Yunxi Pavilion was located not far away, just two blocks down.
As they passed the entrance of an alleyway, a burst of noisy scolding and beating drifted into their ears.
Xuan Qing halted his steps, his gaze drifting over inadvertently.
A middle-aged man wielding a wooden staff was raining heavy blows down upon someone on the ground, striking with ferocious force.
“Damn little thief! Stealing things, are you? See if this old daddy doesn’t beat you to death today!” the middle-aged man snarled viciously.
The victim, clad in tattered garments and with unkempt hair, lay prone on the ground, keeping his head lowered so his features remained obscured resembling a pathetic little beggar.
Though the staff thwacking against flesh didn’t produce the sound of physical pain, Xuan Qing noticed that the victim’s body was trembling.
Beside him, Huo Xuanwu was suddenly reminded of his own past, feeling a sense of shared sympathy as he protested indignantly: “That’s going way too far! What if they beat the person to death? It’s so pitiful, Young Master, let’s help him.”
Xuan Qing remained silent.
At that moment, the little beggar suddenly raised his head, still clenching a soiled steamed bun between his teeth, and cast a wolf-like, fierce glare toward the two of them.
Their gazes collided in midair.
Xuan Qing distinctly observed that those jet-black, obsidian-like eyes blazed with intense heat, erupting with a fierce, desperate survival instinct.
Abruptly, a few fragmented images flashed through his mind.
“Hit him! Let’s see if he dares do it again!”
“A little beggar nobody wants!”
“Look how filthy he is!”
“Little beggar! Little beggar!”
A few hazy figures swarmed around him, kicking at him relentlessly.
He protected his head with both hands, curling tightly into a ball.
It hurts, it hurts so much, someone save me.
Amidst the despair, a tall figure stepped directly in front of him.
“Stop right there!”
By the time Xuan Qing snapped back to reality, his right hand was already tightly gripping the staff, and his voice carried a chilling edge: “He merely ate one of your meat buns—isn’t this punishment a bit too heavy?”
Furious, the middle-aged man retorted: “Beating a thief is justified! Judging by this young master’s imposing aura, you surely don’t lack that bit of silver. Why don’t you pay for it on his behalf?”
Prompted by a gesture from Xuan Qing, Huo Xuanwu handed over a few bits of loose silver.
Accepting the silver, the middle-aged man finally beamed with joy and walked away.
As the two approached the little beggar, the boy snatched up his bun and crammed it into his mouth, devouring it ravenously as though terrified someone would snatch it away, he must have been genuinely starved.
Xuan Qing waited quietly for him to finish. The child before him appeared roughly the same age as Huo Xuanwu, his face smeared with grime, yet a pair of dark, gleaming eyes stared fixedly at him, filled with unease and vigilance, resembling a wild wolf cub.
“Hey, our young master just saved you. Aren’t you even going to say thank you?” Huo Xuanwu broke the silence first.
The boy pressed his lips together and remained mute.
“Young master, is he mute or something?” Huo Xuanwu asked, puzzled.
Stooping down, Xuan Qing extended his hand and offered a spiritual pearl, causing the boy to shrink back cautiously.
His guard remained remarkably high.
Seeing this, Xuan Qing had no choice but to place the spiritual pearl on the ground in front of him, and then spoke: “Take this to buy yourself something good to eat. If someone else snatches it from you, this young master won’t bother rescuing you again.”
With that, Xuan Qing rose and walked away without looking back.
After a long while, the little beggar finally reached out to pick up the yellow spiritual pearl, his deep, ink-black eyes reflecting that receding cyan figure as it drifted further and further away.
Having just performed a good deed, the two of them arrived at Yunxi Pavilion, the largest restaurant in the capital.
Yunxi Pavilion was patronized not only by high-ranking officials and nobles, but frequently visited by wealthy cultivators, merchants, and commoners alike.
Before even stepping through the doors, a wave of boisterous, deafening clamor spilled outward.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the interior proved packed to capacity. Waiters scurried back and forth, rushed off their feet, while the mouth-watering aroma of exquisite delicacies wafted through the air, nearly making visitors reluctant to leave.
A smiling waiter quickly hurried over with hospitable enthusiasm: “Two honored guests, are you here to dine?”
