Chapter 22

Huo Xiaoru's face lost its color due to the insulting couplet, and her beautiful eyes became dim and lifeless. Although she was exceptionally talented, she was born into a lowly status. Just like today's poetry gathering, others invited her over, showing respect on the surface, but in their hearts, they merely wanted her to provide some entertainment. No one truly respected her status. The young maid behind Huo Xiaoru's back had red-rimmed eyes, clearly feeling indignant about the humiliation her mistress had suffered.

Huo Xiaoru sighed softly, "Fire produces smoke, if not dispersed, it will only bring bitterness!" On one hand, she pointed out that Qiu Zhitang's fiery temper and lack of virtue, and on the other, she lamented her own tragic fate. After saying this, she said gloomily, "Wan'er, let's go!" Her good mood vanished instantly, and she even forgot to say goodbye to Hu Xiaotian, only wanting to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

Seeing Huo Xiaoru suffer such humiliation, Hu Xiaotian was already filled with righteous indignation. When he saw Qiu Zhi'ao and Qiu Zhitang standing there smugly, as if they had just won a great victory, Hu Xiaotian cursed in his heart, "Bastards, if I don't beat you today, I'll change my name!" He walked over to Qiu Zhitang with a smile, bowed, and said, "Brother, you are truly talented!"

Qiu Zhitang sneered with arrogance, rolled his eyes, and completely ignored him.

Hu Xiaotian's anger flared up, and he suddenly swung his fist, which hit Qiu Zhitang's nose with a thud. Qiu Zhitang was caught off guard and ended up with a bloody nose. Hu Xiaotian roared, "You scoundrel!" He felt a deep sense of satisfaction, as the simplest and most direct form of revenge was the most satisfying.

Seeing his brother being suddenly punched to the ground by Hu Xiaotian, Qiu Zhi'ao immediately rushed over to fight. The few scholars and literati standing around did not recognize Hu Xiaotian, but they were all friends of the Qiu brothers. Seeing Hu Xiaotian fighting with the Qiu brothers, they all rushed to help. Hu Xiaotian shouted, "Liang Dazhuang, are you all dead?"

Liang Dazhuang and the five servants who came with him finally reacted. Liang Dazhuang roared, "You damn brats, how dare you hit our young master! Brothers, beat these blind fools back to their mothers' wombs!"

Although these servants were not skilled in real combat, they were more than enough to handle these weak scholars. Moreover, Hu Buwei had added two more servants to protect Hu Xiaotian, and these two were the most capable in the Hu household, second only to Hu Tianxiong. The six servants joined the fight and quickly took control of the situation.

These scholars were used to composing poetry and debating with refined language, but when it came to fighting, they were completely out of their depth. Scholars and soldiers can't reason with each other; if they encounter servants, they don't even get a chance to argue. Seeing the scene, they all ran away, wishing they had more legs.

Hu Xiaotian's four months of training were not in vain. Although he didn't know any high-level martial arts or combat techniques, his strength was considerable. Especially when facing weak scholars like the Qiu brothers, he easily gained the upper hand.

First, Qiu Zhitang was punched to the ground by Hu Xiaotian. Then, Qiu Zhi'ao went to help, hugging Hu Xiaotian from behind. Unexpectedly, Hu Xiaotian's head snapped back, hitting Qiu Zhi'ao's nose and causing him to bleed profusely.

The six servants of Hu Xiaotian rushed over and dragged Qiu Zhi'ao to the ground, beating him mercilessly. Qiu Zhitang, who had just gotten up, was kicked in the chest by Hu Xiaotian and fell back to the ground. Hu Xiaotian mounted him, grabbed his collar with his left hand, and slapped him several times with his right hand, causing Qiu Zhitang's face to swell and him to cry out in pain.

Qiu Zhitang wailed, "A gentleman uses words, not fists. You, this ruffian... you truly disgrace the literati..."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Disgrace the literati? I'm here to disgrace people like you. If I don't beat you, I'll get sick today. If I don't beat you, you won't learn your lesson."

This was an era that valued rules. Scholars believed in using words, not fists. For these refined intellectuals, using physical force was seen as barbaric and vulgar, and they would never stoop to it. They composed poetry and debated with elegance, engaging in gentlemanly competition. If you surpassed them in talent, they would admire you. It was rare to see scholars resort to physical violence over a disagreement.

That's why the Qiu brothers dared to mock Huo Xiaoru's background. Huo Xiaoru, facing such humiliation, could only lament her fate and prepare to leave quietly. She never expected the situation to reverse so dramatically. Hu Xiaotian's intervention was entirely because he was indignant at how Qiu Zhitang treated a woman so cruelly. He felt that a refined response with a couplet or a verbal argument wouldn't satisfy his anger; only a physical beating could restore his sense of justice.

The satisfaction and catharsis Hu Xiaotian felt from beating the Qiu brothers far exceeded the pleasure of composing poetry. He thought to himself, "It seems I'm a rough person at heart!" He punched Qiu Zhitang's right eye, causing him to lie flat on the ground, crying out, "Ruffian... are you not afraid of being laughed at by the literati of the world..."

