Chapter 91: Fu Tian

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” Lin Fan said confidently, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. “Little Butterfly, you’ve become even more beautiful after these years.”

Indeed, compared to four years ago, Little Butterfly had blossomed into a graceful beauty, but Lin Fan knew she was a rose with thorns; her skills were certainly not inferior to Xu Qiang’s.

Hearing Lin Fan’s words, Little Butterfly’s body trembled. If it had been before, her captain would never have said such things. For a moment, she looked at Lin Fan with a strange expression.

Lin Fan noticed what Little Butterfly was thinking—women are always meticulous observers. Leopard, on the other hand, paid no attention to Lin Fan’s change, not thinking about anything at all. He simply tossed Lin Haotian’s words aside and continued, boisterously, “Captain, can I follow you from now on?”

Lin Fan was delighted and was about to respond, but Lin Haotian spun around and glared angrily at Leopard, shouting, “You two remember this: you are my soldiers, you belong to the country, not to that kid. He’s no longer part of Falcon. If not for your stubborn insistence on seeing him, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

Lin Haotian was truly angry. He hadn’t expected Leopard to say such a thing—it was clear he wanted to follow Lin Fan, and there’s no way Lin Haotian would let Lin Fan poach Falcon’s people right under his nose.

Seeing his uncle genuinely furious, Lin Fan laughed, giving Leopard a look, signaling him to stop talking. But Leopard’s straightforward nature meant he missed the hint entirely. He couldn’t figure out what his superior meant by those words, so even if he had to suffer punishment, he stubbornly tried to press the matter, only to be pulled aside by the attentive Little Butterfly before he could speak.

“You two, go reflect behind closed doors,” Lin Haotian said sternly, “think about what you did wrong.” He turned to leave, warning Lin Fan again, “Kid, if you dare try anything with those two, don’t blame your uncle for turning his back on you.” Lin Haotian was genuinely worried; Leopard’s words had given him a bad feeling.

Lin Fan shook his head and smiled helplessly. “If they insist on following me no matter what, don’t blame me then.”

“As long as you don’t sweet-talk them,” Lin Haotian said, feeling a sense of foreboding, glaring at Lin Fan.

After four years apart, Lin Haotian could no longer read Lin Fan’s thoughts or anticipate his actions. He truly feared Lin Fan would openly lure Leopard and the others away.

On the way to the cemetery, Lin Haotian occasionally asked about Dragon Soul’s situation; Lin Fan only touched on insignificant details.

Lin Fan didn’t fully trust his uncle. From a certain perspective, Lin Haotian was first a servant of the nation, then a relative. There were things Lin Fan couldn’t tell him, such as the matter of Star Soul, which Lin Fan outright denied when asked.

...

In the suburban cemetery, there stood two tombstones: one for Lin Fan’s mother, Fang Shuyan, the other for his father, Lin Zhentian. Looking at the gentle smiles in their photos, Lin Fan’s mind drifted back to over a decade ago.

When he first remembered things, their family of four lived joyously together. He was then an innocent child with a happy childhood, but all of that was lost overnight, forcing Lin Fan to grow from a boy into a man burdened by vengeance.

He took a deep breath, steadying his emotions. Upon returning to T City, he had come here to visit his parents. He didn’t know why, but every time he thought about them, an uncontrollable urge welled up inside him, wishing to tear those responsible to pieces. If not for them, how would his family have ended up like this? Yet Lin Fan knew, after so many years, it was too difficult to uncover the truth, and he still had no clues—so what revenge could there be? Each time, he forcibly suppressed that impulse.

As dusk fell, Lin Haotian turned and said, “It’s about time. Let’s go.”

“You go ahead. I’ll stay a bit longer,” Lin Fan said quietly, gazing at the tombstones. “I’ll walk back later, you don’t need to worry.”

“Kid, some things have already happened, you should…” Lin Haotian sensed the faint killing intent emanating from Lin Fan and sighed, but cut himself off, turning away, knowing Lin Fan’s determination for revenge couldn’t be swayed by a few words.

“The events of the past—I failed you as your commander; the nation failed you,” Lin Haotian’s voice drifted back to Lin Fan, though he hadn’t gone far.

After Lin Haotian left, Lin Fan sat down between the two tombstones. He didn’t know why he stayed, but he simply didn’t want to leave—perhaps he wanted to spend a bit more time with his parents.

He had no idea how long he lingered there. Night had fully fallen, and the saying “the moon is fullest on the sixteenth” was indeed true.

The jade disc hung in the sky, unobstructed by clouds, releasing its gentle glow. The moon is impartial, its light shining anywhere, whether upon righteousness or evil, enveloping all alike.

Moonlight spilled across Lin Fan’s face. The night sky was clear and dark, stars scattered across the heavens, a brilliant moon overhead illuminating the land, its silvery beams cascading like mercury.

Lin Fan glanced at his watch, stood, and left the cemetery, slowly vanishing into the night. There were things he must do, grudges he must settle...

The Hong Society was a secret organization founded in China during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Outwardly, they called themselves the “Heaven and Earth Society” or “Hong Society,” while internally they became known as “Hong Men.” They were home to countless extraordinary individuals and made immortal contributions to the victory in the War of Resistance.

But in modern times, the Hong Society’s influence had waned. By the generation of Fu Tian, talented experts were few and far between. Their only strength lay in their enterprises, which allowed the Hong Society to survive. Now, their power was mainly concentrated in Shanghai and surrounding areas.

Due to recent government crackdowns on criminal gangs, the Hong Society had gradually moved toward legitimacy, with more and more lawful businesses. Fu Tian never expected that his trip to T City for an auction would attract deadly attention, and judging by the circumstances, someone wanted his life. Though he didn’t know who was behind it yet, as the leader of Hong Men, Fu Tian would not let the culprit go so easily.

He glanced back; their pursuers had not caught up, which eased his mind. He was lucky his men had blocked the assassins—otherwise, he would likely be dead now.

Fu Tian’s men had risked their lives to stop the masked assassin. At first, Fu Tian refused to leave; as the leader, he could not abandon his men and flee alone. Eventually, his subordinates threatened him with their own lives, and seeing that the assassin’s target was only himself and not his men, Fu Tian had fled in haste.

It was late. Moonlight kept things bright, but the surroundings were eerily quiet. There was not a single pedestrian besides Fu Tian; the street was so remote that even taxis were absent.

Unfamiliar with T City, Fu Tian had no idea where he was and could only walk forward cautiously, knowing the masked assassin might still be searching for him.

Though the leader of Hong Society, Fu Tian was skilled, but age had caught up with him and he hadn’t fought in years. He knew that even in his youth, he would never have matched the masked assassin, for it was clear the killer was a professional.

Was he sent by the Haitian Group? Besides them, Fu Tian couldn’t think of anyone else who wanted him dead. In Shanghai, although Haitian Group was among the world’s top hundred enterprises, locally the Hong Society, with its reach across both legal and illegal circles, matched Haitian’s strength.

The government’s suburban development plan promised enormous profits, and in Shanghai, the only real competitor to Haitian Group was the Hong Society’s businesses.

(To be continued...)

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