Master of Masters 72

Chapter 72: Out of Control [Knasch, 75%]

Arnis, the president in his stiff suit, walked past He Yue, a faint woody scent of cologne lingering in the air, only noticeable at close range. The expensive fragrance had no cheap ingredients, and the steady, heavy scent, combined with his impassive expression, was enough to create a distance between this elite president and those around him.

…If He Yue hadn’t known about his unprecedentedly high value, he would have thought so too.

Wien and Knasch, who had been lying exhausted on the floor, sat up, exchanging a look, their gazes wary as they watched the strange female insect’s every move.

The tall figure stopped before the paintings he had bought at a high price, looking up at the works he hadn’t had a chance to see in person.

Underneath the expensive, cold, custom-made suit, what kind of body was he hiding to create such a strange contrast?

(System, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?)

This disguise was too real. From the moment Arnis appeared in He Yue’s vision, not a single flaw had been exposed.

After a “beep” of detection, the system replied very firmly:

[I’m sure, Arnis is at 60%.]

Arnis, who had been admiring the paintings, paused and turned around. His gaze met He Yue’s, his calm eyes flickering imperceptibly.

He Yue was puzzled by his stare and turned to look behind him, thinking he was looking at something else.

There was nothing else behind him, only a few other paintings hanging on the wall.

“Is something wrong?” He Yue couldn’t help but ask, confused.

Arnis paused, still with his polite and courteous demeanor. “Nothing. I just wanted to take a closer look at the painter who created such masterpieces, the one everyone is praising.”

He wasn’t looking at the paintings, he was looking at He Yue.

The legendary painter walked to his side, his long hair swaying as he moved, his eyes smiling as he looked up.

He said, “Then come closer and take a good look.”

The president’s eyes flickered, and it was hard not to be stunned by the scene before him, his stiff, tense face momentarily relaxing. A flaw was revealed at this moment, although He Yue couldn’t tell if it was just the normal reaction of someone seeing a beautiful man, or if it came from the mysterious 60%.

Arnis took a step back, closing his eyes and avoiding He Yue’s gaze.

When he looked up again, he was back to his calm self.

“Master is very beautiful, as unreal as if born in a painting, as beautiful as a dream.”

The string of compliments was smoother than a well-rehearsed speech, and for a moment, He Yue didn’t know if this was just the president’s usual “business praise.” He spoke his extravagant compliments with a calm and composed demeanor, only his right hand on his tie looking slightly deliberate.

He Yue’s hand grabbed his right hand, his palm rubbing against the back of his hand as he squeezed.

“Is it real now?”

[Arnis, 62%.]

The system’s voice sounded, and Arnis’s eyes flickered.

As sharp as He Yue was, he quickly caught Arnis’s held breath and the unconscious bobbing of his Adam’s apple. He smiled, his cunning eyes, which could see through any disguise, gleaming even brighter under the exhibition hall’s lights, able to pierce through the expensive suit used as a disguise.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

The fox at the side clenched his fists and crawled to Wien’s side on all fours. His Master was openly flirting with a strange insect in front of him and Wien, and in a fit of jealousy, he wanted to punch Arnis when He Yue wasn’t looking.

“Can I hit him?” The fox with bad intentions twitched his ears.

Wien looked at the well-dressed Arnis, then at the five high-priced paintings hanging not far away, his gaze dimming, and he stared at the clean floor of the exhibition hall.

“No, he’s the sponsor.”

He had guessed Arnis’s identity, the president who had lavishly raised the price of the paintings at the auction, and then casually spent millions to bring the paintings back to He Yue to support the art exhibition.

The president of Yiai Group, the most valuable company in the insect world, a female insect ranked among the richest.

Wien clenched his fists in the air, his gaze sweeping over He Yue’s hand holding Arnis’s, and he let out a soft, helpless sigh.

He couldn’t compare.

He would never be able to earn a fraction of Arnis’s wealth in his lifetime.

“Stupid dog, don’t make that face.” Compared to Wien’s dejection, Knasch was full of energy, almost rolling up his sleeves to fight. His eyes were firm, and he said seriously, “We can’t let Master be tempted by money!”

Wien laughed at his childishness and shook his head. “The pleasure money can bring to Master, we can’t give. Do your own part, fox, don’t cause trouble for Master.”

The two of them were two extremes, one only thinking of improving his own value to gain his Master’s favor, the other choosing to slander or destroy his Master’s new rivals.

The fox clearly hadn’t given up on his idea.

“Don’t do anything dangerous, fox.” Wien warned again.

