The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Once the carriage was far away, Wang Xiaofan asked, "So he only let us hitch a ride because he liked your mask?"

Upon hearing this, Chang'an burst into laughter, "You're really getting smarter and smarter."

The three of them entered the bustling area, laughing and joking. There were only a few people hurrying around, all bundled up in their clothes. It was even more desolate than before.

No one was loudly soliciting customers in front of the Qiaohong Courtyard anymore, but a handsome young man dressed in white, as white as snow, was standing by the door with an umbrella, quietly observing every move of the Qiaohong Courtyard.

Seeing this, the three of them put their masks back on and walked up together, laughing, but always keeping a distance of about three steps from Zijing.

Upon seeing the three of them, Wu Zijin was overjoyed and excitedly asked, "Uncle-Master, Senior Brother, how did it go? Did you find that Physician Zhang?"

Chang'an shook his head and laughed, "I came here to hear your good news."

"I have been waiting here for a long time, but I have not found any trace of Doctor Zhang," Wu Zijin said in a low voice.

Suddenly, his expression changed. He turned to look at the brothel, shaking his head and sighing, "I had only heard that this was not a place for gentlemen. Only after seeing it with my own eyes today do I realize how disgusting this place of male debauchery and female licentiousness, where wine and women reign supreme, truly is."

He suddenly clasped his hands in a fist and said sincerely, "Uncle-Master, if Zhang Zhimin really went to such a place, please do not show any leniency."

The three of them had complicated expressions, their heads down, looking at each other.

Chang'an broke the awkward silence with a dry laugh, saying, "Zijin, most of the girls there are actually forced by life to go to such places out of desperation, and then pretend to enjoy it to please men."

"And the men who went there..."

Chang'an stammered and couldn't get a straight answer out for a long time. The two people beside him also lowered their heads and remained silent.

He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Men who go there are nothing but despicable! Every penny they spend there is a butcher's knife slashing at those poor girls!"

Chang'an was able to speak so arrogantly because he was cursing Wang Xiaofan in his heart. As a result, he was suddenly filled with thoughts and indignation!

Wu Zijin gritted her teeth, "Then places that force good people into prostitution and condone evil should be completely destroyed!"

Wang Xiaofan suddenly sighed and said, "Junior brother, you must know that not all men in this world are as handsome as you. Are they destined to be lonely for life and never reach the gentle land they have longed for?"

Wu Zijing and Chang'an glared angrily at Wang Xiaofan at the same time, which frightened him so much that he lowered his head and dared not speak again.

Chang'an snorted and retorted, "If you don't have a good-looking face, can't you make more money?!"

Wang Xiaofan suddenly realized, "With my uncle's reminder, the problem suddenly becomes much simpler."

Feng Chi, however, wasn't as shameless as them. After all, he had drunk the most and was the most out of control. Now, he was only thinking about changing the subject as soon as possible.

"Junior brother, where are the two junior sisters who came back with you?"

The four returned to an inn in the city. The waiter was lying lazily in a wicker chair. When he saw the four of them, he didn't even bother to collect the money. His face was full of despair.

Chang'an joked, "Waiter, can I get my room fee refunded?"

The waiter stared blankly and muttered, "If you can cure my illness, sir, then I will return the money to you."

“It’s a deal! Can I stay in your room for free now?” Chang’an asked.

The waiter said with a wry smile, "As long as there's room, you can sleep in the outhouse."

Feng Chi exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect him to actually not want money."

Wang Xiaofan laughed and said, "What's so strange about that? He's just a waiter, how could he possibly have descendants?"

Wu Zijin sighed, "When you are about to die, if you have no close relatives by your side, even if you are rich, it will be of no use."

Upon reaching the second floor, Feng Chi and Wang Xiaofan, exhausted, each found a room to rest.

Chang'an immediately went to Lan Tingting's door and carefully knocked, calling out, "Tingting? Tingting? Tingting?"

"Come in!" Lan Tingting said impatiently, much like an old boss whose afternoon nap has been disturbed by his subordinates.

Chang'an just chuckled and said, "Hey, I'm sick, how could I go in and harm you?"

"You're so long-winded, like an old woman. I'm not afraid, so why are you? Come in!" Lan Tingting shouted.

Chang'an coughed twice. "No, principles must be followed."

"So you're planning to stand outside the door like Dr. Zhang?" Lan Tingting asked.

"You're right. It seems you have a pretty good impression of Doctor Zhang," Chang'an said.

"Of course."

"In that case, please help me prepare some things that can disguise me as him. As the last disciple of Bone File, this shouldn't be too difficult for you," Chang'an said.

"Do you think Dr. Zhang was behind all of this? It seems you've gained quite a bit from this trip," Lan Tingting said with rare delight.

"I never said that all of this was orchestrated by Doctor Zhang. I just need you to help me disguise myself as him when the time comes," Chang'an said with a smile.

"Don't worry! Leave it to me. You know, not everyone is as useless as you and Wang Xiaofan, Uncle-Master." Only Lan Tingting's mischievous laughter could be heard from inside the room.

"Hahahaha, just wait and see what happens."

As Chang'an spoke, he walked to the door of the next room, which was A-Mei's room.

He leaned in to listen to the door, and just as he was about to knock, the door creaked open, and Chang'an nearly fell into A-Mei's arms, who was chewing on half a sesame seed cake.

"I heard your voice earlier, but I didn't say anything so as not to disturb your conversation. How was it? Did the trip go smoothly?" Amei said with a smile, her words slightly unclear, as she chewed on a biscuit.

Chang'an was terrified. He quickly covered his mouth and nose, turned and ran, shouting, "I'm fine. I'm relieved to see you're all safe. I have something to do, so I'll be going now!"

"Why are you running, Uncle-Master? Uncle-Master?!" A-Mei shouted in vain, and could only watch helplessly as he ran back downstairs.

Zijing was still standing on the first floor, holding an umbrella. Her first words were a smile: "Junior Uncle, is there something important you need? I've had a good rest, is there anything I can do for you?"

Chang'an maintained his distance from Zijin and asked, "Yes, yes, Zijin. You can rest here. If any government officials come looking for you later, just tell them I'm here."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Wu Zijin had many questions and asked, "Uncle-Master, did you commit some crime outside?"

Chang'an shook his head and laughed, "I think they will invite me over then, rather than arrest me."

Wu Zijin finally understood a bit and asked, "So, during this time, Uncle-Master, you don't plan to do anything dangerous, do you?"

Chang'an laughed and said, "It is quite dangerous. If I go upstairs to take a nap and accidentally have a nightmare and wet the bed, that would be terrible."