Chapter 32: Woman

It wasn't in Chu Feng's nature to quietly endure being targeted like this. Even his death had been pre-arranged: either electrocuted or burned to a crisp in a fire. His demise was intended to be utterly humiliating. Had he not mastered the Nine Forms Boxing, his fate would have been truly pathetic.

The communicator connected, and a woman's voice came through.

At night, the stars dotted the sky.

Chu Feng stood in the tranquil orchard, a look of surprise on his face. This was definitely not Lin Nuoyi. Everything was peaceful and silent, and he heard it clearly. Had he called the wrong person? He lowered his head, scrutinizing the number again. No mistake, it was Lin Nuoyi's contact. So why was it someone else's voice?

"I'm looking for Lin Nuoyi," he said calmly.

"Chu Feng, the one from Mount Taihang?" The woman on the other end had clearly noticed his name on the communicator and identified him.

"Yes!" Chu Feng replied.

"You're in Qingyang Town, aren't you? It's a bit remote, but very quiet, far from the hustle and bustle of big cities. It's a good place, you could achieve something if you work hard, much better than Jiangning City." The woman said nonchalantly.

Chu Feng frowned. What did this woman mean? Who was she? Though her words seemed light, they carried an implicit meaning.

Qingyang was just a small town at the foot of Mount Taihang. Jiangning, on the other hand, was a bustling, prosperous mega-city, the thriving heart of Jiangnan. Placing the two side by side, a subtle comparison – was she trying to warn or hint at something?

Chu Feng remained calm, simply stating that he had something to discuss with Lin Nuoyi.

"Nuoyi has been very busy lately. Tian Shen Biological has many important matters awaiting her attention, and those close to her are aware of this, so they haven't been disturbing her." The woman's voice on the other end was very gentle.

Chu Feng was surprised. This was a formidable woman. Her words seemed gentle and casual, but depending on how one interpreted them, they carried profound implications. Her previous words had subtly emphasized Lin Nuoyi's status and the circle of people close to her. It was a flawless delivery, seemingly natural, yet sharp beneath the surface.

Chu Feng guessed that this woman was close to Lin Nuoyi; otherwise, how could she have access to her communicator? He didn't argue, maintaining a calm demeanor.

Chu Feng then smiled, apologized for the bother, and ended the call.

He put down his communicator, deciding to call back later. Lin Nuoyi's device couldn't possibly remain in this woman's hands indefinitely. This turn of events was unexpected; he hadn't managed to reach Lin Nuoyi. Encountering this woman, what exactly was her relationship with Lin Nuoyi? Based on her voice alone, it was difficult to determine her age; she could be a young woman in her twenties or an elegant lady in her thirties or forties.

An hour later, Chu Feng dialed Lin Nuoyi's communicator again.

From the other end, a woman's languid voice answered, pleasant but also a touch dismissive: "Why are you calling again?"

Chu Feng felt helpless. Why was it still her?

"You'd best not contact Nuoyi again. She's very busy and has no time. People should know their place!" This time, the woman's words were direct and laced with arrogance.

"You're overthinking things. I just have a few matters I'd like to discuss with her in person," Chu Feng replied, still calm.

"Some matters aren't worth pursuing; they won't lead anywhere. Do you understand what I'm saying? Be practical, live your life well in Qingyang Town. It suits you." The woman's voice revealed a hint of indifference. Clearly, her patience had worn thin, and her words were no longer subtle.

"It seems the misunderstanding has deepened," Chu Feng said concisely, yet without any intention of explaining himself.

"There's no misunderstanding to speak of. Do not bother Nuoyi again. She has her life, and you have yours. You belong to different worlds, so act accordingly! If you insist on pursuing this, unpredictable consequences will likely arise. Perhaps you don't understand now, but I believe you will soon." The woman's voice turned cold.

Chu Feng's heart stirred upon hearing this. Feigning nonchalance, he said, "Actually, you're really overthinking this. I just wanted to tell Nuoyi about something strange."

"Oh, what is it? You can tell me, and I'll relay the message." The woman seemed somewhat surprised.

"Today, a large bat, covered in blood, fell outside my yard." He stopped there, listening carefully for her reaction.

As expected, the woman seemed startled, as if she had abruptly sat up in bed. For a moment, there was complete silence on her end. Only after a moment did she calmly ask, "That's the message you wanted to convey? Such a trivial matter?"

"Although that large bat was severely injured, it was consistently hostile towards me. From the looks of it, even if he isn't directly from Tian Shen Biological, he's certainly connected," Chu Feng said unhurriedly.

There was another brief silence. When the woman spoke again, her voice had softened slightly. "Since he's connected to Tian Shen Biological, you should help him. Don't let anything happen to him."

Chu Feng's gaze turned cold. This woman knew the man with the demon wings!

"Why should I help him? Even though I don't know why he was injured, he's always been extremely hostile, as if he wanted to kill me," he said.

"You..." The woman's anger flared. At this point, she couldn't remain calm or maintain her earlier dismissive demeanor towards Chu Feng. She felt quite frustrated.

"I'm warning you, if anything happens to him, you won't like the consequences!" the woman declared bluntly, her words a clear threat.

Chu Feng mused that the man with the demon wings must be a formidable expert, not some expendable pawn, for her to speak out in his defense. Recalling it carefully, the handsome man's strength was indeed considerable. Had Chu Feng not unleashed the Wild Ox Roar, dealing with him would have been truly problematic. The man's demon wings spanned the sky, and he spewed black ripples from his mouth, annihilating everything within a certain range, regardless of friend or foe. Even the bluestone ground cracked. His power and status were indeed extraordinary.

