Hall Master, I've Arrived, Don't Be Afraid, Straighten Your Back

The Hall Master was cuckolded.

The Hall Master was humiliated.

Wu Yong recounted their ordeal non-stop, growing angrier and more upset as he spoke. He had thought following the Hall Master out would be a chance to see the world and freeload, but instead of getting food and drink, they received a brutal beating.

Lin Fan sighed, finally understanding what had happened.

He could only think... My poor Hall Master.

The Hall Master had a wife at home and several mistresses on the side. The one accompanying him today was a singer. Dressed to the nines, she made the Hall Master feel quite proud to have her by his side.

After shopping all day, they planned to visit the famous Cui Jing Tower in the city to enjoy a play and refine their tastes.

Of course, this was all normal, and nothing should have gone wrong.

But who could have imagined that the Hall Master's mistress would claim she needed to use the restroom? The Hall Master waited and waited, but she never returned. When he went to look for her, he witnessed a shocking scene: the mistress he doted on was engaging in intimate acts with another man.

What's more, the man was saying, "Little slut, am I fierce or what? Am I good or not? Am I much better than that useless old Wang Changhai?"

Naturally, their Hall Master was a patient man, but the words that followed completely ignited his fury.

"So good, too good! He only lasts a few rounds each time, but I'm the one who's good! You're making me almost unable to take it!"

A man cannot be told he's inadequate.

Therefore, their Hall Master completely lost it and exploded in rage. But the outcome was obvious: the Hall Master was beaten. The other party had a large group of people, and many influential figures were present, having come to watch the play.

The incident escalated significantly.

More importantly, the other party's identity was no small matter. He was the second son of the Fierce Tiger Gang's leader—young, arrogant, and utterly without honor. He struck ruthlessly, giving Wang Changhai no face at all.

He didn't even let Wang Changhai leave.

He intended to humiliate him publicly.

At this moment, Lin Fan was enraged. Damn it, who doesn't know I was promoted by Wang Changhai? If our Hall Master is humiliated like this, he'll be laughed at wherever he goes. If people know I follow Wang Changhai, won't I be laughed at too?

This was no longer just the Hall Master's problem.

It concerned him, Lin Fan, and even the brothers around him.

The Hall Master could endure it.

He could not.

On the street, a vast crowd was heading towards Cui Jing Tower. The common folk on the roadside parted, their faces filled with apprehension, and then began to whisper amongst themselves.

Clearly, the local populace did not think highly of the gangs.

Honestly, Lin Fan felt that the brothers at Jili Pier were quite good. They were law-abiding, diligently patrolling the pier every day, earning meager wages through hard work, and supporting themselves. They deserved respect.

It was just that a few rotten apples spoiled the barrel, ruining their reputation.

Before long, Cui Jing Tower appeared in sight. It was indeed a magnificent establishment, luxuriously built, clearly not a place for paupers like them.

Two men stood at the entrance, seemingly guards.

When Lin Fan arrived with his large contingent, the two men at the door tensed up. But thinking of the people inside, they straightened their backs and looked at the approaching Lin Fan without a hint of fear.

Lin Fan stopped at the entrance, his gaze chillingly fixed on them.

The two men, who had initially held their ground, were intimidated by his stare and involuntarily lowered their heads in submission.

"Hmph."

Lin Fan snorted and kicked the door open. As he entered, he heard a condescending voice sneering, "Wang Changhai, do you really think you're something special just because you're the Hall Master of Loyalty Hall? Who doesn't know how you got that position? They say you were brave and fought hard in your youth, but in reality, you just buttered up your boss and got promoted. Do you really think you're someone important?"

The speaker was a young man, dressed in fine silk robes, his expression arrogant, with a seductive woman leaning against him.

It was clear this fellow was the second young master of the Fierce Tiger Gang, Sun Yaowei.

He was truly living up to his name, Sun Yaowei, which sounded like "show off his power."

The commotion Lin Fan made by kicking down the door naturally drew many people's attention. Sun Yaowei noticed him as well.

