The Road to Luoyang - Zhao Yun Hunt
The hunting carriage carrying Dong Zhuo and Zhao Yun was a four-wheeled chariot pulled by four horses.
In this era, chariots were typically two-wheeled models, which were far easier to maneuver in battle.
But hunting didn’t require sharp, sudden turns like combat. Above all, the purpose was to display the host’s prestige and authority.
That was why the carriage the two of them rode was large and extravagant. In exchange, it was also significantly heavier than a combat chariot.
There was simply no way two wheels could support that kind of weight… so the carriage used four wheels to better distribute the load.
Still, it wasn’t built for pointless extravagance alone.
At a glance, the design clearly prioritized comfort for the hunt and the safety of its passengers.
The carriage Dong Zhuo and Zhao Yun occupied featured double-layered sturdy timber to protect the riders from wild beasts, while still maintaining a spacious interior. The passenger seats were positioned much higher than the driver’s bench so arrows could be loosed without obstruction. Instead of installing partitions that would block the view, a large parasol had been erected overhead.
The result was that Dong Zhuo’s hunting carriage resembled a small bedroom on wheels.
The only problem was that it had no walls and sat high up, meaning anyone who turned their head could see inside. But perhaps because the carriage was simply too comfortable?
Dong Zhuo paid no mind to the gazes of others and acted without the slightest restraint.
*Stroke, stroke♥ Grope, grope♥*
“Krrgh! Our Zilong’s thighs are even sturdier than they look! Is this the secret behind your horsemanship?!”
…She was acting far too freely.
“M-Major General! Everyone is watching….”
“Pfft, so what if they see! Whenever I look at you, it reminds me of my daughter Dong Bai! What’s there to be embarrassed about a mother stroking her daughter-like Zilong?!”
She said it was because he reminded her of her daughter!
If that were true, Dong Bai was still a child with years left before reaching adulthood, while Zhao Yun was already a fully grown man who had undergone his coming-of-age ceremony….
No, more importantly, how could she possibly see a towering, muscular adult man and think of a little girl? What kind of nonsense was that?
Yet Dong Zhuo’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest as she declared it with absolute confidence.
After spitting out a sexual harassment line that would never fly in the 21st century—or even in this one—while continuing to fondle Zhao Yun’s thigh, Dong Zhuo’s eyes suddenly flashed.
“Stop!”
She raised her hand to halt the carriage, then snatched up her bow and sprang to her feet.
“Playing with Zilong is fun, but… since we’ve come out for a hunt, it would be embarrassing if I, Dong Zhongying, didn’t take first place, wouldn’t it?”
She nocked an arrow and aimed at a patch of grass rustling nearby, then drew the bowstring with powerful force.
*Whiiiish…! Thwack!*
“Gyaaaaagh!!!”
“Direct hit!”
Waaaaaaaah!!!
A prisoner who had been hiding in the grass, waiting for Dong Zhuo’s party to pass, took an arrow straight to the eye. He let out a short scream and collapsed.
His body twitched once on the ground before going completely limp.
Anyone could tell he was dead.
When the men from Xiliang cheered at the sight, Dong Zhuo waved at them in acknowledgment before plopping back down into her seat.
“How about that? Do those things still look like people to you? If it were me, the moment I saw them like that, any such thoughts would vanish.”
Dong Zhuo flashed a grin at Zilong. Her eyes were filled with mockery and curiosity.
“…….”
Instead of answering, Zhao Yun stiffened and looked away. Dong Zhuo simply let out a soft chuckle—uncharacteristically mild for her—and took a long swig straight from the remaining wine jar before tossing the empty vessel to the floor.
“Zilong, if you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it. Whether you like it or not, this hunt will continue until tomorrow evening. Isn’t it a waste of time to keep resisting?”
Dong Zhuo paused briefly, then waved her hand to order the carriage forward once more.
The carriage creaked into motion.
The faint crack of the driver’s whip and the whinnies of the horses pulling it.
The bustling noise of the attendants following behind Dong Zhuo.
Amid all that clamor, Dong Zhuo leaned in close to Zhao Yun’s ear and whispered.
“Thanks to you, I beat those bastards… It would be a shame if someone else took first place now, wouldn’t it? Hm?”
The moment he heard those words, cold sweat began to trickle down Zhao Yun’s back.
***
Did she notice I used sorcery?
No, that couldn’t be.
If she had, she wouldn’t have let me sit here.
She would have cut my throat long ago or turned me into prey like the other prisoners.
She must be saying that because I cut off Zhang Jue’s head.
…Right?
He glanced at Dong Zhuo, but she was only scanning the surroundings for hidden prey.
His mind grew tangled as he failed to read her intentions, but before he could sort his thoughts, Dong Zhuo’s hand returned to his thigh.
