Chapter Thirty-Seven: Confrontation

From a distance, Situ Jie had already spotted Hu Mo and his three companions. For some reason, ever since the previous incident, he felt a deep unease whenever he saw Hu Mo. This was the shadow Hu Mo had forcibly carved into his heart. Because of this, he tried to quietly slip past and enter the arena from the side.

But Hu Mo called out to him, and Situ Jie nearly stumbled to the ground. Forcing himself to regain his composure, he attempted to make his expression look calm, but the result was barely distinguishable from crying.

Lin Meng and the others looked at Situ Jie’s pitifully cringing face and felt as if a flower had bloomed in their hearts—what a delightful sight!

“I... When did I run?” Situ Jie stammered, like a frightened, helpless little lamb.

Outside the arena, people of all kinds bustled about, but when they saw the five of them together, they gave them a wide berth. Situ Jie’s reputation was hardly better than Hu Mo’s, so when these five gathered, the aura they gave off was nothing short of intimidating.

“You... you didn’t run? Then... why were you trying to avoid us?” Hu Mo echoed with a stammer of his own, causing Huang Sheng and the others to burst out laughing.

As he spoke, Hu Mo quietly summoned his internal strength, amplifying his aura severalfold.

Situ Jie’s face turned from pale to green and back again. Even though he knew he was much stronger than Hu Mo, he still felt unable to lift his head in front of him. This was suppression—absolute suppression.

“Ha, Young Master Hu, we meet again. What is it this time? Did my younger brother offend you in some way?” A familiar voice sounded from behind Hu Mo, and the aura it carried instantly subdued Hu Mo’s own.

Without turning, Hu Mo already knew who it was. He smiled faintly, withdrew his aura, and responded with a laugh, “So it’s Young Master Situ. What brings you to the arena today—have you developed an interest in beast fighting?”

Indeed, in Hu Mo’s memory, Situ Feng had never once set foot in the beast-fighting arena.

“Ha, I wasn’t interested before, but I happened to have some time today, so I thought I’d try to cultivate an interest. I wonder if Young Master Hu is free? Perhaps we could find a place to have tea and chat. To be honest, I feel quite a kinship with you.” Situ Feng’s words left many observers agape. The young nobles on their way into the arena stopped in their tracks, staring in disbelief at Hu Mo and Situ Feng’s exchange.

“What’s going on? The two of them are getting along like old friends! This is unheard of!” one foppish youth exclaimed, rubbing his eyes in exaggerated disbelief.

“Exactly. Weren’t they at each other’s throats just days ago? And now they’re laughing and talking, planning to have tea together? Peculiar, truly peculiar.” Another young man adopted a sage-like pose, stroking his nonexistent beard.

In another direction, several girls cried out in shock, as if they’d seen a ghost.

“How could Young Master Situ be associating with those lowlifes? Am I blind?” shrieked a plump, heavily powdered woman, bits of rouge falling from her cheeks.

“You’re not the only one blind; it happened to all of us...” A group of wealthy young ladies wilted like withered eggplants. Their idol was standing with the people they despised most—this was worse than a public slap in the face, and the sound of hearts breaking was nearly audible.

As Situ Feng’s words faded, Hu Mo burst out laughing, as though he’d heard the world’s funniest joke.

“Young Master Situ, you really are amusing. When men want to get to know each other, how can mere tea suffice? Next time, let me host you at Fragrant Courtyard—we’ll share a few drinks with lovely women to attend to us. Not only can we enjoy each other’s company, but you can have as many companions as you wish!” A lascivious grin crept across Hu Mo’s face, and his words made Situ Feng’s expression stiffen.

Huang Sheng and the others stared in shock, inwardly bemoaning the situation. Of all things, Situ Feng hated brothels the most and was famously upright, idolized by nearly every maiden and newlywed in Flame City. Legions of women had sworn to marry none but him, and their numbers only grew day by day.

Hu Mo hadn’t spoken softly—everyone present heard his words loud and clear. To invite Situ Feng so openly to visit a brothel was unimaginable to Huang Sheng and his friends.

