Lan Yamei woke up naturally. The shop was bustling with customers in the morning. It was drizzling, which made the air quite humid. The auction was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and Lan Yamei wanted to have breakfast first and then check out the Flower Pavilion. She had been saying she would go, but never had the time.

After leaving the store, I went to a tofu pudding shop and ordered a bowl of tofu pudding. While waiting for my food, I noticed several unfamiliar faces in the shop. The men had a bandit-like air about them and were talking about Hua Manlou. I understood what was going on; they seemed to be martial arts figures who had come early to participate in the auction.

Lan Ya Mei ate while eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Brother, we don't have any money, is it possible for us to buy that thing?"

"Who said I have to pay for it?" Scarface grinned wickedly. "What I want, I'll just take it by force."

"Hehe, that's right. There's nothing we five brothers can't do as long as we work together!"

...

Lan Ya Mei was speechless! It seems that security needs to be arranged properly, otherwise it might turn into a massacre.

After quickly finishing my meal and leaving the money, I took advantage of Uncle Wang's busy schedule and hurriedly left, heading straight for Hua Man Lou.

A light drizzle continued to fall, casting a greyish glow over the sky. The seal on Hua Manlou was still on, but this time, there were sounds of activity inside. Lan Yamei found a low wall and tiptoed over.

Inside the building, several brightly dressed young women sat around a table, sighing and complaining.

“I think if all else fails, we should all go back to our own homes. I just don’t believe that after earning so much money for our families, they would abandon us at a time like this,” suggested the man in the green shirt.

“Go home? Do we even have a home anymore? Once we’re sold into this place by our families, we’re never truly clean anymore. Going back would only bring shame to our family. Do you think we can ever go back? Forget it, don’t be naive,” said the woman in purple.

"If all else fails, let's all go to the Heaven on Earth by the Lishui River. I've heard business there is good, and we'll definitely have enough to eat and use. Everyone should be smarter from now on, and not give all the money we earn to our families, or we'll end up like this again," the man in yellow suggested.

“But Heaven on Earth is still a brothel. I don’t want to do this anymore. I was feeling unwell recently, and I’ve only been feeling better for a few days. I can’t wait until I die to end it all,” said the man in blue.

“But what else can we do if we don’t do this? If we go home, our families won’t accept us. If we get married, who will truly care for people like us? Right now, solving our food and clothing problems is the most important thing. If all else fails, we’ll go to a brothel. Who cares about the hardships we face? Isn’t this what happens to people like us?” said the man in white.

A moment of silence fell over everyone, and they all secretly wiped away their tears.

After eavesdropping for a long time, Lan Yamei finally figured it out: these people were the girls from Hua Man Lou before. Now that Hua Man Lou has been shut down, the girls have been freed, but have nowhere to go, so they have gathered here.

Her innate compassion gave her a sudden idea, so she stood up and walked in from behind the wall. "Since you all have nowhere to go, why don't you come with me!"

"With you? Who are you? How did you get in?" the girl in the yellow dress asked.

"Don't panic, I'm a legitimate businesswoman, and like you, I'm a woman."

"A woman?" Several girls gathered around, chattering and exchanging glances, unsure whether it was true or not.

Lan Yamei loosened her ponytail, and her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall. The girls then showed surprised expressions. "It really is a woman! Where did you come from? What kind of business are you going to do with us?"

Lan Yamei tied her hair into a ponytail and introduced herself, "My surname is Lan, and my name is Lan Yamei. You can call me Manager Lan from now on. I run two shops in Longyang Town, one is a barbecue restaurant, and the other is a clinic."

At this point, a young woman suddenly realized, "I know you! You're with Manager Mei, and I've heard Manager Hua mention you."

The crowd looked at the two of them, puzzled.

Lan Yamei smiled and nodded, then continued, "That's right, it's me. You secretly returned to Hua Man Lou, but you probably don't know that an unprecedented martial arts auction will be held here the day after tomorrow. Martial arts heroes will gather there, and you'll have nowhere to hide."

Everyone looked surprised, clearly unaware of this news. They sighed and said, "It seems this isn't a safe haven either. Sisters, if all else fails, come with me to Heaven on Earth!"

The crowd began to discuss the matter and started to waver.

Seeing this, Lan Yamei laughed and said, "To be honest, this auction needs a lot of service staff. If you're willing, I'll hire you. The pay is good, and you'll get food and lodging."

"You hired us? Could it be..." the girl in purple asked suspiciously.

"Let's not beat around the bush! It's just as you guessed! But I need to keep my identity a secret, and I won't let you work for nothing! Besides paying your wages, I can help you start anew. Think it over carefully." Out of compassion for her fellow woman, Lan Yamei was willing to lend a hand to these people.

"How will you do it? Not only in Longyang Town, but throughout Lin'an, and even Chang'an, people recognize our faces," the girl in purple asked.

So Lan Ya Mei had the girl in the purple dress fetch a basin of water, wash her face, and then, using the most powerful Asian sorcery of the new century—makeup—she gave the girl in the purple dress a new face. When she turned around again, everyone was astonished, saying they couldn't recognize her at all, and that she was even more beautiful than before!

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lan Yamei said, "Of course, this is just a smokescreen! Your names will also be completely changed. I will give you new names, and you need to forget your previous names and identities as soon as possible. From now on, you will have no family, no unbearable past, and you will welcome a new you. In three to five years, you will meet your destined partner, and you can get married and have children. Are you willing?"

A new face, a new name, a new life. No one knows their past. They can get married and have children. This is something they have dreamed of countless times. They all nodded and agreed to join.

Seeing this, Lan Yamei took out a lot of cosmetics and gave everyone an emergency training session on Asian sorcery. The number of participants was huge, approaching two hundred, and everyone focused their wisdom.

Looking at the new faces below the stage, Lan Yamei gave everyone new names, abandoned the light and airy dresses, and promised to send the fabric as soon as possible to make conservative clothes overnight.

Everyone was full of fighting spirit. To help them quickly familiarize themselves with their new identities, Lan Yamei called out names one by one before saying, "There will inevitably be fighting at this auction, and life is always the most important thing! I won't blame you; I'll only side with you, so please rest assured. After it's over, those who want to stay can continue working for me, and those who don't want to stay, as long as they keep quiet, I'll give them a settlement allowance." After saying this, Lan Yamei took out two hundred taels of silver and handed it to the girl in purple. "Luo Zicong, take a few people and go buy some fabric. The clothes need to be made tonight. I have other things to do, so you'll stay here for the next few days. Don't forget your new identities and names. You are the auction staff I found! Remember that."