Xu Chang'an walked to the bridgehead and looked at the scenery in front of him.

  A faint smoke lingered in the air above, while the riverbanks were lined with delicate buildings with white walls and bck tiles. Most were three-story houses, standing tall and graceful by the riverside.

  Such a beautiful view, yet it was a pce of entertainment. Using terms from his past life, this was a pce full of fallen women.

  He had never visited such pces in his past life, yet now he found himself living next to Huayue Tower. One could say that fate had a strange hand to py.

  At this moment, a bck-sailed boat stopped in front of Xu Chang'an. A delicate young girl, holding an oar, smiled and said, "Xu Gongzi, are you here to find Sister Zhu again? Let me escort you."

  "It's troublesome," Xu Chang'an nodded and boarded the boat.

  It was familiar by now.

  To enter the entertainment district of Beisang City, one had to take a boat, as the roads were difficult to navigate. But the scenery was pleasant, and the girls were beautiful... so it was a unique feature of the area.

  The small boat slowly glided along the narrow river.

  The boatwoman, holding the long oar, watched Xu Chang'an from behind, her gaze lingering.

  Xu Chang'an was quite famous among the girls in these brothels.

  After all, someone like him, a disciple of the immortal sect, was rare and hard to come by. Even rarer was someone from the immortal sect who didn’t look down upon the women of brothels.

  Unfortunately, Xu Gongzi was only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet already had a wife. Judging by age, his wife was probably more than ten years older than him.

  Sister Zhu had said that before Xu Gongzi had entered the immortal sect, he had already lived with his wife for many years, growing up together. Should one call him a child groom or a son-in-w?

  The boatwoman gazed at Xu Chang'an's back and felt that he seemed young, still carrying the aura of a teenager, but there was no hint of childishness on his face.

  This couple of an older wife and younger husband made many of the girls in the tower envious.

  "...."

  Soon after, Xu Chang'an entered the brothel district and looked up at the tall buildings in front of him.

  "Gongzi, we’ve arrived," the boatwoman said softly after guiding the boat to the shore.

  Xu Chang'an cupped his hands and disembarked, walking along the bamboo path toward Huayue Tower.

  "...." The boatwoman quietly watched his figure, and after a long moment, sighed softly.

  Even if Xu Gongzi wanted to take a concubine, someone like her would never be the one.

  "...."

  Although Huayue Tower’s name carried a seductive connotation, it actually represented the most central part of Beisang City. It was the venue where the girls performed, with top-tier architecture and perfect feng shui.

  "Xu Gongzi." The maid at the door greeted him, her eyes lighting up. She approached and reached out to grab his arm, but he deftly dodged.

  The maid didn’t mind and said, "You’re wearing the servant robes to come to Huayue Tower? I’ve never seen you so eager... Are you missing us?"

  Xu Chang'an’s eye twitched slightly. His robes were meant to cover up the lingering scent of tiger blood from earlier. There was no need to expin such details to a girl.

  "I’m in a hurry," Xu Chang'an said curtly.

  "Sister Zhu is waiting inside for you," the maid said. She knocked on the door and then whispered to Xu Chang'an, "Be careful; she’s not a good person."

  "....I’m here for something serious," Xu Chang'an expined.

  "Ha, you men... who visits a brothel without a serious reason?" The maid giggled and then led Xu Chang'an to the door.

  When Xu Chang'an opened the door and entered, he was met with the faint scent of musk.

  A woman appeared before him, her graceful figure catching his eye. She was a mature woman, looking to be in her thirties, wearing a golden-trimmed dress that radiated wealth, but it also carried a seductive aura. This kind of charm was typical in a pce like Huayue Tower.

  Her appearance wasn’t necessarily stunning, but what drew attention were her hands—long, slender, and fair—impossible to ignore.

  "Xiao Chang'an, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you," the woman said with a slight sparkle in her eyes as she walked toward Xu Chang'an, swaying her hips.

  "Sister Zhu," Xu Chang'an greeted her, then quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look directly at her.

  Although he had met this woman many times before, he still felt that the aura of this pce was heavier on her than the other girls in the tower.

  Xu Chang'an had often wanted to compin about why an inner sect manager would be hiding in a brothel, and why the girls here didn’t know her true identity, thinking she was merely the madam.

  It was really strange, but Xu Chang'an never voiced his thoughts.

  "Who are you calling senior? Call me sister," Zhu Pingniang said with a pyful tone, then added, "What’s going on? You left your wife at home during the day to come look for me? Did you go to hunt demons? You smell like tiger blood. It's really unpleasant."

  As Zhu Pingniang approached him, the musky fragrance filled the air, and Xu Chang'an instinctively took a step back, then coughed and expined, "Yes."

  Zhu Pingniang lowered her head and gnced at the servant robes Xu Chang'an wore, then gave him a roll of her eyes and scolded, "I remember you only returned home yesterday to visit family. How come you’re already leaving today? You men are truly heartless."

  "That’s not quite the case," Xu Chang'an sighed.

  Their conversation sounded quite odd, but Zhu Pingniang, despite her seductive aura, was still an important figure in the inner sect. Xu Chang'an had always respected her position and never considered her actions as inappropriate.

  Seeing the clean and thoughtful look in the eyes of the seventeen-year-old boy, Zhu Pingniang smiled gently. She sat down on a bamboo chair by the screen, lifted her skirt to cover her legs, and stared at Xu Chang'an. "Alright, boy. Speak up. What trouble have you gotten into this time?"

  "Senior..."

  "Call me sister."

  "Sister Zhu," Xu Chang'an paused, then expined everything that had happened.

  "Is the sun rising from the west?" Zhu Pingniang’s eyes widened slightly, surprised. "You’re usually very cautious. Even if the intel was wrong, you should have realized that the creature you killed wasn’t the demon you were supposed to hunt."

  Since Xu Chang'an entered the Morning Cloud Sect’s Misty Rain Peak, the girls there had been very pleased with him—he was considered the most likable outer sect disciple ever.

  Such a careful and intelligent Xu Chang'an, making such a basic mistake?

  "I... acted too hastily," Xu Chang'an said calmly. "I only realized after killing the blue-eyed tiger."

  "Couldn’t you notice the surroundings? I think you were tempted by the Open Source Pills. After all, you weren’t responsible for the task," Zhu Pingniang grumbled. "Fine, I’ll let you off this time. Considering you’re a bit guilty and at least told me about it, I’ll assume you were distracted after just parting with Yun Mei."

  Xu Chang'an had been under her watch and had always been treated as a junior. She knew him well enough to understand his character.

  "So, what should I do now?" Xu Chang'an thought that he might as well admit to being greedy for the Open Source Pills.

  "What else can we do? According to the rules, whoever gave you the demon-sying order will have to take the punishment. As for the rest, leave it to me." Zhu Pingniang spat, then remembered something and pulled out a jade symbol, handing it to Xu Chang'an. "I’ve got something for you."

  Xu Chang'an took the jade symbol, opened it, and froze.

  "Didn't you always want to bring your wife to cultivate?" Zhu Pingniang smiled. "There’s a spot open at Tianming Peak. I’ve reserved it for you. Starting today, both you and your wife will be disciples of our Morning Cloud Sect."

  "Thank you, Sister Zhu. Chang'an is eternally grateful."

  Xu Chang'an’s eyes widened in surprise, his joy evident.

  Now, he wouldn’t have to leave his wife alone.

  This news made him a thousand times happier than if his system had awakened.

  Just as he was thinking, Xu Chang'an suddenly paused, his gaze momentarily distracted.

  [Shopping mall update complete.]