The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The girl in green stared blankly at the handsome young man holding her until he smiled and said, "Miss, are you comfortable lying in my arms?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's face instantly turned red. She quickly jumped up, scratched her head, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Hehehe, I...I'm sorry, three handsome brothers."

"Girl, saying sorry won't do you any good," the young man said with a wicked grin as he took the girl's soft hand in his.

The girl was startled and looked around frightened, hoping someone could help her.

Looking around, he saw only a bald man at the next table, engrossed in his food. Judging from his expression, he wouldn't even acknowledge him, let alone help him.

The remaining tables of guests, to avoid the stench, had already retreated to a corner and hurriedly ate the food on their plates.

They were all focused on getting out of this stinking place as soon as possible, and had no interest in such trivial matters between young men and women.

Seeing that no one was helping her, the girl pouted and pleaded with the three young men, "Please, gentlemen, let me go, okay?" As she spoke, she deliberately shook their hands, acting quite coquettishly.

This action only aroused the lust of the three young men, as if their hearts were being constantly scratched by a kitten, making them unbearably itchy.

One of the young men smiled and bowed, saying, "Young lady, you are so lovely and charming. We three would like to take the liberty of inviting you to enjoy the moon and recite poetry with us tonight. What do you say?"

"Yes, as long as the girl agrees, we won't pursue the matter..." He deliberately lowered his voice, full of teasing intent, while gently stroking her fair arm with his other hand.

The girl in the green shirt forced a smile and tried to break free, her face growing increasingly pale.

Seeing this, another young man quickly coughed and nudged the young man who was touching the girl's hand with his elbow.

The young man, reminded by someone, seemed to suddenly remember something and became distracted, causing the girl to break free from his grasp.

The young man snapped out of his daze and suddenly looked at the girl seriously, saying, "Miss, you suddenly barged in and came straight towards me. You wouldn't be trying to harm me, would you?"

The girl hurriedly shook her head in denial, nervously saying, "No, absolutely not, I just... I was suddenly bothered by something, that's why..."

The young man glanced at her sideways, half-smiling and half-coercing, and said, "Just talking isn't enough. What if you've already left something unsafe on me?"

The girl was on the verge of tears, but the young man didn't give her a chance to speak again. He continued with a forced smile, "How about I have my father tell Prefect Hua that you have designs on me? That way, we can lock you up and interrogate you severely for ten days or half a month. What do you think?"

Faced with this blatant threat, the girl's bright eyes suddenly lit up, her previous anxious demeanor vanishing as she excitedly exclaimed, "Your father knows Prefect Hua? Then... then your father must be a... important person too..."

"Of course, how could this be fake?" With that, he proudly took out a gleaming gold nameplate from his pocket, on which was engraved a large "王" (King) character.

The other two young men nodded in agreement, "Miss, this is a designer brand that only nobles can afford. We've benefited a lot from Brother Wang's good fortune."

"Wow!" The girl covered her lips, excitedly about to jump up.

She changed her previous refusal and hurriedly stepped forward to massage their shoulders and smile apologetically, "I...I'll go and ask the kitchen to make a new meal for the young men."

"Boss, boss!" By the time the young man realized what was happening, the girl had already run to the kitchen and disappeared.

The three young men exchanged glances, and without prior arrangement, they all rubbed their chins, a mischievous smile slowly appearing on their handsome faces.

Judging from this, the girl is unlikely to escape their grasp tonight.

"Prefect Hua? Young Master Hua?" Lu Xiaosan had heard them mention him before, and a question arose in his mind: "Could this Prefect Hua... be the person I'm looking for?"

After a while, the girl came out of the kitchen with a smile, carrying wine and dishes.

She placed the freshly prepared food and wine on the table, clapped her hands, and said, "This meal is on me. Consider it my apology to you all, okay?"

The three young men rose and bowed insincerely, saying, "We are really sorry to trouble you, Miss. Please sit down so we can properly reward you."

The girl quickly waved her hand with a smile, "How could I possibly let my good brothers treat me like this?" After saying that, she filled her bowl with wine and drank it with the three young men one by one.

They had originally intended to get the girl drunk, and seeing her offering herself up, they weren't about to miss the opportunity.

Seeing the girl gulp down a bowl of wine, the three of them felt relieved and drank their own.

In the time that followed, the girl laughed and drank with them, becoming one of them and having a great time.

Amidst laughter and chatter, the girl suddenly slammed her hand on the table, pointed at Lu Xiaosan at the next table, and shouted, "Is it this stinky monk who's causing trouble for these young men?"

Before the three could stop her, the girl, slightly drunk, sat down next to Lu Xiaosan and stared intently at him as he ate and drank heartily.

"What are you doing sitting at my table? Get out of here! *smack smack*" Lu Xiaosan said, chewing the meat in his mouth with a hint of annoyance.

The girl glared angrily and slammed the plate that Lu Xiaosan was eating onto the ground with a loud crash.

Lu Xiaosan flew into a rage and raised his fist to punch the girl in green. In that instant, a strange change flashed in the girl's eyes. Her eyes, which had been dull due to drunkenness, suddenly became lively.

Noticing that the other person was giving him a meaningful look, Lu Xiaosan hesitated for a moment.

In that tiny gap, "crash, crash!" the girl slammed several plates of meat off the table, her face full of provocation and smugness, without a trace of remorse.

