Zhongdao

"Hey! You two young masters, please, do not be impulsive!"

"Get out of the way!" Cao Ang ignored the shopkeeper's desperate pleas and strode upstairs.

Yuan Xi and his companions followed close behind. "Come on, let's keep up."

As they moved from the first to the second floor, two formidable men dressed in warrior attire stood blocking their path. "Gentlemen, please stop."

They stretched out their arms to obstruct Cao Ang. One of them said, "We have already reserved the private room upstairs. Young master, you had best turn back."

The two warriors were not particularly polite; it seemed they were accustomed to arrogance, emboldened by the status of those they served. Their behavior incensed Cao Ang. In the capital, aside from Yuan Xi, who dared to bully him, Cao Zixiu? Who else dared not show him some shred of respect? Well, Yang Xiu excluded, of course.

Ignored, Cao Ang laughed instead of showing anger. "Are you unaware that this room was booked by your Master Cao long ago?"

Having said that, Cao Ang walked straight forward, determined to get to the bottom of it. If he let these outsiders push him around, how could he ever show his face in the capital, Luoyang, again? It was out of the question.

One of the warriors reached out to intercept him, but unexpectedly, Cao Ang grabbed his wrist and flung him aside. After all, Cao Ang possessed some martial skill—at least much better than Yuan Xi, ranking around 75+.

Seeing his companion suffer a setback, the other warrior immediately stepped forward, side-stepping to shoulder-check Cao Ang. Cao Ang had to use his outstretched hand to brace against the impact. As the two grappled, the warrior who had been thrown aside scrambled up and seized Cao Ang by the shoulders. "Brat, don't be too arrogant."

The two worked in seamless coordination to pin Cao Ang down; they were clearly no ordinary guards. "Well? Do you know the consequences of offending us now?"

"Zhongkang! Go help him!" Seeing Cao Ang at a disadvantage, Yuan Xi immediately ordered Xu Chu to step in. He could bully Cao Ang, but others certainly could not.

"Take this!" Xu Chu lunged forward, his palm transformed into a blade, striking toward the warrior. The warrior was quick-witted; having sensed the commotion behind him, he had remained alert. Hearing the footsteps, he retreated behind his partner, who in turn pushed Cao Ang toward Xu Chu. Then, the two assumed a defensive stance. They could sense that Xu Chu was no ordinary guard; their battlefield experience had taught them as much. "Who are you?"

Xu Chu caught Cao Ang, pulling him behind his left hand. "Your Grandfather Xu!"

He swung his right fist forward, meeting the fist of a warrior who had attempted a sneak attack. *Bang!*

"Ah!" A muffled grunt followed as the warrior’s arm went limp. He had never expected such immense force; his hand had been dislocated. It seemed he had severely underestimated Xu Chu, who was clearly a seasoned fighter. The men now had to take this burly man seriously.

Xu Chu stepped forward again, kicking the injured warrior away and instantly neutralizing his ability to fight. "Hmph, get lost."

With another straightforward, unadorned punch to the stomach, he knocked down the second warrior. The entire confrontation lasted no more than three moves. After all, these were soldiers with combat ratings of sixty or seventy; how could they possibly match Xu Chu, whose rating was ninety-seven?

Hearing the fighting outside, the occupants of the private room emerged. They were two young men. One wore exquisite warrior robes and looked rather heroic, around twenty years of age. The other was dressed in elegant scholar’s robes, looking refined but pale with a sickly complexion.

Seeing who they were, Yuan Xi was surprised. He knew Huangfu Li; he was the nephew of the famous Huangfu Song and had just returned from campaigning with his uncle. He was considered a young hero and was well-known in the capital. However, this was not the time for pleasantries. As for Wei Zhongdao, Yuan Xi knew him all too well; he was the one competing with him for Gao Yue’s favor. He was also the future husband of the talented Cai Yan—a short-lived wretch. What a small world. He was a spineless coward who would eventually cause a generation's greatest talent to become a widow, only to be cast back to her maiden home by the Wei family and end her days in misery in the frontier.

