Lin Tianyou stared at Su Han for a heartbeat, his eyes widening in fake surprise. Then, a slow, greasy smirk stretched across his face as he let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Haha! Well, well... look who it is! Is this not our Linkshan Town's number one genius and prodigy?"
He paused, slapping his palm against his forehead like he'd just remembered something trivial.
"Wait, how could I forget? You aren't a genius anymore. You're just the biggest piece of trash in this entire town!"
The crowd behind him erupted into a wave of nasty laughter, their eyes filled with pure mockery as they watched the fallen star.
Su Han didn't say a word. He didn't even flinch. He just kept walking forward until he was standing right in front of the armchair.
Wang Shao, who had been lazily fanning himself, stopped mid-motion. His eyes narrowed as he watched Su Han approach.
'What the hell is he doing here?' Wang Shao wondered, his mind racing.
Ever since Su Han's fall, his reputation had hit rock bottom. To see him walk into a lion's den like this was... unexpected.
"Oh ho ho! Look at those red eyes. Is our former genius getting angry?" Tianyou mocked, leaning forward with a smug grin.
Thud!
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Han slammed his palm onto the table. The wine glass rattled, and the air in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Su Han leaned down, his face inches away from Tianyou's. He stared straight into the other man's eyes with a cold, lethal intensity.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes or small talk," Su Han hissed, his voice low and vibrating with a dangerous edge.
"Tell me the truth right now. Where is Chu Yao?"
Tianyou's brows twitched. He leaned back, a look of genuine confusion crossing his face as if he couldn't even place the name.
Suddenly, one of his subordinates leaned down and whispered something urgently into his ear.
Tianyou's eyes lit up with a wicked spark. He looked at Su Han, that oily smile returning to his lips.
"I have no idea who you're talking about, Su Han," he lied, his tone dripping with fake innocence.
Su Han watched him closely. He hadn't missed the whisper or the subtle shift in Tianyou's body language.
He knew this man was a snake. In Linkshan Town, Lin Tianyou was famous for his dirty tricks and backstabbing schemes.
Su Han's eyes turned a darker shade of red. He ground his teeth together, the sound of bone on bone barely audible over the murmurs of the crowd.
"Listen, Lin Tianyou. I'm not playing around. I'm asking you one last time... tell me the truth."
He stepped even closer, his shadow looming over the armchair like a dark omen.
"If you don't tell me, the consequences will be something you won't want to see. And honestly? I don't have the time to waste being nice to you."
The room went dead silent. Tianyou looked stunned, and even Wang Shao's men looked like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Everyone was staring at Su Han like he was a total lunatic. This was a guy who had lost his Dantian—a cripple with no cultivation.
And here he was, standing in the middle of a den of wolves, threatening one of the most powerful young masters in the town.
"Has he lost his mind along with his Dantian?" someone whispered from the back, followed by a chorus of snickers.
"Yeah, man... I guess when you go from being a prodigy to literal trash, your brain just snaps. Poor guy."
"He shouldn't have picked a fight here. Lin Tianyou isn't exactly the 'forgiving' type. He's known for being a ruthless prick."
In the past, when Su Han was a genius, the Lin family wouldn't have dared to breathe in his direction. But now?
Now, they saw an opportunity to vent years of buried jealousy and anger on a man who could no longer fight back. Or so they thought.
The smirk on Tianyou's face slowly withered away, replaced by a cold, sharp seriousness. His eyes turned icy as he glared up at Su Han.
"And if I don't? What exactly are you going to do, trash?"
Before Su Han could answer, Zhao Mang—who was still stinging from his earlier humiliation—scurried forward with a sneer.
"Haha! Su Han, who do you think you are? You're nothing but garbage! You need to learn your place!"
He barked the words out, trying to look big in front of his master, his eyes full of pure contempt.
"How dare you speak to Young Master Lin Tianyou like that? Who gave you the right?"
He stepped closer, puffing out his chest. "Get on your knees right now and beg for forgiveness! Maybe then—"
Su Han didn't even turn his head. He simply raised a hand, signaling for the man to shut up.
Zhao Mang's words died in his throat. He turned a bright, ugly shade of red, his veins throbbing with rage.
This was the second time this 'cripple' had treated him like he was invisible in front of everyone.
"When I'm talking to him, stay out of it," Su Han said, his voice as cold as a winter grave.
"Good dogs don't bark when their masters are busy."
The insult hit like a physical blow. Su Han had been tolerating this rat for too long.
If it weren't for the burning urgency in his chest and the need to find Chu Yao, he would have already turned this pile of garbage into a literal stain on the floor.
"Su Han... don't push your luck. Don't think for a second that just because you're the Young Master of the Su Clan, I won't crush you right here!"
Zhao Mang's voice was trembling, but not just from anger. He looked Su Han up and down, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips as he slowly tightened his fists.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of his knuckles popping echoed in the silent hall. He rotated his wrists, looking at Su Han with pure malice.
