The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Lu and Wen got a carriage in Jiangcheng. During the trip, they encountered a lot of trouble because Lu Xiaosan smelled terrible. Fortunately, they had enough money to solve the problems.

The two traveled leisurely along the road. Thinking about the past journey, Wen Ying couldn't help but say while driving the carriage, "Brother Lu was so noble in the demon realm, how come he is so poor in the human realm? He almost lost his life several times, and he couldn't even get a carriage."

Lu Xiaosan chuckled and said, "The human world is much more dangerous than the demon realm, especially for me."

Wen Ying rolled her eyes: "Really? Then you'll have to be more careful from now on, giddy up!" After she finished speaking, she lightly flicked the whip, and the wind gently lifted her strands of golden hair.

Lu Xiaosan saw all of this and, while stunned, he remembered what Guai Badao and Fen Laoshan had said: Wen Ying seemed to be a Hu girl. What had she gone through to get to where she is today?

Lu Xiaosan, lost in thought, started biting his fingernails. Finally, he asked, "Little Golden Retriever, where exactly is your home? Is it related to the Three Venerable Palaces?"

Wen Ying was taken aback by his words, then smiled and said, "Why...why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Could it be...could it be a small wooden house in the rice paddies!" Lu Xiaosan exclaimed excitedly.

“No…” Wen Ying sighed again, “Since Brother Lu wants to know so much, I’ll tell you, but… you’re not allowed to tell anyone else.” Wen Ying pouted as she spoke.

“Okay, I swear I won’t tell anyone,” Lu Xiaosan said confidently.

Seeing him make his vow, Wen Ying breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look ahead and said as if having a casual conversation, "I only remember living in a very magnificent and splendid palace."

“A palace? A wealthy family’s residence? Then I have a chance to curry favor with them,” Lu Xiaosan said.

With a hint of sadness, Wen Ying said, "Perhaps... because back then I was locked in my room every day. Apart from the servants bringing me meals, I had no one else to talk to... I could only see my mother once every few months..."

"Perhaps it's because I was very young then, so I was deeply impressed by these unpleasant things..."

Lu Xiaosan leaned back with his hair slicked back and said, "Eating and drinking well, but no freedom, hmm... I'm much happier than you..."

"But then, how did you escape?"

Wen Ying shook her head. "I didn't escape... but when I was about six years old and could remember things, the servants said they were going to take me somewhere, and if I didn't go, I would die..."

"Huh? Why? Has your family been attacked by enemies? Who would dare to mess with a family that owns a palace?"

Wen Ying frowned slightly. "No... at that time, they were not only calm, but they also seemed to be relieved."

"So it was more like... being kicked out of their home... In the end, only one strange man suddenly jumped out and claimed to be my father. He gave me the Three Palaces' token and a dog, saying I might need it when I'm out there..."

"Oh! You've been kicked out like this, and you can never go home again?"

Wen Ying's eyes flickered slightly. "No, that won't happen... Before I left, my father said I only needed to stay away for a few years, and then I had to go back..."

Lu Xiaosan gave an "oh," feeling a pang of disappointment...

Seeing his sudden dejection, Wen Ying asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing? Little Golden Retriever, don't you think it's liberating and enjoyable to wander alone? Isn't that much better than being locked up at home?" Lu Xiaosan had ulterior motives and wanted to persuade her to stay.

Wen Ying hesitated, "I...I don't know...Although I've almost forgotten what my home is like, I'm not as free as Brother Lu described..."

A six-year-old girl of Central Asian descent, accompanied by her golden retriever, ventures alone into a world fraught with danger. What hardships has she endured...?

And look at her now, her eyelashes lowered, her brows furrowed with worry. She must be thinking of something extremely painful.

Upon seeing this, Lu Xiaosan felt a surge of affection and instinctively pulled her into his arms.

With that embrace, they both felt a sense of reliance on each other and couldn't help but want to share their innermost thoughts.

Wen Ying whispered in his arms, "Brother Lu... in the eyes of you Han people, what kind of existence are the Hu people?"

Indeed, she suffered a lot because of her Central Asian features…

Lu Xiaosan said, "As for me, I don't care. If I get along with someone, I will treat them even better. I don't care if they are a barbarian or a Han Chinese, or even a demon. I will accept them."

"But if I don't get along with him, even if he's my own son, I won't bother with him. Get the hell out of my sight!"

Wen Ying couldn't help but giggle when she heard him say that.

But soon she sighed and said, "If every Han Chinese could think like Brother Lu, that would be wonderful..."

As if suddenly remembering something, she laughed and changed her mind, saying, "No, if everyone were like Brother Lu, wouldn't everyone abandon their own children? Haha."

"Hahahaha." The two burst into laughter.

The two leaned against each other, quietly enjoying the breeze and the scenery along the roadside.

