Chapter 132: Flowers and Willows

Liu Liwa hadn’t expected road killers to exist in any era. He’d thought this time had no traffic lights or old-fashioned cars, so some safety remained, but luckily there definitely weren’t bullet trains or city enforcement officers now!

Liu Liwa turned around, rose onto his tiptoes, and patted Zhao Cheng gratefully. “Thanks, strong fellow. I hope you rise to glory soon!”

Zhao Cheng just looked utterly confused. Liu Liwa then suddenly noticed that Miss Zhao had frozen in place. Her eyes were glued to him, seeming dazed, yet also like she’d bumped into her long-lost first love and needed a careful look to confirm it.

No… this gaze didn’t look like she was seeing a first love. More like she was seeing her father’s murderer…

Liu Liwa’s nerves instantly tightened. He remembered shouting at the carriage moments ago: “You want to die or something?!” Seemed like that exact phrase had slipped out back in the alley… during the attempted robbery… and said to Miss Zhao.

It was a phrase he’d often joked with people about in his previous life, practically a verbal habit. It popped out uncontrollably. But it absolutely shouldn’t have popped out now. If his bandit identity was exposed… she was the woman handpicked by the Emperor!

Swiftly, Miss Zhao regained her graceful and shrewd demeanor. Liu Liwa sighed internally with relief. Miss Zhao walked up to him, still intensely watching his face, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh Liu Xiaoqi! Your forehead looks bright, but your complexion is dark and muddy! This is a terrible omen! If I haven’t guessed wrong, you will suffer a bloody disaster before long!”

Hah! Liu Liwa didn’t believe any of this nonsense, but he was eager to change the subject. He smiled and asked, “Oh? Miss Zhao can tell fortunes? Perfect! Tell me mine. Forget the year’s luck, just tell me about my love life!”

Miss Zhao also smiled, but hers was a bit creepy. She pinched her smooth chin, trying hard to look ethereal and wise. Secretively, she said, “For love life, we don’t look at the face. We need to see your palms.”

“No problem! Palms? Even a half-body portrait or full-body statue, I’ll cooperate!” Liu Liwa immediately stretched out both hands eagerly.

Zhao Jiabi examined them with exaggerated seriousness. Suddenly, her whole body jerked. When she looked back up at Liu Liwa, her eyes had turned sharp. Liu Liwa felt intensely uncomfortable, like pins were pricking his back. He was baffled. How did a simple fortune-telling session suddenly feel so murderous?

Curiously, he looked down at his own hands. And then he saw it. On the fingertip of his right index finger… was a tiny wound.

He hadn’t paid it any mind before. But now, it became critically important. That night, during the robbery attempt, he’d felt the ‘greatness’ of Miss Zhao… and also the distinct sting of a brooch. He’d done some deep self-reflection afterward. His hand-skill wasn’t careful enough – he hadn’t noticed the brooch, and it had pricked his finger…

“Oh dear! How’d you get that wound? So small… looks like a needle prick! Could someone be secretly harming you? Could it be poisoned?” Miss Zhao gasped dramatically, trying to scare Liu Liwa into telling the truth. She’d guessed the reality.

Liu Liwa absolutely would not let her win. In a flash of wit, his expression shifted dramatically into utter misery. He hid his hands behind his back. He looked near tears, his lips trembling. His mood swung violently from confident just moments before to near-death despair. Miss Zhao was startled; she’d never seen such fine acting. “What… what happened? What pricked your hand?” she asked, unable to help herself.

This only deepened Liu Liwa’s grief. He backed away several rapid steps. Miss Zhao thought he was fleeing and lunged forward. But Liu Liwa, his voice hoarse, stopped her: “Don’t come near! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Miss Zhao froze instantly, staring confused at Liu Liwa’s tear-threatened face. He choked out his words: “Miss… you know I’m just a lowly servant… at the Pleasure House. And Pleasure Houses… people call them cesspools. Besides the dirt and chaos, they’re places where one catches… illnesses. Illnesses that come from Pleasure Houses… people avoid them like plague! Merely hearing about them frightens them away…”

“Huh?!” Miss Zhao gasped. She scrambled backwards three steps this time, her face filled with terror and caution. Hesitantly, she asked, “Could it be… is this…?”

“Yes!” Liu Liwa nodded in apparent agony. “Somehow… tiny wounds like puncture marks appeared on my body. Tiny at first… insignificant. But as the sickness spread… these tiny wounds began to rot, ooze pus, grow larger… more numerous… until they merge… until the whole person rots and dies! I already have several spots… But now… even my finger! Earlier… when I said Xiuzhu only had three to five years… it wasn’t her… it’s me! Miss… didn’t you say you know divination? The mystical arts? Please… see if I can be saved…?”

As he spoke, Liu Liwa began to undo his clothes as if to show her the already ‘festering’ wounds.

Zhao Jiabi didn’t dare look! The description alone sounded nauseating and terrifying! Everyone knew the terror of Venereal Disease – mostly its contagiousness and the old belief it was incurable. Of course, not all were incurable back then; many could be treated. Millennia later, treatments were even advertised on street posts! That showed ancient healers weren’t wholly incapable. But diseases like AIDS or severe warts? Unthinkable in this era! Even in future times with advanced medicine and ‘angel’ doctors, some remained stubbornly difficult.

Still, horrific diseases weren’t common in brothels then. Seasoned patrons feared sickness and often stuck to one or two regular companions, ensuring some hygiene. The highest risk fell on the newer girls. But at Intoxication Pavilion, everyone kept clean. Boss Shen Zuijin personally examined each weekly. Any abnormality? Instant isolation! Hygiene ranked high at Intoxication Pavilion.

Most Venereal Diseases were treatable back then. What truly scared people was how the skin changed: redness, swelling, pus – disgusting and horrifying.

“Zhao Cheng, let’s go!” Seeing Liu Liwa start removing his coat to show his ‘sickness’, Zhao Jiabi panicked. Terrified, she scrambled behind Zhao Cheng and hurried away without a backward glance.

Watching Miss Zhao flee frantically down the alley, Liu Liwa finally relaxed. A scare like that? She probably wouldn’t show up again…

Venereal Disease? Hmph. Liu Liwa snorted disdainfully. Two untouched girls and one young woman I personally introduced to life… in my small room? I’d catch Venereal Disease? Ridiculous!