Night of the Secret Envoys
With Yeo Po handling the mess, there was no need to worry! I took Mok Lan and strolled through the woods behind Xiaopei Castle.
Whii~
I whistled the distinctive call to summon my horse, but that damn Jiralma didn't show up at all.
'That's weird. She came last time.' Sure, Jiralma was as stubborn as a beggar when it came to listening, but these days she obeyed pretty well. Maybe she had her own principles, like following orders from the strong. Since I'd become a somewhat capable warrior, she listened to me more... but right now, she completely ignored my whistle, which felt awkward.
Whii.... Whiit. Whi-whi. Whi-whiit.
Just keep whistling with no response? No thanks. Instead, I belted out a verse of the mountain bandit's lullaby with a clear whistle.
"Kim. That Jiralma won't be coming. She's got something to take care of."
Finally, Mok Lan cleared her throat and spoke up, unable to stand it any longer.
"Why? What happened?"
Did Mok Lan know something?
"I put her in the stable for now... but she threw a fit, wanting to go to Red Hare. She's so strong and elusive. She probably broke out and ran off to find her love."
Mok Lan said with a slightly bitter expression.
"...."
Damn, she went into heat. Jiralma.
"In a way, she's like her master."
Mok Lan chuckled teasingly.
Her smiling eyes were seductively pretty... but before I could think that, I got a bit annoyed.
"Hey, hold on. I might love women, but I get my work done, okay? Don't lump me in with her. That's unfair."
I protested immediately.
"Yeah, yeah."
Mok Lan replied in a half-hearted, playful tone and shifted her position.
'Same as always, huh.' After facing Yeo Po, who'd dragged her into the depths of hell, Mok Lan showed no real anger or resentment. I wondered if she was hiding it, but there was no sign of that.
"Anyway, what's the job?"
Mok Lan looked at me with sparkling eyes, summoned her horse, and mounted it.
Clop clop.
Then she glanced back at the rear of her saddle.
Well, no horse for me, so no choice. I climbed on behind Mok Lan.
Clatter!!
Mok Lan urged the horse in the direction I indicated.
Squish.
Riding horseback, I reached for something to hold—and grabbed Mok Lan's ample breast.
"Seriously... master and horse are exactly alike. Look at you groping my chest the moment you get the chance."
Mok Lan chuckled.
"No, it's because your breasts are so big. I just reached out casually and ended up grabbing them."
I complained, feeling a bit wronged. Mok Lan... her breasts were huge.
"Excuses. You could've grabbed below the chest."
Mok Lan turned her head toward me, her voice a bit flirtatious. Her hot gaze met mine, sparks flying.
Squish.
Playfully, I placed my hand on her lower waist and kneaded her belly. Mok Lan had a lean, trained build overall, but a bit of soft flesh made her stomach feel nice.
"H-Hey, stop touching my belly fat...."
Mok Lan twisted on the horse.
"Why? It feels good to touch."
There was something oddly addictive about it.
"Y-You're teasing me for gaining weight."
Mok Lan tried to push my arm away.
"No, I love it."
Sniffing the scent at the back of her neck while poking her belly had a strange charm.
"No, just a little pudge...."
"I like this soft, squishy belly."
This was entering plump territory.
"If you keep doing that, your wife will get mad...."
Mok Lan started to say, then pressed her nose to mine.
We were on the verge of crossing the line with Mok Lan.
Hiiing.
The horse sensed someone nearby and stopped near the destination.
"Ah."
Right. We were here for work. But it was important for Xuzhou's future, so I switched back to mission mode.
"Mok Lan, get off the horse first and watch the other side of the river."
I instructed her immediately.
"Got it."
Mok Lan quickly regained her seriousness, grabbed her bow, and dismounted.
"But can you explain what this is about?"
She was her usual professional self, but... she seemed a little disappointed.
"I got intel that Yuan Shu's army is secretly sending envoys to Xiaopei."
I phrased it like info from some game trigger.
"Yuan Shu? To whom?"
"To Yeo Po. Promising her Xuzhou land to stab us in the back from inside. Not sure on the exact time, but they know she's settled in Xiaopei, so envoys are coming soon."
They'd keep scouting today, tomorrow, the next day.
"So vile...."
Hearing that from Mok Lan, former Dong Zhuo, felt surreal.
"Right? Yuan Shu's as sleazy as Dong Zhuo."
I quipped without thinking.
"Eek...."
Mok Lan shriveled up instantly. Cute reaction.
"They'll probably cross this river. It's the only way from Shouchun to Xiaopei without checkpoints."
It was the same trigger as hunting Yuan Shao's spies in Luoyang last time. Fixed spawn point.
"Spot 'em and take 'em out clean."
I brought Mok Lan as backup since I couldn't risk missing alone. She had archery aptitude, so a distant shot could skewer them if needed.
"Yeah. I'll watch the river."
Mok Lan stared across, exuding a hunter's vibe. Western Liang breed through and through.
