The Grand Preceptor Dong we sought audience with was called Dong Zhuo, reportedly one of the most corrupt and evil ministers currently wielding power in Jiuzhou.
We followed several guards into his mansion and saw a large, fat, white man sitting on the ground. He had a leopard’s head with bulging eyes, his complexion ashen as death, holding a Seven Star Precious Sword and absent-mindedly wiping it.
Divine Lord Lingyin said he was born near Beast Mountain, so no wonder he looked like a rhinoceros. Before him lay cold dishes, an overturned pot, and scattered arrows, as if he had just been feasting with someone and left a messy aftermath. It seemed this was all Cao Cao’s doing.
Yinze walked forward without hesitation and bowed to Dong Zhuo: “Greetings, Grand Preceptor Dong.”
“What relation are you to Ma Shoucheng?” Dong Zhuo casually glanced at us, his eyes swaying left to look at me, right to look at Divine Lord Lingyin, but never looking at Yinze.
Yinze said, “Ma Teng is my uncle.”
Dong Zhuo said, “Speak then, what business do you have with me?”
“I come at my uncle’s command to visit Grand Preceptor Dong, to implement the strategy of befriending distant allies while attacking nearby enemies.”
“Hmph, Ma Teng and I mind our own business. Offering courtesy without reason—are you perhaps afraid of me?” After waiting a while and seeing Yinze only smile without speaking, Dong Zhuo continued, “You come to discuss diplomatic affairs yet bring two women—how can I trust you?”
Yinze chuckled lightly: “Grand Preceptor Dong misunderstands. This young lady is my concubine, not yet fifteen this year. And this beauty…” He glanced at Divine Lord Lingyin. “To be honest, I acquired her on my way to the capital. Grand Preceptor Dong and I are somewhat fellow countrymen—you should understand that while Xiliang women are heroic and spirited, beautiful though they are, they cannot match the soft jade and warm fragrance of Jiangnan women.”
“You traveled from Xiliang to Luoyang and took a detour to Jiangnan?”
“Life flows like water, with too little joy and much regret—how could one choose a thousand gold over a single smile?”
Hearing this, Dong Zhuo stared at Divine Lord Lingyin and me with his beady eyes for several moments.
Divine Lord Lingyin was having trouble enduring this. His face showed willow-like grace and flower-like charm, but behind the small round fan, his claws were nearly tearing the fan apart. Though Xuanyue could understand human speech, he didn’t comprehend what medicine Yinze was selling, merely turning his little head as the conversation progressed.
Finally, Dong Zhuo stroked his chin: “This beauty does have some charm, especially those eyes—soul-stirring and captivating, though a bit too old. Your concubine, however, is youthfully adorable and quite pitiable. If these two could be combined, that would be most perfect.”
The veins on Divine Lord Lingyin’s forehead were about to burst. He and Dong Zhuo had vastly different aesthetic preferences regarding women. Divine Lord Lingyin preferred alluring mature women, while Dong Zhuo preferred tender young girls. He had painstakingly transformed into his ideal appearance, yet what Dong Zhuo fancied were those original eyes.
Afterward, Yinze and Dong Zhuo discussed many political issues while Divine Lord Lingyin seemed not to hear a single word. It wasn’t until late at night, after Dong Zhuo’s beady eyes had ogled us thoroughly from head to toe, that we finally left the Dong mansion.
Once outside, Divine Lord Lingyin gently swayed his willow waist, turned into a deserted corner to arrange his delicate hands, efficiently rolled up his sleeves, and snapped the round fan in half with a crack: “This is more disgusting than a cockroach falling into a rice bowl! Might as well have killed him directly!”
“Save your disgust for after the deed is done—you can savor it slowly then,” Yinze said with understated elegance while walking toward him. “Turn around.”
“Why…?” Divine Lord Lingyin turned around.
Yinze transformed into his original Divine Lord appearance, touched his head once, then changed back to Ma Xiao’s form. Divine Lord Lingyin touched his head, then his face, his complexion turning deathly pale: “What have you turned me into?”
Yinze didn’t answer, turning to board the carriage they had prepared in advance. What surprised me most was that, facing Divine Lord Lingyin at this moment, he could simply walk away like that.
Just then, the beauty turned around, looking at me somewhat innocently, her silk robes stained with willow catkins.
