Guo Dalu replied, “Obviously… we head into town first and figure it out from there.”

  Yan Qi chuckled. “Honestly, you should′ve invited Wang Laoda and the others too. Let them broaden their horizons a bit. I really don′t understand why you′re keeping this from them.”

  Guo Dalu wasn't keeping anything from anyone. He never thought looking for women was something to be ashamed of.

  Not finding a woman—that would be shameful.

  The only reason he hadn't told the others was that he himself had no idea where to find any women.

  He had never had the money for such things before. And because he had never looked, he could only imagine. And the more he imagined, the more he longed for it.

  The county town seemed to appear in no time.

  As soon as they entered the city, Yan Qi asked, “So, which way do we go now? Which street?”

  “There is always fragrant grass within ten steps.”

  Guo Dalu cleared his throat a few times. “Any street will do.”

  Yan Qi raised an eyebrow. “Any street?”

  Guo Dalu nodded. “There are women on all four streets.”

  Yan Qi ughed. “I know there are women on every street, but there are many kinds of women. The question is—which street has the kind you′re looking for?”

  Guo Dalu wiped the sweat off his forehead and pointed to a nearby teahouse. “You wait there. I′ll go find one for you.”

  Yan Qi blinked. “Why should I wait here? Can’t we just go together?”

  Guo Dalu straightened his face. “You don’t understand. Pces like these are very discreet. The more secretive the pce, the better it is. But if they see a stranger, they won’t cooperate.”

  Yan Qi sighed. “Fine. You're the expert. I′ll do whatever you say.”

  Watching Yan Qi walk into the teahouse, Guo Dalu finally let out a breath of relief.

  But just as he turned to leave, Yan Qi called out loudly, “I’m waiting here for you! Don’t even think about sneaking off!”

  Guo Dalu called back just as loudly, “Of course I won’t run!”

  He really had no intention of running—he just needed to gather some information first so that Yan Qi would be impressed.

  “If a charming and carefree pyboy like me can’t even find a pce like this, Yan Qi would ugh his head off—and at least for three to five years.”

  He hurried down the street as fast as he could. But when he turned the corner, the next street looked exactly the same—teahouses, shops, men, and, of course, women.

  “But which one is the kind of woman I′m looking for?”

  He scanned the street up and down, but none of them seemed right. Every woman looked proper and respectable.

  “Then again, women in this line of work don’t exactly wear a sign on their faces.”

  Guo Dalu stood by the roadside, lost in thought for a long time. He encouraged and consoled himself, saying, “As long as I have money, finding a woman won’t be a problem.”

  He decided to buy a set of clothes first. "Clothes make the man, just as gold adorns the noble." Dressing well would give him an advantage right from the start.

  Strangely enough, finding a clothing store wasn't as easy as he had expected.

  After much effort, he finally found one—only to spot someone inside picking out clothes. It was none other than Yan Qi.

  “That brat didn’t even wait for me at the teahouse,” Guo Dalu muttered to himself.

  Inside, Yan Qi was ughing as he said, “I don’t mind paying more for the best-looking clothes. I have a date with a beauty today, so I need to dress impressively.”

  Guo Dalu frowned. Could this rascal have already found the way before me?

  Seeing Yan Qi looking so pleased with himself, Guo Dalu felt both amused and annoyed.

  “Well, since you’re being disloyal, I might as well return the favor. At least now you can’t say I ditched you.”

  He decided not to bother changing his clothes and made up his mind to leave Yan Qi behind.

  "Women love charm; men love wealth. I have both—so what does it matter if I change my clothes or not?"

  Down the street, there was a teahouse. Just then, a man strolled out leisurely, carrying a birdcage in his hand.

  He wasn’t wasn’t′very old, but his eyes were dull, his face was pale, and he looked utterly exhausted. It was clear to anyone what had caused his exhaustion.

  Guo Dalu suddenly stepped forward, csped his fists, and grinned. “My surname is Guo. I know you don't know me, and I don't know you either. But now, we do.”

  He preferred to get straight to the point in everything he did.

  Fortunately, the man was also someone who had seen his fair share of the world. After a brief moment of surprise, he chuckled and replied, “What can I do for you, Brother Guo?”

  Guo Dalu said, “Surely you agree with the saying, ‘A young man who doesn′t indulge in pleasure has lived in vain.’”

  The man replied, “So Brother Guo is looking for a bit of fun.”

  Guo Dalu nodded. “Exactly. My only regret is that I can’t find my way into the pleasure house.”

  The man chuckled. “Then you’ve found the right person. But if you want to enjoy yourself, you need money. Without money, you′ll be thrown out.”

  And thrown out he was.

  Guo Dalu suddenly realized that women didn’t just love charm—they loved money, too.

  He wasn't the type to be easily bullied and would never let himself be beaten without a fight. But how could he possibly fight back against this kind of woman?

  His shoulder had been bitten twice, and there was now a lump on his head from being hit. He was holding his head with one hand while the other fumbled in his pocket.

  His pocket was empty—emptier than his stomach. He had clearly pced his valuables in there, yet now they were gone.

  The crispy duck skin from breakfast had long been digested, and the wine had long since turned into sweat.