Chapter 56: Not Seeing You Off, Bai Bai

The next day, as usual, Chu Tianfeng got up early, took a rickshaw for over ten minutes to reach the subway station, and then rode the subway for forty minutes to arrive at the college.

Upon entering the campus, Chu Tianfeng removed his mask beside the teaching building, revealing his true face.

During make-up exams, identity checks were required, so he naturally had to take the test under his own name.

Yesterday, Du Jingjing had offered to help, but he had refused. He didn’t want to owe her a favor—more precisely, he didn’t want to be indebted to the Special Operations Unit.

Fortunately, the exam process went smoothly. No martial artists intervened, and there were no martial artists lurking around the exam site.

The questions, however, were somewhat challenging. Chu Tianfeng had only prepared for about ten days, so the outcome was predictable. Thankfully, he had his spiritual sense as a cheat: he answered what he could, and for what he couldn’t, he discreetly scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense.

Two hours later, Chu Tianfeng left the exam room satisfied.

He knew that even if he didn’t score highly, passing wouldn’t be a problem.

He took out his phone to check the time, considering where to go for lunch.

"Second Senior Brother, Master is calling! Second Senior Brother, Master is calling! Second Senior Brother—"

What kind of ridiculous ringtone was this? Chu Tianfeng cursed inwardly but still pressed the answer key.

"You’re surrounded! Don’t hang up, I’ll guide you out of the campus," Du Jingjing’s urgent voice sounded from the phone.

Chu Tianfeng glanced around and indeed spotted more than a dozen suspicious figures.

Some were near, some far, both men and women, the oldest around forty or fifty, the youngest perhaps only in their twenties. What they all had in common was the dead-fish gaze they fixed on Chu Tianfeng.

With a smack, Chu Tianfeng hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket.

When it came to escaping, he didn’t think Du Jingjing could outdo him, nor did he want to take her instructions. Besides, that absurd ringtone she’d set was deeply irritating!

He had a master, and her name was Qian Ling!

Only she could order him around—he would bow his head and obey!

If she told him to go east, he wouldn’t dare head west; if she told him to beat a dog, he’d never curse a chicken!

Du Jingjing stood on the second floor of a teaching building, glaring at her watch in frustration. "Stupid pighead! How dare he hang up on me!"

"What now?" came a young man’s voice through her earpiece.

"Hmph!" Du Jingjing bit her little canine tooth in anger. "Bring the car around. We’ll follow him and cover him as best we can."

Chu Tianfeng, however, had no interest in catering to Du Jingjing’s moods, nor did he have the time.

At that moment, several middle-aged men strolled toward him, two of them wearing faint smiles.

No doubt, these were formidable opponents.

Chu Tianfeng had no intention of fighting. He turned and headed toward another teaching building.

"Stop!" one of the men shouted.

Chu Tianfeng ignored him and quickened his pace.

"Stop!" another voice called, this one farther away, as its owner broke into a jog.

Chu Tianfeng raised his middle finger behind him and broke into a sprint.

Running, like a cold, proved contagious; soon everyone around him, regardless of their own plans, also burst into a run.

Students and teachers on campus stared in confusion. Some quickly pulled out their phones to snap photos; others assumed a film was being shot and looked around for cameras.

Xu Yan and Jiang Ziyue happened to be walking out of a teaching building and saw the group of running people. At first, they too thought it was a film crew.

But Jiang Ziyue had sharp eyes. She was the first to spot Chu Tianfeng at the head of the crowd.

"Look, it’s Chu Tianfeng!" Jiang Ziyue cried out.

"What?" Xu Yan also recognized the dashing figure. "He’s so bold, daring to come to the college!"

"He’s awesome!" Jiang Ziyue jumped with excitement, quickly pulling out her phone like the other students.

"He’s crazy. What if they catch him?" Xu Yan said anxiously.

"Don’t worry. They couldn’t catch him before, and they won’t now," Jiang Ziyue replied optimistically.

...

Chu Tianfeng unleashed his Wind-Riding Technique, moving as fast as the men in front, but he knew the campus better than they did. In just a few moves, he dashed up to the sixth-floor balcony of the teaching building.

The martial artists followed, arriving on the fifth and sixth floors. Two who were slower had only just reached the base of the building—these were Du Jingjing and her teammate.

Chu Tianfeng smiled, looked back at the martial artists, and waved lightly. "Farewell!"

Then, with a nimble movement, he vaulted over the balcony railing and dove toward the ground.

The sixth-floor balcony—effectively the roof of the fifth floor—stood about twenty meters high.

The martial artists gasped in shock. In their minds, the prize was about to be smashed to bits!

Even Du Jingjing and her teammate below thought the same.

Du Jingjing was filled with disappointment. She’d been on this case for a month or two and had finally gotten somewhere, only to see her informant leap to his death before her very eyes.

She was genuinely distraught, on the verge of tears.

Yet, just as everyone was sure Chu Tianfeng was doomed, his figure landed steadily atop a pine tree, then slid down the bending trunk with a rustling sound, rolling over and over on the ground before leaping up in one swift motion.

What?

The martial artists on the balcony were dumbfounded, exchanging incredulous glances.

