Chapter 21: The Legend of the Mad Third Master

Chapter 21: The Legend of the Unhinged Third Master

The birthday banquet was bustling, and Chu Yan, aiming to be inconspicuous, deliberately chose a quiet corner far from the main hall. Yet, when Old Master Fu announced the annulment of the engagement, he still became the undeniable center of attention. Whispers and murmurs about his scandalous past rose and fell, but most of the chatter revolved around the miserable fate that awaited him now that he was exposed as an imposter heir and cast off by the Fu family.

*Chirp, chirp, chirp…* The gossip was lively.

Just then, the old butler’s booming announcement plunged the room into momentary silence.

"Third Master’s call."

Third Master? Wasn’t that Fu Hongan’s unassuming yet profoundly enigmatic third uncle?

The brief silence quickly gave way to even more fervent discussions.

Chu Yan knew Old Master Fu had four sons. The eldest, Fu Jingye, was the male lead’s father. The second, Fu Jingpeng, would later appear in the original novel as an antagonist, vying for control of the Fu Group.

The male lead’s fourth uncle, Fu Zeyu, had the most significant role due to his shared industry and similar age with Chu Xiuyi. Fu Zeyu had a restless mother but was content with a life of leisure. He possessed a clear understanding of his place and never competed with Fu Hongan. After appearing on the same variety show as Chu Xiuyi, he even endorsed their relationship and reposted their official announcement.

But this Third Master? Chu Yan knew nothing about him. The book only briefly mentioned him, but one thing was certain: Fu Hongan disliked this uncle, and so did the entire Fu family.

The original novel stated that he lived abroad for years, estranged from his family—so much so that their relationship was practically hostile. Since the story was told from Chu Xiuyi’s perspective, every mention of this uncle was met with evasiveness from Fu Hongan. He seemed to be a forbidden subject in the Fu household; just bringing him up made everyone’s expressions visibly tense. As a result, this uncle never appeared in the story.

In short, he was a character who could be completely ignored.

But now, it seemed Chu Yan’s presence as a wildcard had altered some plotlines and characters. Watching the Fu family’s dramatic reactions, Chu Yan grew curious.

Just then, Chu Yi appeared beside him. Chu Yan leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Big brother, do you know about this Third Master of the Fu family? What kind of person is he? Why is everyone reacting like this?"

It was fascinating.

Chu Yi glanced down at the soft-looking head pressed against his chest, feeling an inexplicable urge to ruffle it. From this angle, Chu Yan’s upturned face made his eyes seem especially large and bright. For some reason, Chu Yan now seemed dazzling—unlike before, when he was so easily overlooked.

Clearing his throat, Chu Yi bent down and whispered back, "Third Master… is someone you absolutely must not provoke."

Chu Yan was surprised to see genuine wariness on his usually composed brother’s face. His curiosity deepened.

"Tell me more, big brother."

If he was someone to avoid, it was better to know more—just in case they ever crossed paths.

Chu Yi found himself lost in thought again. This lively version of his brother, staring at him with wide, shining eyes—why had he despised him for nineteen years? Why had he never truly looked at him before? Chu Yi himself was a little confused.

"Big brother? Is it that difficult to talk about?"

What kind of forbidden topic was this? Like some unspeakable *Voldemort*?

Chu Yi collected himself. "It’s not that it can’t be said."

"Actually," Chu Yi paused thoughtfully, "Third Master and I are the same age. We attended school together as kids, but he was always aloof. Given his seniority in the family, I didn’t interact with him much."

"Even as a child, he was cold, radiating contempt. He rarely went to school, and when he did, he mostly slept. But no one dared to mess with him."

Chu Yi seemed lost in distant memories.

"Once, several school bullies suddenly went missing. These were all pampered scions from powerful families, so the incident caused an uproar in elite circles. After three days of searching, no one could find them."

"They were eventually discovered in a filthy public latrine. By the time they were found, they were clinging to life—stripped naked and locked in there for three whole days." Chu Yi’s lips curled slightly with grim satisfaction. "Rumor has it they vomited for months afterward. Even now, they still have an uncontrollable gag reflex at the mention of toilets."

Two of those heirs were people Chu Yi knew. To this day, years later, just mentioning a restroom would make them retch.

"Was this Third Master’s handiwork?"

Chu Yan was intrigued.

Chu Yi shook his head. "No one dared to say it was him, but everyone knew it was."

Having known the victims, Chu Yi was certain it was Fu Junhang’s doing. But whatever happened, the victims refused to speak of it—no revenge, no acknowledgment. They transferred schools immediately afterward. It was… the stuff of legends.

Not long after, Fu Junhang transferred abroad. He had lived overseas ever since, like a self-exiled prince. But his legends didn’t end there. Every time he returned, he stirred up some earth-shattering incident—though Chu Yi only knew these from hearsay.

"What other legends are there?" Chu Yan was genuinely curious.

Today, Chu Yi was uncharacteristically patient. He shared a few of the most widely circulated ones.

At 13 or 14, Fu Junhang’s cat died in the Fu residence for unknown reasons. That night, every male in the household—over a dozen people, including Old Master Fu—were given involuntary haircuts. Even the dogs weren’t spared.

