This banquet hosted by the city lord presents Cheng Shuang with an opportunity.

Earlier, when she used Feng Jiakang's name to send a guide to buy specialty goods, she instructed the monster to attach itself to the back of his hair and wait for an opportunity to sneak away, wander around the city, and find the location of Du Jun and the others.

Unfortunately, the buildings here are numerous and all constructed of fine mahogany, making even the slightest stain of a different color extremely noticeable. Moreover, with no sun in the sky and no shade on the ground, the monster found it difficult to move around. Seeing this, the little girl simply made it huddle in a corner and wait for an opportunity to act.

Now the sky is shrouded in darkness, and the shadows of the palace lanterns cast on the floor are indistinct, allowing the grotesque monsters to run wild everywhere.

Cheng Shuang had been waiting for the banquet to begin, thinking that most of the maintainers would probably come to find out the truth at the city lord's invitation.

She made a point of observation and found that the places where the sedan chairs stopped were all on this waterside pavilion that extended from the suspended pavilion. By walking around it, she could basically determine how many maintainers had been brought in by the 'water bucket' and the approximate locations of Du Jun, Liu Juan, and others in the waterside pavilion.

Just as she was slowly walking towards the waterside pavilion on the right, carrying a palace lantern, Sang Sang Guai had already circled around half of the waterside pavilions. To her surprise, Sang Sang Guai 'met' Sun Han, Du Lanshan, and Du Lushui, while Du Jun and Liu Juan remained silent.

Although Du Jun was a cold-faced, expressionless, and taciturn young man, Cheng Shuang remembered very clearly that it was he who lent a helping hand to rescue her and Liu Juan from the cave in the beginning.

At that time, he was the most relaxed and carefree among them. The girl even had a feeling that the young man should be like the protagonist in a comic book, able to live a wonderful life in the Gate of Reincarnation even without any skills.

As for where he went, she wasn't in a hurry to find out.

As for Sister Liu Juan, Cheng Shuang couldn't help but sigh with worry, like a little adult. Sister Liu Juan was good in every way, except that she was a little weak in controlling her emotions. Fortunately, the unknown creature in this level shaped her into the image of an ordinary native rather than a non-human, otherwise Sister Liu Juan would have cried her eyes out if she was scared.

As she reached the pavilion for the female VIPs, Cheng Shuang, lost in thought, was stopped by two guides who were leading her from the back hall to the boardwalk. She looked up at the two men, whose handsome faces were contorted with wariness and ferocity.

"Don't even think about disturbing our VIP!"

The guide wouldn't show any affection for a child just because the person in front of him was a child; instead, he would scold the child harshly.

Cheng Shuang was not afraid of the two men with fierce looks. She had heard that fighting and violence were strictly prohibited in the central city.

The little girl smiled without any hesitation and held up the doll. "This was given to the female VIP by my esteemed guest. My esteemed guest had the honor of meeting the female VIP today and couldn't forget her, so he specially sent me to get to know her."

The two guides exchanged glances, then became furious. "You useless bastards, don't you even know how to win over your VIPs? If the VIPs develop feelings for each other, what chance do we have?"

"Brother is right, it's a pity I'm so young..."

"Who are you calling 'brother'! If you really think about it, who's the younger one is probably!"

Cheng Shuang blinked and smiled innocently, "Then... my two younger brothers!"

Guide: ...I feel like I've been taken advantage of...

"Alright, alright, who's going to waste my breath on you? Get out of here!" The guide shoved her impatiently. Seeing the girl stagger back half a step, he took advantage of his height and strength to sandwich her between his left and right sides on the narrow walkway, leading her away from the waterside pavilion as he walked away.

Caught between the two men, Cheng Shuang's feet dangled in mid-air. Even though her strength had increased considerably, she was still weaker than an average adult due to her lower starting weight. She didn't struggle; instead, her clever eyes darted around, and she quickly grabbed an ice cube and placed it on one of the men's waists.

The male guide's robe had a cutout design at the waist. The sudden chill startled the man, causing him to gasp and instinctively flinch. Perhaps the chill was a prelude to death; the people of Qingyou City held a deep aversion to bone-chilling cold, and even with icy water flowing beneath their feet, they couldn't suppress their instinctive fear.

Cheng Shuang found an opportunity and squeezed through, ignoring the angry shouts of the people behind her. She glanced at the entrance to the back hall, where several guides were standing, handing out baskets and serving dishes. With a determined heart, she waded into the pool. The heat packs on her legs immediately lost their warmth, and the little girl shivered from the cold.

The water splashed against the back of her knees, and she endured the biting cold as she quickly walked around to the wide-open window in the front hall, tiptoed, and peered inside.

He was slightly stunned at that glance.

Although there was no moon in the sky, the woman in the waterside pavilion was as clear and pure as moonlight, and her beauty was beyond compare.

If Liao Yuewei is beautiful and generous, a rose with thorns beneath her gentle exterior, then the person before us is like the bright moon, unattainable.

"Wow!" the little girl couldn't help but exclaim. Although this older sister was dressed in a smart and androgynous outfit—a tank top and cargo pants—her temperament was more classically elegant than the two female guides standing on either side of her who were serving her attentively.

April, whom Cheng Shuang praised as moonlight, was resting her chin on her hand, gazing at the starless, dark sky. Upon hearing a "Wow!", her clear, bright eyes glanced down, and she immediately sat up curiously.

Within her field of vision, she could only see a fluffy little head peeking out of the window, with a blue-eyed Hanfu-clad doll on top of it.

The doll bounced up and down with its little head, the flower tucked behind its ear swaying precariously, making it all very cute.

"Honored guest, honored guest?"

The sweet, soft voice, coupled with the words "distinguished guest," made it less pleasant.

April's face showed a listless expression, which made the guide, who had been focused on arranging the food and whose expression changed drastically when he noticed the commotion, breathe a sigh of relief. He then walked over and roughly pulled the little girl hiding by the window up. They exchanged a glance, and he mischievously threw her to the floor.

Unexpectedly, the little one was slippery and rolled onto the thick white carpet, even rolling directly to the feet of the female VIP. The dripping water not only wet the carpet but also left a trail of fluorescent little shadows.

"Here you go, sister!"

April watched the little one's series of antics without batting an eye, seeing her lips turn purple from the cold and her whole body shivering, yet she still stubbornly offered the doll to her. Her peach blossom eyes were moist, filled with an irresistible smile.

The big doll held up the little doll, and the wet clothes dripped water onto the plush carpet, leaving a water stain.

She waved her hand, silently dismissing the two angry, baring-toothed native women who were trying to grab the little one. She then took the doll, which was clearly different from the aesthetics of this city. Under the light, the doll, Cuilan, seemed to move her eyes.

Siyue quietly hugged the doll, took out two bags of candy, and stuffed them into the little girl's hands, which were cool yet slightly warm.

"Here you go, eat up!"