Chapter Thirty-Nine: Outburst

Humility is often the first rung on the ladder that leads to arrogance and ferocity. Those who climb step by step upon it, once they reach the summit, never look back at the path they took. Their heads are lifted to the clouds, their eyes regard everything with contempt; they despise, loathe, and even wish to destroy the lowly steps that once sustained them.

Just as Lin Hai pressed forward, the door to the private room was abruptly opened from the outside. A thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man entered with brisk steps. His appearance was no better than Lin Hai's: narrow, fox-like eyes, a crooked nose, an untidy mustache, and two oversized front teeth protruding like a washboard, pushing his lips into a high arch.

Though he barged into the fray, this man showed no sign of panic. After closing the door, he introduced himself in a courteous yet emphatic tone, "My name is Zhang Deshui, proprietor of this restaurant. I apologize for my lack of discernment and for offending two distinguished guests; I beg your forgiveness!"

An old fox—couldn’t resist coming out after all? Lin Hai smiled silently, his eyes flickering as a dazzling light instantly enveloped Zhang Deshui.

Yet, under Lin Hai’s oppressive aura, Zhang Deshui moved freely. More astonishing, his own eyes began to shine with brilliant five-colored light. With a shake, his aura expanded, merging with Lin Hai’s. For a fleeting instant, the two streams of energy collided like bursting bubbles—"Boom!"—and neutralized each other.

A dense, colorful mist arose in the room, beautiful and spectacular. After this probing exchange, both men peered through the haze, gauging each other’s strength.

Moments later, the fog dispersed. Zhang Deshui turned sharply toward the disheveled women on the floor and barked, "Get out and call someone to clean this mess up, you bunch of blind fools."

The women scrambled up, helping the unconscious ones, and filed out without a word.

After his display, Zhang Deshui turned back, smiling apologetically, "Forgive me, my management is lacking; please excuse the offense! Do take a seat!"

"Never mind, as long as you waive what should be waived at the bill, that’ll be fine," Lin Hai replied with a slight frown. He had already sized up Zhang Deshui—this man was likely the leader of this den of rabbit demons, and his cultivation was not below Lin Hai’s own. Caution was needed.

"Rest assured! Consider the drinks my tribute to you!" Zhang Deshui ordered the waiter to bring a fresh table of fine wine and snacks, inviting Lin Hai to drink, then launched into aimless boasting.

Both men harbored their own schemes. After several cups, Zhang Deshui, having observed Lin Hai carefully, pondered: One is a fledgling, an ordinary human; the other is a formidable beast—a bizarre pair. How did they come here together for pleasure? These two are certainly no innocents; I must tread carefully.

Zhang Deshui glanced at the still-sleeping Lin Fan and inquired, "Brother, why would a distinguished strongman like yourself bring such a weak human here for entertainment?"

"You mean him?" Lin Hai glanced at Lin Fan, feigning mystery. "Weak? Brother, you're mistaken! If this kid gets ruthless, even I have to step aside, haha!"

Zhang Deshui looked at Lin Fan again, puzzled. "Forgive my poor eyesight; I truly don’t see it! Please enlighten me, brother."

It was no wonder Zhang Deshui was skeptical, since even the lowest-level rabbit minions could easily handle this human.

Lin Hai smiled mysteriously. "Heaven’s secrets must not be divulged! Hahaha!"

Bah! What are you pretending for? I’m not that interested anyway! What trouble could a puny human cause, even if you bring him along? You two had better behave—otherwise, don’t expect to leave this dragon’s den alive!

Zhang Deshui shot Lin Hai a sly look. Seeing he had no intention of explaining, he smartly raised his glass. "Brother, fate has brought us together—let’s drink again!" He downed it in one gulp.

Lin Hai was not to be outdone. After a drink, he abruptly changed the topic, loudly complaining, "Hey, Brother Zhang Shui..."

Zhang Deshui, annoyed, corrected him, "De—there's a 'De' in the middle, Zhang Deshui!"

Lin Hai waved his hand in irritation, "Damn it! No 'De' at all! I’ve been drinking all night and either you send in fake girls to spoil my mood, or you, a grown man, are here to waste time with me. Are you planning to spend the whole night flirting with me? What kind of place is this? Is it a duck house or a chicken house? Am I too easygoing or what?"

His frustration mounting, Lin Hai slammed his hand onto the glass table before him. With a loud crash, the expensive wine and the costly table were completely destroyed.

Wine fragrance, fruit snacks, and shattered glass littered the floor.

No one expected Lin Hai, who was brotherly a moment before, to turn hostile in the next. He truly was a handful.

Zhang Deshui’s eyes twitched in rage, wanting to explode, but Lin Hai’s displayed strength made things difficult. He had to swallow his anger, restraining himself for now, though he had his own backup. Destroying his own business was not worth it. If it were anyone else, he’d have torn them apart by now.

Lin Hai’s outburst startled Lin Fan awake.

Lin Fan sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Damn! Where did the beauties go? Why are there only ugly men now?" He had no idea what had just transpired.

Zhang Deshui, suppressing his anger, sighed, "Please calm down, gentlemen. I’ll call in some superb rabbit girls to accompany you both, and I promise there’ll be no more tricks."

"Great, great..." Lin Fan, still excited, leapt up.

