Chapter 55: Heartbroken and Devastated

As the situation grew increasingly chaotic, most streets in Li City became nearly deserted after nightfall, with few people venturing out.

Only a few neighborhoods were exceptions.

For instance, Liujin Fang.

At night, it seemed even livelier than usual.

The courtesans in the brothels all dressed in dazzling finery, tossing coquettish glances and flirting with passing patrons.

Many of them even stepped onto the streets to lure customers.

The girls of Yao Hua Lou, however, were far more refined.

Their attire was also considerably more modest.

After all, most of Yao Hua Lou’s girls sold art, not bodies—unless they took a fancy to someone, in which case they had no objection to killing two birds with one stone.

So they could not afford to lower themselves to vulgarity.

But today was an exception.

Before Xia Daoming even reached Yao Hua Lou, a group of its girls had already rushed out onto the street.

“Master Xia, you’ve come!”

“Master Xia, please come inside!”

“Master Xia, you look so handsome tonight!”

“Master Xia, I’m Xiao Jia—do you remember me?”

“...”

A flock of beauties—slender, plump, all types—surrounded Xia Daoming, showering him with flirtatious glances.

“Damn, who the hell is this guy? Has he got so many lovers at Yao Hua Lou? Is he just some rich fool with a wax penis?” A man passing by, seeing the scene, was stunned and couldn’t help sneering.

“No doubt—he’s a wax penis with too much money!”

“Hahaha!”

“Damn it, that little guy with his tiny eyes and nose? Looks like he’s good at embroidery—how dare he mock Master Xia? Let me tell you, there’s no man in Li City better than Master Xia!” A girl, elegant and quiet, clearly from a scholarly family, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, leapt forward at the insult, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at the man who’d spoken first, her eyes blazing with fury.

There was no choice—Master Xia had “conquered” Xiao Qiang, who was already the “madam” of Yao Hua Lou.

Especially this girl, who’d been swept away twice in one night, had long since become Xia Daoming’s fanatical admirer.

Now someone dared insult Master Xia in public? It was an unforgivable offense!

“That’s right! Little Needle, if you’ve got guts, show us what you’ve got!”

The girls of Yao Hua Lou, skilled in singing and performance, immediately joined in, cooing and pouting at the man.

The man was first stunned by their display, then snapped back to his senses, his hand flying to his sword hilt with a sharp “clang,” revealing a glint of cold steel.

“Damn it, I don’t have a little needle, but I’ve got a big knife—anyone here want to try it?”

His face twisted into a ferocious snarl.

“I’ve got a big knife too—ladies, wanna try?”

His two companions followed suit, drawing their blades slightly, smirking with lewd triumph.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

But the moment they grasped their sword hilts and drew just a fraction, their vision blurred—and their chests were struck as if by a charging wild ox. They flew through the air and crashed to the ground.

“You’re all grown men—have the guts to throw money at the girls, not threaten them with knives! What if you scare them? Can you afford to pay for the damage? Next time, I’ll cripple you all!”

Xia Daoming had appeared before the three fallen men, his fifth-rank Grand Martial Master’s vital energy surging outward, radiating overwhelming pressure.

The three were merely minor leaders of third- or fourth-rate gangs in Li City; they instantly realized they’d kicked a iron plate.

Now, with Xia Daoming’s mighty vital energy unleashed, they dared not utter a single boast, scrambling to their feet and fleeing.

Now that Xia Daoming released his powerful blood qi and strength, the three of them dared not utter a single threatening word; they scrambled to their feet and ran.

“Master Xia, you’re amazing!”

The girls of Yao Hua Lou clapped and cheered, rushing back to surround Xia Daoming, their eyes shimmering with adoration.

Xia Daoming didn’t dare delay—he hurried into Yao Hua Lou.

If the Xu family’s ancestral elder heard of this and took offense, the matter would explode.

Yuchi Xiao, Zhuo Xingji, and Jiao Yongbao all still enjoyed listening to music at Yao Hua Lou.

