The candlelight outside was filtered through the gauze curtains, casting a faint glow. Inside, on a long rectangular bench with pear blossom railings, Li Qingchen reached out to help Wei Shuwan, who had tripped earlier, while Wei Shuwan also held his shoulder.

However, after the rude request from the customer in the brothel downstairs was heard, both of them felt somewhat embarrassed. Li Qingchen let go of her hand, and Wei Shuwan steadied herself by holding onto the table and stepped back.

Before long, someone shouted, "The most beautiful woman in Jiangzuo has come out!" This was followed by a commotion.

Although Wei Shuwan loathed using herself as a gimmick, she couldn't help but turn around out of curiosity. What she saw there horrified her!

The legendary master of disguise, who was said to be a master of disguise, indeed walked slowly out of the door in her likeness. His eyebrows, eyes, and figure were so lifelike that they could easily pass for the real thing.

Among the onlookers in the hall were many young men in black robes, some of whom had seen Wei Shuwan in person on various occasions. They immediately clapped and shouted, "So alike! So alike! She is simply the spitting image of the Third Daughter of the Wei family!"

Those who had never seen Wei Shuwan before also sighed upon hearing this, "The title of the most beautiful woman in Jiangzuo is indeed well-deserved. It would be wonderful to have the chance to see her!"

"Since the real and the fake are the same, why insist on the real one? Isn't the fake one more romantic?"

...

The crowd clamored and crowded around the brothel, thoroughly fascinated by the novelty. After all, the guests who had set the challenge for the first few days had only asked her to dress up as a fairy from a painting or a famous courtesan from a previous dynasty. She was beautiful, but those were ultimately too distant and tainted with fantasy. How could they compare to the thrill of seeing a real noblewoman from Shengjing?

While the crowd downstairs was buzzing with excitement, Wei Shuwan also took out a small bronze mirror and looked at herself in it. Looking at herself in the mirror and then at the women in the brothel, she was dumbfounded.

"Really... that similar?" Finally, she looked up at Li Qingchen for confirmation.

Li Qingchen had been staring at the two of them for a long time and had to admit that, in terms of appearance alone, the other person was indeed 99% similar. However, there was one thing that she could never imitate, and that was the look in the eyes.

In the past, he didn't see much difference between beautiful and ugly women; they were all just people with one nose and two eyes, and beauty and ugliness were just a matter of perspective. But Wei Shuwan was a little different. There was a kind of liveliness in her eyes, and they could speak volumes when she was happy or scared.

"It doesn't look like it."

Wei Shuwan waited for a long time before receiving Li Qingchen's reply. Still unsure, she looked in the mirror again, then glanced at the brothel, and muttered to herself, "It's clearly very similar..."

The commotion downstairs grew louder and louder. Li Qingchen could imagine the chaos that would ensue, which would make Wei Shuwan extremely embarrassed and awkward. So he stood up and said, "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's go out first."

Wei Shuwan agreed in her heart and obediently followed Li Qingchen out of the private room. When she saw the situation outside, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

At this moment, people kept rushing down the wooden stairs, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful woman in Jiangzuo. However, the bottom of the stairs was already crowded with onlookers, and no one was willing to give way. In an instant, the already narrow passageway was almost blocked.

Even with his superior stature, Li Qingchen was struggling to move forward. Just as he was pondering the consequences of openly displaying his lightness skill in such a place, he saw several burly men in front of the door suddenly rush out together and run onto the street outside.

She shouted loudly, "The most beautiful woman in Jiangzuo, Wei Shuwan, has come to Xunfang Pavilion! Everyone, come and see!"

It's past midnight now. In other streets and alleys, there would be hardly anyone around, but this is the most famous red-light district in the capital. It's bustling with activity, and the streets are full of playboys seeking pleasure and drunken men indulging in drinking.

Hearing the shouts of those burly men, all sorts of idlers gathered and surged towards Xunfang Pavilion, completely blocking the entrance!

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Li Qingchen disregarded social conventions and turned to give Wei Shuwan a meaningful look: "Be careful, hold on tight to me!"

As he spoke, he reached through the throng of people and grabbed Wei Shuwan's hand. He turned around and pulled her out of the crowd like a radish being pulled up. With a few quick movements, they rushed out of Xunfang Pavilion.

"Alright, it's all over." After landing, Li Qingchen turned around to look at the young woman behind him, but it wasn't Wei Shuwan...

The young woman looked at him with a deep adoration, unable to speak, yet expressing all her feelings. Li Qingchen quickly released his grip, his brows furrowing deeply.

Wei Shuwan was also confused. Just now, Li Qingchen glanced back at her and then flew away with another woman right in front of her...

Outside the brothel, the commotion intensified, with people frequently reaching through the bars to grope the fake Wei Shuwan in the chaos, doing everything they could to take advantage of the situation.

Although the fake Wei Shuwan had frequented such places for many years, this was the first time she had ever been in such a chaotic situation. Feeling disgusted and timid, she tightly gripped the arm of the young master who had slapped her and said coquettishly, "Master, let's hurry back to our room~"

"Back to the room?" The young master looked at her and laughed loudly. "Sharing is worse than enjoying alone. Grandma Zheng only said it was a game of throwing silver, but she didn't say exactly how to play. So the rules have to be set by me!"

The man standing high on the brothel laughed loudly and unrestrainedly. Since he was next to the fake Wei Shuwan, Wei Shuwan was naturally drawn to him and stared at him for a couple of seconds. She felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen this face before.

But that man's arrogance had only just begun. He grabbed the fake Wei Shuwan's hand and raised it high above his head, shouting to the crowd outside the brothel: "Tonight, I've bought this Lady Wei with my own money. Everyone here is welcome to use this brothel as their bridal chamber and the jade platform as their bed, and do whatever you want!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd in the hall fell silent for a moment in astonishment, and then completely erupted into chaos! People from all directions began to climb into the brothel, and those who were afraid to go up used their hands or feet to quickly pin the fake Wei Shuwan to the ground.

Even though this young woman was worldly-wise and had seen countless people, she was truly terrified today and struggled to crawl out. Fortunately, she had studied under a master during her travels and learned not only the art of disguise but also the art of contortion, and finally managed to escape from the horde of men that kept pressing down on her.

However, someone soon noticed that she had slipped away and shouted, "Stop pressing me down! The young lady has run away!"

"Quick, chase after her! Don't let her get away! I paid a hefty price for this!"

...

The lobby erupted into chaos. If before it was just a crowded place packed with people, now it was a surging tide of people rushing forward, with people constantly being knocked down and falling to the ground.

Because Li Qingchen and the young lady who had been mistakenly pulled aside were no longer beside Wei Shuwan, there was room for two people, so she lost her balance and fell to the ground when the crowd surged around her.

She tried desperately to stand up, but the people around her kept pushing and shoving, leaving her no space to get up. In the constant impact and friction, she lost her hairpin, and her long hair, which was tied high on her head, instantly fell loose.