"But if we want to find someone, I can't do it with my old bones."

"Young man, you and I have the same goal, we both want to find Bai Ju."

"Then, instead of fighting individually, it's better to unite with each other."

"So...young man, what do you think?"

Gua Shengxiu's tone was quite calm.

After explaining this, she stopped talking and waited quietly for Qingdeng's answer.

Qingdeng looked at the other party speechlessly.

After a moment, he slowly asked:

"...Ms. Guasheng, I have a question: You don't know me, right?"

"Aren't you worried that I'm a bad person?"

At this point, Qingdeng raised his hand to press the bamboo hat above his head.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm looking for Baiju?"

"You don't know who I am, let alone my name, and you don't even know what I look like."

"You seek cooperation from someone like me, who is full of secrets, without knowing my details at all... Your approach is 'heroic' at best, and 'reckless' at worst."

Qingdeng's comments are indeed sharp.

Qingdeng didn't know what other people were thinking, and he didn't want to know. Anyway, he found it quite puzzling to see Gua Shengxiu's approach of "seeking cooperation from strangers who didn't know the details."

After receiving such harsh comments from Qingdeng... Gua Shengxiu did not show any negative emotions.

Not only did he not feel displeased, he even laughed.

I saw a faint smile on her old face.

"Young man, although my body is old, my brain is not broken. How could I not know what you said?"

"I'm not stupid enough to ask for help from someone I can't trust."

"The reason why I extended the invitation to cooperate with you is actually very simple - because I trust you."

Qingdeng couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

"How can we talk about 'trust' when we don't even know the other person's name, appearance, age and other basic information?"

"Because of the smell."

Gua Shengxiu smiled slightly, then stretched out his right index finger and tapped his nose.

"Young man, don't underestimate the elderly - especially an old man like me who has lived in Yoshiwara, a place with many different directions, for nearly a lifetime."

"Which people are trustworthy and good people, and which people are villains who need to be wary of? I can tell by just smelling their scent."

"It's true that I don't know your appearance, name, or age, but your body exudes a scent that makes me feel at ease."

"And this is enough."

At this point, Gua Shengxiu suddenly stopped talking.

She was stunned for a moment as if she was recalling something, and then continued:

"Besides, strangely enough, the smell on your body reminds me of a... senior I respect very much."

Having said that, a vague look of reminiscence appeared on Gua Shengxiu's old face.

Qingdeng was silent.

If someone else had said to Qingdeng, "I can identify people by their smell," he would definitely think that the other person was talking nonsense.

But the owner of these remarks was "Yoshiwara Toshin" who had a legendary experience... This made Ayoto feel inexplicably trustworthy.

"...Ms. Guashou, I have another question. As far as I know, as a senior member of Yoshiwara Toxin and Shirobei Club, you enjoy a very high reputation in Yoshiwara. Whether you are looking for someone or in other

You should be able to find a lot of helpers who are willing to help you in any matter, right? Why do you need to recruit a stranger like me?"

As soon as Qingdeng said this, Gua Shengxiu immediately looked up and laughed as if he had heard some Coca-Cola joke.

Although she smiled and looked very happy, Qingdeng could vaguely feel that there was a hint of helpless lament hidden in her laughter.

After she had laughed to her heart's content, she said quietly:

"Young man, let me tell you a cruel truth: the 'Yoshiwara Dozen' who has devoted his whole life to Yoshihara is not welcomed by Yoshihara."

"To be precise, it is only popular among wandering girls."

"The rest of the people...the boss of Yumeiya and the officials at Shirobei Club only regard me as an old immortal who 'likes to make trouble' and 'get in the way of their work.'"

"Not everyone is like me and treats wandering girls as living human beings."

"Although due to seniority, everyone in the Shirobei Club respects me and dare not act arrogantly in front of me, but that's all."

"My qualifications can only make them respect me, but it cannot make them respect You Nu."

"I can indeed use my identity to pressure the officials at the Shirobei Club and ask them to help me find Baiju."

"But what you get in return is a blank stare and a perfunctory search that doesn't even bother you."

"My past life experience tells me: 1,000 absent-minded people are far inferior to 1 dedicated person."

"Instead of relying on these bastards who just want to get money to get by and don't take the joys and sorrows of the wandering girls seriously, I would rather lend a helping hand to a stranger like you who has a good smell about you."

After listening to Gua Shengxiu's words, Qingdeng couldn't help but think of what he saw when he entered Qianhua House - the counter staff talked to Gua Shengxiu in a very impatient tone.

Qingdeng was very sensible and did not delve further into this issue.

"...Okay, I understand. In this case, I am willing to do my best."

After thinking for a moment, Qingdeng finally gave an affirmative answer.

"Young man, I knew you would agree."

Gua Shengxiu looked very happy.

"Miss Guasheng, I can cooperate with you, but I have a condition - to be honest, I came here to ask Bai Ju something very important, so I came here to find her."

"After you find Bai Ju, please leave her and me some space and time alone."

Gua Shengxiu didn't think too much, nor did he ask Qingdeng, "What do you want to ask Baiju?", so he nodded gently.

"Okay, no problem."

With a few simple words, the deal was done.

"It seems that I haven't reported to my family until now, which is really rude."

Qingdeng said as he put his heels together and stood up straight.

"I'm Huatian Qingqing, please give me some advice."

Qingdeng was currently wanted by the government and had deliberately concealed his whereabouts, so it was impossible for him to give his real name.

This name is a pseudonym he just came up with on the spur of the moment.

"Tachibana" has the same pronunciation with another Japanese surname "Tachibana", both of which are "Tachibara"

"Hanada" is a combination of his last name "Tachibana" and the last name "Okita" of the Souji who currently has the same status as his fiancée.

As for "Qingqing", it is a mixture of his common name "Qingdeng" and his real name "Shengqing".

"Please give me some advice, Hanada-kun."

Gua Shengxiu bowed lightly to Qingdeng with a smile on his face.

After Qingdeng returned the favor, he went straight to the point:

"Miss Guasheng, do you have any clues about where Baiju is?"

"First of all... I plan to confirm whether Bai Ju is still in Yoshiwara."

"Although this is not a commendable thing, the Shirobei Club has unparalleled rich experience in preventing wandering girls from escaping."

"If you want to leave Yoshihara, unless you have the ability to climb over the wall and cross the river, no matter how great your ability is, you can only go through the only gate that is heavily guarded."

"Although the defenses of the Shirobei Club are not impregnable, they are not impregnable either."

"The wandering girls must have the right time, place and people in order to have a chance to escape from this magnificent 'prison'."

Gua Shengxiu turned around and walked north.

"Hanada-kun, come with me. Let's visit all the places Baiju might go."

…

…

At this moment——

Yoshiwara, Thousand Flower House——

Snap, snap, snap, snap...

The counter clerk who heard heavy footsteps in front of him immediately raised his head.
To be continued...