The horses seemed to understand their thoughts, and moved even slower, but they still had to face reality.

The thought that this journey would inevitably come to an end filled Wen Ying with a heavy heart. She whispered, "Brother Lu..."

Her tone was so gentle that Lu Xiaosan tightened his grip on her, but whether out of shyness or something else, he only replied faintly, "What?"

Wen Ying said casually, "Do you know why I always wear a hoodie when I go out?"

Lu Xiaosan blurted out, "It must be because you think Luo City is too hot."

Wen Ying chuckled and said softly, "It is a little bit, but it's not the most important thing. Think about it again."

Lu Xiaosan thought for a moment, then his tone became serious, "Because, it's to cover up your eye-catching blonde hair."

After a moment of silence, Wen Ying nodded gently, making Lu Xiaosan's chest itch.

Wen Ying said, "That's right, it was because of this blonde hair that I suffered a lot."

Lu Xiaosan scratched his head and asked, "Little Golden Retriever, I don't understand. You are so beautiful, how could anyone make you suffer?"

Wen Ying blushed and said awkwardly, "I... sigh... maybe it's because I'm beautiful that I was captured and sold to a wealthy family as a maid. Or maybe I was sold to a tavern to work as a prostitute. That way I could probably make a lot of money."

"This... a six-year-old being kidnapped and sold to someone? That person is absolutely heartless!"

Wen Ying smiled bitterly, "If I don't catch her when she's six, do you expect me to grow up and sell myself off?"

Hearing this, Lu Xiaosan tightened his grip on her, and carefully asked, "Then... what happened next..."

"Fortunately, later, Big Golden Hair and I were rescued by a chivalrous man. The man who rescued me said it was because I possessed the token of the Three Palaces, and only then did I believe what my father said."

"Alas, ever since then I have tried my best to conceal my identity as a barbarian, wandering around with my golden-haired dog, and I have suffered a lot because I am not a Han Chinese."

"Fortunately, I eventually met a good doctor. The old woman saw that I was born with the ability to help people expel poisonous blood, so she took me in as her assistant and taught me medical skills. That's how I was able to establish myself in Luocheng."

Lu Xiaosan nodded and murmured, "So that's how it is. No wonder you always draw lines on your face so much that you can't recognize your original appearance. So that's why."

Lu Xiaosan patted his chest again and said confidently, "But don't worry, with me here, I guarantee these things won't happen again."

Wen Ying chuckled, "What, does wandering around with you not count as wandering?"

"Hmph, I can't promise anything else, but as long as I don't die, I'll make sure you eat well and are full every day, and laugh every day. Hahaha, that's how my little beauty grew up!" Lu Xiaosan laughed.

"That would be the best, but if Brother Lu takes a Hu girl like me with him, it will only cause you trouble wherever we go..." Wen Ying said sadly.

"How could that be? You think I can't protect you..." He stopped mid-sentence, thinking of his recent experiences: Wen Ying had mostly come to his rescue, while he himself had repeatedly put her in danger...

He was too ashamed to continue.

But seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, his heart warmed suddenly. "After going through so many dangerous things, why does she still trust me so much?"

Lu Xiaosan thought for a moment, "That's it, that's it." So he said, "Why should I make so many promises to you? Anyway, you'll never be able to escape from me in the future."

Wen Ying was overjoyed and blurted out, "So you mean I should follow the chicken or the dog wherever I marry?"

Upon hearing this, both of their faces flushed crimson...

Lu Xiaosan thought to herself, "Marriage? I'm only a teenager, I haven't even seen the world yet. To get married and lose my freedom? That's absolutely unacceptable, but... if the other person is that blondie..."

Thinking of this, for some reason, the mistress slowly loosened her grip on her arm.

Wen Ying said those words in a moment of excitement, and now she felt both regret and shame.

She forced a smile and said, "Look at me, I got so excited and started talking nonsense again. I'm really... sorry." Despite her words, she still held a sliver of hope for Lu Xiaosan's answer.

Lu Xiaosan was also speechless. After hesitating for a long time, he awkwardly laughed and said, "Our Great Tang is the most powerful place in the world, a paradise that all kinds of people yearn for. How could there not be a place for you and me to belong?"

Lu Xiaosan was confused and uttered some boastful words that he often heard, without even knowing what he was talking about.

Wen Ying echoed with a smile, "Yes, in this prosperous age, we will all find our own... answers." Although she said this, she was quite disappointed because she did not hear the answer she wanted to hear.

Lu Xiaosan desperately wanted to be with Wen Ying, but he was also terrified of marriage, which would restrict his freedom. So he stammered and didn't say anything in the end.

Wen Ying didn't get the answer she wanted, so she gently handed him the riding whip and said with a smile, "Brother Lu, you hold the riding whip. I'm so tired and want to sleep for a while."

After saying that, he leaned to the other side of Lu Xiaosan and never turned his head back.