The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

"Little Du, Little Du, these soldiers aren't here with you to patronize prostitutes, are they?" Chang'an asked casually, chewing on a candied hawthorn.

Little Du Fu, with snot running down his face and blinking his big eyes, asked, "What does 'whoring' mean? They were all sent by my father to protect me, so naturally I can't just ignore them."

The leading sergeant approached with a fawning smile: "Young hero, our young master Du's father is none other than Lord Du Xian, the magistrate of Yancheng, hehe."

"I see, then that's not surprising."

They returned to the stage, where a fat, high-ranking official, with a sour face, was spitting as he spoke to the stage.

"Who gave you permission to set up your table here? Do you know you're blocking the public passageway? Get it down right now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the thugs behind him prepared to rush up and smash things.

The Yun sisters immediately drew their swords and stood in front of the platform, and the few thugs could only bark and curse, none of them daring to face the fierce Yun Yanshu.

"How dare you!! Disrespect an official appointed by the imperial court?!"

Gongsun Da Niang hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile, "I'm so sorry, sir, let's clean it up ourselves. What if your men get hurt?"

This fat, greasy-faced, and wicked official not only refused, but instead said viciously:

"All the tips and dirty money you collected in Yancheng must be handed over to the authorities! Do you understand?!"

Lady Gongsun smiled and said, "Sir, could you perhaps..."

"Slightly what? Slightly what?! Rules are rules, and they cannot be broken!"

The corrupt official then pinched his chin, looked Gongsun Da Niang up and down a few times, and said with a wicked smile:

"Unless... you and the young lady next to you are willing to come to my residence, and I personally interrogate you to find you innocent, I will not only return this dirty money to you personally, but also give you some extra reward money. How about it? Hehe."

The little girl he was referring to was Yun Xianfu.

Now, even the usually composed Granny Gongsun had a dark expression and stopped talking.

There are now at least five people on the field ready to kill him.

But the first one to rush forward was a mere child.

"Uncle Jiang, Uncle Jiang, you are so impressive! When we get home, I want to tell my dad to learn from you."

The corrupt official was startled, but upon seeing that the visitor was none other than the young Du Fu, he grinned like a dog.

"So...so it's Young Master Du who has arrived. I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner."

Little Du Fu tilted his head in confusion and said, "I came to see the performances and sword dance, not to see you. Why are you greeting me like this?"

Patrolman Jiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, bowed and smiled, "Then please continue reading, I'll... take my leave... take my leave."

After saying that, he slunk away like a stray dog.

Gongsun Da Niang and the Yun sisters bowed to young Du Fu in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, young master, for helping the three of us sisters out of this predicament."

Little Du Fu blushed, scratched his head, and chuckled sheepishly, "It's alright, it's alright. Anyway, I really enjoy watching your performances."

He then added, "Oh, by the way, you should all go back and rest. I'd like to see you perform again tomorrow."

The three of them bowed to young Du Fu again in gratitude, bid farewell to Chang'an, and then left.

As soon as they left, Hua Chan walked out from behind the stage with a blank expression, carrying the struggling Jiang Xiaotao in her hand.

She walked straight up to Chang'an and said, "The battle has been agreed upon, let's go."

"Around when?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Chang'an smiled and said, "Alright, we can set off for Luoyang at noon tomorrow."

Hua Chan patted his shoulder: "Junior brother, let's find a place to go tonight first."

No inn would allow that towering black sword into their premises; they couldn't, and they wouldn't.

Along the way, they either slept in the carriage or hid their black knives in the mountains and forests, while staying at inns in small towns.

But now that we've entered Yancheng, we can neither hide the black knife in the dense forest nor leave it on the street.

At this moment, young Du Fu excitedly approached Hua Chan: "You're also the sister who was performing the sword dance on the field just now!"

Chang'an's heart skipped a beat. He knew that what Hua Chan cared about most was her sword.

If a sword meant to kill is described as a dance for entertainment, then Senior Sister will never be happy.

Although children speak without thinking, Hua Chan wouldn't take it seriously, but she certainly wouldn't give them a pleasant look.

To everyone's surprise, Hua Chan smiled, patted little Du Fu's head, and said nothing.

Chang'an was slightly startled. After all, after three years of getting along, he was already familiar with all her reactions.

He could tell that Hua Chan's smile at that moment was genuine.

"Senior Sister actually likes children?" He glanced at Xiao Tao, who was being held in her hand, and chuckled.

"It seems he only likes well-behaved children."

Seeing the expectant look in Du Fu's eyes, Chang'an pressed her advantage and asked with a smile, "Little Du, would you like to see my sword...swordsmanship a little more?"

"Think, think, think!!"

"Alright! However, my sister's next performance will be at least in the evening. I wonder if Young Master Du will be able to come as promised?"

Little Du Fu pouted, looking troubled, and said, "But... Father won't let me go out at night..."

Chang'an clicked his tongue in dismay: "What a pity, what a pity. How could someone from an official family like you condescend to live with a bunch of commoners like us?"

He deliberately emphasized and slowed down the word "stay".

Du Fu was a clever man, but not quite that clever.

"You can stay at my house tonight!"

Seeing that Xiao Du had spoken his mind, Chang'an smiled with satisfaction.

The Du residence is indeed a very grand and magnificent place.

Even when you're being turned away, you can clearly feel it.

Little Du Fu had been inside for more than half an hour, Hua Chan had fallen asleep leaning against a pillar, and Xiao Tao was sharpening her black knife on the stone steps. Only Chang'an was still waiting foolishly.

