Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 462 On the Street

With a tap of the fingertip, one is instantly transported to the wonderful world on the street in Chapter 462.

Little Ling'er ran up to Chen Anran, her cheeks flushed, and asked, "Why are you all here?"

Chen Anran smiled slightly at her excited expression: "Just taking a walk. How about you? Was the show good?"

"It was amazing!" Xiaoling nodded vigorously. "This is the first time I've ever seen a play like this! That old man was so funny; he could imitate anything perfectly and even do magic tricks! Just now, he pulled a handful of candy out of his sleeve and scattered it among the children in the audience, and we all managed to grab some!"

As she spoke, she pulled a piece of maltose wrapped in oil paper from her sleeve and presented it to Chen Anran like a treasure.

"Junior Uncle, here you go!"

Chen Anran took the candy, looked down at it, and then looked at Xiao Ling'er.

"Aren't you going to eat it yourself?"

"I ate them!" Xiao Ling'er smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "I ate two pieces! These were specially saved for Junior Uncle."

Wei Yiran also walked over at this moment, curtsied to Chen Anran, and then bowed to Lu Kong and Huiming. She stood beside Xiao Ling'er, her smile much more natural than when she was at the Wei residence, unlike the restraint she had shown when they first met.

"Master Chen, this opera troupe is from Jiangnan. They will be performing in Tianjing for ten days straight. Today's play is called 'Wang Laowu Selling Melons,' a comedy. Although it can't compare to the grand operas in the palace, it's still lively and interesting."

Chen Anran nodded and put the candy into her sleeve.

Seeing this, Wei Yiran calmed down again.

She always felt that this Master Chen was very distant from her, and was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding her.

Was it because of that person who looked like her?

Wei Yiran lowered her eyelashes.

She recalled the first time she saw him a month ago at the foot of Yunyin Mountain. At that time, she was standing at the entrance of Xian Shan Fang, staring blankly at the three metal boxes, when he walked past her without even glancing at her.

At that time, she thought she was too ordinary to be noticed by the immortals.

But she later discovered that wasn't the case.

Another round of gongs and drums sounded from the stage, and the old man dressed as Wang Laowu was imitating a rooster's crow in a high-pitched voice, drawing laughter from the audience. Little Ling'er was drawn over again, standing on tiptoe to look at the stage, tugging at Wei Yiran's sleeve as she watched.

"Sister Wei, look! He's imitating a rooster's crow again!"

Wei Yiran raised her head and looked towards the stage.

But out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but glance to the side.

Chen Anran remained standing there, his gaze fixed on the stage. But was he really watching the play?

………………

As the sun began to set, the crowd on the other side of the stage finally dispersed.

The old man dressed as a bachelor packed up his props, bowing to the audience as he did so, muttering, "I'll be back tomorrow, I'll be back tomorrow." Several young performers dressed as children emerged from backstage, carrying baskets, and went into the crowd one by one, collecting coins.

Xiao Ling'er took out a few copper coins from her sleeve, tiptoed and put them into the basket. The little girl collecting the money gave her a sweet smile and said, "Thank you, miss."

"Junior Uncle, shall we go back?" Xiao Ling'er ran back to Chen Anran's side. "I'm a little hungry."

Chen Anran nodded, glancing around at his surroundings.

Zhou Da had already led his men to carry the small blue cloth sedan chair over and stood respectfully to the side. Wei Yiran stood beside the sedan chair, not in a hurry to get in, but just looking at Xiao Ling'er with a smile on her lips.

"Would you like to take a sedan chair back?" she asked.

Xiao Ling'er glanced at the sedan chair, then at Chen Anran, and shook her head: "No need, no need, I'll walk back with Junior Uncle. Sister Wei, you take the sedan chair back first, see you at the Wei residence."

Wei Yiran paused slightly, her gaze quickly sweeping across Chen Anran's face before she lowered her eyes and nodded.

"Alright, then I'll wait for you at the manor."

After she finished speaking, she curtsied to Chen Anran and the other two, then turned and got into the sedan chair.

The sedan chair was lifted, with Zhou Da leading the men on both sides to protect it, and slowly headed towards the Wei residence.

Xiao Ling'er stood there, watching the sedan chair disappear into the distance, and suddenly whispered, "Junior Uncle, Sister Wei doesn't seem very happy."

Chen Anran remained silent.

Lu Kong smiled and glanced at him, then looked at Xiao Ling'er: "Xiao Ling'er, how could you tell she was unhappy?"

