Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?-Chapter 56 - Lessons on Humanity from Humble
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Lessons on Humanity from Humble Beginnings_1
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Lessons on Humanity from Humble Beginnings_1
Soon, a group of people quickly surged out of the Hongyue Lodge. There were about thirty to fifty of them, all brawny men with muscular bodies.
And it wasn’t just the Hongyue Lodge, all around, from the pleasure boats to the dock entrance, hundreds of people descended, completely blocking the dock. Zhang Jin and Cui Hongan, along with their entourage of friends and cronies, appeared at the window on the second level of the Hongyue Lodge. The former looked fierce, his eyes seeming ready to spew fire, while the latter looked smug.
“Li Xuan, you’ve got guts! I didn’t expect you to actually dare to come alone,” taunted one.
Li Xuan swept his gaze around his surroundings, then ironically responded, “Is this necessary? All of your father’s men from Jingying have been called just for me? Cui Hongan, do you want to continue messing around in our Nanjing City? And does your father know about this? Be careful he might punish you when he finds out.”
“I’m just taking precautions! Why would I care about your traditions? Are you allowed to win by sheer numbers?!” Cui Hongan was somewhat annoyed. There had been instances where he and Li Xuan’s group had ended up outnumbered in fights. All these noble youths with decent family backgrounds had hundreds of capable fighters. As outsiders, they were often at a disadvantage.
Zhang Jin impatiently interjected, “Brother Cui, why are you talking so much with him?”
“Why the rush? It’s rare for me to have the upper hand.” Cui Hongan smirked smugly, “We have him surrounded like an iron bucket; do you really think he can run away? We never intended to let him off easy. Hey, Li, kneel and bark like a dog for me. I want to have a good laugh.”
“We can discuss that later.” Li Xuan rested his hand on his saber, his expression non-committal: “Let me see them first. How do you want me to obey you when I haven’t even seen them? I need to know how my two buddies are doing right now!”
Cui Hongan dismissively waved his hand, and Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue were pushed to the window.
From a distance, Li Xuan glanced at them. They seemed not too bad, no visible injuries on their bodies. Although stripped, they still had underpants covering their privates.
They didn’t appear to have suffered any cruel treatment, but just to be on the safe side, Li Xuan couldn’t help but asked, “Hey! Peng, Taishan, you guys are alright? Is your chastity still intact? You didn’t get treated like a homosexual, did you?”
Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue both vigorously shook their heads, their faces flushing red.
Zhang Yue’s expression was complicated, and somewhat suspicious, “Peng, I’m touched that he dared to come, but why do I feel like his words are full of malice?”
“There’s no doubt about it.” Peng Fulai grit his teeth, bitter: “That bastard, he did it on purpose.”
But then he seemed a little worried, “Speaking of which, did he really come alone? Isn’t that like throwing a meat bun at a dog without getting it back? What is he so confident about?”
“He should be fine. If he’s smart, he might be able to escape,”
Zhang Yue, already knowing that Li Xuan had the protection of the ‘Kuiniu luminous armor’, was optimistic: “They chose the wrong place. Li Xuan comes from the Li family who are experts in Water Style technique. As long as he jumps into the water, nobody can stop him.”
Only then did Peng Fulai remember the Li Family’s unparalleled Water Style technique, “But still, it was a bit reckless of him. He should have brought more people with him. I really don’t believe that Cui Hongan can do anything to us.”
He scoffed, “If they can do it, why can’t we? Unless they plan to stay indoors from now on.”
While they were discussing, Cui Hongan, with his arms crossed across his chest, was looking down at Li Xuan with an expression of disdain and mockery: “Relax! As long as you’re here, I won’t touch them. Good dog, bark a few times for me. Let me have my fun, and I’ll let them go.”
Li Xuan shook his head: “You’re asking too much. I am the descendant of the ‘Yihan Saber’, I can’t afford to lose face. It might be more appropriate the other way round.”
Cui Hongan laughed loudly with his hands on his hips: “That’s not for you to decide! Do you think you still have control over anything at this point, Li Xuan?”
