Guo Baokun was embarra.s.sed at the poetry gathering that day and was in a foul mood. He only felt slightly better after indulging himself for the night. But when he thought of his strict father, his mood worsened once again. As he planned on what to bring to the palace tomorrow to entertain the prince, his sedan chair stopped abruptly.

He was already drowsy for some reason, and unprepared for the sudden halt. He b.u.mped his forehead, which brought him great pain. He yelled, "What are you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds doing?"

No one answered him; everything was silent. Guo Baokun crawled out of the tilting sedan chair and discovered the streets were quiet. He was on Nulan Street on the way back to the manor.

Surrounding the sedan chair were three masked men dressed in all black. The sedan carriers and the guards of the Guo household had all collapsed; it was unknown whether they were dead or alive. Guo Baokun thought he had run into robbers and was scared senseless. When did the security in the capital become so bad? "Who are you?" he stuttered. "What do you want?"

Nulan street had always been quiet, especially at night when there were almost no people. Guo Baokun felt despair; he doubted anyone would come to his rescue even if he yelled, which was why he kept his voice low.

A clear yet gentle voice answered him. "I’m Fan Xian, and I’m here to beat you up."

Just as Guo Baokun was about to express his shock, a cloth sack came down from above and engulfed him completely. He wasn’t able to see Fan Xian’s despicable face.

The sack was faintly fragrant, which made Guo Baokun’s alert again. This was unfortunate, as he was now fully conscious to endure the merciless storm of k

icks and punches that followed.

Seeing Teng Zijing and the other two servants at work, Fan Xian felt a small bit of satisfaction. Among other intentions, he also wanted to make it clear that he wouldn’t be made a fool of so easily. Raised a scholar, Guo Baokun had never experienced such humiliation and pain in his life. However, he knew he was dealing with Fan Xian. Fights between rich sons had never turned lethal, so Guo Baokun said maliciously:

"You little mongrel, Fan! If you have the b.a.l.l.s, I dare you beat me to death!"

Hearing this, Fan Xian became enraged. With a wave of the hand, Teng Zijing and the two servants stopped their silent beating and let Fan Xian through. Walking over, Fan Xian got down and started beating Guo Baokun himself. Afterwards, looking at the sack writhing on the ground, he said softly, "Guo, do you know why I wrote that poem this afternoon?"

Fan Xian was strong. In the sack, Guo Baokun could no longer speak due to the pain. He just cried out.

"The ape cries out in the windy skies. Birds circle round the islet of clear white sand. Trees shed leaves endlessly, rustling down. The great river surges on ceaselessly. Ten thousand miles in sorrowful autumn, always someone’s guest. A hundred years of ailments, I climb the terrace alone. With much suffering, I regret my white temples. Frustratingly, I stop drinking my murky wine. You’ve taken advantage of me twice, so I will beat some sadness, grief, and ailments into you. That’s the only way I can feel happy."

As soon as he finished speaking, his fist had already slammed into Guo Baokun’s face. Somehow, in the dark of the night, separated by the cloth sack, Fan Xian’s fist accurately found Guo Baokun’s nose. Guo Baokun felt a wave of intense pain a.s.saulting his mind as he bled profusely. Unable to take anymore, he finally cried out and begged for mercy.

Seeing the cloth sack writhing on the ground made Fan Xian discover his savage side; it was as if he was starting to come out of his sheltered lifestyle from all those years ago. He kicked the sack a few more times before giving the signal to stop and leave. They disappeared into the night; easy come, easy go. Guo was not looking forward to their next meeting.

After a long time, Guo Baokun crawled out of the sack. He was covered in bruises. His guards and porters were still on the ground. He couldn’t help but hurl countless curses at them and kick them awake. As it turned out out, they had all been knocked out by a sleeping drug. The sack was dosed in another drug which neutralized drowsiness, so he could feel the entire ordeal.

The guards, rubbing their half-asleep heads, saw their own master beaten to a pulp and were all frightened tremendously. They immediately went forward to a.s.sist Guo Baokun. They didn’t even think about the sedan chair. They carried their master home on their backs.

That night, Guo manor plunged into chaos. Early next morning, a servant was dispatched to the capital building with a written complaint delivered directly to the ministry detailing the beating from last night. They wanted the Fan family to be charged with a major crime, especially that illegitimate son who committed this act of violence in the capital streets and proved to be extremely audacious. If he couldn’t be kept in check, how would the officials handle the loss of face?