An exposed secret? Chen Qi was actually a Feranmut?! / Kazimierz: I absolutely won't give you a chance to call me to account

"Greetings, Sir Chen Qi. My name is Zuo Le, serving as the Candlekeeper of the Imperial Calendar Bureau in the Great Yan."

"I have come on behalf of His Great Yan to express my condolences and congratulations to Sir Chen Qi on his great achievements. I am also here to invite Director Chen Qi to direct a film for our Great Yan."

After speaking, Zuo Le took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Chen Qi. Seeing that Chen Qi did not take it immediately, he quickly added:

"His Majesty highly values Sir Chen Qi's talent, and therefore deliberately used a letter instead of an imperial edict this time. His Majesty did not want Sir Chen Qi to feel pressured, but rather to treat him as family... These are His Majesty's exact words."

Family? Well, you could say they are family. After all, Chen Qi has a relationship with Talulah, and the Yan Emperor has a relationship with Wei Yenwu, so Chen Qi could be considered a member of the royal family.

Zuo Le's use of "family" was clearly just a polite remark, but it made the eyelids of the group of people around who were unaware of the truth twitch. For a moment, the Campaign Knight, Kristen, and others all turned to Chen Qi with rather horrified looks.

After all, the person making these polite remarks wasn't just some nobody, but the Emperor of Great Yan! Even if the Emperor of Great Yan was just being polite, it still showed the current attitude of the Yan towards Chen Qi.

The Bloodborne Archon also heard these words, but he did not speak. He only planned to inform Theresis about the situation later so that their regent could make a decision.

But Chen Qi had no Kung Fu Hustle to pay attention to everyone's reactions. He took the envelope from Zuo Le and opened it. Soon, he saw the letter that the Emperor of Yan had written to him personally.

It was all in traditional Chinese characters... Fortunately, Chen Qi could understand it, and he quickly saw the key information. He looked up at Zuo Le and asked:

"Your Majesty, do you wish me to create a work for the Great Yan with 'martial arts' as its theme?"

"Indeed." Zuo Le nodded and spoke without any hesitation, "His Majesty said that the martial prowess of our Great Yan is one of the most worthy aspects of our culture. Great Yan governs the country with virtue, loyalty, and filial piety, but regardless of whether we are enemies or friends, Great Yan will first subdue people with strength and then cultivate them with character."

"After learning of Sir Chen Qi's talent, His Majesty resolutely invited Sir Chen Qi to promote the 'martial arts' of our Great Yan. His Majesty hopes that in the future, when foreigners hear the name of Great Yan, the first thing they will think of is Great Yan's 'martial arts'."

"Regarding the remuneration, Sir Chen Qi, please rest assured that once the filming is completed, Great Yan will certainly offer a generous reward as a token of our gratitude."

However, Zuo Le's words struck Chen Qi as somewhat strange. Especially the fact that mentioning the Great Yan immediately brought to mind "martial arts," which reminded Chen Qi of his own world. The fame of several martial arts masters in the film industry meant that for many people from other countries, the first thing that came to mind when they thought of Chen Qi's hometown was "Kung Fu Hustle."

Now, the words of the Yan Emperor that Zuo Le conveyed have a similar meaning... So, shall we start with martial arts?

When martial arts were mentioned, Chen Qi immediately thought of a senior he greatly admired, Bruce Lee. However, after thinking about it, Chen Qi felt that this senior's movies Tai He... After all, in the current Terra, Yan did not have such a great national humiliation. Although most of the time people would be watching action scenes, the lack of a plot would be quite troublesome.

This effectively eliminated a large number of martial arts-themed movies. However, Chen Qi quickly thought of the second movie that came to mind, and his eyes lit up.

"General Zuo Le, may I ask, His Majesty the Emperor wishes for me to film in Lungmen, is that right?"

"I wouldn't dare. I'm merely a candle bearer; I dare not call myself a general." Zuo Le made a polite remark at first, then said seriously, "As for the filming location His Majesty mentioned, it's in Lungmen. If Sir Chen Qi has any other requests, I can convey them to His Majesty."

"And within Lungmen, anyone can be invited to Lungmen if Director Chen Qi has the need. With His Majesty's approval, even Duke Wei wouldn't dare utter a word of 'no'."

