After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

An eerie silence fell.

"So..." Lian Sheng rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly, "You want Lian Shi to replace that Manager Zhou and use his token to bring you in?"

Tang Li nodded, her eyes full of eagerness.

The more he thought about it, the better it seemed. Manager Zhou was originally a "supplier" in the transactions with Xuemanlou, and this was marked on his token.

They went in posing as "suppliers" and "products," which matched the markings on the tokens perfectly.

Lian Sheng hesitated for a moment and then said, "Then come and change your clothes first."

Tang Li: ?

Half an hour later, the group headed towards Xuemanlou.

Tang Li squinted at the huge plaque of Xue Man Lou, which shimmered in the fading sunlight.

It looked like it had caught fire.

"What a spacious storefront," she thought. She was short, and her neck was starting to ache from looking up.

Do you remember what King Zhou of Han said?

"Whether you're treated as merchandise for auction or disguised as a servant to pour tea and water, go and find out for me."

He has a keen eye for people, and Tang Li doesn't care about her own identity in order to achieve her goals. It's nothing special; Han Zhou himself is that kind of person.

But... you are not omniscient and omnipotent, Han Zhou.

And there are also other people, people who are completely different from you.

That man would never allow her to be treated like a helpless victim in such a disgusting and filthy place, never allow her to be reduced to an auction item or a slave, never allow her to suffer such humiliation.

—Even if it's all just an act.

"Do you really think..." Tang Li asked softly, "that they would let a little kid enter so openly?"

She carefully straightened her beautiful new clothes, reached up, and her small hand was immediately grasped by a large, broad hand.

Tang Li hesitated, staring at Lian Shi's robes. "Should I hide... Waaah!"

A large hand reached up and pulled her up from behind her knees. Tang Li's vision instantly rose, and in the next instant, she was being held firmly in Lian Shi's arms, sitting on his broad shoulder.

They didn't want to attract attention in the first place, but now... they've made a completely high-profile entrance.

Tang Li sighed.

"It's alright," she murmured in vain, "it was just a disguise, I don't care..."

"Not even once," Lian Sheng said, supporting Tang Li's back with her hand. The warmth seeped through her clothes and Tang Li repeated softly, "Not even once."

"Little girl, you must remember this," Lian Shi said, striding forward. His deep voice rose from below, "In such a dirty place, even if you're just pretending, you must never let yourself fall into a passive position."

"Otherwise, time and time again, you will encounter disgusting things, and you will get used to the disgusting looks people give you."

Tang Li held Lian Shi's head and looked around. She was surprised to find that the two-meter-wide field of vision was so wide open.

She looked at Xue Man Lou, whose gates were wide open to welcome guests from all directions. The gate was guarded by strong and capable men. They stood in front of the decorated facade, which was adorned with flowers and colorful brocades. Each of them was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and had a peach blossom pinned diagonally to their chest.

The defenses were tight.

"But... the token..." Tang Li was still struggling internally.

"A token?" Lian Shi scoffed, pulling out the token Tang Li had solemnly handed him and waving it in front of her. "Something like that?"

Lian Shi used one hand to easily break it in half, right in front of the guards and Tang Li.

"In this kind of place..." He opened his hand, and shattered pieces of wood slid from his palm to the ground, "there's no need for any permits anyway."

Lian Shi walked up to the guard, ignoring the hand that was reaching out to ask for the token.

"Hey, move aside." The man, who was over two meters tall, tilted his head slightly, his condescending gaze sinister and cold. "My young master wants to see what good stuff is inside such a big entourage."

He grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth. "If you know what's good for you, get lost."

—They don't know the true face of Mount Lu.

Tang Li, caught in the middle of the situation, had no idea how the three of them appeared in the eyes of the guards.

The tall, muscular man led the way, a head taller than the tallest guard and half a head wider than the strongest. His loose black clothes were stretched taut by his massive muscles, and his short black hair couldn't hide his gloomy eyes. He exuded a palpable aura of menace, yet one large hand remained protectively supporting the legs of the man on his shoulder, like a ferocious yet loyal wolf.

The little girl sitting on his shoulder was dressed in a magnificent, shimmering dress, with a cloak embroidered with begonia flowers over it. A thin purple veil covered her face, and her round, clear black and white eyes occasionally flashed under the brim of her hat. The contrast between her lively eyes and her motionless body created a strong sense of tension, and if one glimpsed her even briefly, it would immediately send shivers down one's spine.

The woman on the other side was tall and slender, draped in a ghostly black veil that partially obscured her face, revealing only her full, red lips against her fair skin. Several intricately carved silver necklaces and bracelets hung around her neck and arms, the silver bells jingling softly as she walked. This ghostly aura completely overshadowed her original heroic bearing, and the gaze she gave from beneath the black veil was anything but benevolent.

The guard struggled to suppress the trembling in his body.

This combination of two large and one small... at first glance, they are members of a cult who are capricious, unpredictable, and indiscriminately murderous.

Those guests who had become mere background figures, secretly practicing evil arts, were like rats munching on scraps in a gutter, smugly pleased with themselves, compared to these three! How could they compare? Compared to the true members of the cult, what were the customers who regularly came and went at Xue Man Lou?!

The guard felt as if a large hand was gripping his throat, and he dared not even breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing these three distinguished guests... and the unwelcome guest.

How could this person be here?

—We must treat them well!

Just then, the woman glanced at the guards' black outfits and the fresh peach blossoms tucked diagonally into their chests, and covered her mouth to laugh.

The black background contrasting with the trembling pink is... utterly bizarre.

"Look at this," she whispered, "it's disgusting."

The guards she was mocking were clearly martial arts masters recruited by Xue Manlou at great expense, with astonishingly good hearing, but they showed no anger upon hearing her words, each one like a clay figure sculpted from yellow sand and water.

The three then realized that they could do whatever they wanted in this place.

The guards exchanged a glance, lowered their heads, and made way for the path leading to the auction house.

"Please come in, gentlemen," they said respectfully.

Lian Shi carried Tang Li inside, his deep voice still echoing in her ears.

"You see," he said, "never let yourself be wronged."

"Whether it's being domineering or bullying others by taking advantage of one's power."

"—This is the rule among martial arts practitioners."