In a short time, terms such as "Zhou Yang the sucker" and "Zhou Yang the great philanthropist" alternately topped the trending searches, and the level of discussion reached an unprecedented high.
Zhou Yang himself didn't seem to care at all.
Saving lives was just a simple matter for him; it was nothing more than a small act of kindness.
And if 300,000 really could save a life...
Zhou Yang smiled slightly. Not bad, not a complete loss.
The next morning, sunlight shone through the thin mist onto the Aegean Sea pedestrian street.
As usual, Zhou Yang and Xu Yao pushed their stall cart to their usual spot, ready to start their day's business.
"Master! Mistress!"
Du Zhe's signature loud voice approached from afar.
Zhou Yang looked up and saw Du Zhe striding towards him with a beaming smile.
But... why are there several brightly colored heads following behind him?
Yellow hair, purple hair, green hair... they were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes and loafers, following behind Du Zhe in a nonchalant manner, looking like a group of spirited young men.
Du Zhe walked up to the stall and waved his hand smugly: "Master, mistress, let me introduce you. These are my underlings! I brought them here especially to admire your style!"
He then turned to the group of energetic young men, his face instantly hardening as he sternly reprimanded them.
"You all better be respectful! See this? This is my master, whom I often mention to you. From now on, whenever you see him, you must respectfully call him Mr. Zhou, understand?"
"If anyone dares to call me 'Master' and steal my title as their first disciple, I'll be the first to cripple them!"
Upon hearing this, the group of blond and green-haired men trembled, immediately stood up straight, and bowed ninety degrees to Zhou Yang in unison.
They greeted him in unison with a tone of respect that was completely out of character for their outward appearance: "Hello, Mr. Zhou!"
The scene, coupled with their flamboyant costumes and serious expressions, exudes a neurotic sense of humor no matter how you look at it.
Zhou Yang was both amused and exasperated by this group of clowns. What era are we living in? Why are they still sporting these outlandish, "emo" looks?
He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath on these blond-haired kids who clearly hadn't studied properly.
He simply nodded slightly, which was his response to their "generous gift".
Well, Du Zhe's taste in recruiting followers is really... hard to describe.
"Mr. Zhou, you...you really know how to...pluck leaves and send flowers flying?"
A blond-haired boy mustered up his courage and approached, his eyes sparkling.
"Our Zhe-ge always brags that you can use tree leaves as hidden weapons with just a wave of your hand, that you're so awesome!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Another young man with an exaggerated purple head of hair also came over, looking expectant.
"Mr. Zhou, do you know how to race? We've recently become obsessed with underground racing, it's so exciting! How about you take us for a spin?"
Want to fly again?
I can provide a complete service to take you to the crematorium.
Zhou Yang didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.
Before he could even speak, Du Zhe had already given the purple-haired man a sharp rap on the head, then patted the heads of the others one by one, and scolded them in a low voice.
"What are you yelling about! Do you think my master's time is for you guys to go crazy? Don't bother him!"
Then he immediately put on a fawning smile, leaned close to Zhou Yang's ear, and lowered his voice, almost whispering.
"Master, hehe, well... I was just trying to boost your reputation, so I bragged a little in front of them, saying that you are the kind of martial arts master you only see on TV, someone who is really good at hiding your skills."
"Could you... perhaps... help me out a little later?"
He winked and gave me a knowing look.
Zhou Yang glanced at him sideways and said irritably, "You're bragging about your master, and you're doing it so ridiculously. What kind of behavior is this?"
"Oh, my good master!"
Upon hearing that there was a chance, Du Zhe immediately put on a pitiful expression, practically begging Zhou Yang to come to him.
"Please have mercy and help your disciple this once! Otherwise, where will I put my face as the boss?"
"How am I supposed to lead the team in the future? Let them know that my brother Zhe's master is a true god, then they'll be more obedient, right?"
Zhou Yang stroked his chin, looking at Du Zhe's comical expression, and then glanced at the several energetic young men next to him who were craning their necks and looking expectant. He couldn't help but find it amusing.
Oh well, let's just treat it as watching a monkey show.
He nodded: "Alright, but you guys are in charge of cleaning up the stall today, and Yao Yao and I will... uh, give you some pointers."
"Alright! Mission accomplished! Hurry up!"
Du Zhe was overjoyed. After the balut was sold out, he immediately directed his colorful underlings to start cleaning up the mess.
Their enthusiasm was so intense, they practically wanted to lick the stall clean.
Zhou Yang pulled Xu Yao aside and leisurely walked to the side, truly "playing dumb" and watching the show, enjoying the treatment of a big shot.
Before long, the stall was packed up.
The group returned to the small garden in the riverside villa area, where the air was fresh and the birds were singing.
Du Zhe and his group of energetic young men were still in a state of extreme excitement.
Following closely behind Zhou Yang, they chattered away, their eyes sparkling as if they were about to witness some earth-shattering miracle.
"Mr. Zhou, please show us your skills! Please show us your skills!"
Yellow Hair rubbed his hands together, his face flushed with excitement.
Zhou Yang walked to a lush camphor tree, and gently plucked a leaf with smooth edges from its branches.
He was preparing to show these naive youngsters what "high-level operation" really meant.
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from not far away, choked with sobs: "Ah—my Xuanfeng! Xiaobao!!"
Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the sound.
Not far ahead, in mid-air, a golden cockatiel with a tuft of feathers on its head was frantically flapping its wings, desperately trying to avoid something.
Behind it, a gray-black falcon, at least three times larger, swooped down with the ferocity characteristic of a predator.
Those sharp claws, gleaming with a cold light, were about to grab the poor little parrot!
The cockatiel was clearly no match for the falcon; it flew erratically, each dangerous turn like dancing on a knife's edge, and it looked like it was about to become the falcon's meal.
"Wow! This is a real-life version of 'Eagle Catches Chicks'!"
Du Zhe exclaimed in surprise.
In the blink of an eye!
Before Zhou Yang could think any further, he flicked his wrist, and the camphor leaf between his fingers shot out like a streak of emerald lightning with a "whoosh"!
"Plucking leaves and letting flowers fly!"
The leaf traced an almost imperceptible path through the air, precisely and flawlessly severing a feather from the tail of the fierce eagle!
"Chirp—!"
Caught off guard, the falcon felt a sharp pain in its tail, and its attack abruptly halted.
It let out a sharp cry of surprise and anger, clearly not expecting that this inconspicuous "little insect" would have such a helper.
Startled, it suddenly rose higher and circled cautiously in the air, seemingly trying to find the attacker.
But in the end, still with some resentment and vigilance, it flapped its wings and fled, quickly disappearing into the azure sky.
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