"My hands have been feeling a bit numb lately. Maybe I should use your face to wake them up?"
Su Han's patience finally snapped. He glared at Zhao Mang, his eyes turning a deep, lethal crimson. The air around him felt heavy, suffocating.
He was already on edge, trying to hunt down Lin Tianyou, and now this stray dog was barking in his way, acting like a thorn in his side.
Su Han's fingers curled into a tight fist. He was a second away from launching an attack, but a cold realization hit him—this was the Phoenix Pavilion. Violence here had a heavy price.
Zhao Mang, sensing that terrifying pressure from Su Han's gaze, felt a sudden chill run down his spine. His heart hammered against his ribs, and cold sweat soaked through his shirt.
But he quickly shook it off, his face flushing with embarrassment. 'Why am I scared of this trash?' he thought, his hatred flaring up again.
Back in the day, Zhao Mang had been a professional bootlicker for Su Han. But times had changed. He was now a 7th-level Body Refining warrior.
To him, Su Han was just a broken man with a shattered Dantian—an ant he could stomp on whenever he pleased.
Yet, since Su Han entered the hall, he had been ignoring him, insulting him, and treating him like literal dirt. Zhao Mang couldn't take it anymore.
He lunged forward, his fist raised, ready to teach Su Han a lesson he wouldn't survive. But before he could strike, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Stop! Are you trying to get us all killed?" Lin Tianyou barked, grabbing Zhao Mang's arm.
"Have you forgotten where we are? This is the Phoenix Pavilion. We don't make the rules here, and we certainly don't start brawls."
Tianyou's eyes were fixed on Su Han, cold and calculating. He knew exactly why Su Han was here, but he wasn't about to admit it.
About an hour and a half ago, Tianyou had been at a nearby restaurant when he spotted Chu Yao. She was carrying some supplies, trying to hurry back to her room.
Even though she was dressed in simple, worn-out maid clothes, her beauty was breathtaking. To a man like Tianyou, she looked like a diamond in the rough.
His companions had praised her looks, comparing her beauty to the famous Black Lotus of the Phoenix Pavilion. His greed had been instantly triggered.
He had summoned the manager of the inn and demanded every scrap of information. He didn't care that Su Han had placed her there.
One of his men actually knew the truth, but he kept his mouth shut. To him, Su Han was 'trash'—not worth mentioning to a Young Master who wanted a new toy.
The manager, being a loyal servant of the Lin family, didn't dare to refuse. He told Tianyou that a boy had left her there, paying a month's rent in advance.
Tianyou had wasted no time. He used the manager's men to snatch Chu Yao and lock her away in one of his private houses nearby.
He had come to the Phoenix Pavilion afterward to enjoy the Black Lotus's weekly performance, planning to 'deal' with Chu Yao once the show was over.
Even when Su Han showed up, Tianyou wasn't worried. What could an ant do to a lion? The Su family wouldn't start a war over a mere servant girl.
None of them knew that Su Han's strength had returned. Before his Dantian was destroyed, he was at the 1st level of Qi Refining.
Now, he was a 7th-level Body Refining warrior, but they still saw him as a pathetic cripple. Their arrogance was their blind spot.
"So... you're looking for a fight, and you've already made your choice?" Su Han's voice was like ice, his eyes locked onto Tianyou.
For a split second, even the arrogant Lin Tianyou felt a flicker of genuine fear. He stood up slowly, matching Su Han's gaze.
"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about. But as for a fight..." A dark, twisted smile spread across his face as he cracked his own knuckles.
"I'm always ready for that."
"Oh, calm down, both of you. Do you really want to find out what happens to people who break the peace here?"
Wang Shao—or Wang Ran, the Young Master of the Wang family—stood up, his silk fan still in hand. He was a popular man, but behind that handsome face was a master strategist.
He looked like a harmless flirt, but Su Han knew better. The memories in his head warned him that Wang Ran was a hidden tiger, always playing a deeper game.
Tianyou glared at him. "This is between me and him, Wang Ran. Keep your nose out of it."
"Is that so? Then are you really going to start a bloodbath in the Phoenix Pavilion?" Wang Ran asked with a playful smirk.
Tianyou ground his teeth in frustration. Su Han, however, didn't have time for their petty bickering. His mind was only on Chu Yao.
"If you're so scared of the rules here, then let's take this outside," Su Han challenged, his eyes cutting through Tianyou like a blade.
Tianyou hesitated. He didn't want to leave—the Black Lotus was about to perform, and he had been waiting all week for this.
But he couldn't let Su Han walk away after such a public insult. He decided he would finish this trash quickly and come back before the show started.
"Fine. Let's see if your bones are as hard as your words," Tianyou hissed.
Their eyes met in a clash of pure hatred. Wang Ran watched them, a mysterious, knowing smile dancing on his lips as the tension in the hall reached its breaking point.
"A fallen genius vs. a pampered tiger—who will draw the first blood outside the pavilion?"
"What do you think of this move by Su Han? Drop a comment below—I'd love to hear your theories!"