Chu Yan: (｀Д)!!

No one knew how he did it. The household woke up to the carnage. Some speculated he had a screw loose.

From then on, no one in the Fu family dared to cross him—not even his potted plants.

Once, Fu Jingpeng’s eldest son, Fu Hongxiao, misplaced one of Fu Junhang’s favorite pens. Fu Junhang threw him into a snake pit. By the time the Fu family found him, he was half-dead with terror. To this day, Fu Hongxiao trembles at the sight of anything resembling a rope.

At the time, Fu Junhang was only 16 or 17—ruthless, borderline psychotic. Fu Jingpeng tried to have him beaten, but Fu Junhang literally wiped the floor with a group of bodyguards single-handedly and sent Fu Jingpeng to the hospital for a month with injuries that took months to heal.

He also allegedly broke Fu Hongan’s leg, fed Fu Zeyu to the sharks personally… Every younger generation member of the Fu family had suffered at his hands.

Even the elders weren’t spared. He poisoned Fu Jingye, nearly got Fu Jingpeng imprisoned, and once torched the Fu family ancestral hall, the sacred family shrine…

And then there were outsiders. "Ever heard of the Lu family from City A?"

"Of course. One of the four great families of City A." Chu Yan knew them well—their heir was Fu Hongan’s love rival, with significant later plot relevance.

The Lu family’s second son was an infamous degenerate heir, feared even by the Fu family. But Fu Junhang dealt with him too.

"How?"

Chu Yi rubbed his nose. "A few years back, Fu Junhang marooned him on a deserted island with his gang of wastrels. They were all dosed with performance-enhancing drugs—when the effects wore off, they were given more. Food was delivered when they were hungry, doctors treated injuries immediately. They were forced to… engage in forced debauchery for about ten days."

Chu Yan: [mouth agape] Stunned.

"Rumor has it the Lu family and the other heirs’ families had to hire mercenaries to rescue them. But afterward, those men were… broken men."

"Broken?"

"Yeah. As in… they were left impotent." Chu Yi lowered his voice, feeling this might be too inappropriate for Chu Yan’s bright, curious eyes.

Chu Yan: "Holy hell, that’s brutal."

"Did the Lu family retaliate?"

"They tried. But the Fu family couldn’t control him, and neither could the Lu family."

"Over the years, he’s carved out his own kingdom abroad—rumored to have connections in both legal and underworld circles. His methods are ruthless, and he’s vengeful to the core. No one wants to be targeted by such a madman."

"So whatever you do, don't mess with this guy," Chu Yi said gravely, pointing to his own head. "I think he's got a few screws loose."

Because Chu Yi had heard a rumor that Third Master's mother had passed away from mental illness, so it was highly likely that Third Master had inherited his mother's madness.

Chu Yan nodded vigorously. Even if this psycho wasn't actually crazy, he was still someone you wouldn’t dare mess with—after all, crazy people can get away with murder.

For the past four or five years, he'd kept a low profile. He hadn’t returned, but it was said that he remained a stone-cold psycho with a taste for blood abroad, with wealth and power that now rivaled even the major families back home. He couldn't care less about the Fu family, but if he ever returned, everyone in the Fu household would suffer.

Who wouldn’t fear such a lunatic? You couldn’t fight him, and you couldn’t kill him. The Fu family was completely screwed if he ever came back.

In truth, many only knew of him through hearsay. Some weren’t even aware of his existence since he hadn’t appeared in years. They only knew that this Third Master was abroad and had a strained relationship with his family. But even those secondhand rumors were enough to make people hold their breath upon hearing his name.

At that moment, whispered conversations like those between Chu Yan and his brother filled the air. Standing too far away to hear the phone call, they only saw Old Master Fu's face fall as he took the call, his expression growing increasingly grim. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out at the entrance of the hall.

"Third Master’s birthday gift has arrived!"

Everyone watched as Old Master Fu looked ready to explode. The crowd collectively turned toward the entrance and quickly cleared a wide path.

Chu Yan curiously rose on his tiptoes, straining to see.

Then, to everyone's shock, a black-clad bodyguard approached Old Master Fu, holding something small—about the size of a palm—that seemed to be moving.

It was a turtle.

For his father’s 80th birthday, the son gifted a turtle. Really? A turtle?

Chu Yan thought his brother was right—this guy definitely had some screws loose.

At that moment, Chu Yi leaned in again and whispered into Chu Yan’s ear, "I heard that for the past few years, Third Master Fu has been sending turtles for Old Master Fu’s birthday. All kinds of turtles. Every year. Always turtles."

Holy sh*t! Chu Yan silently raised a thumbs-up.

Old Master Fu looked ready to kill, clearly too furious to speak. But just then, someone suddenly yelped.

"Oh my god, look!"

Everyone focused their gaze. The palm-sized turtle was straining its limbs, lifting its tail high.

It was pushing, pushing…

*Plop.*

No way - it just laid an egg!

A turtle. An egg.

Chu Yan shook his head in disbelief. This guy was completely batshit—he prayed he'd never run into the guy.