The Inverted Dragon’s Scale

053 – Dirty my eyes


Many people have had such dreams before: being born into a wealthy landowning family and becoming a hedonistic young master. You could do nothing all day long apart from bringing servants to bully innocent young woman on the streets.

It was unclear whether Gao Qiu did many good things in his previous life, but his dreams have came true one after another.

Being the youngest son of Tiandu’s magistrate family, his status and background is superior when compared to the landowning families. Therefore, Gao Qiu never wasted his resources and innate skills —–Whenever he has time he would bring his bunch of servants to look for beautiful women who tempted his heart.

Tiandu is the capital of the kingdom; East Market Street is one of the major business and trading streets. Tides of people rushed back and forth, and endless streams of horse and carriages passed by, reflecting a bustling centre of prosperity.

Along with his servants, Gao Qiu marched up and down the streets, taking fruits and grabbing desserts from the stalls; whatever he took is stuffed into his mouth. Those that suited his appetite are devoured, those that don’t match his likings are thrown against the boss’s face which he then scolded them for their poor quality of goods. He also forced them to get out of his sight or he will beat them up every time he sees them again——

As a matter of fact, Gao Qiu had just took a bite of a pear but realising the pear was too tart to even swallow, he smashed the remaining half of the pear against the fruit shop owner’s head and said in fury: “You dog thing, what pear are you selling—-You call this a pear? This is dog shit. Hurry leave my sight, get out of Tiandu, get out of the capital, don’t let me ever see your face again. If I see you once I will beat you up once—–”

These were the words he said to each business that did not please him.

When Gao Qiu spoke, his sleeves are rolled up as if he is about to destroy their shop.

“Young master—young master———” His henchmen Gao Fugui next to him hurriedly discouraged him, whispering: “Master told you to not stir up trouble again, otherwise he will certainly break the legs of me and the servants—-Young master, will you kindly, for the sake of your pitiful brothers, forgive that old thing? ”

“I’m causing trouble? I’m just enforcing justice on behalf of the heaven—–you taste it, try it; are the pears he sell edible? Can you eat them? Such poor quality fruits yet he dares to sell them on the street, all of them should be arrested and locked up in Tiandu’s prison—–”

While Gao Qiu spoke, he forced the half-eaten pear into Gao Fugui’s mouth.

Gao Fugui did not dare to resist, while taking a large bite of the pear he pointed in front at a graceful figure and said: “Young master, the target is here——look ahead, it’s the type of girls you like. ”
Gao Qiu raised his head and took a glimpse, in front of him was indeed a graceful woman wearing a long pink dress.

His eyes lit up, tossed the pears to one side and shouted loudly: “Dog—-brothers, get started.”

Three minutes later, Gao Qiu had already blocked the path of the delicate and pretty young woman.

“Beautiful woman, why become a thief?” Gao Qiu asked as he waved the fan in his hand, displaying the elegant appearance of a son of nobility. As if he is not a fatty with a belly full of intestinal fat.

He looked at the young lady with a face of regret, shook his head and sighed: “If you are short on money, you can always ask me. If you don’t tell me how would I know you are short of money? But stealing is bad—-a good girl becoming a thief, this really—–should be arrested and locked up in the prison to learn your lesson? ”

“I did not—–” The woman’s complexion turned extremely pale, desperately shaking her head, but was unable to explain herself: “I didn’t steal. I didn’t do anything, you threw your purse into my basket—–”

“Hahaha—-” Gao Qiu raised his voice as he laughed loudly: “You’ve got to be kidding me? How can my purse run right into your basket? My purse did not fall into the basket of others but instead ran right into your basket? How come your purse did not run right into my pocket? This explanation, won’t work on me.”

Gao Qiu walked towards the watching crowd with a face of discontent and cupped his hands: “Ladies and gentlemen, everyone come and judge this for me, would there be such a thing—-my money was stolen by her, but she said my purse ran towards her. It can’t be that a purse also has long legs so it can move by itself?”

“Pei—-” Someone at the back of the crowd scolded: “The son of Gao official wants to harm other young women again. ”

“It’s not like he hasn’t done such things before—–”

“Placing his money bag into someone else’s basket, slandering them as thieves, then bringing them to Tiandu’s mansion to do whatever he wants——-”

——-

“Who?” Gao Qiu raised his voice and scolded. “Which dog is talking behind the crowd? Come to the front; stand here and confront me—-”

As expected no one dared to walk to the front to confront him, who would dare to offend the son of Tiandu’s magistrate family?

Gao Qiu looked at the maiden with a face of distress and said: “I have protective feelings towards fair maidens, but I can’t condone criminals—-young lady you have to take a trip to Tiandu’s mansion with me, let young master I enlighten you, hope that after you and me—–spend a night together you would turn over a new leaf and not carry on in this wrong path—”

“I’m not going.” The young woman’s thin and weak body shrink back and screamed in tears:” I’m not going, I know who you are—–help me, help me——”

Gao Qiu is angry; he is infuriated.

He felt his character has been insulted and questioned.

