Three Kingdoms, Myth

Chen Xi was typically not one to be reckless, but when he decided to let loose, he did it with abandon. According to his own philosophy, if you're going to play the role of a playboy, you have to do it convincingly—if people catch onto your act, it's all for nothing. Besides, Chen Xi was playing his part so well, and he wasn't bullying commoners, so no one would ever suspect him of being involved. Moreover, by targeting certain people, he avoided stirring up public resentment. As for feuds between wealthy families, Chen Xi couldn't care less—he wasn't afraid of any trouble that might arise.

The three young noblemen across from Chen Xi were still in shock from his door-kicking entrance, but they quickly realized what had happened when Guan Ping walked in and took away the girl they had been eyeing. How could they possibly tolerate this?

"Stop right there!" A youth in a light yellow silk robe slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "How dare you take my girl!"

"Back off, don't annoy me. Taking her from you is doing you a favor. For your own safety, I suggest you stop whining," Chen Xi glanced at the young man dismissively, then casually opened his folding fan and fanned himself a couple of times.

As Chen Xi's gaze swept over him, a sudden sense of authority washed over the young man, a feeling akin to when he faced his father. It wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"Let's go," Chen Xi said, turning to leave. He could tell these three were from noble families, but in a place like Taishan, taking a courtesan and even roughing up a few customers wouldn't cause him any trouble.

"Get him!" As the young man stood there, stunned, Zhang Xuan had already stood up in a rage, yelling to the servants in the adjacent rooms.

"Clatter!" More than twenty burly men quickly emerged on the second floor, clearly the guards of these young nobles.

"Leave the girl, and I'll spare your lives!" Zhang Xuan swept his sleeve dramatically as he stepped out of the room, glaring at Chen Xi.

"My lord, please leave quickly. They are sons of great families—Yue'er isn't worth the trouble!" The courtesan, seeing the situation escalate, tearfully urged Guan Ping to go. Even when her family was wealthy, they couldn't afford to provoke these three, let alone now. To her, Guan Ping was just a naïve young man who visited her daily, and as for Chen Xi, he was nothing but an arrogant fool.

"Tan Zhi, take care of them. You can handle these guys, right?" Chen Xi said, snapping his fan shut and covering his lower face with it, his tone light and unconcerned, showing no sign of panic that Zhang Xuan had hoped for.

"Uncle…" Guan Ping smiled wryly but wasn't afraid. "Yue'er, step back. It's just a bunch of servants!"

"Hmph, just a bunch of servants? Get them! Teach this kid who not to mess with!" Zhang Xuan barked.

Chen Xi shrugged. Having spent time in the military, he could tell these servants were veteran soldiers. However, in a setting like this, where they couldn't form a battle formation, they would struggle even to defeat Guan Ping, let alone someone like Chen Xi, who was only average in combat skills. Sure enough, within seconds, Guan Ping had easily tossed all the servants down to the first floor. Despite his youth, Guan Ping was already at the level of a second-rate warrior.

"Guan Ping, rough up these three too. How can they try to steal your girl and not get a proper beating?" Chen Xi said, glancing at Guan Ping, his tone instructive.

"Huh?" Guan Ping was taken aback, but now wasn't the time to hesitate. They had already beaten up a group of servants—what were three more? In no time, the three young nobles were lying on the ground, thoroughly beaten.

"You'll pay for this! Our Zhang family won't let you off!" Zhang Xuan shouted furiously from the floor, unused to being treated like this.

"Our Gu (Zhu) family won't either!" The other two chimed in angrily.

"Oh? The three of you are from the Four Great Families of Jiangdong, and you think you can threaten me?" Chen Xi sneered, his gaze sweeping over them, sending chills down their spines. "Your family heads don't even dare speak to me like that, and you think you can?"

Chen Xi squatted down slowly, his eyes locking onto Zhang Xuan's. "Go ahead and try. Let's see if I can't crush your families until they can't fight back. By the way, taking your girl is a favor to you—don't push me, or I might just erase you all."

Chen Xi's calm, measured tone sent a cold sweat down the young men's spines. Someone who spoke so boldly was either a madman or someone untouchable. This man before them was clearly not mad…

"Let's go, Tan Zhi. Later, we'll give these families a taste of their own medicine. They've been hiding in Jiangdong for so long that they've lost touch with the situation in the Central Plains. These fools don't even know who they're dealing with," Chen Xi said as he stood up, shaking his head in disbelief.

Chen Xi wasn't just looking down on these three Jiangdong families—he was disdaining the entire Jiangdong aristocracy. Their collective lack of vision and small-mindedness were appalling. While the Central Plains families aimed to unify the empire and expand their territories, the Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and Yizhou families were content with their little fiefdoms. Ambition and vision, when matched with intelligence, determined the ultimate height one could reach. It was no surprise that Shu-Han and Sun Wu were eventually crushed by the North.

Even during Cao Cao's most difficult times, advisors like Xun Yu, Xun You, and Guo Jia still called for the unification of the empire. Their unwavering ambition was evident when Cao Wei's forces reached the Yangtze River. In contrast, the behavior of the Jiangdong families was laughable to Chen Xi. Such weak-minded families—he could crush them without even giving it a second thought!

The three young men watched Chen Xi leave, their faces filled with resentment. They weren't yet the heads of their families, but even Cao Mengde had lashed out in anger before—what more could be expected of these three, who were far less capable and mature?

"Hmm?" Chen Xi touched his chest and realized that the money pouch Chen Lan had embroidered for him was missing. It had contained several gold pearls that were too valuable for common circulation.

"Today's really not my day. Looks like I'll need to tighten up on the petty crime in Fenggao City," Chen Xi muttered, annoyed. "Oh well, I'll write you a note. You can take it to the administrative office and get compensated for the courtesan's fee," he said, pulling out a piece of paper and his personal seal.

"Let's go, Tan Zhi," Chen Xi said with a yawn. It wasn't the first time he'd walked out without paying, though he hadn't done it at this particular establishment before. Guo Fengxiao often dragged him out without money, then insisted on drinking with the courtesans. Once Chen Xi realized Guo Jia had no money, he would usually slip away, leaving Guo Jia to figure out the rest. What happened next, Chen Xi had no idea—sometimes it was fun to mess with your friends.

"Uncle, we just beat them up—why are we paying?" Guan Ping asked, puzzled by Chen Xi's actions.

"We beat up those three, but the madam here is an innocent bystander, and we've hurt her business. Bullying these people is pointless. If you're going to bully someone, it should be those who think they're untouchable," Chen Xi said as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Turning back, he saw the three beaten young men had gotten up and were now standing on the second floor, looking down at him with smug expressions.

"Ugh, I didn't hit them hard enough—now they've made a scene," Chen Xi muttered, exasperated. "Madam, it looks like your place is going to get wrecked, but don't worry—I'll compensate you for the damages." With that, Chen Xi quickly scribbled a note and stamped it with his personal seal.