83: He flew over there? He really is a martial arts master!

Ye Chen was completely stunned.

He stared at his own incredibly familiar face on the phone screen, with only one thought in his mind—this was trouble!

He never expected that the brief moment he spent fighting Ghost Old Man would be filmed and uploaded to the internet.

What was even more terrifying was the trending list, which was ablaze with red; it had completely exploded!

"Brother, can I get an autograph?"

"Master! Take me on as your disciple! I have exceptional skeletal structure!"

"Handsome, look over here! Give us a smile!"

...

The crowd grew increasingly restless, phone flashes popping incessantly, and several excited hands even tried to grab his arm.

Yi Yue, Sophie, and the others were jostled back and forth, while Aunt Zhang used her body to shield Yi Zhengtian tightly, her forehead beaded with sweat from anxiety.

Right in the midst of this chaos—

"Bzzzz..."

The phone in Ye Chen's pocket began to vibrate like crazy.

He managed to pull his hand out and took a glance—it was Li Qin.

He had barely swiped to answer, not even having time to say "Hello," when Li Qin's crisp, urgent voice bombarded him like a machine gun.

"Younger Male Cousin!!! Where are you?!"

"You're famous! You're completely famous, do you know that?!"

"The internet is full of your videos! Breaking a sword with your bare hands! Stomping your foot and sending people flying! There are even special-effect air waves when you trade palm strikes with that old man!"

"The top five trending topics are all about you! The titles are getting more outrageous by the second!"

"Things like 'Real-life Martial Arts Alliance Leader,' 'Urban Cultivation Big Shot Appears,' 'Seeking Contact Info for the Handsome Guy'... My god!"

"Sister Bing Lan's phone is about to be blown up!"

Ye Chen felt his temples throb and whispered into the microphone: "Sister Qin... it was all an accident."

"An accident?" Li Qin scoffed on the other end. "This 'accident' of yours is terrifying! All sorts of people are digging into your background; they're practically doxxing you! You must be careful; don't let them corner you!"

Ye Chen smiled bitterly.

Don't get cornered?

Sorry, but he was already blocked in tight...

He said quickly into the phone: "I got it, I'm hanging up now, there's some trouble here."

"Hey? What trouble..."

Before Li Qin could finish her question, Ye Chen had already cut the call.

He took a deep breath, faced the sea of heads in front of him, and raised his voice.

"Everyone! You've really mistaken me for someone else!"

"I'm just an ordinary person! That video was from a film shoot! It's special effects! It's forced perspective!"

"Look at me, do I look like a martial arts master?"

He tried hard to look as plain as possible.

But a sharp-eyed middle-aged woman in the front row immediately held up her phone, pointing at the paused screen with a booming voice: "Young man, don't try to fool us! Look! These clothes, pants, and shoes are exactly the same as yours! Even your hairstyle hasn't changed! How could this be fake?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Masters are always low-key! We understand!"

"Give us a demonstration! Just one move!"

...

The jeering grew louder.

Seeing that explanations were useless and the situation was spiraling out of control, with the crowd constantly surging forward and Yi Yue and the others pushed into a corner.

Ye Chen frowned; he couldn't delay any longer.

He quickly shot a look toward Yi Yue and silently mouthed: "Go. Get out. To the car."

Yi Yue was the first to understand. Forcing herself to stay calm, she and Sophie supported Yi Zhengtian on either side, and with Aunt Zhang's assistance, they struggled to move toward the restaurant exit.

Ye Chen stepped forward, intentionally drawing most of the attention.

"Everyone, stop pushing! Watch your safety!"

As he spoke, he slightly released a faint trace of his aura, causing the people at the very front to pause subconsciously, finally opening a gap for Yi Yue and the others.

Seeing that Yi Yue and the others had squeezed out of the crowd and were nearing the door, Ye Chen felt relieved.

The next second, he no longer hesitated, slightly unleashing the "Tiangang Step"!

His figure swayed, and like a fish in water, he easily slipped past two young men trying to grab his arm.

Then, he tapped his foot lightly on the back of an empty chair nearby—

In the stunned gaze of everyone around, Ye Chen used the momentum to soar into the air. With an elegant posture, he vaulted over the heads of the dense crowd, like a light wild goose, and landed steadily at the restaurant entrance several meters away!

"Holy... holy crap!"

"He... he flew over?!"

"Qinggong! It's real Qinggong!"

...

After a brief moment of silence, the restaurant erupted with even more deafening gasps and screams!

This time, no one doubted the authenticity of the video anymore!

"Chase! Quick, chase him!"

"Don't let the master get away!"

"Film him! Film him!"

...

The crowd was in a complete frenzy, surging toward the door like a bursting floodgate with a deafening roar!

Dishes clattered! Tables and chairs scraped! Excited shouts!

All the sounds merged into one...

Ye Chen didn't stop for a second after landing. He hissed to Yi Yue and the others, who had just run outside the door: "Get in the car, quick!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already turned and sprinted toward a quieter street, opposite the parking lot!

With a few leaps, his figure vanished around the street corner.

Behind him, the massive, surging crowd rushed out with their phones raised, but they only caught a glimpse of his back as he quickly moved away.

"Over there! Chase!"

The tide of people, filled with immense excitement and curiosity, chased in the direction where Ye Chen had vanished, instantly turning the once-quiet street into a scene of chaotic bustle...