"It's alright, it will definitely be in the future... Then, General Zuo Le, please convey to His Majesty the Emperor that I have accepted this commission, and I have already thought of the subject matter."

Upon hearing that anyone in Lungmen could use his abilities, Chen Qi's biggest concern vanished instantly. He then cupped his hands and said to Zuo Le:

"His Majesty the Emperor wishes to promote the martial arts of the Great Yan, so I will use the martial arts of the Great Yan as my subject matter and make a popular martial arts film."

"I've already decided on the name of the movie: Kung Fu Hustle. And I only have one requirement for filming: that Wei Yenwu Madam Wen Yue both participate as characters in this movie."

Although it might be a bit unfair to the images of Wei Yenwu Madam Wen Yue, Chen Qi felt that these two could definitely handle the roles of the two most important supporting characters. The main problem was that, for the time being, Chen Qi couldn't think of anyone else who could perfectly portray the two peerless masters.

This time, Chen Qi doesn't plan to rely entirely on special effects to make a martial arts film. He wants a truly authentic martial arts movie with all the characters performing real martial arts, to give people from other countries a little bit of the shock of the Great Yan martial arts.

Chapter 178: The Exposed Secret? Chen Qi is Actually Feranmut?!

"Martial arts films?"

When Zuo Le heard that Chen Qi planned to make a movie on this subject, a sense of disappointment arose in his heart—after all, there has never been a shortage of people making martial arts films in Yan, and Yan releases many martial arts films almost every year.

Zuo Le himself had watched quite a few in his spare time. Because of the martial spirit that prevailed in the Great Yan Dynasty, many people in the martial arts world were martial arts masters, which created conditions for martial arts films in the Yan. Since Chen Qi's "The Godfather" became popular in the Yan, many martial arts films have followed suit and used the slogans of "adapted from real experiences" or "actual martial arts actors" to increase authenticity and attract audiences.

Zuo Le was, after all, a young man. Although he was an official of the Great Yan, he was still very interested in the chivalrous spirit and vengeance of the martial arts world. At first, he watched several movies with so-called "real martial arts actors" with great anticipation. He enjoyed watching them quite a bit at first, as many of the people in them had real Kung Fu Hustle.

But as he watched, Zuo Le lost interest. He later realized that most of these martial arts films had a secondary plot and focused primarily on action. While this idea wasn't wrong—action scenes are a bonus for a martial arts film, and people come to watch for the action—the plot couldn't be ignored either.

The plot logic of many martial arts films can only be described as awkward. In order to create conflict and fight scenes, they will come up with any reason. Sometimes, when there is no reason at all, a villain will just appear out of nowhere to fight you, without any logic whatsoever.

Reality may lack logic, but at least works of fiction should, right? Zuo Le has watched too many martial arts movies, and he feels that some of the plots are insulting to intelligence. He has even sorted out a pattern in these martial arts films.

It's basically a villain who, in order to practice his skills, indiscriminately kills innocent people, including the protagonist's family. The protagonist then becomes an apprentice, learns martial arts, and goes down the mountain to avenge his enemies. That's the basic plot.

However, Zuo Le thought about it again and realized that considering Chen Qi's ideas—who had directed films like "The Godfather" and "Yes, Prime Minister"—even if he had never directed a martial arts film before, they should be different from those of the directors in Yan.

After all, this is director Chen Qi, who can turn the "second most boring" political drama into "Yes, Prime Minister." I should trust him.

"Since Sir Chen Qi has made this decision, then I must return to the capital to report to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely be delighted to hear that Sir Chen Qi is willing to accept the commission."

"Only..."

"Hmm?" Chen Qi blinked when he saw Zuo Le's troubled expression, and Zuo Le took the opportunity to express his concerns, explaining:

"I am merely a messenger and should not make rash comments on the work of such a brilliant man as Sir Chen Qi... However, I still hope that Sir Chen Qi will be lenient with his pen and not let this work, disguised as a martial arts film, actually become another movie like 'Yes, Prime Minister.'"

"His Majesty is a wise ruler, and there will surely be many more opportunities for Sir Chen Qi to demonstrate his abilities in the future. However, it is really not appropriate at the moment... I suggest that Sir Chen Qi be cautious in his words and actions."

