Li Ang’s expression was grim and uncertain. Pingkang Square had no practice of registering customer names. Considering the population movement, it was essentially impossible to trace back after such a long time. Thus, it was also unclear whether this disease had indeed appeared a year and a half ago or even earlier, whether it had entered from abroad, or if nationals had contracted it overseas before returning to spread it in Yu Country. Relying solely on publicity and social reform was far from enough to contain and eradicate syphilis. The incubation period of syphilis could be as long as ninety days. Apart from sexual transmission, it could also spread through kissing, contaminated clothes, and other means—virtually impossible to guard against. Official source is novel⸺fire.net
Li Ang slightly pursed his lips. Just then, a series of footsteps came from downstairs.
The servant was startled and hurriedly waved his hands, signaling everyone to hide in the rooms. However, the people downstairs seemed to have heard the noise and, with loud THUMPS, bounded up the steps.
Seven men dressed in green clothes, wearing masks and holding short cudgels, appeared at the end of the corridor.
The man in the lead, upon seeing Li Ang and the others, raised his eyebrows and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Who are you?"
"We’re doctors here to see a patient," Li Ang replied calmly.
"Doctors?" The man sneered. Noticing the flustered servant, he said coldly, "Xiao Liu, the steward said no outsiders are allowed entry. You dare defy his orders?"
"I... I..." The servant stood frozen, utterly speechless.
Seeing this, the green-clothed man wasted no more words. He approached with his short cudgel, reaching out to grab Li Ang’s shoulder. "Doctor, this isn’t a place you should be. Please come with us—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Li Ang’s hand lashed out, striking him squarely across the left cheek.
The short cudgel flew from the man’s hand. He spun twice on the spot before collapsing to the ground without a sound, unconscious. The sheer force of the blow had ripped his cloth mask apart.
Li Ang nonchalantly brushed the dust from the back of his hand.
The remaining six green-clothed men in the corridor exchanged glances, then charged him, swinging their short cudgels.
Li Ang stepped forward. His toe lightly hooked the cudgel dropped by the first man, flicking it up into his waiting hand. He swung once, striking one attacker on the crown of his head. Another sweep of the cudgel cracked against a second man’s temple, splintering the wood. Tossing the broken weapon aside, Li Ang sidestepped, narrowly evading a cudgel swung down at him. He delivered a sharp elbow strike to the third man’s chest, sending him flying backward to slam against the wall. Following the momentum of the elbow strike, he whipped his arm out like a lash, catching the fourth man under the ribs. As this man, his face pale with agony, stiffened and began to topple, Li Ang deftly plucked the cudgel from his grasp. With a casual flick, he threw it, striking the fifth man squarely between the eyes.
With a dull THUD, the fifth man fell backward. Only one green-clothed man remained in the corridor, holding his short cudgel, bewildered and unsure whether to advance or retreat.
"Get your steward," Li Ang said indifferently.
The last green-clothed man swallowed hard, then turned and fled, THUMPING down the stairs as quickly as he had ascended.
"Risheng..." Song Shaoyuan hesitated. "Don’t you think we made too much of a scene?"
"It’s fine." Li Ang waved his hand nonchalantly. "A little commotion is just what we need."
Even in the medically advanced Otherworld, syphilis was a troublesome global disease. If the Pingkang Square steward hadn’t concealed it, the situation might not have become so dire. The spread of the disease could have been controlled months, or even a year, earlier.
The group descended to the first floor and quietly waited in the lobby. Soon, a series of footsteps approached from afar.
The new steward of Pingkang Square entered the building with a gloomy expression, accompanied by a group of servants. Flanking him were two elderly men who were clearly cultivators.
Heh, bringing two cultivators along wherever he goes. Truly worthy of the man who replaced Jiao Cheng.
Li Ang smiled silently behind his mask.
The Pingkang Square steward, however, was in a foul mood. He asked in a low voice, "And you might be...?"
"I recall," Li Ang began, "that the servants of Pingkang Square are reputed to be silver-tongued and exceptionally sharp, able to remember distinguished guests from months past." He then casually instructed, "Gather your servants and gatekeepers. Have them compile a list of all guests who have had contact with the infected women over the past few months."
The steward’s expression changed slightly, his heart sinking as if a stone had been dropped into it. This young man before me carries himself with such an imperious air. He’s clearly accustomed to a high position and doesn’t take me seriously at all.
He was the new steward of Pingkang Square, having taken over after Jiao Cheng’s death. Even if he couldn’t forge the same kind of clandestine agreements with influential figures that Jiao Cheng had, he had still, through his own maneuvering, accumulated a certain degree of power. Ordinarily, influential entities in Chang’an, Wannian County, and even institutions like the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Censorate, had to show him some deference. Yet this young man ignored all such considerations, issued orders immediately upon arrival, was still so young, and called himself a Doctor...
The steward, who had initially been quite aggressive, seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon. He said softly, "Could you possibly be... the esteemed Little Medicine King God?"
"If you know who I am, then get moving."
Li Ang glanced at the steward, then casually lifted the hem of his robe, revealing a collection of tokens and insignia tied to his waist:
An Academic Palace student token.
A Vermilion Bird Gate Pass Token.
Tokens granting unrestricted access to Taiji Palace and Great Ming Palace.
A seal of the Construction Supervision.
The steward stared at the array of tokens, utterly speechless, completely at a loss for words. With his limited experience, he could only recognize a few of them.
He whirled around and saw his men still standing by, confusedly clutching their short cudgels, oblivious to what had just transpired. He frantically gestured for them to drop their weapons.