Chapter 41: Confrontation at the Boxing Gym

The air in the gym felt as if it had been doused in accelerant. The two fought with increasing ferocity, neither able to stand the sight of the other.

"Stop with the hypocritical lecturing!"

Lucian was completely enraged by Sebastian’s condescending attitude. He pointed right at Sebastian’s nose and cursed:

"Who do you think you are? My bedmate? My guardian? When it’s over, it’s over. Don't stand here acting like there’s some lingering affection from the past!"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, a thin, cold smirk curling his lips just as he was about to strike back.

At that exact moment, a staff member moving equipment nearby accidentally bumped into Sebastian’s shoulder.

Sebastian hadn't set his feet properly and his center of gravity was unstable; the collision hit him right on his old injury.

He let out a muffled groan, his body stumbling uncontrollably. He instinctively reached out to steady himself against the nearby sandbag rack, his face turning a shade paler in an instant.

Seeing this, Lucian’s first instinct was to reach out and catch him.

Fortunately, his brain caught up quickly enough. "Oh? What’s this?"

His tone held not a shred of concern; instead, it was as if he had caught a massive break. The mockery practically overflowed.

"Is the great Counselor Sebastian suffering from a cultivation mishap? Or is this frame of yours so weak that you fall apart at a random touch?"

Sebastian steadied his stance, his eyes dark and predatory as he glared at Lucian. Through gritted teeth, he hissed: "Watch your mouth."

"My mouth is clean enough."

Lucian let out a cold laugh and took a step forward, using his height advantage to look down on Sebastian.

"It’s your own body that’s failing, so don’t come out here and embarrass yourself. What, are you remembering the feeling of being too pained to move again?"

"You’re asking for it!"

Sebastian’s sore spot was poked, and the string of his rationality snapped instantly.

He lunged with his hand, appearing as if he were going to slap Lucian across the face. In reality, because his waist was too stiff, the movement was distorted. His fist swung through empty air past Lucian’s cheek. The excessive force aggravated his back injury, making him hiss in pain as his brow locked into a tight furrow.

"Haha!"

Lucian let out an angry laugh at the hollow gesture. He didn't retreat an inch, even intentionally leaning closer to the face he both loved and hated. Their noses were nearly touching.

"Sebastian, this is all you’ve got. Hit me if you’re so capable."

"A real man doesn't fight with dogs."

Sebastian ground his molars, squeezing the words out from between his teeth. Cold sweat broke out on his brow from the pain. "Get lost. You're an eyesore."

"Who are you calling a dog?"

"Do you own this gym? Why the hell should I leave?!"

Lucian completely exploded, the rims of his eyes turning red instantly. "Only your mouth is tough! Fine, I won't lower myself to your level, lest you have another back spasm and blame me for it! Watch that old back of yours—don't drop dead here, or there won't even be anyone to collect your body!"

"You..."

Sebastian was shivering with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at Lucian. Those usually bottomless eyes were now ablaze with fury. He wanted to flatten this ungrateful bastard, to beat him into submission.

He took a deep breath, preparing to rush forward and strike again.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop! Everyone calm down!"

Chen, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally couldn't take it anymore.

He moved like a bolt of lightning, rushing forward to grab Lucian around the waist and pulling him back with all his might.

"Calm down! Calm down, brother!"

While desperately dragging the boy back, Chen shot a look at Sebastian. "Counselor, you should say a few words less, too. Everyone here is civilized; let's use words, not fists!"

"Chen, let go of me!"

Lucian was held fast and couldn't move, so he could only roar at Sebastian with bloodshot eyes.

"I’ll fight anyone who stops me today! Sebastian, have the guts not to hide! Let's settle this one-on-one!"

Sebastian stood in place, his face frighteningly pale.

He stared fixedly at Lucian, who was being restrained by Chen, watching the face twisted with rage. The fire in his heart hadn't died; it burned even brighter.

