A Slightly Rough Welcome Greeting
But....
As they quietly slipped out of the valley and made their way back toward the hunting carriage, Dong Zhuo finally spoke.
“Have you given any thought to what comes after we reach Luoyang?”
What comes after? Zhao Yun looked at her in genuine confusion. Dong Zhuo clicked her tongue in exasperation.
“Aigoo! How do you plan to survive in Luoyang if you’re this dense!”
“Do I have any reason to think that far ahead? Naturally I’ll serve under Colonel Cao for the time being.”
“Yes, if we arrive just like this, that’s exactly what will happen.”
If we arrive just like this, huh…. Dong Zhuo let out a low, sinister chuckle. “Kuhuhuhut.”
It was clear she had something else in mind. The way she kept saying “what comes after” left an uneasy feeling in Zhao Yun’s gut. No matter how bold Dong Zhuo was, she couldn’t possibly cause trouble in Luoyang right now… could she? What was she plotting?
“Do you have another idea in mind, General of the Central Army?”
Apparently Zhao Yun’s polite tone rubbed her the wrong way. The grin on Dong Zhuo’s face faltered; her brows drew together in clear displeasure.
“Zilong! Stop being so stiff with me! This Dong Jung-yeong isn’t the kind of woman who lords her position over her benefactor! Just call me Jung-yeong, comfortably. Understand? Besides… after everything we’ve done, why are you still acting like that?”
She suddenly seized his hand. Her fingers traced teasing patterns across the back of it. Startled, Zhao Yun glanced sideways and caught the faint blush coloring her tanned cheeks.
“…Honestly! We’ve done everything except the actual insertion, haven’t we? You really are too much. Any real man would have understood by now…. Just because I’m from Xiliang, do you think I have no shame at all?”
Ah. That’s right. After everything they had done together in the valley—licking, sucking, indulging in every lewd act imaginable—acting formal now would indeed be strange. They hadn’t even stopped at ordinary depravity; she had made him feed her his semen and drink her breast milk in a frenzy of perversion.
Just recalling those obscene moments brought a flush to Zhao Yun’s own face. Seeing his embarrassment, Dong Zhuo grumbled again and poked the back of his hand with her fingertip. The signal was so blatant that even the relatively inexperienced Zhao Yun couldn’t miss it.
When he gently laced their fingers together, Dong Zhuo’s expression finally softened into a satisfied smile.
They rode slowly, hands still clasped, for a long while. Only when Dong Zhuo’s hunting carriage appeared faintly in the distance did Zhao Yun break the silence again.
“So, General of the Central… No. Jung-yeong, what exactly are you thinking?”
It was the perfect moment. Dong Zhuo’s face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“General of the Central Army, you say…. Kuhuhuhut! As you already know, that title won’t last much longer. Soon this person will be addressed as a general.”
“A general?”
At Zhao Yun’s startled tone, Dong Zhuo puffed up with even greater pride. Yes, a general. The woman about to become a general was holding his hand right now.
“And not just any general! You may not understand central politics, but I have the Ten Attendants as my rock-solid backers. That so-called Colonel Cao might be Cao Teng’s granddaughter in name, but she’s already fallen from favor. She can’t even compare!”
You know who the Ten Attendants are, right? Those women who can have anyone’s head lopped off with a single pointed finger, no matter how powerful. It’s those very women who will be granting me my new position.
You have ambition too. That’s why you fought so desperately through the Yellow Turbans to cut off Zhang Jue’s head. That’s why you shouted that you were the one who did it, isn’t it?
“They mentioned suspicious movements among the horsemen in Xiliang… so they’ll probably send me west. At the very least I should receive General Who Pacifies the West. With luck, maybe General Who Stabilizes the West or even General Who Conquers the West.”
Do you understand what that means? Dong Zhuo glanced at Zhao Yun. When his eyes widened, she let out a soft laugh.
You understand. Yes. It means that in the west, I will be the highest authority.
