Chapter 53 Let Me Laugh for a Minute

There were still many people from all walks of life who cared about Chu Tianfeng, though admittedly fewer than before. Chu Tianfeng himself paid little heed to this. After spending a few nights at the guesthouse to recover from his injuries, he found himself unable to endure the bustling atmosphere any longer and fled instead to the outskirts of Tianhai, where he rented a small house.

The place was a small farmhouse situated on the border between city and countryside. The front yard was modest, scarcely fifty or sixty square meters, enclosed by a half-meter-high brick wall—just enough space to park two small cars side by side. The backyard, however, was much larger, with dozens of square meters devoted to vegetable beds, and over a hundred square meters filled with an orchard of peach and orange trees. What Chu Tianfeng appreciated most was the small river in the rear, less than a half-li away; in case of emergency, it would provide an easy escape route.

The house itself was two stories tall, each floor containing three rooms. The elderly couple who owned the property lived downstairs. The landlord, Mr. Xu, and his wife, Mrs. Liu, were both around seventy, natives of Pudong. They had a son and a daughter, but both worked out of town and only returned home during holidays.

The three rooms upstairs were rented out individually. Mr. and Mrs. Xu had originally hoped to rent them to three young women, believing girls to be more tidy and quiet, less likely to turn the house upside down or cause domestic chaos. Of course, they had no idea Chu Tianfeng was an impostor; his true self was a man, through and through.

The other two tenants were genuine girls. One was Tong Yu, with an oval face and elegant phoenix eyes, strikingly beautiful. Her figure was equally impressive—she was a model, signed with several clothing brands, earning a handsome income. She always wore designer clothes, embodying the image of an urban beauty, which made her seem somewhat out of place in the rustic Xu family farmhouse. Yet her personality was amiable, and her sweet voice—her frequent “Grandpa Xu, Grandma Liu”—never failed to delight the elderly couple.

She had moved in only a few days before Chu Tianfeng, making her the second tenant. The first was Chen Zhili, said to be a distant relative of the Xu family. Her appearance, figure, and dress were quite ordinary, as if she existed solely to accentuate Tong Yu’s charm by contrast; even her education fell short, having graduated from a vocational school rather than university. She worked as a saleswoman at a nearby distillery, often promoting products in local bars.

The two girls occupied the south-facing rooms upstairs, each with a small balcony where they could read or bask in the sun. Chu Tianfeng, under the alias Qian Ling, arrived last and took the north-facing room, overlooking the vegetable beds, fruit trees, and the gentle, murmuring river.

He enjoyed this tranquil, harmonious environment, finding it an ideal place for cultivation—though the spiritual energy here was disappointingly thin, even worse than at Qian Niao Lake. Still, Chu Tianfeng was satisfied; at least there were no flashing blades or lurking assassins, and he needn’t be on constant alert for danger.

He had always felt his cultivation was lacking, making him vulnerable everywhere, and longed to devote every hour of the day to practice. The peacefulness of this place suited his seclusion perfectly. To speed up his progress, he even consumed a demon pill to absorb its spiritual energy for cultivation.

Despite the poor spiritual environment, Chu Tianfeng believed that with enough diligence and time, he would achieve the same results. Thus, he rarely left his room, avoiding contact with the Xu couple and the two girls, venturing out only to buy instant noodles and other provisions from the local shop.

The Xu couple first noticed his reclusive habits, and soon Tong Yu and Chen Zhili became aware as well. They found his behavior puzzling; Tong Yu even visited his room one day to chat.

Fortunately, Chu Tianfeng had anticipated this suspicion. He purchased a laptop, kept it always on standby in his room. When Tong Yu asked about his profession, he claimed to be a university student majoring in performance, explaining that he’d neglected his studies for the sake of acting and was now catching up for upcoming make-up exams.

In truth, Chu Tianfeng’s original self had been a diligent student, passing every subject except English with ease. Tong Yu believed his story and passed it on to Chen Zhili and the Xu couple. From then on, the four ceased to speculate about him. To help him study in peace, the Xu couple moved their two dogs to the front yard. Tong Yu, who used to play loud music, now kept the volume low.

They cared about his wellbeing: the Xu couple often brought him bowls of their best dishes, and the two girls regularly checked on him, even gifting him packs of sanitary pads. Chu Tianfeng could only shake his head and smile wryly, grateful at least that their concern was restrained enough not to disrupt his cultivation.

