Chapter 63: The Arrogant Dong Jian

Having just arrived in Linyuan County, Song Ziyan knew nothing whatsoever about the so-called Dong Jian.

Of course, Manager Qin by her side knew very well.

However, given the influence the Song family held in Youzhou, they had absolutely no need to show any deference or caution toward this person.

"Hah, since the young lady wishes to see our young master, then please come along!"

The two brawny men looked at Song Ziyan with burning, undisguised desire in their eyes.

Regardless of her temperament or her appearance, Song Ziyan was a peerless beauty of a kind rarely seen in ten thousand.

And their master’s absolute favorite things in the world were peerless beauties.

If Song Ziyan went up with them, perhaps their master would be in such high spirits that he would even bestow a reward upon them.

"Then I must ask the two of you to lead the way," Song Ziyan said softly.

Xu An quietly exchanged a glance with her, his expression filled with gratitude.

Indeed, his judgment had not failed him; Song Ziyan was truly righteous and loyal.

Seeing Song Ziyan step forward, the two brawny men graciously released Xu An.

Watching the group head upstairs, Manager Wang felt a deep wave of regret rising within him.

He regretted not standing firmly on Xu An's side, thus missing a golden opportunity to further cement his relationship with the Song family.

Yet, never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the Song family would value Xu An to such a degree, to the extent that even Song Ziyan had personally come to his rescue.

...

Inside the private parlor, the sound of stringed instruments and raucous laughter blended together, creating an exceptionally chaotic atmosphere.

A young man with delicate features, fair skin, and an almost bewitching and seductive appearance was sitting inside the private room, indulging in unrestrained merrymaking.

This person was none other than the Dong Jian whom Kou An had mentioned!

Four seductive young maidens were waiting upon him, some massaging his shoulders, some kneading his legs, some pouring wine, while others slipped their tender, snowy hands inside his garments to arouse and tempt him.

Dong Jian wore a hazy, wicked smile, his long, slender, and distinctly jointed fingers sliding back and forth across the bodies of the young women.

This constantly provoked a series of coy, playful giggles full of bashful pretense from the maidens.

Meanwhile, Kou An, who usually acted with such overwhelming authority, was now carefully and meticulously waiting upon him from the side.

Naturally, he had no qualification to sit down; he could only stand off to the side, closely observing every shift in Dong Jian's expression so that he could anticipate his master's thoughts at any moment.

...

After eating and drinking her fill, the young maiden dressed in full red martial attire leisurely rode her horse, carrying her spear, and slowly arrived at the grand entrance of the Drunken Moon Pavilion.

"Hiccup!"

Tao Qianqian let out a soft burp, then reached into her pouch and pulled out a bag of candied fruit to snack on.

After chewing a few pieces, she thought better of it and put the bag away.

Since she had borrowed twenty taels of silver from Xu An, she wouldn't have much money left for snacks in the near future; she had to eat them sparingly, or else she wouldn't have anything left to eat at all.

"Why hasn't this fellow arrived yet?"

"Clearly I am the master, so why is it acting like he's the grand boss, actually making this young lady wait for him? This is simply too much!"

Not only was Tao Qianqian physically fiery, but she also possessed an impatient temperament and was utterly incapable of enduring a lack of patience.

After waiting for a while without catching sight of Xu An, irritation inevitably began to bubble up within her.

Watching the people streaming in and out, she finally lost her self-restraint, reached out, and grabbed someone who was just walking out of the Drunken Moon Pavilion. "Hey, have you seen a fellow dressed like a scholar in a green robe?"

"Um, he looks all fair and clean, very gentle and refined," Tao Qianqian thought for a moment before adding.

"Official Tao, are you referring to Young Master Xu?" asked the man who had been stopped.

"You know him?" Tao Qianqian demanded.

The man shook his head. "I don't know him personally, but I just heard Manager Wang calling him that inside the Drunken Moon Pavilion, and I caught a glimpse of him."

"He's inside the Drunken Moon Pavilion? Is he still in there right now?" Tao Qianqian stared fixedly at the man.

"He's... he's in there, yes. Official Tao, has he committed some sort of crime?" Seeing the sudden sharpness in Tao Qianqian's gaze, the man could not help swallowing hard as he asked.

Throughout the entire Linyuan County city, Tao Qianqian was a figure of considerable renown.

Especially because of her notoriously explosive temper.

It was said that once, upon seeing a brawny man beating his wife, she had thrashed the fellow so badly that he was left nearly half-paralyzed.

Word had it that even after half a month, he still couldn't get out of bed.

Seeing the expression on Tao Qianqian's face, the man could not help feeling a twinge of sympathy for Xu An.