A beautiful woman resting her head on his shoulder and kneading his leg.
It was far too much stimulation for a virgin.
It was getting harder and harder to focus.
And now she wasn’t even touching his thigh anymore!
“Hngh?! Major General!”
When he let out a girlish squeak and tried to pull away from the suspicious touch, Dong Zhuo gave him the sleazy smile of a dirty old man who had just walked into a brothel.
“Oh dear, I only meant to touch your thigh but got a little drunk and slipped. I was surprised too—everything else was so firm, but that spot was so soft! My apologies, hm?”
But damn, our Zilong is impressive down there too! I mean, the guy’s not even hard and I still can’t wrap one hand around it!
*Khuhuhu…* Dong Zhuo laughed lewdly, and the attendants stared at Zhao Yun with envious eyes, giggling among themselves.
In that cheerful atmosphere, only one person was grinding his teeth in fury—the driver pulling the carriage carrying Dong Zhuo and Zhao Yun.
What’s with him? He’s had that rotten look on his face ever since I got on the carriage. Does he have feelings for Dong Zhuo or something?
I made it painfully obvious I was forced to come along, yet this bastard thinks I’m actually enjoying myself?
A driver should focus on driving, not glancing back to glare at me. It’s infuriating.
Hadn’t Dong Zhuo said it earlier?
If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
She wasn’t wrong.
There was no way he could enjoy this human hunt, but he could at least torment that obnoxious driver.
He had no idea what Dong Zhuo was really planning, but she had been surprisingly lenient toward him so far. It should be fine.
Even so, what he was about to do required considerable courage.
Or at least some liquid courage.
Having decided he needed both, Zhao Yun grabbed the large cup that had been overflowing with untouched wine and downed its contents in one go.
The sharp burn of alcohol rose up immediately.
He could feel the pungent scent climbing back up his throat.
How the hell does Dong Zhuo drink this like water?
When Zhao Yun suddenly gulped down the wine and grimaced, Dong Zhuo looked at him with amusement, but…
“Haaahng?!”
The moment he felt bold hands on his shoulder and thigh, the shameless moan that escaped him left him so shocked that his mouth fell open.
What the fuck… did I really just make that sound?
He wasn’t the only one startled.
The attendants behind them, the driver steering the carriage, the prisoner hiding in the tree, and even the horses pulling the carriage all turned to stare at Dong Zhuo.
More precisely, they were staring at the hands resting on Dong Zhuo’s shoulder and thigh.
“I-I actually find it more surprising that the Major General’s thighs are so soft. You must have spent every day on horseback in Xiliang because of the barbarians, yet they’re still this soft… Is it because you’re a woman, M-Major General?”
Zhao Yun finished his awkward sentence and squeezed the hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer so that she leaned against his chest.
Everyone present was stunned into silence.
Dong Zhuo, who had been silently looking up at him, followed his gaze and saw the driver’s face, twisted with rage.
…Aha! Cute little bastard.
So you’ve found something to enjoy as well?
Doesn’t matter. Either way, we’ll be enjoying ourselves even more tonight.
It’s a bit early, but I like it even better this way.
“Mmm~ Yes, perhaps it really is because I’m a woman, just as you said. Sometimes I even forget I’m female! Maybe it’s because Dong Bai’s father was so pathetic? Puhuhuhu… But Zilong, I get the feeling you’re different.”
As she spoke, Dong Zhuo also turned to look at the driver. The attendants watched the driver with great interest as well.
The driver’s face twisted into something hideous.
And in the distance, the face of Cao Cao—who had been secretly tailing Dong Zhuo’s party since the hunt began—also contorted with fury.
This bastard didn’t even lay a finger on me during the entire week I kept him close, but the moment he’s with Yuan Shu and Dong Zhuo he starts happily groping them?!
Of course, the plan back then had been that if Zhao Yun tried to assault her, the hidden Xiahou Dun would rush in to subdue him and force him to choose between loyalty or death… but seeing this sight hurt her pride as a woman, not just as a lord.
…Cao Cao would rather kill him herself than let anyone else have him like this.
“Wonyang, let’s head back.”
“Huh? Weren’t we supposed to keep spying because we don’t know what Dong Zhuo might do?”
“…No. I’ve seen enough of what that bitch is going to do. I need to come up with a new plan.”
“Seriously… What the hell is that guy doing that you need to make plans….”
Xiahou Dun grumbled as she followed Cao Cao, completely missing the chilling, murderous glint in her lord’s red eyes.
If she had seen it, she might have tried to talk her out of whatever scheme she was cooking up.
Of course, a Cao Cao whose eyes had rolled back like that wouldn’t have listened anyway.