He had already advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, and with several days of intensive practice, his true energy grew stronger, nearing the fifth layer.

One day, Tianhai Film Academy opened for the new semester. Chu Tianfeng stopped his cultivation, logged into online banking to pay his tuition. But when he inserted his USB drive and entered his account details, the system informed him his account had been locked, instructing him to call the bank’s complaint hotline.

He was stunned; he had recently deposited seven hundred thousand yuan, hard-earned through his pretentious exploits, and had no intention of letting the bank confiscate it without reason.

He dug out his unused phone, powered it on, and dialed the bank’s hotline. The customer service agent was courteous and gentle, patiently asking for his name, card number, account opening date and address, contact information, and so forth. She explained the circumstances under which an account might be locked and the steps to unlock it, but after several minutes of discussion, she only promised to record his complaint and provide a response within twenty-four hours. In the end, she asked him to rate her service, urging him to press one if he was very satisfied.

Chu Tianfeng was frustrated, tempted to curse and even drag the agent over for a beating. If he didn’t transfer his tuition in time, he’d have to pay in person—and he could well imagine that every corner of the academy would be waiting for him, ready to throw a black bag over his head if he dared show himself.

He skipped the evaluation and hung up.

Helpless, Chu Tianfeng left the house, planning to visit a nearby bank for answers. But he’d barely stepped out when he heard a loud buzzing overhead.

He frowned. A few dozen meters away, a military helicopter hovered in the sky. A woman clad in black tactical gear descended swiftly on a rope.

Chu Tianfeng looked at the dark gun barrels beneath the helicopter and felt his scalp tingle.

He knew the chopper was sent for him, likely related to his phone call. Still, he didn’t believe the visitors meant him harm—if they had ill intentions, they wouldn’t bother sending someone down, but would simply rain bullets from above.

Nevertheless, Chu Tianfeng remained vigilant; he disliked entrusting his life to others.

The woman approached calmly, her lips curled in a faint smile. She looked to be in her twenties—beautiful and refined, with an oval face, delicate brows, cherry-red lips, and two charming dimples. Her figure was average, her hair tied in a ponytail, and she walked gracefully to Chu Tianfeng.

To his surprise, she possessed mid-level internal strength, causing Chu Tianfeng’s lips to curl knowingly.

“Chu Tianfeng, you were hard to find,” she said. Her voice matched her appearance, clear and refined.

“Is there something you want?” Chu Tianfeng replied in his true voice. Since she knew his identity, there was no point in pretending anymore; besides, speaking in a falsetto every day was growing tiresome.

“So it really is you?” The woman widened her eyes.

Chu Tianfeng was annoyed—she’d only been probing, not certain of his identity. Cunning woman! The thought irritated him.

She chuckled, “Honestly, seeing a grown man dressed like this, I’m having trouble accepting it.” She held up a finger, “Give me one minute. Let me laugh for a minute, alright?”

Chu Tianfeng turned to leave, thinking, “Laugh all you want—do you think I enjoy dressing as a woman?”

“Hey! Hey!” she stomped, calling after him. “If I stop laughing, will that do? Honestly!”

Chu Tianfeng paused, mentally cursing her again.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Du Jingjing, from the Special Operations Group of Huaxia.” She extended her right hand.

“So you’re the ones who froze my bank card? And tracked my phone?” Chu Tianfeng crossed his arms, ignoring Du Jingjing’s offered hand.

He wasn’t a fool. The moment he hung up the phone, a helicopter appeared overhead; coupled with the mysterious lock on his bank account, he realized he’d been set up.

He disliked being manipulated, and had no intention of shaking hands with the perpetrator.

“You really are unusual,” Du Jingjing said awkwardly, withdrawing her hand. “Yes, we froze your card just to draw you out.”

“And then?” Chu Tianfeng raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t misunderstand—we mean you no harm,” Du Jingjing finally grew serious. “We just want to talk.”

“Talk about what? I doubt there’s anything to discuss between us.” Chu Tianfeng had no idea what the Special Operations Group of Huaxia did, but their unauthorized freezing of his card infuriated him.

“We know your current predicament,” Du Jingjing looked at him with clear, bright eyes, “and we can help you.”

“Help? What a joke. Are you going to freeze all my other cards too?” Chu Tianfeng replied sourly.

Du Jingjing laughed again. “To be honest, all your cards have already been frozen.”

Chu Tianfeng was livid, his right fist clenched. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”