Chapter 50: Lone Hero

To Chu Tianfeng’s surprise, the basement was brightly lit—the power outage must have affected only the ground floor, leaving the rest of the building untouched. Cautiously, he searched every corner, deliberately sparing any security guards he encountered, no matter how many there were.

Before long, Chu Tianfeng located the electrical rooms: one for high voltage, one for low, and also discovered a backup generator room. With a flick of his hand, he hurled a fireball into each room; within moments, roaring flames engulfed the basement and the lights throughout the building were almost instantly snuffed out.

With the lights gone, Chu Tianfeng no longer feared Chen Yue. Unburdened by caution, he mingled openly with the security guards, targeting those whose cultivation was feeble and who were isolated from the others. The guards fell one after another; the survivors, thinking their comrades had fled, stumbled blindly for the stairwells, ignoring the fire in the electrical rooms.

Chu Tianfeng paid them no mind. He extended his spiritual sense, meticulously searching the basement, hoping to discover where Liu Zuo was imprisoned. Yet after several minutes, all he found were rows of equipment rooms and many dormitories for the guards. Apart from a few low-level guards, Liu Zuo was nowhere to be found.

He realized the police would likely arrive soon—time was running out. It was impossible to search the building floor by floor. With no alternative, Chu Tianfeng returned to the ground floor.

Though the entire building was now dark, Chu Tianfeng had no desire to waste time tangling further with Chen Yue. Yet he was unwilling to let the Salt Society off so easily. He wandered aimlessly on the first floor, looking for the right moment to strike.

“Hurry, move!” Just as he rounded the lobby, he heard Chen Yue’s urgent voice from the far end of the corridor. Chu Tianfeng smiled knowingly and crept over with silent steps.

He saw that the surveillance room was already a raging inferno; at the end of the corridor stood Chen Yue, directing a group of guards in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames. Outside the rear exit, the body of the middle-aged guard lay sprawled across the open ground.

A faint smirk tugged at Chu Tianfeng’s lips. He quietly slipped behind Chen Yue, his hands weaving rapidly; a row of ice spikes materialized, shooting toward Chen Yue and the others with deadly speed.

Though Chen Yue did not see the attack, his innate cultivation had left his senses razor-sharp. The whistling of the ice spikes as they cut through the air tipped him off, and he dodged to the side just in time.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Despite his quick reflexes, one ice spike struck Chen Yue’s right arm, drawing a torrent of blood. The guards fared even worse; after the barrage of ice, the corridor outside the surveillance room echoed with their agonized screams.

“If you’ve got the guts, come out and face me!” Chen Yue roared in fury.

But Chu Tianfeng was no fool. Even at his peak, he would never go head-to-head with someone whose cultivation far exceeded his own—especially now, wounded and with most of his true essence expended.

Suddenly, the shrill wail of sirens pierced the night from outside the building.

Chu Tianfeng smiled again, hurled another volley of ice spikes at Chen Yue, then rushed out of the building and melted into the darkness.

Chen Yue was left seething with frustration. He knew Chu Tianfeng had escaped, but he dared not pursue him any further.

——————

The next day, two explosive pieces of news swept through the entire martial world of China.

The first, of course, was that the Salt Society’s Tianhai headquarters had been attacked the previous night. Rumor had it that a lone assailant had turned the entire headquarters upside down—setting several floors ablaze, killing or injuring countless guards, and even crippling Elder Fei, the head of the security division, while wounding Vice President Chen Yue himself!

Elder Fei’s injury was one thing; he was only at the late stage of Internal Force Refinement. But Chen Yue, a cultivator who had reached the initial stage of Innate Energy, had also been wounded!

It was said that this lone hero was not highly cultivated—merely at the late stage of Internal Force Refinement. Yet, just like Chu Tianfeng, he possessed extraordinary lightness skills, a bizarre, elusive movement technique, and a mastery of hidden weapons so uncanny that no defense could withstand him.

Speculation about his identity ran rampant among the martial artists. Some claimed he was Chu Tianfeng’s master—a reclusive figure living by Thousand Birds Lake, whom Chu Tianfeng had met and apprenticed himself to during a break from filming. Others insisted he was Chu Tianfeng’s senior brother, arguing that since Chu Tianfeng was still at the initial stage of Internal Force Refinement, his master could not possibly be only at the late stage.

Regardless, for the martial world, neither possibility was good news. Until now, they had believed Chu Tianfeng to be alone, his cultivation modest, yet carrying priceless treasures—temptation enough for many. Now, everything had changed: Chu Tianfeng was not alone, and his companion was formidable, with exceptional skills in both movement and hidden weapons—worthy of awe and fear.

This realization unsettled many, especially those from weaker or less influential backgrounds. If someone dared storm the Salt Society’s headquarters, what sort of courage—and strength—did that imply? For the small sects and unaffiliated martial artists, it was an alarming prospect.

The second piece of news concerned Chu Tianfeng as well. Reports said that he had appeared last night in Shudian, where he disciplined a group of local ruffians. The source was one of the ruffians himself, a man named Peng Yongliang.

Apparently, Chu Tianfeng had been strolling nonchalantly through Shudian when he happened upon Peng Yongliang and his gang causing trouble. Without hesitation, he taught them a lesson.

In the past, news of Chu Tianfeng’s appearance would have sent martial artists flocking to the scene, eager to capture him at any cost. Now, they hesitated, each weighing whether their strength truly surpassed that of the Salt Society.

The martial world knew well the Society’s power. Rumor had it there were three Innate-stage experts: President Sima Lin, Vice President Chen Yue, and Chief Inspector Yu Guansheng; plus the Four Vajras, Eight Elders, Ten Inspectors, and nearly ninety branch leaders—all at or above the Internal Force Refinement stage.

