Chapter 54: Behave Yourself from Now On

Du Jingjing pointed at the helicopter behind her, “Don’t do anything rash. I don’t want to die, and I’m sure you don’t want to end up full of holes either, right?”

Chu Tianfeng glanced at the distant helicopter and finally unclenched his fist.

He knew that if he acted impulsively, he wouldn’t just be riddled with bullets—he’d be obliterated.

“Tell me, what can you do for me?” Chu Tianfeng snorted.

Du Jingjing laughed, “Ha! I was actually worried you’d lose control for a moment. Listen, we can change your identity, make you truly invisible. If you’re willing, you could even join our Special Operations Unit.”

“Oh?” Chu Tianfeng felt a stir of interest.

His biggest headache these days was his identity. He couldn’t take trains, couldn’t fly, couldn’t even stay in a decent hotel—all because he couldn’t use his own name.

As for joining the Special Operations Unit, he had no interest at all.

“If you want to go back to school, we can arrange that too. What do you say?” Du Jingjing pressed him further.

“Your terms!” Chu Tianfeng knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

She had gone to great lengths to find him. It was impossible she’d just hand him benefits without expecting anything in return.

“Take us to the Thousand Bird Lake treasure.” Du Jingjing fixed her gaze on him.

“Heh! So it’s all about the treasure again. But let me be honest with you—there’s no treasure,” Chu Tianfeng laughed heartily.

“That’s impossible,” Du Jingjing smiled faintly. “According to our research, several decades ago, the area now called Thousand Bird Lake was just a river—Anjiang River. Along the riverbank was a martial sect called Tianmu Sect, the predecessor to today’s Tianmu School.”

Chu Tianfeng looked confused; he’d never heard of it.

“In fact, the Tianmu Sect resided on Tianmu Mountain for over a thousand years. Around a millennium ago, their eighteenth leader, Master Tianxuan, wandered to the banks of the Anjiang River and found it more suitable for cultivation. So the whole sect relocated to the riverbank,” Du Jingjing narrated smoothly.

“Over the next few decades, Tianmu Sect’s power soared, producing many experts. They went from obscure to famous, becoming a major force in the Central Plains. Naturally, this attracted envy. The nearby Huangshan and Hengshan sects, both top schools, joined forces and wiped out Tianmu Sect in a single night.”

The old saying goes, ‘a man is not guilty, but the treasures he holds are.’ Chu Tianfeng couldn’t help but sigh.

“After Tianmu Sect’s destruction, Huangshan and Hengshan discovered an underwater cave in the sect grounds. It was said the spiritual energy there was extremely rich, making cultivation very effective. The two sects agreed to take turns sending disciples to train inside.”

Du Jingjing cleared her throat and continued, “But the news leaked, and other sects barged in. Huangshan and Hengshan resisted fiercely, leading to another chaotic conflict. It’s said over a thousand people died, and the Anjiang River ran red with blood.”

“What happened then?” Chu Tianfeng’s curiosity was piqued.

The underwater cave she described must be the one he had visited.

“Well, after that, rumors spread that the place was haunted, and anyone who went there died. Eventually, no one dared go near it. Decades later, a reservoir was built, burying everything under water,” Du Jingjing smiled lightly.

“The story’s fascinating,” Chu Tianfeng shrugged, “but it doesn’t seem to have much to do with treasure.”

“Think about it. So many martial artists died there—their weapons must all be antiques. I’ve heard the Tomb-Raiding Clan fished out several,” Du Jingjing said.

“Why don’t you go find them?” Chu Tianfeng was unimpressed.

“We have no evidence, can’t just make a move,” Du Jingjing spread her hands.

“But you have evidence against me?” Chu Tianfeng rolled his eyes.

He guessed the Tomb-Raiding Clan was strong, probably more than the Special Operations Unit could handle, so they didn’t dare take them on. But he was all alone, his strength only at the late stage of Inner Force—they could squeeze him however they liked.

---

“You never had more than five figures in your bank account, and suddenly you’ve got seven hundred thousand,” Du Jingjing said without hesitation. “Don’t tell me you won the lottery—that won’t fly. We can check.”

“Seriously, I won it fighting underground matches!” Chu Tianfeng gritted his teeth and clenched his fist again. “I put on a show and beat up those two Thai guys at the Celebrity Club—go check if you don’t believe me!”

“Is that so?” Du Jingjing looked skeptical.

Suddenly, she pointed a slender finger at Chu Tianfeng, “I get it—you’re Lin Feng!”

Chu Tianfeng snorted, neither confirming nor denying.

“Oh! Now I remember!” Du Jingjing trembled with excitement, “You extorted famous director Liu Zhijian that night, and tried to kidnap him the next morning! You, you, you—”

“Damn it! Liu Zhijian owed me eleven thousand. I went to collect, he refused, so I roughed him up a bit,” Chu Tianfeng nearly wanted to kick her. “There were no cops at night, so I didn’t kidnap anyone. But the next morning, with half the police force there, I suddenly decide to kidnap him? Is it your intelligence that’s faulty, or was my head caught in a door?”

