The moment Qin Hu heard Tang Yuan's words, a wave of sheer terror washed over him, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his skin. My heavens! This is surely like walking down a dark road at night and finally meeting a ghost. Everyone present knew the boy was clearly making false accusations, yet he had somehow hit the nail directly on the head. This was utterly, damnably infuriating! If his son were to be taken away by the boy and reveal something he shouldn't, the Tang family had plenty of sharp minds to pick apart the truth.

Jun Xie watched with a cold smirk, observing the instant pallor that spread over Qin Hu’s face and the shifty avoidance in his eyes, which only deepened his own curiosity.

Tang Pangzi’s words, at best, were just a ploy to extract more face and benefit. Was Qin Hu truly so panicked over that? No matter what, he was the leader of a gang. Although the North City Gang ranked lowest among the Six Great Gangs, the leader shouldn't be such a pushover, should he? In truth, for Qin Hu, the chance to form a connection with the Tang family through this incident should have been a massive stroke of luck. Yet, judging by his demeanor, he carried the distinct odor of a guilty conscience... Why?

Stop! A guilty conscience?! With that thought, Jun Xie’s gaze upon Qin Hu sharpened with deep significance, and his mind immediately began calculating.

“My worthless son was insolent; the Young Master’s discipline is entirely deserved. Might I perhaps take my son back first to properly recover from his injuries, and then personally deliver him to the Young Master’s residence for further instruction? Naturally, since my son has gravely frightened the Young Master and his esteemed friend, I, Qin, shall offer due compensation—I guarantee the Young Master will be satisfied!” Qin Hu was, after all, the head of a gang. Though he had become somewhat jumpy since the last affair, years of experience were not easily shed, and he quickly regained his composure. With a forced smile, he proposed a compromise.

Tang Yuan snorted, “I’d like to see how your North City Gang intends to compensate me!” With those words, he made it clear he would pursue the matter no further. Tang Pangzi was a straightforward man; now that he had regained both face and dignity, everything hinged on the benefits. Qin Hu, an old hand at navigating these waters, immediately understood the concession and beamed with gratitude. “Thank you, Young Master, for your magnanimity! I shall certainly call upon you another day to express my profound thanks for your great kindness.”

Tang Yuan grunted an acknowledgment and turned his attention to Jun Xie. “I am fine now, but your son just insulted Third Young Master Jun quite severely. As long as Third Young Master harbors no ill will, you may leave.”

“Third Young Master Jun?!” Qin Hu’s mind snapped instantly to Jun Mo Xie’s name. In the entire capital, besides the infamous Third Young Master Jun, was there really any other person whom Tang Yuan would treat with such deference?

It turned out his son had not only offended Young Master Tang but had also cursed the far more troublesome Third Young Master Jun! At that moment, Qin Hu felt an overwhelming impulse to strangle his own son, if only the boy weren't his only remaining bloodline.

Jun Xie observed Qin Hu, a flicker of light briefly flashing and then vanishing within his eyes. A decision had already been forged in his mind. Qin Hu and his son, Qin Xiaobao—one tyrannical and overbearing, the other spoiled and fiercely protective—Jun Xie could only imagine the sheer depths of wickedness this father-son pairing must have accumulated! Setting aside everything else, just considering today, if they hadn't run into him and Tang Yuan, any ordinary person in this situation would surely have lost their life!

Qin Hu, Qin Xiaobao—such scoundrels! It would be a sin not to execute them! The North City Gang—it must be wiped out! Jun Xie’s killing intent was roused! However, he still held reservations, primarily because he distinctly felt that someone within this tavern was currently scrutinizing him, observing his every move...

He leaned back lazily against the chair, habitually crossing his legs, and began to tap lightly on Qin Hu’s forehead with one finger. “Qin Hu, based on your last speech, this Young Master was already inclined to teach you a lesson! But seeing as your current attitude is somewhat deferential, let us consider this matter settled for now. Uh, I hear your North City Gang operates quite a few gambling dens in the north side of the city? And that the North City Gang rakes in mountains of gold and rivers of silver every day? Heh heh... quite the profitable venture.”

