Chapter 489

On Rongshu Street, Taohua Yuan was not the brothel with the grandest scale or the loudest fame.

But tonight, this small brothel suddenly had its carriages blocked and was filled with a noisy crowd.

The crowd was so large it blocked the entire alley.

This sight made the keepers of the surrounding brothels extremely jealous, their back teeth almost grinding to pieces.

"Just how beautiful is that Ruo Su? Even the Jia family's sedan chair has gone inside."

"Sister, it's not just the Jia family! The carriages of the Zhao and Yuan families have already gone in first; the prominent people of Hezhou City are practically all gathered."

"Looking at this situation, Taohua Yuan is using that girl called Ruo Su to vie for the title of Hezhou's top brothel. I'm not being pessimistic; with those big shots backing it, Taohua Yuan's rise is just a matter of time."

"What kind of big shots are they? The real big shots in Hezhou now are those who hold knives! If our shop could get a general, I could instantly overshadow Taohua Yuan's fame."

"Sister, it's not that simple; even if knife-wielders are fierce, they still need to rely on these few gentlemen of Hezhou? Gu Wenjie is comparable to a fierce demon, but those few are still not guests of the government office."

"You short-sighted dead girl, your vision is only fit for a maid's fate. Send someone over to look; I want to see if that girl called Ruo Su is truly as beautiful as a fairy."

"Understood, sister, I'm going now. Ah, being destined to be a maid is enough for me!"

……

"Greetings, Commandant, what's happened? My son has offended you in your presence?" Jia Wentao hurried over, after bowing to Chen Wuji, he took the chance to kick his two sons hard.

"You two blind things, fighting over jealousy actually dragged the Commandant's head into it? You don't want your lives, and I still want to live a few more years! Get up quickly and kowtow to apologize to the Commandant!"

After shouting angrily, Jia Wentao hurriedly apologized to Chen Wuji: "Commandant, please forgive us; these boys have been spoiled since childhood, I apologize on behalf of my son."

Chen Wuji curled his lips in a faint smile: "Jia Family Head, you might not know me; I don't mind fighting over jealousy, a girl taken by force is the most fragrant."

"Then what is this...?" Jia Wentao looked bewildered.

Chen Wuji showed regret: "Actually, I really wanted to join you all in undertaking great endeavors and make a career in Hezhou, but I never imagined you privately viewed me this way. Fortunately, today several young masters spoke frankly and told me these things; otherwise I would have remained in the dark."

"It's I, Chen Wuji, who overestimated myself, narrowed my horizons, overreached toward you all, and made you laugh at me!"

Jia Wentao's heart suddenly skipped a beat; he glanced at the hurriedly arriving Zhu Zaidao and Zhao Fumin, then bent down and asked: "May I ask, Commandant... what is the matter? Actually, these boys often speak without restraint, spouting nonsense; their words cannot be taken as true."

"Other words might not be true, but this matter must be true; without the consent of several of you, I don't think they would dare say such things." Chen Wuji looked sorrowful and sighed with deep regret.

Jia Wentao quickly said: "Commandant, please see clearly; I have never dared speak ill of you behind your back."

At this moment, Zhu Zaidao, Zhao Fumin, and others hurried forward to pay their respects.

"Don't stand on ceremony, you are the true masters of Hezhou City; I am merely a lucky wild dog that has stumbled into the city, relying on your charity, unworthy of such great courtesy." Chen Wuji waved his hand.

"Although today's setting is somewhat inappropriate, since someone has already spoken these words to my face, we should settle this matter."

"Young Master Jia said I am a wild dog relying on your charity; Young Master Zhu said I am not even as good as a wild dog, which knows to wag its tail after getting food, yet I see several young masters who don't even know how to offer a greeting. This actually leaves me puzzled; gentlemen, am I really that worthless?"

After Chen Wuji finished speaking, everyone's faces turned pale.

Jia Xingwang and the others were all dumbfounded.

Is this what they said?

When did they start using wild dogs as a topic?!

Jia Wentao suddenly turned, grabbed Jia Xingwang's collar, and swung a big slap: "You bastard, you drank some horse urine, do you really not know your own surname? Damn it, laborers will beat you to death!"

Jia Wentao's move instantly gave the remaining few an epiphany.

Zhu Zaidao, with his elderly frame, swung his cane down onto his son's face.

Yuan Qi was more direct, knocking his son down with both legs, then grabbing Yuan Dingcheng's broken arm and kicking him hard; the son's cries sounded like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, and after just a few kicks he was knocked unconscious.

"Laborers don't have a son like you; go kill yourself!" Zhao Fumin suddenly shouted.

His shout left everyone stunned.

Jia Wentao's face darkened as the corner of his mouth twitched.

The faces of Zhu Zaidao and Yuan Qi seemed covered in a bottomless shadow, grim and terrifying.

Zhao Fumin's single sentence plunged them all into a dilemma.

They certainly couldn't bear to kill their sons.

But if they didn't kill their sons, they would definitely not be able to pass Chen Wuji's test.

Nobody present was a fool; tonight's scene was laid out clear as day, plain as could be—Chen Wuji was basically conscripting their troops!

Zhao Quanyou's face turned deathly pale as he cried out: "Father, I didn't, I didn't say those words; he's just spouting nonsense, trying to bring trouble on our family! It has nothing to do with us, Father, you can't kill me."

Zhao Fumin's eyes hardened; he grabbed his son's collar and slammed him into a nearby pillar: "You dog‑thing, you've come to this point and still dare to spout nonsense."

"Shopkeeper Zhao, don't rush to kill; if you kill someone, I won't be able to explain myself clearly," Chen Wuji called out calmly.

Zhao Fumin abruptly stopped, bowed deeply: "Sir, my son is undisciplined and deserves his punishment! As his father, I have failed in my duty; the only way is to kill him myself to atone before you."

"Don't rush, since your son doesn't think those were their words, let's talk about something else, so it doesn't seem like I'm using power to oppress you and deliberately seek trouble." Chen Wuji waved his hand.

"Come, let me give you young masters a reminder."

"Say I'm so poor I'm even snatching grain merchants in the city—who could possibly have no silver in their pockets and still compete with you for girls?" Chen Wuji asked loudly, "Alright, I'm starting from the beginning, matching each word point by point; you should have no objections, right? If you refuse to admit it, I'll exterminate your nine clans—think before you speak."

At the same time, I also want to remind all you Family Heads: I actually don't mind cutting you all down. You've seen the state of the city these past few days—I've already settled the people's troubles, and I'm not afraid of gaining a reputation even worse than Gu Wenjie's.

I, for one, have never liked relying on the great clans!