Chapter 6 Even in Death, I Cannot Let You Go

The night remained deep and unyielding.

By the lakeside, on the shadowy grass, Chu Tianfeng and his companions sat upon the earth.

"Wu Bai was absolutely spectacular. His movements were graceful, his expressions so natural—watching him perform is pure enjoyment," Han Xinwen exclaimed, still savoring the moment, as he spoke of his admiration for Wu Bai.

"His acting was indeed impressive, very fluid. And Pan Dongxing, who sparred with him, was no less remarkable—his fundamentals even more solid," Quan Hengchang added in praise.

"It's a pity we didn't see my goddess, Xiao Yunmeng," Xiang Yanping interjected, redirecting the conversation.

"Brother, tonight was all about action scenes. Why would Xiao Yunmeng appear?" Han Xinwen retorted immediately, clearly revealing that she, too, was his goddess.

"Don’t you want to meet her?" Xiang Yanping grumbled. "Who’s always running to the director’s office, asking, 'Excuse me, has Xiao Yunmeng arrived yet?'"

He pinched his throat as he mimicked, his voice oddly high and strained, sounding uncomfortable.

"I really can't stand you guys. Every conversation circles back to Xiao Yunmeng. My ears are growing calluses," Quan Hengchang protested helplessly.

"In the same crew, it's only natural to talk about her more. Shouldn't we? Facing your ugly mugs day after day—my life is hard," Xiang Yanping reclined onto the grass. "Chu Tianfeng, am I right?"

"…" Chu Tianfeng did not comment.

He had no interest in so-called celebrities. Whether Wu Bai or Xiao Yunmeng, they had nothing to do with him.

Han Xinwen was about to speak again when, suddenly, a distant commotion arose as a large group approached.

The newcomers numbered around a hundred, pausing a few dozen meters away. Their costumes marked them as Sun's army—meaning they were there for the scene, as opponents!

Xiang Yanping, sharp-eyed, spotted Peng Yongliang and Yuan Qi among them and quickly whispered the news to Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng's expression grew a shade more serious.

"Be careful, try to avoid them when the scene starts," Xiang Yanping cautioned in a low voice. "If you have to die, die early—don't confront them head-on."

With eight on their side, a direct fight would be hopeless.

"It's fine. I'm not afraid of them." Chu Tianfeng forced himself to sound calm, looking toward Peng Yongliang in the distance.

His past life had granted him ample combat experience—if it came to a duel, he truly feared neither Peng Yongliang nor his companions.

But would Peng Yongliang agree to a duel? Even if he did, Director Yang surely wouldn’t.

"Don't be reckless." Xiang Yanping gripped his spear tightly. "When you die, try to fall sideways, keep your eyes open and watch them—guard against dirty tricks."

Seeing Chu Tianfeng and Xiang Yanping, Peng Yongliang's group naturally noticed them as well.

"Brother Liang, looks like fate has brought us together," Yuan Qi said, slapping his broadsword so it clanged.

"Eight against two—even with a fair fight, they’d die horribly. Besides, their roles are the defeated army. Ha, heaven favors me!" Peng Yongliang grinned, "Let the others know—put on a good show."

It was an opportunity Peng Yongliang had no intention of missing.

"Good, I've been waiting to teach them a lesson," Yuan Qi responded loudly.

The others rubbed their hands, eager and ready.

"Give them a thorough beating—just don’t kill them," Peng Yongliang said, his gaze cold as he looked at Chu Tianfeng in the distance.

At that moment, Chu Tianfeng met his gaze. The two stared at each other across the space.

Chu Tianfeng appeared composed, his face expressionless.

Peng Yongliang, however, extended his middle finger toward Chu Tianfeng with a faint smile on his lips.

Chu Tianfeng ignored it, calmly returning his gaze.

Soon, another wave of people arrived at the lakeside.

Countless torches lit up the night—Director Yang Yi and his crew, along with cameramen, lighting, and sound technicians.