Some said the Salt Society was now a first-rate Chinese faction, even eclipsing the Gold-Seeking Sect and rivaling second-rate martial clans.

Yet such a powerful organization had still been assailed, its members slain or wounded in droves!

With the allure of treasure on one side and their own lives on the other, most martial artists had already made their choice.

——————

While the martial world was restless, those at the center of events—the Salt Society’s leaders—were in complete turmoil.

Salt Merchants Building, Salt Society Headquarters.

Twenty-seventh floor, Vice President’s office.

Chen Yue sat slumped on the sofa, his right arm bandaged, his face clouded with gloom. Beside him sat Yu Guansheng, equally dejected.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Chen Yue called wearily.

A striking young woman in her twenties entered, dressed in a black suit and short skirt—a vision of style, though Chen Yue was in no mood to appreciate it.

“Vice President Chen, Chief Yu.” She bowed slightly.

“What is it?” Chen Yue snapped impatiently.

“We just received a fax from the Tianmu Sect—they’ve requested to terminate their contract with us for the Dongshan Wetlands project in Hangzhou,” she reported.

“What?” Chen Yue nearly leaped to his feet. “Outrageous! Even the Tianmu Sect wants to kick us while we’re down!”

Yu Guansheng waved her away. “You may go.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded, but didn’t move.

“Is there something else?” Yu Guansheng asked.

“Vice President Chen, Chief Yu, it’s like this…” The young woman glanced timidly at Chen Yue but finally summoned her courage. “All our stocks are still falling. Shares in Tianhai Pharmaceuticals and Tianhai Health have hit the limit-down.”

With a loud thud, Chen Yue slapped the back of the sofa and sprang up. “Get out!”

The woman lowered her head in dismay, eyes glistening with tears.

“That’s enough. We understand.” Yu Guansheng rose, patting Chen Yue’s shoulder. “You may go now.”

She scurried gratefully out, pausing at the door to bow once more before closing it behind her.

“You see, I was right.” Chen Yue sank onto the sofa. “I knew there’d be those who’d take advantage of our misfortune.”

“This is serious. Should we report to the president?” Yu Guansheng slowly seated himself again.

“No need for now.” Chen Yue waved it off. “Brother Sima is surely at a critical stage in his cultivation. To disturb him now might affect his state of mind, even prevent his breakthrough.”

Yu Guansheng sighed. He understood—no martial artist wished to be disturbed at such a moment; the consequences could be disastrous.

“Brother Yu, the situation is dire. Do you have any strategies?” Chen Yue asked.

Yu Guansheng sighed again. “Vice President, I do have some ideas, though I’m not sure how effective they’ll be.”

“Oh? Let’s hear them.”

“They’re simple, really—just targeted measures. First, we must win over the major sects and our peers. We can afford to concede more benefits, even if we don’t make a penny. As long as the relationships are maintained, we’ve already won.”

“Good plan. I think it will work.” Chen Yue nodded. “What about the stock market?”

He knew those sects had only agreed to cooperate with the Society for profit.

“The stock market is even easier. We can mobilize all branches, raise as much capital as possible, and inject it into the market to steady the share prices. This will give confidence to both investors and our own members.”

“Excellent, Brother Yu.” Chen Yue nodded again.

“Internally, we must also provide reassurance. I suggest an immediate video conference with all branch leaders—to steady morale, lay out core membership training plans, and intensify expansion into Jiang, Tibet, and Qing provinces, to offset our losses in Hunan, Anhui, and Zhejiang.”

“Anything else?”

“For now, I think we should avoid any drastic moves. Stability is paramount.”

“To think that all this trouble is because of one Chu Tianfeng.” Chen Yue slapped his thigh lightly. “It’s infuriating not to retaliate.”

“Please reconsider, Vice President. Our focus should be the other sects, stabilizing the market, and calming our members. Chu Tianfeng is just a petty clown—we’ll have plenty of chances to deal with him later.”

“I know, but that clown set fire to several of our floors and killed or maimed countless brothers. This is about the Society’s honor. If we act like cowards, more riffraff will come knocking.”

He wanted to add that the clown had also singed his eyebrows and bored a hole through his arm.

“Well… you have a point.” Yu Guansheng found it hard to argue.

“Hmph, just two Internal Force experts and they dare act so brazenly.” Chen Yue slapped the armrest. “Brother Yu, you still have nine Inspectors, right? Can you call them all back?”

“What? But Inspectors are only late-stage Internal Force Refinement. They won’t be able to handle Chu Tianfeng and his allies,” Yu Guansheng cried out in alarm.

The Society had originally boasted ten Inspectors, all at the mid-to-late Internal Force stage. One, Fu Kaishan, had recently been killed in Hangzhou, leaving only nine.

Yu Guansheng knew full well the strength of Chu Tianfeng’s side—after all, they had crippled Elder Fei, who was late-stage Internal Force, and wounded Chen Yue, who was at the Innate beginning stage. Sending the Inspectors after them would be suicide.

“I know. I want them here to guard headquarters, not to deal with Chu Tianfeng,” Chen Yue clarified. “The Four Vajras are protecting the president, leaving headquarters exposed. I suspect Chu Tianfeng’s ally is still in Tianhai. To prevent further trouble, you and I will garrison headquarters with the Inspectors, while I send elders from each branch to Shudian to capture Chu Tianfeng.”

With that, Chen Yue stood once more, gazing out the window. “If we catch Chu Tianfeng, I’ll make sure he can neither live nor die, so everyone will know: those who cross the Salt Society will meet a bitter end!”