The first to erupt were the lovesick young ladies; in an instant, the air was filled with angry curses, each sharper than the last, making Huang Sheng and his companions shiver. Seeing things turn ugly, the Situ family’s guards quickly surrounded them, ready for action.

The Hu family’s guards, remembering the last incident vividly, immediately closed ranks around Hu Mo. There was no way they would let him suffer at Situ Feng’s hands.

Situ Jie, meanwhile, was thrilled—he wanted nothing more than to see Hu Mo and his eldest brother come to blows. The worse the conflict, the happier he would be. If Situ Feng happened to strike hard and leave Hu Mo seriously injured, he would be overjoyed.

Situ Feng’s expression changed rapidly but soon returned to normal. He waved his hand, signaling his guards to stand down, and his smile returned as if nothing had happened. What he said next struck the hearts of the infatuated girls like a sledgehammer, as though a bomb had detonated in their midst.

“Since Young Master Hu is so enthusiastic, I will certainly accept your invitation when I have the chance—otherwise, I’d be quite remiss. Now, shall we go inside? It’s getting rather crowded here,” Situ Feng replied cheerfully, and Hu Mo immediately tensed.

Unusual behavior always signals trouble—how could he not realize? Huang Sheng frowned slightly and nudged Hu Mo’s sleeve.

Hu Mo instantly understood, laughing heartily, “Young Master Situ, you’re refreshingly straightforward. Don’t worry, leave the women to me! You and your brother go on ahead—my friends and I have some other matters to attend to, so we won’t hold you up.”

“Very well. We’ll go in first, then. Until next time, Young Master Hu.” With that, Situ Feng and Situ Jie walked into the arena together. Some bystanders stood frozen, some glared in fury, and others nearly fainted, needing help to remain upright.

Situ Feng’s reply shattered the hearts of the lovesick girls completely. It wasn’t just them—even the self-styled paragons of virtue among the scholars were distraught, crying out that heaven was blind. Hadn’t they also set Situ Feng as their role model? Now that their idol was smeared, some even felt the urge to gouge out their own eyes.

Watching the intense reactions around him, Hu Mo mused to himself, “That man is certainly not simple—trouble is bound to follow.”

“Young Master Hu, your move was ruthless. I bet Situ Feng is fuming inside,” Huang Sheng said with a sly smile, his voice so low that even Lin Meng and the others couldn’t hear.

“Just improvising. I never expected him to have such a huge following—it’s terrifying,” Hu Mo admitted, genuinely.

“It hasn’t even begun, Young Master Hu. Don’t underestimate yourself. Let’s hurry inside; the crowd’s getting bigger by the minute,” Huang Sheng said, still wearing his lecherous grin, though Hu Mo could tell from his tone that this was not the place for further talk.

Hu Mo nodded, just as he lifted his foot, a loud commotion erupted.

“Her Highness the Princess arrives! Make way, all of you! Did you hear me? You wretches, get out of the way!” A burly man on a chestnut horse cracked his whip fiercely, driving the commoners aside with menacing shouts.

He was quick to pick targets—his whip struck only the ordinary folk, while he merely shouted at the young nobles, not daring to lay a finger on them.

Behind him, two teams of guards in fine uniforms watched the crowd warily, forming a tight shield around a pink sedan chair. Hu Mo and his companions recognized it instantly—it was Princess Zhu Xinyue herself inside.

“Damn, it’s that troublemaker again. Young Master Hu, let’s get out of here,” Du Zhong trembled visibly, pulling Lin Meng to run. They’d suffered at Zhu Xinyue’s hands too many times—even in their nightmares, she was the star.

Hu Mo frowned slightly, thinking that avoiding trouble was the wisest course and resolved to slip away. But just then, an utterly languid voice drifted from the sedan chair, and Hu Mo sighed inwardly, “It’s over—there’s no escaping now.”

“Is that the bewitched Young Master Hu? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”