Former Arrogance, Current Deference, A Laughable Thought

On the street ahead, a crowd had gathered, the noise drawing a large audience.

The streets on the west side of Fengxian County were like an old town, far less wide than those on the east. With this blockage, the entire street became impassable.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way! What are you all blocking for!"

Old Liu pushed through the crowd and strode in, casually stuffing a handful of sugar-roasted chestnuts into his sleeve. He wore official attire, and the crowd dared not stop him, quickly clearing a path to the center of the commotion.

Xiang Yuan followed closely behind, seeing two burly men engaged in a brawl.

One wore blue cloth, the other black, both dressed as household retainers. The former used Tiger Leopard Fist, the latter Mantis Fist, trading blows back and forth with great intensity.

If it were Xiang Yuan from a few days ago, he wouldn't have been able to defeat either of them. But now, he felt they were full of openings. He considered stepping forward to break up the fight like Liu Xuande, using a move called "One Dragon Splits Two Tigers."

The idea was too ridiculous; he wouldn't do something like that when he was calm. He decided to play the supporting role and let Old Liu take the lead.

"What a lively scene, I wondered who it was, but it's you two."

Old Liu squeezed past a spectator, snatched a long bench, and sat down. He said to Xiang Yuan, "These two are ruffians from a local Martial Arts School. One calls himself 'Big Bug,' the other 'Flying Mantis.' They claim to be from the martial world, but they're just local thugs. They rely on their martial arts skills and are always getting into fights, frequenting the yamen."

Xiang Yuan nodded, listening. "What's with their clothes? Have they reformed?"

"It's impossible for them to fight and brawl their whole lives. They've grown a bit wiser and know how to make a living. They were hired as household retainers to guard houses and earn a meal. I didn't expect them to change their ways, still causing trouble for the yamen whenever they get a free moment."

Old Liu's voice was loud, and the surrounding crowd could hear him. However, the two brawling ruffians were too engrossed in their fight, ignoring everything else, their eyes only on each other. This left Old Liu feeling quite disrespected.

He faintly heard a few snickers. Old Liu's face flushed with embarrassment. Angrily, he got up and delivered two kicks.

The two 'martial heroes' each took a kick and turned to glare at him. Upon seeing Constable Old Liu, they turned and fled without a word.

"Hmph, perfect. I'll use you two to close my case today."

Old Liu wouldn't let them go. He was somewhat timid around the dangerous figures from the Five Poisons Cult, but he dealt harshly with local ruffians. He caught up to Big Bug and subdued him in just a few moves.

"Master Liu, be gentle, it hurts."

"You know it hurts, yet you ran? Come back to the yamen with me!"

Meanwhile, Flying Mantis darted through the crowd. There were too many onlookers, and he couldn't break free. His eyes lit up when he saw the clean-faced Xiang Yuan, and he leaped towards him.

He didn't dare to attack a constable, but he could still scare a junior constable.

He was an old hand at this, knowing that new constables like Xiang Yuan were easy to bully. He'd put on a show, glare at him, and the latter would instinctively step aside.

Once he escaped the crowd and hid with his employer, the constables wouldn't dare come to his door to arrest him.

With this thought, Flying Mantis accelerated. He was tall and strong, charging like a bull, startling the onlookers into shouting.

Xiang Yuan stood still, his expressionless face betraying no emotion. His hand didn't reach for his saber, as if he were overwhelmed by the opponent's momentum, frozen like wood, completely losing his composure.

Get out of my way!

Flying Mantis was secretly pleased. Suddenly, the scene before him changed drastically. There was no street, no crowd, only a pair of captivating tiger eyes.

A fierce tiger roared, charging down the mountain. Where it passed, grass and trees snapped, and all beasts trembled.

Flying Mantis's face instantly turned pale, his knees buckled, and he rolled onto the ground, meekly collapsing at Xiang Yuan's feet.

At this moment, Flying Mantis was like a dung beetle rolling on the ground.

The surrounding onlookers didn't understand, thinking Flying Mantis was just a coward. The excitement ended anticlimactically, leaving everyone feeling unsatisfied.

Wish they'd fight a bit longer! xN

"What are you all standing here for? Go back! You're blocking the main road. I'll take you all back to the yamen!" Old Liu shouted, driving away the onlookers.

As the crowd dispersed, a complaint was heard.

"Damn it all, may your son have no balls! Who stole my sugar-roasted chestnuts!"

Old Liu had no son, so the insult was harmless to him. He grabbed 'Big Bug' by the collar and walked over to Xiang Yuan, saying in admiration, "Good job, kid. Where did you learn that? Do they teach that at the Martial Arts School?"

Captain Liu taught me, Xiang Yuan thought. He then grabbed 'Rolling Dung Beetle' by the collar, just like Old Liu had done, and they each took one to the yamen.

