This was a town so small it was hard to even find on a map. It did not even qualify as a county seat and was only marked because it lay near a main road.0

This small town near the Imperial Capital had absorbed a trace of the capital’s grandeur, but not enough to conceal its shabbiness. It gave off the impression of a once-prosperous household now fallen on hard times.0

So, there were plenty of door-half-open establishments operating here.0

Zhang Yuelu frowned as she followed behind Xuanji. She glanced around, noticing how quiet it was. There were no customers since it was daytime, but she still felt somewhat uneasy.0

She had been to brothels before, but only top-tier or second-class ones, where it was not just about sexual transactions. Rather, the sex trade was dressed up so finely that one could barely recognize it. It was like a tavern that began selling snacks, then slowly added full-fledged meals and even provided lodging. Once it prospered, it hired storytellers. At that point, it was no longer considered a tavern but an inn. Since it was now an inn, it did not matter if one drank or not.1

However, these door-half-open establishments were...0