He felt he was about to have a heart attack from the anger this bastard was causing him—it was more maddening than facing the most shameless opponent in court.

"Release him."

Sebastian spoke coldly, his voice laced with a chill. "I’d like to see exactly what he can do to me today."

"No, no, no!"

Chen had a miserable look on his face, feeling suffocated being caught between two powder kegs. This "show" was becoming life-threatening.

"Today... let's just call it a day! It’s late; everyone disperse! Lucian, I'll take you back to the hotel! Counselor, you should go back and rest your injury! Everyone, let go, let go, let go!"

The other members in the gym had already gathered in a circle, whispering and pointing.

Under Chen’s desperate dragging, Lucian had to retreat step by step, but his bloodshot eyes never left Sebastian.

Sebastian didn't back down either, returning the cold stare until Lucian was half-dragged, half-hauled out of the gym doors by Chen. Only then did the tense atmosphere finally sag.

Sebastian’s knuckles were white from gripping the sandbag rack, and cold sweat slid down his temples.

The whispering in the gym grew louder. People gathered at the edge of the sandbag area, watching as if it were a grand play.

The faint glint of phone cameras flickered in the crowd—those probing and mocking gazes were like needles pricking Sebastian’s back.

Sebastian stood in place, his fingers trembling slightly.

He was known for his calm composure and strategic brilliance; when had he ever lost control like this in public?

That moment of losing his grip made him feel an unprecedented sense of dishevelment and annoyance.

He instinctively straightened his back, trying to maintain the remains of his crumbling dignity, but the throbbing pain in his waist served as a constant reminder of his earlier disgrace.

"What are you looking at? Too much free time? Get back to training!" A powerful shout broke the deadlock.

Arsen, the gym owner, pushed through the crowd.

He was a heavily built middle-aged man and an old acquaintance of Sebastian.

Seeing Sebastian’s face, which was darker than a burnt pot, Arsen sighed inwardly and waved to disperse the crowd: "Disperse, disperse! Train if you should; don't look at what you shouldn't! Delete everything on your phones!"

The crowd finally dispersed reluctantly, but the hushed discussions still buzzed like flies.

Arsen let out a helpless sigh, turned to grab a bottle of room-temperature mineral water from a shelf, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Sebastian. He spoke softly: "Counselor, calm down. It’s not worth hurting your health over a junior. Here, have some water."

Sebastian glanced at the water, then at Arsen. The cold words on the tip of his tongue were forcibly swallowed back.

He was a VIP client here; Arsen was giving him a way out while maintaining the harmony of the gym.

He remained silent for a few seconds before reaching for the bottle.

He tilted his head back and took a large gulp.

"Regarding today, I don't wish to hear any more idle gossip." Sebastian set the bottle down. His voice was raspy, yet it still carried the oppressive weight unique to a lawyer.

Arsen nodded quickly: "Understood, understood. Everyone is busy; who would remember such a small thing? Don't worry, Counselor, I’ll handle it."

Sebastian said no more. He left the half-empty bottle on the bench and, without a glance at the surrounding figures pretending to be busy, strode toward the locker room.

The locker room was empty.

Sebastian sat on the bench, slowly pulling off his sweat-soaked athletic clothes. His lower back had begun to swell and redden again.

He pulled a pain-relief patch from his bag, tore it open with a familiar yet self-punishing intensity, and pressed it firmly onto the sore spot.

The icy medicinal effect seeped through his skin into the muscle, bringing a brief moment of numbness.

"Bastard..." he cursed in a low voice, yet his tone was laced with exhaustion.

Having packed his things, Sebastian put his overcoat back on, hiding all signs of his dishevelment.

He walked out of the gym, the night wind striking his face and making him shiver.

He pulled up his collar and hailed a taxi, giving the address near his law firm.

Tonight, he still had many cases to process. He had no time to waste his emotions here on a person who was already irrelevant.