A man went up and, in a loud voice, announced the end of the previous round. He then called the owners of the next two dogs.
Upon being called, Yun'er helped her mistress to straighten up. Secretly sighing as she did so.
Xu HuaJie approach nearer the elevated platform. Treading behind his heels is Xu XiaoYoa who's rubbing her eyes open.
Another set of bettings started and the crowd turned disorderly as a result. Xu Huajie has the desire to cover his sister's ear least she ends up corrupted by this environment.
Just then, someone greeted Xu HuaJie.
"To think I'll meet Xu HuaJie at such a place." A man called out in a cheerful tone and approached them. A group of people follows behind him like some kind of entourage.
"Brother is sure well-known," Xu XiaoYao mumbles under her breath. Meeting multiple people in just a day, surely she underestimated how good of a playing piece her brother is.
"What a chance encounter, Young Master Song," Xu Huajie greeted back without any suspicion.
"Don't be so formal. Since we're friends, call me Song He like the others." He then gave Xu HuaJie a heavy slap on the shoulder. "Also, I heard you went with Young Master Li to play." Song He appears to be playful yet his tone is ambiguous. "Don't you think it's mean to leave another friend out?"
"N--no. I have an errand to do so it is only a brief encounter," Xu HuaJie pulled back a distance.
"Seeing as you are here, regardless of my reluctance, I'll believe you for now." Song He presented himself as an understanding person. "But... for our Xu HuaJie to appear in this shady place, I'm now curious as to what kind of errand you have."
"That---" Whenever a person felt cornered by pressure, a common trait like their eyes roaming around would appear. Like deep seeped instinct, they'll look for an escape. Xu HuaJie has this set of natural habits and Xu XiaoYao happens to be the closest to an escape that he could found. "My younger sister wanted to experience the world outside. As you know, it's almost her hairpin ceremony so I'm taking her around."
In a beat, the attention shifted to Xu XiaoYao's small body.
"Oh, so the companion is indeed Second Young Miss Xu." This time, Xu XiaoYao was not ignored. "Apologies for not greeting you right away. I was not sure and afraid to make a mistake when addressing the young lady."
His companions- or rather his lackeys, follow suit and offer lousy greetings.
"There is no need to apologize, Young Master Song. It has been a long time since the proper introduction was made." Xu XiaoYoa bowed in greeting.
Song He nodded. "Indeed, I have not seen the young lady socialized for the past years. If not for Xu HuaJie good judgment to let you experience the world, I wouldn't have known that you have grown to such an enchanting beauty."
The little miss did not react to his blatant teasing. Whether it was a result of being innocent or being stoic, he cannot put his fingers on it.
Regardless, there is no lie in his words.
Xu XiaoYao is indeed enchanting.
A frost-like beauty with delicate features. But rather than looking like a cold indifferent person, she seems to be fragile.
Her image burns deep into memories.
By barely reaching his chest, she's smaller than the ladies that share the same age.
A kid yet without the childishness of one.
In one full scope, he'll probably be able to envelop her whole being.
"Really. It's the kind of beauty that scholars describe in poems." One of the Young Masters following Song He spoke up. Once someone started it, the rest also joined in.
They laughed as they fussed closer to her.
"When they said that the young miss Xu is the most beautiful maiden in the capital, they definitely mistook the wrong sister."
"That's true. Such dark hair against a porcelain-like face. Second Young Miss Xu resembles that of a carefully crafted doll."
"Too bad, they said that such devastating beauty has the fate of becoming concubines. Else they anger the gods."
"It's just a saying. If you sprout nonsense, you'll scare the little miss," Song He said while smiling.
"Would the young maiden be kind enough to bestow us a smile?" The man lifted his hand to tag Xu XiaoYao's cheek but stopped midway.
Xu Huajie interrupted by pulling Xu XiaoYao behind him. "Please don't tease her too much. She rarely goes out so my younger sister is quite shy in nature. Let me apologize on her behalf."
Xu XiaoYao stares at her brother's broad back. 'A paper tiger confidence won't be convincing unless you straighten up that spine,' she thought.
"Is that so?" Song He chuckled and mutters, 'What an amusing pair of siblings.' "Then how about we sit? Let's start now. I'll be in your care, young master Xu."
Song He signaled to his servant and a cage was carried into the elevated platform. The Xu family servant who's carrying a similar cage did the same when Xu Huajie nodded.
The first cage opened and a large dog run out in a frenzy.
Running into the corners and growling into the people watching. If not for the height of the wooden platform, nothing could have stopped it from leaping away and attacking anyone that would come into its way.
Black fine furs with a bulky build. Strong teeth waiting to bury into the enemy. Scars to prove its mighty reign.
With fury clouding its eyes, surely, it is a fine wild fighting dog.
And then the next cage opens.
Slowly, in careful steps to the point of timidity, a smaller dog with ragged fur came out.
Feeling another presence, the black dog faced the direction of the ragged dog. With a louder bark than it used a while before, it proceeds to scare its prey.
