The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The commotion continued until dusk before the bustling activity at Zhexianlou finally subsided.

In the kitchen, wisps of smoke curled and the aroma filled the air.

Lu Xiaosan saw Chang'an holding a ladle in front of the stove, his cooking posture already incredibly skilled. And Tian Gao, who was chopping vegetables next to him, was helping him out.

Lu Xiaosan made a shushing gesture to Fu Rou and quietly crept up behind Chang'an, intending to launch a surprise attack.

To everyone's surprise, Chang'an suddenly stopped, put down what he was doing, turned around and greeted him with joy, saying, "Brother, you're finally back."

Lu Xiaosan hesitated for a moment, then patted his head and said with a smile, "Not bad, you've made something of yourself. Not only are you a first-rate cook, but you've also learned to locate sounds by ear."

"He just smelled the stench on you," Sweet Cake said casually from the side, still chopping vegetables with a "clack clack clack" sound.

Chang'an smiled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject to cooking, saying, "Brother, you and the host have been away these past few days, and I've learned quite a few dishes from Sister Tiangao."

After he finished speaking, he gave some of the food he had just made to Lu Xiaosan to taste, and the latter naturally praised it highly.

Lu Xiaosan patted his shoulder excitedly and said, "You know what, little beauty? Ning Konglou has agreed to return our Blue Pearl, so we can go to Qiantang now."

Before Chang'an could answer, Fu Rou behind him asked somewhat angrily, "He's back?"

Lu Xiaosan nodded and said nonsensically, "They're probably waiting on the rooftop to watch the moon."

Fu Rou couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "This guy always runs out of the building during holidays and has never had a proper meal with the sisters in the building. Moreover, when such a big thing happened in the building before, we didn't see him at all."

Fu Rou then turned to Lu Xiaosan and questioned, "Clown, weren't you recuperating at Miss Wen's place? How did you manage to see him?"

"Yeah, brother, what exactly happened while you were gone?" Chang'an asked, blinking.

Lu Xiaosan recounted his experiences over the past few days in detail.

Upon hearing this, Chang'an's face turned bitter. "So, so my brother's illness... isn't cured yet... I thought Miss Wen would definitely be able to cure you."

Lu Xiaosan laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I won't die as long as she's here."

Fu Rou snorted, her tone slightly reproachful, "But you insisted on showing off, and now Miss Wen is being targeted by assassins again."

Lu Xiaosan shrugged and said helplessly, "That's why I came to you, to see if there's any way to bring her to the Immortal Pavilion. After all, she's a noble person in your Three Venerable Palaces, you can't just stand by and do nothing!"

Fu Rou sighed, "Of course I know that. Besides, she saved the lives of the girls in the brothel, so I certainly won't stand idly by."

"But... if Miss Wen insists on staying in the cabin, we can't force her. What should we do?"

Lu Xiaosan gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Human life is more important. I'll do anything, even cheating and swindling. You'd better give me two girls who are good at fighting, and 'invite' her and the dog into the building together."

Fu Rou's eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp. "No! She has three Palace God Tokens. Let alone binding her, even touching her could bring about your death. Don't mention this matter again!"

Lu Xiaosan's eyes twitched. "Touching me will lead to my death? Then I'll be torn to pieces, huh? What a joke!"

Fu Rou added, "Since Ning Konglou and He Lai are both going to participate in the competition, then I will have to go to the cabin myself to protect her."

Lu Xiaosan was startled, "You... if you leave, who will take care of this Immortal Pavilion?"

Fu Rou looked troubled, but finally said, "Then we'll just have to take a break for a few days and wait until we come up with a new solution."

Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Finally, I can get some rest."

Unexpectedly, Sweet Cake, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said, "Let me go."

The three of them were startled at the same time, "You?"

Sweet Cake turned around and nodded expressionlessly.

Chang'an was a little anxious, "But...but if you leave, I'll be all alone in the kitchen...what should I do?"

