Chapter 30: The Mysterious Curio House

"You wretched little mongrel, you've got a lot of nerve! How dare you steal something from me? I’ll beat you to death, you bastard!"

A man as fat as a pig, his face bloated with rolls of flesh and covered in boils, glared viciously at little Rui’er, who had fallen to the floor. He held a gaudily dressed woman in thin, sheer robes in his arms, yet even his expensive, luxurious silk garments could not hide the mountain of blubber beneath.

"You bad person, bullying a child! Dogs will chase you!" Rui’er pouted as he rubbed his bottom, stood up, and pointed his small, tender arm at the pig-like man, his face flushed with indignation.

Nearby, Yan Ziyu heard Rui’er’s angry cry. She quickly released the store manager, shoved him aside, and followed the sound to find her son.

"Rui’er, be a good boy and tell me what happened." Yan Ziyu cast a cold, sharp glance at the obese man before turning to hold Rui’er, her voice softening.

Rui’er nodded and, with a pout, recounted everything. He had seen a beautiful bracelet and wanted to buy it for his mother, but he was too short to reach it. Just as he was about to ask for help, the fat man had snatched it away, pushed him, and called him a "little mongrel."

"You dared to call him that?" Yan Ziyu’s cold gaze locked onto the pig-like man, her eyes burning with fury.

"And you dared to push him?" She pulled Rui’er into her arms, staring at the man with chilling, murderous intent.

"So what if I cursed him? It’s the luck of three lifetimes that I even deigned to push him! If I weren't in a good mood today, I would have stomped this little mongrel to death already. Who does he think he is, barking at me? Men, break this fellow's legs! Throw the little brat out the window—don’t kill him, just make sure he’s crippled for life!" The fat man laughed arrogantly.

What a hideous voice!

Yan Ziyu frowned. She grabbed an inkstone from a display counter and smashed it hard against his head.

"Ah—!" A piercing scream echoed through the shop as blood poured from the fat man’s head.

"You... you dare hit me? Men, kill these two mongrels!" The fat man huddled on the floor, clutching his head and glaring at Yan Ziyu with pure hatred. He issued the order to kill without a second thought, showing complete disregard for the law.

"Kill me? Before you do, I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson!" Yan Ziyu lunged at the man. The inkstone rose and fell repeatedly, accompanied by a chorus of agonizing screams.

"What if I hit you? Not only will I hit you, I’ll kick you to death!" With that, she delivered a brutal kick square between his legs.

"Ah—!"

The man curled into a ball on the floor, clutching his groin. Tears and blood mingled on his face, making him a truly pathetic and wretched sight.

"Kill them! Someone, kill them!" the man roared, his face twisted in agony.

The servants behind him finally snapped out of their stupor and began rolling up their sleeves, advancing toward Yan Ziyu and Rui’er.

"Mother—!"

"Your Highness—!"

Rui’er and Qiuhe stood behind Yan Ziyu, crying out in alarm.

"Shh! Stay quiet and watch the show," Yan Ziyu murmured, a wicked smile playing on her lips as she glanced thoughtfully toward the staircase leading to the third floor. *Let’s see how much longer you can hold back!*

*Bang!*

As Yan Ziyu dodged her attackers, she kicked over a display shelf filled with porcelain. The items shattered, creating a crisp, crashing sound.

"Good! Take that!"

"Stop!" A voice cried out in anguish—the sound of breaking porcelain was the sound of money burning!

A white flash moved before everyone’s eyes. Suddenly, a figure in white stood before Yan Ziyu, a folding fan gently intercepting her leg and neutralizing her force with effortless grace.

"Who are you?"

Yan Ziyu retracted her leg and leveled a cold, scrutinizing gaze at the man.

"It is better to resolve grievances than to create them. Please, calm your anger! These items are priceless; every piece broken is a massive loss. If you wish to smash things, I suggest you pay for them first. Once you’ve paid, you may smash as much as you like. How does that sound?"

The man who had blocked her kick was dressed in white, looking refined and scholarly. His face was deathly pale, and he appeared so frail that one might think him a weakling who couldn't even truss a chicken.

Seeing that Yan Ziyu and the others had stopped, he continued, nodding rhythmically. "My shop, the Rare Goods Pavilion, does business with clear, fixed prices. Break something, and you pay for it. If you wish to continue this brawl, please pay for the damaged goods first, and provide an additional hundred thousand taels as a deposit. I would be happy to clear the shop of guests and turn it into a stage for you. However, if you cannot pay, do not blame me for being heartless. I will have to collect the debt using your limbs instead."

His tone shifted, the gentle scholar’s voice now laced with an icy chill.

"To hell with your stinking nonsense! This bastard dared to hit me! Your shop is responsible for this, and if you don't give me an explanation, I’ll have my brother-in-law send troops to level this place! Do you know who my brothers-in-law are? The current Emperor and Prince Xiao! Who do you think you are? Get lost, or I’ll kill you too! What are you all standing around for? Get them! Kill those two stinking mongrels, and I will reward you handsomely!" The man shrieked from the floor, his rage making him forget the warnings his father had given him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How embarrassing. Usually, people are the ones bullying others, but it seems your shop is being bullied by a pig. If word got out, people would die of laughter—to be outdone by a beast, to have a beast riding on your head and defecating? That’s quite a display of 'prestige.' This gentleman has a good temper; if it were me, I would have slaughtered that beast long ago." *So, he’s Prince Xiao’s brother-in-law? No wonder he’s so arrogant!*

A flash of triumph crossed Yan Ziyu's eyes. She had intentionally broken the goods to draw someone out. She couldn't reveal her true identity, but that didn't mean she couldn't use someone else’s blade to do her work. And sure enough—someone had arrived.

"And what would you have me do?" the scholar asked, ignoring Yan Ziyu’s mockery and turning his attention back to the fat man.

The fat man, thinking the scholar was afraid, preened. "I was injured in your shop, so you are clearly responsible. I don't want to make things difficult for you; pay me ten thousand taels, and we’ll call it even. Otherwise, I’ll have my brother-in-law issue an imperial decree to seal your pathetic shop!"

"Hmm. Yes, truly, you are profoundly stupid." The scholar nodded solemnly, then shook his head with a sigh. "Sealing the Rare Goods Pavilion? A mere beast like you isn't qualified to do that."

With that, the scholar moved with lightning speed, appearing beside the fat man and his servants. With a series of swift kicks, he sent them all flying out the window. The fat man landed at the very bottom, nearly crushed by the weight of his own servants.