"It's just a feeling," Xiao Ling'er tilted her head. "The way she looked at Junior Uncle just now was the same as when we were at the foot of Cloud Hidden Mountain, a little... a little..."

She thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable word, so she could only scratch her head and say, "Anyway, it's just different."

Huiming held the prayer beads in his hand, his eyelids slightly lowered, but the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

Lu Kong laughed and patted Xiao Ling'er on the shoulder: "Xiao Ling'er, your observation skills are pretty good."

Xiao Ling blinked, not quite understanding, but seeing Lu Kong laughing happily, she laughed along with him.

Chen Anran turned around and walked back the way she came.

"Let's go," he said.

The three people, along with a monk and a young girl, slowly walked back along the street in the south of the city.

The setting sun painted the sky orange-red, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street than in the afternoon. The old man selling sugar figurines packed up his stall, carefully putting the unsold figurines into his wooden box. The clay figurine vendor also left, leaving only a few specks of clay on the ground, which were trampled into the dirt by passersby.

…………

Wei House.

"I need to tell Sister Wei that I'm back," Xiao Ling'er said matter-of-factly. "She took me out to play all day, so I should at least let her know I'm safe and sound, right?"

Chen Anran didn't stop her. He just stood outside the courtyard gate, watching her run in, watching Wei Yiran come out of the house to greet her, and watching the two girls huddle together, chattering away.

Wei Yiran glanced towards the courtyard gate.

Chen Anran turned around and led Lu Kong and Huiming toward Qinghui Pavilion.

Xiao Ling'er's voice came from behind: "Sister Wei, let's go to the theater again tomorrow! That bachelor Wang said he's going to put on 'The Fool's Wedding,' it's sure to be even funnier!"

Wei Yiran's voice rang out softly, tinged with a smile: "Okay."

……

Inside Qinghui Pavilion, the lights were on.

As soon as Chen Anran stepped into the courtyard, he heard a commotion coming from the main hall.

"No, no, this color is too bright! We're running a legitimate organization, not a brothel!"

"What's so 'glamorous'? This is true red! Do you understand true red? It's festive! It's grand!"

"What's so celebratory about? We're the ones who will make the Immortal Alliance bow down. If we go out dressed in red, people will think we're actors in a play!"

Chen Anran stepped across the threshold, glanced around the hall, and paused.

On the central octagonal table in the hall, various colored fabrics were piled up. Red, black, white, and blue fabrics were spread out all over the table. Jiang Yan sat at the table, holding a roll of blue fabric in his hands, his small eyes narrowed into slits as he examined it closely. Huiming hadn't entered the room yet; he was outside tidying his monk's robes. Lu Kong followed him in, and his eyes lit up as soon as he saw the pile of things on the table.

What truly stunned Chen Anran was not the fabric.

It's the outfit Qi Lan is wearing.

She wore a black trench coat embroidered with red cloud patterns, the collar stood up, and a black belt was tied around her waist. She stood there, one hand on her hip, the other holding a matching black trench coat, gesturing towards Master Tianbao.

"Look at this outfit," Qi Lan said, her face beaming. "The classic Akatsuki style! Black clothes with red clouds, so cool! So distinctive! From now on, when we go out, people will know we're one of us just by looking at this outfit—how impressive!"

Master Tianbao's beard stood up high, his face flushed red, and he pushed aside the trench coat.

"What Akatsuki? When I was in the Maoshan Sect, I hadn't even finished watching Naruto! You want me to wear this? I'm already this old, what would I look like dressed like this? Wouldn't I look like... what, 'Uchiha Madara'?"

"It's not Uchiha Madara, it's Pain," Qi Lan corrected, then leaned forward, holding the trench coat. "Look, Sect Leader, this material is so good. I had it made from the finest silk. It's light and soft to wear, and it won't hinder your fighting. Besides, the black clothes and red clouds have a good meaning—we are the 'Akatsuki' of this world. The dawn has broken, it's time to wake up."

Jiang Yan muttered quietly to himself, "The meaning behind this is quite good..."

Master Tianbao glared at him: "What's so great about it? Why don't you try it on?"

Jiang Yan quickly waved his hand, his chubby face beaming with a smile: "No, no, no, I just want to take a look, just a look."

Qi Lan saw that Daoist Tianbao was absolutely unwilling, but she was not angry. She just sighed, put the Akatsuki trench coat aside, and picked up another one from the side.

This time it's white.

A white robe with wide sleeves, the collar and cuffs embroidered with light blue cloud patterns, and a jade pendant hanging from the belt.