“Compared to me, both Cao Cao and Yuan Shu are lower in rank… Hmph! They’ll probably only receive Colonel at best, or General of the Central Army if they’re lucky.”
Among all the women around you, I am the best. Cao Cao? She may carry the Cao name, but in truth she’s constantly at odds with the Ten Attendants. Yet you still want to serve under her?
“Now do you understand? If we go to Luoyang like this, you’ll end up doing nothing but menial cleanup work for some colonel or general of the central army. With a general right here, only a colonel? What do you think about that?”
What was there to think? It would be utter shit. You don’t want to see those bitches’ faces anymore, do you? Don’t you want to come under me? Don’t you want to stay by my side?
Dong Zhuo’s body trembled with barely contained excitement.
“Fortunately for you, I cherish you greatly! A magnificent man like you, rotting away under a mere colonel… how ridiculous! It would be far wiser to serve me instead, wouldn’t it?”
She was already calling him “you” as if he were her subordinate. In her mind she was already dreaming of blissful days with a loyal, grateful Zhao Yun serving faithfully at her side.
Look at Zilong wearing nothing but a diaper and acting all spoiled?! Uung~ Making that huge thing so stiff and swollen…♥ What should I do? Huhuhuhut♥ My baby really is… But Mommy is busy today! Oh my?! Crying “waa waa” with a body that big! Anyone who saw would think he was a real infant! Does my baby like Mommy’s milk that much? Krahahaha!!! Can’t be helped…♥
“Grhahahahaha!!!!”
“…Jung-yeong?”
“……Hah! Ahem! Anyway, you understand what I’m saying, right? Birds build their nests in the tallest trees, hunting dogs serve the master who feeds them the best meat—so why should humans be any different?!”
Dong Zhuo, who had barely regained her senses, cleared her throat and subtly avoided his gaze.
“How about it! You’re only a guest general anyway! Fulfill your dreams beneath me, Dong Jung-yeong! I will use you as my stepping stone to seize my own ambitions.”
Her form of address had shifted from the formal “noble sir” to the familiar “you” and now to the intimate “dear.” Her eyes glittered with naked desire.
She clutched both of his hands tightly, breathing hard with excitement.
“Who knows? Perhaps our dreams are aiming for the same destination…. Don’t you think so?”
Dong Zhuo pressed her breasts together and shook them teasingly before him. Zhao Yun swallowed thickly, staring despite himself. She probed further, voice low.
“This Dong Jung-yeong is not a woman who will be satisfied being some bitches’ hunting dog. If I see the slightest opening, I will bite without hesitation! I’ve caught the scent…. Those fools don’t realize it yet, but the stench of a coming chaotic era is thick in the air! You sensed it too, didn’t you? That’s why you crawled up from the bottom all the way here. Am I wrong?”
At her sudden accusation, Zhao Yun’s body gave an involuntary flinch. Dong Zhuo smiled, deeply satisfied.
“Only the two of us felt it. Who could possibly stop us? Not Xiliang, not Chang’an, not even Luoyang! Not even the Emperor himself!! In the end, everything will fall into my hands. …And if you wish it, I will bring you anything beyond that. All you have to do is become my subordinate.”
You knew it too. That’s why you struggled so desperately to survive. The reason you shone alone among cowards is because you felt it—the smell of rotting wood burning, the scent of earth just before a storm. Because you felt exactly what I did.
Mere survival? If you stand beneath me, survival won’t be the end of it. It won’t be just feeling relief while listening to cowards scream. You will decide who lives, who dies, who is the coward, who weeps. You will be able to savor their ugliness.
No… you don’t even have to be beneath me. For someone like you, I’ll allow you to stand at my side. You have the right. You’re different from the others. Unlike the idiots who plunder simply because they enjoy it. Those people? They’re cowards just like everyone else. Even while living like demons, they secretly reek of fear, wondering if it’s all right to keep living this way. But you’re different. You didn’t turn away or give up when the chaotic era grew clearer by the day. You fought with everything you had just to survive. Your qualifications are more than enough.
