Chapter 242
Chu Feng stayed in the mortal world for three days before returning to the other world.
Upon arrival, he first headed to Butterfly Valley.
In just a few days, the valley had completely changed — now a sea of blooming flowers in vibrant purples, reds, and yellows. Countless butterfly people fluttered among the blossoms, a breathtaking sight.
When Chu Feng had last visited, the valley had been beautiful, but with a touch of desolation. This time, it was brimming with life. “The flowers in the valley are doing great. Looks like the has been working hard.”
Illya nodded. “It seems so.”
“Though isn’t this a bit too much effort? The is a bit too earnest.”
Illya glanced at him seriously. “The takes everything very seriously.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes, yes, I know.”
When the butterfly people learned that Chu Feng had come to “take someone away,” several young butterfly children angrily flew over, tugging at his hair and shrieking.
Chu Feng could face massive fierce beasts without flinching, yet these oblivious butterfly kids gave him a pounding headache.
The butterfly tribe clearly adored Shaman Qiu Luo — even the Grand Elder was willing to give up his position for him.
Only after Qiu Luo promised he would visit again did the butterflies reluctantly let him go.
“Shaman, you’re quite popular,” Chu Feng said.
Qiu Luo smiled. “It’s alright.”
“Are the flowers in Butterfly Valley all ordinary?” Chu Feng asked.
Qiu Luo nodded. “More or less. There should have been some spiritual flowers here, but due to environmental limitations, they gradually degenerated into ordinary flowers. If the growing conditions change, the varieties might evolve again. I brought back some seeds to try planting.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
After escorting Qiu Luo back to Crescent Village, Chu Feng headed to Tianhai City to find Lan Hu.
“Boss, you’re here?” Lan Hu greeted warmly.
“Yeah.”
Lan Hu looked uneasy. “Boss, you’ve gotten yourself into big trouble this time.”
Chu Feng tilted his head. “Trouble? What trouble?”
Lan Hu took out a stone and played a projection.
“That’s a Memory Stone?” Chu Feng asked.
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes.”
The recording showed Chu Feng “splitting mountains” — space blades slashing wildly, mountains crumbling under their force.
If Chu Feng had seen this in the mortal world, he wouldn’t be surprised — after all, miniature flying cameras already existed there. But seeing this here was unsettling.
He hadn’t expected this world to have such skilled “cameramen.”
“Who filmed this? Doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. “No one could’ve gotten that close at the time.”
“The one who filmed it is named Shasha, an ability-user with the power of Time Reversal,” Lan Hu explained.
“Time Reversal?” Chu Feng asked, intrigued.
Lan Hu nodded. “He can use his ability to replay events from the past, then record them with a Memory Stone. Because of this ability, he’s captured many valuable scenes and made a lot of money selling them.”
Chu Feng: “…” This Sha Sha fellow has quite the business mind. If he were in the modern world, he’d definitely be a promising film director. It’s a pity that in this world, the information industry isn’t developed—such talent feels wasted.
“This is real talent!” Chu Feng said.
“Sha Sha’s ability actually has some big limitations,” Lan Hu explained. “At most, he can rewind events at a location to see what happened one to three days ago. Even if major events happen elsewhere, if the distance is too far, by the time he gets there it’s too late.”
“This time, he just happened to be nearby. His target wasn’t actually you.”
“He was trying to film Gan Ming and Garuda?” Chu Feng asked.
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes, both seniors had already retired, so it was rare for them to appear.”
“Many people were paying attention to this fight. But when experts clash, spectators risk losing their lives. It seems Sha Sha was sent there to capture footage of their battle. In the end… they didn’t fight at all. What a pity.”
Chu Feng smirked. “They didn’t fight—so that’s my fault?”
Lan Hu quickly waved his hands. “Boss, that’s not what I meant…”
“No, it really might be my fault,” Chu Feng admitted. The commotion he caused when opening the mountain might have disrupted them. The two of them got distracted by the spectacle and forgot to fight.
“Boss, your footage is even more shocking than watching the two of them fight,” Lan Hu said.
“Was it that shocking?” Chu Feng asked.
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes! What you shattered wasn’t just a small hill—it was an entire mountain! You’re famous now.”
Chu Feng thought about it. Audiences always want something new. Every era has its own rising stars. Those two are old and past their prime.
Lan Hu: “…”
“You’re saying I’m famous now?” Chu Feng asked again.
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes, many people are looking for you and Illya right now.”