"How about this one?" she asked. "Is this one alright? It's ethereal and suits our style perfectly."

Master Tianbao leaned over for a look, and his brows furrowed even more.

"This... isn't this the school uniform of 'Changliu' from 'The Journey of Flower'?"

"It's not a school uniform, it's a disciple's robe," Qi Lan corrected seriously. "I had it modified; it looks much better than the original. Look at the collar, the cuffs, the jade pendant—it's so classy!"

Master Tianbao's mustache stood on end: "Class? If I went out dressed like this, people would think I'm a disciple of some immortal sect! We're here to establish an organization, not to infiltrate the Immortal Alliance as spies!"

Qi Lan rolled her eyes at him: "Sect Leader, you're so hard to please. You think black robes with red clouds are too flashy, and white robes with blue patterns are too much like a celestial sect. So what kind do you want?"

Master Tianbao stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "I want... I want someone... someone who is obviously one of us, but not too flashy. Simple, elegant, low-key, and cultured."

Qi Lan's lips twitched, and she picked up the third set from the table.

The dark gray outer robe was simple in style and had no patterns.

"How about this one? Simple and elegant enough, right? Understated yet sophisticated enough, isn't it?"

Master Tianbao took the outer robe, examined it from all angles, and suddenly pointed to the inside of the collar: "What's this?"

Qi Lan leaned closer for a look, her expression unchanged: "Oh, that's the organization's logo. I had it embroidered on, a small sun pattern, symbolizing that we are the light of this world."

Master Tianbao: "..."

Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud, his chubby face trembling.

Lu Kong leaned against the door frame, laughing so hard his shoulders shook.

Chen Anran stood at the door, watching this scene, and wanted to facepalm. He walked in and said to everyone, "Right now, our organization doesn't even have a name or a framework, and you guys have already arranged the costumes."

Upon hearing Chen Anran's words, everyone turned their heads in unison.

Master Tianbao, still holding the dark gray outer robe, said with an air of self-righteousness, "Young Chen, you don't understand. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Our organization may not have a name yet, but we can decide on our uniforms first. Once the name is decided, we'll embroider it on the collar, and we'll be all set!"

Qi Lan nodded in agreement, shaking the Akatsuki trench coat in her hand: "Exactly! And Chen Anran, think about it, if we were to clash with the Immortal Alliance three thousand years ago, standing there in black robes and red clouds, how intimidating would that be!"

Jiang Yan muttered to himself, "I think the strength of Master Chen and Senior Lu is even more impressive..."

Lu Kong patted Jiang Yan's shoulder with a smile: "I like what Fellow Daoist Jiang said."

Chen Anran walked to the table, his gaze sweeping over the pile of fabrics before finally settling on the dark gray outer robe.

He reached out and picked it up, then looked at the small sun pattern inside the collar.

The stitches are fine and dense; the embroidery is quite good.

"What does this sun mean?" he asked.

Qi Lan leaned closer, her amber vertical pupils gleaming: "Aren't we going to overthrow the Immortal Alliance and seal away spiritual energy? This world has been dark for thousands of years, someone has to stand up and let the light return, right? So I thought of using the sun as a symbol, to signify that we are the light of this world."

Chen Anran remained silent for a moment, then put down the Taoist robe.

"The meaning is good," he said.

Qi Lan's eyes lit up: "So you agree?"

Chen Anran shook her head: "I disagree."

Qi Lan: "...Why?"

"Because we are not the light of this world," Chen Anran said. "We are just a group of people who have traveled back from three thousand years in the future. We should do what we should do, walk the path we should walk, and not put such high hats on ourselves."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Master Tianbao stopped stroking his beard, a complex light flashing in his small eyes. Jiang Yan's hand, holding a teacup, froze in mid-air. Lu Kong leaned against the doorframe, his smiling expression fading slightly, replaced by a serious look.

Qi Lan stood there, staring at Chen Anran, unsure of what to say.

Chen Anran turned around and looked out at the night view.

In the distance, the nine-story Tongtian Pavilion stands quietly.

"Whether what we did was right or wrong, future generations will judge. We only need to remember—we are human beings, not gods. We are not some 'light of the world,' but just a group of people who don't want this world to continue to rot."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Qi Lan.

"But... never mind... keep one of these robes for me."

Qi Lan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Okay!" she said, "I'll save the best materials for you!"

Chen Anran stepped out of Qinghui Pavilion and disappeared into the night.

Inside the hall, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Master Tianbao stroked his beard and suddenly sighed, "This lad..."

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