To Luoyang, an Unexpected Encounter

March 16th, before dawn.

"…an… Master Ian!"

A hazy, half-dreaming feeling. Someone was shaking me. I recognized the voice as Linlin's and opened my eyes.

Gao Shun lay cradled against me. I remembered falling asleep with my cock still buried inside her. Daeyeon and Soyeon, industrious as ever, had already left.

"Mm. Linlin."

"Master. Big Sister Jia Xu and Big Sister Wang Yeon are waiting in the reception hall."

I lifted the clock and switched on the backlight. 5:50. If we started preparing now, we could leave before seven.

I carefully withdrew my cock.

"Nnh…"

Gao Shun stirred and briefly caught my arm, but it was only a sleep-reflex. I soothed her gently and pulled free completely.

"Shh. Sleep a little longer."

Pop.

A wet trickle followed. Then a swallow. In the stillness of early morning, the sound of Linlin gulping was absurdly loud. I laughed and stood. She dropped to her knees, took hold of my cock, and began sucking it clean with soft little smacks.

"I'll clean Master's cock. Slurp."

The pleasant slide of her tongue worked over me. Once she had finished the urethra, she licked the full length of the shaft a few times and took the head back into her mouth. I rested a hand on her hair and released the urge that had built overnight. Thick, concentrated piss shot into her mouth.

Fsssshhh—

I felt the fierce stream scrape through my urethra and shuddered. She swallowed greedily.

"Thank you, Master. For granting me holy water."

"Don't call it holy water. I told you—just say piss."

The whole "holy water" debate had started with Linlin. It wasn't as if the piss had any healing properties. But once she refused to call it anything else, every maid in the house started parroting the same word.

"But Master, to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me it is holy water. Hee."

I ruffled her hair as she smiled up at me, then stepped down from the bed.

"Stay here. Look after Gao Shun when she wakes. And if you can keep from waking her—everything still inside that pussy is yours."

Linlin bowed in a rush.

"Thank you! I'll be so careful Big Sister won't wake up at all."

"Good."

I pulled on a tracksuit top and bottom. First priority: reclaim the clone.

The room the clone had occupied reeked of thick night-blooming scent. I frowned, took in the two sprawled female bodies and the pretty young man between them, and absorbed the clone at once. The women stirred. I got out of there fast.

"Huuuh."

I hurried into the garden and drew a lungful of cool air. Even if it was technically my own body, the smell of another man's semen was… unpleasant. Especially without any Chaehyang effect to soften it.

I looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up at the still-dark pre-dawn sky and took another deep breath.

"Haa. Three days of this is going to be rough. Three days of hard riding…"

Ordinary horseback travel would have been one thing. Now we would have to alternate between hard gallops and slow stretches. Stirrups and a proper saddle helped, but riding was still exhausting work.

I went back into the main house and entered the reception hall. Jia Xu and Wang Yeon were talking by a low night lamp; both rose as I came in.

"My lord. Did you sleep well?"

"Husband, you're awake?"

A formal morning greeting. I nodded and waved them down.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you two didn't sleep at all."

Both looked a little puffy, as if they had tossed and turned. They shook their heads.

"No. We did sleep. Don't worry, Husband."

At Wang Yeon's words I crossed to them and sat between the two.

"So—have you worked out a plan?"

"My lord. There are three options: a longer but comfortable road, a fast but rough one, and a compromise between the two."

Jia Xu laid them out.

First: skip Hedong entirely, cross Wangwu Mountain, and ride straight for Luoyang—the hard road.

Second: swing wide around the ranges, pass through Puban Ford, Tong Pass, and Hongnong, then into Luoyang—the safe road.

Third, the middle path: drop south from Hedong, cross Zhongtiao Mountain, and approach Luoyang by way of Shan County.

Each had its trade-offs. The Wangwu Mountain route was so rough that few people used it, which meant we could ride hard. Bandits were a risk, but Henei and the approaches to Luoyang were thick with checkpoints—nothing like the free-for-all of Bingzhou.

"We'll take the first. How long?"

"My lord. If we rode through the nights as well, two days. If we rest and ride by turns, call it three."

