Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I thought Ye Qing and I would never cross paths again, but little did I know his colleagues would invite him for drinks at the Drunken Breeze.

The Drunken Breeze was a brothel, but it focused on tea, drinks, and singing. Scholars and refined gentlemen loved coming here to sample tea, play chess, and have a few drinks.

Zhao Yu had brought me along to see the world, and we were also drinking at the Drunken Breeze. With two young ladies playing music and singing beside us, it was quite a pleasant experience.

Just as we were getting into the spirit of things, two men came rolling into the room, brawling with each other.

Looking closely, wasn’t one of them the friend Zhao Yu and I used to mess around with at the border? And the other seemed to be Ye Qing’s younger cousin?

A dazed Zhao Yu went over to break up the fight, but I don’t know how he managed it-the three of them ended up in a free-for-all.

A punch here, a punch there, a kick from the other; it was a total mess.

The girls were so frightened they hid behind me.

I eventually figured out what was happening: the two were fighting over who should pay the bill.

One said he had treated the other several times already, while the other insisted that since he had been invited, the host should pay.

Two paupers actually had the nerve to frequent a flower house.

Seeing the tables, chairs, and shelves in the room toppling over and the fight moving closer to me, I stepped forward. I grabbed Ye Lan’s arm and flung him back, kicked Li Jingsong away, then ducked in to put Zhao Yu in a headlock.

There, they were separated.

I didn’t notice when Ye Qing had started standing at the door. Dressed in fluttering white robes, he looked as crisp and cool as a snow-dusted pine in a secluded mountain forest.

He also looked like a poised, elegant peony.

His presence alone made this gaudy flower house feel magnificent and radiant.

Unfortunately, at this moment, the peony was knitting his brows and glaring, his face full of loathing.

“Fighting over jealousy in a brothel… truly a disgrace to refined society!”

I’m not the type who likes being lectured, and I like being baselessly scolded even less.

Even if you are beautiful, it won’t fly with me.

I arched an eyebrow and flashed a roguish, cold smirk. “But isn’t this fight over jealousy all for you, Great Beauty Ye? Beauty Ye, it seems this Young Master has won. Will you do me the honor of sharing a drink?”

The Vice Minister’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He snapped his sleeve and lunged forward, intending to slap me.

I raised my arm to block him, my right hand reaching straight for his lapel as I shouted, “Oh, Beauty Ye, why the rush? This Young Master will surely take good care of you.”

“You’re courting death!”

Ye Qing spun to avoid me and swept his leg out in a kick.

I leaped onto the rafters and burst out through the window, not forgetting to leave a parting word.

“This Young Master will take his leave first. I’ll come back next time to taste your fragrance! Goodbye, beauty!”

I left him behind, teeth clenched as he let out a low roar, “How dare you, brat!”

My martial arts skills are enough to beat two Li Jingsongs or one Zhao Yu, but I’m no match for Ye Qing.

Therefore, one must be sensible-slipping away first is the best policy.