Since Chu Feng had shown up at the Crescent Trading Company several times, news was bound to leak. Fame brings trouble, and the Crescent Trading Company likely wouldn’t be peaceful for long. But Chu Feng didn’t care.
After all, he was already an S-level ability-user—there probably weren’t many in this world who could match him.
“How’s that task I gave you going?” Chu Feng asked.
Lan Hu pulled out a list. “These are the possible locations of spatial storage items I’ve managed to find. Some of these are fake.”
Chu Feng frowned. “Fake?”
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes.”
“Now that all spatial storage items can’t be opened, what’s the point of counterfeits?” Chu Feng muttered.
Lan Hu shrugged. “Well, they used to be real spatial storage tools. Some people just like collecting them. If you can make people believe a fake holds tens of thousands of gold coins, it sells for even more. There are always a few who think they can get the items inside.”
Chu Feng: “… There are fakes everywhere.”
He looked over the list. “Most of these are in the capital.”
“Back then, spatial storage tools were mostly bought by the top-tier nobles, and most of them lived in the capital.”
Many of those once-top nobles were still nobility today. Even if some had declined, they still clung to their former glory and were unwilling to leave the capital.
Chu Feng thought for a moment. “In that case, let’s head to your place first.”
“You mean now?” Lan Hu asked.
“Why not?”
Lan Hu shook his head. “It’s not that you can’t. It’s just… a bit sudden. I’ve been away a long time, and I don’t know how my family will react…”
Chu Feng took Lan Hu to the human capital. Lan Hu gazed at the familiar streets, feeling a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
He’d been away for less than two years, yet the city already felt foreign.
“Your home’s nearby, right?” Chu Feng asked.
“Yes,” Lan Hu replied.
“Then go back on your own.”
“Boss, you’re not coming with me?”
“You’re going home—what would I be doing there? Just get that thumb ring and contact me later,” Chu Feng said.
“Alright…” Lan Hu said, a bit disappointed.
It was Chu Feng and Illya’s first time in the human capital, so they wandered the streets with interest.
Lan Hu watched them leave, then made his way toward his family estate.
He had imagined returning home driving a large truck, bringing cartloads of goods in triumph. Instead, he was dragged back suddenly, empty-handed. To anyone who didn’t know better, it might look like he’d gone bankrupt.
When he reached the gate, the guards stared for a moment, then suddenly shouted, “The third young master has returned! The third young master has returned!”
The gates swung open and many people rushed out to greet him.
Lan Hu was surrounded and ushered inside.
After exchanging greetings, he was summoned to the study by Duke Lan En.
“Father,” Lan Hu greeted cautiously.
“The slave bracelet on your wrist is gone?” the duke asked.
Lan Hu was shocked. “Father, you know about that?” He had thought he’d hidden it well, but the old man clearly knew everything.
The duke sighed. “What do you think?”
Lan Hu frowned. “If you already knew I became a slave, why didn’t you react?”
“What reaction should I have?”
Lan Hu: “…”
“You were in someone else’s hands. I couldn’t act rashly,” the duke said.
Lan Hu: “…” Was it really caution… or was he just unwilling to give up the Crescent Trading Company’s thirty percent profit share?
Right now, the Crescent Trading Company and their family had a cooperative relationship. With his family as backing, many problems were avoided. Chu Feng had been generous, directly giving them a 30% share of profits.
The company sold all kinds of goods from overseas, and that 30% was no small sum. The Crescent Trading Company was at its peak, and many forces wanted a slice of the pie.
“You pledge loyalty to that person—the one who can shatter a mountain with his bare hands?”
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you make a mistake and get sent back here?” Duke Lan En asked.
Lan Hu quickly waved his hands. “No, no, my boss just told me to come home for a family visit.”
Lan En nodded. “Good, as long as that’s the case.”
Lan Hu: “…”
“Your boss seems… far from ordinary.”
Lan Hu nodded again. “He’s definitely not ordinary—our boss is from across the sea.”
Inwardly, Lan Hu thought: At first, the boss was just mysterious—always bringing endless delicious food and strange, novel items—but now, the boss is downright terrifying. If spatial abilities can be used to split mountains, then naturally they can also be used to cut people down. Used on a battlefield, this ability could sweep through armies and determine the outcome of a battle single-handedly.
Back in Crescent Village, he’d heard people say that when Chu Feng first arrived there, he was as weak as a breeze—he’d even get a nosebleed from drinking strong liquor. How had he turned into… this?