They didn't take the minor matter of maintaining public order to heart. When they finished their duties in the afternoon, which Xiang Yuan called "clocking out," 'Big Bug' and 'Flying Mantis,' who should have been locked in the prison, were swaggering at the yamen entrance. It turned out a certain Lord was hosting Old Liu and Xiang Yuan at Hongyun Garden.

Upon learning the name of the host, Old Liu broke out in a cold sweat.

"County Lieutenant Qin, his household retainers..."

On the way, Old Liu extracted the general situation from the two ruffians, or rather, the two household retainers.

To be precise, the two retainers weren't County Lieutenant Qin's direct retainers, but rather those of his second and third concubines.

The two concubines constantly quarreled, relying on their youth and beauty to oppose Madam Qin. The three women's disputes took a toll on County Lieutenant Qin's health, which declined day by day. He eventually bought separate properties and had the two concubines move out.

The fight between the two retainers today was also related to their mistresses' jealousy.

Why didn't the two retainers say anything at first?

It was an embarrassing matter, so naturally, they wouldn't mention it if they could avoid it.

Old Liu shook his head repeatedly, looking at Xiang Yuan with a bitter expression, and whispered, "We guard against thieves, we guard against robbers, but we never expected Lord Qin to have two concubines move out. This meal won't be pleasant!"

Xiang Yuan nodded. Who would have thought? Today has been quite unlucky.

Fengxian County is managed by County Magistrate Sima and Assistant County Magistrate Wu, who handle all major and minor affairs. The third-in-command, County Lieutenant Qin, neither represents the imperial court nor has the backing of any Noble Families, so he's chosen to slack off and has almost entirely relinquished his authority as County Lieutenant.

"Need" is not "have."

Nominally, County Lieutenant Qin is in charge of apprehending bandits, maintaining public order, and other such matters. He is the direct superior of all Constables, and there's no one he can afford to offend, lest he be transferred and left with nothing.

Hearing Old Liu's complaints, Xiang Yuan frowned.

He had studied under a renowned master and acquired divine skills, his future was promising, and he was destined for greatness. Yet, because two of his concubines were fighting over him, he was summoned by his superior for a "chat," which was rather unpleasant.

Setting aside a bit of his pride, the facts were as they were. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became, his thoughts in disarray.

His true self told him, this damned Constable job, he might as well quit!

Guided by two house servants, Old Liu and Xiang Yuan walked through the bustling East Street, filled with horse-drawn carriages, and entered Hongyun Garden, Fengxian County's most upscale restaurant.

Hongyun Garden was primarily a manor, divided into eight large halls and thirty-six small halls. Greenery and rockeries served as screens between each hall, creating an elegant and ingeniously arranged atmosphere that subtly followed the principles of Feng Shui.

Maplewood Hall.

Xiang Yuan followed the nervously uneasy Old Liu into the hall and saw the host, who was dressed like a wealthy merchant – County Lieutenant Qin. Both of them cupped their fists in greeting.

"Lord Qin, I was unaware that your house servants had any prior connection with us. I apologize for my earlier offense and any disrespect shown."

Old Liu gritted his teeth. "If you don't mind, I'll pay for today's meal myself. I only wish to resolve this misunderstanding."

Hongyun Garden was not cheap. Old Liu was bleeding money. Given his stingy nature, and the fact that Xiang Yuan had also brought a house servant, the meal cost would be split between them.

What kind of nonsense is this? Maintaining public order requires treating people to meals? Is there no law anymore? When did Western Chu become like this!

But clearly, it wasn't just Western Chu; Northern Qi and Southern Jin were the same.

Xiang Yuan felt extremely dejected. Following Old Liu's instructions, the newcomer stayed silent and did as he was told.

County Lieutenant Qin smiled. "This was merely a misunderstanding. I summoned you two to clarify things. Since you are willing, this meal will be on your tab."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted past Old Liu and landed on Xiang Yuan. "What a handsome young man. He moves like the wind and his spirit burns like fire. Just like me in my younger days, unable to tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye."

The meaning behind his words was clear: Xiang Yuan lowered his head to beg for forgiveness.

"It's alright, it's alright. It was all a small matter. First, three cups of penalty wine, and then be more careful in the future." County Lieutenant Qin nodded with satisfaction.

Just then, a boisterous shout came from outside Maplewood Hall: "Little Yuan, why are you eating without inviting me!"

"Who is Little Yuan?"

County Lieutenant Qin's brow furrowed deeply, his face filled with displeasure. He shot Xiang Yuan a glare and stood up, saying, "Such loud shouting, no manners at all. I'd like to see what kind of brat this is, who dares to... in front of this official..."

"Young Master Xiao, why are you here?"

From arrogant to obsequious, it was laughable.