Watching the surging crowd rush off in the direction where Ye Chen had disappeared, filling half the street in the blink of an eye, Yi Yue and the others stood blankly at the restaurant entrance.

It took them quite a while to recover from the sudden chaos, their hearts still pounding with lingering fear.

"Get in the car first."

Yi Yue was the first to calm down.

Then, supporting her father, she walked quickly toward the car parked on the side of the road.

Sophie and Aunt Zhang hurried to follow. Once all four were inside the car and the doors were shut, they finally felt the suffocating sensation of being surrounded dissipate slightly.

Aunt Zhang patted her chest and let out a long breath.

"My goodness..."

"My grandson often tells me that these 'fans' are terrifying when they chase after stars, but I didn't believe him at first."

"Today, I've finally... seen it for myself."

Sophie sat in the driver's seat, her small hands gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles still white.

She looked at Yi Yue through the rearview mirror, her youthful face still etched with lingering nervousness and worry.

"Teacher Yi, what do we..."

"What should we do now? Will Ye Chen be okay?"

Yi Yue was silent for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth.

"We'll go back to the residential area and wait for him."

"It's too chaotic here; once he shakes them off, he'll definitely come back to find us."

"The best thing we can do now is not to cause more trouble and just get back safely."

Upon hearing this, Sophie nodded firmly, asking no more questions.

The next second, she started the car, turned the wheel, and drove onto another street.

The car quickly merged into the traffic.

...

With the wind at his heels and his familiarity with the streets and alleys, Ye Chen stuck to the quiet, less-traveled paths.

As a result, the clamorous noise of the pursuit behind him gradually faded into the distance.

He ducked into a quiet back alley, leaned his back against the cold brick wall, and exhaled a long, heavy breath.

Good heavens...

This situation was even more stressful than facing that sinister old Ghost Old Man!

At least when fighting him, it was punch-for-punch, clear and straightforward.

Being surrounded by this group of over-enthusiastic "fans," you couldn't hit them, you couldn't scold them—you were just left to run away in a sorry state.

He pulled out his phone; the screen was flooded with push notifications from various social media apps.

A quick glance showed that they were all trending topics about the "Street Martial Arts Master."

He frowned and sent a WeChat message to Yi Yue.

【Ye Chen: I've shaken them off. You guys go back to the residential area first and stay safe. I'll be back soon.】

The message had just been sent when she replied almost instantly.

【Yi Yue: Okay. Be careful. We're already in the car.】

Ye Chen put his phone away, steadied his breathing, and cautiously observed his surroundings once more.

Confirming that no one was tailing him, he tidied his slightly disheveled clothes, walked out of the back alley, and hailed a passing taxi.

"Driver, to Yunqi Garden."

After stating the address, Ye Chen leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Yet, his mind couldn't help but ponder.

Today's events felt strange.

He and Ghost Old Man had only fought for a moment, so how did the video spread so quickly? And why was the attention so outrageously high?

He didn't believe for a second that there wasn't someone pushing this behind the scenes.

Could it be... the Zhao family?

After suffering a loss in a direct confrontation, were they starting to use this kind of "magic attack," trying to use public opinion and media attention to roast him over a fire and cause trouble?

After all... he had done the exact same thing to them before!

For a moment, the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

An old fox like Zhao Tiangang, with his sinister methods and willingness to use any means necessary, was perfectly capable of using this tactic to disrupt his life and drain his energy.

However...

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Ye Chen's mouth.

They wanted to mess with him using this method?

Then let's see who breaks first.

The car soon pulled up at the entrance of Yunqi Garden.

Ye Chen paid the fare, stepped out, and vigilantly scanned the area.

At the entrance of the residential complex, there were only a few elderly men and women chatting while cooling off under the trees, with the occasional vehicle entering or exiting.

It seemed that the group of fanatics hadn't tracked him down here yet.

He let out a sigh of relief and started walking inside.

He had only taken a few steps into the complex—

"Mr. Ye!"

A clear female voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Immediately after, a tall figure stepped quickly out from beside the green belt and blocked his path.

Ye Chen paused, his brows knitting together subconsciously.

The person was a very beautiful woman, roughly twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with neat shoulder-length hair. She had fair skin and delicate features, and her eyes, in particular, were large and bright, exuding a sense of alertness and competence.

She wore a jacket that accentuated her curvaceous figure, a pair of low-cut high heels, and held a professional camera bag in her hand.

Her aura didn't seem like that of an ordinary resident, and certainly not that of a mindless fan...

But Ye Chen was certain he didn't know her.

"Who are you?"

Ye Chen pondered to himself, could this be another person who tracked him down after watching the video?

The efficiency was just too high...

The woman seemed to notice his wariness, quickly offered an apologetic smile, and extended her hand.

"Hello, Mr. Ye. Apologies for the intrusion."

"My name is Wen Yating, and I'm a short-video blogger."

"I... have been waiting here for you for a while."

Wen Yating?

A short-video blogger?

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't shake her hand, only asked calmly: "Waiting for me? What for?"

Wen Yating withdrew her hand, not feeling the least bit awkward. Instead, she stepped forward and continued,

"Mr. Ye, that video of you on the internet? I'm the one who filmed it, and I'm also the one who..."

"...posted it."