Valuing peace and quiet, Xuan Qing disliked noise and requested a private room.
“What a coincidence, we just had a private room clear up. Please follow me, little ones.” The waiter led the way ahead.
Xuan Qing and Huo Xuanwu followed closely behind.
Before long, another group of people approached from behind.
Just as Xuan Qing was preparing to head upstairs, a shout came from behind: “Hold it right there!”
Ignoring the command, Xuan Qing continued walking forward.
A surge of spiritual energy suddenly struck from behind. Moving with swift reflexes, Xuan Qing sidestepped and lifted a hand to effortlessly evade the incoming attack.
Only then did he turn around.
His attacker was a young man dressed in flashy attire, sporting rather petty, unsightly features, trailed by a retinue of arrogant young scions.
Upon first catching sight of him, the young man’s expression shifted from astonishment to doubt, and finally to undisguised disdain.
Clearly, this was someone who recognized the original owner.
“Hoh, who did I think it was? Turns out to be our capital’s most famous good-for-nothing legitimate eldest young master of the Wuyang Marquis Estate!” The voice, infused with spiritual energy, carried loud and clear to the ears of everyone present.
The bustling, noisy restaurant instantly quieted down. Who in Yecheng hadn’t heard of Huo Xuanqing of the Wuyang Marquis Estate? Having awakened superior talent at age four, only to suffer injuries during an expedition and fall into a useless cripple what a tragic waste.
“So this is Eldest Young Master Huo Xuanqing of the Marquis Estate.”
“My, he looks extraordinarily handsome!”
“What a pity for such a fine beauty…”
“…”
Whispers rippled through the crowd behind their backs.
Hearing everyone praising Xuan Qing’s beauty, Zhang Zixuan’s face darkened instantly.
Staging this little spectacle was meant to humiliate the other boy and leave him stranded in public disgrace; he had anticipated that everyone would join in mocking him, yet instead, their attention was entirely captivated by that seductive, fox-like face.
Tilting his head, Xuan Qing asked with an expression of genuine confusion: “Who the hell are you?”
“You actually don’t know who this young master is?!” The youth’s eyes widened in disbelieving shock as he shot back.
Scanning his memories, Xuan Qing finally placed the identity.
Zhang Zixuan, the second young master of the Grand Guardian’s Estate.
Arrogant and tyrannical by nature, he relied on his aunt a favored imperial consort residing within the palace to throw his weight around and trample others with absolute lawlessness.
Lifting his chin proudly, Zhang Zixuan announced: “This young master is the second young master of the Grand Guardian’s Estate, and my aunt is Imperial Noble Consort Lan, the current Emperor’s favorite!”
Xuan Qing offered a seal-clapping round of applause: “Wow, aren’t you just so impressive!”
Assuming the other boy was intimidated by his status, Zhang Zixuan grew even more insufferably arrogant.
“Then why aren’t you hurrying up to clear the way!”
“Not moving.”
“Hoh, a piece of trash is—what did you say?!”
Zhang Zixuan felt a jolt of disbelief. Had the fellow failed to register his prominent background?
“Hoh, go ahead and kneel right now, kowtow three heavy times to this young master, and then crawl out of here! Maybe then this young master will spare you. How about it?”
“That’s right, hurry up and apologize to Young Master Zhang!”
“Don’t be ungrateful!”
“A mere piece of trash dares to act this arrogant!”
“…”
A few sycophantic young followers chimed in from behind to fan the flames.
Curving the corners of his lips into a smile, Xuan Qing countered: “I said I’m not moving. Is Young Master Zhang deaf?”
“What did you say?! How dare you insult this young master?!” Zhang Zixuan flew into a rage, jumping with fury.
“What is Young Master Zhang doing? Could it be that I hit the nail on the head, and now the dog is getting frantic and wants to bite people?”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha…” Laughter erupted from the crowd.
Meanwhile, a few onlookers looked at Huo Xuanqing with bubbling worry. Zhang Zixuan was backed by the Grand Guardian’s Estate and held a favored imperial consort as an aunt who supposedly pampered this young master dearly making him someone ordinary citizens didn’t dare cross under any circumstances.