Chapter 63: Fated Rivals Cross Paths—How Fascinating

At that moment, a roar erupted outside the bar, and three vans screeched to a halt at the entrance. The doors of the vans were shoved open and more than twenty thugs, armed with knives and clubs, spilled out onto the street. At their head was Li Jie.

Li Jie’s head was wrapped in a bandage, but he carried himself with newfound swagger. Since his older brother had been slain by Chu Tian, the remaining gang members, left leaderless, had all become Li Jie’s subordinates. His status had risen dramatically overnight. Rather than resenting Chu Tian, Li Jie felt a strange gratitude toward him. If Chu Tian hadn’t killed Li Quan, Li Jie would never have had the chance to step up.

“Brother Jie, there are two punks inside the bar who embarrassed me. I’d like you to teach them a lesson,” Yang Xuan said smugly, stepping forward to greet Li Jie.

“No problem. If it’s a matter for Young Master Yang, it’s a matter for me,” Li Jie laughed, thumping his chest in assurance.

“Brother Jie, how did you hurt your head?” Yang Xuan moved closer, only then noticing the bandage and pausing in surprise.

Li Jie waved dismissively. “Don’t mention it. I was drinking at a restaurant yesterday and ran into some kid—he beat me up pretty badly.” The memory still made Li Jie shudder.

“What? Someone dared lay a hand on you?” Yang Xuan was taken aback, but didn’t dwell on it. In his mind, only a reckless fool would dare challenge Li Jie. That fool was probably already torn to pieces.

“Enough talk. Get those two punks out here, and my brothers will teach them how to behave,” Li Jie said, waving off the subject of yesterday.

Whenever Chu Tian’s face came to mind, Li Jie’s legs trembled uncontrollably. Fortunately, he had only met Chu Tian once, and in a city as vast as Tianmen, he felt confident their paths would never cross again. That was Li Jie’s sole consolation.

Yang Xuan returned to the bar entrance, casting a sweeping glance at the security guards.

“What are you waiting for? Get those two idiots out here to face their doom!” Yang Xuan barked.

Intimidated by the threatening crowd, the two guards didn’t dare act on their own. They turned and hurried into the bar.

On the dance floor, Chu Tian and Ye Binglan were still wrapped in each other's arms when a guard rushed over, prompting them to release each other.

“What’s happened? Why are you so flustered?” Ye Binglan frowned, reading trouble in the guard’s anxious expression.

“Boss, there are a lot of thugs outside. They’re demanding Mr. Chu come out,” the guard glanced at Chu Tian, then back at Ye Binglan, his tone urgent.

“Xiao Tian, who have you offended now?” Ye Binglan asked curiously.

“Second Sister, rest for a bit. I’ll handle this,” Chu Tian said with a light chuckle, already guessing who the visitors were.

“All right, I won’t interfere. Settle your own business and don’t let it disturb mine,” Ye Binglan smiled, confident in Chu Tian’s strength and unconcerned for his safety.

Chu Tian then strode toward the bar’s entrance.

As he passed Table One, Li Xin suddenly stood up.

“Chu Tian, is Yang Xuan causing trouble?” Li Xin had deduced the reason. Since it all began because of him, he couldn’t just sit back and hide.

“No worries. Sit down and enjoy your drink. I’ll be back soon,” Chu Tian gestured for Li Xin not to worry.

But how could Li Xin truly relax? If Yang Xuan was behind this, Li Xin felt compelled to stand with Chu Tian.

“I…I’ll go with you,” Li Xin said, his nerves evident, but he forced himself to muster courage.

Chu Tian nodded. Though Li Xin could offer little help, his willingness to stand by him made Chu Tian see him in a new light. Clearly, he had chosen his friends well.

The two stepped outside the bar.

No sooner had they exited than Li Xin saw over twenty thugs wielding knives and clubs, with Yang Xuan at their head. It was his first time witnessing such a scene and fear gripped him, but he clenched his fists and stood firmly beside Chu Tian.

“Are you looking for me?” Chu Tian scanned the crowd, recognizing several familiar faces.

“It’s…you?” Li Jie’s face changed color, and he shuddered violently.

He would never forget Chu Tian’s face, especially since they had met only yesterday. How could he possibly forget so soon?

Not only did Li Jie blanch, but the twenty thugs behind him all felt a chill in their hearts.

“Chu Tian, facing death and still so defiant?” Yang Xuan sneered. “I was worried you’d hide inside the bar, but since you’ve come out voluntarily, you’ve saved me the trouble.”

Yang Xuan, his back to Li Jie, failed to notice how pale Li Jie had become.

Damn Yang Xuan! Can’t you shut your mouth? Are you trying to get us all killed? Of all people to provoke, you picked this demon!

Li Jie glared at Yang Xuan’s back, cursing his ancestors. But with Chu Tian standing right there, he swallowed his rage and dared not act out.

“Come with me. Don’t make trouble at the entrance of Dark Night Bar, or you’ll stain the threshold with blood,” Chu Tian said, his gaze drifting toward a nearby alley.

“You really are something. Are you not afraid of death at all?” Yang Xuan burst out laughing, as if he’d just heard the most absurd joke.

It was the first time he’d met someone so fearless—even now, facing death, Chu Tian worried only about blood staining the bar’s threshold. He must be a complete fool.

“Follow me,” Chu Tian said, his tone a degree sharper, fixing his eyes on Li Jie.

Li Jie was startled. He knew Chu Tian was warning him not to run. If Chu Tian really wanted to deal with him, Li Jie wouldn’t have a chance to escape. Yet Chu Tian hadn’t acted immediately, which meant there was room for negotiation. At that thought, Li Jie relaxed slightly, his trembling subsiding.

Chu Tian then walked toward the alley. Li Xin hurried after him, confused as to why Chu Tian would choose such a place—was he truly intent on dying?

But at this point, Li Xin could only follow Chu Tian wherever he went.

“Brother Jie, let’s hurry and follow them. Don’t let that punk get away,” Yang Xuan grinned viciously, not even glancing at Li Jie as he strode after Chu Tian.

Li Jie and the gang exchanged terrified glances, their eyes filled with dread.