So? Can you really endure this? No… you definitely can’t. Now open your mouth. Kneel down and kiss my feet. Swear to enjoy the coming chaos together. No matter what the end looks like… if we’re together, we will surely be happy. Let’s wait for the turbulent age that is about to arrive.
“Thank you, but… I must decline.”
“……What?”
The smile froze on Dong Zhuo’s face. Strength fled her fingers, and her hand slipped lifelessly from Zhao Yun’s grasp.
“…Perhaps you don’t actually know what General Who Conquers the West means? Or… does the word ‘general’ just look like ‘dick’ to you?”
By the time they reached the carriage, Dong Zhuo still wore a dazed expression as she spat the words.
“That can’t possibly be the case.”
Zhao Yun, accepting fresh clothes from inside the carriage and changing on the spot, answered immediately.
“Then what… Do you think Cao Cao will receive a general’s position? Or do I look like a fool who won’t receive anything at all?”
“Neither of those.”
At that, Dong Zhuo sniffed loudly, as if trying to smell something, then asked cautiously.
“…Then do you believe a chaotic era won’t come?”
When Zhao Yun carefully shook his head at her noticeably deflated question, Dong Zhuo shot to her feet with a growl.
“Then why the hell—!”
“It’s because… I owe Colonel Cao my life. I promised to remain under her command until that debt is repaid.”
“…What did you just say?”
That’s actually fortunate. Without such a reason, he might have been kidnapped by Dong Zhuo on the spot. A happy life in Luoyang with her… he could already see her massive halberd flashing before his eyes.
Still, how had this woman already sensed the coming chaos? Did she really smell it?
Dong Zhuo stared at Zhao Yun as he sniffed the air, then finally spoke again.
“You’re telling me you’re tied down for something as trivial as that? The reason you rejected my offer is just… that?”
Anger was visibly rising in her. This was dangerous. He needed to return to Cao Cao immediately. At moments like this, she was the most reliable woman he knew.
“…Wow! These clothes are incredibly beautiful! Purple is such a difficult color to wear well, yet… as expected of Shu brocade!”
“This bastard isn’t even answering—!!!”
“A gift from the General of the Central Army! Thank you! Well… I should hurry back and… um… show it off!”
Pretending not to hear Dong Zhuo screaming at the top of her lungs, he mounted his horse and galloped away. She probably wouldn’t chase him on the Red Hare, right?
Even while fleeing, he kept glancing nervously behind him, but there was no sign of pursuit. The clothes were clearly expensive; running off with them like this made him feel a little guilty… but what choice did he have?
The living must live.
And so Zhao Yun stole the clothes and fled to Cao Cao’s side.
. . .
“That crazy bastard…!!!”
Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since Zhao Yun’s arbitrary escape, Dong Zhuo was still exploding with rage.
“If it were any other man, I’d just kill him…”
“Are you insane!!!”
“…Yes?!”
The woman who had cautiously spoken up while Dong Zhuo trashed the carriage interior was so startled by the violent reaction that she stammered.
What? At this point, shouldn’t she be drawing a blade or searching for poison and doing everything possible to kill him?
“What? A life debt? …Hmph! Then we simply erase the debt! Do you really think such a pathetic excuse would work on Dong Jung-yeong!! …Jia Xu!”
Dong Zhuo hurled the wine jar to the floor and shouted, panting. The woman bowed her head.
“Go to Luoyang first and deliver this to Zhang Yang! Since I’m heading there myself, if there is no reply, there is no need to come looking for me!”
Catching the bamboo slip Dong Zhuo had thrown, the woman hurried away. Without even watching her leave, Dong Zhuo flung herself onto the bed and ground her teeth savagely.
“I treated you nicely because I thought you were a little cute, and you dare run away?! Fuck…! Just you wait! The next time you show your face, I’ll make you live as my foot-wiping rag for the rest of your life! I’ll lock you in a chastity belt so you can never get hard again!!!”