Chapter Sixty-Four: Fear

"Young master, perhaps we should just let that man go. If this continues, our great white shark will be beaten to death by him," someone pleaded. Although he knew the young master's temperament, he still mustered the courage to speak.

Watching the great white shark he had painstakingly trained writhing in the water in agony and rage, Xiaobao's face remained utterly expressionless. His eyes were fixed solely on Fang Yuan.

There was confusion in his gaze, shock as well, but above all—fear.

Yes, at first he thought this Fang Yuan might have some extraordinary abilities, so he was eager to see what made him special.

But when he truly witnessed Fang Yuan's difference, his heart was seized with terror—a terror that came from deep within, uncontrollable.

Xiaobao stood there, dazed, forgetting his own predicament entirely.

No one could say how much time had passed. At last, the great white shark ceased its thrashing and floated silently at the water's surface.

Fang Yuan leapt from the pool, climbing the steps one by one.

Seeing Fang Yuan approach, several men behind Xiaobao wanted to intervene, but Xiaobao stopped them.

In Fang Yuan's hand was a tooth he had just wrenched from the great white shark's mouth, gleaming razor-sharp.

Without hesitation, Fang Yuan seized Xiaobao's hand and drove the tooth deep into his palm.

Blood instantly drenched Xiaobao's hand, his face contorted in pain.

By his former nature, if anyone so much as hurt his finger, he would ensure the offender suffered tenfold in return.

But today, when his men saw Xiaobao wounded and tried to seize Fang Yuan, Xiaobao stopped them again.

"A man must have limits. If you trample others and take pleasure in their fear, then tonight I will show you true terror." With that, Fang Yuan hauled the injured Xiaobao to his feet and flung him directly into the now blood-red pool.

By cruel chance, Xiaobao landed right before the dead great white shark. Its eyes, wide and glaring, met his own.

A moment ago, Xiaobao had shown little outward fear. Now, confronted with the gruesome corpse of the very shark he had trained, he screamed in terror, his cry chilling enough in the dead of night to freeze the soul.

Xiaobao's screams echoed on. The burly men tried to pull him from the water, but Xiaobao, wild with fright, flailed his arms and struck at anyone who came near.

They were all occupied with dragging Xiaobao from the pool. No one spared another glance for Fang Yuan; perhaps, though unspoken, they all shared the same thought.

This man—must never be provoked.

Downstairs, several more people waited. They had already heard the screams. Glancing at their watches, they noted that tonight, the familiar sound had come later than usual. Normally, the cries would begin the instant someone was sent in. Clearly, tonight's guest was made of sterner stuff.

As they mused, they saw Fang Yuan descend alone. His clothes were soaked, splattered with blood.

They were used to such scenes. Seeing Fang Yuan covered from head to toe in blood, they spared him a brief moment of silent sympathy before regaining their composure. Still, since he had emerged, why did the screams upstairs continue?

They exchanged glances and stepped out into the courtyard. From below, they could see the brightly lit rooftop, the vast pool stained a deep crimson.

"My God, what happened here?"

"How could one man lose so much blood—and still be alive?"

Before the words had faded, all eyes turned to Fang Yuan. Only then did they realize that while he was smeared with blood, not a single visible wound marked his body.

If a man had bled enough to dye an entire pool red, he would surely be dead. Yet this one stood before them, full of vigor, nothing like someone suffering blood loss.

"Could one of you drive me home?" Fang Yuan glanced at them.

This was a private villa; not even in daylight could one hail a cab here. Fang Yuan had no intention of walking home in his current state, lest he be invited into a police car for questioning before he got far.

Nor did he wish to frighten some innocent soul half to death in the middle of the night—this was no Halloween, after all. If someone were truly scared into illness, he might even be held criminally liable.

So he could only ask them to give him a ride. Still, if they knew how their young master had been treated, they'd sooner die than agree.

"Are you... are you all right?" One man, who looked like a driver, pointed at Fang Yuan.

At the moment, Fang Yuan's appearance was truly ghastly: not only his clothes, but even his face was streaked with blood.

"Do I look like someone with a problem?" Fang Yuan asked with a wry smile. To prove his health, he even spun around in place.

"You came down, so who's still screaming upstairs?" asked the driver who had brought him.

The cries from above continued. Fang Yuan smiled and replied, "Care to guess?"

"Master, I think before you leave, you ought to change, or at least put on a coat. Otherwise, if someone who knows you sees you like this, who knows what they'll think," a voice suddenly reminded Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan looked down at his clothes, then wiped his face. His hand came away bloody—no wonder he couldn't see the marks himself.

In the main hall, he spotted a mirror. Heading toward it, he found no one tried to stop him.

Gazing at his haggard reflection, Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh.

In the restroom, he scrubbed the blood from his face and hair, then picked up a black jacket carelessly thrown on the sofa and put it on.

A set of car keys lay on the table nearby; Fang Yuan picked them up.

Several luxury cars were parked in the courtyard. He pressed the key, and when the lights flashed on a supercar, he grinned.

The driver started to stop him, but the moment he reached out, Fang Yuan twisted his arm gently, dislocating it.

The man hopped in place, grimacing and groaning in pain.