Chapter 94: Different Fates

Xing Shi, Zi Long, Bing He, A Sun, Yi Hui…

The toughest, most undefeatable five-man team in history gathered around Liu Liwa. They could sweep through all the mighty beings across the Three Realms and Six Paths!

The five men muttered their names with wry smiles. They weren’t quite sure why, but it was a good thing Liu Liwa didn’t write them down—otherwise, they would’ve fought him to the death!

Their names were settled. Unfortunately, Liu Liwa didn’t have any sacred armor to give them. All he had was some leftover lamb stew with radishes that three women hadn’t finished. Luckily, there was plenty of lamb, and the women had small appetites, so quite a bit remained. It wasn’t enough to fill them up, but it satisfied their cravings.

The five men wolfed down the stew, even drinking the broth. Liu Liwa felt a bit queasy—there had been some “essence” in there. He didn’t mind when the three girls drank it, but now five grown men were gulping it down…

As they scrambled for the meat and broth, the women began to appear. Especially the girls who had pretended to be celestial maidens the night before—they looked at Liu Liwa as if he were the Jade Emperor, greeting him with extreme warmth. Some of the fairies even mistook him for Zhu Bajie and threw themselves at him. Of course, there were also practical and honest girls who simply handed him Silver Taels. By now, this had become an unwritten rule at Intoxication Pavilion: either give real Silver Taels or cling to Liu Liwa for an “oil massage.”

“Brother Xiaoqi, thank you so much for yesterday. This was my first time playing a celestial maiden—and such a fun one that earned Silver Taels too!” a bold girl giggled, leaning on Liu Liwa’s back.

Liu Liwa broke out in a sweat. If every celestial maiden who descended to the mortal realm came for fun, men on Earth were truly blessed.

Liu Liwa laughed and said, “Sisters, you’re too kind. I merely offered some ideas and sweet talk. What truly captivates are your graceful figures and peerless beauty.”

“Oh, Brother Xiaoqi, your words are so sweet, they warm our hearts,” the girls tittered.

“Sisters, starting today, our Brother Xiaoqi officially replaces Brother Yang Si as the leader of the first floor. From now on, we’ll follow Brother Xiaoqi and earn loads of Silver Taels!” Liu Xiaoqi’s Leftover Warriors announced in unison, formally declaring Liu Liwa’s new position.

The girls were overjoyed. They swarmed around Liu Liwa like bees to flowers or flies to a rotten egg. To them, Liu Liwa was a savior, leading them to liberation. In the past, they had been constantly suppressed by the girls from the second and third floors. Their usual clients were butchers and servants who saved up for half a month to visit once, or gamblers who had won some money. There were never any extra tips. If things continued this way, they could never hope to buy their freedom, let alone meet a satisfactory husband.

But ever since Liu Liwa appeared, their fates began to change. Even some regulars from the second and third floors started noticing them. Especially last night’s “Snatch the Fairy” event—it drove the wealthy patrons nearly crazy. Rumor had it they would return today.

All of this was thanks to Liu Liwa. Hearing that he would now formally lead them to work hard, get rich, and pursue a better life, the girls cheered and threw themselves at him without hesitation, letting him feel their heartfelt joy and gratitude. Though Liu Liwa couldn’t feel their hearts, the heart’s location was in the chest—feeling their chests would do just fine!

Everyone cheered and celebrated. All the staff felt genuine joy and admiration for the new leader, fully affirming his character and work abilities. With such a leader, the future was bright—reflected by the gleam of Silver Taels on the path ahead…

In contrast, another newly appointed leader, Yang Xiaosi, was having a miserable time. At that moment, the second-floor girls were clamoring as they came downstairs, looking as if they were planning a mass escape. Yang Xiaosi had thought he’d gotten a promotion and would make a fortune, but instead, he was still scurrying after them like a slave, frantic and anxious. Finally squeezing down the stairs, he hurriedly blocked the girls’ path and asked, “Ladies, where are you all going?”

There were about fifteen or sixteen girls from the second floor, each with her own personal maid—this set them apart from the first-floor girls, giving them a more complete setup. Altogether, there were over thirty people, making it seem like they were preparing for a showdown with the first-floor girls. Having long been oppressed by the second floor, the first-floor girls weren’t about to back down. Seeing the commotion, they surged forward at once.

Liu Liwa was startled. Was this going to turn into a real fight? Damn, that would be one fiery start to his new position. The sheer scale of the gathering quickly caught the attention of Wang Meng and the other hidden enforcers. Though they didn’t show themselves, one could sense the intimidating murderous aura. Yang Xiaosi, with a tearful face, blocked the second-floor girls and pleaded, “Ladies, please don’t do anything rash!”

The leader of the group scowled and said coldly, “Get out of the way. We sisters are going out to buy dresses today. Is it any of your business?”

A young, naive girl beside her chimed in cheerfully, “Yeah, yeah, move aside! We already paid yesterday, and today we’re going to pick up our dresses to dress up as celestial maidens!”

As soon as she finished speaking, her companions shot her furious glares. No one wanted to admit they were copying others, especially since they had long suppressed the first-floor girls. Now, the first floor was imitating them and competing for business—it was humiliating.

Sure enough, Cui Hong from the first floor stepped forward and said, “Oh, dear sisters, you’re already like celestial beings. Why would you need to ‘dress up as celestial maidens’ like us common folk?”

Her words were like a massive blood clot blocking the girls’ arteries, making them so angry they nearly had a stroke. The leader gritted her teeth and retorted, “Who says no to being even more beautiful?”

“Hmph, beauty isn’t for you to decide—it’s for men to judge,” Cui Hong shot back. “You’d better hurry and go get your dresses to play celestial maidens. But without our Brother Xiaoqi telling stories, even if you dress up as the Queen Mother of the West, the customers won’t be interested.”

Her words left the second-floor girls speechless. It was true—last night, everything was orchestrated by Liu Xiaoqi. He guided them step by step, creating a mysterious atmosphere that piqued the customers’ interest and gave them a thrilling, fresh experience. Without him there to set the mood and draw the customers into their roles, even pretending to be the Queen Mother of the West would be useless.

Nevertheless, the second-floor girls stubbornly insisted, “Hmph, so what if you have a Liu Xiaoqi who knows a few tricks? We have our own versatile Yang Xiaosi. Brother Xiaosi, we’ll be counting on you tonight!”

The girls waved their handkerchiefs, dazzling Yang Xiaosi. But he knew his own limitations—there was no way he could create the kind of atmosphere Liu Xiaoqi did. Moreover, even though Liu Liwa’s ideas seemed spontaneous, everything was perfectly arranged with endless variety. How could he possibly compete?