86: Chapter 86 Arrogance

After Lin Fan emerged from the City Lord’s Mansion, he instantly felt a sense of ease. It was good to have a big tree to lean on for shade, especially when Elder Ye’s leg was so thick.

As soon as he returned to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he found the glass door shattered on the ground.

The once clean and bright shop now looked as if it had been ransacked by bandits.

Shelves were toppled, blind boxes were scattered everywhere, many crushed, with colorful potion liquids seeping out.

"Brother Fan..."

A faint groan came from behind the counter.

Lin Fan stepped over the mahogany chair blocking the way and went around the counter.

Fatty Zhang Hao was leaning against the corner of the wall, his already round face now swollen like a pig's head, his left eye narrowed to a slit, and blood still oozing from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing Lin Fan enter, the fatty instinctively tried to retract his neck, but it pulled at his wound, making him grimace in pain.

"Brother Fan, I'm sorry."

The fatty's voice was muffled and tearful, "I couldn't protect the shop. There were too many of them, and the Martial Arts Association's Disciplinary Team was with them."

Lin Fan didn't speak.

He crouched down, reached out, and pinched the fatty's chin, looking left and right.

[System scanning...]

[Target: Zhang Hao. Injuries: Large area of soft tissue contusion, two broken ribs, mild concussion.]

He wouldn't die.

But it hurt a lot.

Lin Fan pulled out a bottle of light green potion from his pocket; it was a C-grade [Potent Healing Potion] he had made earlier.

"Drink this and recover from your injuries."

Lin Fan shoved the potion into the fatty's hand, his tone frighteningly calm.

"Who did it?"

Chu Yaoyao happened to be shopping in the store as well.

"It was Qin Feng, that bastard from the Kyoto Qin Family!"

The little girl's face was flushed with anger, her chest heaving violently. "He rushed in with a bunch of people, saying he wanted to inspect our goods. He insisted our blind boxes were 'three-no' products and involved fraud."

"The fatty was about to explain when the captain of that Disciplinary Team kicked him down."

Lin Fan stood up.

His gaze swept across the center of the shop.

There, two crossed white seals were affixed to the most prominent shelf.

They bore the large red stamp of the Jianghai City Martial Arts Association Disciplinary Team.

[Sealed for Rectification].

"The Qin Family."

He had just finished a deal with General Ye Canglan and received a special appointment order from the military, only to find his home base raided. This wasn't just a slap in his face.

This was a slap in the military's face.

"Brother Fan, you can't touch that seal."

The fatty's face was a little redder after drinking the potion, and he struggled to say, "That was put up by the Martial Arts Association. Tearing it off would be resisting the law, and they'll have more reason to mess with us..."

Rip!

A crisp sound.

The fatty's words caught in his throat.

Lin Fan gripped the seal with two fingers and casually tore it off.

That seal, representing official authority, was torn off like waste paper.

Lin Fan crumpled it into a ball and flicked it into the nearby trash can.

Direct hit.

"The Martial Arts Association? What kind of thing is that?"

Lin Fan exhaled a smoke ring and turned to the fatty, "Stop lying around, get up and work."

"Huh?" The fatty was bewildered.

"Accounting."

Lin Fan pointed to the mess on the floor, "Shelves, calculate as red sandalwood. Floor, calculate as imported marble. As for your medical expenses..."

"Calculate as work injury. Lost wages, emotional damages, nutritional expenses, all multiplied by ten."

"Make it into a bill and print it out."

"Tonight, I'm going to collect."

...

Jianghai City, Tianji Grand Hotel.

The top-floor banquet hall was resplendent, with elegant attire and fragrant hair.

This was Jianghai City's highest-grade social venue, but tonight it was booked by the Qin Family.

It was called a banquet.

But in reality, it was Qin Feng's show of power banquet.

Under the huge crystal chandelier, Qin Feng held a glass of champagne, surrounded by a group of Jianghai City's second-generation rich.

He was very handsome, but there was an air of condescending arrogance between his brows.

That was the unique sense of superiority of a scion from a Kyoto aristocratic family.

"Young Master Qin, that Myriad Treasures Pavilion is a joke."

A scion of a small family, subservient to the Qin Family, said fawningly, "That Lin Fan just got lucky and picked up some dead man's money. How can he compare to you?"

"Exactly, he even dares to call himself a 'blind box master.' I think it's just a trick."

Qin Feng swirled his wine glass, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

"Not exactly a trick, just a bit clever."

He took a sip of wine, his gaze searching for something in the crowd. "Elder Ye values talent, he was just deceived by that kid's sweet talk. I came this time to help Elder Ye vet him, and incidentally..."

"Clean up this kind of market-disrupting trash."

Qin Feng put down his wine glass and glanced at the Patek Philippe on his wrist.

"Su Qingxue hasn't arrived yet?"