So when Liu Xiao Qiang invited them, even before dusk, the three had arrived.

Now they sat in the back courtyard, watching a dance and listening to music, when suddenly they heard commotion in the front yard and turned to look.

The moment they saw, their eyes bulged and their faces turned green.

There, their junior brother, Xia Daoming, was tightly surrounded by a flock of courtesans, walking toward the back courtyard—some of whom were their old lovers.

“Oh my, Master Xia has arrived!”

That wasn’t even the worst.

The girl singing and dancing, upon seeing Master Xia, became so excited she dropped her performance and ran to greet him.

The girl who had been singing and dancing, upon seeing Master Xia arrive, became so excited that she dropped everything and hurried over to greet him.

“This is too much!”

“Sister, you’ve got to rein in your girls—they’re getting out of hand! If this happened to another patron, they’d tear the place apart…” Yuchi Xiao said, heartbroken.

Before Yuchi Xiao finished speaking, he saw Liu Xiao Qiang rise, her tiny steps pattering, her willow waist swaying, racing toward Xia Daoming like the wind.

Yuchi Xiao and the other two stared skyward, speechless.

“What’s going on? Don’t you have work to do? Everyone, disperse! Disperse!” Liu Xiao Qiang shouted before she even reached them.

The girls immediately scattered with giggles.

Before leaving, a few bold ones couldn’t resist pinching Xia Daoming.

Seeing the girls gone, Liu Xiao Qiang stepped forward with a smile, slipping her arm affectionately through his.

“You rascal, you haven’t come to see your sister in so long—afraid I’ll eat you?” Liu Xiao Qiang gave him a teasing glance, her fingers pinching his waist lightly.

“Sister, you know you’re already breathtaking—and these days you’ve been drinking Yunshou Jade Soup every day, so you’ve become even more devastatingly beautiful.

Your humble brother is fully devoted to martial cultivation—how could I let myself be distracted? So I must cut ties decisively: I should visit Yao Hua Lou as rarely as possible!” Xia Daoming said, his face set with unwavering resolve.

“Hehe!” Liu Xiao Qiang burst into laughter again, shaking with mirth, her fists lightly pummeling his shoulder.

“You rascal, you flatter people so cleverly! If you keep this up, I might even consider leaving this life to join Lian Er at your home!” Liu Xiao Qiang said.

“Sister, please spare me! Do you really want to ruin your brother’s martial future?” Xia Daoming’s face turned pale with mock terror.

“Aren’t you the one who said, ‘A sword’s sharpness comes from honing, plum blossoms bloom from bitter cold’? I’m sacrificing myself to test your willpower!” Liu Xiao Qiang replied.

“Cough, cough—sister, you’re going too far!” Xia Daoming hurriedly said.

“Hehe!” Liu Xiao Qiang laughed again, shaking with mirth.

As the brother and sister bantered, they entered the back courtyard’s private chamber.

As soon as Xia Daoming stepped inside, he felt the three senior brothers’ “resentful” stares.

“Hahaha, Senior Brothers, greetings! Your junior brother pays his respects!” Xia Daoming quickly withdrew his arm and bowed with a cheerful smile to Yuchi Xiao and the others.

PS: The recent tone may have become too light and mundane; some readers might not like it. But certain scenes were deliberately planned—they connect with character development and future relationships. Skipping them now would disrupt my later plotting. So tomorrow I’ll aim for three updates to quickly move past these scenes. Fortunately, these are free chapters—consider it fluff, and forgive me. Writing is a constant process of learning and improvement.

PS: Maybe the recent tone has been too light and overly mundane; some readers might not like it, but certain plot points were planned in advance and remain connected to character development and future relationship arcs—skipping them outright would disrupt my later planning, so tomorrow I’ll try to post three chapters to quickly get through these scenes. Fortunately, these are free chapters, so consider them filler and please forgive me; writing is also a process of continuous learning and improvement.