“Get lost!” Du Jingjing, probably for the first time, was called an idiot. Her eyes were moist, her face angry.

Chu Tianfeng hadn’t wanted to talk to her anymore anyway. He turned on his heel and strode off.

“Hey!” Du Jingjing called again.

“Speak!” Chu Tianfeng stopped and exaggeratedly cleaned his ear, “Keep it down, you’re deafening me.”

“Won’t you reconsider?” Du Jingjing’s face was still full of anger.

“What’s there to consider?” Chu Tianfeng hesitated, “I do want a new identity and to return to school, but I really don’t know where the treasure is.”

“I don’t believe you,” Du Jingjing glared at him fiercely.

“Well, that’s your problem.” Chu Tianfeng turned sideways, “All I know is there’s a ruin. I searched it once—not a single sword, not even a hair.”

He’d checked the underwater ruins when he left the cave, but found nothing.

“What did you say?” Du Jingjing asked, delighted, “You found the ruins?”

“Yes, it’s not hard to find,” Chu Tianfeng smirked, feeling a little proud.

The underwater ruins lay beneath a rock cliff, covered by layers of waterweed. If not for the giant python guiding him, even with his spiritual sense, Chu Tianfeng might not have found it.

“Is it true?” Du Jingjing asked urgently.

Chu Tianfeng nodded.

Du Jingjing exhaled slowly, “How did you find it?”

“I was bored and wanted to chat with the Dragon King. Didn’t find him, but stumbled on the ruins,” Chu Tianfeng made up a story.

“Nonsense!” This time it was Du Jingjing’s turn to roll her eyes. “You didn’t run into anything?”

“What do you mean?” Chu Tianfeng replied.

He knew she must mean the giant python, but he refused to admit it.

Though only a second-level beast, in water it was formidable—an ordinary innate cultivator wouldn’t stand a chance. Had Chu Tianfeng not had magic, or had the python not been badly wounded, the outcome would’ve been uncertain.

“Fine, better if you didn’t,” Du Jingjing waved her hand. “Can you take us to the ruins?”

“Sure, but not now. Wait until I finish my English retake.”

---

“Alright, no problem, I can agree to that.”

“And I’ll just show the way. Whether there’s treasure or not is none of my business.”

“Okay, as long as you take us there, the rest is up to us.”

“Deal,” Chu Tianfeng smiled faintly.

“Very well,” Du Jingjing finally smiled again, “I’ll report to my superiors and unlock your status tomorrow.”

“You’re really going to cooperate with a kidnapper?” Chu Tianfeng teased.

“I trust you, alright?” Du Jingjing turned away, striding quickly. “Behave yourself in the future. If you cross me, you won’t have any good days.”

“By the way, my name is Qian Ling now,” Chu Tianfeng called out. “Female, birth date and address—make them up as you like.”

Du Jingjing made a mock vomiting gesture, clutching her chest, and walked toward the helicopter without looking back.

After sending Du Jingjing off, Chu Tianfeng returned to the small courtyard.

Old Mr. Xu and his wife, along with Tong Yu, were chatting in the yard. Seeing Chu Tianfeng walk in, Mr. Xu quickly offered him a small stool. “Qian, who was that girl?”

Since Du Jingjing had arrived so arrogantly in a helicopter, Chu Tianfeng knew the old couple had certainly noticed.

“A classmate. She needed something from me,” Chu Tianfeng said, taking the stool, and brushed them off casually.

“Qian, your classmate is quite extraordinary,” Mr. Liu smiled. “Coming to see a friend in a helicopter—her family must be wealthy.”

“No idea,” Chu Tianfeng sat down. “We’re not close. I don’t know much about her.”

He really didn’t want to talk about Du Jingjing.

“By the way,” Tong Yu seemed to notice Chu Tianfeng’s mood and interjected, “Qian, we talked with Grandpa Xu and decided to eat here from now on. We’ll pay them a bit extra as compensation. What do you think?”

“Sure.” Chu Tianfeng didn’t care where or what he ate.

“Great,” Mr. Xu smiled, picking up the thread. “Qian, if you want anything special, just tell Grandma Liu. She’ll cook it for you.”

“Yes,” Grandma Liu nodded. “Qian’s still a student, probably still growing. You can’t just eat instant noodles all the time—it’s bad for your health.”

“Thank you, Grandpa Xu, Grandma Liu,” Chu Tianfeng said, then turned to Tong Yu. “Where’s Sister Chen?”

“You know Sister Chen always works nights,” Tong Yu pointed upstairs. “She was busy until after four this morning. She’s probably catching up on sleep now.”

“Sister Chen works much harder than me,” Chu Tianfeng managed a smile and stood up. “Looks like I need to work harder, too. I’ll go read now.”

In fact, he just didn’t want to listen to the old couple’s chatter and found an excuse to slip away.

“Oh, I just remembered—I have a pile of clothes to wash,” Tong Yu smiled and stood as well.

“What do you want for lunch?” Grandma Liu called after them.

“Anything’s fine, Grandma Liu,” Tong Yu laughed, waving to the couple. She followed behind Chu Tianfeng, heading upstairs with light steps.