The attendant next to him immediately bowed, "The Su Family said they are already urging her. That old fox Su Changhe wouldn't dare not give Young Master Qin face."

Qin Feng sneered.

The Su Family.

If it weren't for Su Qingxue's A-grade Ice Talent, these local Jianghai City tycoons wouldn't even be fit to carry his shoes.

He wanted Su Qingxue to witness firsthand how the so-called 'partner' she chose would beg for mercy on his knees before him, Qin Feng.

...

Su Family Manor.

The atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

In the living room, the elders of the Su Family sat on both sides, each with a solemn expression.

Su Qingxue stood in the center of the hall.

She wore a white casual suit, her back straight, like a stubborn winter plum in the wind and snow.

"I'm not going."

Three words, resounding loudly.

"How audacious!"

Second Uncle Su Changhe suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter. "Qing Xue, what time is it now? You're still throwing a tantrum like a young lady. That's the Kyoto Qin Family, Young Master Qin Feng specifically requested your presence. That's a sign of respect for our Su Family!"

"Do you know what happened at Myriad Treasures Pavilion today?"

Su Changhe pointed at Su Qingxue's nose, spitting as he spoke, "It's been sealed, personally by the Martial Arts Association! That Lin Fan is finished! Having offended Young Master Qin, he won't be able to take a single step in Jianghai City!"

"You go to the hotel immediately, apologize to Young Master Qin, and then publicly issue a statement, cutting off all cooperation with Myriad Treasures Pavilion!"

"Otherwise, the entire Su Family will be dragged down by you!"

The other elders also echoed.

"Yes, Qing Xue, a wise person knows when to adapt."

"Although Lin Fan has some ability, his foundation is too shallow. How can he contend with a powerhouse like the Qin Family?"

"For the sake of the family's interests, just make a small sacrifice."

Each phrase, 'for the family,' was like a towering mountain pressing down on Su Qingxue's shoulders.

Isolated and helpless.

Su Qingxue looked around.

These elders, who usually showed her such concern, now seemed to be coercing a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

In the face of absolute power, so-called kinship was as fragile as paper.

She felt a chill to the bone.

"Myriad Treasures Pavilion didn't sell fake goods."

Su Qingxue clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh. "Lin Fan saved my life and helped the Su Family. Now that he's in trouble, you want to kick him when he's down?"

"That's called cutting losses!"

Su Changhe strode over, grabbed Su Qingxue's wrist, and started dragging her out. "Today, you're going whether you want to or not! The car is already waiting outside!"

Su Qingxue struggled desperately, but her strength was completely suppressed by Su Changhe, a high-level Martial Master.

A feeling of despair spread in her heart.

Just then.

Her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.

Buzz—buzz—

At this tense moment, the phone's vibration sounded particularly jarring.

Su Changhe paused, his grip loosening slightly.

Su Qingxue seized the opportunity to shake off his hand and took out her phone.

Lin Fan

Su Qingxue's fingers trembled as she pressed the answer button.

It was noisy on the other end of the line.

There was wind, the roar of a car engine, and the fatty's loud voice shouting, "The printer is jammed."

"Hello."

Su Qingxue's voice carried a hint of imperceptible grievance.

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

It seemed he had noticed the unusual tone in her voice.

Immediately after, that familiar voice, with a touch of laziness and roguishness, came through.

"Su, the Campus Beauty, are you free tonight?"

Su Qingxue sniffled, glanced at the menacing Su Family elders around her, and gave a bitter laugh.

"I'm afraid not. I'm being forced to attend a banquet, to apologize to a certain young master."

"Oh? What a coincidence."

Lin Fan's voice remained steady, betraying no emotion. "I'm also going to that banquet. But I'm going to collect a debt."

"Collect a debt?"

"Yeah, some idiot smashed my shop. Fatty calculated it, a few tens of millions should be enough for compensation."

Lin Fan said lightly, as if discussing what to eat for dinner.

"Wait at home."

The muffled thud of a car door closing came from the other end of the line.

Then the sound of a lighter igniting a cigarette.

"Don't be afraid."

Only two words.

Yet they were like a clap of thunder, piercing through the gloom above Su Qingxue's head.

"Wash your face, change into a pretty dress."

Lin Fan's voice, transmitted through the receiver, clearly echoed throughout the dead silent hall.

"Tonight, I'll pick you up."

"Let's go together and see if that so-called Young Master of the Qin Family is also a blind box that can yield good things."

The call ended.

Su Qingxue stood frozen, holding her phone.

Then.

The flames rekindled in her once dull eyes.

It was the sharpness of melting ice and snow.

She looked up at the ashen-faced Su Changhe, tidying her disheveled collar.

"Second Uncle, no need to drag me."

Su Qingxue's voice had returned to its usual coolness, even colder than before.

"I will go to the banquet."

"However, it's not to apologize."

"It's to collect a debt."