Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 64: Only One Life

Wang Yun was pacing anxiously in the room. Seeing Wei Xiaobao bringing in a masked woman, he pointed at her and asked, "Nephew, who is this?"

Wei Xiaobao took off the silk from Diao Chan's face.

Diao Chan suddenly threw herself at Wang Yun's feet and burst into tears.

Wang Yun touched Diao Chan's head and comforted her, "My son has suffered."

Wei Xiaobao threw away the silk and said, "Fortunately, I got there in time, otherwise my hat would have turned green."

Wang Yun quickly asked, "How could that lecherous thief Dong Zhuo be willing to release us?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I don't need him to release anyone at all."

Wang Yun asked in surprise, "You killed Dong Zhuo?"

Wei Xiaobao smiled wickedly and said, "No, I just cleaned him up."

Wang Yun was horrified and said, "Oh, this is a big problem. If you kill Dong Zhuo, I can still find a way to appease his subordinates, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others. But now, won't you and I both die at Dong Zhuo's hands? Today, when Lü Bu is not with Dong Zhuo, is the perfect opportunity. How could you miss it?"

Wei Xiaobao couldn't tell Wang Yun about his worries, so he could only reveal his plan and asked, "Where is Lü Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji?"

Wang Yun asked, "Why are you still concerned about a weapon at this hour? Do you think that if you hold this Fang Tian Hua Ji, you will be as brave as Lü Bu, who could defeat ten thousand men?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Dong Zhuo doesn't know I rescued Diao Chan, let alone that I castrated him. I also left marks in his room that resemble those left by the Fang Tian Hua Ji. Hide the Fang Tian Hua Ji, then go find Lü Bu and tell him that Dong Zhuo has ordered a hunt for him. Tell him to hide and not return to Chang'an for the time being. I'll go to Dong Zhuo's mansion tomorrow to test his nerves and, by the way, leak some information, saying that Lü Bu has escaped. As for why he escaped, I'll deliberately keep it secret, leaving Dong Zhuo to guess. That way, neither of them will know the truth, and they'll be suspicious of each other, which will naturally give us an opportunity."

Wang Yun was shocked. He had not expected Wei Xiaobao to have such a thorough plan. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What about Diao Chan? Should she be hidden in Situ Mansion first?"

Wei Xiaobao looked at Diao Chan and said, "It would be best if you could get out of the city and hide for a while. But there's chaos and turmoil outside, and I don't know where to send you."

Wang Yun said, "Your teacher is now living in seclusion in Jundu Mountain, Shanggu County. No one knows this except Cai Yong and me. Why not send Diao Chan there to hide temporarily and bring her back after the matter is accomplished?"

Wei Xiaobao nodded in approval and said to Diao Chan, "In that case, go to the teacher and wait for me first."

Wang Yun immediately arranged for a carriage. Diao Chan said goodbye to Wang Yun and Wei Xiaobao in a hurry and left the city overnight without even taking her luggage.

Wang Yun ordered his men to hide the Fang Tian Hua Ji before riding out of the city to look for Lu Bu.

After leaving Situ Mansion, Wei Xiaobao did not return to the palace directly, but went to the outskirts of Tai Shi Mansion to inquire about the news.

The Grand Tutor's Mansion was completely quiet, with no signs of trouble. Wei Xiaobao observed from a distance for a moment, thinking, "This drug is quite potent. That old bastard Dong Zhuo hasn't woken up in such a long time. I really want to see with my own eyes what his expression will be when he wakes up and discovers he's become a eunuch."

After waiting for a while, Wei Xiaobao felt bored and went back to the palace to sleep. He slept until the next morning, when Shuang'er came to call him to get up.

Shuang'er helped Wei Xiaobao wash up and asked, "Did Lord Situ invite you for drinks again? I waited for a long time last night but you didn't come back. I thought you were drunk and stayed at the Situ Mansion overnight."

Wei Xiaobao heard the complaint in Shuang'er's tone and said, "I didn't go out to drink yesterday, but to do something important."

Shuang'er asked curiously, "What's the big deal?"

Shuang'er had already untied Wei Xiaobao's braid and combed it again. Wei Xiaobao said, "I castrated Dong Zhuo and framed him for it on Lu Bu."

Shuang'er blushed and cursed, "How embarrassing! You told me such a thing? Besides, what's the big deal? I thought you found some treasure that could let us go back."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Shuang'er, do you want to go back?"

Shuang'er's eyes reddened as she said, "If you don't go back now, you won't be able to take care of your braids anymore. Besides, I miss Miss Rou'er too. We left in such a hurry, leaving her alone at the Imperial Envoy's headquarters. She must be waiting anxiously."

Wei Xiaobao said, "So you miss Zeng Rou. Actually, I miss her too, as well as the little princess and Fang Yi. But I've messed up Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, those two old and young turtles. As long as Lu Bu kills Dong Zhuo, we can escape Chang'an and find Yuan Shu, and then we can go home."

Shuang'er sighed and said, "I hope so."

Wei Xiaobao hid his braid, pulled his hat down, and when no one was paying attention he lunged forward and said, "It's almost done. Let's kiss first."

Shuang'er dodged before he pounced on her.

Wei Xiaobao used his extraordinary speed to pull off a series of changes. After just a few moves, he had Shuang'er in his arms, kissed her, and said, "Even if you can't go back, I'm here with you. Don't worry!" Shuang'er's worried expression vanished, and with a shy look on her face, she asked, "Then are you willing to leave Miss Mu and Miss Fang?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "There's also Xiao Xuanzi, the male and female masters. They'll definitely miss me, so we have to go back quickly. I already have a plan to get Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo. As long as Jia Xu can fall for my trick today, then everything will be safe."