"What does that have to do with me? He was dying anyway, probably wouldn't last another day or two," Chu Feng said, glancing at the two injured extraordinary individuals lying in the distance.

"Someone will pick him up. Just give him some basic first aid; don't worry about anything else!" the woman said coldly, then ended the call.

Chu Feng put down his communicator, a cold smile playing on his lips. He had caught onto something. Was he really afraid of them?

He fetched iron chains and bound the two severely injured extraordinary individuals securely, then casually left them in the courtyard, paying them no further mind, and went straight back to his room to sleep.

The night was quiet; no one came.

It wasn't until midday, after Chu Feng and the yellow ox had finished their meal, that someone finally arrived, stepping directly into the courtyard.

"You're Chu Feng. Where are they?" This was a man in his thirties, with a slightly dark complexion, average build, an imposing presence, and aggressive eyes.

"I am Chu Feng. Look, aren't they right there?" Chu Feng gestured, pointing to the corner of the courtyard wall.

The man saw the two bound, blood-stained extraordinary individuals, both unconscious. He immediately frowned, then sharply turned his head, his gaze cold as he looked at Chu Feng.

"Don't blame me. They were clearly severely injured but still looked like they wanted to kill me. Who wouldn't be scared of such monsters? I just gathered my courage and tied them up," Chu Feng said, spreading his hands with a helpless expression.

"Alright, I'm taking them. As for you... you'll die in a fire!" the middle-aged man declared, charging forward with a gust of wind and aiming a punch at Chu Feng's temple, clearly intending to kill him.

Chu Feng's expression was indifferent. His feet remained planted as he formed a fist with his right hand, actively meeting the man's punch head-on.

"Ah..."

The middle-aged man screamed, sent flying. His fist was shattered, and his arm was twisted and deformed, as if it had been struck by a mountain. His entire arm was ruined.

"You... are indeed strange. Attack!" he roared.

Simultaneously, several muzzles with silencers appeared over the courtyard wall. These large-caliber killing machines spat out bullets, all aiming to gun down Chu Feng. However, after mastering the Nine Forms Boxing, a certain instinct of Chu Feng's had awakened, allowing him to foresee danger and evade it. His speed was incredible; he leaped over the wall.

*Bang bang bang...*

With punch after punch, the four gunmen's bones cracked, blood spewed from their mouths, and they were sent flying, all crashing to the ground.

"You..."

The middle-aged man was stunned. As he opened his mouth, he spat out a white light, like a strand of spider silk, which shot toward Chu Feng—it was extremely bizarre. Chu Feng dodged out of the way. Meanwhile, the man's body swelled, his joints seemingly shifting continuously. From his sides, several pairs of dark, hard, metallic-sheened spider legs rapidly emerged. He resembled a giant black spider, spitting silk threads and charging violently. His dark spider legs gouged deep marks in the ground, even cutting through rocks upon contact—a truly terrifying sight.

*Hum!*

The air seemed to hum faintly. As he charged forward, several of his spider legs stiffened, thrusting straight at Chu Feng's body like black spears, impossibly sharp.

*Crack!*

Unfortunately for him, after Chu Feng manifested the ultimate divine form of the Ox Demon Fist, he clenched his fist, shattering several of the black, metallic spider legs. Then, with a single punch to the man's chest, he pierced right through, leaving a horrifying bloodied hole.

The middle-aged man screamed, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise again.

Chu Feng remained perfectly calm. He looked at them; though severely wounded and near death, they were still bound.

"Yellow Ox, throw them into the Great Desolate Mountains," Chu Feng instructed.

The Yellow Ox tilted its head, a clear indication that it wouldn't go.

"That woman and the man with the demon wings dug up your hidden pit last night and discovered your secret," Chu Feng said.

Upon hearing this, the Yellow Ox's fur bristled, each golden hair almost standing on end. It was mortified and enraged, as if its most private secret had been exposed, flying into a thunderous rage.

"Don't attack me! They were the ones who dug it up. If you don't believe me, go interrogate them. Otherwise, why did that woman in white keep vomiting after seeing you?" Chu Feng said.

The Yellow Ox's face actually changed color, looking purplish as if congested; if it were a human, it would have been alternately pale and flushed with anger. Its privacy exposed, it was absolutely furious. After some commotion, it finally decisively dragged the group of people, heading straight for the mountains.

"How terrifying. So it was just about being discovered while taking care of private matters? Is that really enough to get so enraged and kill to silence someone?" Chu Feng muttered. He realized the Yellow Ox cared deeply about its privacy and particularly disliked being spied upon. He decided he would never mention anything about cow dung again.

The Yellow Ox dragged the people, tied in a single line, away in one go.

When it returned, Chu Feng asked about the outcome.

The Yellow Ox seemed to have regained its composure, covering its eyes with a hoof and letting out a few moos, as if to say the outcome was too cruel for it to bear witness.

Chu Feng was speechless. *You* were the one who threw them into the mountains; what 'cruelty' were you talking about?

That evening, after finishing his boxing practice, Chu Feng took a hot shower and read in his room. This time, he did not contact Lin Nuoyi or the other woman.

Shortly after, his communicator rang. It was the other party calling him. He didn't answer, continuing to read his book with great interest. Only when the communicator rang again a moment later did he finally answer.

It was still the same woman. Her voice was slightly raised as she asked Chu Feng if he had seen anyone come to rescue the man with the demon wings.

"Yes, I did. This time, I saw a giant humanoid spider fall from the sky, almost crashing to its death right at my doorstep," Chu Feng replied calmly.