Rumor had it that Chu Tianfeng’s lightness skill was unmatched—and now they saw it firsthand!

Two of the middle-aged martial artists, confident in their own skills, were unwilling to accept this. The pair vaulted over the railing almost simultaneously.

They didn’t dare jump straight from the sixth floor, instead dropping down to the fifth-floor balcony, then from there aiming for the pine trees below.

Perhaps they’d overestimated their abilities, or perhaps the strength of the pine trees. Unlike Chu Tianfeng, they crashed into the trees with loud thuds.

The trees broke with cracking sounds, snapping in two!

The pair hit the ground, blood trickling from their mouths, unable to rise for quite some time.

The rest weren’t so foolish. Most rushed for the stairs, thundering down as quickly as they could.

A few of the more daring martial artists, eager to save time, leapt from balcony to balcony until they reached the third floor, then jumped down to the treetops, landing safely.

Du Jingjing and her teammate snapped out of their shock, ducked into the crowd of students, and ran for the car parked by the roadside.

Du Jingjing’s face was alight with joy. Although she’d heard tales of Chu Tianfeng’s unrivaled lightness and throwing skills, seeing was believing.

She felt a surge of excitement, and was secretly glad to have met Chu Tianfeng. Maybe, if she learned a technique or two, she could become a flying heroine herself.

Chu Tianfeng had no time to care about whether his actions were astonishing. He sped into the campus park, passed by the gymnasium, and entered a dining hall.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the dining hall, hair flowing down his shoulders, walking with a gentle, feminine grace.

The martial artists dashed past him in a rush, storming into the dining hall.

"Second Senior Brother, Master is calling! Second Senior Brother—"

Chu Tianfeng frowned slightly and elegantly pressed the answer key.

"Where are you?" Du Jingjing’s anxious voice came through again.

"Dining Hall Three," Chu Tianfeng replied, pinching his voice to sound sweet. "What’s wrong? You miss me after just one day? How annoying!"

"Ugh..." Du Jingjing shuddered in disgust, nearly throwing up her dinner, "Stay there, we’ll come get you."

"No need, I can manage myself," Chu Tianfeng said, hanging up.

"Stupid pighead, he hung up on me again!" Du Jingjing fumed, cursing at her phone with a shrill voice. "Stupid pighead! Stupid pighead!"

"Are we still picking him up?" her teammate in the driver’s seat asked.

"Forget it, I’d rather he died sooner. It’d save everyone a lot of trouble," Du Jingjing puffed out her cheeks in indignation. "First, inform the local police and block all information."

Chu Tianfeng had no desire to die—certainly not an early death.

He’d died once already and knew better than anyone what life was worth.

Before the exam, he’d considered all possible scenarios, including exactly what was happening today.

Just a couple of days ago, he’d reviewed every corner of the campus, calculating all possible escape routes.

So he had no need for Du Jingjing’s help. He was confident that with his Wind-Riding Technique and his familiarity with the campus, he could shake off all the martial artists.

He’d expected to have to dash through several buildings and leap from rooftop to rooftop, but as it turned out, those martial artists were too unskilled—he’d lost them after only one building.

That was even better; it saved him both energy and time.

He strolled leisurely out of the college and onto the street.

Screech—

A sharp brake sounded as an utterly ordinary sedan screeched to a halt at his feet.

"Get in!" a crisp voice called from inside.

"Come on, if you want to pick up a beauty, at least bring a better car," Chu Tianfeng said with exaggerated sass, shaking his hips. "This car is beneath my status!"

"Ugh—" The guy in the driver’s seat reacted intensely, making it clear he was pure man.

"Get in. Your new ID is with me," Du Jingjing said from the passenger seat, her stomach obviously churning as well.

"You’re hopeless. You took my things and didn’t mention it?" Chu Tianfeng raised his hand delicately and opened the back door.

"I can’t take this anymore. Wait for me," the driver grumbled, slamming the door and running to the curb to retch.

Chu Tianfeng calmly closed the back door, slipped into the driver’s seat, and—

Vroom!

The car shot forward.

"Dead pervert, wait for me!" the driver cried, forgetting to vomit as he broke into a sprint after them.

But the car was too fast—he was left far behind in an instant.

"You’ve gone too far!" Du Jingjing rolled her eyes.

"Give me the ID," Chu Tianfeng demanded, holding out his right hand.

Du Jingjing had no choice but to rummage in her bag, producing a card and handing it over. "Go back and pick him up."

Chu Tianfeng ignored her and kept driving.

"Go back!" Du Jingjing glared at him. "I’ll tell you where Liu Zhijian is."

"Oh?" Chu Tianfeng slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to a halt by the roadside.

He missed his old friend Liu Zhijian. Initially, it was only eleven thousand, but he’d ended up losing tens of thousands more! This was a debt that needed settling.

"Hey!" Du Jingjing nearly hit her head, but thanks to her own training, she managed to brace herself against the console in time.

"Where is he?" Chu Tianfeng asked.

"You mustn’t do anything crazy!" Du Jingjing pouted. "Or I won’t tell you."

"I just want my hard-earned money back," Chu Tianfeng said coldly.

"Trade Tower, twenty-first floor. Their crew is working there," Du Jingjing turned away, not looking at him.