Chapter 121: Limited Edition Tickets?

Hu Hansan’s sudden outburst left everyone watching in utter confusion. What was happening? Why had this local bully suddenly started barking like a dog?

“Woof! Woo-hoo...” Hu Hansan was no longer sitting properly; he had placed his hands on the floor and was perched on the ground. From time to time, he would scratch his face with his foot, looking at the crowd with a strangely docile expression, behaving exactly like a dog.

“What’s wrong with him? Has he lost his mind?”

“The bully has truly gone mad! Look, he’s even lifting his leg to pee—damn! He actually did it!”

“Heavenly retribution! This Hu Hansan deserved to die; he’s finally met his divine punishment!”

“Good, let him go mad! It serves him right!”

A group of seemingly fragile scholars couldn’t help but glare at him with fury. It was clear he had committed many atrocities, and they had usually been too afraid to speak out against him. Chen Xiang raised an eyebrow, surprised to find that this man was so widely loathed.

“Hey, hurry up and settle the bill!” Chen Xiang said calmly to the foul-smelling Hu Hansan.

“Hiss!”

The crowd collectively held their breath. They had been shouting, but no one had dared to actually take action, as Hu Hansan’s reputation remained quite intimidating. Hearing Chen Xiang’s command, Hu Hansan glanced at him with a confused look, then reached into his robes and pulled out a pile of items. Gold, silver, jewelry, spirit stones, and magical artifacts were all there—and in the middle lay a bright red piece of fabric, clearly a woman’s bodice.

The crowd gasped. Which young married woman had fallen victim to his depravity this time? Soon, several men’s expressions changed, and they rushed out of the Tianxiang Pavilion, heading home in a panic.

Chen Xiang had no interest in these items. He turned to the waiter standing nearby, who had been enjoying the show, and said, “Waiter, settle the bill.”

He then looked down at Hu Hansan and sighed with feigned pity. “Tsk, tsk. Such a fine person, alas, why did he have to go mad? Well, since you’re insane, you might as well castrate yourself.”

He had merely cast a simple illusion on Hu Hansan, but with Chen Xiang’s cultivation level, Hu Hansan had no hope of resisting.

Once he had said this, Chen Xiang ignored the stunned crowd and headed downstairs. As soon as he left, Hu Hansan began frantically searching through the items he had dumped on the table. He found a dagger—his own spirit weapon—and without a second thought, he plunged it down. Blood splattered everywhere.

“Ah!”

Some of the women, never having seen such a bloody scene, screamed on the spot. As for the scholars, they felt a chill between their own legs.

“Beat him to death!”

Someone shouted from the crowd, and the onlookers finally snapped out of their shock.

“He robbed me of ten thousand taels of silver! He has to pay it back now!”

“This beast! Three years ago, he ruined Widow Zhang next door. Today, I’ll take revenge for her!”

“He killed the only sow my family had! No one stop me today!”

The crowd glared with rage, finding various excuses to rush forward and kick and punch Hu Hansan. Others, however, set their sights on the gold and jewelry on the table. Even ignoring the spirit stones, the gold and silver alone were worth tens of thousands of taels. With it lying there unattended, it was hard for them not to be tempted. As for whether Hu Hansan would be beaten to death, that was none of Chen Xiang’s concern.

Chen Xiang walked downstairs, where the people on the first floor were looking toward the second floor with curiosity, wondering what had happened. A few scholars were frowning, deep in thought.

“Young man with the dull face, what are they doing up there?” Chen Xiang asked a seemingly honest-looking, plain-faced scholar.

“Hmph, you don’t even know that? Outsiders really are ignorant!” The honest scholar looked Chen Xiang up and down, realized he was indeed better-looking than himself, and gave a disdainful snort. Without answering, he turned and walked away.

Chen Xiang was stunned. One truly couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought such a seemingly honest person could be so arrogant?

Chen Xiang sighed helplessly and walked over to a beautiful young lady who had been blocked by the honest scholar. He spoke with elegant courtesy: “Beautiful lady, I am Chu Liuxiang, the Fragrant Knight. May I ask where you are from, how old you are, and if you are currently betrothed?”

The fair-faced lady, who had been watching the commotion on the second floor, was startled by the man’s voice. But when she turned to see Chen Xiang’s handsome, easygoing face, her heart skipped a beat. She had heard his words clearly, and her face turned bright red.

“Y-young master, this maiden is Xiao Lin. Excuse my manners!” she replied in a shy, crisp voice.

She only gave her name; due to a lady’s reserve and the crowded surroundings, she dared not answer his more personal questions directly. The scholars nearby stared, their faces full of astonishment.

Damn! Who exactly is this guy? To be so bold, so shameless, and so thick-skinned! And to think he could pull off such a smooth act!

“Ding! Congratulations to the host, ‘Chen Xiang,’ for winning the admiration of a lady. You have gained five Reputation Points!”

Gaining reputation points just by flirting? Flirting is indeed a wonderful thing!

Chen Xiang flashed a spring-breeze smile and said, “So it is Miss Xiao. My apologies for my rudeness. I just arrived in Liuxin City today. I heard that Liuxin City is a treasure trove of literature, and seeing it today, I am truly impressed. But what is happening on that high platform? May I ask you to enlighten me?”

Hearing that Chen Xiang was from out of town, a flash of joy crossed Miss Xiao’s face. She nodded naturally and agreed, “So Young Master Chu is visiting Liuxin City for the first time. Then you must not know about the Liuxin Book Gathering.”

“Liuxin Book Gathering?” Chen Xiang frowned. The name alone suggested it was a grand event, named after the city itself.

Miss Xiao nodded with a faint smile and pointed toward the platform. “The Liuxin Book Gathering is a grand meeting hosted by the City Lord’s Mansion. It is held once every three years. Though it is called a ‘book gathering,’ it is essentially a cultural exchange where scholars gather to compose poetry and prose, critique each other’s work, and make friends through verse. The City Lord himself will also attend.”

“Oh! So that’s it! It’s just a tournament! I never expected the cultivation world to host such things,” Chen Xiang muttered under his breath.

“Young Master Chu, what did you say?” Miss Xiao asked, confused. She had heard him speak but couldn't make out the words.

“Oh, nothing,” Chen Xiang said nonchalantly.

Miss Xiao nodded and continued, “Not everyone can attend the Liuxin Book Gathering. Because Liuxin City has a large population and the City Lord’s Mansion cannot accommodate everyone, they distribute invitations throughout the city. Only those with an invitation can enter the mansion. The way to obtain an invitation is to win a smaller preliminary book gathering by defeating all other opponents.”

“So it’s a limited-ticket event?” Chen Xiang was left speechless.