He ordered the woman with his fan, said: “Since you want to do it the hard way; take her away.”

His voice lowered, the henchmen behind him dashed forward to arrest the girl who ‘stole his wallet’.

Pa—–

A whip swung across.

Before Gao Qiu’s eyes were complete darkness and then his cheek were burning in pain. He felt that the right side of his face was almost being split into two halves.

“Who was it?” Gao Qiu screamed in a sharp voice. “Who just hit me? ”

Hearing Gao Qiu’s sharp screeching voice, his servants immediately stopped what their doing and gathered together to protect the young master.

“Who?” Gao Fugui was considerably loyal, rushed forward to shield Gao Qiu and shouted:”Who dares to attack our young master? Come and fight me Gao Fugui—-”

Pa—-

A whip slashed across Gao Fugui’s mouth. Drenching in blood, his skin was flayed open and his flesh was torn apart.

He covered his mouth with his hands as he shouted but the malicious words he wanted to say couldn’t come out.

Gao Qiu’s eyes browsed around the surroundings and then locked on his attacker.

It was a young lady, a beautiful young lady.

The most beautiful girl Gao Qiu have seen in all these years.

If he could marry such a woman, he would rather turn over a new leaf, abstain from eating meat, pray to Buddha, and would stop dallying with other young women.

Flawless like a painting.

She had the beauty of a concubine that would be renowned through history, an appearance like singing snow.

Her beauty can’t even be described by thousands of words.

The maiden’s purple long hair was tied back into a confident ponytail and she was dressed in white Chinese clothes and sat on a black fine horse. She condescendingly sized up Gao Qiu.

No, it seems she did not even took a glimpse of him. Throughout the never ending long street and the gathering crowd, not even one person is worthy for her take a glance at.

Gao Qiu is a thoughtful and sensitive man; when he noticed that this woman did not even pay the slightest attention to him, he could not help but feel furious.

“What is your name?” Gao Qiu cupped his hands in salute, looked at the maiden on the black horse with a smiling expression and asked.

Pa—–

The maiden flicks her wrist, the black horsewhip in her hand flayed towards Gao Qiu’s face.

Gao Qiu was not able to dodge at all; his left cheek endured another hit.

Both his left and right sides now displayed a red hole, looks quite balanced and funny.

“Maiden, if you have something to say then go ahead, no need to use violence——-we are all polite people, if there’s something you’re not happy with about me then you can tell me directly——-”

Pa—–

The maiden stretched her hand; it was the whip once again.

“Hey, do you hear me? Are you deaf? Are you a mute? ”

Pa—–

“Do you know who my father is? You dare to hit me——-”

Pa—-

Gao Qiu’s face suffered yet another whip.

Gao Qiu began to weep.

He really is weeping, he felt sad and deeply hurt, and his face was burning with throbbing pain—–just like someone had used a knife to slash across the flesh of his face.

Gao Qiu’s cheeks were streaming with tears, he raised his head to look up at the young lady in white and howled in agony: “Don’t think because you’re beautiful you can do whatever you want. I’ll tell you, when I’m praising you, you can do whatever you say, I’m fed up of you- who do you think you are——It’s bad enough that you hit me but you also won’t tell me your name. Isn’t that unreasonable? ”

Pa—–

Gao Qiu’s face was flayed with the whip once again.

Gao Qiu’s lied on one side and then suddenly flopped to the ground.

“You dare to bully our young master——-” Gao Fugui’s mouth was dripping with blood, even his speech is not as clear as before, he pulled out a long blade from his waist and shouted: “Brothers, help me grab hold of this person.”
The maiden in white glanced ahead; his pace in rushing forward slowed down substantially and then cautiously began to circle round at the horse’s muzzle and returned.

He pointed at the woman and shouted: “Who are you, leave your name, wait for us to come to your door——–”

“Lu Qiji.” The maiden in white rocked forward in the saddle and the black horse clattered through the splitting crowd.

Gao Fugui was delighted and glad. He ran over to support Gao Qiu from the ground, proud of his achievements he said: “Young master, young master, I helped you ask the young lady’s name, she told me her name is Lu Qiji———-”

Pa—

Gao Qiu slapped Gao Fugui’s face and then one fist after one fist punched across, while yelling: “You dog servant, you deserve to be killed with thousands of blade——-Who the hell told you ask who she is? What do you need to know whom she is for? ”

“Young master—-young master—–” Gao Fugui clutched his head, desperately begging for mercy.

Behind the maiden in white were several similarly dressed young men and women wearing gorgeous clothes and riding on horses. They were of a similar age and their backgrounds were similar. The bright vigorous horses trotted through the crowd, receiving the admiration of the passer-by one after another.

“Son of Gao magistrate is becoming more ridiculous—————comparable to a brutish rogue”. A young man wearing a black warrior suit and carrying a sword said with a faint smile: “Qiji are you not worried of dirtying your whip?”

“If I don’t whip him, he will dirty my eyes.” The maiden in white said in a cold and harsh tone.