"Did I make a movie called 'Yes, Prime Minister' and scare the whole of Terra into thinking I'm talking nonsense?" Chen Qi couldn't help but smile wryly when Zuo Le reminded him like this.

"General Zuo Le, rest assured, I won't have any ulterior motives this time."

"Then I'll leave it to Sir Chen Qi." Zuo Le breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again to announce his departure, but Chen Qi suddenly remembered something and quickly called Zuo Le back.

"General Zuo Le, there's one more small matter I hope you can help with."

"System, grant me some favors." Chen Qi called out to Zuo Le while speaking to the system in his mind. Soon, Chen Qi took out two books from his pocket and handed them to Zuo Le.

"I hope General Zuo Le can pass these two books on to Duke Wei and Madam Wen Yue. My time filming my new movie in Columbia will give them time to prepare for the filming."

"... Lion's Roar Technique Fu, Tai Chi?"

However, after Zuo Le took the books from Chen Qi, he only glanced at the titles of the two books before immediately realizing what they were. His eyes sharpened instantly, and he stared at Chen Qi with a hint of shock, exclaiming, "Martial arts manuals?!"

"Yes, these are the signature skills of two very important characters in the movie 'Kung Fu Hustle'." Chen Qi readily admitted this. In fact, even if he didn't do this, the rest could be created using special effects, but Chen Qi didn't want to compromise like that.

Since we've decided to promote the martial arts of the Yan, let's show some real stuff to the experts. Although people from other countries may not understand what martial arts are, the strong can always spot some tricks and tell the difference between your real and fake skills.

Therefore, Chen Qi has no intention of faking it. He wants all the martial arts in this "Kung Fu Hustle" to be genuine!

In my previous world, only the first half of "Kung Fu Hustle" was truly authentic. Later on, due to the increase in combat power, it became impossible to maintain the same level of quality. But this time, since I have the resources, I must do my best!

"Please give these two manuals to Duke Wei Madam Wen Yue. Duke Wei will practice Tai Chi, and Madam Wen Yue will practice Lion's Roar Technique. We don't expect them to reach the highest level, but we hope they can at least practice enough to be suitable for filming."

"Furthermore, I have a small request. This film requires a large number of actors with genuine Kung Fu Hustle, and I hope that Duke Wei or the Yan's court can help me with this."

"I need one master each of Kung Fu Hustle, staff fighting, and fist techniques, as well as one internal energy master who uses a zither as a weapon. Of course, more is also acceptable, so I have more options."

"... This matter is not difficult. I will contact the various Celestial Masters' Manor and have them select suitable candidates. I'm sure they will satisfy Sir Chen Qi."

Zuo Le didn't hesitate for long. After all, Chen Qi had already proven that he wasn't the kind of person who would resort to underhanded tactics. Even if he really wanted to harm you, he would openly oppose you. Therefore, there was no need to worry that he would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Moreover, Yan is not as easily broken Victoria. The people of Yan are living in a prosperous and peaceful era. Besides, the people invited to film the movie are either from the Celestial Masters' Manor's Mansion or high-ranking officials. Who would want to cause trouble with Chen Qi?

As Zuo Le was thinking this, everyone's attention was focused on the two of them, but they didn't notice that a Campaign Knight on the side, facing Chen Qi who was leaning against him, quietly tightened his grip on his spear.

The Bloodborne Archon noticed the anomaly on the "bloodline" almost immediately and snapped back to his senses, activating his Originium Arts to extract the blood from the Campaign Knight's body!

However, the Bloodborne Archon underestimated the perseverance of this Campaign Knight. Just before his blood was drawn out, he hurled his spear at Chen Qi's back!

"Chen Qi!"

"Director Chen Qi?!"

Almost simultaneously, multiple figures began to move at the same time. Talulah immediately dropped her sword and rushed over, seemingly prepared to take a blow for Chen Qi.

The Bloodborne Archon's bloodline rapidly approached the spear, FrostNova's Originium Arts spread at an astonishing speed, and even Zuo Le drew his longsword immediately, intending to cut the spear in two.

However, to everyone's surprise, just as the spear was about to reach Chen Qi, it was suddenly blocked by an invisible force that was only a few centimeters away from Chen Qi!

