"I hate being threatened more than anything."
You're playing with fire.
Evan Lin gripped Victor Yu's neck with one hand, his gaze icy and razor-sharp.
Victor Yu's mouth hung open, his whole face flushed a deep purple like pig's liver.
Evan's left hand slowly tightened. Starved of oxygen, Victor Yu's mind went momentarily blank.
The aura of death completely engulfed Victor Yu.
After more than ten seconds, Evan finally let go.
"Cough, cough..."
Bent over, Victor Yu coughed violently, gasping for breath. For a moment just now, he really thought he was going to die.
"You!"
Victor Yu, having barely recovered, glared viciously at Evan. But the moment his eyes met Evan's cold, utterly emotionless gaze, the anger that had just flared up in his heart was instantly snuffed out by a fresh wave of terror.
You think I'd be scared of the Xiao family?
I don't know any Dongting Tiger Barry Shaw, but if he dares to mess with me, I'll personally wipe him out. Since I could fight my way out of Imperial Grand, I can fight my way into the Xiao family too. I want to see who in this city could actually stop me.
Evan's gaze was icy, his tone laced with arrogance as he stared at Victor Yu, who had finally managed to catch his breath.
"S-sorry..."
Victor Yu took a deep breath, his back soaked in cold sweat.
He'd clawed his way up from the bottom himself. Back in his youth, Victor Yu was a hot-blooded guy—he'd fought and been beaten plenty. But just now, he couldn't even muster the thought to fight back.
"You want me to fight for you? Fine. Five million."
Evan Lin looked at Victor Yu, waiting for his answer.
"Deal!"
Victor Yu didn't hesitate, agreeing on the spot.
"Remember, don't even think about playing any tricks. If I find out you've got something else in mind, I'll personally make you disappear."
Evan let out a frosty snort, spun around, and yanked open the door to leave.
Outside the door, Charlie Liang had been waiting for news. Seeing Evan come out, he quickly put on a fawning smile.
Evan headed straight downstairs. Sensing something was off, Charlie Liang hurried into the room and saw Victor Yu's face dark and gloomy. Startled, he asked, "Brother Yu, what's wrong? Did he refuse?"
"He agreed, of course he agreed. But the price—damn, it's steep." Victor Yu gritted his teeth, staring at the empty doorway, his gaze flickering.
He grabbed his water glass and gulped down a big mouthful.
"By the way, how's Shawn Young?"
Victor Yu looked at Charlie Liang. Even though he wasn't really worried about the Xiao family, for appearances' sake, he had to at least ask.
"Just like you ordered, I had them all sent home."
Charlie Liang answered carefully.
"Good, as long as they're home." Victor Yu nodded. "That kid beat up the Xiao family's people and still dared to ask me for five million—five million for a single fight!"
Victor Yu's voice even rose as he spoke.
"Five million? That's way too much!"
Charlie Liang's heart skipped a beat. He'd expected maybe a few hundred thousand at most; he never imagined a single fight could cost five million.
"Five million... I want to see if he can actually live long enough to collect it." Victor Yu shook his head, still haunted by that brush with death.
To get scared by some punk kid—if word got out, how could he hold onto his job as Imperial Grand KTV's deputy manager?
He was at least a big shot in Brightsea City, and with Damon Wang never showing his face, the whole Imperial Grand operation was basically run by Victor Yu.
If not for the underground arena really running into trouble—and with another round of turf division coming up soon—Victor Yu wouldn't have considered using Evan Lin at all.
"He's injured so many of my men, and right now, there's nobody who can handle him. If he gets in the ring and wins, great; even if he loses, at least he'll end up crippled for life."
Victor Yu spat out the words, his face especially dark.
"Either way, this works out for us. Best case, he wins the fight, makes us money, and then gets taken out by the Xiao family."
"Oh, Charlie, go out and see him off. And get his contact info—otherwise, how are we supposed to find him later?"
Remembering this, Victor Yu shouted at Charlie Liang, who immediately spun around and dashed out, afraid Evan Lin might already be gone.
Once Charlie Liang left, Victor Yu was alone in the office.
"So what if he knows some moves? Every guy in that underground arena is a wolf or a tiger. Some punk kid is bound to learn his lesson sooner or later."
Victor Yu muttered bitterly, then paused to think. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Boss Long, it's Victor Yu. In a few days, I'm inviting you to watch a fight."
...
Evan Lin turned and headed downstairs, walking calmly through the hallway.
"Five million for one fight—isn't that a little cheap?"
Evan couldn't help but mock himself.
To Evan now, money was nothing more than worthless scraps of paper.
But thinking about how that money could instantly improve his mother's life, Evan felt a little better.
"Looks like this is a death match. If they're willing to pay that much, who exactly is my opponent going to be?"
Evan pondered, feeling a spark of excitement.
Since coming back to life, Evan still hadn't met a true master.
The black-clad bodyguard he'd seen last night on Mount Three Thousand was much stronger than most, but to Evan, he still wasn't worth mentioning.
"Looks like I need to hurry up and reach Qi Refining Level Two."
With his mind made up, Evan returned to the private room.
Inside, Lily Zhong paced nervously, anxiously waiting. When she saw someone open the door and Evan walk in unharmed, the weight in her heart finally lifted.
"Evan, they didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
Lily Zhong hurried over, standing in front of Evan and asking with concern.
Things were complicated at Imperial Grand, and Lily Zhong worried Evan would get hurt.
"No. They're not even in my league."
Evan smiled lightly, looking relaxed, which earned him a roll of Lily Zhong's eyes.
Evan's eyes drifted to Lily Zhong's chest, where a faint spiritual energy was gently swirling.
"Too bad I still can't see deeper. Maybe the secret of spiritual energy is hidden even further inside."
Evan thought about this, wondering how he could obtain the spiritual energy from Lily Zhong.
Noticing Evan's slightly bold gaze, Lily Zhong blushed. Yet instead of backing away, she instinctively lowered herself a little.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Evan was slightly taken aback. His gaze went deeper, where the spiritual energy floated like a mist.