‘Damn it, old man, could you stop staring at my face? It’s making me really want to punch you!’
Liu Yao’s face twitched slightly under her reed hat, and she ground her teeth in frustration.
To understand why the girl was here, we have to go back a quarter of an hour, to when Liu Yao was fiddling with her disguise in the corner.
Time: Fifteen minutes earlier.
The girl was quietly worrying about how to follow them without exposing her identity when she suddenly slapped her thigh, eyes lighting up.
“Got it!”
With that, she reached into her pocket, rummaged around, and yanked out a strip of cloth.
Hehe…
‘If I can’t show my current female appearance, why not just disguise myself as a man?’
‘This cloth I always carry is finally coming in handy!’
Thinking this, Liu Yao shrank into the shadow of an alley corner and quickly wrapped the cloth around herself.
“This should be fine now…”
She looked down doubtfully, then pressed a hand to her chest.
The slight curves were now tightly bound by the cloth. From the outside, no one could tell a thing.
“Mmph… why does this feel so weird?”
Liu Yao clutched her chest, face slightly flushed.
The cloth was wrapped too tight, making her chest feel stuffy. Maybe she’d pressed something the wrong way—she felt an odd sensation she’d never experienced as a man.
‘…My chest feels tight. What if I loosen it a bit?’
She looked down again, tried loosening the cloth. The tightness eased, but the outline of her chest became faintly visible.
“No, no. If someone spots it, I’ll be in trouble.” She gritted her teeth and tightened the cloth again. “Tight is fine. Better than being exposed.”
After muttering that, she fussed some more.
She tucked her hair neatly into the hat, made sure there were no flaws, then lowered her voice and tried speaking.
“Ahem… Uncle Wang, this humble one greets you.”
It sounded convincing enough. Probably no one would recognize her.
At this moment, Liu Yao’s long hair was gathered up and hidden beneath the reed hat.
Her once-prominent figure was now flat and even. Her features were still the same, but with this outfit, she really looked like a handsome young boy.
“Forget it. This is fine!”
Liu Yao took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and stepped out of the alley corner.
“Mommy, wasn’t that a big sister who went in just now? Why is a big brother coming out?”
On the street, a kid with snot dripping from his nose pointed at Liu Yao and asked his mother curiously.
“Shh! Don’t point! Maybe that big brother has some strange hobby. Be good, we don’t play with weird big brothers!”
Liu Yao, with her sharp ears, caught every word of their conversation. She paused mid-step, and the corner of her mouth under the hat twitched.
‘Weird big brother… fine, at least it means my disguise is working.’
‘Little brat, I hope you marry a weird big brother too!’
The girl grumbled inwardly, then quickened her pace toward Dawn Spring Courtyard.
Although the disguise had cost her some time, Liu Yao managed to find the courtyard by following the direction the two had taken and the lingering fragrance the woman had left on the street.
“Cough, cough! Damn! This place reeks exactly like that woman’s perfume. It’s suffocating!”
Before she even reached Dawn Spring Courtyard’s entrance, Liu Yao caught the thick scent of powder and perfume wafting through the street.
She fanned the air in front of her nose, trying to dispel the strong smell.
“Oh my! This young master looks unfamiliar. Is it your first time here?”
“Young master~ If it’s your first time, choose me! Let me pop your cherry, how about it?”
“You little bitch! Don’t you dare steal from me!”
“Bitch yourself! I haven’t had a customer in ages. What’s wrong with taking one!?”
The moment Liu Yao reached the front door of Dawn Spring Courtyard, two young courtesans rushed over, trapping her between them.
But after just a few teasing words, the two started arguing over who would get the customer.
The originally flustered girl used this chance to slip away while they were distracted, running to a corner.
Pant. Pant. Pant.
‘So this is what a brothel is like. Those girls really do eat people alive!’
‘I believe you now, Grand Elder. A place like this really isn’t for someone like me!’
‘Good thing I never came here before…’
Liu Yao patted her chest to calm her racing heart, but her tightly bound breasts still felt stuffy.
“Ugh… is binding this tight going to affect my development?” she murmured, touching her chest.
But soon, she blushed and shook her head.
‘What am I thinking!’
‘I’m a man! An upright, towering man!’
‘What do I care about development!?’
Liu Yao took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks to compose herself, straightened her clothes again, and continued searching for Wang Chengle.
Dawn Spring Courtyard was neither too big nor too small. After circling a few corridors and passing several men and women flirting, Liu Yao finally spotted the familiar figure in a quiet corner.
Wang Chengle was standing with his back to her, as if waiting for someone.
Liu Yao crept closer and hid behind a pillar, perking up her ears.
Just as she got into position, two figures emerged from the shadows.
One fat, one thin, both with hostile expressions. Swords hung conspicuously at their waists.
Liu Yao’s pupils contracted.
‘In broad daylight, they’re attacking someone on the street?’
‘No—this is the back courtyard of Dawn Spring Courtyard. Not exactly a street, but still too blatant!’
The two men first seemed amused by Wang Chengle’s arrogant demeanor. Then, without warning, they pressed a blade to his neck.
Wang Chengle instantly cowered, his legs going weak. He hadn’t even finished begging for mercy.
Watching this, Liu Yao’s brow furrowed tightly.
‘Save him? Or not?’
‘If I save him, this old lecher dies, and my investigation hits a dead end.’
‘But if I don’t… I can’t just watch someone get cut down. I’m not that kind of person.’
The two assassins raised their swords—
‘No time to think!’
Liu Yao pushed off the ground and shot out from behind the pillar.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull thuds. Both swords went flying.
She closed the distance in a few strides, lashed out with two kicks. The fat and thin men flew backward, crashing to the ground with screams.
Wang Chengle stood frozen, staring at the “young man” in a white shirt and reed hat, hands clasped behind his back, looking cool and carefree. He couldn’t snap out of it for a long time.
Liu Yao turned, the corner of her mouth curling beneath the hat. She lowered her voice:
“When I see injustice on the road, I draw my sword to help. Uncle Wang, are you all right?”
At that moment, Liu Yao stood there like a demon-quelling deity descending from heaven.