The ragged dog, like afraid of its new environment, swept its gaze around. Only when the larger dog turned impatient with its useless barking and pounce on the ragged dog did the latter pay attention to the black dog and hastily dodge to the side. It started to growl in response.
"Young Master Xu have good eyes," someone in the group of lackeys jest.
Xu HuaJie felt his cheeks burning when comparing the build of the two dogs. "That's--- it's my sis---"
"Since we have two good fighters, let's make this more exciting! How about a bet?"
"No---"
"It's just for fun. Come on, it'll make us sad if you refuse right away."
The repeated show of her brother being cornered to agreeing started to become boring to Xu XiaoYao. Raising her sleeves, she hides her accumulated yawn.
Nonsensical yapping from insignificant people should be treated as background noise. Xu HuaJie ought to learn this on his own else she'll drill it into him.
In the elevated platform, the two dogs started a play of pouncing and dodging. With a one-sided show of might, people felt the excitement lacking.
"A--as I said, it belongs to my younger sister. I'm only here to accompany her," Xu HuaJie reasoned while Xu XiaoYao questions who should be shielding who.
Without a beat nor an ounce of conscience, they turn to Xu XiaoYao. "Then, would Young Miss Xu want to play with us?"
"If you win, we'll give you a reward," they said as if trying to scum a child.
Before Xu XiaoYao could respond, Song He raised a finger. "Betting with taels is common. Instead, how about a store deed to spice things up?"
"As I have yet to reach adulthood, all my properties are managed by my family's furen. Thus, there is nothing I could give in as a prize for Young Master Song," Xu XiaoYao said.
"Your elder brother can be your guarantor," Song He blocks her instantly.
"..." Xu Huajie pressed his lips together in deep pressure. After a while, he agreed, "Alright. Let's go with that."
'Brother, is this why Xu Manor become so poor way back then? You lost our properties by betting them didn't you?'
"Casually tossing a store deed, as expected of these two young masters." Someone praised.
"This is nothing, right, Xu Huajie? After all, both of us belong to a clan of true nobles." Song He acted arrogantly as he emphasized the words 'true nobles'. "Since everyone has nothing to do, act as our witness to ease our young master Xu's worries."
Out of a sudden, shouts of amusement vibrating throughout the place and the group of restless young masters put a stop on their acts of bulgary.
Atop of the elevated platform, the large black dog backs a few steps.
The left ear was bitten off.
People were at lost with the sudden change of superiority. Looking at each other, they started their confuse whisperings.
The ragged dog, with a scent of iron, gave off a menacing aura. Blood trickled down creating a messy pattern on the wooden ground. With its mouth painted in the glaring color of red, Xu XiaoYao lips curled up in praise.
In this time around, the larger dog approach with vigilance. They circled each other. Snarling from time to time.
Once again, it was the large dog that pounded into the ragged dog. It moves purely to established itself to be the dominant one.
Striking first as a reflection of its survival sense.
Using its smaller body, the ragged dog swiftly turn its body to the side. The two dogs brush each other. It was then that the ragged dog lounge on to bite.
The larger dog has yet to touch the wooden ground with its front paws. Its body still on motion and mid-air. Adding its larger build and close distance, its clumsy attempt on dodging end up in a futile show of resistance.
In death grip, sharp teeth fastened on the larger dog's throat. The ragged dog caught the larger one. And so, blood stained both of their furs.
Whimpering in pain, the larger dog shook its whole body and pulled away. The ragged dog resists only to end up being lifted. They tumble; shifting their position from time to time.
Still, the ragged dog has its jaw firmly close. Clenching its mouth, the teeth sinks in deeper and more blood poured out.
The struggle between the two grows more and more dangerous until both slam into the wooden floor.
'Bam!' and everyone stood in silence. Peering their eyes open and sticking their necks out, they all scrambled to get a glimpse.
When the two dogs stood up separately, they realized that they had been holding their breaths.
The color of death highlighted the furs of the ragged dog. While the other one has a large chunk of skin ripped out. On its body were countless crawl marks deep enough to see the bones peeking. Even one of its eyes had been ripped off.
An animal, if cornered to the verge of death, would put up a last struggle of desperation to bite. Xu XiaoYao watched unblinking to a dog who was swallowed by its instinct to survive.
It tries to catch the smaller dog only to be brushed aside so closely. The bark it was making turned sharper. Exerting the last remaining of its strength, the larger dog dive.
Only to be baited into leaping out of the platform.
A yelp followed by a loud thud.
With broken bones sticking out and its body in unnatural angle, the once scary dog is now bathing in its own pool of blood.
It was still whimpering. Making little sounds.
The dog is twitching.
It is still alive.
Xu HuaJie paled upon the view. He didn't forget to block Xu XiaoYao's eyes.
Then people cheered. The sound vibrates and their spirits stirred. This is the hotbloodiness that they sought after. This is the kind of excitement they came here for.
'The underdog making it out.'