Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The guests in Zhaixian Tower fell silent.

They craned their necks, peering towards the half-open door of the ornately carved chamber on the third floor.

Unable to make out what was happening, they whispered among themselves. If something had happened in that private room, could that be... Lord Quan's voice?

This speculation alone was enough to send a chill through everyone present.

"A blood-curdling shriek—!!!!" The agonized wail lasted over ten seconds. Quan Songcheng, clutching his groin, writhed in pain, rolling under the table. His face was deathly pale, lips pressed tightly together, consumed by an indescribable, unrelenting agony. He cursed in a broken, pained voice, "You damned bastard beast! Where did this lunatic come from?! Quick, seize him! I'll take him back for questioning myself!!"

Quan Songcheng's men sucked in a sharp breath, and in an instant, they all drew their swords.

However, another sound of a sword being drawn came from behind Luo Qianyu.

Luo Qianyu, his face half-hidden behind his folding fan, hadn't yet managed to extricate himself when his wrist was suddenly grasped.

The grip was neither too heavy nor too light, just enough to pull him into the other person's embrace.

A faint, cool fragrance filled his senses. He heard Wen Yu's voice, close to his ear, carrying an inexplicable chill: "Get behind me."

Luo Qianyu's eyelashes fluttered slightly. From this angle, he could see the phoenix pattern between the other's brows, blazing like crimson flame.

He sighed to himself. Had he been a moment later, this naive child might have truly drunk that lethal boiling wine.

Luo Qianyu's voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "Don't worry."

Wen Yu was momentarily stunned.

Luo Qianyu flicked aside the tassels of his robe and strode over with an air of command, sitting directly on the nearby carved 'soaring cloud' chair. His free hand tapped lightly on the armrest. He cast a sidelong glance at the people in the chamber, his words deliberate and resonant: "I'd like to see who dares."

"The wine you're drinking is all my treat."

"Whether it's poured into your mouths or splashed on your crotches..." Luo Qianyu crossed his legs, the tips of his boots slightly raised. The golden folding fan made his eyes gleam brilliantly.

"How this wine is used is entirely up to my pleasure."

...

At his words, the men exchanged glances, their faces registering shock.

What was this person saying?

That this wine... was his treat??

Judging from Boss Yu's hints, although Quan Songcheng was an honored guest, there's always a bigger fish. Besides Lord Quan, the most distinguished personage in Zhaixian Tower... was that big spender who regularly booked out the whole tower.

That person was shrouded in mystery. Though generous in treating guests, he never showed his face.

Even without knowing his identity, the proprietor, Yu, strictly forbade anyone from disturbing the pavilion, preferring to offend others rather than risk slighting that lord... It was clear the patron's status was extraordinary.

Could he be some high-ranking noble or minister?!

And now this youth before them claimed to be that very patron?

How could that be?

How was it possible?!

But... even if there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance the youth was telling the truth, if they acted and injured such a distinguished person, the consequences would be far worse than just losing their heads.

The men held their swords, looking at each other. For a moment, not a single one dared to step forward.

Quan Songcheng waited and waited, hearing only the sound of drawn swords but seeing no blades descend. He looked up, and the sight of this stalemate made his blood boil. He cursed in pain, "A bunch of useless fools! So cowardly and timid! You believe whatever this scum says? Do I feed you for nothing? Trash, all of you!!"

Curses aside, his men trembled, leaning forward slightly. Hesitating, they looked at each other, but no one made the first move to charge.

Quan Songcheng pushed himself up from the table, seething with hatred. Staggering, he lunged towards the scoundrel who had scalded his manhood.

After leaving Zhaixian Tower, Lou Xian followed the servant's directions to the end of the long street, turned a corner into an alley, and finally stopped.

-

Anxious, his mind was already back at the small pavilion in Zhaixian Tower. As soon as he saw the foreign merchant, he urged, "The eagle? This Young Master is in a hurry."

The merchant nodded, reached into the cage, and by the scruff of its neck, pulled out the male eagle. Once out of the cage, the eagle began flapping its wings incessantly, emitting sharp cries that vibrated the air.

... It was a fine specimen.

The Young Marquis usually favored such wild little pets. The more they resisted, the more it stirred his desire to conquer. This was true for beasts, and for people as well.

Just as he was about to hand over the silver, the eagle, seeing Lou Xian extend his hand, suddenly spread its wings, lowered its head, and viciously pecked Lou Xian's finger.

"Agh!" Lou Xian cried out in pain, dropping the silver. Seeing this, the foreign merchant hastily stepped back. The eagle seized the chance, turned and pecked the merchant too, broke free, and flew skyward.

