Chapter 70 Eradicate Them All

Dou Jun was terrified, his face twisted in despair as he whimpered, “Lin Yang, I was wrong. For the sake of our old classmate friendship, please let me off.”

“You are not worthy to speak of friendship with me,” Lin Yang replied coldly.

“Yes, yes, I’m not worthy. Please spare me, I swear I’ll never disrespect you again.” In a show of false remorse, Dou Jun slapped himself lightly on the other side of his face, trying to curry favor.

“That’s far too gentle. It seems you still want to be carried out of here on a stretcher,” Lin Yang remarked.

Dou Jun’s lips twitched, but seeing no other way out, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the cheek.

“Still not enough!”

Grinding his teeth, Dou Jun landed another fierce slap, making his whole face burn with pain. The hostesses nearby couldn’t help but wince, feeling the sting on his behalf.

“Not sincere enough. Get on your knees and keep slapping yourself. Don’t stop,” Lin Yang ordered with no trace of mercy for someone like Dou Jun.

With a thud, Dou Jun dropped to his knees and began slapping himself over and over, drawing blood at the corner of his mouth.

Lin Yang turned to Wang Shenglan. “Young Master Wang, why are you just standing there?”

Wang Shenglan, relying on his family’s status, refused to debase himself. “Lin Yang, my father is Wang Jiaqian, vice president of the Grand Commerce Association. Do you really want to cross me?”

“If you won’t do it yourself, I’ll help you. But I don’t know my own strength—I could slap you to death in a single blow.” Lin Yang advanced toward him as he spoke.

Wang Shenglan’s bravado crumbled. Terrified, he dropped to his knees and started slapping his own face.

Chen Zhe, seeing the situation, immediately caught on and began to slap himself without waiting for Lin Yang’s command.

The private room echoed with the sharp sound of self-inflicted slaps. All three men beat themselves until blood trickled from their mouths and noses.

The hostesses didn’t dare utter a sound. None of them had ever witnessed such a scene in their lives; it was a night they would never forget.

“Ladies, come over here,” Lin Yang called out.

His voice startled the group of hostesses, who quickly began to beg for mercy.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” Lin Yang assured them.

The hostesses breathed a little easier.

“Which one of you wanted me to lick the soles of your shoes just now? Since you enjoy seeing people humiliated, now it’s your turn. Each of you, lick the soles of these ladies’ shoes, and I’ll let you go,” Lin Yang said.

“Damn you! I won’t do it!” Wang Shenglan finally snapped.

Slapping himself was as much as he could endure. To lick the shoes of these hostesses was utterly beyond him.

“If you won’t, then you’ll die!” Lin Yang moved in a flash, seizing Wang Shenglan by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” Dou Jun scrambled over, grabbed a hostess’s high heel, and began to lick it.

Chen Zhe, seeing this, hurried to do the same.

“Young Master Wang, do you want to die, or do you want to lick the shoes?” Lin Yang released his grip and asked.

Wang Shenglan coughed violently, his face turning a deep shade of purple. After a long moment, he gasped, “I’ll do it.”

“Xinxin, take off your shoe and give it to him. Make sure he licks it clean.”

Xinxin didn’t dare disobey. She took off her shoe and tossed it in front of Wang Shenglan.

He picked it up and began to lick it.

Brother Leopard watched all this from the side without daring to utter a word. These three pampered young masters were all regulars at the Phoenix Palace, each with powerful backgrounds, but tonight they’d suffered the greatest humiliation of their lives.

“You, come here,” Lin Yang beckoned to the injured Brother Leopard.

“I’ll lick!” Brother Leopard surrendered instantly, acting with remarkable speed as he pulled off a hostess’s shoe and set about licking it.

Lin Yang couldn’t help but chuckle—he hadn’t even intended to make Brother Leopard do it.

The hostesses stared in disbelief at the three men licking their shoes, wondering if they were dreaming. Especially Brother Leopard, who was the most feared man in the Phoenix Palace; to see him debase himself in such a way was beyond words.

“Give Wei Dagang a message for me: if he wants revenge, he can come find me anytime. I’ll be waiting. I live in Building 18 of the Imperial Garden.”

With those words, Lin Yang lost interest in watching the degrading spectacle any further—the sight was revolting.

He grabbed Weiwei’s hand, turned to Brother Leopard, and said, “I’m taking this girl with me. She won’t be working here anymore.”

With Weiwei in hand, Lin Yang called to Zheng Nanxu and walked out of the room.

The hostesses let out a sigh of relief, grateful to have escaped disaster.

Wang Shenglan immediately threw the shoe aside, his face contorted with rage.

“Lin Yang! If I don’t kill you—if I don’t cut you to pieces and feed you to the dogs—I’ll never call myself a man!” Wang Shenglan’s voice trembled with hatred, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets.

“He’s too damn arrogant! We can’t let him get away with this!” Dou Jun shouted, filled with shared fury.

“Master Wei won’t let him go either,” Brother Leopard said, tossing aside the shoe.

“Brother Leopard, what do you plan to do with them? They saw everything that happened tonight. Not a word can be allowed to get out,” Wang Shenglan said in a chilling tone.

“How do you want to handle it?” Brother Leopard asked.

The madam, the shrewdest of the group, instantly realized the danger. They might all be silenced to cover up what had happened.

“Master Wang, Brother Leopard, I didn’t see anything, and I swear not to breathe a word. Please, spare my life!” The madam knelt and begged for mercy. The hostesses who had just rejoiced at escaping Lin Yang’s wrath now saw the truth and reacted instantly.

What had transpired in the room tonight was a grave humiliation for these men, and the best way to hide it was to silence the witnesses.

The hostesses all dropped to their knees, sobbing and begging for their lives.

“Only the dead don’t talk. Dump them all in the Luo River and let the fish feed,” Wang Shenglan said coldly.

Brother Leopard nodded.

The madam and the hostesses wept bitterly, terrified beyond belief.

The madam crawled over on her knees, clutching at Brother Leopard’s pants as she pleaded, “Please, Brother Leopard, spare me! I’ll do anything you ask. I’ll give you all the money I have—I swear I won’t say a word.”

Brother Leopard kicked her aside, his face expressionless.

“Master Wang, didn’t you always like me best? Please don’t kill me, I beg you!” Xinxin sobbed, kneeling in despair.

Wang Shenglan didn’t even glance at her. He threw his jacket over his head and strode quickly out of the room.

“Don’t blame me for being ruthless. Blame that man, Lin—he’s the reason you saw what you shouldn’t have seen. If you become ghosts, seek him out for vengeance,” Brother Leopard said as more bodyguards entered the room.

“Knock them all out, stuff them in sacks, and sink them in the river.”

In the eyes of Brother Leopard and Wang Shenglan, human lives were worthless. Killing a few hostesses meant nothing to them.

The hostesses screamed in terror, begging for help, but it was useless—they were knocked unconscious one by one.

Just before she lost consciousness, Xinxin was filled with bitter regret.

She thought, if only she had followed Lin Yang like Weiwei did, she could have escaped the misery of the Phoenix Palace and avoided such a tragic fate.

But, alas, in this world, there is no medicine for regret.