I grinned apologetically, “Go on, please…”

Alas! Even gifted man would become impotent after someone messed with the thing a few times in this way.

I heard their footsteps soon die away with a vaguely voice, “I get lost…Thank you for waiting…”

But I couldn’t hear more details.

After I fell back in the corner with butt backwards to the ground, I was silent for a moment. I was sure that I had never seen the man before, but why Tao the Second Childe threw me into the wing room? Was he afraid that I came across with the man?

Anyway…

I should go home first. I also hated my smell.

When the procuress came with a group of people to surround me, I calmly beat the dust off my clothes, and took out the jade. The jade was warm and smooth, which seemed not worse than that of mine.

I said calmly, “I dropped my purse in the bathroom. Is this jade enough to pay the bill?”

The procuress clutched the jade tightly with her eyes shining, and said quickly, “Yes, yes, of course…”

I escaped from the Triplet Pleasure-boat with excitement and rushed straight home.

To be honest, there really wasn’t much fun. The food over there was not as good as that at home. There were more beauties, but no one could compare with the Childes of my family. So why Tao the Second Childe went there? I didn’t know if he visited prostitutes or the other way around…

The door of Li Mansion was wide open. Servants here were in a hurry. I patted one of the servants on the shoulder wonderingly, and said, “What happened?”

The servant said without turning his head, “Master is lost.”

Being rendered in a daze, I raised my hand, touched my face, and murmured, “I wasn’t…”

With that, I entered the door. Lian’er was walking out of the home with a stick. She stopped, looking at me wide-eyed, and then laughed…

“Master, it takes great efforts to find you!” Lian’er grinned.

I shrank my neck.

“Lian’er, I was pushed away by the crowd…” I said guiltily.

“Are you sure that you didn’t ‘wander off’ deliberately?” Lian’er, who was as terrifying as her real master, threatened me with narrowed eyes.

“Maybe the sound of firecrackers was so loud that I didn’t hear you calling my name…” My voice grew fainter and fainter.

“Hmmm…” Lian’er held me by the collar, “You go and explain to the Childes!”

Oh, God! It freaked me out! I would be interrogated by all childes!

Was it necessary to do so since I had only disappeared less than two hours?

Being torn by the sense of accomplishment of being cared by all and the sense of vicissitudes of being oppressed, I looked ingratiatingly at Master Shifu, who lowered his gaze and looked away. Oops, the smile in his eyes disappeared!

I then turned to look at Tang the Third Childe and Qiao the Fourth Childe again. Although Tang the Third Childe was bad-tempered, I knew that he was the most soft-hearted but now it seemed… his eyes were colder than ice. Now Qiao the Fourth Childe was singing the same tune with Tang the Third Childe. He was cold before, and he looked like quite an ice beauty.

I dare not count on the Fifth Childe who came in smiling. I knew that he had a very sensitive nose that was nurtured by the smell of herbs. He could accurately tell the ingredients and dosages of each patent’s medicine by sniffing, so did for other things.

“Well? You went to the East Main Street, watched fireworks at a close distance, ate a table of nutrient-deprived chicken, duck and fish, and the odor of perfumes and cosmetics…”

He said, with a weird expression upon his face, “Have you gone to the Triplet Pleasure-boat?”

I couldn’t help but applaud for him. He fully knew where I had been to and what I had done by the a simple sniff. The only mistake was that he could not find out where my smell had come from, but I didn’t know if it was because he wanted to save my face.

But soon I found that all childes’ faces clouded over when hearing the words “Triplet Pleasure-boat”. The indoor temperature also dropped sharply.

I coughed, “I went there with Tao the Second Childe.”

They were startled a moment.

“Look!” I took out the fan of Tao the Second Childe from the undersleeves. The habit of picking up things on the sly could not be cast off overnight. “Lian’er and I got separated in the crowd, and then I run into Tao the Second Childe. And we decided to watch the fun in the Triplet Pleasure-boat as I was hungry.”

They would feel better if I was with Tao the Second Childe. And I was lying. It was only after I entered the Triplet Pleasure-boat that I run into Tao the Second Childe.

But Tang the Third Childe asked, “Did Tao allow you to eat these greasy meat and fish?”

Violating the basic principles were not allowed, but it didn’t matter for minor parts. I confessed honestly, “I ate it secretly.” I winked at him, and tried to squeeze out a tear or two, “I’m hungry…”

Tang the Third Childe really had a soft spot for me. He turned soft and couldn’t bear to look at me.

“We will know when Tao the Second Childe comes back,” the Fifth Childe said. “Let her take a bath first to wash away the intolerable smell.”

The Fifth Childe had a very sensitive nose, and he was also a neat freak. So he was the first one who couldn’t stand the smell. Other people all agreed. I quickly went back to the room to take a bath as if I was granted a temporary amnesty.

Lina’er rubbed my shoulder with one hand and refilled the bathtub with the other. Our Lian’er was very competent.

Lian’er added water to the bathtub as she massaged on my shoulder. She was such a considerate girl.

Hardly had I stopped praising her in heart did she begin to exhort, “Master, you should settle down as you are not so young. Please don’t let all childes worry about you anymore. Are you not ashamed? It’s difficult to convince the First Childe to let you go out. Do you want to hang out again or not? Do you think you are omnipotent as before? You have to look out for all childes even if you don’t think for yourself…”

I listened her nagging and was profoundly scared. What she said really made me sad. “Lian’er, I’m sorry.”

“Master, you say it all the time, but when can you really get rid of the habit?”

I always had the courage to make an apology, but I shall never make it right. I had many faults.

However, holing up in the small Li Mansion, I was not allowed to eat this nor that. It was so intolerable that even every bone inside me didn’t feel well. I complained, “Do you treat a gyrfalcon as a canary?”

“Hey, don’t flatter yourself, Master! A gyrfalcon?” Lian’er slapped me on the shoulder, and I groaned loudly out of pain.

“Please face it, master. What else are you dissatisfied with as there are so many childes feeding you?”

The First Childe was the prime minister. The Second Child was the chief of martial arts circles. The Third Childe was the lord of Tang Sect. The Fourth Childe was the master of Hidden Sect, and the Fifth Childe was a miracle-working doctor. Basically, there should be an “ex-” before these titles. They had settled down and retired after marrying me. But when I thought that these great persons called a quit for me, I could not tell if I was captured by them or vice versa?

Well, whatever, I made up my mind to be a good master from tomorrow so as to stop letting my childes worry about me! (Basically, this was the 188th time I had said that.)

I stepped out of the bathtub. When Lian’er unfolded the towel that was as large as the bed sheet, and was about to wrap it around my body, the door was pushed open.

Damn it. That again?!

What the hell was the door for?