Knasch stared at Arnis resentfully, from the custom-made suit he couldn’t afford even if he sold himself, to the expensive watch on his wrist, and the limited-edition leather shoes that could only be seen on the runway…

In this field, Arnis was truly far ahead. He could let He Yue live a rich, even extravagant life, and even if He Yue squandered his wealth, it would only be a minor scratch on his savings.

Wien thought, Master can live a happier life.

Knasch secretly bared his teeth at Arnis, thinking, it’s just money.

“Beep, beep…”

Suddenly, a sound like the system’s detection made He Yue a bit confused. He looked up and saw Arnis pressing his ear with his fingertip, looking around.

Could he hear the system’s detection sound?

(System, what are you suddenly detecting?)

The system, suddenly awakened, was very confused. [It’s not me, I’m not detecting anything.]

“The sound, it’s coming from here.” Arnis lifted a corner of the painting and looked behind it.

The painting was one of the auctioned ones, and the hem had obvious signs of being unglued. He Yue leaned closer and saw an inconspicuous red dot under the wooden frame.

“What is this?”

As soon as He Yue reached out, Arnis slapped his hand away, the force so great that it left a red mark on the back of his hand.

“You…” The tingling pain spread from his arm, and he was about to question him when he stopped, seeing Arnis’s sudden change of expression.

For the calm and composed president to be so shocked, it must be something serious.

The “beep” sound became louder and more urgent.

“Get back!!”

Arnis suddenly dropped the painting, grabbed He Yue by the waist, and threw him away with all his might. He was very strong, his well-fitting suit making him look tall, his clothes hiding his well-trained muscles.

He Yue, losing his balance, fell backwards, hearing the panicked shouts of “Master” from the fox and Wien.

A loud boom brought a painful ringing in his ears, a bright flash of light filling his vision, a wave of heat scorching his face. His mind went blank, like a computer crashing.

He Yue fell, not feeling any pain, but something soft, and when he grabbed it, it was fluffy.

The fox had reacted quickly enough, pouncing to cushion He Yue’s fall, preventing him from hitting the hard ground. Wien’s figure stood in front of He Yue, blocking all the incoming heat, and he felt a sudden coolness.

Through Wien’s shoulder, He Yue’s eyes were filled with fire.

Why was there fire?

The ringing in his ears gradually faded, and He Yue heard the sound of burning.

It was the fire burning his paintings, burning the wooden frames. For the best viewing experience, He Yue hadn’t even installed a glass cover. The canvases were flammable and were quickly consumed by the flames.

The flames quickly turned the canvases to ash, his heart roasting in the fire.

Like a nightmare.

“Cough, cough…”

The thick smoke came, the unpleasant smell making He Yue cough incessantly, his eyes welling up with tears. He wanted to breathe, but the toxic smoke from the fire made it even more difficult to get oxygen.

“Knasch, don’t just stand there! Take Master out through the back door! Take care of Master!” “Hey, fire department? We need dry ice fire extinguishers, the venue address… don’t worry about the cost! We need dry ice…” “Is this the Yiai Group emergency line… cough… I’m here…”

He Yue couldn’t hear the rest of Wien’s words, he was already being carried out of the venue by Knasch.

The fire spread quickly, and even outside the venue, thick smoke and glaring flames could be seen. A crowd gathered, and some kind insects shouted “Fire!” and helped with their own fire extinguishers.

He Yue wasn’t injured, at most his face was a bit dirty with ash. But the pain in his heart made him dizzy, his legs weak. He sat on the ground, slowly curling up into a ball, hugging himself.

It all happened so suddenly, he was still in a daze.

“Master…”

The fox leaned closer, trying to comfort him by stroking his hand with his fluffy tail.

His Master’s eyes reflected the dancing flames, but now they were just shattered points of light. He Yue hadn’t yet recovered from the nightmare, and he hadn’t even shed a tear, but the sight of him made Knasch’s heart ache so much he could barely breathe.

“Is Master injured?”

He Yue pushed the fox away, refusing all concern and touch.

“Go… let me be alone, you go…” His strength was gone, and he couldn’t even push Knasch away.

His furrowed brow was a broken expression, his eyes filled with tears, even more glistening in the firelight.

“Fox, don’t worry about me… go, save my paintings…”

He Yue definitely needed comfort and care now, Knasch knew. But He Yue’s paintings were also important, and an extra pair of hands might save more.

He Yue saw the fox’s hesitation.

He leaned against a tree by the path outside the back door, his lips trembling slightly, his voice shaking.

“…Go, this is an order.”

