The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

"Ughhhhhh!" He had already passed through the white mist, descending with the force of thunder.

Just as he was about to be smashed into a bloody pulp, he flew right to a waterfall-shaped passage and landed on a round stone slab.

"Ouch...!" He clutched his aching chest, groaning, and it took him a long time to stand up.

Before she knew it, Hua Chan had quietly appeared beside her.

He was panting heavily as he looked around and saw that Little Black was sticking out its tongue, watching them from afar on the hilltop.

Phoenix Wing Mountain was already at their feet, and they were slowly ascending along the waterfall path they had come from.

Chang'an looked at Hua Chan beside him and couldn't help but say, "Senior sister, could you please let me know in advance when you go back to Qiantang next time? My heart really can't take it."

Hua Chan remained silent, simply carrying her bundle and gazing quietly into the distance.

After calming down, Chang'an cautiously asked, "Senior Sister, what are your plans after you return to Qiantang?"

"Go home and sleep," Hua Chan replied slowly.

Both of them fell silent…

The space was cramped, and the stench emanating from Hua Chan's body grew stronger—it was the smell of Lu Xiao San.

Above them was the same dazzling and romantic Milky Way they had seen on their way here; beneath their feet was the sacred and magnificent divine phoenix; and all around them was the most familiar scent.

Seeing the object reminded me of the person, and in a daze, I realized that the person standing next to me had become Lu Xiaosan.

"Grandpa...Grandpa, Big Brother!!"

"Uh..." It wasn't until Hua Chan murmured softly that he was pulled out of his hallucination.

Seeing that Hua Chan was standing motionless with her back to him, he cautiously asked, "Senior Sister, do you... know a monk... named Lu Xiaosan?"

Chang'an's eyes trembled as he awaited her answer.

"call……"

"Sister?"

Hua Chan had already fallen into a deep sleep while standing still.

“At least I managed to catch up on sleep during class, but she really hasn’t slept a wink all day,” Chang’an sighed.

……

After passing through the first layer of the lake, the stone slab came to a stop. Hua Chan suddenly woke up, bent down and gently pressed the center of the stone slab, and the dragon and phoenix patterns on the slab gradually shone with a silvery-white light.

In this way, the stone slab carried the two of them upwards, but this time it did not rise vertically, but deliberately veered off course, as if Hua Chan had already decided on the destination.

Seeing how unsteady and shaky the stone slabs were, Chang'an couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister, where...where do you live?"

Hua Chan raised her head and quietly looked at the West Lake above her, saying, "Home is a quiet and peaceful place."

The stone slab rose all the way to the lake surface, and the two stepped onto the shore.

The place was sparsely lit by nightlight and completely shrouded in shadow.

Chang'an took a deep breath and said with a look of ecstasy, "In any case, we're finally back on land... Ugh!!"

The air was thick with a stench, and the snoring was deafening.

Under a stone bridge in the city, a group of emaciated beggars covered in mud were sleeping.

"Waaah, waaah, Mommy, I'm hungry...!" The child suddenly started crying.

"Don't cry, don't cry, you'll be able to eat something delicious tomorrow morning," the mother said softly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Ouch!" The beggar, who had finally fallen asleep, clutched his leg, which had just been broken, and began to groan in pain.

The ground was littered with tree bark they had gnawed on, and dirty, tattered cotton cloth stained with blood.

"Buzzing..."

"Squeak..."

Flies, mosquitoes, and rats seem to be frequent visitors here as well…

Chang'an crossed his arms and shook his head with a sigh, "It feels so familiar to see this, it's just a pity I'm no longer a beggar."

"Achoo!" The beggar at the front slowly woke up, looked around, and after seeing Chang'an and Hua Chan, squinted and scolded, "Why aren't you two asleep yet? We have to go to the street to grab a good spot first thing tomorrow morning! Go to sleep!"

After saying that, the beggar scratched his buttocks, wrapped his tattered straw mat around himself tighter, and went back to sleep.

Chang'an smiled awkwardly, but Hua Chan slowly squatted down in the swarm of mosquitoes, placed the black bundle in the middle of the beggars, and said softly, "You can sleep a little longer tomorrow morning."

