"Brother Hao, morning!" Hao Shuai had just put away the Hundred Flower Painting when Zhu Xiaolian came out of the rear rooms, rubbing his bleary eyes.
"Brother Zhu, it's not early anymore. The sun's already high in the sky." Hao Shuai pointed outside.
"Huh?" Zhu Xiaolian hurried to the temple entrance, unwilling to believe it. Seeing the sun hanging high overhead, he was speechless. "How can that be? I always get up early!"
"Brother Zhu, sleeping in once or twice is perfectly normal." Hao Shuai chuckled.
Why had Zhu Xiaolian slept until now?
Because when Hao Shuai had emerged from the Painted Wall, it had only just been dawn. Later, wanting to refine the Hundred Flower Painting in peace, he had cast a sleeping spell on Zhu Xiaolian and his servant, making them sleep until now.
"Could I really have slept in?!" Zhu Xiaolian asked, still unconvinced. He wandered back into the main hall. "Huh? Where did the mural go?"
Just then, he noticed the bare walls on either side of the hall and cried out in surprise.
"Mural? What mural? Brother Zhu, are you still groggy from sleeping?" Hao Shuai looked puzzled.
"The mural!" Zhu Xiaolian pointed at the walls, gesturing up and down in agitation. "The one with the fairies painted on it!"
"Brother Zhu, take my advice: when you get home, find yourself a wife!" Hao Shuai patted him on the shoulder. "Look at you, all pent up—you're seeing things."
"And fairies, no less!"
"If you don't want the hassle, you could visit a brothel and find a young lady to ease your loneliness."
"What are you talking about, Brother Hao?!" Zhu Xiaolian grew anxious. Just then, he saw his page, Hou Xia, enter the hall too and quickly called out, "Hou Xia! Hou Xia! Come here