward.”

“Uh…” Long Fei gave an embarrassed laugh, “All right, benefactor.”

Chu Tianfeng could only look up at the sky in resignation.

“Brother Lin, did you also kill Liu Zuo?” Long Fei finally corrected himself.

“No, it turns out Liu Zuo was lucky. He made it out to Thousand Bird Lake,” Chu Tianfeng said, a little impressed by Liu Zuo’s luck—he not only escaped with his life but also managed to find a scapegoat.

“Brother Lin, with Liu Zuo gone, I’d say it’s you who’s lucky!” Long Fei said, panting. “Liu Zuo is at the mid-stage of Energy Transformation. Don’t tell me you’re at the late stage?”

“What of it? Is that so surprising?”

A trace of mockery flashed through Chu Tianfeng’s eyes. The mere late stage of Energy Transformation was nothing to him now.

“How is that possible? You sound only in your twenties,” Long Fei pointed ahead, “Let’s run that way and take a night stroll by West Lake.”

“Anything is possible,” Chu Tianfeng thought to himself. This fellow was amusing; even after taking such a beating, he still had the mind to go sightseeing.

He had nowhere else to go anyway. Spending the night at West Lake would save him several hundred in accommodation, so he had no objections.

“A late-stage Energy Transformation martial artist in his twenties!” Long Fei stared at Chu Tianfeng in disbelief. “Even more impressive than my sister. I’m in awe!”

“Oh?”

“My sister is twenty-five, currently at the mid-stage. She’s been in seclusion lately, preparing to break through to the late stage,” Long Fei’s eyes shone with admiration.

“With diligence and hard work, Energy Transformation is hardly worth mentioning,” Chu Tianfeng said indifferently.

“Heh, I’m not cut out for that. I’d rather roam and enjoy my youth than waste it locked in a room,” Long Fei chuckled.

Chu Tianfeng was slightly speechless; this was the first time he’d heard such an attitude.

“To be honest, I’m actually on the run. I heard a treasure appeared at Thousand Bird Lake, so I went to look for it. After over a week, I found nothing—utterly frustrating,” Long Fei said, looking glum.

“And what brought you to Hang City?” Chu Tianfeng was feeling even more frustrated—he had no treasure, yet had been chased all over by martial artists.

“Heh, I heard the Salt Society had made a lot of money. I thought I’d win some off them at the gaming tables.”

Chu Tianfeng could only roll his eyes and look up at the sky again.

The pair ducked and weaved for more than half an hour before finally reaching West Lake.

By now, it was late. The streets were deserted. They didn’t stand on ceremony, simply scaling the wall to enter.

“I can’t go any further,” Long Fei flopped down on the stone steps as soon as they reached Broken Bridge.

“Haven’t you eaten?” Chu Tianfeng asked.

“Why wouldn’t I? I spent over a million, so I made sure to eat my fill at every meal,” Long Fei stretched lazily and let out a contented sigh.

“You weren’t afraid they’d kill you?” Chu Tianfeng found this guy rather thick-skinned—trapped as he was, he still thought about food and drink.

“They wouldn’t dare. They know I’m from the Long family,” Long Fei said disdainfully.

Long family? Chu Tianfeng was baffled. He’d never heard of such a clan.

“Oh, we’re an ancient martial family. Brother Lin, you must visit us someday.”

To be honest, Chu Tianfeng wasn’t especially interested in martial artists.

“By the way, do you have any spare clothes?” Long Fei pointed to his tattered attire. “These are really a bit much.”

Chu Tianfeng pulled a black T-shirt and jeans from his pack and tossed them over. “So, what are your plans now?”

“I’d like to take revenge on the Salt Society, but I’m no match for them,” Long Fei said, peeling off his shirt and tossing it aside. “If all else fails, I’ll just go home—the Hungry Ghost Festival is coming up anyway.”

“Oh?” Only then did Chu Tianfeng remember the Ghost Festival was near. Every year around this time, his predecessor would visit Chu Xiang’s grave to offer incense. Though his predecessor was gone and Chu Tianfeng himself had little to do with Chu Xiang, his body had once belonged to her son, so he intended to pay his respects on his behalf.

“What about you?” Long Fei asked, pulling the T-shirt over his head.

“I have some business in Shudian.” Chu Xiang had hoped to see her son make a name for himself one day and, before her death, had requested to be buried near the Shudian Film City cemetery, saying she could watch over him from there.

“Shudian? The film city?” Long Fei was already changing his pants.

“Yes,” Chu Tianfeng replied candidly. He found Long Fei to be straightforward and worth befriending.