Sweet Cake said calmly, "Didn't you just say you've learned to cook a lot of dishes? Perfect, here's your chance to show off."

Chang'an was rendered speechless. "But...I..."

Sweetie patted his shoulder again and said softly, "Don't worry, I've taught you everything I know. If I could do it before, you can do it too."

Lu Xiaosan laughed and said, "That's right, little beauty, you have to believe in yourself. Once we've dealt with these things, I'll take you to Qiantang."

Chang'an hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded solemnly, "Then... leave it all to me."

Sweet Cake nodded in response, then turned to Lu Xiaosan and said, "Then it's settled. Sister Furou can't go, and you don't have the ability to protect her. So I'll have to go."

Lu Xiaosan was furious when the sharp-tongued beauty in front of him hit his weak spot.

In the past, he would have already lost his temper, but now he needed someone's help, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger for Wen Ying's sake.

Fu Rou said to Tian Gao with a serious expression, "Sister Tian Gao, it's not that I don't trust you, but the opponent is Hong Ying Gu Sha. Although he is young, he is a top assassin. Can you... handle him?"

Lu Xiaosan nodded in agreement, but then he saw Tian Gao's lips twitch slightly, as if she were smiling disdainfully. She then said, "Don't worry, he definitely can't hurt me."

Lu Xiaosan crossed his arms and asked with a hint of disbelief, "Really? He just dislocated one of He Lai's arms."

Sweet Cake rolled her eyes at him. "If you weren't so incompetent, how could so many troubles have arisen?"

Lu Xiaosan was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but what the other person said was indeed true. He was the most useless and least qualified to speak. If he had to hate someone, he could only hate his own incompetence.

After thinking for a long time, Fu Rou finally said helplessly, "Since that's the case, then we'll just have to leave it at that for now."

Sweet Cake bowed and said, "I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Fu Rou continued, "Among those who possess the Three Palace Tokens, I have never heard of anyone like Miss Wen... Perhaps, alas, if something happens to her, I only hope that the higher-ups will not blame her."

Then, Lu Xiaosan talked to Chang'an for a long time, and the two agreed to leave in a few days before reluctantly saying goodbye again.

Lu Xiaosan took the medicine given to him by Wen Ying in advance, and then left the Zhexian Tower with Tian Gao.

Seeing that it was late at night and the night wind was so cold that it pierced to the bone, I could only barely make out the way by the faint moonlight.

Sweet Cake said coldly, "You lead the way, let's hurry back to find Miss Wen."

Lu Xiaosan strode ahead, but suddenly felt a cold wind blowing from behind. He stopped and asked, "Hey! What's wrong?"

"..."

Lu Xiaosan hurriedly turned around, "Where is he?"

He turned around and around, but there wasn't a single person in sight. Had this guy vanished into thin air?

Then, as if suddenly struck by a thought, he exclaimed, "Could it be... that shadow imp has come looking for me? Oh no! Little Golden Retriever is in danger!"

He stopped after running only two steps. "No, the little golden retriever is safe for now with the crane protecting him. We should find that sharp-tongued woman first."

So, Lu Xiaosan ran around searching for her. But he was too proud to even call out her name, afraid that she would know he was humbly looking for her.

As they were circling around, they suddenly heard a man's laughter coming from ahead.

Then, a young man in white robes, carrying a folding fan, emerged from the darkness ahead. He was the same young master who had scattered money during the day. Behind him was a group of burly men wielding weapons.

The young master laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, you bald monk, you've kept me waiting for ages!"

Lu Xiaosan asked, "Why are you waiting for me?"

The young master snapped his folding fan shut and said angrily, gritting his teeth, "Today you have humiliated me beyond measure. How can I quell my hatred if I don't kill you?"

Lu Xiaosan tilted his head, full of confusion, "Huh...??"

Seeing his arrogant attitude again, the young master's anger flared up to its limit once more, and he shouted sternly, "Chop him into mincemeat and take him back to make dumplings to offer to the master!"

"Yes!" A group of burly men carrying weapons rushed forward in response.