Chapter 93: [Ring Color Pavilion] (Lower)

Liang Da Zhuang couldn't argue with her, gazing pleadingly at Hu Xiaotian and said, "Young master, that package really got snatched away by them!"

Hu Xiaotian was about to speak, but Murong Feiyan beside him had already lost patience, her eyebrows furrowed, she said: "Setting up **, harmful to morals, deliberate extortion, bullying with power, crime increased by one level, sensible people, hand over the stuff immediately, or else..."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll drag you to see the official right away!"

Xiang Qin chuckled, her expression extremely disdainful, she shook the abacus in her hand and said, "Seeing the official is fine; under Xiezhou's jurisdiction, I'd like to see who dares to cause trouble for our Ring Color Pavilion."

Hu Xiaotian originally didn't want things to get stiff; following his idea, it was better to first coax the official seal and documents back, then think of a countermeasure, but Murong Feiyan is the type who can't tolerate a speck of sand in her eye; she had already been unable to hold back and finally erupted. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Let's speak nicely; we'd better not harm the harmony."

Murong Feiyan coldly said, "Talking about harmony with such lowly vulgar people is nothing but a disgrace to one's status!"

Hearing this, Xiang Qin instantly flew into a rage; the smile vanished from her face in an instant, her small eyes flashing with a fierce glare: "Vermin! Who are you insulting?" As she spoke, she stepped forward and raised her right fist to strike Murong Feiyan in the chest.

This punch was terrifying in momentum; although the target wasn't Hu Xiaotian, the fierce wind from the blow made him unable to open his eyes. One cannot judge by appearance; looking at Xiang Qin's plump, merchant-like demeanor, no one would associate her with a martial arts expert.

Murong Feiyan's eyes narrowed; she also threw a forward punch. With a bang, the two fists collided, both bodies shaking simultaneously. On the surface they seemed evenly matched, but in fact Xiang Qin used her forward momentum, and her weight far surpassed Murong Feiyan's; even with the advantage, she still couldn't push Murong Feiyan back with a single blow, showing that Murong Feiyan's martial skill was still a notch above hers.

Murong Feiyan drew her long sword with a clang, aiming straight for Xiang Qin's throat. She saw that the thugs of the Ring Color Pavilion all obeyed Xiang Qin's orders; to control the situation, she first had to subdue Xiang Qin.

Don't let Xiang Qin's bulky, obese figure fool you—her movements are extremely agile. She leaned back, swinging her abacus upward to strike the sword; though the abacus is small, it's forged of refined steel, extremely heavy, and striking the light sword blade instantly knocked it askew.

Murong Feiyan went with the flow, her sword moving lightly and nimbly, tracing an arc in the air before thrusting toward Xiang Qin's right ribs.

At that moment, a soft, gentle voice suddenly came from within the Ring Color Pavilion: "Honored guests have arrived; how can we meet with weapons? Xiang Qin, do not be rude!"

Xiang Qin quickly stepped back two steps, halted her counterattack, shook the abacus in her hand with a clatter, hid it behind her back, and her face instantly broke into a pleasant smile: "Just joking around!"

Murong Feiyan sheathed her sword; she did not believe Xiang Qin was joking. The previous attacks had clearly been all-out efforts; this Ring Color Pavilion surely isn't an ordinary ** place so simple, and Xiang Qin is certainly no common madam. If they really went all-out, she couldn't guarantee victory within a hundred moves.

At this moment, Hu Xiaotian's gaze turned to the upper floor of the Ring Color Pavilion; on the third level stood a red-clad maiden, graceful and poised, her face veiled with light gauze, eyebrows like spring mountains, bright eyes alluring, a pair of lovely eyes gazing at him from afar. Though far away, he could still feel the tenderness of her gaze, like spring water silently flowing into his heart.

Hu Xiaotian responded with a gentlemanly smile; although he didn't know who this lady was, from Xiang Qin's deference toward her, her status in the Ring Color Pavilion was certainly not ordinary.

The red-clad maiden didn't linger long; her gaze swept across Hu Xiaotian's face like a fleeting glimmer, then she turned and left.

Not long after, a little maid in green came out, whispered something into Xiang Qin's ear; Xiang Qin nodded and said to Hu Xiaotian, "Old Brother Gao, my mistress said the items can be returned to you, but not a single copper of the owed silver may be lacking."

Murong Feiyan snapped, "Are you trying to extort us?"

Xiang Qin said, "Extortion or blatant robbery—either way, I don't know what good it would do you to publicize this." She turned her gaze to Hu Xiaotian, speaking meaningfully: "You tell me, isn't that so? Sir Hu!"

