Chapter 110: Protective Amulet
Chapter 110: Protective Amulet
She was as beautiful as a fairy, as charming as a fox.
Where could such a girl be found?
Listen, my friend, and I shall tell you.
She was not under the moonlight.
She was not in a dreaming sleep.
She was within an exquisite painted portrait.
She existed in the fantasy world of your mind!
Liu Liwa pretended to push and pull the drunkard aside.
He lowered his voice and said,”I say, Supervisor, you didn’t need to come like a spy meeting a contact every time, did you?”
The drunkard shook his messy hair.
He smiled bitterly and said,”I didn’t want to either. But you know my status and my… conditions. I can’t just swagger in openly to collect the portraits. Besides, a few days ago, Miss Zhao discovered those three paintings. I told her they were just some random scribbles of yours. It took a long explanation to cover it up.”
“What do you mean?” Liu Liwa probed.
Wen Jun said contentedly,”I looked over those paintings. They really had a certain feel to them. If one were to sit or lie in bed late at night, under the moonlight, and slowly appreciate them, it truly created a unique artistic conception.”
Liu Liwa nodded along.”Not only the artistic conception, but they also help train the coordination between hands and eyes.”
The two shared a knowing laugh.
At the same time, Wen Jun also pointed out some shortcomings of the first Photobook Series.
For example, the postures of the people in the paintings were very attractive, but the movements looked a bit stiff.
The facial features were very clear, but the expressions were somewhat reserved.
The painting style was good, the lines smooth, but certain ‘characteristics’ were not prominent enough.
The depiction of some specific ‘characteristics’ was not detailed enough.
As an experienced Agent, publisher, and distributor, the customer’s demands naturally came first, and their opinions were all valuable.
He took serious notes, accepted the feedback humbly, and planned to implement the changes thoroughly.
“By the way, Supervisor,” Liu Liwa could fulfill all of Wen Jun’s requests.
But thinking of Yang Xiaosi’s miserable state earlier, and those girls who were confined for modeling outside their scope, Liu Liwa felt the helplessness of having no backing.
Who knows, one day his fate and that of Liuyun and Qin Wan’er might be even worse.
Now that he had connected with Wen Jun, he needed to cultivate a protective umbrella.
So he said earnestly,”Recently, business at Intoxication Pavilion has been very good. Not just in Linyu County, but even from surrounding towns and the Capital City, important officials and nobles have been visiting. Therefore, Miss Qin and Miss Liuyun, who are creating the paintings for you, are often requested to entertain guests. This somewhat affects their mood, the quality of their painting work, and the submission deadlines. I ask for Supervisor Wen’s understanding regarding this matter.”
“No!” Wen Jun’s eyes instantly widened in fury.
He flew into a rage, smashed the prop wine jug in his hand to pieces, pulled Liu Liwa into a corner, and said angrily,”What important official dares to compete with me, Wen Jun, for women? I, Wen Jun, have dedicated my heart and soul to the Eastpeace nation, stained the battlefield with my blood, and ended up in this neither-human-nor-ghost state. What were those so-called dignitaries doing then? Who ever cared about me? Now that I have finally found a little joy in being human, they actually come to fight with me over it? How can I tolerate them!”
Wen Jun’s killing intent radiated outwards, looking as if he wanted to fight someone to the death.
He was a classic case of someone who kept his bitterness to himself.
He would naturally not speak of such wartime trauma, but he undoubtedly held resentment.
Compared to the enemies who caused his lifelong pain, he hated even more those high officials in the court who only knew how to talk and give orders.
These privileged officials and their descendants, who usually acted tyrannically in their local areas—that was something others couldn’t control. But if they touched these soldiers who had achieved great military merits and stained the battlefield with blood, no one would indulge their faults!
However, among the high officials and nobles, there were also figures that Wen Jun could not afford to provoke.
So, although he was grinding his teeth in hatred, he couldn’t just follow his temper.
But in his heart, he had already regarded Qin Wan’er and Miss Liuyun as the greatest joy and comfort in his life.
He couldn’t wait to see the Photobook Series and exercise his hand-eye coordination.
Moreover, he felt uncomfortable if girls who had entertained other guests appeared in the Photobook Series.
It felt like wearing a ‘green hat’. Many super fans had this kind of psychology.
That’s why many artists never reveal their relationships or marriages, afraid of losing fans due to heartbreak.
When Brother Cheng Long once revealed a relationship, it led to several incidents of female fans committing suicide in Japan. This showed the strong appeal of stars and the fierce loyalty of fans.
Wen Jun didn’t want his spiritual support, his idol stars, to be touched by others.
But he also couldn’t publicly declare he was keeping Pleasure House girls for such a reason.
After thinking it over, he took out two bronze tokens from his tattered clothes.
They were palm-sized, engraved with the character ‘Order’, simple yet dignified.
He secretly passed them to Liu Liwa, signaling him to hide them quickly.
He instructed,”These are Imperial Guard Command Tokens at the captain level. They are usually used for special reconnaissance missions. With these tokens, one can pass unimpeded anywhere in the Dongning Kingdom. These two tokens belonged to two of my subordinates. They died in battle long ago, but their military registrations are still retained. Now I am giving these two tokens to the two girls. If any official tries to force himself on the girls, showing this token can resolve the situation. However, this is only for self-protection. They must never use them without authorization!”
Liu Liwa held the heavy tokens, his excitement beyond words.
The Imperial Guard’s reconnaissance tokens—these were specifically used to help the Emperor investigate incognito!
One could go anywhere in the land, outrank any official by three levels upon meeting.
Once shown, it was equivalent to the Imperial Sword!
This was like the work ID of the national security department in later times.
This was the protective talisman for safeguarding chastity.
With these, Liu Liwa felt reassured.
Wen Jun had already coordinated with Wu Liniang, instructing that Liuyun and Qin Wan’er fully cooperate with Liu Liwa’s work.
Regular guests would not be assigned to them for entertainment.
Now, with the tokens, even some powerful guests couldn’t lay a hand on them.
Finally, they could completely protect the two women, truly ‘hiding beauties in a golden house’.
Furthermore, these two tokens belonged to two officers who had already died in battle.
They could usually be used to intimidate people.
Even if something happened and someone investigated, there was an excuse—the two tokens were lost.
Then Wen Jun could completely distance himself from the matter.
Liu Liwa could also claim that some guest had previously given the tokens to the girls.
After all, the dead could not testify.
And they would only use the tokens for self-protection, not to show off or attract attention.
“Rest assured, Supervisor. I will go back now and arrange for them to start painting. We will definitely highlight the key features, focus on expressions, make the postures natural, and ensure your satisfaction!” Liu Liwa tucked away the tokens and left contentedly.
Wen Jun also happily returned, waiting for the release of the Photobook Series Season Two.
They agreed on the deadline for tomorrow morning.
There were few guests at Intoxication Pavilion.
Liu Liwa informed the girls and left early, slipping back to his small room.
Inside, Qin Wan’er was idly painting landscapes.
Miss Liuyun was wiping her Ya Qin nearby.
Little Loli was still playing with folding games.
She had progressed from folding handkerchiefs to folding paper.
From animals to human figures.
She was extremely talented; in a short time, she had folded Yue Fei, Zhang Fei, Wang Fei…
As soon as Liu Liwa entered the room, he excitedly shouted,”Attention, everyone! Listen to my command: Stand up! Dress right dress! Face the money! Take off your clothes…”