"All departments, attention! Scene fifteen, shot six, first take," Yang Yi’s megaphone blared. "Let me repeat: The Cao army is surrounded by the Sun-Liu coalition. Actors on the Cao side should show tension and fear, but also some courage and resilience. Sun-Liu actors, be fierce and ruthless, understood?"

"Understood!" the crowd thundered in reply.

Peng Yongliang, mingling with Sun’s army, whispered with a laugh, "We’ll definitely be fierce and ruthless."

Yuan Qi and the others chuckled.

"All right, departments ready. Scene fifteen, shot six, first take—three, two, one, action!"

"Kill!" Chu Tianfeng roared, taking the lead, both hands gripping his spear as he charged the Sun army.

---

"Kill!" the others echoed, unwilling to fall behind.

"Kill!" Sun’s army shouted in unison, each soldier fighting valiantly.

There was no denying it—the larger force carried an overwhelming momentum. With over a hundred, Sun’s army’s cries thundered through the night, easily overpowering the Cao troops.

On and off the stage, it was destined to be a tragic battle.

As the armies clashed, several Cao soldiers fell immediately.

The first was Quan Hengchang, who, still meters from Sun’s lines, pulled an arrow from his waist, jabbed it into his chest, then staggered forward with a scream before collapsing onto the grass.

Han Xinwen followed suit, falling with a cry beside Quan Hengchang.

Xiang Yanping reacted a bit slowly, and by the time he was ready to die, the two sides were already entangled.

He had no choice but to offer himself as two Sun soldiers approached, thus fulfilling his "death" duties.

Yuan Qi soon realized something was off. Surveying the scene, he saw only Chu Tianfeng still standing after the first exchange; Xiang Yanping had already dropped to the ground, feigning death. He quickly whispered to Peng Yongliang.

Peng Yongliang, furious, gritted his teeth. "Let’s go—even dead, we won’t let him off."

So Peng Yongliang and Yuan Qi charged at Xiang Yanping, while the other six attacked Chu Tianfeng as planned.

The six split into two groups of three. One group formed a human barrier to block the camera, the other surrounded Chu Tianfeng in a triangle, raising their broadswords and swinging at him.

The first strike—a vertical slash aimed at Chu Tianfeng’s head!

Chu Tianfeng slipped aside, dodging easily.

The second—a diagonal cut from his upper left!

The third—a horizontal slash, following quickly behind.

Chu Tianfeng retreated rapidly to avoid the second strike, while his spear blocked the powerful third slash to his right.

However, the second blade was fast, skimming past Chu Tianfeng’s left shoulder!

A sharp sound!

The prop sword was soft and didn’t pierce the armor, but was deflected upward and slid toward his neck!

Chu Tianfeng’s neck was sliced open, blood spraying forth!

Luckily, he moved swiftly—it could have been much worse.

Meanwhile, as the first blade struck Chu Tianfeng, Peng and Yuan reached Xiang Yanping.

Yuan Qi feigned a slip, stomping hard on Xiang Yanping’s face.

Xiang Yanping gritted his teeth, enduring silently.

Peng Yongliang, secretly pleased, pretended to pass by carelessly, his broadsword slashing Xiang Yanping’s ribs in a flash.

Ah!

Xiang Yanping could no longer feign death—he cried out in pain, clutching his waist as he rolled aside.

"Cut!" Yang Yi’s angry voice blared from the megaphone.

Everyone stopped immediately.

"Who’s causing trouble? Are you blind? How could such slow movements injure someone?" Yang Yi’s curses echoed through the night.

Chu Tianfeng had also heard Xiang Yanping’s cry—he knew Xiang Yanping had been targeted.

Several people helped Xiang Yanping up, finding his clothes torn with a long gash. Fortunately, the prop sword wasn’t sharp—his ribs only had a shallow bloody mark.

Asked what happened, Xiang Yanping roughly explained.

"How are you feeling now?" Quan Hengchang asked.

He usually got along well with Xiang Yanping, showing real concern.

