23 Exchanging One Life with Another (1/2)

In Skyplume City, the Jiang Clan supposedly ranked right below the Ji Family but above the Ma Family. However, with the disappearance of Grand Elder Jiang Yunhai, the Jiang Clan lost one of their most formidable martial artists who attained the top level of the Purple Mansion Realm, depriving them of significant prestige and power. On the other hand, the status of the Ma Family skyrocketed three years ago, when Ji Nujian, the Great Young Master of the Ji Family, married one of the young ladies from the Ma Family. Over the last two years, the Ma Family seemed to be growing into a force that might surpass the Jiang Clan.

The members of the two families butted heads constantly over the past couple of years. Just last year, Jiang Yi had witnessed a brawl between Jiang Rulong and one of the sons of the Ma Family, each leading a group of dozens of descendants from their respective family. Two of the Ma Family's descendants had been beaten straight into a vegetative state and were apparently still paralyzed and bed-bound till this day.

Ergo, Jiang Yi was feeling pretty heavy-hearted right now. Who knew that Fengyue Brothel was the property of the Ma Family? He could only hope that nothing would go wrong today…

Upon seeing Jiang Yi at the door, the housekeeper of Fengyue Brothel smiled apologetically at the Ma Family young master, who was casually sipping tea, before turning to Jiang Yi and jeering, ”Oh? You are here before the one-month deadline is up? Did you manage to acquire enough purple gold?”

Jiang Yi looked at the housekeeper while he was secretly gauging the reactions of the Ma Family young master from his peripheral sight.

”I have the money. Why don't you give me the command token?” he said nonchalantly.

The Ma Family's scion paid Jiang Yi no mind and seemed content with drinking tea in solitude. He acted as if Jiang Yi was a nobody as if he was like the girls in this Fengyue Brothel—unworthy and low-bred.

The housekeeper did not have much to say to Jiang Yi either. ”Get the command token,” he instructed one of the guards instead.

Thereafter, he ignored Jiang Yi completely. Turning to the Ma Family young master, he asked with a toadying smile, ”Young Master Fei, there's still plenty of time. Why don't we summon Little Fengxian over to service you? She has learned many new tricks from Madam Flower recently, guaranteed to bring you great comfort.”

Keeping a neutral expression, the Ma Family young master ducked his head and took a casual sip of tea, ”What are you saying? I'm here for business, and yet the way you put it would make those who don't know better think I'm here for pleasure…”

The housekeeper grinned wickedly, ”Indeed, indeed. Although, wouldn't you say that inspecting the girls in this brothel is a part of the business itself?”

The Ma Family young master smiled and patted the housekeeper's shoulder in satisfaction, getting up to make his way upstairs.

At once, Jiang Yi's highly-strung nerves relaxed almost completely. By the time the guard came in with the retrieved command token, he was entirely at ease and reached into his chest pocket to hand over ten pieces of purple gold leaf to the housekeeper.

The housekeeper glanced at a guard, signaling him to take the Ma Family young master upstairs. Only then did he dare to take the purple gold leaves from Jiang Yi, all the while looking sideways at him, chiding, ”You little brat! You'd better not act so brazenly next time! Consider this as me giving face to the Jiang Clan…”

”The Jiang Clan?”

The Ma Family young master, who was making his way up only a second ago, paused his steps. His gaze swept over lightning-fast and spotted a single character, written in exquisite calligraphy on the command token: 'Jiang.'

”Halt!” he bellowed at once.

Damn it!

Jiang Yi could sense that the situation was heading downhill, but he dared not risk taking the command token by force. With the guard withdrawing the command token to himself the moment he heard the Ma Family young master's shout, there was no guarantee that Jiang Yi could succeed in forcibly taking it. All he could do was to look coldly at the Ma Family young master.

The Ma Family young master swept a glance across Jiang Yi and motioned for the housekeeper, ”Housekeeper Liu, what do you mean by the Jiang Clan? What's this about the command token?”

Housekeeper Liu went to the Ma Family young master promptly and eagerly, recounting the events which occurred on that day in an undertone and ending his story with a deliberate remark. ”Young Master Ma Fei, our men weren't hurt too bad that day, and since it was the Jiang Clan, we businessmen did not want to make a scene, so we did not report the incident to the family clan either…”

A mocking smile soon appeared on Young Master Ma Fei's face. After staring at Jiang Yi for a few moments, he suddenly gave a derisive snort. ”You destroyed the famous painting that was the treasure of our brothel and attacked our men. Yet you wish to settle things so easily? What you did couldn't be absolved even if Jiang Henshui himself were here, don't you think?”

I knew it…

One look at Ma Fei's demeanor told Jiang Yi that things would not go well. He silently cursed his bad luck. Why had he not consulted the almanac today before leaving the house? And to have so coincidentally come across such a wastrel playboy of the Ma Family? With the feud between the Ma and the Jiang families, any wastrel descendant of the Ma Family would have chosen to take action against him.

How could they give up such a great opportunity to openly and rightly belittle the Jiang Clan?

Despite fuming internally, Jiang Yi forced himself to keep an even tone. ”Young Sir, the housekeeper and I had already made a deal on that day. You have your money now. Surely, a brothel as big a scale as Fengyue would not have gone back on a promise, yes? If others knew, your credibility would be at stake.”

Housekeeper Liu's expression turned rigid. Indeed, in doing businesses, credibility was of paramount importance. As the housekeeper of Fengyue Brothel, he was considered to be someone of reputable standing. It would do him no good if word got out that he had bullied a youth. However, Young Master Ma Fei was a direct bloodline descendant, and his father held a great deal of power in the Ma Family. Therefore, he was someone Housekeeper Liu could not afford to offend. As it was, Housekeeper Liu could only remain silent.

”At stake, my ass!”

Smiling coldly, Ma Fei sauntered over and stood in front of Jiang Yi. He held up a finger and jabbed at Jiang Yi's forehead. ”Who do you think you are? Your maidservant worked at my brothel; setting aside the damage she had done to our property, you had the audacity to attack our men? The Ma Family would not let this matter go even if the City Lord were to hear of it, and yet you presume you can patronize us with a mere ten taels of purple gold? Do you think our family is made up of beggars? Hand me the command token now!”

The Fengyue Brothel guard immediately handed over the command token to Ma Fei who mockingly dangled it by its strings in mid-air in front of Jiang Yi. ”You want the command token? No way in hell!”

You…

Jiang Yi was almost bursting at the seams with rage: this was not just some command token—Xiaonu's life depended on it! With his teeth clenched and head bowed, he silently told himself to remain calm over and over. He would not lash out today; to do otherwise would do Xiaonu no good.

It took him several minutes before he could quell the urge burning within him. Biting his teeth hard, he asked, ”What is it that you want?”

”Simple!”