Yuan Shu's envoys cross the river on a small raft toward Xiaopei.
Number's random. From experience, min one, max three. Hate random elements in a multi-run game... but catching one and making him talk was fine.
After staring across the riverbank for about 30 minutes.
Splash.
A suspicious man paddled a long raft woven from branches. Hiding affiliation, but armed—not a commoner.
[Yuan Shu Army Spy]
The Status Window was brutally honest. The nameplate above never lied. A small system perk.
Shh.
I silently signaled Mok Lan to shoot.
'Don't kill him.'
I whispered. She swapped arrows instantly—from sharp to blunt, flesh-peeling tips. Non-lethal, high-impact for humans.
'Like ancient hollow-point bullets.' Same principle as those flattened bullets. Maximized shock via surface area. Useless against armor, but unarmored foes dropped in one hit.
Surprisingly, nomads carried both types. Humans, ancient or modern, were combat geniuses when it came to hurting each other.
Mok Lan fired without hesitation.
Shiiing!!
The arrow whistled through the dark, then a clear thunk echoed from afar.
"Gahk!!!"
Splash. The raft paddler flipped into the water.
Not dead. He flopped like a dying fish.
"Capture him!!"
I drew my sword and charged.
"Urgh...."
Writhing in pain on the bank, he struggled to rise.
Shring.
Even in agony, drawing his waist sword smoothly—he was elite trained.
Whoosh.
He parried my thrust attempt. Strong guy.
But skill gap was huge. Swing was a feint.
Crack!!
I smashed the sword hilt into his nose bridge, dropping him.
"Kuheuk!!"
He clutched his philtrum, staggering before collapsing. I grabbed his collar easily.
"Where are the others?"
Interrogation started immediately.
Coercion: 48
The opponent is currently gripped by fear of death. +10 Bonus applied.
Coercion plus threat bonus—he spilled everything.
"Urgh.... One already went another river route... to deliver the message to Yeo Po. He left before me, so he's probably over the walls by now."
He chuckled grimly. Mission continues even if he dies—heroic tone.
"Damn...."
Worst route hit. Now race back to Xiaopei, play hide-and-seek with the spy.
"Thanks for the info."
I slit his throat, then nodded to Mok Lan.
I borrowed her horse and galloped to Xiaopei's rear gate.
If the spy hid among civilians, tough luck—but I had the Status Window. Nameplates revealed identities. Dawn patrol with Mok Lan like rat-hunting would yield results.
'Can't let him meet Yeo Po.' She betrays on whims; this bait would hook her hard. If they met, I'd seriously consider eliminating her. Total hassle.
While galloping, rubbing Dong Zhuo's body for luck, I ran into someone.
"Ah, Kim!! Been waiting!"
Yeo Po stood there, blood-splattered in armor, sword in hand.
'Seven Star Sword....' The blade Cao Cao used on Dong Zhuo—gifted to her now. Bloodstained, sharper than bronze.
Yeo Po greeted me holding a man's severed head.
"Yeo Po, that head...."
Mashed like rotten tomato—grotesque.
"Oh, Yuan Shu's rat. Bumped into him, talked. He said betray Lord Xuande and join me? As if this noble Lu Fengxian would abandon honor!! Sliced his irreverent head off."
Yeo Po tossed the head casually.
"...."
She already heard? Didn't expect her to execute so decisively.
'Already got the offer, did this show to dodge suspicion.' Never trusting Yeo Po fully, suspicion crept in.
"What? Don't believe me, Kim?"
Yeo Po grinned like she saw through me, then acted impulsively.
Squeeze.
Suddenly hugged me tight.
"Hng...."
Bear hug to snap my back? Hug was that intense.
"Sure, I'm not into righteousness or whatever... but I'm starting to like it here."
Yeo Po stared blankly while hugging, then escalated wildly.
Smooch.
She forced a deep kiss like a zombie.
Caught off-guard by her sudden assault.
"Won't betray you, so relax."
Yeo Po pinched my dazed cheek, winked, and skipped away.
"...."
Truly can't read Yeo Po. Felt a confusing turmoil. What does she want? Endless thoughts.
Yeo Po vanished, leaving chaos.
Roll roll.
The spy's head rolled over. She left it uncleaned.
"Soccer kick."
I punted the rolling head instinctively. Needed to vent the confusion.
Anyway, the night spy crisis ended. Couldn't prevent Yeo Po-spy contact, but her unexpectedly firm stance deviated from the original flow.
Relief for now, but switched to maximum surveillance.
As I mulled the chaos, Mok Lan spoke.
"Hey, Kim. Job's done... wanna grab a drink before heading back?"
She cleared her throat suddenly with the offer.
What the—why now?
"Drinks? Sounds good."
Even pondering, couldn't refuse drinks at night with a pretty woman. Booked afterparty with Dong Zhuo right away.
It's... team bonding, right? Nothing weird. Might learn her thoughts over drinks. Fine.