TEFSCBSS Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Uh… A Curse? Another One Dead?

“Big Sister Yue Niang, do you know the scholar and Chun Ya?”

As soon as No. 1 asked this question, the atmosphere in the Yuexian Brothel turned eerily silent. The members of Group One all held their breath. What just happened? Did they touch on some kind of taboo?

The woman called Yue Niang gently waved her silk fan and sighed. “Of course I know them.”

“Chun Ya had a hard life. She grew up here in Yuexian Brothel too—she was the adopted younger sister of Wan Niang.”

“She was always obedient and well-behaved, but… not very good at recognizing people. There was this one time I wore something similar to… someone else’s outfit, and we both had a bit of a cold, so our voices were hoarse. Chun Ya got us mixed up and brought me the pastries meant for the other person. Sigh.”

“I used to envy her. She had the chance to leave the brothel to live freely. Even if she had to work every day, at least she wasn’t stuck like the rest of us, trapped in this mire. Who would’ve thought…”

Her voice broke off as she choked up. After wiping away her tears, she clenched her teeth and said bitterly, “That so-called scholar? I know him even better. He’s a shameless flirt. There’s not a single girl in this brothel that he didn’t try to cozy up to. Always trying to act familiar with us. As if the tiny bit of silver he carries is enough to do more than just buy a cup of tea here!”

Her words stirred up the other women nearby.

“Exactly!”

“That scholar might look decent, and sure, he knows a few poems—but he’s a lecher. Not a good man!”

No. 1 scratched his nose and asked, “Did any of you hear if he proposed to Chun Ya?”

“What?!”

The group of women erupted in outrage. “That scumbag dared try to drag Chun Ya down with him? Disgusting!”

At that moment, No. 5 and the others came over just in time to hear the commotion about the scholar. No. 8 stepped forward excitedly, waving a slip of paper.

“Ladies, the scholar released a river lantern last night. Looks like it was meant for one of you. Do any of you know who he was planning to meet?”

No. 8 was casual about it, clearly unaware of how much these women loathed the man.

Yue Niang sneered, “Sir, I doubt you’ll get any answers here. None of us has anything nice to say about that kind of man. And our madam forbids us from meeting men in private. No one here would have accepted his invitation.”

No. 8 rubbed the back of his head. “Come on, take another look. This note seems legit—someone was planning to meet up with him.”

He read the words from the note aloud again.

No. 5 silently observed the crowd. As the phrase “at midnight in autumn…” was mentioned, a few women visibly flinched—particularly Yue Niang and Wan Niang, who looked especially tense.

Yue Niang lifted her eyes, her tone growing colder. “Sir, like I said, we may be women of the brothel, but we still know right from wrong. A shameless man like that? No one here would fall for him.”

Wan Niang followed up, “That’s right. Our madam taught us since we were young—charming scholars, sweet promises of forever… that’s all just fantasy from storybooks.”

“And even if someone did want to get close to him, they’d bring him here to the brothel, not go off somewhere alone. We have beautiful views all along the river—we don’t need to sneak out to see anything special. And without Madam Qin’s permission, no one leaves the brothel. Ever.”

Listening to Wan Niang’s reply, No. 5 felt something was off. On the surface, it sounded like they were just dismissing the scholar. But every sentence tied them back to Yuexian Brothel and its strict rules. It was like they were prisoners here, shackled in place, never allowed to leave.

The thought gave him a chill. Something flickered in his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

Looking around at the women, No. 5 suddenly asked, “Wait, didn’t you say all the girls from Yuexian Brothel are here? So where’s Madam Qin?”

The room fell quiet again. The women exchanged glances. Finally, Yue Niang and Wan Niang answered.

“We don’t know,” Yue Niang said. “The brothel was busy with the lantern festival last night. Everyone was caught up with their work—no one noticed where Madam Qin went.”

“This morning, when you called us in for questioning, we all got up early and gathered in the hall. As for Madam? We looked around, but no sign of her.”

Wan Niang sipped her tea. “She probably had something else to take care of. It’s not unusual—every month or so, she goes out alone for a few days, and doesn’t let anyone follow.”

No. 1’s eyes lit up—gossip alert!

Remembering some earlier clues about Madam Qin, he quickly asked, “Do you know if she’s close to any high-ranking officials? I heard there’s a mysterious middle-aged man…”

Yue Niang cut him off with a cold laugh. “Us? Know anything about Madam Qin’s affairs? As if. But yes, there’s a middle-aged man we’ve seen once or twice. I think he’s a landowner from the south of the city. Madam Qin called him ‘Lord Sun.’ That’s all we know.”

Wan Niang added, “Lord Sun always wears a mask when he visits. Madam Qin brings him straight to a private room reserved for important guests. None of us has ever seen his real face.”

No. 1 rubbed his temples. Another lead, gone cold?

Just then, one of the young women suddenly burst into tears.

Everyone turned to look. It was a girl around ten years old, dressed like a maid, not one of the brothel’s courtesans.

“She’s one of our little maids,” Yue Niang explained with a complicated expression. “She does all kinds of chores—serving tea, cleaning—just like Chun Ya did. Another girl with a hard life.”

No. 1 handed her a handkerchief. “Hey, sweetheart, why are you crying? Did someone bully you?”

No. 8 widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected his mortal enemy to be this gentle toward a crying girl. Normally, the moment they met, No. 1 wanted to fight him! Was it because he wasn’t pitiful enough? He stared intensely at the sobbing girl, determined to study her technique.

He didn’t dare hope for No. 1’s comfort—just fewer punches would be nice.

The girl, sensing No. 8’s gaze, flinched slightly in her sobbing. What is wrong with this guy?

Ahem. She cleared her throat and continued, looking heartbroken.

“Chun Ya… Chun Ya was my friend. We used to play together all the time. There was also Dong Xue and Xiao Mei—we all lived in the same wing.”

“I’m crying because I’m sad. Starting last year, they started disappearing one by one. I thought Chun Ya had escaped the brothel for a better life—but now I realize, she couldn’t escape the curse after all.”

A curse?

Everyone gasped. What do you mean by a curse?

Yue Niang and Wan Niang both turned pale. “Xiao Yu! Watch your words!”

But the crying girl, Xiao Yu, suddenly stood up defiantly when she heard them.

“No! I have to say it! Madam Qin’s not here today. Someone’s finally here to help us! I have to tell the truth!”

The others were shocked. What was going on?

Xiao Yu took a deep breath. “Please, sirs! I’m begging you—save us! If we don’t leave Yuexian Brothel—no, if we don’t get away from Madam Qin—we’re all going to die!”

“For years now, girls have been disappearing. First it was older maids like me, then the courtesans!”

“They said it was just disappearances, but that’s a lie to outsiders! They’re dead! They were all murdered!”

“It’s the curse of the boar!”

“It’s Qin—”

Whoosh—

Before she could finish, a sharp sound cut through the air. Her voice stopped abruptly as she clutched her neck, eyes wide in disbelief. A black silver needle protruded from between her fingers.

She glanced at the others one last time. Her gaze lingered on Yue Niang and Wan Niang. She tried to speak, but only choked sounds came out before she collapsed onto the table.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Xiao Yu’s dead!!!”