Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Wei Ruolan simply nodded slightly, her gaze returning to the golden unicorn in her hand. Feng Ziying casually responded with a couple of words before busily inviting others to play drinking games. Wang Xiuli was even more perfunctory, exchanging pleasantries before moving closer to Xue Pan. The two whispered among themselves, seemingly plotting something. Xue Pan, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, couldn't even remember his name clearly, only waving his hand and shouting, "Let's drink together!"

Jia Cong didn't mind. Holding his wine cup, his smile remained, and he drank a little while keeping up with the conversation, carefully going along with what was said.

He accepted everyone's disdain and perfunctory attitude without question, keeping his true feelings hidden tightly and revealing nothing.

The young men drank heartily, and in less than half an hour, three or four wine jars on the table were empty. The room was filled with the aroma of wine, and the sounds of drinking games, laughter, and cursing mingled together, making everyone dizzy.

"Brother Feng, let's have a match!" Xue Pan, in his drunken state, challenged Feng Ziying.

This guy swung his arms, his face flushed, and staggered unsteadily towards Feng Ziying. He reached out to grab her arm, yelling as he did so.

"You boasted about your hunting skills the other day, but I didn't believe you! Today, let's have a contest of fists and see who's better!"

Before Feng Ziying could answer, Jia Rong grabbed Xue Pan's arm and laughed.

"Brother Xue is naturally strong, but this room is too cramped. Where can you really unleash your power? If you hurt any of the brothers, it will spoil the fun and wouldn't be good."

Although Xue Pan was drunk, he wasn't confused. With a glare, he grabbed Jia Cong from the side and said...

"I heard from Brother Bao that you've mastered some martial arts! Since Brother Feng won't spar with me, why don't you come and exchange a few moves with me!" He gripped Jia Cong's arm with tremendous force, making it ache.

Jia Cong struggled to break free, still smiling, but his tone was somewhat conciliatory: "Brother Xue is joking. My little tricks are just for fitness; how could I dare to show off my skills in front of you brothers?"

But Feng Ziying approached, a lukewarm smile on his face.

"I've heard that Brother Cong learned martial arts from Master Sun Tai, so his skills must be quite remarkable."

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice, turned to the assembled crowd, and laughed, "Brother Xue wanted to spar with me earlier, but I think that's unnecessary! Brother Cong's skills are far more solid than mine. It's a good opportunity for him to have a match with Brother Xue and let the brothers broaden their horizons!"

Seeing this, Jia Rong stopped trying to persuade him and instead added fuel to the fire: "Yes, Third Uncle! Since we're in a good mood today, let's play a few rounds with Brother Xue, just enough to liven things up!"

Jia Cong frowned, not because he was afraid of Xue Pan, but because he knew that the other party's brute strength was just a showy display fueled by alcohol. Although he had not become much stronger after practicing hard during the hottest days of summer, he was still more than capable of defeating Xue Pan.

What he was worried about was the room full of scions of noble families. Today, Jia Rong was the host, and if he really fought with Xue Pan and won, it would be a disgrace to the Xue family, the imperial merchant family, and he would make an enemy for no reason.

If he loses, his reputation for learning martial arts from a master will become a laughing stock, not to mention that people like Feng Ziying and Wang Ren are clearly just there to watch the show and might even gossip about it in the industry.

Xue Pan didn't care about any of that. Drunk, he grabbed Jia Cong's hand and tried to lead him into the courtyard, muttering incoherently.

"Let's go! Let's go! The courtyard is spacious! Today we must settle this with our brothers! Anyone who backs down is a coward!"

He had tremendous strength, and his unsteady steps carried a strong smell of alcohol that made people dizzy.

Seeing this, the crowd burst into laughter, with Wang Xiuli slapping his thigh and shouting the loudest, "Go, go! Let's all go and watch the fun! The loser has to eat three big bowls of rice!"

Feng Ziying raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Brother Cong, don't hold back. Let us see the true teachings of Master Sun Tai!" Wei Ruolan slowly stood up, playing with the golden unicorn in her hand, her eyes filled with a hint of amusement.

Jia Rong followed behind, advising "stop while you're ahead," but he walked quickly, clearing a space in the courtyard ahead of everyone else.

Jia Cong was pulled along against his will, his brows furrowing even more. He sighed inwardly at Xue Pan, thinking how foolish he was to be used as a pawn without even realizing it.

A gust of wind blew through the courtyard, intensifying Xue Pan's drunkenness. He abruptly shook off Jia Cong's hand, staggered back two steps, assumed a haphazard horse stance, and clenched his fists, shouting:

"Come on! Take this punch!" Before the words were even finished, he swung his fist, as big as a palm leaf fan, straight at Jia Cong's face.

He threw punches with brute force, swinging his arms like a windmill, without any technique whatsoever.

Jia Cong was prepared. He frowned slightly and nimbly dodged the punch with his foot.

The force of the punch swept past his ear, carrying a strong smell of alcohol. Jia Cong didn't even need to exert much effort; he simply raised his hand and lightly tapped the other's elbow.

Xue Pan, already unsteady on his feet, was propelled forward by this clever movement, nearly falling flat on his face. He managed to regain his balance after a couple of haphazard steps, then turned and glared at Jia Cong, cursing:

"You cheat! Why didn't you take my punch?!"

The surrounding crowd laughed incessantly. Feng Ziying stood under the eaves with his arms crossed, and shouted, "Brother Xue, don't try to renege on your bet if you lose! Brother Cong was letting you win!"

Wang Xiuli slapped the pillar and shouted, "Brother Xue, give it your all! Beat him up!"

Wei Ruolan leaned against the railing, but her gaze was fixed on Jia Cong's gait, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

Enraged by the insults, Xue Pan roared and charged forward again, this time reaching out to grab Jia Cong's waist, trying to use brute force to throw him down.

Seeing this, Jia Cong took a step back and at the same time grabbed Xue Pan's wrist, twisting his arm slightly.

Xue Pan cried out in pain, his strength immediately diminishing by more than half, but he still stubbornly tried to break free, mumbling, "Let me go! I haven't lost yet!"

Jia Cong never intended to really hurt him, so he knew when to stop, releasing his grip and giving him a gentle push.

Xue Pan was already unsteady on his feet, and with this push, he staggered back three or four steps and sat down on the ground with a "plop," his buttocks covered with grass clippings from the yard.

He paused, seemingly sobering up a bit, looked down at his hands, then looked up at Jia Cong, his face turning red and white in turns.

Seeing this, Jia Cong quickly stepped forward and reached out to help him up, his tone still humble and his manner perfectly measured: "Brother Xue, I'm sorry, I lost control and made you fall."

As he spoke, he bent down to pull Xue Pan's arm. His face showed no sign of pride, but rather sincerity, without any of the arrogance one might expect from winning a contest.

Xue Pan was a simple-minded person; he got up grumbling and patted his backside, but he was still unconvinced.

"Pah! Bad luck, I slipped!"

Xue Pan flung Jia Cong's hand away, stiffened his neck, and shouted, his voice even louder than usual, clearly trying to make amends.

He brushed the dirt off his robe haphazardly, "What competition? You were just lucky! If you're so capable, let's have another match, and I'll knock you to the ground!"