Chang'an whispered urgently, "Senior sister, come out quickly! If you get bitten by mosquitoes, I'll be thrown into a mosquito nest!"

Leaving the stone bridge, the air became much fresher, and they finally basked in the bright moonlight in this prosperous Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, both of them had blank stares and stiff steps. They walked one after the other like zombies on the deserted street.

A biting cold wind blew, and Chang'an rubbed his body vigorously, then hurriedly asked, "Senior Sister, this... it's almost curfew. If we walk around here so openly, it'll be terrible if the officials see us!"

"It's best to see it, and I'm too lazy to walk around anyway..." Hua Chan replied.

"Wh...what do you mean?" Chang'an exclaimed in surprise.

You'll understand soon enough.

She led Chang'an around two dark streets and through gloomy alleyways, until finally, a bright and spacious mansion appeared before them – the Hua Mansion.

Chang'an exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister, how did you end up at the government office? Aren't you afraid of getting arrested and going to jail?!"

Hua Chan mechanically turned her neck, pointed at the Hua residence, and said with a grin, "Go home and sleep!"

Chang'an gasped instantly, "Which prison cell do you live in?!"

Hua Chan just smiled and then strolled leisurely towards the Hua residence.

Looking at her captivating smile, Chang'an finally realized, "So, so Senior Sister is the number one beauty they were talking about: Miss Hua! The daughter of the Hua Ming family!!"

Chang'an was overjoyed and hurriedly followed, laughing, "Finally, I can eat a government job! Hahahaha!"

"I've heard that Magistrate Hua is known for his compassion for the people and is a famously good official!" Chang'an began to flatter Hua Chan again.

"You corrupt official! Release them at once!" A loud shout suddenly rang out from ahead.

Only then did they see that a large black cloud had gathered in front of the Hua residence, and these people were like a massive army pressing in, blocking the Hua residence completely.

"This...this is curfew time, what are these fearless people doing here?" Chang'an exclaimed in surprise.

Hua Chan's smile had vanished. With a cold face, she took a few steps forward and saw that all the men, women, and children among them were dressed in black, as if they were cult members.

"You corrupt official! How dare you frame an innocent person without distinguishing right from wrong! Bah!" The burly man in the lead cursed as he spat at the row of soldiers in front of the gate. Judging from his accent, he didn't seem to be a local.

"Apologize, apologize, apologize!!!" A group of women started shouting from behind again.

"You corrupt official, come out here and kneel down to apologize to your grandfather! Otherwise, I'll burn down your doghouse!!" A group of hot-blooded men also started shouting.

"Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!" The crowd erupted in a deafening clamor, and judging from their accents, at least half of them were from out of town.

"With such a scene, what on earth has happened here?" Chang'an was greatly alarmed.

Hua Chan walked silently ahead, her steps still unsteady, but her center of gravity was extremely stable, clearly indicating that she had made up her mind to do something.

As the two squeezed into the crowd, a stench suddenly spread.

"Damn it! What stinks like that!"

"Watch out, the soldiers are about to release poison gas!"

Hua Chan stepped forward and gently pushed the first person aside. The people around her saw that she was pale, her messy hair covered half of her face, her steps were stiff, and she smelled terrible, like a lonely ghost from a mountain valley.

For a moment, not knowing whether she was one of their own or not, they all covered their noses and instinctively made way for her.

"Stay close to me." Hua Chan turned around, grabbed Chang'an's hand tightly, and led him along the path she had cleared.

At this very moment, Chang'an walked through the most familiar crowds, smelled the most familiar odors, and felt the most familiar sense of security...

In his blur, he saw that the person walking ahead, sheltering him from the wind and rain, seemed to have transformed back into that stinking, bald monk…

Lu Xiaosan's silhouette slowly merged with Hua Chan's silhouette; subconsciously, he was gradually drawing the two closer together, merging them...

Before he knew it, he had followed Hua Chan to the door.

"Whoosh!" A sharp steel knife suddenly appeared in front of the two of them.

"Get out! This is not a place for you to come in."

Hua Chan stared coldly at her reflection in the moonlight on the blade, without uttering a word.

