Chapter 153 What a Perverted Man

Killing a person demands life in return—that is a universal and unquestionable law. Yet, at this moment, the implications of these words were vastly heavier for Lin Yang.

"Do you two not believe that killing a life requires paying with your own?" This single sentence struck them both as heavily as a blow from a falling club.

Lin Yang was far from foolish, and Meng Hu was exceptionally sharp. The subtext in Fang Tianyou's words was unmistakably clear. Perhaps the fellow was merely testing the waters, but even if it were only a probe, the fact that he suspected them first proved he possessed genuine capability.

At a time like this, the only viable response was to play the fool while knowing the truth. Lin Yang took a step forward, raised his head, and locked his eyes directly onto Fang Tianyou, whose cheeky expression concealed his true thoughts. Their gazes met, sparking an invisible clash. After a brief standoff, Lin Yang’s tense expression abruptly dropped. He threw his head back and burst into wild laughter. "Ha, ha, ha! What is Your Excellency implying? Forgive this junior's ignorance, I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about. If you are simply here to make trouble without reason, please feel free to see yourself out."

"You don't understand? Very well, then I shall spell it out for you!" The atmosphere instantly turned tense. Fang Tianyou, who had been smiling playfully just a moment before, seemed to transform into an entirely different person. His expression darkened to a terrifying degree, and even his voice carried a heavy, chilling murderous intent—an aura so potent that even Meng Hu, who considered himself a veteran of countless bloodsheds, felt a trace of dread.

*What on earth has this fellow been through? Where did he acquire such a terrifying murderous aura?* For Meng Hu, someone who had weathered storms of blood and steel on the battlefield, the origins and meaning of killing intent were crystal clear. Yet, the aura radiating from this man was so intense that even someone who had slaughtered a hundred people might not possess it. This forced Meng Hu to feel both doubt and extreme vigilance. Instantly, he instinctively reached out and pulled Lin Yang back by a step as the younger man tried to advance.

Leaning close to Lin Yang’s ear, Meng Hu whispered a warning, "Be careful. This fellow's killing intent is astonishing."

Lin Yang naturally didn't need Meng Hu's reminder to feel it. After all, his own vigilance far surpassed Meng Hu's. The reason he hadn't retreated was that he genuinely wanted to experience what kind of training could forge such a piercing, oppressive aura in someone who initially appeared playful and entirely harmless.

If Lin Yang and Meng Hu were shocked, the three bodyguards guarding the door were feeling it just as acutely. They were forcefully driven back into the corners of the room solely by the sudden burst of murderous intent from Fang Tianyou. Even so, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as if they had encountered a man-eating demon.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Seeing the few of them shaken by his sudden outburst, Fang Tianyou laughed wildly with utter complacency. His dismissive gaze showed no regard whatsoever for the legendary Lin Yang.

"To think the higher-ups claimed there was some formidable fellow named Lin Yang. Seeing him now, he is nothing special at all. Cowardly, terrified of death—he is utterly vulnerable and collapses at the first blow." After a frantic, cold laugh came mocking derision. The way he looked at Lin Yang had completely shifted by one hundred and eighty degrees.

His erratic changes left the others utterly bewildered. One moment he was humble, the next he looked raving mad, and then suddenly he wore an aura of cold arrogance. What kind of person was this? What on earth was he trying to achieve? Everyone present was completely lost.

"What is your game here?" Despite his intense displeasure—especially the urge to slap away Fang Tianyou's disdainful, mocking gaze—Lin Yang managed to suppress his anger and coldly questioned him.

Seeming to lose interest in playing games, Fang Tianyou turned serious. His expression grew cold and severe, instantly projecting a chilling, unapproachable aloofness, like frost. His low voice seemed to echo from the depths of a boundless abyss.

"Hand it over. That is not something you people have any right to touch."

*Thump.* Once again, the hearts of Lin Yang and Meng Hu gave a violent jolt. If they had still harbored doubts before, they could now confirm their suspicions: the man had somehow discovered through certain channels that they were the ones who had assassinated Fang Muren. Moreover, he seemed to know about Fang Muren's hidden passage—the one known to no one else—and even knew that it contained items detrimental to the Fang family. But if that was true, why had the Fang family allowed Fang Muren to meticulously organize and conceal these items in the first place?

Questions and bewilderment buzzed in their minds like irritating mosquitoes.

"What things? This junior has no idea. Do me the favor of speaking plainly, Your Excellency. If you intend to continue talking in riddles, I advise you to stop right here. I am truly tired." Lin Yang's expression was far from pleasant either, because even now, he couldn't be certain what the man was actually aiming to achieve. If his true goal was to reclaim ironclad evidence detrimental to the Fang family from their hands, there was no need for him to beat around the bush and speak in such vague, obscure ambiguities.

"Must I spell it out for you explicitly?" Clearly dissatisfied with Lin Yang's repeated feigning of ignorance, Fang Tianyou's expression grew a shade frostier. This time, his words carried a bone-chilling frost of genuine intent to kill, as if he would resort to murder if Lin Yang kept playing dumb.

Lin Yang looked in astonishment at Fang Tianyou, whose murderous aura had grown even more violent, and his brow furrowed deeper. Just as the man had spoken, Lin Yang had sensed his killing intent spike once more. Killing intent was formless and colorless, making it exceptionally difficult to control. Yet Lin Yang distinctly felt that capability in his opponent. Very few people possessed the ability to control the intensity of their own killing intent, and every single one of them was ruthless and decisive. Yet this riddling, eccentric fellow before him remained utterly unfathomable.

"Fang Muren was killed by you two, wasn't he?" Getting straight to the point after a round of idle chatter, Fang Tianyou finally revealed his true purpose.

