"Motherf*cker! Know your damn place!" Lu Yao snarled.
"I held back only because Senior Brother Gaolin was being patient. But you—you're begging for death, huh?"
He then spat at Fang Rui's feet, his sneer twisting into something uglier.
"A weak, worthless orphan… Don't think you're special just because of some shit mark."
The other four watched indifferently, unfazed by Lu Yao's outburst. They knew his temper—especially when it came to Lu Gaolin. If his senior brother so much as frowned, Lu Yao would tear down a tiger with his bare hands. So, what was Fang Rui?
Nothing.
"Cough… cough…"
Fang Rui choked, his body trembling as waves of pain crashed through him. His vision blurred, his skull throbbing where Lu Yao's kick had landed.
But Lu Yao wasn't done.
"You should've followed your worthless parents' path…" His voice grew darker, angrier.
"You should've rotted away like they did. F*cking useless commoner trash! You're nothing but a burden to this world!" He leaned in, eyes glinting with malice.
"When a mother's a whre, her son's a btch too. What are you staring at? Look down, or I'll gouge your eyes out! Didn't you hear me, you f*cking waste?!"
'…Hmm?' For a moment, Fang Rui felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Something rumbled inside him.
His mind went blank, and he even forgot that he was feeling pain right now.
Then he subconsciously exhaled heavy and long breaths. "Sheeess—"
Then—
Adrenaline surged through his veins as his heart pounded violently. Blood boiled as a searing heat spread through his limbs as Lu Yao's words tore open old wounds—wounds that had never truly healed.
[Ding…]
A faint chime echoed in his skull, but he ignored it. His thoughts were a whirlpool of hatred, a storm of fury so deep it threatened to consume him. The last thread of his restraint snapped.
And then—
He laughed.
A dark, broken sound tore from his throat.
"Now this… this is amusing!" His voice was raw, guttural.
"Kyya. Ha. Hahaha!"
His body shook, veins bulging—not from pain, but from the bitter humour he had just heard.
These worthless maggots, who had once groveled beneath him, now dared to bark like rabid dogs?
Wasn't this hilarious?
Why wasn't it? Ridiculous.
[Due to overwhelming emotion, your True Nature is overflowing.]
[Your True Nature is rumbling.]
[Your True Nature has finally shattered.]
[For an unknown reason, the Primordial Daos of Creation and Destruction are conflicting with the Rule and Regulation Law of the Absolute World#£%@!????]
[You have awakened…]
"SHUT UP!!" Fang Rui's scream tore through the air, raw and unrestrained.
"SHUT THE F*CK UP!!!"
The voice in his mind amplified, feeding his rage until it was all he knew.
For the first time in years, he couldn't pretend.
Couldn't endure.
Couldn't stay calm.
He was tired.
Tired of hiding.
Tired of being fake.
And his promise to his parents?
Fang Rui's hands clawed at his hair, gripping it so tightly his scalp burned. He wanted to stay sane. He wanted to keep that vow.
But—
Kill. Kill. Kill.
[Devoured Emotion: Confusion (Lu Muchen) — Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
[Devoured Emotion: Shock (Lu Xiaobo) — Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
[Devoured Emotion: Rage (Lu Yao) — Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
A flood of notifications flickered before his eyes, but he didn't see them.
Didn't care.
Because right now, all he felt was rage.
And it was blinding.
"The F*ck?!" Lu Yao jerked in surprise before lashing out with another kick, aiming to snap Fang Rui back to reality—or at least knock him senseless.
But instead of crumpling, Fang Rui's hand shot out like a viper, seizing Lu Yao's leg in a grip so hard it felt like bone might shatter.
"ARggghh!"
"Let go, you fucking psycho!" Lu Yao snarled wildly as he felt Fang Rui's nail digging into his foot. "Release my leg right now, you motherless bastard, or I swear I'll kill you!"
His free leg lashed out, his fist slamming into Fang Rui's face with a sickening CRACK.
But Fang Rui didn't flinch.
Didn't even blink.
"WHY?! WHY?!" Fang Rui's voice erupted in a guttural roar, his eyes wild, bloodshot, burning with something primal.
His grip tightened, fingers digging into Lu Yao's flesh like claws. Then, with a feral snarl, Fang Rui lunged forward, teeth bared—
Aiming to sink them into Lu Yao's leg like a rabid beast.
[Devoured Emotion: Bewilder (Lu Gaolin) – Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
[De…]
…
The four Lu brothers froze, momentarily stunned by the sheer savagery of Fang Rui's outburst.
Then—
Lu Gaolin moved first.
His foot slammed into Fang Rui's face. The others swarmed in, yanking Fang Rui off Lu Yao, raining down kicks and punches until his grip finally loosened.
"What the hell is wrong with this piece of sh*t now?!" Lu Xiaobo spat.
"Did you actually break his damn mind?"
"How the f*ck should I know?!" Lu Yao snapped back, clutching his leg. His face twisted in fury.
"Ughh—my leg! I'll kill this bastard! I'll chop him into a thousand f*cking pieces!"
His right hand shot up, Qi unconsciously surging into his fist as he prepared to cave Fang Rui's skull in.
"…Wait, Yao—are you seriously trying to kill him?!"
"I FCKING DON'T CARE!"
But before the blow could land—
Fang Rui charged.
Instead of dodging, he smashed his forehead forward, meeting Lu Yao's punch head-on.
BANG!
CRACK!
"Ugh! Damn it!" Lu Yao hissed, shaking out his hand. His fingers were broken, the bones shattered from the impact.
Fang Rui, meanwhile, didn't care at all about the blood streaming down his face. He just laughed, his grin unhinged.
"Wahhh… red. Everything's red. How… interesting. HAHAHA! My favourite colour!"
[Devoured Emotion: Fear (Huo Limily) – Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
Lu Gaolin's grin never faded, but his brow furrowed deeper.
Then–
Just when he began to take his step forward to deliver something to this wild psycho, from behind him, Lu Muchen's voice cut in—urgent, tense.
"Guys… we need to go. Now."
His eyes darted around the alley. "The screaming—it's too loud. People are gathering here. Let's just leave for now."
Lu Gaolin halted as he glanced sideways, finally noticing the crowd forming at the alley's mouth. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn about these filthy commoners—hell, beating this trash in public might even boost his reputation.
But Lu Muchen pressed on, his tone uncharacteristically sharp:
"Brothers, think. If this draws too much attention, we'll have to answer questions later. And with the tournament so close… do we really want to waste time dealing with this crap over some nobody?"
He wasn't wrong.
Rewards and punishments were everywhere, and though Lu Gaolin held all the power here, he didn't need the hassle—not with his father's expectations looming. Besides, he hadn't come to Anter Town just to pummel some gutter rat.
"…You are somewhat right, brother Muchen." Lu Gaolin nodded, though his fingers itched to gouge out Fang Rui's eyes right then and there.
But discipline won out.
With a final, disdainful glare, he turned away.
[Devoured Emotion: Hate (Lu Gaolin) – Obtained 1 Emotion Point.]
"This isn't over," Lu Gaolin called over his shoulder as he strode off, his brothers following behind him.
"We'll meet again. And when we do… be ready to bleed out again."
[Devoured Emotion: Anger (Lu Yao) – Obtained 0.01 Emotion Point.]