I was momentarily stunned, nearly forgetting this person was a man in disguise. Then I discovered I wasn’t the only one distracted. Xuanyue seemed soft as cotton candy all over, drooling and lazily calling: “Mew… meow… meow meow meow…”
I nearly forgot again—Xuanyue was a male. Now he was truly a tomcat in heat.
But one couldn’t blame Xuanyue—Divine Lord Lingyin was too beautiful. His features still bore six or seven points of similarity to before, yet he looked much younger, appearing about seventeen or eighteen years old. His eyes and lips resembled mine somewhat. Of course, he was much more beautiful than I.
Look at her eyes flowing like a clear river, eyebrows gathered like green mountains. If you ask where souls are lost, it’s in the beauty’s sparkling eyes. Truly beautiful, so beautiful that even I, a girl, couldn’t help staring at him constantly.
Getting into the carriage with them, I suddenly somewhat understood Yinze’s plan, but didn’t ask much.
Seeing that Xuanyue and I had both become idiots, Divine Lord Lingyin took out a bronze mirror for a look, then collapsed against Yinze’s shoulder like willow catkins, his face full of spring melancholy: “Divine Lord, I once told you I never wished to marry in this life, having no chance to meet someone I fancy. Now I’ve changed my mind—can I marry myself?”
Yinze slowly turned his head, gazed lightly at that devastatingly beautiful face, and slightly raised his chin.
Divine Lord Lingyin touched his face, his eyelashes fanning like black feathers: “Could it be… You want to enjoy yourself first?”
Yinze still didn’t answer, just stretched out his arm and pushed him to the corner: “Don’t come over here—I’m about to vomit.”
Divine Lord Lingyin pointed at his face: “Looking at this face makes you want to vomit, too? And this!” He reached to squeeze his chest, then collapsed to the side again as if he’d taken an aphrodisiac.
Seeing Divine Lord Lingyin’s series of performances, Xuanyue and I were both scared silly, wanting to laugh but unable to, wanting to call out but unable to make a sound.
But Yinze remained steadfast, only throwing out one sentence: “Lingyin, I gave you this body to impersonate a seventeen-year-old girl, not to play a brothel madam. When we meet the people we need to meet in a few days, don’t be coquettish.”
Divine Lord Lingyin sat up abruptly: “…What? Me again?!”
However, Divine Lord Lingyin was already dazzled by this new appearance, completely unguarded against Yinze. Even the next day when we met again, he was still in the garden looking in mirrors, touching himself all over, making me quite uncomfortable to watch.
Xuanyue rather enjoyed this scene. Every time I carried him past the garden, he would meow wildly.
Yinze ignored Divine Lord Lingyin, transformed me into his servant, took on Cao Cao’s appearance, and went to Minister Wang’s residence. Before entering, I said: “Taishi Jun, your disciple’s grandson has a request…”
“Speak.” He said decisively.
“Please accept me as your disciple!” With people around, I couldn’t kneel, so I could only bow deeply. “If Taishi Jun doesn’t agree, I’ll kneel here and never get up.”
“I don’t agree. You can kneel then.” He remained quite decisive and floated away.
This… couldn’t he at least perfunctorily humor me… I wavered for a moment, then straightened up and followed him into Minister Wang’s mansion.
Before we even entered the main hall, a gaunt elderly man in civilian official robes came out to meet us—Wang Yun—saying urgently: “Mengde, how did you get out?” It seemed Cao Cao was currently at Wang Yun’s house.
“Minister Wang, Cao has a plan, but I don’t know if I should speak it.”
When saying this, Yinze’s demeanor was completely different from before. His narrowed eyes were constantly suspicious, yet his smile was forthright and hearty. Though I had only seen Cao Cao once, I felt he imitated him perfectly, truly worthy of being Taishi Jun.
“Come in quickly and speak.”
Wang Yun invited us inside. I saw Yinze sit down, cover his wine cup with his sleeve, place a golden pill inside, then look up: “I’ve been thinking—Dong Zhuo is arrogant, extravagant, and lustful. If we used a beauty trap, I wonder if we could control him.”
Wang Yun said: “This isn’t a bad method, but where would we find such a beauty?”
“There’s one right in Minister Wang’s mansion.”