The hall master had been cuckolded.
The hall master had been humiliated.
Wu Yong poured out their ordeal in a steady stream. The more he talked, the angrier and more miserable he became. He had thought following the hall master out would let him see the world and eat and drink for free. Who could've guessed they wouldn't get a single free meal, but would instead take a beating?
Lin Fan sighed, finally understanding what had happened.
All he could say was... poor hall master.
The hall master had a wife at home and a few mistresses on the side. The one he was with today was a performer. She dressed herself up to the nines when she went out, making the hall master feel proud to take her along.
They had spent the whole day shopping, and he'd wanted to visit Cui Jing Tower, the city's famous theater, to catch a show and cultivate his taste.
Of course, under normal circumstances, nothing should've gone wrong.
But who could've guessed that the hall master's mistress would say she was going to relieve herself, then leave him waiting and waiting without returning? When he went to look for her, he stumbled upon an utterly explosive scene: the mistress he'd been pining for was doing that sort of thing with another man.
What's more, the man had actually said, "You little slut, how am I? Am I good? Am I better than that old loser Wang Changhai?"
Of course, their hall master could endure that. But what came next completely ignited his fury.
"Oh, you're so good! He only goes a few strokes each time. You're the one who's good, making me almost unable to take it!"
A man couldn't let anyone say he was no good.
And so their hall master had completely blown his top and flown into a rage. But the outcome was obvious: the hall master was beaten. The other side had more men, and many of the people who'd come to watch the show were influential figures.
The affair had caused quite a stir.
More importantly, the other man was no ordinary person. He was the second son of the Fierce Tiger Gang's leader: young, arrogant, overbearing, and utterly without honor. He'd hit hard and shown Wang Changhai no respect whatsoever.
He'd even refused to let Wang Changhai leave.
He meant to humiliate him in front of everyone.
By now, Lin Fan was furious. Damn it, everyone knew Wang Changhai had promoted him. If his own hall master could be humiliated like this, people would laugh at them whenever they went out. And if people found out Lin Fan followed Wang Changhai, wouldn't they laugh at him too?
This was no longer just the hall master's problem.
It concerned Lin Fan and all the brothers at his side.
The hall master could endure it.
He couldn't.
A great throng surged down the street toward Cui Jing Tower. The people along the roadside hurriedly moved aside, fear on their faces, then began whispering among themselves.
Clearly, the locals didn't think highly of the gangs.
Honestly, Lin Fan thought the brothers at Jili Pier were pretty decent. They kept to themselves, diligently patrolled the pier every day, and earned their meager wages through hard work. They were self-reliant and worthy of respect.
It was just that a few rats in the rice pot had spoiled the whole batch and dragged their name through the mud.
Before long, Cui Jing Tower came into view. It was certainly impressive, with lavish architecture. One glance was enough to tell them a bunch of poor bastards like themselves couldn't afford to go there.
Two men stood at the entrance, apparently guarding it.
When Lin Fan appeared with his large group, the two men tensed up. But thinking of the people inside, they lifted their chins and watched Lin Fan approach without a hint of panic.
Lin Fan stopped at the entrance and glared at them coldly.
The two men had been holding their ground, but his gaze cowed them. They lowered their heads in submission before they could help themselves.
"Hmph."
Lin Fan snorted, then kicked the doors open. The moment he stepped inside, he heard a scornful voice dripping with arrogance.
"Wang Changhai, do you really think being the hall master of Loyalty Hall makes you somebody? Everyone knows how you got that title. You claim you earned it by fighting hard when you were young, but really, you just sucked up to your gang leader until he gave you the position. Do you honestly think you're important?"
The speaker was a young man dressed in fine silks, his expression arrogant. An alluring woman leaned against his side.
There was no doubt about it: this was Sun Yaowei, the second young master of the Fierce Tiger Gang.
He really did live up to his name—strutting around and throwing his weight about.
The commotion from Lin Fan kicking the door open naturally drew plenty of attention, and Sun Yaowei noticed him too.