His eyes flared open, followed by two cold laughs. “Qin Hu, this Young Master awaits your demonstration of attitude! Haha! If you fail to satisfy me, this Young Master guarantees that not a single soul in the North City Gang, young or old, male or female, will see the sunrise the day after tomorrow!” As he finished speaking, he suddenly sat bolt upright, then bent forward, leaning close to Qin Hu’s ear, chuckling maliciously. “However, if you manage to please me, there will be rewards for you, hahaha...”

You might as well have just demanded all the silver you could get! What was the point of taking such a convoluted route? Qin Hu cursed inwardly, but the situation was stronger than he was. As the leader of a gang, to be lectured and spat upon by a mere teenager standing before him was the height of humiliation! Yet, Qin Hu dared not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction, because this person who threatened to annihilate the North City Gang seemed entirely capable of carrying out the threat without much trouble...

Forcing a smile, Qin Hu swore profusely that he would satisfy Third Young Master Jun. After offering every possible flattering word, he was finally dismissed with a wave of Jun Xie’s hand, clutching his son and slinking away.

“Pah! What a dampener on the mood!” Tang Yuan spat viciously toward Qin Hu’s retreating back. “Third Young Master, are you coming to the Golden Autumn Scholar Banquet tomorrow night at the center island of Falling Moon Lake? I hear there will be some fresh sights!”

By tradition, every year during the Golden Autumn Festival, the Tianxiang Kingdom hosted the Golden Autumn Scholar Banquet on the center island of Falling Moon Lake in Tianxiang City on the night of the festival. The Emperor would appoint several ministers to host, entertaining the top ten scholars from the Wenxing Academy. In reality, these ten individuals were the elite among the soon-to-be-graduating cohort entering court positions. This banquet served as an occasion to evaluate them and subsequently assign them appropriate posts. Therefore, the Golden Autumn Scholar Banquet was equivalent to a platform for scholars to leap into the ranks of nobility.

With only ten spots available, it was naturally a situation of too many monks and not enough porridge for the thousands of students. This naturally intensified the competition among the Wenxing Academy scholars. Furthermore, such an occasion naturally attracted widespread attention, and various prominent families would send representatives to see if any of these talents could be recruited into their own factions.

There was another factor: most of these scholars were unmarried young men, and moreover, they were golden bachelors with unlimited futures. Consequently, many noble young ladies also sought to select desirable husbands from this pool, ensuring that plenty of songbirds and beauties would be attending to observe.

With so many daughters from prominent families gathered together, wastrels like Tang Yuan and Jun Mo Xie would certainly not miss this opportunity for courtship. To compete for the attention of these beauties, they would inevitably engage in contests with the scholars, though the wastrels usually ended up thoroughly defeated every time, yet they never tired of participating year after year. As Tang Yuan asked the question now, watching the fat on his body jiggle with excitement, it was clear he was determined to attend. Of course, whether he would actually succeed in his aims was another matter—the prospects looked decidedly grim.

“Scholar Banquet? Young Master Tang, looking at the two of us, do we resemble... scholars?” Jun Xie rolled his eyes. “We are more like vegetable seeds, at best.”

The Young Master Jun harbored an unsaid thought: I, with my handsome features, naturally resemble a scholar, but you, my dear friend, calling you a vegetable seed wouldn't even be accurate—fat seed would be more appropriate!

“Nonsense! What scholars? They’re nothing more than a gaggle of money-grubbing pedants! Take that Zhao Chengsong from last year—he embarrassed me at the Golden Autumn Scholar Banquet, making me lose face in front of Miss Li. He acted as if he were some untouchable big shot! I immediately ordered him brought into the Tang family, promised him high office and rich rewards, and didn’t he instantly come crawling over? Do you know what official post he holds now?” Tang Yuan boasted triumphantly.