"My waist hurts like hell, damn it!" Xiang Yanping glared furiously at Peng Yongliang nearby.

Peng Yongliang pretended not to notice, whispering to Yuan Qi and the others.

"Maybe your ribs are injured—it’s hard to tell from the outside," Chu Tianfeng said, holding his neck.

He yearned desperately to regain his cultivation—if he had it, such injuries could be healed easily.

His own wound was superficial and, after some quick treatment, posed no real threat.

---

"Yes, that’s likely," Quan Hengchang nodded. "We should tell the director and get Xiang Yanping to a hospital. Otherwise, he might have lasting problems."

Just then, Yang Yi and his crew approached, giving Peng Yongliang a hard stare.

"Let me see," Yang Yi said, lifting Xiang Yanping’s shirt to inspect the injury.

"I didn’t mean to—it was dark, I didn’t see anyone at my feet," Peng Yongliang protested repeatedly.

Only a fool would admit it was deliberate.

"We were backlit, visibility was poor—we couldn’t see the ground," Yuan Qi added.

The backlighting was true; the rest, pure excuse.

"Everyone else could see—only you two couldn’t?" Quan Hengchang barked, then turned to Yang Yi. "Director Yang, his ribs might be injured. We need to get him to the hospital first."

Yang Yi frowned, undecided.

"Wait," Assistant Director Zhang Qiang stepped forward. "I suggest letting our friend here rest offstage. Have General Yan call Dr. Cheng and his team to take a look. If the doctor says hospital is necessary, we’ll go, and all costs will be covered by the responsible party. Meanwhile, the shoot must go on as planned. Director Yang, what do you think?"

Yang Yi thought it over and agreed. "Let’s follow your idea. Take a rest, young man." He then turned to Peng Yongliang. "You two, be careful—I’ll be watching!"

The second take proceeded as usual.

Quan Hengchang again fell to an arrow before the armies met, avoiding close combat.

Chu Tianfeng wanted to cause trouble for Peng Yongliang and his group, seeking vengeance for himself and Xiang Yanping.

He charged through the crowd, gnashing his teeth.

But since the director required slow-motion for action scenes, he could only attack sluggishly.

Often, even when he spotted Peng and Yuan just meters away, by the time he dispatched the nearby opponents, the two had moved farther off.

Before long, the Cao soldiers fell one by one, leaving Chu Tianfeng alone.

Blood stained his lips and body, wounds everywhere.

He glared fiercely at the surrounding Sun soldiers, especially Peng Yongliang and Yuan Qi among them.

"Kill!" Chu Tianfeng roared, charging at Sun’s army again.

Swish!

He felled a soldier before him, just as he was about to withdraw his spear.

Thud! A broadsword struck his back heavily.

Blood sprayed.

Chu Tianfeng staggered, finally falling to his knees.

Another swish!

Several broadswords hacked at his back.

Chu Tianfeng was too weak to evade, collapsing instantly.

Someone in Sun’s army tossed a human-shaped prop onto the grass, and Chu Tianfeng took the opportunity to slip away.

Sun’s soldiers hacked the prop to pieces, blood and viscera splattering everywhere, a gruesome sight.

"Cut!" Yang Yi’s joyful voice rang from the megaphone—everyone knew this take had finally passed.

The crowd cheered.

Chu Tianfeng and his companions, however, felt little joy and hurried back to the workers’ quarters to check on Xiang Yanping.

But as they entered, they found Xiang Yanping sprawled on his iron bed, drooling a long line from his mouth.

They could only shake their heads and smile wryly.

"Forget it, let’s just wash up and sleep," Quan Hengchang said weakly.

Clearly, after more than ten hours of work, exhaustion had set in.

"You go ahead—I need to go to the makeup room to remove my makeup," Chu Tianfeng said, waving as he left the quarters.

After leaving the makeup room, Chu Tianfeng did not head for the temporary bathhouse but returned to the lakeside to continue his training.