By the time the fire was completely extinguished, he didn’t know how much time had passed. The sound of the alarm was loud, as were the discussions of the insects.

He Yue’s mind was a mess, unable to form a single coherent thought.

He felt like he was still immersed in the happiness of holding the art exhibition, unable to accept the sudden turn of events.

Why did this happen?

As he closed his eyes, tears once again slid down his already tear-stained cheeks.

He had held a rare art exhibition in the entire insect race, only to be met with a mad demon who had come to destroy him. He was like a tragic pioneer, suffering a fatal ordeal at the moment of his greatest achievement.

It was just a non-profit art exhibition, how many insects’ interests could it have affected? Or was it that the high-ranking insects didn’t care about his life, just wanted to put him in his place?

It was clearly, just a non-profit art exhibition.

He almost died, right?

If Arnis hadn’t noticed the red dot, hadn’t realized it was a countdown timer for an explosion, he would have been blown to pieces in front of his own paintings.

He Yue paused.

(System, check the conquest target Arnis… is he alright?)

[He’s still alive, severely injured, but his mental state is normal.] He Yue leaned his head back against the tree trunk, wincing from the dull pain.

(…That’s good.)

“Master!” Knasch rushed to He Yue, his clothes tattered from the fire, his burns slowly healing. “We, we’ll go home and rest…” He didn’t dare to mention the tragic scene inside, only daring to persuade He Yue to go home.

He Yue extended his hand. “Help me up, I want to go in and see.”

“There’s… there’s nothing to see…”

He Yue’s indifferent gaze hid his grief, and he glanced at him. “Hurry up.”

The residual heat hadn’t dissipated yet, and there was no fire, no bright colors.

Just darkness.

The floor, the ceiling, the walls… all burned to ash. As far as the eye could see, there wasn’t even a shadow of a painting on the first-floor walls.

He stumbled, and the fox caught him from behind.

Arnis was the most severely injured, one of his arms blown off, his tattered suit revealing a large, bloody burn, the original skin gone. Wien was also injured, but he was wearing a fireproof suit and had fought even more desperately than the fire department. Knasch’s wounds were almost healed, only his fox ears and tail were a bit singed.

Originally, Wien could have comforted his Master, but looking at those broken, restrained eyes, he couldn’t utter a single word of comfort, only endless heartache.

“Excuse me, who is in charge? We need to take a statement, and there are also fines and breach of contract fees…”

“I’ll handle it.” Wien interrupted the uniformed female insect. He didn’t want his Master to worry about these things, nor did he want to hurt He Yue again. He gave Knasch a look and pulled the female insect aside.

Arnis couldn’t hide the heartache in his eyes, his disguise shattered by the accident. He followed Wien. “Put it on my tab.”

He Yue didn’t know how he was brought back home by Knasch. It wasn’t until he entered the house, staggered up the stairs, and broke free from Knasch’s hand.

The anger in his heart was suffocating, burning his reason, pushing him to the brink of losing control, making it difficult to breathe.

As he pushed open the door to his bedroom, Knasch grabbed his hand.

“Master, I know what you want. Let’s, go to the studio.”

He Yue’s body swayed, and as he looked back, he forced a faint smile. “Go back, little fox, I won’t take my anger out on you.” The broken light in his eyes remained, and he said lightly, “Let me be alone.”

Knasch didn’t let go, instead holding him tighter, their fingers intertwined.

“If Master will be fine alone in the room, I will do so. But Master can’t, Master needs me, so I’ll be by your side.”

Having been with He Yue for a while now, the fox knew his habits very well. The calmer he looked, the more his anger and grief were difficult to release.

“You have no idea what an out-of-control abuser is like, little fox.” He Yue struggled to control his voice. “It’s different from any other time, you won’t feel any pleasure, you might even die.”

“The fox won’t die and won’t break!” The fox’s eyes reddened with anxiety. “Torment me, Master… I know you want this. Instead of letting you suffer in silence, I’d rather be tormented by you…”

The rules of Castle had taught He Yue how to be a good animal trainer. He had never abandoned his techniques, every whip strike controlled, every landing point planned.

He was never a simple abuser; he had to be calm and restrained to play this game well.

“Let go, fox.”

His stubborn fox leaned in and hugged him from behind.

“No techniques, or, don’t be a Master. Without me, how can you be alone in the room to vent your emotions? Just treat the fox as a punching bag, it’s fine to lose control, the fox won’t break, and tomorrow, the fox will be a brand new, intact fox.”

He Yue was moved.

Indeed, he needed to vent through abuse.

