You Actually Offended Someone?

It was obvious that the waiter had made the young master feel he'd lost face in front of the girls. Now he wanted to prove his strength and win back some dignity.

This put the waiter in a difficult position.

"Th-this..."

The waiter wore a miserable expression, unsure what to do.

Neither side looked like someone he could afford to offend. What was he supposed to do?

Li Xian drained the last of his wine, set down his cup, and said, "Waiter, the bill!"

Those four simple words sounded like heavenly music to the waiter.

"Coming, coming!"

Li Xian got to his feet and headed out. Wan Cai followed behind him, while Brother Xin let out a drunken belch and tossed down a piece of silver.

"Here. Keep the change."

"Thank you, thank you! Thank you, masters!"

The waiter held the silver in his hands and thanked them profusely.

Compared to these three masters, that young master from just now had absolutely no manners.

Li Xian was broad-minded; he wasn't going to stoop to the level of these youngsters.

Seeing Li Xian leave of his own accord, the young master at the next table assumed the other side had chickened out. He immediately grew even more arrogant.

"Hmph. At least they knew when to back down. Otherwise, there'd be no place for them in Yangzhou City anymore."

"Hahaha! Young Master Du is mighty indeed. Looks like we'll have to count on you to look after us from now on, brother."

"That's right, that's right. Everyone knows the Du family is rich and powerful. I hear you even have dealings with the Cao Gang, the biggest force in Yangzhou City."

With his drinking buddies showering him with praise and the young girls gazing at him in admiration, Young Master Du's vanity was thoroughly gratified. He was soon floating on air.

"Ah, it's nothing, nothing. I just know a few stewards in the Cao Gang and have a little business with them," he said, pretending to be modest.

"Wow, being connected to the Cao Gang in Yangzhou City is no small thing!"

"With the Cao Gang backing you, Young Master Du could practically do as he pleased in Yangzhou City."

"Good thing those people left quickly. Otherwise, Young Master Du would've made sure they regretted it!"

Under their flattery, Young Master Du lost himself completely. He clinked cups with one person after another, refusing no one, and drank himself into a stupor.

By the end of the meal, Young Master Du was dead drunk, his eyes bleary and his legs barely able to carry him. A few friends had to help him down the stairs.

"Brothers, come on! Today I'm taking you to have some fun on the pleasure boats at Kui Shui Pier!"

Young Master Du was still shouting excitedly as he stepped out of Fengyang Tower.

But in the next instant, his joy turned to sorrow.

A dozen or so tall, burly men in short jackets stood scattered outside Fengyang Tower. As soon as they saw Young Master Du come out, they closed in around him.

"That's him!"

"Beat him up!"

The dozen men rushed in and surrounded Young Master Du and his friends, beating them without asking a single question.

"Ow! What are you doing? Stop!"

"You dare hit me? Do you want to die?"

"No, don't hit me! Help!"

How could Young Master Du and his spoiled friends possibly stand up to these men? They were immediately pinned to the ground and beaten until their faces were swollen and bruised, like pig heads.

The three girls saw what was happening and hurriedly hid off to the side, trembling. Not one of them dared to say a word.

The commotion drew passersby, who watched and pointed from a distance, but not one dared to step forward.

Obviously.

Those dozen men all wore the uniform clothes of the Cao Gang's outer members. Who in Yangzhou City didn't know what that meant? It was obvious the men being beaten had offended some important figure in the Cao Gang.

When it seemed they'd had enough, the leader spoke up. "That's enough."

The others immediately stopped and stepped aside.

The man crouched down, grabbed Young Master Du by the collar, and sneered. "Kid, this is just to teach you a lesson. Watch what you say from now on."

"Let's go."

With that, he dropped Young Master Du to the ground and turned to leave with his men.

"Dad, you have to get justice for me!"

As soon as Young Master Du got home, he threw his arms around his father's leg and wailed, his face swollen like a pig's head.

To his surprise, the father who usually doted on him kicked him away and pointed at his nose, cursing, "Get justice for you? You good-for-nothing wastrel still want justice? Tell me, who exactly did you offend out there?"

"Huh?"

The kick from his father left Young Master Du a little dazed. He had no idea what was going on.

"Still playing dumb? I'm asking you, who exactly did you offend today?" Old Master Du said furiously.

"No one! I didn't offend anyone. I just went to Fengyang Tower for a little drink with my brothers," Young Master Du said, looking aggrieved.

"Right, Fengyang Tower! Tell me what you did there."

Young Master Du looked innocent. "Nothing. We just drank..."

As he said this, he suddenly realized.

"Oh, right. I taught a few clueless fellows a lesson, but they looked like commoners. It couldn't have been them..."

Before he could finish, Old Master Du slapped him across the face.

"You little bastard!"

"The person you taught a lesson to was the Cao Gang's newly appointed steward!"

Old Master Du pointed at Young Master Du's head and practically screamed the words.

"What? Th-this... This can't be..."

Young Master Du stared blankly, his mind in turmoil. He couldn't accept the truth.

"What do you mean, 'can't be'?" Old Master Du roared.

"People from the Cao Gang just came here. They told me they were cutting off all business dealings with us, and they've declared that no one in all of Yangzhou City will work with us anymore!"

"Luckily, the messenger knew me. After I begged him again and again, he finally told me why. That's when I learned you'd gone and caused a catastrophe!"

Young Master Du collapsed to the ground, stunned, and stammered, "Th-this... How could that person be a steward in the Cao Gang?"

"Do you know you nearly brought ruin to the entire Du Family?"

"Dad... I..."

"Ha..."

Old Master Du let out a long sigh. "There's no other way now. I'll go see Steward Zhang and hope he can help me resolve this."