Only Wang Changhai sat slumped in his seat, gripping the teacup on the table, his knuckles white. His head was bowed, his body trembling, so enraged he was having a stress response.

At this moment, Wang Changhai's eyes were about to burst. He felt wronged, aggrieved, and utterly humiliated.

He had never imagined such an ordeal would befall him.

He felt as if he were nailed to a pillar of shame, enduring unbearable humiliation.

That's right.

What the other party said was true.

He had indeed been promoted through flattery. But he was, after all, the fifth Hall Master of Loyalty Hall.

Even if, within Loyalty Hall, everyone except the Gang Leader looked down on him or treated him with disdain, he was still the Hall Master.

Logically, in the underworld, people would at least show some respect when they met.

But now...

Sun Yaowei wasn't giving him any face at all.

He was completely trampling his dignity into the ground, not just trampling it, but grinding it underfoot repeatedly.

Lin Fan looked around, then up at the second floor. A crowd had gathered like they were watching a show, some munching on melon seeds, others eating peanuts, all with faces full of schadenfreude.

Clearly, they enjoyed the spectacle.

Especially since the main character of this show was the Hall Master of Loyalty Hall, Wang Changhai.

Lin Fan approached the Hall Master from behind. The Hall Master was completely unaware.

He was so close.

He could clearly see the sweat beading on the Hall Master's forehead and his pale, ashen face.

He reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Wang Changhai, touched by the contact, trembled slightly. A familiar voice reached his ears.

"Hall Master, I'm here."

Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Changhai twisted his stiff neck and looked up, meeting Lin Fan's gaze.

Lin Fan saw the despair in the Hall Master's eyes, and a flicker of hope when he saw him arrive, but this hope quickly turned to self-deprecation.

Clearly, in the Hall Master's view, his subordinate, whom he had personally promoted, had seen him in such a pathetic state.

The shame of his past arrogance being exposed as a facade.

At this moment, Lin Fan could confirm one thing: his Hall Master's personality wasn't as tough as he had thought; the real Hall Master was actually quite weak.

The so-called toughness was just a disguise.

Perhaps promoting him to be a leader and manage Jili Pier was because the Hall Master saw his talent for flattery, which reminded him of his own youth, creating a resonance that made him willing to give him a chance for promotion.

But now, he just wanted to make the Hall Master understand.

The person you promoted.

Isn't just good at talking; he's actually really good at fighting. Your judgment was sound.

"Kid, who the hell are you?" Sun Yaowei sneered.

No one answered.

Suddenly, someone from the second floor spoke up, "Young Master Sun, this guy is Wang Changhai's subordinate. I heard he was promoted to leader. I think he got there by sucking up, just like his master."

Chen Liang?

Good. He hadn't had time to deal with him recently, but now he'd shown up on his own. Excellent.

"Afan, we..."

Before he could finish speaking.

Lin Fan placed his palm on the Hall Master's lower back, straightening his slumped body, and said softly:

"Hall Master, you still have me."

Hearing this, Wang Changhai trembled all over. He stared blankly at Lin Fan, whom he had promoted. For some reason, he slowly straightened his back, as if an invisible force of confidence from Lin Fan had flowed into him.

Lin Fan turned back and said to his subordinates:

"Guard the door. I don't want a single fly getting out of here today."

The statement caused an uproar.

What an arrogant guy.

Lin Fan walked to the side, bent down, and broke off a chair leg. He swung it around a few times, finding it quite handy.

Then, he walked step by step towards where Sun Yaowei was sitting.

Behind Sun Yaowei stood more than a dozen burly thugs. Seeing someone about to make a move on their young master, they naturally stepped forward aggressively.

Some audibly cracked their necks.

Others popped the knuckles of their fists with loud pops.

Lin Fan's brothers, about to step forward to help, were stopped by Lin Fan's outstretched hand.

"I told you to guard the door, so guard the door. Don't worry about anything else."