“You mean…?”
“Your adopted daughter.”
“You mean my daughter Diao Yue?” Wang Yun stroked his chin, somewhat hesitant. “If we could truly eliminate the Dong bandit, having Diao Yue participate wouldn’t be impossible. It’s just that Diao Yue is indeed a sheltered young lady who never leaves home, but she’s still far from being called ‘beautiful’…”
“Minister Wang having such dedication is already a blessing for our Great Han. Cao toasts you.” Yinze offered the wine cup.
“I wouldn’t dare.” Wang Yun slowly drained the wine, but seemed somewhat dizzy, supporting his forehead with the back of his hand.
Yinze said: “Minister Wang is truly modest. If Diao Yue isn’t considered beautiful, then perhaps consider your second daughter, Diao Chan.”
It seemed the medicinal wine had taken effect. Wang Yun shook his head and clapped his hands: “Yes! My daughter Diao Chan is truly beautiful as a flower—this plan could work!”
After this day, Divine Lord Lingyin was inexplicably deceived by his boss, given the maiden name Diao Chan, and became Wang Yun’s younger daughter. After another ten days had passed, Yinze and I sat on the rooftop beside Fengyi Pavilion, personally witnessing him meet a handsome general surnamed Lü under the pavilion. From pulling and tugging, to feigning reluctance while welcoming, to tender entanglement, to eternal vows; afterward, we watched him before Dong Zhuo go from endless allure, to feigning reluctance while welcoming, to tender entanglement, to weeping pitifully…
During these days, Divine Lord Lingyin would leave Minister Wang’s mansion nightly to protest before Yinze, but Yinze would always send him back with one sentence: “Don’t tell me you want me to do this instead?”
Finally, after being touched by Dong Zhuo’s hand, Divine Lord Lingyin completely broke down, roaring: “Boss, are you trying to torment me to death! Can’t we just kill him directly? Why must Lü Bu do the killing? Do I have such great charm that I can make Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo kill each other?!”
Yinze said with certainty: “Yes.”
In the flickering candlelight, I could see Divine Lord Lingyin—no, Diao Chan’s—smooth face breaking out in bright goosebumps. He suddenly became unusually calm: “I just don’t understand why you didn’t let the little water spirit go. Logically, since she’s a girl, wouldn’t she be more suited for this? Don’t tell me you’re being tender toward women—you’ve never been soft-hearted with females.”
Yinze therefore shifted his gaze to me, as if contemplating this question. I should have appeared unresponsive, but meeting those beautiful eyes, my heart rate accelerated and my whole body tensed.
However, he just said with understated elegance: “She’s still just a child.”
This answer made me feel inexplicably ashamed, and I looked away, no longer meeting his gaze. I was truly strange—what was I getting nervous about? This was Taishi Jun. Though his temper was somewhat unapproachable, he would certainly see me as a junior.
Divine Lord Lingyin persisted: “Tell me honestly—when will this end?”
Yinze said, “When Lü Bu kills Dong Zhuo. Once Dong Zhuo dies, the various lords will inevitably rise together. You will be remembered in history, your name preserved for all time.”
Divine Lord Lingyin said tearfully, “The one remembered in history will be Diao Chan, not me! Diao Chan is a name you made up! Boss, stop playing with me! I really can’t let that Dong Zhuo touch my hand anymore. If he tries to kiss me, I’d rather kill myself!”
Of course, he ultimately failed to persuade the Divine Lord. After some more days, seeing the great plan was eighty to ninety percent complete, Yinze took me away from the residence, walking to the outskirts to find an uninhabited place to transform back to our original forms and return to the immortal realm.
Outside the city, light cold mist rose, withered grass condensed with green, and a merchant’s daughter played the pipa with a particularly tragic tone of a fallen kingdom’s beauty. I said, “Taishi Jun, when can Divine Lord Lingyin finally return?”
“Not much longer.” After speaking, Yinze first transformed Xuanyue back to his original form.
I breathed a sigh of relief: “Oh, that’s good. I see every time the Divine Lord comes to find us, he looks very pained.”
“A little pain—he’ll get used to it quickly.” Yinze then changed my hair back to its original form.
“Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu won’t kiss him, will they?”
“Let Jiuzhou’s history judge Lingyin’s eternal achievements,” Yinze answered irrelevantly. Though his expression was blank, he also carried a tragic tone.
Just as he was about to transform back to himself, suddenly the soil beneath our feet loosened, and we all fell into a bottomless pit. During the fall, we could smell demonic energy from far away. I wanted to say something to Yinze: Taishi Jun, one must be ethical. Heaven is watching what people do—look up if you don’t believe it, who has Heaven ever spared? Now retribution has come!!