"Little black devil, do you think you're worthy to mess with my brothers? Don't you know how hard my three brothers work?"

Seeing the girl say such things so seriously, Lu Xiaosan was stunned for a moment. He clearly felt a raging fire spreading from his heart to his whole body.

Just as he was about to throw another punch at her, he saw the girl's bright eyes flicker and give him a wink.

"Go to hell, I spoiled you!" He was about to hit her without saying another word. This time, he would never tolerate her again.

Unexpectedly, he seemed to have been tripped up, and before he could even throw a punch, he sat back down on the stool with a thud, looking as if he had reluctantly sat back down, only able to endure the girl's humiliation without being able to put up any resistance.

Then, the laughter of the three young men came from behind: "Hahaha, what a spineless pushover! I was thinking of helping the young lady, but it seems there's no need now, hahaha!"

"Come on, let's drink! Forget about them, as long as the girl is happy!"

Seeing how cowardly Lu Xiaosan was, they relaxed and only kept an eye on the table. They would subdue him as soon as he showed any sign of fighting back.

The girl propped her chin on her hand, looked at Lu Xiaosan who was filled with shock and anger, and said softly, "Don't get so angry, I just have some questions for you."

Lu Xiaosan glanced back at the three men and saw that they were chatting and laughing, completely ignoring what the girl, who was already his, was saying to him.

"So you didn't want them to hear? What? You're afraid they'll be jealous of me?" Lu Xiaosan turned around, gave her another disdainful look, and snapped, "Spit it out!"

The girl was not angry at all; instead, she moved even closer to him and carefully examined Lu Xiaosan with her bright, sparkling eyes.

Seeing her alternating smiles and expressions of displeasure, Lu Xiaosan felt uncomfortable being stared at, so he put on his most skillful fierce look and said, "If you keep staring at your father like that, believe me, I'll kill you!"

"Why do you smell so bad?" the girl asked, blinking her bright eyes.

Lu Xiaosan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It's precisely because of disgusting people like me that even beggars on the street seem so noble and elegant. Superiority is all about comparison. I should at least leave some for the lower classes."

The girl nodded gently and chuckled softly, "So, according to you, you're still a treasure?"

Lu Xiaosan gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I dare not accept such praise, but compared to you, I can barely be considered one."

The girl rolled her eyes and said with a hint of reproach, "You're such a good boy, just standing by and watching this delicate and lovely girl get bullied by those three hooligans?"

Lu Xiaosan's anger flared up again, and she said angrily, "Are you sick? Are you out of your mind? Oh? Your life is your life, but mine isn't? Have you been reading too many brainless books and think that as long as a beautiful girl is bullied, her true love will definitely come to her rescue?"

Lu Xiaosan pointed to his head again, saying with disgust, "Wake up! With your looks, what chance do you have of a handsome, charming, and highly skilled young man coming to save you or win your heart? Besides, you and those three vermin are birds of a feather; why would you need anyone to save you?"

This girl in the green dress was clearly beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, and everyone loved her. She was definitely a natural beauty. However, Lu Xiaosan had a peculiar eye and judged a person's beauty or ugliness entirely based on his own feelings. Therefore, he often called someone beautiful as ugly and someone ugly as beautiful...

The girl dismissed his words, nodding in approval, "Not a bad compliment." From the moment she began to speak, her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Lu Xiaosan was already furious, and when she heard that the woman's voice was so soft that she had to guess what she was saying, she became even angrier: "Did a dog chew up your throat? Why is your voice so soft? Are you afraid that your normal voice will deafen me?"

At this point, the girl immediately became excited. She took a few deep breaths and pinched her nose, saying, "Because I was holding my breath while speaking, otherwise how could I have sat so calmly next to you?"

When she said "you," she deliberately emphasized it and spoke much louder than before.

Lu Xiaosan said with a stern face, "If you think I smell bad, then get lost! It's not like I begged you to sit here!"

The girl remained calm and composed. She held her breath again, leaned closer, and said, "Believe me, anyone who can sit next to you and eat and drink so heartily must be extraordinary."

After saying that, the girl turned around and glanced at the three young men who were eating and drinking, her meaning was crystal clear.

"Aren't you one of them?" Lu Xiaosan asked her, glancing sideways.

The girl sneered, her expression suddenly turning icy. "I need you to do something for me, or I'll have them deal with you."

"What are you dreaming about? I'm not your father, why should I do things for you?"

The girl covered her mouth and chuckled, "You hot-tempered guy, I knew you'd say that."

She suddenly stood up, slammed her hand on the table, and roared angrily, "Lu Xiaosan, don't be so stubborn!"

Lu Xiaosan was shocked upon hearing this, but before he could speak, he heard a commotion behind him:

"What? Lu Xiaosan!" The three young men suddenly stood up, their faces beaming with joy, as excited as if the girls seeking love had finally found their true love.

One of them licked his lips and grinned wickedly, "Girl, is this kid really that Lu Xiaosan who betrayed us in the face of battle?"

"How could I be lying?" With that, she swiftly turned Lu Xiaosan's head around and ripped off the fake beard and eyebrows that He Lai had attached to him, revealing Lu Xiaosan's true appearance.

"Now you see clearly, right? He's the Lu Xiaosan you've been searching for!"