The next day, an article titled "The Most Arrogant Bodyguard in Entertainment History" shot to the top of the trending list. The post began by praising Yan Ruoyi's concert the previous night, highlighting the stunning costumes, the impressive props, and the energetic and charismatic dance performances.
Then it launched into a tirade against the bodyguard.
"This is the most arrogant bodyguard I have seen in my many years in the entertainment industry. Typically, once a concert starts, bodyguards stay below the stage to maintain order and prevent anyone from rushing up to disturb the starâs performance.
"But this bodyguard wandered around on stage from start to finish, strolling back and forth. Not only that, but he constantly stepped into Yan Ruoyiâs spotlight at crucial moments, sometimes even standing directly in front of her. This is not a bodyguard; this is a boss.
"I have to commend Yan Ruoyi's temperament here. Despite these circumstances, she did not lose her temper or show displeasure but instead maintained a great performance throughout the concert. But I bet my career that this guy will be fired after this incident."
The post included several screenshots of the black-clad bodyguard, each one capturing moments when he wandered into the camera's view during key shots.
It wasnât just this entertainment blogger who posted about it; ever since the concert ended the previous night, the word "bodyguard" had been trending, especially on various platforms where live video clips were edited and uploaded.
The comments were flooded with messages like "Annoying bodyguard," "Get off the stage," and "Stop blocking Ruoyi."
However, many women had a different focus.
"Though the bodyguard is really annoying, did you notice how handsome he is?"
"Not just handsome. Did you see his posture when he walked? His aura felt even more oppressive than my dadâs."
"Whoâs your dad?"
"The mayor of Yuncang City."
"Arrogant, yes, but so cool. Watching him makes me feel a bit... excited. Do you think this might have been a special act to boost the concertâs hype?"
"Maybe..."
In Wujiang City, at the dining table, Chen Hu handed his phone to Zhang Xiaolan. "Mom, look at this guy. I have a feeling heâs Big Brother."
"Ah Chu? Isnât he cultivating in the mutated beast battlefield?"
Zhang Xiaolan took the phone, a bit puzzled. As her gaze fell upon the black-clad figure on stage, her eyes immediately filled with surprise.
Zhang Xiaolan scrolled through the phone for a while, then suddenly said, "Ah Hu, you havenât told anyone that this person looks like Ah Chu, have you?"
Chen Hu scratched his head. "Last night, when we were watching the concert live at Yiyiâs house, I mentioned it to them, but I wasnât sure at the time."
Zhang Xiaolan fell silent for a moment. "Ah Hu, donât tell anyone else that this person is your brother, okay?"
Although Chen Chu had made some minor adjustments to his face with a special solution and was wearing sunglasses, as his mother, Zhang Xiaolan could easily recognize him. After all, it wasnât plastic surgery, and she was very familiar with his figure and demeanor.
Chen Chu was supposed to be at the mutated beast battlefield, yet here he was at a celebrity concert. He hadnât contacted the family after appearing, which clearly indicated he was on some kind of mission.
Chen Hu wasnât stupid, nodding at Zhang Xiaolanâs subtle reminder. "Mom, I understand what you mean."
***
In Yuntian Tower, in the private restaurant on the thirty-first floor, Li Daoyi put down his phone and looked with some envy at Chen Chu, who was quietly eating breakfast across from him. "Brother Chu, youâve become famous."
Chen Chu replied nonchalantly, "This doesnât mean much to us. Besides, your so-called fame refers to people out there wanting to ambush me."
Pfft!
Yan Ruoyi couldnât help but laugh. With a smile in her eyes, she said, "Not all of the news is negative. There are still many people saying youâre handsome and all. Some female members in my fan club even messaged my assistant to ask when Iâm going to fire you so they can hire you as their personal bodyguard."
The more Yan Ruoyi spoke, the more envious Li Daoyi became. Last night, all of the glory had gone to Chen Chu.
Chen Chu shook his head, not expecting the entertainment industry in this world to be so crazy.