Since it was these two, Yuan Xi no longer held any reservations. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred. In terms of family background, Yuan, the Second Young Master, had never feared anyone among his peers. Moreover, the Hedong Wei family had since declined into an average household, giving him even less reason to hesitate. Let the fight begin.

Wei Zhongdao had always been haughty and proud, unable to stand the sight of aristocratic youths who bullied others with their power, especially this Yuan Xi, whom he loathed deeply. After a moment, he sneered, "I have spent much time in Hedong, yet I have never heard of such characters in the world."

His words were venomous. Scholars often possessed a certain arrogance; at the slightest disagreement, they would turn to biting sarcasm. Aristocratic youths valued their reputation above all else.

Before Cao Ang could speak, Yuan Xi fired back. He laughed mockingly, "Indeed, indeed. How could someone from the remote lands of Hedong have heard of us, the elite of Luoyang? You? Are you even worthy?"

"Exactly, exactly! Are you even worthy?" Ignoring Wei Zhongdao’s increasingly pale complexion, Cao Ang waved his hand and chimed in, echoing Yuan Xi’s sentiments. Regarding rhetoric, Cao Ang thought to himself, he truly admired Yuan Xi.

Huangfu Li had never intended to escalate the situation. After all, even the Huangfu family would not easily provoke the Yuan family; it simply wasn't necessary. He was about to step in and reconcile, but Wei Zhongdao’s stubbornness flared up. He continued to trade insults with Yuan Xi and Cao Ang.

Wei Zhongdao waved off Huangfu Li’s attempt to intervene and sneered, "Now that you mention it, I do recall that in Luoyang, there is indeed a Cao family, descendants of the founding minister Cao Can. But it is said that during the reign of the late emperor, they merely served as eunuchs. And there is some talk of a 'Four Generations and Three Excellencies' family, though I wonder if they are merely fame-seekers who use flowery poetry to maintain appearances."

Huangfu Li thought to himself that the bridge had been completely burned. Wei Zhongdao had lost his head; how could he dare to provoke these two? This was madness.

There was no help for it. At the Gao residence, Yuan Xi and Wei Zhongdao had already crossed paths; now, there was no turning back. It was a fight to the death.

"He's going to be the death of me!" Cao Ang’s fury rose, and he raised his fist to strike.

However, Yuan Xi held him back and retorted, "Tell me, Zixiu, have you ever heard of the great General Wei Qing of the former dynasty? What a hero he was!"

"Naturally!" Cao Ang replied curtly.

Yuan Xi sighed profoundly. "Back in the day, General Wei Qing marched thousands of miles deep into the barbarian lands, severing countless heads with military merit unmatched by any. Who would have thought that the descendants of the Wei family today would be unable to even truss a chicken?"

"A fine 'unable to truss a chicken'! Exhilarating! Xianyi, I must treat you to three rounds of drinks another day. That was cathartic! Truly cathartic!" Hearing Yuan Xi’s insult—a retort delivered without a single vulgar word—Cao Ang burst into laughter and clapped his hands in delight.

Hearing Yuan Xi humiliate his ancestors in such a way, Wei Zhongdao was nearly choked with rage. His face began to flush with an unnatural, hectic red.

"Today seems to be a misunderstanding. Gentlemen, I hope that when we meet again, we can put aside these grievances. Jianshou will take his leave now," Huangfu Li said, attempting to mediate.

With that, Huangfu Li ignored Wei Zhongdao’s resistance and led the indignant man down the stairs. At the bottom, Wei Zhongdao suddenly turned back. Staring fixedly at Yuan Xi and Cao Ang, he said angrily, "I, Wei Zhongdao, will never forget this humiliation as long as I live. You just wait!"

However, he did not notice the cold glint in Yuan Xi’s eyes the moment he turned around. Yuan Xi had long found Wei Zhongdao an eyesore. *Do not blame me for being ruthless then,* he thought. *Let us see who is the more vicious.*

Cao Ang, meanwhile, was in high spirits. He ordered the shopkeeper to bring the finest wine and food, and he insisted that Xu Chu, Yuan Xi’s servants, and his own servants all drink together. It was not until sunset, and only after repeated refusals, that Cao Ang finally allowed Yuan Xi to depart.