What sustained him was Du Fu's confident demeanor before entering the room.

Unfortunately, the more confident he was when he went in, the more frustrated he came out.

Little Du Fu looked disheveled, with a red handprint on his swollen face.

Seeing this, Chang'an smiled wryly and said, "It seems your father is not an easy person to get along with."

Young Du Fu shook his head, "Not my father..."

"Could it be your mother?"

Young Du Fu gritted his teeth, "That's not my mother either."

Chang'an said knowingly, "Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes, let alone when it comes to a group of commoners and rustic men."

"In any case, thank you for your kindness, young friend. The three of us will take our leave now."

Young Du Fu hesitated, then Xiao Tao suddenly spoke up:

"Fool, we were paid money to stay here a few days ago, why don't we just give them some more now?"

Young Du Fu said urgently, "No, no, we mustn't use a private residence as an inn! They'll be even angrier if they find out!"

Chang'an shook his head. "No, no, no. If I paid two cartloads of gold instead of a handful of silver, how would your father react?"

"This this…"

"It's a pity that we can't conjure up two cartloads of gold now."

Chang'an then smiled and said, "Little Du, if you really feel bad about it, then please grant us a request."

Young Du Fu nodded repeatedly, "Just tell me, I'll definitely agree."

Chang'an laughed and said, "It's very simple. Xiao Tao! Do it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Tao leaped into the air. With a loud bang, the black knife was already stuck in the stone steps amidst the swirling wind and falling rocks.

The knife appears to be in front of the Du residence, and the common people would never dare to touch it.

But the knife was stuck in the street, and the Du family couldn't do anything about it.

Young Du Fu was dumbfounded, unable to believe that the little girl who had snatched the candied hawthorn from him possessed such incredible strength.

Chang'an smiled and said, "We'll take it away first thing tomorrow morning. If any passersby ask about it, just say the knife belongs to your family. If your family asks, just tell them the truth."

Little Du Fu nodded blankly, while Hua Chan fell into a deep sleep.

Now that the black knife has been dealt with, we can go find an inn.

But there are some people in this world who will do the very thing you forbid them from doing.

It's obvious that all three of them, the senior and junior brothers and sisters, are this kind of people.

The walls of the Du residence weren't very high, and the city guard wouldn't even look at those few pieces of silver, but the steward, who had elderly parents and young children to support, was quite happy to accept them.

The Du Mansion is even more magnificent, with houses as numerous as clouds, and beautiful gardens and streams.

As long as the three of them don't wander around the mansion, the steward can still quietly clear out an empty room for them in a corner of the mansion.

After finishing the meal delivered by the housekeeper, Hua Chan went straight to sleep.

With the duel approaching, she just wanted to stay in the Star Water Secret Realm a little longer.

Jiang Xiaotao hardly needs to sleep; for the past three years, she has spent most of her time killing Chang'an.

However, along the way, people often forget their original purpose because of some novel things.

At other times, she would take out Lu Xiaosan's severed hand and gently stroke her cheek.

Chang'an gazed at the hand, witnessing its transformation from long, strong, and slender to its current state of white bones, and a complex mix of emotions welled up within him…

Xiao Tao was different. Whether it was a warm, fleshy palm, rotten flesh, or even a cold, white bone, she could enjoy its caress with rapt attention.

Now, without a knife in her hand, she spat out the bone again, sat on the roof, gently stroked her face, until the bright moon hung in the sky and the stars shone.

Now that Hua Chan has fallen asleep, the task of looking after Xiao Tao naturally falls back to Chang'an.

So he also climbed onto the roof and lay down next to Xiaotao.

Xiao Tao, however, seemed not to have seen this person at all, and continued to hold her severed hand, gazing at the stars.

"How long do you plan to keep this hand?" Chang'an asked with a smile.

"At least until you die, until Master appears."

Xiao Tao turned to him again and said, "Don't think that just because you're taller than me now, I can't beat you!"

Chang'an smiled wryly and said, "After all these years, you still won't call me 'Senior Brother'?"

Xiao Tao snorted, "I only have one master, I don't have any senior brothers."

"Then who taught you this swordsmanship?"

Xiao Tao tightly hugged the broken bone hand and said, "It was Master who asked that white-haired old man to teach me. What does it have to do with you?"

Chang'an watched as she cherished her grandfather's and elder brother's hands as if they were treasures, a sentiment that remained unchanged for three years. He felt both joy and sorrow.

He thought to himself, "Xiao Tao's appearance and mind are forever frozen in time three years ago. Could it be that even her love is frozen in time?"

"But does eternal love truly exist in this world?"

At this moment, he lay on the roof, enjoying the evening breeze and gazing at the stars. This familiar scene pulled his thoughts back to that night three years ago.

At that time, a young girl was lying next to him; she was Jiang Xiaotao's younger sister, Jiang Xiaoxing.

"I wonder where Xiaoxing went in the end? Did she return to Jinma Manor? But it's been three whole years, how come there's not a single piece of news about her? Sigh... I wonder if she's doing well now?"

Chang'an reminisced about the past, lost in thought for a long time until late at night.

He noticed that Xiao Tao had closed her eyes at some point, and he didn't know if she was asleep or resting.

In either case, he should get her a warm, soft blanket.

He quietly returned to the room. The blanket was on the bed, but Hua Chan had disappeared!

"Oops!!!"

Chang'an knew that anything that could make Hua Chan get out of bed in the middle of the night must be of paramount importance.