I Can See Your Combat Power - Chapter 333
Chapter 333: Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Nine:
The Little Trouble Xu Lao Won (2)
Translator: 549690339
Tang Luo was taken aback upon hearing this news. After that conference, the Tang Family had left the arena combat to the Dark Thunder Hall, and since then he had not paid much attention to it. He had assumed that Tang Zuo would send a suicide warrior to fight, so he was surprised to learn it was Tang
Qingshan.
Moreover, the strange decision by the Mi Clan to let Mi Chu take part in the battle had caught Tang Luo off guard. However, he believed that the outcome was already predestined. No matter who the noble families of Xiling sent to the battlefield, Tang Luo couldn’t see a glimmer of hope for victory, which was a
little depressing.
Shaking his head, Tang Luo was about to retreat back into his home when Old Xu caught him by the arm and said, “Eh, hey! Little Brother, don’t wander off.”
“What’s all the fuss about?”
“I need a favour from you!” Signs of pleading could be seen all over Old Xu’s
face.
Tang Luo was at once awakened to the seriousness of the matter. If the Saint Lord’s son was troubled by such a request, then it would certainly be a complex matter. Remaining calm, Tang Luo pushed away the hand which was gripping his forearm and said, “Let’s hear it first. What does this favor involve?”
“Hehe,” Old Xu laughed embarrassedly, “It’s just a minor trouble.
From the way he put it, Tang Luo knew at once that it was something he shouldn’t get involved with. He saluted and said, “If it’s minor, I believe my cousin can handle it without a hitch. Excuse me.
Having said the polite words, Tang Luo attempted to slip into his home. However, his steps were curtailed by the tightened collar of his robe. This was the first time he found himself cursing the fact that the training uniform of the
Tang Family was so sturdy.
With resignation, he turned around to face Old Xu, who was grinning from ear to ear. Tang Luo sighed, “Could we discuss this inside?
“Sure, sure! My cousin is so sensible.” Old Xu loosened Tang Luo’s collar and even went the extra mile to straighten it out for him before leading the way towards the front hall.
A dispirited Tang Luo sat in the front hall, bracing his chin with his hand and asked, “So what’s this minor trouble that needs my help?”
“Hahaha, you’re so straightforward. Aren’t we supposed to exchange pleasantries first?” Old Xu laughed timidly.
“If you don’t tell, I’m leaving!”
“You’re always in a hurry. Well, here it is. I’ve slept with a few young ladies
from Xiling.”
“Young ladies from Xiling?” Tang Luo was a little baffled, “Aren’t you doing it every night anyway? What? You’re broke?”
Had the box of gold just given been enough for such a short period of time?
Was the cost of living in Xiling really frightening now?
“No, no, no. They aren’t prostitutes. They’re young ladies!” Old Xu corrected.
“???? Is there any difference?” Tang Luo was confused.
“Really!” Old Xu could not believe the naivety of his cousin, “Don’t you understand what a young lady is? They are the unmarried delicate ladies from affluent families!”
“I get it!” Tang Luo finally understood, but his temper flared, “Aren’t all women the same to you? Are you saying that you’ve slept through all the prostitutes in Xiling and have now decided to defile innocent women?”
Tang Luo looked down on such acts because he understood how this patriarchal society placed such significance on the purity of women. Even if a young lady from a noble family lost her innocence, regardless of how powerful her family might be, her prestige would be lost, making it difficult for her, not just to make a a match of equal standing, but even to marry into another family would be tough.
Tang Luo felt disgusted by the thought, “I can’t help you with this. You expect me to justify your actions after you have corrupted their purity? Are we not supposed to have any respect for others?”
“No, no, no.” Old Xu seemed wronged and began to explain, “How could I have known that you Xiling folks had such peculiar customs? I was merely visiting a brothel and chose eight girls, four of whom turned out to be young ladies from noble families and all eight were virgins. How was I to differentiate?”
In Old Xu’s limited experience, he had never come across such a situation before – getting young noble ladies when he was looking for prostitutes. After sleeping with them, they clung to him, claiming that he had taken their innocence and that they were now ready to serve him for life. As the son of the Saint Lord, these were unforeseen circumstances to him, thus he sought Tang Luo’s opinion on this peculiar situation.
Tang Luo paused, his brow furrowed upon hearing Old Xu’s words, and after thinking for a while he finally said, “Cousin, it seems you’ve been extorted.”
“What does that mean?” asked Old Xu, puzzled.
“It means that these young ladies from noble families have latched onto you.” Tang Luo sighed, “Indeed, women are the same everywhere. Their vanity and desire for power and prestige never fade.”
The so-called ‘red light districts’ were basically owned and operated by these noble families because conflicts were destined to arise around women and alcohol. Without strong martial enforcement, the brothels could not survive the whims of their customers who could potentially harm their workers. Therefore, all the high-ranking noble families of Xiling owned a few brothels.
Old Xu has no idea about the strong attraction he held for these young noble ladies of Xiling. The son of the Xu Clan from Yuanzhou, a peerless warrior whose sword-play could conquer a city, in addition to his handsome features and tall, slim physique. His graceful appearance on the battle arena as he effortlessly defeated the legendary figures of Xiling one after another.
Probably many young ladies from Xiling went weak in the knees just by catching a glimpse of Old Xu.
So what kind of impression would this make on these young ladies when a man of such stature frequented brothels?
Since time immemorial, women have always been of a similar kind. Each one of them believes that she is unique among all.
The reason why these young ladies from Xiling would go to such lengths was based on a simple logic – ‘I am not like those vulgar women outside. Once this gentleman sleeps with me, he will surely fall in love with me.
While Tang Luo didn’t understand the basis for such confidence, he found their efforts to be astonishing. By colluding with the brothel keepers, they dressed in seductive outfits, posing as prostitutes. In reality, there wasn’t much distinction between a prostitute and a young lady because in many brothels, there were prostitutes who were former young ladies from ruined noble families.
Tang Luo admired the courage of these young ladies but found their actions utterly foolish.
“Clinging onto me?” said Old Xu, his face rife with terror, “I can’t marry them!” The chief figure of the saint family had the ambitions of the Saint Lord. There would inevitably be women by his side, but these women could never be young ladies from any family in Xiling. If Old Xu doesn’t relinquish his goal of becoming the Saint Lord, he has to use his marriage to serve his purpose. He was very clear about this.
Thus, the four young ladies, by gambling with their own innocence, had walked into a dead-end. Tang Luo felt somewhat helpless, “I understand that you can’t marry them. In the end, they are reaping what they have sown. Who in their right mind would believe that pretending to be a prostitute and sleeping with you would make you take them as wives.”
“Exactly!” Old Xu seemed extremely wronged, “Moreover, they said they’d bring their dowry and propose marriage today.. If I don’t agree, they vowed to hang themselves in front of me!”