“Brother Lin, there’s a Salt Society branch in Wu City, not far from Shudian. Why don’t we stir up some trouble there?” Long Fei’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh?” Chu Tianfeng was naturally pleased at the prospect. “How strong are they?”

“No idea,” Long Fei shook his head. “But I’d guess they’re about the same as the Hang City branch, maybe even weaker—after all, Hang City is the provincial capital.”

“All right.” Chu Tianfeng smiled. “Let’s head over and play it by ear.”

The next morning, after a quick wash, the two had breakfast at a noodle shop by West Lake and then made their way to Wu City.

To Chu Tianfeng’s surprise, the Salt Society’s Wu City branch was located in a high-end villa complex—private residences with strict daytime security, making reconnaissance impossible.

“What now, Brother Lin?” Long Fei asked.

“What else? We’ll come back at night.” Chu Tianfeng glanced at Long Fei. “With so little intel, I’ll sneak in alone tonight. You can wait outside.”

“You must be joking!” Long Fei’s eyes widened. “Am I the sort to shirk danger?”

“You—”

“If you’re my brother, don’t argue. My skills may be lacking, but my character isn’t,” Long Fei said, thumping his chest.

Chu Tianfeng could only relent.

That night, after dark, the two masked themselves in black, with Chu Tianfeng taking the lead as they slipped quietly into the villa district.

The Salt Society’s Wu City branch was a stand-alone villa, number 488, on the eastern side near the edge of the complex.

They approached the villa almost unimpeded. Chu Tianfeng instructed Long Fei to keep watch outside while he carefully infiltrated the building.

The villa had three stories, no surrounding wall, just some low shrubbery and flowerbeds as casual barriers.

There was no visible gatekeeper, but there were numerous surveillance cameras, covering nearly every angle.

Chu Tianfeng had to use his true energy to smash several cameras along the path, then employed his Wind Manipulation technique to dart swiftly to the villa’s corner.

He climbed up a drainpipe, light as a feather, to the second-floor window. Scanning the room with his spiritual sense, he discovered two beds, each with someone sleeping.

The window happened to be left open, so Chu Tianfeng slipped inside.

To avoid harming innocents, he didn’t kill the sleepers, but instead sealed all their acupoints, including the mute point.

He then opened the door and crept out into the corridor.

Just as he quietly closed the door behind him, a sudden shout rang in his ear: “Who’s there?”

Chu Tianfeng couldn’t help rolling his eyes. He hadn’t played the thief in years, and on his first attempt, he was already discovered—how unlucky.

He turned to see a young man standing by a doorway, glaring at him.

“If I said I was delivering a package, would you believe me?” Chu Tianfeng was dressed all in black, face masked, looking every bit the part of a thief.

“Courting death!” the young man shouted. “How dare you make trouble at the Salt Society!”

“This is the Salt Society?” Chu Tianfeng was overjoyed.

“That’s right!” The young man thought Chu Tianfeng was scared stiff. “Now that you’re here, don’t dream of leaving.”

Chu Tianfeng had planned to subdue everyone and question them, but this one had confessed straight away, saving him the trouble.

“Let’s see about that,” Chu Tianfeng replied, a sly smile on his lips. In a flash, he was beside the young man, his right fist shooting out!

Now that he knew these were Salt Society members and his presence was exposed, Chu Tianfeng didn’t intend to hold back.

He struck to kill.

Bang!

The young man was only at the initial stage of Hidden Energy—not nearly enough to withstand Chu Tianfeng’s blow.

With a wretched cry, he was sent flying, slamming into the door behind and knocking it open.

Chu Tianfeng followed close, landing another kick before the young man hit the ground.

Inside the room, another man was asleep. Roused by the chaos, he immediately reached for the nightstand.

A pistol was hidden there!

Chu Tianfeng had already sensed the mechanism. With a flick of his right hand, a volley of ice spikes shot forth!

The man, half-reclined on the bed and slow to react, was instantly riddled with ice spikes.

Chu Tianfeng paid him no further heed. Sensing more movement in the next room—someone groping for a gun—he darted over and kicked the door off its hinges.

Inside, two men had just grabbed their guns and tried to bring them to bear on Chu Tianfeng.

But he was faster. Almost as soon as the door flew open, his hands formed a rapid seal, sending two volleys of ice spikes in right after the door.

They were merely ants at the level of Hidden Energy—Chu Tianfeng didn’t spare them a thought.

Amidst the crackling of ice, the pair managed only a few screams before being sent to the afterlife.

There were four rooms on the second floor. Chu Tianfeng cleared three, leaving one.

The two inside, sensing trouble, didn’t bother dressing but leaped straight out the window to escape!