Chapter 20: Mr. Cao's Supreme Performance

Faced with life and death, Diaochan's color drained away.

She was about to beg for mercy when suddenly a familiar voice sounded from outside the carriage.

“Second brother, why are you blocking the door in person? Have you completed the other tasks?”

“Don’t worry, big brother, everything is ready, except... except...”

“Except what?”

Shi A replied awkwardly, “Lord Cao may have misunderstood me. Big brother, it’s best if you explain in person.”

Diaochan quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.

It was him!

Why was he holding her adopted father's Seven-Star Blade?

Could it be...

Diaochan dared not think further. Somehow, she summoned the courage to lift the curtain and leap out.

“Stop!”

Chen Cong turned back.

The woman stood there in flowing white, her face veiled, only a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes visible.

Chen Cong could more or less guess her identity.

But that was all.

Diaochan, after all.

Only those with leisure can indulge in lust; with the fire at one’s back, even if a fairy descended from heaven before him, Chen Cong would feel nothing.

He looked away and strode forward.

“Stop!” Diaochan spread her arms, blocking his path. In a clear, commanding voice, she demanded, “Why do you have my adopted father’s Seven-Star Blade? What have you done to him?”

So, if he ignores you, you force yourself on him?

Chen Cong said nothing. He stepped forward, his sword still sheathed, and with a lightning-quick tap to the back of her head, the beautiful woman collapsed softly to the ground.

Fortunately, the chest was large enough; tossing in two women wouldn’t make it crowded.

Shi A looked up at the sky, not daring to make a sound.

Big brother was indeed big brother—his skills far exceeded a mere wandering swordsman’s. It was almost absurd.

After clearing the scene, Shi A returned to his hiding spot, intercepting any carriage that tried to approach Shangdong Gate.

After all, only a handful of nobles qualified to live inside Shangdong Gate, so the workload wasn’t too great.

Chen Cong, meanwhile, hefted the chest and entered the Heroes’ Tower.

No sooner had he reached the third floor than he heard his would-be father-in-law cursing loudly.

“Treachery! Unparalleled shamelessness! I, Cao, have been loyal to the Grand Tutor—heaven and earth, sun and moon can attest! If you know what’s wise, release me at once! Otherwise, when the Grand Tutor’s army arrives, it will be your doom!”

Chen Cong was speechless.

When it came to cunning, it had to be Cao the “Wily.”

Could Cao Cao really not know the truth about Heroes’ Tower? Impossible—the whole plan was his idea.

If not for their lengthy acquaintance and many toasts of friendship, Chen Cong might not have understood what Cao Cao was ranting about.

The logic was simple.

Before they had a chance to communicate, Cao Cao would have no way of knowing how Chen Cong’s mission was progressing.

That left two possibilities.

First, Chen Cong succeeded, and Shi A had already defected. In that case, no matter how much Cao Cao cursed, there was no real danger.

Second, Chen Cong failed, the plot was exposed, and Shi A used Cao Cao as a pretext to seek rewards from Dong Zhuo. In this scenario, as long as Cao Cao never admitted anything, even if it reached Dong Zhuo, there was still room for denial.

Slim chance, but Cao Cao would never risk his life on probability.

A bit of bluster could erase most risks; that was the real reason behind his tirade—not, as Shi A claimed, some “misunderstanding.”

“Father-in-law, it’s me.”

Cao Cao’s face lit up with delight. Despite being tied up like a dumpling, he remained calm and composed. “Zining, is everything taken care of?”

Chen Cong nodded, then shook his head.

While untying Cao Cao, he recounted the entire affair from start to finish.

Cao Cao, far from alarmed, clapped his hands and laughed. “Excellent! Tonight is our chance. Zining, come with me to meet the traitor Dong.”

“Traitor Dong? That’s not what you just said, Father-in-law. Weren’t you just swearing loyalty to Fat Dong, with heaven and earth, sun and moon as witnesses?”

“You impudent boy, daring to jest with your elder?”

Chen Cong managed a strained smile before his brow furrowed again.

“Father-in-law, assassinating Dong is one thing. Mother-in-law and Rong’er’s carriage just departed yesterday. If we act tonight, Dong Zhuo might take out his anger on them. You and I could escape, but our family’s procession is a large target. If Dong Zhuo pursues them, isn’t it a dead end?”