At this time, the two hundred or so people crowding around Li Xuan on the dock were already baring their savage looks.
“Whether I have control or not is not for you, Cui Hongan, to decide!” Li Xuan tossed his sleeve nonchalantly: “Or perhaps, you could let them go now? I’ll make sure Peng gives you some face later. I’m easy to talk to.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Are you still dreaming?” Cui Hongan’s face darkened: “What are you waiting for? Teach him some manners!”
Zhang Jin interjected, “He should have been dealt with long ago, stop wasting time talking nonsense with him—”
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This man leaped off the second floor of the Hongyue Lodge and looked up to see Li Xuan smiling at him. His smile was filled with an aura of arrogance, magnanimity, anticipation, and a hint of excitement.
“Educate me on manners? The likes of you bunch of riff-raffs?”
※※※※
When Li Xuan arrived at the dock, Xue Yunrou, accompanied by her maidservant, was boarding the third deck of the observation boat.
This was not a place known for sensual pleasures but rather a private boat owned by the Marquis of Jining in the city. Owning pleasure boats was not exclusive to courtesans, almost all the well-off nobles in Nanjing City had one or two docked on the Qinhuai River. The reason she was here today was due to an invitation extended by the Marquis of Jining’s mansion, to attend a banquet here.
She initially believed it was a regular gathering of noble ladies, but upon settling herself on the third deck of this pleasure boat, she noticed something wasn’t right.
At that time, almost all the girls had their eyes drawn to the window. Some were laughing and joking, while others were murmuring amongst themselves.
“Li Xuan must be a fool, he actually showed up?”
“There will be a good show to watch now, Li Xuan is probably going to be humiliated big time.”
“I’m worried it will be more than just a little trouble.”
“Don’t worry, Cui Hongan is, after all, a descendant of Cui of Boling, their family is renowned for their literary accomplishments, and won’t go too far. At most, it will result in a beating, then some humiliation.”
“So, that’s it. We were invited over just for this show? To regain some face after the embarrassment at Duke Xuguo’s mansion? Are we supposed to watch how Li Xuan makes a fool of himself?”
“I think it’s rather meaningless. If you want revenge, do it openly. Setting this kind of trap is simply underhanded.”
“Now you mention it, I recall Zhang Jin being a close relative of the Marquis of Jining’s family. Scheming against others isn’t enough for him, he even dragged us into this. Does he want us to witness that Li Xuan really is useless trash, an incompetent wretch that is no match for him?”
When Xue Yunrou went over there, she saw Li Xuan, alone on the dock, surrounded by over two hundred men. First, she was taken aback, then she shifted her gaze looking for a certain figure in the crowd.
There was Xi Xuer, the second daughter of Deputy Imperial Censor Xi, standing by the railings with her chin slightly raised. Her face held not only the embarrassment she had shown at Duke Xuguo’s mansion but also a hint of arrogance. She was gazing scornfully, gleefully, and anticipatingly at the dock ahead.
However, the whispers among the young girls inside the building seemed to displease Xi Xuer.
“Miss, do you think Master Li will be fine?” Xue Yunrou’s maid asked anxiously, “It’s so unfair, over two hundred people surrounding him alone.”
She had a soft spot for Li Xuan, the author of the poem ‘clouds want to dress, flowers want to look beautiful’.
“He isn’t my cousin, how could he possibly be fine?” Xue Yunrou shot her maid a look, “Regardless, this is none of our business, let’s leave.”
In truth, she couldn’t bear to see Li Xuan being humiliated.
But at the next instant, Xue Yunrou suddenly felt something and looked out the window in surprise.
“Educate me on manners? The likes of you bunch of riff-raffs?”
With that defiant and arrogant voice, she saw Li Xuan stomping on the ground, causing the surface to instantly freeze. This forced more than ten burly men wielding clubs to be encased in ice. At the same time, Li Xuan leap into the air from the dock, like a streak of a lightning bolt.
