Chapter 62: Close Combat

Wen Jun leaned over the railing upstairs and vomited heavily. Looking from below, it seemed like a waterfall pouring down. He vomited out all the food he had eaten the previous night.

That strange, lethal biochemical weapon with mass destructive power still lingered in the air. Liu Liwa originally wanted to go out for some fresh air, but he was forcefully shoved back inside by a group of soldiers holding steel blades. Everyone saw Wen Jun’s miserable state and thought the general had been attacked. However, as soon as they entered, all the soldiers experienced an unprecedented impact—it was even more terrifying than the hail of bullets on the battlefield. These battle-hardened warriors turned pale, looking as if they would rather die than endure such suffering!

After vomiting almost everything, Wen Jun stood up with sheer determination. He glanced somewhat unwillingly at the room and unconsciously touched his stomach. In the end, he decided it was better to leave.

Soon, Liu Liwa witnessed a spectacular scene: a group of soldiers, instead of holding guns, were now holding handkerchiefs. They all acted shy and reserved, covering their mouths and noses, their faces turning as purple as eggplant skin. Wen Jun was protected in the middle, dry-heaving with every step he took—there was simply nothing left to vomit. After a difficult struggle, they finally reached the main gate. Wen Jun, still not giving up, turned his head and said weakly, “Tomorrow, I will come again…”

If one were to talk about the calmest and most composed person in the entire hall, it had to be Wu Liniang. She stood by the railing on the fourth floor, very close to the scene of the incident—truly in the eye of the storm. Yet, she remained unfazed, her expression unchanged, and even took deep breaths occasionally, acting as if it were nothing. Liu Liwa suspected she might have severe sinusitis and no sense of smell, or perhaps she was just used to such odors.

Wen Jun and his group moved farther away. From behind, Liu Liwa saw them as a typical defeated army—disorganized and in disarray. Fortunately, the Intoxication Pavilion had been cleared out in advance; otherwise, if word got out, it would damage the army’s prestige and demoralize the troops!

Liu Liwa turned around and happened to see Qin Wan’er walking unsteadily out, one hand clutching her stomach and the other holding onto the door frame. Her face alternated between pale and red, and her expression was somewhat strange. She exchanged a glance with Wu Liniang outside the door, and the two seemed to share a silent understanding, neither saying a word. Wu Liniang returned to her room, while Qin Wan’er rushed to the outhouse!

Liu Liwa breathed a sigh of relief. The first hurdle had finally been passed. He couldn’t understand why Wen Jun insisted on coming again the next day. Was he trying to train his willpower through exposure to biochemical weapons?

Anyway, it seemed like things were calm for now. Though it had only been a short while, Liu Liwa had suffered greatly. Wen Jun not only had severe mysophobia but also seemed mentally unstable—bringing a group of soldiers to visit a brothel early in the morning just so the ladies wouldn’t have to get out of bed?

Young Master Ye had been knocked out by alcohol early in the morning. Judging by the earlier situation, he probably wouldn’t wake up until evening. Liu Liwa finally had some free time. Since he was bored, he decided to go train Little Loli in the “Liu’s Voice Training Method.” This time, they had made a breakthrough with Qin Wan’er. There was no need to worry about having no way to relieve stress when stimulated. Perhaps Qin Wan’er and Little Loli could even form a female duet!

As soon as Liu Liwa returned to the backyard, he saw Shen Zuijin standing in the middle of the yard, hands on her hips and face turned upward, wearing the ugly expression of an exploitative class. Under her coercion, the young masters and misses were suppressing their anger, their hearts bleeding as they cleaned the yard.

The yard had two side rooms and one main room—Liu Liwa’s bachelor dormitory and the collective dormitory for the young masters and misses. The buildings were so old that their age was indeterminable. The walls were mottled, damp, and moldy, with moss growing in the corners. The paving bricks were broken and cracked, with not a single intact one left. Sand, gravel, and mud were all mixed together. To clean it up properly, it would take the efforts of urban management, demolition teams, developers, and construction crews all working together.

The young masters and misses dared not voice their anger, feeling wronged inside. They had thought washing clothes for her diligently was a way to curry favor, so how did it end up as a form of punishment?

Only Shen Zuijin herself and Liu Liwa knew the real reason. At that moment, it was like enemies meeting—their eyes blazing with hostility. With neither Young Master Ye nor Wu Liniang around, it was the perfect opportunity for revenge.

Shen Zuijin grabbed Liu Liwa and shoved him against the wall, using her sharp gaze to shut down the curious looks from others. Her face, caked with two pounds of powder, looked somewhat swollen, making her fiery eyes even more terrifying. Her pale face and even whiter teeth made it seem as though she might bite his neck at any moment.

“Get ready. Once Young Master Ye leaves, I’ll make sure you suffer!” Shen Zuijin said through gritted teeth.

Liu Liwa remained calm. He had long anticipated a day of close combat, so he feigned ignorance and said unhurriedly, “Everything I did was for your own good!”

“What?” Shen Zuijin was furious. If he had made some other excuse, she might have accepted it, but he insisted it was for her own good? Putting bugs in her underpants was for her own good?

“Heaven and earth bear witness, I really did it for your own good.” Liu Liwa’s mind raced. He understood that in a standoff between a man and a woman, whoever was willing to throw away their pride had a better chance of winning—in other words, shamelessness made one invincible. Liu Liwa made a quick decision and said, “Yesterday, when you gave me your clothes to wash, I accidentally noticed that your underpants were stained with a lot of sticky, dark yellow substance with a strange smell…”

Shen Zuijin’s face turned from red to purple instantly. Everyone values their privacy greatly, especially women—even those in a pleasure house were no exception. As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Liwa immediately took the upper hand. Shen Zuijin instantly felt the urge to silence him permanently.

“Miss Shen, you work in a pleasure house and interact with the ladies every day. You must be aware of the other ladies’ situations,” Liu Liwa said earnestly. “You can compare with the other ladies and see if their underpants have the same condition as yours. I dare say some do, but definitely not many. Actually, this is a kind of illness!”

Illness? One must never mention the word “illness.” In these times, people would panic at the mention of illness, especially those in pleasure houses. Once an illness broke out, it could be devastating, spreading quickly to many, and severe cases often led to death. Shen Zuijin felt a bit scared because she knew that most ladies did not have such stains on their underpants. Yet, she didn’t understand—she didn’t even receive customers, so how could she have contracted an illness?

“You… stop talking nonsense. I’m perfectly fine—how could I be ill?” Shen Zuijin retorted stubbornly.

“Haha, birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws. Everyone goes from good to bad to death. It’s not unusual for anyone to fall ill,” Liu Liwa shrugged. “However, I’m kind-hearted and can’t bear to see others suffer from illness, especially someone as young and beautiful as you, Miss Shen, who hasn’t yet enjoyed the colorful experiences of life. It pains me to see you like this… Fortunately, when I was young, I studied medicine with a monk for two years and specifically researched the illness you’re suffering from now. But I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me or would feel embarrassed, so I took the liberty of putting the folk remedy for your illness inside your pants…”