Yan Ruoyi spoke up again, this time looking puzzled. "What do you think Akunusâs purpose was last night? Why would he reveal himself like that?"
With the topic now on serious matters, Li Daoyi thought for a moment and said, "I think he wanted to intimidate us while testing the strength of the protection around you. Besides that, he probably wanted to see how the Federation would respond.
"If they assigned powerful protectors to be with you 24/7, he wouldnât dare show himself again. But if they pretended to let their guard down, it would seem suspicious. After all, you are the daughter of Heavenly King Xuanwu, and he has clearly stated that you are his target."
Akunus revealing himself like this had disrupted many of the Federationâs plans. Chen Chu furrowed his brows slightly at this problem.
Yan Ruoyi shook her head and said, "Actually, none of this matters. Before I die, he will definitely make a move, unless he doesnât want it anymore."
She didnât elaborate on what Akunus might not want, instead smiling. "Letâs leave these matters to those above to worry about. The think tanks are better at handling these things. This afternoon, weâre flying directly to Yueshan.
"The martial arts community there has been quite chaotic in recent years. The intelligence department has received reports that some cultivation families are secretly colluding with a demon cult, though itâs very concealed."
Assistant Xu Xiaoqi couldnât understand. "Why would these people betray the Federation when they could live normal lives?"
While Xu Xiaoqi wasnât a cultivator, her position as Bai Yunfengâs assistant had allowed her into the inner circle long enough to know many things about the cultivation world.
Yan Ruoyi shook her head. "Sister Xiaoqi, you donât understand because youâre not from the cultivation world. For many people with mediocre cultivation potential, gaining great power is worth more than any sense of racial duty.
âThey donât care who they deal with. As long as they are given power and resources from the mythical world, they are even willing to sell their souls. For example, thereâs a demon cult that requires new members to kill all their relatives, sever all emotional ties, and become as ruthless as demons."
In the afternoon, a row of luxury business vehicles were parked outside the Yuntian Tower. The first group heading to Yueshan consisted of more than thirty people, including over a dozen bodyguards such as Li Long, Chen Chu, and Li Daoyi, along with Bai Yunfeng, Yan Ruoyi, and their assistants.
In addition, Yan Ruoyiâs dedicated music team, makeup artists, costume designers, and some of the concertâs costumes would be on the second flight. These international flights were expected to take six hours, with the first two hours being within the borders of East Xia.
On the armed plane, Chen Chu sat next to Yan Ruoyi, took out the Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture, and immersed his consciousness into it.
The wordless bookâs internal void space not only allowed for the imprinting of secret scriptures, making it convenient for future generations to comprehend and learn, but it also had the capability of materializing the will and spirit.
This materialization was different from a computer model made from data; the condensed runic phantoms carried real power. This feature was highly convenient for Chen Chu, enabling him to repeatedly manifest and verify his theories, and to deduce martial arts.
At the moment, under Chen Chuâs will and spirit, the complex and complete Divine Might Dragon Elephant runes appeared and unfolded continuously. Within them, abstract patterned lines spread and expanded.
These expanding runes originated from the Thunder Fiery Colossal Beast's Strength and Defense abilities. When combined with the Divine Might Dragon Elephant runes, they gradually formed a phantom of a human torso.
Compared to a few days ago, Chen Chu had made significant progress. The prototype of the secret scripture had at least taken shape, with the torso now visible.
Just then, however, the runic torso exploded with a boom, jolting Chen Chuâs consciousness. Even for him, the spiritual shock took a full minute to recover from. Feeling the depletion of his spiritual force, Chen Chu furrowed his brows.
âItâs still not working. The Divine Might Dragon Elephant runes inherently represent power, with a stable and complete structure. Under these conditions, itâs impossible to integrate another colossal beastâs runes.
"And the cultivator who created this secret scripture only constructed some basic amplification and defensive runes on the Dragon Elephant runes to form the limbs and body."
Attempting to fuse another colossal beastâs six major abilities with the Divine Might Dragon Elephant was far more challenging than Chen Chu had imagined; it was almost equivalent to merging two colossal beasts into one.