"Um... it's probably, well, maybe because the toxins in my body haven't been completely cleared out yet. Yeah, that must be the case."
The female Brawler scratched her cheek awkwardly, but she was lying through her teeth.
In their line of work, your run-of-the-mill street thugs were content with picking fights, betraying their bosses, sleeping with their bosses' wives, and collecting protection money. But Brawlers with a shred of actual ambition all strove for one thing:
Mastering the art of poison.
Yes, poison cultivation.
Some would ingest various toxins over a long period to build an immunity to most poisons, effectively turning their own bodies into a lethal bioweapon. Others focused on how to maximize the spread of their custom-made concoctions, using explosives or other volatile delivery methods. She belonged to the former category.
She spent her days either absorbing venom or hunting down toxic creatures. Aside from a few exceptionally lethal, legendary substances, her very flesh and blood were already more toxic than common venom.
This was precisely why most doctors threw their hands up in despair when dealing with their kind.
Because their bodies were so saturated with toxins, they were naturally immune to the vast majority of medicinal herbs and remedies. It was also the reason they rarely fell ill.
But once a Brawler actually did get sick, survival became an uphill battle. It meant their constitution could no longer suppress the deadly miasma within them.
At wait point, they would literally poison themselves to death.
But none of that mattered to Li Ke right now.
"Why do I feel like I got completely ripped off here...?" Li Ke grumbled, unable to hold back his inner monologue.
He had gone through all that trouble and spent his hard-earned cash, only to end up with a woman whose entire body was a walking biohazard. She was completely unusable. Calling this a total waste of time was an understatement.
Even poking a finger in felt dangerous—his fingernail practically dissolved at the thought. If he actually dared to brandish his legendary "Demacian Sword" and plunge it into her, when he finally pulled it back out, it wouldn't just be ruined; he wouldn't even have a mushroom left down there!
"Uh... how about I give you some of my homemade poison as compensation?"
The female Brawler scratched her cheek again, genuinely at a loss for how to smooth things over.
"Forget it. What's done is done," Li Ke sighed heavily in defeat. "Just do me a favor and find me a few beauties I can buy with coin. Ideally, the tragic kind—unfortunate families, twisted fates, that sort of thing. Do that, and we'll call it even for saving your life."
"Yeah... we don't really have those around here," she replied, scratching her head yet again.
Because honestly, they didn't.
"Any poor girl with decent looks would have already gone to work at a brothel. Otherwise, they'd end up like me—becoming a Brawler and filling themselves with venom. As for the respectable women who refuse to do either, you can't just throw money at them to change their minds. So, why don't you just go straight to a brothel?"
She looked at Li Ke, genuinely perplexed.
"Because I'm terrified of catching an STD," Li Ke fired back. "That's why I wanted to see if any healthy people like you guys were willing to do it for the cash. Logically speaking, someone healthy shouldn't carry those kinds of diseases... But look at you! You wouldn't just give me an infection; you'd outright end my life!"
Li Ke gave her a completely straightforward answer.
He wanted to hurry up and get back to Lux's side so he could send this girl on her way, but that didn't mean he was willing to let himself catch an infection that would make him "bloom"!
His prized matsutake mushroom absolutely refused to turn into a toxic toadstool!
If it weren't for the fact that the girl in front of him was a virgin, he wouldn't have been so quick to try and make a move in the first place. In an era like this, going to a brothel was practically begging to catch a nasty virus.
He had no desire to see his "Greatsword" sprout and bear unwanted fruit.
"Oh, I see..." The female Brawler scratched her head. "Well, that depends on whether you're rich enough. If you've got deep enough pockets... you could try keeping one of those female Grapplers."
A look of pure disdain washed over her face.
"That crowd does way more showmanship than actual fighting, but they still need to put food on the table. Between their supplements and training gear, keeping up that lifestyle isn't cheap. That's why every year, you hear plenty of rumors about female Grapplers becoming someone's high-priced mistress or wife. Plus, they're easy to get close to. You just tell them you want to learn grappling, and you're in. Once you join, pick a pretty one with a killer body, pay the premium, and you can get a one-on-one, close-quarters 'flesh-to-flesh' training session. Keep at it for a bit, let her get a feel for your wealth and character, and getting her into bed is a piece of cake."
The Brawler pointed out toward the street.
"But honestly, I'll never understand what people see in those flashy routines. And don't get me started on their 'rules'... What a joke. Since when do real fights have rules and sportsmanship? Surviving by any means necessary is the only thing that matters. That crowd only cares about the performance; they wouldn't know real martial arts if it hit them in the face!"
Her contempt was practically plastered across her features.
Li Ke suddenly cut in with a question. "Do they make more money than you guys?"
The female Brawler went dead silent. The look she shot Li Ke instantly turned incredibly dangerous.
"Yeah! You got a problem with that?!"
As she snapped at him, she adjusted the triangular piece of cloth she had taken off earlier, pulling it back over her crotch to conceal her actually quite cute "secret garden," before hopping off the bed.
"So, looks like I can't repay the favor after all. Come find me when your body can handle my lethal poison. I'm taking off—I've got a score to settle!"
She turned to leave, but as Li Ke watched her swaying chest—made exceptionally alluring by the tight bodysuit designed with specific chest cutouts that framed them like perfectly wrapped coconuts—he paused, thought it over for a brief second, and clamped a hand down on her shoulder.
"Your skin... isn't toxic, is it?"
"Huh?"
The female Brawler looked surprised, her lips twitching slightly.
"I know exactly what you're thinking, but unfortunately for you, yes, it is. As soon as I start sweating, toxins secrete right out of my skin. Are you absolutely sure you want me to use these on you?"
She shamelessly grabbed her own breasts and gave them a teasing bounce right in front of Li Ke's face. With his vast library of experience, Li Ke instantly recognized the motion—it was an expert, highly professional paizuri technique!
"You're clearly an inexperienced virgin, so how on earth are you so skilled at that?" Li Ke asked, completely flabbergasted.
The female Brawler, however, remained totally unfazed.
"When I was a kid, my neighbor was a prostitute. She taught me, saying that if I ever couldn't afford food, I could use this to get by instead of digging through trash cans. Wait..."
The Brawler's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I just remembered! I think I actually can repay you after all!" She looked at Li Ke with a sudden wave of seriousness. "First, let me ask—you're genuinely loaded, right?"
Li Ke glanced at his inventory. There were still tens of thousands of steel ingots sitting inside, which ought to fetch an incredible price in a world like this. Plus, his 7 Days to Die system was fully functional, allowing him to craft an endless supply of high-value items to sell.
For instance, things like high-grade katanas.
In a world like this, weapons of that caliber would be worth a fortune.
"I guess you could say I'm rich. After all, I'm planning to open up a weapon shop."
Li Ke wasn't lying. He had already picked out the perfect spot—he was going to set up shop right next to Kiri's Reinforcement Machine, specifically specializing in katanas.
"Perfect! I know someone who practices grappling! The poor girl has been stressing herself to death over money lately. As long as you don't mind short-haired girls, I can introduce you to her!"
Short hair? Practiced grappling?
Li Ke suddenly felt a deep, sinking premonition, and the female Brawler in front of him wasted no time in confirming his worst suspicions.
"Even though she's on the younger side, she's already achieved the rank of 'Storm Eye'! If you invest your capital in her now, you're guaranteed to hit the absolute jackpot!"
I knew it!