"Roar!!!"

Almost instantly, everyone heard a furious roar, like that of a wild beast, but the sound sent a chill down the spines of almost everyone, including Bloodborne Archon, Talulah, and Patriot!

What kind of terrifying being could cause even powerhouses of their caliber to tremble with fear in an instant?

When everyone looked closely, they discovered that an Aslan beast progenitor suddenly rushed out from Chen Qi's body—but this progenitor was undoubtedly much larger. It stretched out its claws, snapped the spear in two, and roared angrily at the enemy's offense!

Now, under the suppression of bloodline, anyone of a race weaker than Aslan felt a tremor in their soul.

"Clang!"

Immediately, the sounds of weapons hitting the ground rang out. All the Campaign Knight, as well as many members of the Integrated Cultural Troupe, including FrostNova and others without racial advantages, immediately laid down their weapons and lost all will to resist after the roar of the beast king-like being.

However, the phantom of the Feranmut quickly dissipated and returned to Chen Qi's body... And to these Campaign Knights who had instinctively dropped their weapons and were now devoid of any fighting spirit, this was no illusion.

"Is this... an illusion of Feranmut?"

However, the Bloodborne Archon, who had lived the longest and had the most extensive knowledge, recognized almost immediately that what burst out of Chen Qi's body was undoubtedly Feranmut! It was the pressure of Feranmut; only such an ancient and powerful existence could make the Bloodborne Archon tremble for a moment!

And aside from the Feranmut itself, no one could possibly wield such majesty... which means...

"I see, I see..."

The more the Bloodborne Archon considered this possibility, the more certain he was that his guess was correct. In an instant, he felt that Chen Qi's wisdom, talent, and ability—all the abilities that had shocked him—made perfect sense!

Because Chen Qi is an existence as ancient as they are, or even more ancient than them! That's why he's so unpredictable and possesses so much wisdom. He's probably a Feranmut that existed even before the era of Teekaz!

Now everything is clear... And the Bloodborne Archon, having figured all this out, revealed the same undisguised joy on his lips as "Humphrey." He felt his heart pounding, and he felt a long-lost excitement and joy.

"It seems... our Regent has truly stumbled upon Feline of Zalak, unexpectedly winning over an extremely ancient and mysterious being with great favor towards our race..."

Originally, the Bloodborne Archon had some personal objections to making Chen Qi to the other kings of the Royal Court in order to win him over.

But now, the Bloodborne Archon had no objections whatsoever. He was even considering that, if all else failed, he might as well send Chen Qi to fill the vacant position in the Royal Court...

Chapter 179: Kazimierz: I will absolutely not give you the chance to settle accounts with me.

Chen Qi never imagined that his "Protection" passive skill, which he had just awakened after obtaining the "Breath of Kings," would demonstrate its effects so quickly. However... this time, the effect seemed a little too good, which startled everyone.

It was at this moment that Chen Qi remembered this "Protection" ability. The key point was not to help him negate a threatening attack, but to summon the "Phantom of the Beast King Aslan" to block the attack.

This thing is indeed quite shocking to the people of Terra. After all, currently, it seems that only "Feranmut" exist that can possess a complete beast-like form and have such a great deterrent effect...

* Yan profanity*! Am I really being mistaken for Feranmut by them?

Having figured out the logic, Chen Qi subconsciously looked around, only to find that everyone's expressions were subtly off.

The Bloodborne Archon smiled broadly, casting his gaze upon Chen Qi with unprecedented kindness; while Nian and Xi, who had just peeked out from the painting, seemed unsurprised by the outcome, instead displaying a subtle expression that seemed to say, "You've finally shown your true colors."

FrostNova and Patriot looked utterly incredulous, and even Talulah blinked, her expression blank, as if she were seeing Chen Qi for the first time.

In the current situation, Chen Qi doesn't seem to intend to defend himself... After all, now that he has the "Blood of Sui," he can indeed be considered Feranmut in a certain sense. Although he is the weakest among the Feranmut and the youngest, it's not unfair to call him Feranmut.

Well, Feranmut is Feranmut, right? Now that the high-ranking officials of various countries know about it, maybe no one will dare to send anyone to attack them anymore? Moreover, being regarded as Aslan Feranmut is also beneficial to the concealment of his "Blood of Sui". Chen Qi's biggest worry is that the Yan will find out about this, which will actually give him another layer of disguise.