Castle didn’t have a prey like the fox, a tool with special abilities, one that couldn’t die.

He Yue’s hand rested on the fox’s, the hand that was wrapped around his waist.

“Master, don’t push me away, please…”

The sincere, passionate mad fox had broken through his defensive shell, handing him the whip of release, soothing his emotions with his burning sincerity.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, silly fox.”

“As long as it’s Master, it’s fine.”

He Yue grabbed the fox’s ears and threw him into the studio. He slammed the door with a bang, the sound echoing.

He held a rattan whip covered in barbs, and in the last moment before his reason snapped, He Yue said slowly:

“When you can’t take it anymore, call my name.”

…

The rattan whip, the leather paddle, the long whip, the wooden rod… all the tools He Yue had used, and hadn’t used, landed on the fox’s body without reservation.

No techniques, no words to create an atmosphere. From the moment He Yue spoke those words, it was just pure, unadulterated abuse. He didn’t hold back his strength at all, nor did he consider where the tools would land, whether they would make the fox bleed or cripple him.

He didn’t think about anything. The rules of Castle didn’t restrain him, the methods he had written to restrain trainers were now all thrown into this other world, cut off from him.

“Make a sound! Didn’t you want to be hit?”

The long whip in He Yue’s hand came down, and he snapped at Knasch, who was biting his lip in pain.

The fox was already pale from the pain, his body covered in bloody wounds, yet they were healing rapidly. He was dazed from the beating, the world spinning.

In his haze, he heard He Yue’s command and immediately opened his mouth.

Painful cries and screams filled the studio, merging with the sound of the various tools He Yue was using. There were all kinds of screams, but no pleas for mercy, and not He Yue’s name.

He Yue was right, the fox didn’t feel any pleasure at all.

He finally understood how much effort He Yue had put into his daily conditioning, the feeling of control based on gentleness, the actions of a restrained ruler, that was the true Master.

But Knasch didn’t feel pain.

Pain wasn’t suffering.

On the contrary, even though He Yue was venting his anger and pain on him, even though it hurt more than any beating he had received in the lab, he didn’t feel any suffering at all.

He felt happy.

Compared to being in his room, unable to do anything, knowing his beloved Master was in pain but helpless, he was now by He Yue’s side, truly needed by him, and he felt an unprecedented happiness.

Even his tears were mixed with a beautiful happiness.

He Yue was truly using all his strength, trying to exhaust himself, to leave no room for other thoughts.

The rod in his hand vibrated, making his palm numb, the adrenaline temporarily making him forget the pain of his impending grief. Even though he was exhausted, he felt much better.

His face was splattered with blood, sweat, blood, and hot tears, all mixed together, indistinguishable. Just like He Yue now, the whip in his hand had no restraint, landing on the fox’s body as he pleased…

To the point where he began to lose track of where his exhaustion was coming from.

Was it from swinging the whip and depleting his physical strength, or from the mental exhaustion of having his hard work destroyed?

He couldn’t tell.

It was better not to know.

He Yue had once scoffed at trainers who only wanted to lose control and be brutal, strictly restraining himself to an incredible degree. Whether in life or at the club, he had absolute control over his reason. He was the most outstanding trainer at Castle, and countless prey would pay a hefty price for a single session with him.

Now, he was doing the very thing he had once despised, becoming a beast who had lost control, only venting his pain.

He Yue’s raised whip hung in the air.

Those azure eyes were filled with tears, the natural tears from the pain making the fox’s eyes swell. But even so, what He Yue could see was still fascination and devotion.

Why would a creature accept such excruciating pain and still look at him with that expression?

Why, for a pain that brought no pleasure, could the fox still look at him with such fascination?

Why…

He Yue straddled the fox lying on the floor, his hands on his neck, tightening his grip. The veins on his hands bulged, his fingers turning white from the force.

Even as the fox began to suffocate, his face turning red, his mouth open, struggling for breath, he didn’t let go.

He had truly lost control, completely.

The fox’s eyes rolled back from lack of oxygen, his lips trembling, his tongue lolling out, his hands instinctively grabbing He Yue’s wrists. His lungs were about to explode, his vision blurring, gradually turning black.

“Fox, call my name!”

The fox struggled to utter each syllable.

He said—

“I… love you…”

The hands on the fox’s neck suddenly loosened, and He Yue braced himself on Knasch’s side. He broke free from his complete loss of control, more effective than hearing his own name.

The question that had been puzzling him, he now knew the answer.

The fox loved him.

No matter what he did.

[Knasch, 75%]