Chapter 41: An Unexpected Complication

After leaving the bar, the moon hung high in the sky. The long street was alive with dazzling, multicolored lights flickering in the night. Groups of drunken people, some pulling each other along in boisterous conversation, others crouched aside retching or weeping, were scattered everywhere. Just a wall away, it truly felt like a world apart.

A cold gust of wind blew against them, and both Lin Hai and Lin Fan shivered involuntarily.

Lin Fan shook his foggy head, feeling a lingering sense of excitement. Stretching lazily, he glanced at Lin Hai and, almost without thinking, asked, “Uncle, is the bar owner, Zhang Deshui, actually a beast in human form?”

When Lin Fan and Tang Hao merged, their minds became one, so the true identities of those people could hardly escape him. But in that moment, realizing he was mingling with a group of beastly creatures had left him deeply shaken.

Lin Hai didn’t bother to hide anything, answering bluntly, “You’re not as clueless as you look! All those captivating ladies you can’t forget, and every staff member in there, they’re all beasts—like a den of wild rabbits!”

Though Lin Fan had already guessed as much, he still found it hard to believe. He exclaimed, “Beasts can actually live so comfortably, so brazenly, within human society? What kind of world is this?”

Lin Hai replied with some annoyance, “What are you yelling for? Who said this was a humans’ world? Humanity is just a fleeting guest in this vast universe! Before the laws of nature, humans are less than nothing.”

“Why are you so worked up? As if you’re not—” Lin Fan was about to retort, but at that moment, a commotion from the parking lot at the side of the street caught his attention—a man and woman scuffling noisily.

“Come on, beautiful! Let’s head home early, the night is precious—tonight I promise to take good care of you, heh heh…”

“No… no… I haven’t had enough to drink… let me go… I want to keep drinking…”

A blond youth was dragging a girl, clearly dead drunk, toward a sports car.

Faced with a scene like this, there was no way Lin Fan would stand idly by. His chivalrous spirit flared instantly. In a few quick strides he rushed forward, punched the blond youth, and, supporting the girl, declared with inebriated bravado, “You little punk! In broad daylight, you dare abduct a woman? Get lost, or I’ll punish you in the name of the moon!”

Lin Fan moved so quickly that Lin Hai couldn’t stop him, so he simply folded his arms and stood aside to watch, thinking, What an utter fool! Give him a pair of wings and he’d fly straight to the heavens! Doesn’t even check the situation before acting up. Well, good—let him learn a lesson, maybe then he’ll stop overestimating himself.

The blond youth was caught completely off guard and sent flying several meters. He couldn’t believe it—who would intervene in this kind of “corpse-picking” at a bar? Impossible! Who comes here for fun and is so clueless? Or is this guy trying to cut in? Damn!

The thought left him despairing. He wanted to go teach that reckless fool a lesson, but as he advanced and took in Lin Fan’s imposing figure and righteous demeanor, and felt his own loose tooth, all his bravado instantly vanished.

After a moment’s hesitation, the blond feigned a lunge, then spun around, leapt into his sports car, floored the accelerator, and sped off in a flash.

As soon as the car roared away, the girl who’d moments ago been dead drunk suddenly came to her senses. She shoved Lin Fan aside, her long lashes fluttering as she glared at him in outrage. “Are you out of your mind? Playing the self-righteous hero? I spent the whole night pretending to be pure just to reel in a sucker, and you went and ruined everything! So you’re brave enough to meddle? Fine—you’ll just have to take his place tonight!”

In an instant, her demeanor shifted. Like a shrew, she grabbed Lin Fan’s arm in a death grip and tried to drag him toward a dark alley.

So it was a setup! Lin Fan finally realized what was happening and tried to slip away, but no matter how he struggled, her grip only tightened, impossible to break free. Whether it was the alcohol or the girl’s own preternatural strength, Lin Fan felt weightless, easily hauled along as she pleased.

The two of them tussled their way toward the shadows. Lin Fan began to regret acting so hastily. Maybe it was better to just pay her off and be done with it. He somehow produced a few large bills and waved them in front of her eyes.

Surprisingly, this actually worked. The girl stopped in her tracks and slowly turned her head.

A chilling hiss escaped Lin Fan’s lips as her face turned fully toward him—she was grinning coldly, upper lip curled to reveal two sharp fangs.

Half his drunkenness vanished in an instant. Damn it, is this the animal kingdom? Another monster!

Startled, he turned to call for Lin Hai, but there was no sign of him.

Damn! Left me here to clean up the mess again?

Abandoning hope for help, Lin Fan faced the girl and made a last desperate plea. “Miss—no, beautiful—your majesty, it’s all a misunderstanding! Please, I have a girlfriend! Why not let me go, I swear I won’t run!”

“Let go? You scared off my dinner, so what am I supposed to eat tonight? Now you want me to let you go? Fine. Let me take one bite first—I promise it won’t kill you,” she replied, baring her fangs even wider, a row of sharp teeth glinting beneath.

Lin Fan shivered. If she really took a bite, there’d be nothing left of him. He’d been polite because she was a woman, but if she thought he was afraid, that was her mistake. Don’t blame me for bullying a lady, then.

With a roar, Lin Fan’s eyes flashed red. Tang Hao’s soul surged within him, flooding his body with spiritual energy. Suddenly his arms shook powerfully, breaking free of her claws, and with a forceful motion, his legs kicked out in a cross, whistling through the air as they aimed for the girl’s chest and abdomen.

The girl hadn’t taken him seriously at all—she’d seen him as nothing but her dinner.

So when Lin Fan began to shout, she only found it amusing. But the next instant, his flurry of actions caught her badly off guard.

She was still in shock from her claws being shaken off when Lin Fan’s powerful kick landed squarely on her chest, catching her as she moved forward, leaving her no chance to dodge.

With a thud, a current of hidden force surged through her body from her chest, sending her flying back at breakneck speed.

She traced an arc through the air before crashing hard into the side of a parked truck. Her body, now twisted from the impact, slid to the ground, leaving a deep dent in the vehicle. Still clutching a piece of Lin Fan’s sleeve, a numbing sensation swept through her, even her soul trembling—forcing her to reveal her true form in order to resist.

Clearly, this beast had not yet fully assumed human shape. Once a spirit beast transforms, it abandons its animal body and cannot revert. So she must be a second-level beast—a magical beast—on the verge of advancement, which is why she was forced back to her original form.

The sudden commotion drew a crowd. A few young men, swaying drunkenly, wandered over—righteous indignation on their faces, having clearly been watching for a while, probably drawn by the girl’s striking looks.

“Are you even a man? Beating up a woman—what the hell is wrong with you!”

“You animal! How could you kick such a hot girl?”

“Bastard! There’s nothing lower than a guy who hits women!”

One burly youth, growing angrier as he shouted, rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward, when a scream from behind stopped him in his tracks.