If a burly man covered in muscles had been beaten to the point of being bedridden for half a month, wouldn't someone with Xu An's slender and delicate frame end up bedridden for a whole month?

"None of your business, off you go!"

"Yes, yes!" Hearing this, the man hurried away in haste.

"Detestable wretch! You said you wanted to learn how to ride a horse, and this young lady came without regard for the hardship to teach you. Not only did you not arrive early to wait for me, but you actually ran off to the Drunken Moon Pavilion to indulge in wine and women?"

"Just you wait until I catch you, see how I deal with you, you bastard!"

The mere thought of how she had rushed through her meal in her eagerness to teach Xu An how to ride a horse caused a towering flame of anger to suddenly surge within her heart.

"Little White, wait here for me, don't run around!" Tao Qianqian said to the white horse standing nearby, then hoisted her long spear and marched angrily through the gates of the Drunken Moon Pavilion.

The white horse seemed remarkably intelligent.

Upon hearing Tao Qianqian's words, it raised its head and let out a low neigh in response.

...

Led by the two brawny men, Xu An and Song Ziyan pushed open the door and entered the private parlor where Dong Jian was located.

Naturally, Manager Qin and Song Ziyan's personal maid followed closely behind.

Cast your eyes across the room, and everything was in utter disorder.

Dong Jian lay sprawling upon the parlor's carpet, holding a dainty and seductive young maiden in his arms.

Most of the maiden's garments had already been stripped away.

A vast expanse of enchanting, alluring scenery was exposed across her chest.

The remaining three maidens nearby were still lingering close by, teasing and flirting.

The scene was so chaotic that even Song Ziyan found it unbearable to look at and promptly turned around.

As for her maid, she instantly covered her eyes with her hands.

The two brawny men muttered a brief word into Kou An's ear before stepping outside.

Kou An glanced briefly at Song Ziyan before withdrawing his gaze.

Then, turning toward Dong Jian, he said respectfully and cautiously, "Young Master, Xu An has been brought here."

From beginning to end, Dong Jian had not even lifted his eyelids, nor had he given Kou An the slightest acknowledgment.

He was still entirely engrossed in his playful amusement with the young maiden.

Xu An, meanwhile, was observing Dong Jian closely.

This man lay sideways, possessing a masculine body with feminine facial features.

While his appearance was passable enough, the aura he emitted was genuinely stomach-churning.

Seeing Dong Jian act with such utter rudeness, Manager Qin opened his mouth to speak, but Song Ziyan stopped him with a subtle glance.

Dong Jian thrust his hand deep into the maiden's full bosom, fondling her for a good long while before finally pulling it out.

Then, taking the handkerchief handed to him by Kou An, he wiped his hand vigorously, shoved the maiden away with a rough shove, sat upright, and finally looked toward Xu An.

His gaze instantly turned piercingly cold.

"You are the one called Xu An? I hear you owe money and refuse to pay, and on top of that, you beat up my men and had them thrown into prison?"

"Whose backing gives you such audacity?"

Dong Jian accepted a cup of tea handed to him by a maiden, took a gentle sip, and then—

With a sudden flick of his wrist, he hurled the teacup heavily onto the floor directly in front of Xu An.

*Clang!*

A crisp sound of shattering echoed through the room.

The teacup instantly fractured into countless splattered shards flying in all directions, and tea water splashed across the floor.

Both Kou An and the four maidens of the Drunken Moon Pavilion within the room felt their hearts skip a beat from the sudden turn of events.

At this, Xu An's expression darkened as well.

With a placid and expressionless tone, he said, "If Your Excellency went to such great lengths to summon me here today, surely it wasn't just to settle accounts with me?"

Xu An knew very well in his heart.

If this person had genuinely wanted to harm him, he would have simply sent men to deal with him as he had done last time, without needing to show his face personally.

Since he had chosen to reveal himself, it could only mean that there was something far more important he wanted to know.

Or rather, something he intended to force Xu An to do!

"Hah, I didn't expect you to possess a sliver of cleverness after all."

A strange, wicked smile crept across Dong Jian's bewitching face. "Now, I ask, and you answer. You are not to deceive me, or else I will ensure you die a death without a whole corpse. Do you hear me clearly?"

Xu An's gaze grew progressively icy.

This person was far too arrogant and overbearing, making him utterly repulsive.

"Your Excellency is bullying people far too much. Though I am merely a commoner, I am not someone who can be trampled upon at will!"

"Ha, is that so?"

"I couldn't tell, you little punk sure knows how to tell a good joke."

Dong Jian laughed dismissively, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

Then, he abruptly stood up and strode toward Xu An with a sullen, malevolent expression.

However, at the exact moment he rose to his feet, a bizarre and peculiar look suddenly appeared on Xu An's face.