Chapter 19: What’s Wrong? Scared?

Chapter 19: What's the Matter? Scared?

After a few rounds of drinks, the melancholy tunes of strings and flutes could no longer mask the growing tension in the banquet hall.

A few richly dressed young men pushed aside the languid beauties in their arms and slammed their cups down on the table:

"What's so fun about listening to songs? So soft, it makes your bones melt!"

"Exactly! This arena is the only one in the capital, everyone's been dying to see it!"

"We heard a few days ago that some new Western leopards arrived? Let's go see them!"

These spoiled rich brats, pampered by wine, women, and power, were experts at quickly trying every thrill and then growing bored even faster, chasing after more primal sensory stimulation.

Xiao Yan lifted his eyelids, a trace of barely perceptible annoyance flashing in his eyes before it was quickly covered by his usual laziness.

The surrounding crowd immediately gathered around Xiao Yan like stars around the moon, rushing toward where the faint scent of blood came from.

A massive arena made of rough gray-black boulders came into view, several times bigger than a typical training ground.

Around the arena were tiered viewing stands, also built from boulders.

In the center of the arena was compacted dark red sandy soil, splattered with large patches of fresh and old blackened bloodstains, with a few what looked like white bone fragments half-buried in the sand.

At each opposite corner was a dark gate blocked by arm-thick iron bars, from which unsettling scratching and heavy panting came.

At the highest point of the viewing platform was a spacious main seat with a low table and soft cushions.

Xiao Yan walked straight there without stopping.

The servants standing on both sides had already bowed their heads deeply.

He casually hiked up the hem of his black python robe and sat down.

Immediately, a maidservant stepped forward to place warmed wine and sliced fresh fruit on the low table.

Several richly dressed young men who had been waiting there immediately gathered around.

"Your Highness, you're here! The best part is just about to start!" A young master with his arm around a beauty's slender waist spoke first. She was disheveled, giggling while feeding him a grape.

Another, with his arm around a handsome young male attendant while his hand roamed restlessly on the attendant's waist, said, "Your Highness, I heard you recently acquired a Western mastiff king? When will you bring it out for us to see?"

Xiao Yan was stunned and silently complained to the system, "This ancient era is even more open than the one I came from!"

In this venue, it wasn't unusual to see men embracing men; everyone already considered it normal.

Xiao K gave a helpless shrug: "Of course, it's not that feudal. The nobles even consider this refined."

Xiao Yan was speechless.

——

Liu Qingci, right behind Fu'an, had just entered the corridor connecting to the viewing platform when a figure suddenly stepped out from a side passage and blocked his way.

It was Xu Ming.

Taking this opportunity, Xu Ming deliberately sought out this former classmate alone.

His face wore an undisguised smug smile, his eyes raking over Liu Qingci, deliberately slowing his tone:

"Oh, isn't this our Eldest Young Master Liu?"

Liu Qingci paused in his steps and looked up at the person blocking his way.

That face, full of arrogance and smugness, instantly brought back unpleasant memories from the Imperial Academy days.

His fingertips, hidden in his sleeves, tightened slightly, but his expression remained perfectly calm, without a trace of emotion, only replying with icy indifference, "Young Master Xu."

Xu Ming turned to Fu'an beside him, putting on his usual polite smile for the eunuch close to Prince Yu:

"Eunuch Fu'an, His Highness must need you by his side. Young Master Liu and I are old acquaintances; I'd like a word with him. Later, I'll personally take him to meet His Highness. Rest assured."

Fu'an knew this Young Master Xu was a key figure beside His Highness, so he naturally agreed: "Young Master Xu, please go ahead. I'll take my leave, then."

After Fu'an's figure disappeared around the corner, only Liu Qingci and Xu Ming remained in the corridor.

The smile on Xu Ming's face slowly faded, replaced by undisguised malice.

He took half a step closer, lowered his voice, and smiled with a lewd and suggestive tone:

"How does it feel, our aloof Great Talent Liu, to squirm beneath a man now?"

He deliberately drew out his tone, savoring Liu Qingci's stiff expression, his tone growing more mocking and low:

"If you ask me, with that face and that figure, you're a natural for this trade. Pretending to be otherworldly before was a real shame."

Liu Qingci slightly raised his eyes and looked at Xu Ming calmly, those light-colored eyes placid and unruffled.

He suddenly found Xu Ming increasingly annoying.

In comparison, he even found Prince Yu less repulsive.

This almost dismissive, calm reaction from Liu Qingci instead deflated the excitement Xu Ming felt waiting for a spectacle, like a pinprick, then stirred up an irritation at being slighted.

Having fallen to such a state, was he still putting on airs in front of him?

Let's see how long he could keep it up!

"Hmph." Xu Ming sneered. "Go on now, don't keep His Highness Prince Yu waiting."

He stepped aside, seemingly courteously making way for Liu Qingci. Their sleeves brushed as both walked toward the arena.

By the time Liu Qingci stood beside Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan frowned at him and asked,

"Why did it take so long?"

But Liu Qingci misunderstood the meaning; he thought that his lateness had angered this great Buddha.

Prince Yu wasn't actually asking for a reason; he was just looking for an excuse to make things difficult for him.

Liu Qingci, getting better at this, immediately pleaded for forgiveness: "Your Highness, please forgive me."

Xiao Yan was at a loss for words, not knowing how to continue asking.

But seeing that Liu Qingci's expression was cold and indifferent, and nothing unusual, not looking as if he was being troubled, Xiao Yan asked no further questions.

Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze. He raised his hand, lightly tapping the seat beside him with his fingertips, and ordered:

"Sit over here."

Liu Qingci's body stiffened, but he dared not hesitate.

"Yes..."

He moved like a pre-programmed machine, stiffly walking over to sit beside Xiao Yan.

Their robes touched, black python patterns overlapping green plain silk, and a highly aggressive aura instantly enveloped Liu Qingci.

Xiao Yan's presence was tangible, pressing down heavily on him.

In public, Prince Yu wanted him to sit by his side...

Liu Qingci couldn't help but take in the chaotic scene below the stage.

Some held beautiful male attendants in their arms, their hands suggestively slipping into their robes; others laughed while forcing the wine from their own mouth onto the lips of a young boy beside them, making him drink, the wine trickling down the boy's chin, eliciting lewd laughter.

Liu Qingci's face turned pale.

His current status... was the same as that of those people.

Was he... to be like that too?

Every movement around him seemed infinitely slow.

In this frozen perception, he saw Xiao Yan move.

He raised his hand, reaching toward him.

The motion was not fast, with a hint of Xiao Yan's characteristic lazy nonchalance.

Liu Qingci's breath stopped, every muscle in his body tensed to the extreme.

He was like prey frozen in place, unable even to flutter an eyelash, watching helplessly as the hand drew nearer.

What would he do?

Would that hand pinch his chin or reach into his robes?

In full view of everyone.

No matter how much his anxiety seemed to stretch the moment, the hand finally descended.

But not to any part of his body as he had imagined.

Xiao Yan's hand casually rested on the back of Liu Qingci's chair.

The black robe embroidered with gold spread wide, forming like an imposing, semi-encircling barrier.

No intimate touch, no forced control.

Xiao Yan didn't even look at him.

He merely tilted his chin toward a servant not far away and ordered: "Bring over my mastiff king. Everyone's been waiting to see him."

The servant accepted the order and withdrew.

Only then did Xiao Yan look down at Liu Qingci beside him.

Hmm?

Why was he so frightened? His face was pale.

Xiao Yan leaned closer and whispered in Liu Qingci's ear:

"What's wrong? Are you scared?"