To Lin Yang's surprise, the moment Fang Tianyou finished those words, his murderous aura inexplicably vanished completely. If Lin Yang's senses hadn't been so razor-sharp just moments before, he would have thought he had experienced a dream.

A faint, cold smile curled on Fang Tianyou's lips as he looked at the two men. Yet, within his eyes, there was not a shred of the grief or righteous indignation one ought to feel upon learning of a kinsman's murder. If there was any emotion at all in his gaze, it was malicious glee—the sheer delight of seeing a fellow clansman killed. The Fang Tianyou before them was truly perverted to the extreme.

Before Lin Yang and Meng Hu could open their mouths to defend themselves, Fang Tianyou preempted them, cutting them off with a cold sneer. "Don't bother denying it. Lies don't work on me."

"Curious as to why I am so certain you two did it?" Fang Tianyou muttered to himself like a man lost in a monologue, giving them no room to interrupt or catch their breath, his cold eyes fixed squarely on them.

Well, indeed, that was precisely what Lin Yang and Meng Hu had been wondering in their hearts, though they hadn't voiced it—mostly because this freak had no intention of giving them a chance to ask.

However, just as the two assumed Fang Tianyou was about to offer an explanation, he abruptly shifted topics in a maddeningly suspenseful way, blurting out something entirely unrelated to the previous topic—or more accurately, posing a completely new question.

"You should know Fang Tianming, shouldn't you?" His voice wasn't loud, carrying a low rumble, yet it was clear enough for both Lin Yang and Meng Hu to hear.

Unlike his previous composed demeanor, a faint, subtle emotional ripple accompanied Fang Tianyou's words this time. Though slight and barely perceptible, it could not escape the keenly sensitive spirit of Lin Yang.

*What on earth is this freak bringing up Fang Tianming for?* A flash of profound puzzlement crossed Lin Yang's mind.

"Don't lie and say you don't know him." Still trapped in his self-amused, solitary monologue of smug satisfaction, Fang Tianyou once again denied them any opportunity to speak.

"Damn it, are you ever going to finish? If you think talking to yourself is so much fun, you can stay here and ramble on by yourself! Forgive this junior's poor stamina; I'm tired and going back to sleep." Having been played with in the palm of this fellow's hand repeatedly, Lin Yang, usually blessed with a mild temper, finally snapped and roared.

Because of his outburst, he took a few natural steps forward. Since the distance between them hadn't been great to begin with, they were now practically nose-to-nose. Two grown men standing this close together was enough to invite wild imaginations—at least, the three guards by the door instantly had the thought flash through their minds: *Could the young master... could the young master actually have a penchant for men?*

Had Lin Yang known what those three were thinking, he undoubtedly would have rewarded each of them with a solid slap to the face.

As it happened, stepping those few extra paces meant he was entirely too close; as he shouted in fury, a fine spray of his saliva landed squarely on Fang Tianyou's face.

After unleashing a fierce tirade and venting his inner frustration, Lin Yang's mood improved immensely—at least, in his own mind. Having finished his scolding, he very unceremoniously turned his head, fully intending to walk away.

"Pervert." The voice was not loud, yet it ensured everyone present heard it clearly. However, the person who uttered the word was somewhat unexpected.

The word "pervert" came from Fang Tianyou, who was frantically reaching out to wipe the spit from his face. Watching him wipe his face in that manner, any man witnessing the scene would have unhesitatingly turned tail and fled.

Perverted? He was truly, utterly perverted. If the others hadn't trusted their own eyes, they would have sworn the creature before them was a woman. Compared to his overbearing, domineering aura from moments earlier, he looked like an entirely different person.

Seductive, bewitching, forming orchid fingers, swaying his hips, whining endlessly—other than lacking the biological anatomical structure, this fellow possessed every single trait of a stereotypical woman.

Combined with his previously explosive murderous aura, just what kind of twisted, abnormal man was this? Lin Yang felt thoroughly confused.

Upon hearing Fang Tianyou drop the word "pervert," Lin Yang, who had just been about to lift his foot and leave, nearly tumbled face-first onto the ground. Turning his head to glare at the man's disgustingly feminine posturing, he cursed inwardly: *You're the one who's a total pervert! Orchid fingers? Damn it, I hate orchid fingers the most! You think you're a broad? If you love playing the maiden so much, you might as well go to some country and become a ladyboy.*

A faux-woman—an unadulterated crossdresser. At least, that was Lin Yang's final verdict on the bizarre man before him.

In contrast to Lin Yang's volatile emotional rollercoaster, Meng Hu remained vigilant from start to finish, closely watching the man who was so adept at acting and hiding his true thoughts.

Fang Tianming—the man had just mentioned that name. For Meng Hu, a heavyweight boss maneuvering through the underworld of Jinhai, the name Fang Tianming was far from unfamiliar. No matter what, Fang Tianming was a legitimate, high-ranking power player in Jinhai.

As an underworld kingpin, Meng Hu had crossed paths with Fang Tianming more than once. After all, what figure in the underworld had entirely clean hands? With the police constantly hounding them and the state government treating them as headaches, securing a good patron and building political connections was paramount. Fang Tianming, who had once served as a district precinct chief, was precisely one of the figures Meng Hu had secretly colluded with.

Though Meng Hu hadn't personally participated in the incident at the abandoned scrapyard, he had managed to dig up every single detail about it. Coupled with the firsthand breakdown provided by the instigator himself, Lin Yang, he understood the situation all too well.

Hearing this strange man suddenly bring up Fang Tianming caused Meng Hu's brows to furrow repeatedly. Where exactly had the flaw occurred? He felt as though he had caught sight of something, yet it remained blurry and out of reach, giving Meng Hu a genuine headache.