"Don't be afraid of these lackeys! We're backing you up!"

"Yes!!!" The people behind them started yelling again, cheering for the two.

"Be bold!"

A clear female voice rang out from behind the door. Hearing the voice, Hua Chan also looked up, her eyes showing joy.

Coco, dressed in elegant light clothing, hurriedly came up and grabbed the two of them, quickly walking towards the Hua residence.

"Ah? So they're one of those corrupt officials' men! Brothers, vomit!!"

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!!"

Inside the Hua residence, Coco exclaimed excitedly with a joyful expression, "Young Miss, I knew you would come back at this time, so I was already waiting at the door."

Hua Chan smiled warmly, "You've really worked hard, Coco."

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work, hehehehehe."

Coco's smile hadn't even faded when she suddenly exclaimed, "Young Miss! It's only been a few days, how come you've made yourself look so slovenly again?"

Hua Chan looked at Coco, who was pouting and acting petty, and smiled without saying a word.

Chang'an clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "This beautiful young lady must be Senior Sister Hua's good friend."

Coco raised and lowered her eyebrows, looked him up and down, and then laughed, "Oh, I see, you little beggar, you're here to beg for food, right?"

Chang'an subconsciously smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, please... Oh no, my old occupational hazard has kicked in."

Hua Chan smiled and explained, "Coco, this is my new junior brother Chang'an, and also my only junior brother."

Upon hearing this, Chang'an couldn't help but smile, his blood boiling with excitement.

Coco looked at the two dirty, smiling beauties in front of her and gave an awkward smile: "They do look quite like senior and junior siblings, huh..."

Chang'an clasped his hands in a fist salute again, but Coco stopped him, saying, "Don't do that, okay?"

Coco extended her hand and smiled, "I am the young lady's personal maid: Coco."

Chang'an took her hand and smiled back: "But I feel that you are more like my senior sister's good sister."

All three of them laughed.

Hua Chan, in particular, said, "Junior brother, since you're so good at talking, let me ask you, who do you think is prettier, me or Coco?"

When a girl asks this question, she doesn't necessarily want you to prove her superior. She just hopes to get your recognition and praise to make up for her constant lack of security.

Chang'an certainly understood this principle, especially since the answer to the question was so obvious.

Chang'an cleared his throat and laughed, "Both of you are stunning beauties descended from heaven. To describe you with the most ornate language would seem rather rustic. Only..."

"I only want the name." Hua Chan interrupted him mercilessly, but Ke Ke's face was already flushed with embarrassment.

Chang'an hesitated, forcing a smile. He couldn't bring himself to lie through his teeth and offend his senior sister, with whom he would be spending every day in the future...

"I think my senior sister is slightly better..."

"Sigh..." Hua Chan rolled her eyes, turned around and left.

Coco said softly, "Thank you, but..." She suddenly made a face again, "Serves you right, serves you right!"

"Did I...did I say something wrong again?" Chang'an was at a loss.

He caught up with the two women and asked, "By the way, what are those people at the door doing here?"

Coco glanced at Hua Chan, who was stretching lazily, and said listlessly, "Coco, all I want to do right now is sleep. I don't want to hear any of this boring stuff."

"Yes, Miss."

Hua Chan continued, "I'm going to sleep now. I'll leave the bathing and changing to you."

"Yes."

"Ah..." Hua Chan yawned, then fell into Coco's arms and fell into a deep sleep.

Chang'an stared in disbelief, "This...this..., you wash while you're asleep??"

Coco picked up Hua Chan in her arms and said to Chang'an, "You should go wash up too. Look, it's in that room. I'll have someone bring you hot water and new clothes in a bit."

After saying that, she hugged Hua Chan and hurriedly ran towards the main room.

Chang'an watched their departing figures, sighed, and went to his room.

After taking a relaxing hot bath and changing into clean clothes, I became that beautiful and clean young man again.

On his way back to his room to sleep, Chang'an breathed in the air in the courtyard, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Ouch!" A small pebble suddenly flew from a distance and hit him right on the forehead.

"Who?!"

Looking around, he suddenly noticed a figure on the roof beam, waving at him.

"It's you!" Chang'an exclaimed in surprise.