281 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

"Stop!" Ning Songwu swiftly rushed forward, grabbing the man's arm and taking the iced drink from his hand. She couldn't stand to see him ruin the drink Ran Fanyin had painstakingly prepared, nor could she tolerate his bullying demeanor. The young woman, who had been closing her eyes in terror and furrowing her brows, unexpectedly found herself unscathed. When she opened her eyes, she saw a beautifully refined man holding tightly to the troublemaker. "I'm teaching this wench a lesson! What business is it of yours? Get lost if you know what's good for you!" The man shrugged Ning Songwu off, then kicked away the stool in front of him. Feeling that the commotion wasn’t enough, he then toppled the table over. "Rip—" Ning Songwu covered the wound on her left arm, gasping in pain. "Is this how you treat your customers in this shabby place? Do you even respect your patrons? Call out your boss—I'll argue this out point by point until you make sense!" The man hollered, acting as if he could tear the place down. "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to assault a defenseless girl? Are you even human?" Ning Songwu scolded him sharply. "So what if I did? I paid, didn't I? Can't I say a few words? You're both despicable!" The man’s voice grew louder. The young woman's tears, which had been welling up in her eyes, began to fall. Just yesterday, she had told the girls that from now on, they no longer had to demean themselves, that they could stand up and live with dignity. But now, she was still being bullied. "What's going on?" Ran Fanyin came running downstairs upon hearing the noise. She saw the man yelling furiously inside the room, while Ning Songwu's face was pale, clutching her left arm. "Did he hit you here?" Ran Fanyin asked with concern, trying to move Ning Songwu's hand away. Ning Songwu evaded her touch. "It's nothing, probably just a sprain." Ning Songwu felt the wet, sticky sensation in her palm and knew the wound had reopened. The blood had already seeped through, and since she was wearing light-colored clothes, it would be very noticeable if she didn't keep it covered. A hint of disappointment flashed in Ran Fanyin's eyes. She pulled the girl behind her, glared angrily at the man, and asked the girl softly, "Don't be afraid, tell me what happened." Upon learning that the man was being unreasonable—first making lewd and disrespectful comments, then starting a fight with the girl and being stopped by Ning Songwu—Ran Fanyin felt a wave of anger. The flames of fury flared up in her veins; this was clearly an act of provocation, not a genuine customer. “You, sir, all the food on your table was given for free as part of our grand opening. You haven't paid a cent. Fengming Court is not what it used to be; from today onwards, the girls here will live with dignity. Don’t look down on people just because you think they’re beneath you. You owe these ladies and this gentleman an apology." "No way! It’s you who should apologize on behalf of Fengming Court!" The man remained obstinate. Ran Fanyin raised her voice, "Is Lord Lu Jin present?" "Here, I'm here," Lu Jin responded reluctantly. He didn’t want to get involved, but Ning Songwu was entwined in this, and now his cousin was calling him out. "Lord Lu, thank you for gracing our opening ceremony. You've witnessed everything that happened, haven’t you?" Ran Fanyin spoke with a forced smile. "Yes, I've seen it all." Lu Jin replied truthfully. Ran Fanyin continued, “I’m not well-versed in laws, so I humbly ask Lord Lu to enlighten us. What is the punishment for someone who purposefully causes trouble and harasses women?" “This, uh, this…” Lu Jin hesitated. He recognized the troublemaker as a thug from the Shihua House—a local brothel. Seeing Lu Jin falter, Ning Songwu spoke up, "According to the law, anyone who assaults another, causing no injury, caned twenty times. Verbal harassment of a woman leads to tongue removal, facial tattooing, and exile to a harsh region." "Lord Lu, am I correct?" Ning Songwu pressed. “Indeed, Mr. Ning speaks the truth. You should apologize immediately to the young lady and Mr. Ning.” Lu Jin declared. Realizing that his provocation had failed and that the county official backed Fengming Court, the man feared he would be exiled if he did not apologize. "I was wrong, I deserve punishment. I shouldn't have looked down on you. Miss, Mr. Ning, please, have mercy and don’t hold it against me. I have realized my mistake." The man said while slapping himself in the face. "For now, I'll let it go. But go back and tell your master to focus on proper business and not use such underhanded methods." Ran Fanyin didn’t want to escalate the matter further, considering there were many other customers watching. Getting rid of one troublemaker was enough. The man's arrogance deflated, he hung his head and prepared to leave quietly. "Wait, you need to compensate for the damaged furniture and the girl's emotional distress." Ran Fanyin demanded. "What?" The man’s face was filled with terror. Though he had indeed broken the furniture, what was meant by emotional distress? As a mere thug, he had little spare money. Ran Fanyin raised an eyebrow, "Are you trying to shirk responsibility?" "No, no. It's just that I don't have that much money on me." The man admitted his guilt and dared not complain. "Pay what you can, and sign a promissory note for the rest." The man hesitated, but Ran Fanyin added, "Of course, you can choose not to pay. Lord Lu is here, we can report this to the authorities." "Alright, I'll do as you say." The man compromised, signing the note and leaving shamefaced. Ran Fanyin then looked at Ning Songwu, whose hand seemed glued to her shoulder, unable to drop it. Ning Songwu turned slightly, avoiding eye contact with her. Ning Songwu had underestimated her wound—it had bled through her clothing, with a faint trickle of blood from her palm. Is that blood? Is she hurt? Is she hiding it from me? Ran Fanyin’s sharp eyes noticed Ning Songwu’s condition. "Lord Lu is busy with official duties, so we’ll leave first and come back later." Ning Songwu said, feeling guilty. Ran Fanyin forced a smile, "Lord Lu, your important work awaits. Fengming Court’s doors are always open to you. Please, Xiao Liu, see Lord Lu out."