Better that way. A few extra days wasted on the road were worse than three hard days and rest once we reached Luoyang.

"Fine. First route it is. Wang Yeon—did you send word to Uncle Wang Yun?"

"Yes. I released the carrier pigeon last evening. That we want Deng ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠County, and that Mother is relocating there as well, so we need him to take charge of the estate."

I nodded. Words were one thing; the deed would only be sealed once the title documents were firmly in his hands. He wouldn't commit lightly either.

"Hmm. So I just clone this body and we go?"

"My lord. Yesterday we used the child form to put Jang Bi and the others at ease. From now on, at least one of the clones must keep a child's appearance. And not a doll-like one."

"What?"

I looked at Jia Xu, puzzled by the sudden insistence on a child's form.

"Once we enter Hedong Commandery, the population is far denser than Bingzhou. And there is no telling whom we might meet. For Wang Yeon or myself to be traveling with an unfamiliar man…"

Ah.

On an official mission or a merchant caravan, men and women traveling together raised no eyebrows. Equality between the sexes still existed in principle—but Han Confucianism was settling in, and from the Later Han onward the classics were becoming the dominant current. Equality in theory; increasing fussiness about impropriety between men and women in practice. I nodded.

"So two of me as kids? That's inefficient. Then we'd have to bring Gao Shun or someone else along."

"My lord. Can you not transform into a woman? If the clone took a female form…"

"What?!"

I shot to my feet. I had felt something ominous coming—and I would never abandon myself as a man. Even for a moment. Especially not after watching how women reacted during sex; the thought of some accident in that body made my head spin.

Jia Xu, as if she had expected the reaction, fanned herself lightly and stepped closer.

Then—

The Penis Band was tempting. With that upgrade, Jia Xu, Jo Un, Jang Bi—none of the essential fighters would have to leave the field for pregnancy. Their eggs could simply be transferred to a surrogate. That was what the description implied.

Damn it. But the penalty… Wait. "Keep this one"? Jini?

Jini had mentioned the deletion of the Xiang Yu hermaphrodite form, then urgently told me to protect Xiang Yu's transformation slot. Her voice cut off mid-sentence.

A sudden premonition hit me: that body of Xiang Yu's, which had seemed unnecessary, must not be erased. Not "become a woman"—more like, experience Xiang Yu's body. I felt no particular malice from Jini.

Damn…

"My lord. You can transform into a woman's body, can you not?"

At this point, refusal was hard. My women's reputations were on the line—and a mission had dropped on top of it.

"Fine. But I'll be a hermaphrodite."

Jia Xu looked startled for once. Whether hermaphrodites existed in our world was debatable; in this one, Fu Xi and Xiang Yu were the classic examples.

"A hermaphrodite? Hoo. Well—no one will be able to tell at a glance. As long as the outward appearance is female, that will do."

"Damn… Are hermaphrodites rare?"

Wang Yeon nodded, then came closer and looked up at me with expectant eyes.

"About one per county. Larger counties and cities would have more."

Roughly one in twenty or thirty thousand. Or, counting those who hid it, maybe one or two in a few thousand. Possibly more.

"Haa. I'll try transforming."

I deliberately did not say the name Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu's fame in the Han was enormous. Among all generals, people of this Han dynasty ranked Xiang Yu first—overwhelmingly—in raw strength and martial skill. As a commander he had lost only once, to Han Xin; that alone said enough.

First, back to the child's body…

I transformed. A wave of weakness hit me and my field of vision dropped. At once I split my mind, grafted a copy of my consciousness, and spun the clone off as an independent entity.

"Yeon-ah. Hold this one for a bit."

"Yes."

Wang Yeon beamed and scooped up the naked clone, who grinned back at her. A beauty of Jia Xu's caliber was rare; the little thing clearly approved.

So that's what I look like…

I took out a Vitality Pill, focused on the transformation trait, and called up Xiang Yu's slot. Her image rose in my mind.

Even looking again—what a stunning beauty. Compared to Hye-yun, somehow…

I shook my head and locked the transformation in.

Weakness flooded me; I bit down on the Vitality Pill at once.

My line of sight climbed higher and higher. A woman? Not fully—but tall. Jia Xu was already a solid 175 cm, and this body felt taller still. Close to 185.