"Laugh at your mother!" Hu Xiaotian spat on his face.

Huo Xiaoru had intended to leave, but she never expected Hu Xiaotian to rush in and start a fight. She understood that the entire brawl was because of her. Seeing Hu Xiaotian's side clearly dominating, with the scholars crying and fleeing in terror, she was unsure whether to leave or stay. Her maid, Wan'er, who was holding a dog, cheered, "Good hit! Good hit! Go on! Go on!"

Huo Xiaoru glared at Wan'er, who stuck out her tongue and缩了缩脖子，显得非常可爱。Huo Xiaoru 正在犹豫是否应该去劝解的时候，突然看到一匹黑色骏马从远处驰向烟水阁的方向，马上一名公差打扮的女子英气逼人，她一手牵着马缰，一手握剑，怒斥道：“全都给我住手！”正是京兆府女捕头慕容飞烟。

Hu Xiaotian 虽然没有回头，但已经从声音中判断出是慕容飞烟，心中暗叫晦气，心想大康京城的治安还真不错，出警效率这么高，到底是谁多管闲事，这么快就拨打了110？

原本已经躺在地上的 Qiu Zhitang 听到捕快来了，重新抬起头来，大声惨叫道：“救命啊……”这一声把吃奶的力气都用上了，脖子上的青筋全都暴出来了。马上看到一只拳头在自己的眼前放大，Hu Xiaotian 下手可真够黑的，蓬！的一拳，把 Qiu Zhitang 的左眼也给打青了，然后从 Qiu Zhitang 的身上爬了起来，拍了拍双手，满不在乎道：“兄弟们，收工走人！”

听到 Hu Xiaotian 一声令下，Liang Dazhuang 那帮家丁马上也停止了殴打，一个个整了整衣服，气喘吁吁地来到 Hu Xiaotian 的身后站了。

慕容飞烟已经纵马奔行到烟水阁前，Hu Xiaotian 本以为她又会来个前空翻外加转体的下马动作，但这次并没有被他算准，慕容飞烟只是翻身下马，这妞儿的身手真是矫健，简单朴素的动作一样那么英姿勃勃。她手握剑柄，一双美眸冷冷盯住 Hu Xiaotian，迈着不急不缓的步子向他走了过来。

Hu Xiaotian 笑眯眯望着慕容飞烟，看来自己和慕容小/妞有点犯克，怎么每次出事她都会第一时间出现在案发现场，难不成这小/妞把自己当成了重点嫌疑对象，一直在盯防自己。

慕容飞烟来到 Hu Xiaotian 面前，围着他缓缓走动，她走 Hu Xiaotian 也走，两人目光相对，绕着圈儿对视着，乍看跟斗鸡似的。最终还是慕容飞烟率先停下了脚步：“Hu 公子！今天的事情你作何解释？”

Hu Xiaotian 哈哈大笑，态度那是相当的不屑。

Qiu Zhi'ao 和 Qiu Zhitang 两兄弟相互搀扶着从地上爬了起来，他们此时的模样，恐怕连他们的亲爹亲娘都认不出来了。文化人遇到流氓注定是要吃亏倒霉。两兄弟哀嚎道：“慕容捕头……他当街行凶……你一定要为我们做主啊……”

慕容飞烟望着 Hu Xiaotian，唇角露出冷笑：“众目睽睽，当街行凶，恃强凌弱，以众凌寡，你还有什么话说？”她早就算准了 Hu Xiaotian 还会作恶，只是没想到这么快就犯在了自己手里。

Hu Xiaotian 说：“你想怎么说就怎么说，身为执法人员，不问缘由，不经调查，不分青红皂白，偏听偏信，对我妄加指责，混淆黑白，颠倒是非，慕容捕头！你今天是不是想让我见识一下，何谓假公济私，何谓公报私仇？”他根本不怕慕容飞烟，之前京兆尹洪佰齐在他老子面前也得礼让三分，更何况慕容飞烟这个小小的捕快。

慕容飞烟冷冷道：“伶牙俐齿，信口雌黄，颠倒是非，混淆黑白的是你！”她马上先行，这会儿她的部下，四名捕快方才跟了上来，四名捕快这一路急匆匆跑来，体力明显透支，一个个拄着手中的水火棍，上气不接下气。

Hu Xiaotian 没打算跟一个小/妞儿逞口舌之利，笑眯眯道：“帮手来了啊，刚好帮忙把这群废物送医院，没事我先走了！”这货招了招手，带着手下人大摇大摆想离去，方才走了一步，慕容飞烟手中的剑就抵在了他的心口之上，当然是带着套的。慕容飞烟的目的只是为了阻止他离去，不是为了伤人。

Hu Xiaotian 叹了口气道：“我说慕容捕头，你这么喜欢顶我啊，硬梆梆的很不舒服的，要不咱俩换个位置，我顶你试试？”

慕容飞烟怒道：“无耻！”

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