Chapter 123: Chapter 109, Fighting_1
Old grudge after grudge drove Yan Wenkai to lose his rationality instantly, and he raised his fist to strike Dong Xiangrong, instantly entangling the two in a fight.
This move was like stirring up a hornet’s nest. The students who had come with Dong Xiangrong immediately cried out and swarmed over.
What started as a duel quickly became a many-against-one brawl.
Yan Wentao, seeing his brother Yan Wenkai being bullied, didn’t say a word and plunged into the fray as well.
On the busy main street, a group of students broke into a fight, quickly drawing the attention of many onlookers.
In the past, the focus would definitely have been on the fighters, but this time, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the wine’s aromatic red liquid spilled on the ground.
“What’s that red liquid on the ground? Why does it smell like wine?”
“You’re out of the loop, aren’t you? That’s grape wine, something only the rich and powerful can afford.”
Some wine lovers looked on with faces twisted in anguish at the sight of the spilled grape wine, “Wastrels, wastrels, to waste such fine wine like that, if you don’t care for it, you could sell it to me!”
“These students just don’t understand the hardships of life, to waste such good things!”
After a round of comments about the spilled grape wine, people finally turned their attention back to the fighting students.
And what they saw was shocking.
Good heavens, seven or eight people couldn’t overpower two, and those two were clearly younger than the other side.
“The martial students from Wangyue Academy are getting better and better, just look at those moves, so nimble!”
Yan Wenkai was genuinely furious. He couldn’t bear to drink the grape wine his sister had made, thinking instead to give it to Instructor Fang for extra guidance. Now it had been wasted, how could he not be angry?
He held back a bit against the others, but not a jot towards Dong Xiangrong, attacking with all his might.
This fellow was an old enemy of theirs. Back when he and his father went to the provincial capital to report for duty, they had had a conflict with him at the post station. That time, thanks to the Little Prince’s intervention, he was forced by his father to apologize to them.
Wenkai thought he’d never see the man again, yet here at Wangyue Academy, he had run into him once more—and they were both martial students.
That alone was nothing, but Dong bore a grudge for being made to apologize, and he didn’t hesitate to use his family’s influence to make life unpleasant for them.
It would have been tolerable, but he also slyly undermined their instructors, causing them to overlook Wenkai and his elder brother. If it weren’t for their solid foundation catching Instructor Fang’s eye, they might have learned nothing after so long in the Academy.
Yan Wentao always remembered his parents’ words to avoid causing trouble outside, so although he wasn’t as fierce a fighter as Yan Wenkai, he had the advantage of height and strength. Besides helping Yan Wenkai dodge some blows, he would also land a punch or two on their opponents from time to time.
“What are you doing?”
In the crowd, a silk-robed student looked like he wanted to step in and stop the fight, but was held back by the students with him.
Zhou Chengye glanced at Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao. Although their martial prowess was good, they were outnumbered; with fists and feet flying everywhere, both brothers were grimacing in pain.
“This can’t go on; someone has to step in and stop this!”
Wu Hongda shook his head, “I’d advise you not to get involved. Let’s not talk about Dong Xiangrong, among those being beaten is a son from the Vice Minister’s family of the Ministry of Rites, which has been favored by the Emperor these past two years and often summoned by him.”
“Those Yan brothers don’t have much of a connection with you; there’s no need to offend the Dong Family and the Vice Minister for them.”
Hearing this, Zhou Chengye fell silent.
His occasional interactions with the three Yan brothers were mostly for the sake of the Little Prince.
He had thought the Little Prince had secured the Academy slots for the Yan brothers because he valued them, but now, after two or three months at the Academy, the Little Prince had not once visited the Yan brothers.
Now, he was unclear about the Little Prince’s attitude toward the Yan family.
Thinking of his Second Uncle who was holding up alone in the capital, Zhou Chengye hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was still best not to trouble him.
At the same time, about ten meters away from where the fight was taking place, there stood a luxuriously decorated tavern.
On the second floor of the tavern, a young man dressed in brocade clothes was fanning himself while watching the group of students fighting below.
“Big Brother Dong, should I send someone to drive those students away? If they disturb the Little Prince, that wouldn’t be good,” another younger brocade-clad young man asked with furrowed brows.
Dong Yuanxuan glanced into the private room and pondered for a moment before shaking his head, “No need to bother.”
Like Zhou Chengye, he too couldn’t grasp what attitude the Little Prince held toward the Yan Family. The three Yan brothers had been at the Academy for some time now without any mention from him—had he forgotten, or did he simply not consider the Yan Family worth his attention?
Looking again at Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao who were fighting, Dong Yuanxuan remembered the reception he received at the Yan Family; although he wasn’t inclined to provoke the recently irritable Little Prince on their behalf, he was still willing to give them a chance or two.
What if the Little Prince heard the commotion and came out to investigate?
Su Hongxin glanced at Dong Yuanxuan—these days, the Little Prince was quite short-tempered, getting angry over slight displeasures. With such uproar in the street below, he truly feared it might annoy that venerated figure again.
However, he remembered his father’s instructions: when serving the Little Prince, follow Dong Yuanxuan’s lead. Since he said there was no need, then there wouldn’t be.
After all, if the Little Prince did get angry later, Dong Yuanxuan would be the first to bear the brunt.
“Creak!”
The door to the inner room opened.
Indeed, the two saw Xiao Yeyang with a rather unpleasant expression step out.
“What’s happening outside, why is it so noisy?” De Fu hastily asked.
Su Hongxin was about to say that some students were fighting below when he heard Dong Yuanxuan say with a smile, “It seems the Yan brothers are down there, exchanging blows with someone. They’re not doing too badly. Little Prince, perhaps you’d like to take a look?”
Xiao Yeyang, who appeared somewhat impatient, furrowed his brow upon hearing this, then his eyes lit up, “Daohua’s brothers?”
Dong Yuanxuan secretly thought, he remembered indeed; he had said that day’s courteous manner of the Little Prince at the Yan Family wasn’t faked, “Yes, it’s them.”
Xiao Yeyang, with a newfound interest, quickly walked to the window and looked down.
Soon, he saw Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao scuffling with a group of seven or eight people.
“What’s this? Seven or eight people ganging up on two? How shameless! Since when did Wangyue Academy’s students lose so much integrity?”
Seeing that the Yan brothers did not seem to be at a disadvantage, he chuckled, “Truly worthy of being Daohua’s brothers; their skills are indeed impressive.”
Recalling the first time he met Daohua, as she deftly and fiercely threw stones at the traffickers, the corners of Xiao Yeyang’s mouth curled upwards.
Behind him, De Fu, seeing that Xiao Yeyang finally smiled, breathed a great sigh of relief in his heart.
He couldn’t begin to express how tense he had felt these past days.
“Let’s go, let’s go down and have a look!”
With a flick of his fan, Xiao Yeyang took the lead and headed downstairs.
De Fu, Dong Yuanxuan, and the rest of their party quickly followed.
Su Hongxin, who was walking at the very back, looked at Dong Yuanxuan and inwardly marveled; his father was right, Dong Yuanxuan was indeed better at discerning the Little Prince’s intentions.
Look, in no time, he brightened the Little Prince’s mood.
This was indeed something he needed to learn from.