Chapter 10: So It Was You

Seeing the young woman’s state, Zhang Pengyuan could not help but think of his own younger sister. Whenever his sister had made a mistake in the past and was punished by their father, she would always hide behind him.

"I wondered who it was—so it’s Young Master Qin!"

Just then, a shrill, skin-crawling voice cut through the air. A gaudily dressed, middle-aged woman appeared in their line of sight.

"Do I know you?"

"Oh, Young Master Qin, you certainly have a short memory! You were at my Emerald Pavilion just a few days ago!"

The woman swayed her hips as she spoke, closing the distance to Qin Song. Before she even reached him, Qin Song was hit by a wave of pungent, cloying perfume.

"Ah, it’s Madame Liu."

Qin Song instinctively took a step back, his brow furrowing. This woman was the proprietress of the Emerald Pavilion, whom everyone addressed as Madame Liu. It was clear that she had heard about the recent troubles befalling the Qin family, and her attitude toward him had grown noticeably colder and more disdainful.

"Young Master Qin, please, save me! I don't want to serve that man!" The woman who had just recognized Qin Song knelt and kowtowed to him. "Your great kindness, Young Master—I have no way to repay you..."

"Get up first!" Qin Song hurriedly helped her to her feet.

"Young Master Qin, if you want Xiaoyu to serve you, I’m afraid you’ll have to choose another day. She has an appointment today," Madame Liu said, her expression returning to a look of practiced indifference as she saw the woman begging for help.

"Oh? And who has the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard to snatch away my woman?" Qin Song retorted, deciding to play the part of the overbearing, hedonistic young master.

"Young Master Qin, that is a young lord you truly cannot afford to provoke. Besides, do you really still think you are the same Young Master Qin you once were?"

"And what if I insist on provoking him?"

Seeing Qin Song’s cold tone, Madame Liu’s expression darkened, though she quickly forced a smile. "We are all in business here, and those who come are all young lords of noble families. I hope you won't make things difficult for me, Young Master Qin. How about this? Aside from Xiaoyu, you may choose any other girl in the Emerald Pavilion today!"

"Young Master Qin, please, save me! The girl you liked, Xiaoqing, died at that man's hands just yesterday!"

A face immediately flashed in Qin Song’s mind: Xiaoqing, a woman of elegant and quiet temperament who played the zither beautifully.

"Shut your mouth!" Madame Liu turned pale with fright at the mention of a death in her brothel.

As they spoke, a crowd of curious onlookers began to gather. Seeing this, the woman named Xiaoyu knelt toward them. "Kind folks, please, I beg you, save me!"

"Although I am only a brothel girl—sold here by my family when I was young, forced into this life against my will—the Emerald Pavilion has been making me serve a wealthy young master these past few days. That man is a depraved demon!"

While sobbing, Xiaoyu pulled back her outer garment in front of the crowd. Upon seeing the scars on her body, many in the crowd gasped in horror.

"Beast!" "Scum!" "How could the Emerald Pavilion host such a monster? Even a brothel girl shouldn't be treated like this!" "Didn't you hear her? She said two other women have already been tortured to death by him!" "Bah, filth!"

The onlookers grew indignant, shouting curses at Madame Liu and her men. Panic-stricken, Madame Liu shouted, "Someone, drag her back inside!"

Several brawny men in black moved forward, but Zhang Pengyuan blocked their path.

"And who might you be?" Madame Liu asked with a scowl, seeing a man in military armor standing in her way.

"Zhang Pengyuan, Lieutenant of the Yuezhou Navy!"

"I wondered who it was—just a lowly lieutenant! The Admiral of your Yuezhou Navy is a regular guest at my pavilion. Do you believe I can report you to him?"

Ignoring her arrogance, Zhang Pengyuan asked coolly, "How much for this woman? I will buy her freedom."

Even Qin Song looked surprised by this.

"Brother Qin, I must trouble you to lend me some money," Zhang Pengyuan said, turning to Qin Song a second later.

"No problem!" Qin Song agreed, then added, "But Brother Zhang, have you considered that you can save one, but you cannot save them all?"

Zhang Pengyuan understood his meaning instantly. Qin Song smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. "Let me, the local hedonist, handle this!"

Stepping forward, Qin Song addressed Madame Liu directly. "Madame Liu, name your price!"

"Young Master Qin, what is the meaning of this?" Madame Liu’s face darkened as she grasped his intent.

"I am buying out every girl in the Emerald Pavilion today! And let me be clear, this is not for my own indulgence, but to save these women from the torment of that demon!" Qin Song explained loudly, anticipating the judgmental gazes of the crowd.

"Well done, Young Master Qin!" "A man of great righteousness!"

Applause and cheers erupted. With the crowd now firmly behind him, they began to voice their support.

"Thank you, Young Master Qin!" Xiaoyu wept with gratitude.

"Don't worry, that demon will never bully you again!" Thinking of the two women already tortured to death, Qin Song’s eyes turned icy. *How can such a depraved creature exist in this world?*

"Madame Liu, did you not hear me? I am buying out every girl in this house! As for the others, especially that animal, drag him out here at once!"

"Yes! What are you waiting for? Throw that beast out!" "I want to see what this piece of trash looks like, and which family he belongs to!" The crowd echoed Qin Song’s demand.

"Young Master Qin, this..." Madame Liu’s expression grew frantic as she faced the angry mob.

"What? Is it difficult?" Qin Song demanded arrogantly. "In all of Yuezhou, is there any young lord I, Qin Song, cannot afford to provoke? Tell me, which family does he belong to?"

"Yes! Which family? He’s lower than a pig or a dog!"

Faced with the wrath of the people, Madame Liu didn't dare reveal the man’s identity, even if she had nine lives.

"Xiaoyu, do you know who that man is?" Yang Xiu, standing beside Qin Song, lowered his head to ask.

"That demon... he is from the capital. His surname is Cao!"

"What!" Qin Song gasped.

In an instant, he realized the monster was Cao Ruixuan, the eldest grandson of the Right Chancellor, with whom he had clashed a few days prior. Zhang Pengyuan realized it, too, and a surge of uncontrollable fury erupted within him.

"So it was you!"

"My sister’s body is not yet cold, and this beast is here in a brothel, torturing women! That must be it—my sister didn't commit suicide; she was tortured to death by Cao Ruixuan! Cao Ruixuan, I will kill you!"

Eyes burning red, Zhang Pengyuan lost all reason and charged toward the Emerald Pavilion. The guards tried to stop him, but he struck them down with ease. By the time Qin Song could react, Zhang Pengyuan, fueled by incandescent rage, had already stormed into the Emerald Pavilion before the eyes of the stunned crowd.