Cao Cao replied, “Don’t worry, Zining. I’ve already instructed Han Sheng: once past Chenggao, switch to the waterways and travel down the Ji River. They should reach Chenliu within a day. Even if Dong Zhuo wishes, he won’t be able to catch up.”

So long as he couldn’t catch up, that was enough.

As for the route, Chen Cong could only listen. Where was Chenggao, where was the Ji River, where was Chenliu? He hadn’t the faintest idea.

“By the way, Zining, you said Dong Bai fainted?”

Chen Cong nodded.

Cao Cao clicked his tongue, lamenting the missed opportunity, but didn’t dwell on it.

“In that case, wake her up. I need her to inform Dong Zhuo of our plot.”

“Wake... her up?” Chen Cong was taken aback. “Can’t a pinch to the philtrum suffice? Must we be so… drastic?”

“What are you imagining?” Cao Cao smacked the back of his head. “Time is short, hurry!”

“Oh.”

Chen Cong opened the chest, first fetching a rope to tie Diaochan securely and set her aside. His technique made Cao Cao exclaim at his expertise.

Then he picked up Dong Bai and vigorously pinched her philtrum.

A soft murmur; as the beauty stirred, Cao Cao rushed forward and slammed the lid shut again, winking at Chen Cong.

“Zining, as your father-in-law… I, Cao Cao, intend to slay Dong Zhuo, the dog traitor, with my own sword. When the time comes, use the person in the chest as bait to draw away the pursuers.”

“Very well.”

In the darkness, Dong Bai’s face turned deathly pale. She clamped her hands over her mouth, not daring to utter a sound.

No wonder he was so bold, daring to abduct her in broad daylight—it was all to assassinate her grandfather!

Outside the chest, Cao Cao, worried Dong Bai hadn’t heard, deliberately tapped the chest and repeated himself.

“Don’t try to dissuade me, Zining. Dong Zhuo is a traitor to the nation! I, Cao Cao, Colonel of Cavalry, swear to slay him and rid the empire of this scourge.”

Chen Cong was speechless—he hadn’t tried to dissuade him at all.

If the Oscars had existed back then, Mr. Cao would surely have felt robbed not to be nominated.

“Very well.”

The chest was opened again.

Pitiful Dong Bai, forcing herself to feign unconsciousness despite her terror, convinced she had given nothing away. Yet she still suffered another chop to the neck and lost consciousness again.

...

...

The moon hung full on the branches, lights still blazing at the Grand Tutor’s mansion.

Outside the gate.

“So it’s you on guard tonight, Zhiren?”

Li Jue saw who had come and greeted him with a perfunctory bow. “Mengde, what brings you here?”

Cao Cao swaggered forward, producing the Seven-Star Sword from his robe and displaying it before Li Jue. “I chanced upon this treasured sword and came to present it to the Grand Tutor.”

Li Jue pointed at the chest on Chen Cong’s shoulder. “What’s in there?”

Without a word, Cao Cao lifted a corner of the lid, revealing the faint outline of a delicate figure.

Before Li Jue could investigate further, Cao Cao closed the lid and smiled warmly at him.

“Zhiren, forgive my presumption.”

Li Jue cursed him silently—sycophantic knave—then turned and entered the mansion.

A rouge horse—worth more than gold.

The horse wept, the beauty smiled.

Lu Bu stood below the hall, watching his adoptive father embrace a fine steed with one arm and a prized horse with the other, suddenly feeling that his own Red Hare was nothing special.

“Fengxian, my boy, it’s late—go home and rest.”

Lu Bu gripped his halberd tighter and lifted his head stubbornly. “I’ll stand guard by your side, Father. I’m not tired.”

Dong Zhuo was momentarily surprised, then delighted.

“Hahaha! Good! With Fengxian at my side, I can sleep easy.”

Lu Bu waited and waited, but nothing more was said.

Back when he worked as register under Ding Yuan, life was tough, but at least there were occasional beauties as reward.

Now under Dong Zhuo, treasures flowed in, but never a beauty in sight.

Strange indeed.

“Report! Chancellor, Cao Cao seeks an audience, bearing—”

Li Jue glanced at Lu Bu, then approached Dong Zhuo and whispered in his ear.

Dong Zhuo sat up straight, eyes shining. “Quickly, invite him in!”

Lu Bu grew even more suspicious.

His adoptive father seemed unusually close to Cao Cao.

To seek an audience at such a late hour was a breach of etiquette, yet Dong Zhuo showed no displeasure, greeting him with open arms—what could this mean?