And then the power poured in. A vast, almost maddening strength filled every limb. Power overflowed.

So this is Xiang Yu's body.

The awe at the strength lasted only a moment. A strange sensation pressed against my chest. At the unfamiliar feeling I frowned and looked down—and could not see my own feet.

Enormous breasts…

Fuck… These are bigger than Jeong-mi's. Insane…

I looked at Jia Xu with a miserable face. She laughed softly and drew a measuring tape from her sleeve.

"My lord. We need measurements for undergarments and clothes. Stay as you are."

Aaah… This is humiliating.

Wang Yeon and Jia Xu were looking me over, and the clone was staring blankly. I wanted to hit the little bastard.

"Clone—out."

"Yes."

The clone hung its head in disappointment. Wang Yeon stroked its hair and set it down. It left with its chin on its chest.

From the memories flooding in, the cock looked about 19 cm when erect. No testicles—only the shaft—and the ovaries doubled as testes. A grotesque anatomy.

Jia Xu embraced me from behind and measured the underbust, carefully avoiding contact with the breasts themselves, then the full bust.

Height: 185 cm.

Bust: 75G.

Waist: 23.

Hips: 41.

A giantess, pure and simple. Even in the modern world there were volleyball players over 190—but for a woman of this era, the frame was excessive.

I would need a sports bra and men's boxer briefs. The unfamiliar compression on my chest was deeply uncomfortable. And every step made the breasts sway even inside the sports bra. I never thought I would feel something like this. A wave of self-disgust hit me.

At least it wasn't the 21 (33) cm cock. The modest 13 (19) nestled inside the briefs was manageable. Wang Yeon brought a white martial robe and I put it on.

"Oh my, oh my, Husband—you're so beautiful. It isn't a plump figure, but with a frame this large…"

"My lord. This soft hair—very like Jang Saeng's."

Check personal traits.

The traits painted themselves across my mind. Everything I already had—Divine Archer included—plus maxed sword and spear, and the new additions of unarmed combat, mercenary tactics, and Divine Strength. A monstrous physique.

It even carried the Divine Strength trait that Jang Saeng and Jang Bi were presumed to possess. Stack a unique trait on top of that and this body would be a true beast. An absolute monster. Xiang Yu's own unique trait was stripped out—but once I received a combat unique trait at sixteen, this form would fly.

Jia Xu gathered my hair into a black topknot cap, let the rest fall down my back, and pinned a silver hairpin through the cap. The finishing touch.

A mirror…

Wang Yeon held one up. I stared with my mouth open.

"Crazy… Xiang Ji was this beautiful?"

Large eyes, deep irises, a fierce gaze; a clean, strong nose; firmly closed lips that spoke of a resolute nature. A perfect beauty. Surpassing even Hye-yun—the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.

The name "Xiang Ji" slipped out before I could stop it. Jia Xu stepped in, caught my cheek, and met my eyes.

"Xiang Ji, my lord?"

"Ah…? This is Xiang Ji's body, apparently. The unique traits are stripped, so it's weaker than the original—but even so, this body could kill my real one in a single exchange."

"Ah!!! My lord—then this body must be maintained continuously, even as a clone. You said you absorb memories. If you keep it active and train it, it will become a great strength for you."

Is that so? Traits are talent—without effort, even Spear Arts 12 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is useless. So Kang Ho's body is locked in after all.

I felt a twinge of guilt for briefly suspecting the Constellation of some other purpose in granting it.

"Husband, then we need a name. Lee Jeok? Lee Woo? Wang Woo? Wang Jeok…?"

Wang Yeon was already inventing names. Even the brilliant Jia Xu seemed to be turning the problem over carefully.

"Hang Lian."

"Hmm… My lord. Yes—Divine Strength that rare isn't common. Later we can say you're of Xiang Yu's collateral line."

To test how far the clone could range, I shifted into an ordinary-looking man, reduced the cock's length, and generated a new clone body.

"My lord? And this body?"

I returned to Xiang Yu's form and swallowed another Vitality Pill.

"To test how far it can go and still hold. Tell Gao Shun to put it through training with the Jo sisters."

"Yes."

The map.