Lou Xian ignored the pain in his hand. The eagle he had secured was gone. Furious, he cursed the merchant in the foreign tongue, "You fool! Can't even hold onto an eagle! How do you do business?! How could you let it escape?"

The merchant, realizing he had caused trouble, quickly knelt. "Noble sir, please calm your anger! This humble one has another treasure, also a novel thing!"

Lou Xian frowned. "What?"

With that, the foreign merchant pointed to a little plump bird perched on his shoulder.

He hadn't noticed this little creature before. Looking now, the bird was plump and round, a white fluffy lump.

Though small in size, it was lively and adorable, its red tail feathers particularly eye-catching.

"This bird isn't caged and doesn't fly away. Have you tamed it?" Lou Xian felt even more annoyed. "What good is it to me? A fat bird that's only attached to you? Is this your so-called rare item?"

"Not only attached to this humble one!" the foreigner hastily explained. "This bird has an obsession with fragrance. As long as you apply the incense from this vial of mine anywhere, no matter who it is, this bird will follow them. It won't need a cage and won't fly away."

Lou Xian now felt a flicker of curiosity. "Any kind of fragrance will do?"

The merchant said, "No. The scent must be completely natural. It's hard to come by, very precious."

"Interesting." He just didn't know if the Young Marquis would fancy it. Compared to the eagle, the disparity was rather large.

Just then, the servant he had left at Zhaixian Tower came rushing from the north, his tone panicked: "Young Master, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it? Worth you being so flustered."

The servant said urgently, "The Young Marquis specifically sent me to deliver a message!"

Lou Xian was taken aback. "What?"

"The Young Marquis said... he said he's about to cause trouble." The servant's face was pale as he gasped for breath. "This humble one didn't understand what he meant, but didn't dare delay. I came specially to report. Young Master, please hurry back to Zhaixian Tower to see!"

Lou Xian's heart sank.

He didn't give another thought to the eagle or any other bird, dismissively tossing the bird aside as he ran toward the theater.

The little bird flapped its wings and chirped, swooping after him.

When Lou Xian returned to Zhaixian Tower, he was struck by a silence more terrifying than when he had left.

The famous *dan* performer on stage clutched her sleeve, a hand flying to her mouth in shock, while the guests murmured to each other, all craning their necks to look upstairs.

A wave of terrible foreboding crashed over Lou Xian, and he quickened his pace, heading straight upstairs.

However, upon reaching the third floor, he noticed the ornate private room not far away was half-open. At the door stood Boss Yu, bruised and battered, along with a brutish guard in military garb hauling an old man up by the collar.

The foreboding inside him swelled. Lou Xian wondered, was the Young Marquis in that room?

Just then, the little bird, which had finally caught up, chirped twice.

As if it had caught a familiar scent, it flew straight toward the private room!

Then, laboring with its wings, it flew into the room and slowly landed on Wen Yu’s shoulder.

Lou Xian stiffened, following the little bird's path, his own movements turning stiff as he unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Young Master Lou?!"

He came to a halt right at the doorway, ignoring the astonished looks from the manager and servants, gripped the door and wrenched it open. The first thing that met his eyes was this scene—

Quan Songcheng, notorious in the capital for his fondness for men, was leaning over him, a hand braced against the Young Marquis’s neck, eyes bloodshot.

Lou Xian’s gaze instinctively dropped lower—he saw the faintly bulging outline and the outer robe… still damp in one spot.

Lou Xian felt his scalp crawl.

All trace of his usual playful air vanished in an instant as he drew his sword.

"...You filthy scum."

Lou Xian’s voice was icy to the extreme: "Who do you think you’re laying your hands on?"

If it weren’t for that folding fan blocking the way, the Young Marquis would likely have been pinned to the chair and assaulted right then and there!

Lou Xian’s attire was always extravagant. Though he was the same age as the Young Marquis and still bore the youthful appearance of a boy, his temper was explosive. Coming from a military family, he was a properly trained martial artist—clearly no ordinary young master.

A sharp-eyed servant recognized him at once: "That’s… Young Master Lou?"

As the sword was drawn, the atmosphere shifted entirely.

Several men broke into a cold sweat. Why was Lou Xian here? The son of the renowned General Lou Jinghe, a frequent visitor to pleasure quarters—this was someone they couldn’t afford to offend!

Before Quan Songcheng could react, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar. The grip felt like forged iron, veins bulging on the back of the hand, and he was flung a full *zhang* away!

"Do you even know who he is?! How dare you harbor such vile intentions!"

Immediately after, the demon-like figure strode toward him. Quan Songcheng barely dodged the sword tip that flashed coldly past his ear, but he couldn’t avoid the fist that came crashing toward his face like a gust of wind.

Quan Songcheng: "？？？？"

Beaten so severely, even his manhood didn’t hurt as much anymore.