Half an hour later.

A figure wearing a bamboo hat slowly stopped in a corner of a busy street. A female chirping voice like an oriole came from the building in front of him, and from time to time there was also the sound of stringed instruments, which was pleasant to the ears.

"Are you sure this is okay?" the red-haired girl asked cautiously under the bamboo hat.

"It's okay, Saint Lady." A missionary said seriously, "Come with us. As long as you don't take off your hat, no one will notice you."

The red-haired girl nodded heavily, "Okay."

With the negotiation of several missionaries, they successfully entered the Sleeve Dance Hall. The exotic appearance of these missionaries made the guests and dancers in the hall look at them sideways. They were also very curious about the mysterious figure with a bamboo hat behind them, but no one suspected that it was a woman.

As the leading missionary took out a heavy ingot of silver, a short man from the dance studio suddenly showed a flattering smile on his face and went upstairs with a few people.

"My dear guests, this is the best private room in our dance studio. It is spacious, has service staff, and has the best location. Are you satisfied with it?"

The red-haired girl walked into the private room, from where she could clearly see the woman dancing to the beautiful music below, as well as the guests sitting in front of the stage. Most of them were literati who were not well-off but wanted to experience the elegance of the world. It felt like she was looking down on everyone.

Seeing the red-haired girl nod, the missionary took out another ingot of silver, stuffed it into the short man's hand, and said in standard Chinese:

"Here it is. Bring us some food...Also, we don't need anyone to wait on us. Don't let anyone come in and disturb us."

The short man was stunned. "Even the dancing girls who accompany the drinks are not needed?"

"Need not."

"That's... okay."

The short man seemed ready to say something, but when he saw the missionary's sharp eyes, he swallowed his words and left the private room while apologizing with a smile.

Soon, several plates of fruit snacks were brought up. According to what the missionaries said, no dancers came in to accompany the drinking. The soft and lascivious music echoed in the brothel. Only in this private room, several missionaries sat upright, like saints.

The red-haired girl sat down in the main seat, her eyes sweeping through the curtain of the bamboo hat at the women who were holding fruit plates, with enchanting figures and charming expressions. From time to time, they went in and out of other private rooms on the second floor, and greasy and frivolous laughter from men could be heard from them.

"People without faith and bottom line are no different from beasts dominated by desires." A missionary said in a deep voice.

"You don't have to be so rigid. Having faith doesn't mean you have to wear shackles, and not having faith doesn't mean you are ignorant and barbaric... Only by looking at the world from a human perspective and experiencing the suffering and joy of this world can you know what they need."

The red-haired girl didn't seem to resist these. She looked through the curtain and curiously scanned everyone's body, occasionally picking up a piece of dessert and putting it in her mouth.

"What the Saint said is true." Several missionaries suddenly realized, "Quick, call some dancers for the Saint!"

“…That’s not what I meant!”

The red-haired girl hurriedly stopped them. These people were believers who followed her to spread the name of the Holy Lord after she came to this continent and were impressed by her innate faith and the teachings she spread. They were also missionaries. Although they had followed her for a long time, they still could not fully understand the teachings. Their thinking was also constrained by their personal experiences and they could not keep up with her thoughts.

The red-haired girl was used to this. After all, it was not an easy task to convey thinking and cognition through doctrine.

If it is so difficult for just a few people, it would be even more difficult to establish an entire huge religion and spread a complete doctrine... At least she is very clear that she is still lacking some skills.

They watched the dance music in the alley for a long time. When the red-haired girl had almost finished the snacks on the table, they slowly stood up and prepared to leave.

At this moment, three figures walked in from the main door of the dance studio, led by a scholar in Confucian robes. He took the other two to the second floor with ease and was about to enter the private room where they were, but was stopped by someone outside the door.

"What? Someone's already here?"

“…”

"Alas... Brother Qiye, it seems that this is really unfortunate. This room has the best view. Since it is occupied, how about we go to another one?"

After a conversation, the three of them sat down in another private room next door, where they could also see the panoramic view below.

After a while, a group of beautiful dancers were seen pushing open the door of the private room. Roughly estimated, there were eight or nine of them, squeezing in together. The exaggerated treatment made the guests in other private rooms and on the first floor open their eyes wide with envy.

"Compared to other city-states of the Han Dynasty, the people in Chang'an really know how to enjoy life." A missionary snorted disdainfully.

The red-haired girl didn't stand up. She put on her hat and walked out the door while speaking calmly:

"Let's ask the people next door to move in. It's just right...it's time for us to leave too."

…

"Brother Qiye, isn't it interesting here?" Yan Zhong was sitting at the table. Two delicate dancers were kneeling behind him. They were chatting and laughing while massaging his shoulders and back. They seemed to be very familiar with each other.

Lin Qiye sat on the other side with a strange expression. Seeing that several dancers were about to lie in his arms, he stretched out his hand to stop them:

"Brother Yan Zhong...just enjoy yourself. I won't need it."

These dancers were indeed pretty, but Lin Qiye had no interest in this aspect. To be honest, the level of these dancers' drinking companionship was still at the primitive stage of seducing with their beauty, lacking some spiritual comfort and connotation.

He also didn't expect that the interesting place Yan Zhong mentioned was actually a brothel... If he had known earlier, he might as well go to a teahouse or a dim sum shop. In Lin Qiye's eyes, the business level of this place needs to be improved.

"What? Brother Qiye, do you think they are not good enough?" Yan Zhong slapped the table and said to the short man behind him, "Go, invite Miss Qing'er over. She is the guest of honor of the Marquis, and she must be treated well..."

Hearing this, the man was suddenly startled, turned around and walked towards the door, but was stopped by Lin Qiye again.

“Really, that’s not necessary.” Lin Qiye said helplessly, “Brother Yan Zhong, just enjoy yourself, there’s no need to bring me along.”

Yan Zhong frowned and thought for a while, as if he realized something, "Could it be that Brother Qiye already has a family?"

“This…” Lin Qiye paused for a moment, unable to explain clearly, so he could only go along with it and said, “Yes, I already have a family, and my fierce wife is very powerful. If she knew that I was fooling around outside, I would not be able to explain myself when I go back.”

Hearing this, Yan Zhong looked at Lin Qiye with pity and stopped forcing him. He simply asked the other dancers to leave. As for Wu Quan... he was too young, so naturally no dancers were arranged to serve him.

Lin Qiye breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable burning sensation in his chest.