Only Wang Changhai sat with his back to them, gripping the teacup on the table until his knuckles turned white. His head was bowed, and his body trembled. He was so enraged that he'd begun to show the symptoms of shock.
Wang Changhai's eyes looked ready to split open. He was aggrieved, wronged, and suffering a humiliation beyond all measure.
He'd never imagined that something like this could happen to him.
He felt as if he'd been nailed to a pillar of shame, enduring an unbearable disgrace.
That was right.
The other man was right.
He had indeed risen through flattery. But in the end, he was still the fifth hall master of Loyalty Hall.
Even though, apart from the gang leader, everyone in Loyalty Hall looked down on him and thought little of him,
he was still the hall master.
By all rights, people who moved in the underworld crossed paths all the time. Sooner or later, they'd have to meet again, and most would show him some respect.
But now,
Sun Yaowei wasn't giving him the slightest bit of face.
He was grinding Wang Changhai's dignity into the dirt—not just stepping on it, but stomping it over and over.
Lin Fan looked around, then up at the second floor. A crowd had gathered to watch the show. Some were cracking melon seeds, others eating peanuts, all grinning with schadenfreude.
Clearly, they loved watching a spectacle.
Especially when its star was Wang Changhai, the hall master of Loyalty Hall.
Lin Fan came up behind the hall master, who didn't notice him at all.
At such close range,
he could clearly see the sweat beading on the hall master's forehead, as well as his pale, ashen complexion.
Lin Fan raised a hand and rested it on his shoulder.
Wang Changhai shuddered at the touch. Then a familiar voice reached his ear.
"Hall master, I'm here."
Hearing that familiar voice, Wang Changhai turned his stiff neck and lifted his head, meeting Lin Fan's gaze.
Lin Fan saw despair in the hall master's eyes, along with a glimmer of hope when he saw him arrive. But soon, that hope turned into shame.
Clearly, the hall master thought that the subordinate he'd personally promoted had now seen him in such a wretched state.
The shame of having his once-impressive bearing exposed as a mere act weighed on him.
At that moment, Lin Fan could be sure of one thing: his hall master wasn't as tough as he'd thought. The hall master's true nature was rather meek.
His toughness was just a disguise.
And the reason he'd promoted Lin Fan to lead the men at Jili Pier might've been that Lin Fan was good at sucking up, just like he'd been when he was young. Perhaps he'd seen himself in Lin Fan and decided to give him a chance to rise.
But right now, Lin Fan only wanted the hall master to understand one thing.
The man you promoted
doesn't just know how to flatter you. He can really fight. You had good judgment.
"Kid, who the hell are you?" Sun Yaowei sneered.
No one answered.
Suddenly, someone on the second floor said, "Young Master Sun, this guy works for Wang Changhai. I heard he was promoted to be a leader. Looks to me like he got there by sucking up too. Runs in the family."
Chen Liang?
Wonderful. Lin Fan hadn't had time to deal with him lately, and now the man had delivered himself right to his door. Perfect.
"Fan, we..."
Before Wang Changhai could finish,
Lin Fan placed a hand against the small of the hall master's back and straightened his slumped body. He said softly,
"Hall master, you still have me."
At those words, Wang Changhai shuddered. He stared blankly at Lin Fan, the subordinate he'd promoted. For some reason, he slowly straightened his back, as if Lin Fan's invisible confidence had flowed into him.
Lin Fan turned back to his men and said,
"Keep an eye on the doors. Today, I won't let even a fly get out."
The moment he said that, the whole place erupted.
What an arrogant bastard.
Lin Fan walked to the side, bent down, and pulled a leg off a chair. He took it in hand and swung it a few times, finding it suited him well enough.
Then he walked step by step toward where Sun Yaowei was sitting.
More than ten burly thugs stood behind Sun Yaowei. Seeing someone approach their young master with hostile intent, they naturally strode forward menacingly.
Some twisted their necks until they cracked.
Others clenched their fists until their knuckles popped.
The brothers on Lin Fan's side were just about to step in and help, but Lin Fan held out a hand to stop them.
"I told you to keep an eye on the doors, so keep an eye on the doors. Don't worry about anything else."
Before you continue