Shuang'er was already feeling very comfortable being held by Wei Xiaobao, and seeing how confident he was, she nodded happily as well.

Wei Xiaobao left the palace and went straight to find Jia Xu.

Jia Xu went to the Grand Tutor's Mansion early in the morning, and Tang Zhou accompanied Wei Xiaobao while drinking and waiting.

Wei Xiaobao originally wanted to tease and ridicule Tang Zhou, but he was thinking about something else and lost interest.

Tang Zhou already hated Wei Xiaobao and was even more unwilling to speak on his own initiative. He could only keep urging his servants to deliver the letter to Jia Xu.

Finally, when Jia Xu hurried back, Wei Xiaobao was the first to speak: "I heard that the Grand Tutor went to propose marriage for me last night and took Miss Diao Chan back to the Grand Tutor's residence to stay temporarily, preparing to let her marry out of the residence. I wonder if the Military Advisor brought back any good news?"

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "I'll place the bet first, so you won't suspect me of cheating."

Before Jia Xu could even sit down, he said, "Captain, something terrible has happened. Miss Diao Chan ran away with someone last night."

Wei Xiaobao laughed inwardly, then pretended to be shocked and asked, "How could this happen? Did she not want to marry me, so she ran away?"

Jia Xu nodded and said, "I guess that's the case. The Grand Tutor summoned me early this morning to discuss how to explain this matter to the Captain."

Wei Xiaobao cursed in his heart, "Your grandfather, you're still playing the good cop to me at this time. Aren't you afraid that Wang Yun will complain to me? Dong Zhuo, that old bastard, is still trying to appease and bribe me at this time."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Didn't the military advisor promise to do this for me? Now that my bride has run off with someone else, who am I going to marry? The Grand Tutor must give me an explanation for this matter, right? Mr. Military Advisor, could you take me to see the Grand Tutor so I can get an explanation?"

Jia Xu said, "Captain, it was Miss Diao Chan who refused to marry you. What explanation do you want from the Grand Tutor?"

Wei Xiaobao pretended to be angry and slammed the table, saying, "I heard that Lü Bu also has his eyes on Diao Chan and wants the Grand Tutor to act as a matchmaker for him. I suspect the Grand Tutor hid Diao Chan and planned to give her to Lü Bu. The story of running away from the marriage is just an excuse the Grand Tutor made for his godson!"

Jia Xu quickly consoled him, saying, "My lord, you are truly befriending the Captain. How could you possibly lie to him? Diao Chan has indeed escaped. This is absolutely true."

Wei Xiaobao chuckled inwardly, "Of course I know Diao Chan has escaped, but I don't know if Dong Zhuo is truly interested in being my friend. Perhaps you, Jia Xu, are trying to curry favor with me, using Dong Zhuo's name to win me over? Regardless, I'll use you as a messenger for now."

Wei Xiaobao said, "That must be because Lü Bu ran away with Diao Chan, and the Grand Tutor didn't want to hold his godson responsible, so he asked you to flatter me and deceive me, right?"

A barely perceptible expression of surprise flashed across Jia Xu's face, but it did not escape Wei Xiaobao's eyes.

Jia Xu said, "The Grand Tutor has already arranged for someone to investigate, and he will naturally give the Captain an explanation."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "It seems you're also suspicious of Lü Bu. My plan must have succeeded. From the moment we entered until now, you haven't mentioned Dong Zhuo's injury. Could it be that this old coward is too embarrassed to tell anyone he's been castrated?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "Who else but Lü Bu would dare to go to the Grand Tutor's mansion to rob someone? You don't want to admit it was Lü Bu, that's fine, but tell me, is Diao Chan injured? Did Lü Bu hurt anyone else? Oh, what if the Grand Tutor was accidentally injured by Lü Bu while trying to protect Diao Chan? Then wouldn't I, Wei Xiaobao, be a sinner?"

Wei Xiaobao was amused by his own hypocrisy and wanted to laugh. He covered his mouth and lowered his head, secretly observing Jia Xu's expression.

Jia Xu said, "Don't worry, Captain. No one was hurt."

Wei Xiaobao thought to himself, "Even if Dong Zhuo refuses to tell you the truth, you still have to stay in bed and recuperate. Since you said that, it seems you are ready to play along with me to the end."

Wei Xiaobao said, "The military advisor won't take me to see the Grand Tutor, so why not take me to see Lü Bu? I, Wei Xiaobao, may have no money or power, but I still have my life. I'll go kowtow to Lü Bu and beg him to return Diao Chan to me."

Jia Xu hurriedly said, "Captain, you are accusing others without any evidence. Isn't this embarrassing for the Grand Tutor? Captain, please give me three days. After three days, I will naturally give you an explanation on behalf of my lord."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Okay! Three days is three days. If you still refuse to hand over Lü Bu by then, I, Wei Xiaobao, will risk my life and fight Lü Bu to the death."

Wei Xiaobao's tone was just that of a scoundrel, but it just hit Jia Xu's soft spot.

Jia Xu thought to himself, "If things really develop to that point, not only will I fail to bribe Wei Xiaobao, but I'll also make the Grand Tutor lose face. I'm afraid I'll even lose my life to this brat."

(End of this chapter)