Chen Qi didn't say much, but Zuo Le reacted quickly, drawing his blade to protect Chen Qi. Zuo Le now knew that Chen Qi didn't need his protection, but this protective action was extremely important because of Chen Qi's identity!

When Zuo Le saw the Aslan Feranmut bursting out of Chen Qi's body, he, like the Bloodborne Archon, understood everything! Having unintentionally received such shocking news, even though Zuo Le was somewhat stubborn, he now knew what he should do.

"How dare you! Sir Chen Qi is a distinguished guest of our Great Yan! You despicable villains, still harboring treacherous intentions, dare to attack Sir Chen Qi?"

"If the Terra were not currently beset by crises, requiring the united efforts of all nations to confront external threats, then Kazimierz, a mere nation already in decline, would surely have been razed to the ground if it had truly harmed my Great Yan guest from Great Yan!"

Of course, this was just talk. Zuo Le wasn't even an imperial envoy and couldn't represent the diplomatic attitude of the Yan at all. The only thing he could represent was the Great Yan Emperor's friendliness towards Chen Qi.

However, based on the current situation, Zuo Le has concluded that Yan should adopt a more friendly attitude towards Chen Qi, which would be entirely beneficial to Yan!

What is Yan's biggest concern? External pressures haven't yet all fallen on Yan biggest worry is the internal Feranmut!

There were simply too many Feranmut in the Great Yan. Even though "Sui" and the Yan had driven away or eliminated most of the Feranmut that refused to submit to the Yan, there were still far too many Feranmut within the Great Yan Kingdom's territory.

Based on the experience of the late Emperor of Yan, the best way to deal with Feranmut is to use Feranmut to deal with them. However, His Majesty is not at ease using the fragments of "Sui". There are simply too many Feranmut that want revenge against Yan and are secretly accumulating power.

However, if a Feranmut that harbors no hatred towards the Yan, treats everyone equally, even showing a fondness for "humans," and possesses a unique "ability"... that would be the most needed assistance for the Yan right now!

Such assistance cannot be entirely taken by the Sarkaz clan; the Great Yan also needs to rely on this person's "power"!

After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Zuo Le, a young man with a passionate heart, immediately saw this as an extremely advantageous opportunity for the Great Yan, and also an opportunity for Chen Qi to develop the same goodwill towards the Great Yan as the Sarkaz clan!

"Sir Chen Qi! These Campaign Knight of the Kazimierz campaign are all under your command. Rest assured, with the Great Yan as our guarantor, even if we kill them all on the spot, we can take their heads to the Supervision Committee. I'm sure the Grand Knight Commander will have nothing to say!"

Zuo Le was quite domineering this time. After confirming that Chen Qi was the kind of person that Great Yan needed, he began to act without fear.

Moreover, Zuo Le's words were quite clever. This time, the fourteen Campaign Knight attacked Chen Qi. Even if Chen Qi and his group really killed them all here, without Yan even having to do anything, the Sarkaz clan would definitely go to Kazimierz to demand an explanation.

Regardless, Kazimierz cannot deny that these knights are Kazimierz's Campaign Knight, and once this is confirmed, the suspicion against the Supervision Committee this time can never be cleared.

What could the Grand Knight Commander say? Therefore, Zuo Le's statement was a very pleasant empty promise, requiring no personal responsibility while still making people feel comfortable. Now, after appreciating "Yes, Prime Minister," Zuo Le clearly understands how useful the art of language can be.

"Although I don't want to echo the words of the Yan... Director Chen Qi, if you really feel that killing them can vent your anger, I'd be happy to oblige."

At this moment, the Bloodborne Archon also noticed Zuo Le's flattery of Chen Qi. He could see what Zuo Le was thinking and subtly expressed his attitude to Chen Qi again.

The Bloodborne Archon also pulled on the "blood line" he had created with his Originium Arts. This time, he would absolutely not give anyone another chance to attack Chen Qi.

As Chen Qi faced the Campaign Knight, each bound tightly by their "bloodline," their armor even deformed and groaning in agony, he suddenly heard the system notification again and immediately brought up the Mini-map.