"Shut the hell up!" Before Lin Fan could finish, Lin Hai shoved him to the ground, roaring, "Get lost! Don’t waste my time here—go fetch the top goods prepared for the Night of Beasts, or I’ll tear this place apart today!"

Damn it! Pushing your luck? Zhang Deshui took a sip of wine, refusing to respond, watching coldly. In his heart he grumbled, So they’re after my rare goods? Well, I won’t give them to you—let’s see what you can do, old bird!

Lin Fan, still under the influence of the drug, was bewildered. Had his uncle turned over a new leaf? Was his temperament changed after a nap?

After his tantrum, Lin Hai deliberately waited. Seeing Zhang Deshui unmoved, his rage mounted. How dare you disregard me? Damn it, if I don’t show you some color, you’ll never know you’re blind!

Refusing to back down, he gritted his teeth, stood, raised his right foot, and gathered energy upon it, manifesting a spectral claw, poised to stomp down.

Wild, bloodthirsty light shone in Lin Hai’s eyes, his whole body exuding the kingly aura of a beast.

Zhang Deshui instantly recognized Lin Hai’s transformation: beast foot, formed by gathering spiritual energy. His eyes contracted and turned red...

In a blink, the giant spectral beast foot glowing green slowly rose, ready to strike. Zhang Deshui hurriedly stood, bowing, nearly kneeling, displaying the posture of a lackey. He pleaded, "Spare me, master! I was wrong! If you stomp down, my business is finished! Master, I’ll prepare the goods for you both immediately—please wait a moment..."

Rolling and crawling, Zhang Deshui dragged Lin Hai back to the sofa. Lin Hai relented, knowing when to stop, and played along.

Lin Fan, though he'd seen Lin Hai unleash this move before, was still stunned.

Once appeased, Zhang Deshui hurried out to carry out Lin Hai’s orders.

Once outside, Zhang Deshui was filled with dread. This fellow really wasn’t easy—descendant of a divine beast clan. Damn, doing business is tough.

Like a withered eggplant, Zhang Deshui scurried down the corridor to the secret passage leading to the basement.

Meanwhile, inside the private room, as soon as Zhang Deshui left, Lin Hai showed signs of exhaustion.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

He stuck out his tongue, panting, searching the floor for any unbroken bottles, and gulped down the remaining wine. He was somewhat dehydrated, as if he'd just run a marathon. Shaping spiritual energy was no easy feat for him.

After his confusion passed, Lin Fan’s gaze was once again clouded by lust. He looked at Lin Hai in bewilderment, complaining, "Uncle! Did you take advantage of me while I was out, chasing all the girls away? Otherwise, why are you so tired? Give me back my dream lover, give her back..."

Lin Fan’s imagination ran wild as he pictured Lin Hai and the women in indecent scenes. His heart raced, blood surged, and he grabbed Lin Hai’s collar, yanking his already sparse hair, shaking him violently.

"Give me back my first love, give me back my beauties..."

Lin Hai wouldn’t let Lin Fan carry on like this. He sprang up, shoved Lin Fan back onto the sofa, and cursed, "Damn it! Are you having a kidney cramp? Enough already! Tang Hao, don’t think I don’t know you’re awake. If you don’t help him dispel the evil energy, I’ll knock him out again!"

He raised his fist, ready to strike.

At that moment, Lin Fan’s eyes flashed red, a wicked smile curling his lips. His hands shook, breaking free from Lin Hai’s grip, and with a swift move, launched a punch at Lin Hai’s retreating figure.

Lin Hai, faced with the sudden attack, remained calm. Planting his feet, he raised his fist to meet the incoming blow.

"Bang!" Their fists collided, sending a shockwave from their bodies through the room.

Instantly, smoke and dust filled the chamber. The ceiling light hung half off, flickering and sparking, the glass walls shattered, fragments scattered everywhere, and the leather sofa was slashed beyond recognition...

People in the first-floor hall were startled, looking up in alarm. Security and waiters scrambled upstairs in panic.

Their clash shook the entire bar.

Seeing the commotion was getting out of hand, Lin Hai urgently reminded, "Kid, we’ll have plenty of chances to settle things later. Let’s hold off. If you don’t want Lin Fan to get hurt, we need to unite against the outside threat—otherwise, none of us will leave this bar today!"

With Tang Hao possessing Lin Fan, he clearly understood, and his red eyes faded.

Just then, the door was kicked open from outside. Zhang Deshui, leading a crowd, burst in and was immediately overwhelmed by anger and dizziness. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes, glowing with five colors, as he trembled and said, "What are you two playing at? I don’t like trouble, but I’m not afraid of it. You know well enough what kind of place this is. Are you really trying to break the peace and ruin things for everyone? I expect a reasonable explanation!"

Lin Hai hadn’t expected Tang Hao to pull such a stunt and felt guilty, but was unwilling to bow his head. He forced himself to retort, "Why are you shouting? It’s just a gaudily decorated private room—put it all on my tab as a greeting gift! This place is trash, flashy but useless, not sturdy at all—it annoys me! I’ll pay to help you renovate; what more could you want?"

Damn, another big loss! No, I’ll have to get Zheng to cover this bill! The more he thought, the angrier he became. Lin Hai strode forward, yanked the half-hanging ceiling light down, smashed it on the floor, and, still unsatisfied, stomped on it twice.