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian already understood; they must have seen his official seal and documents, making his identity crystal clear. If things blew up, aside from anything else, as a court official he'd certainly be implicated if his subordinates came to such a place for free food, drink, and fun. Thinking this, he laughed loudly: "Sister Qin, I don't have that much silver on hand."

Xiang Qin said, "My mistress said she believes you won't renege on the debt; draw up a contract, write an IOU, and repay it when your finances allow."

Hu Xiaotian thought the condition wasn't excessive, so he nodded and said, "Fine, let's do that."

Xiang Qin had her guards disperse the onlookers, then led Hu Xiaotian and his party into the main hall of the Ring Color Pavilion, where brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone had already been prepared, and the parcel that Liang Da Zhuang had lost to them was also there.

Hu Xiaotian first confirmed that the official seal and documents were all inside the parcel, and he immediately felt relieved; although his travel money and dry rations had been lost by Liang Da Zhuang, the most important things were still there. To his delight, the set of surgical instruments that Li Yifeng, the head of Easy Origin Hall, had given him was still present.

Hu Xiaotian held his pen, pondering for a moment. Xiang Qin urged from the side: "Just write that you now owe Miss Xi Yan of the Ring Color Pavilion one thousand taels of silver, to be repaid with principal and interest within three years."

Hearing the two words "Xi Yan" stirred Hu Xiaotian's heart; the image of that fleeting red-clad maiden instantly appeared in his mind—surely Xi Yan was her name. He nodded, thinking that while his hard‑pen calligraphy was still decent, his brush calligraphy was far worse; seeing his brush script, others might not think much, but Murong Feiyan couldn't help feeling disappointed, having assumed he was versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, yet his handwriting couldn't even be called ordinary—it was rather clumsy.

Using a brush to write was like forcing a duck onto a shelf—who let him run out of charcoal sticks? After finishing the text, he hesitated over the signature, wondering whether to write "Gao Ming" or "Hu Xiaotian"; Xiang Qin had already had someone fetch the official seal, apparently intending to stamp it at the signature. Since his identity was already exposed, there was no point in pretending; he therefore swiftly signed his name. It's just an IOU, not a deed of sale—signing it won't kill anyone. One thousand taels, repayable within three years, isn't that hard, but Hu Xiaotian still glanced at the interest: not high at all, only three percent per year.

Xiang Qin picked up the official seal, dipped it in cinnabar paste, and indeed stamped it squarely onto the IOU.

Hu Xiaotian found the scene both laughable and exasperating; he never imagined his official seal's first use would be writing an IOU, and that too inside a ** establishment; as for the creditor he owed, she still hadn't shown her face.

Xiang Qin took the IOU, examined it carefully, then happily said, "Not bad, you're being sensible."

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly: "Sister Qin, when I have spare funds, I'll immediately send someone to deliver the money." One thousand taels of silver meant little to Hu Xiaotian, but he truly had none on hand at the moment.

Xiang Qin appeared rather generous this time, shaking her head: "No rush, no rush; we're not in a hurry to use it either—whenever you want, just come to Qingyun Xian to collect it." Her gaze shifted suddenly, and she complained: "You're really dishonest; why aren't you calling yourself Gao Ming now?"

Hu Xiaotian gave a dry, embarrassed chuckle twice; for a moment he couldn't fathom these people's intentions. But given the situation, causing a scene would do him no good, so he decided to first retrieve the official seal and documents, and discuss other matters later.

*****************************************************************************************The book is scheduled to be officially launched on November 11, meaning the journey of Medical Unification has officially begun. There are only two days left of the public preview period; updates over these two days will start to speed up, at least three chapters a day, not ruling out the possibility of four chapters. The first day after launch will definitely see a burst. Four chapters a day as a minimum guarantee, and the ideal monthly ticket count could see a major surge. Knowing that the slow updates during the public preview have dampened everyone's enthusiasm, actually, Zhangyu is no different—only hearty eating and drinking can be truly satisfying, and so is reading updates. But given the rules, Zhangyu must control the number of updates during the preview period. Speaking of which, with nearly three hundred thousand words in the preview chapters, Zhangyu can already be considered generous. Having written this, the first volume is now completely complete. Readers who have experienced Zhangyu's works should know that Zhangyu is someone who can hold his breath, endure loneliness, and lay a solid foundation; I am rarely influenced by external factors, and I will develop the plot step by step according to my own layout—this is the so-called slow‑burn nature of the work. Whether it's slow‑burn or fast‑burn, as long as it eventually heats up, that's the ultimate goal. The pacing will become much tighter as the update volume increases; after reading volume three, you will surely appreciate the ingenuity of Zhangyu's initial layout. Finally, I anticipate the monthly ticket for October, with double at the month's start; I hope to take the lead! And to all brothers and sisters, let's join forces again and charge forward on the monthly ticket ranking!

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