Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This saying didn’t quite capture Wei Caiwei’s view of Wang Daxia. In men’s clothing, he was acceptable; in women’s attire, absolutely not.
Truly unacceptable.
Wei Caiwei thought that while Wang Daxia in women’s clothing was beautiful, the beauty was overly gaudy—like a bowl of greasy braised pork belly that needed to be paired with plain rice and vegetables to be palatable. Eating a whole bowl of braised pork alone was impossible for her; it was just too rich.
Yet, men seemed to have no trouble devouring Wang Daxia, this intensely flavored, richly sauced "braised pork." At the mere sight of him, they drooled with desire. Different tastes for different folks.
A fine sword suits a hero; rough men favor braised pork. It’s not the pork’s fault.
Wei Caiwei remarked, "It’s like a turtle locking eyes with a mung bean—they’ve taken a fancy to each other. There’s nothing to be done about it."
Wang Daxia felt as if he had been thrown a lifeline. "Doctor Wei understands me best. Iron Bull secretly scratched my palm three times and squeezed it three times. I couldn’t very well cry out, so I responded with three smiles. Little did I expect him to be so direct—he took it as a sign of my affection and immediately appointed Lu Ying as the incense master, hoping to keep me close and have me for himself."
"I see this as an opportunity to infiltrate the enemy camp. Once the Qi Family Army eliminates the scattered Japanese Pirates outside, they’ll inevitably advance on Xinghua City. When that time comes, I’ll act as an insider, kill Iron Bull, and crush the pirates’ morale. Then, with coordination from both inside and out, we can wipe out the Japanese Pirates and the White Lotus Sect in one fell swoop."
Lu Ying said, "That may be so, but the risks are too high. Back at the Three Thoroughfares Inn in the capital, when we set up the honey trap for that foul Taoist, we had Commander Wu helping with the act and our brothers posing as customers to protect you. You could afford to be reckless then. But in Xinghua City, you’ll be entering the tiger’s den alone. If Iron Bull takes liberties with you and you slip up, it’ll be the end of you."
Lu Ying was not one to recklessly chase glory or sacrifice her subordinates as cannon fodder. Safety was always her top priority. If there was real danger, she would rather charge ahead herself.
Wang Daxia brushed it off unconcernedly. "Don’t worry, I know how to handle men. Besides, I won’t be alone—I’ll have Ding Wu with me. He’s quite formidable now, shrewd and resourceful. He’ll help me."
Wang Daxia thrust out his belly. "What’s more, I have the baby for protection. No matter how lustful Ming Wang is, he wouldn’t go so far as to... you know... with a pregnant woman."
Thanks to Wang Daxia’s ample bosom and curvaceous hips, and the loose, broad-cut crimson robe he wore today, he didn’t look particularly pregnant—at most, a little overstuffed.
Lu Ying and Wei Caiwei exchanged a glance: who would have thought that "being with child" could prove so useful? It was a fortunate coincidence.
Wei Caiwei went next door with a mournful expression to find Luo Longwen and told him about Ming Wang scratching Wang Daxia’s palm. "...It’s true. He said that to protect us, he couldn’t make a scene and had no choice but to respond with three smiles. He was forced into it—it’s not that he’s fickle or falls for everyone he sees."
Upon hearing this, Luo Longwen thought of Wang Cuiqiao, who was as pure and elegant as an orchid in a secluded valley, yet had been abducted by the pirate leader Xu Hai and forced to become his fortress wife.
Ah, yet another Cuiqiao, sacrificing herself to feed the tiger.
Luo Longwen asked, "What does her husband think?"
Wei Caiwei replied, "Boss Ximen’s facial wounds haven’t even had their stitches removed yet. He made me promise to keep it secret and not tell his husband."
Luo Longwen said, "So it seems she still has feelings for her husband."
"It’s guilt," Wei Caiwei explained. "Boss Ximen feels he owes him nothing. Our affair behind his back has already hurt him. He doesn’t want to disturb his recovery. Now, we can only hope that Ming Wang, seeing he’s pregnant, will refrain from touching him."Luo Longwen said, "The Japanese Pirates are brutal and lack any moral principles. Don't be too naive."
"What should we do then?" Wei Caiwei asked with a worried expression. "I'm too weak to fight over ten thousand Japanese Pirates."
In the past, Luo Longwen wouldn't have taken ten thousand Japanese Pirates seriously - he had even captured notorious pirate leaders like Xu Hai. But now the era of great pirates had passed, with pirates scattering into smaller groups. Like a tiger fallen on hard times being bullied by dogs, he could hardly protect himself, let alone help a pair of lovers.
Luo Longwen sighed, "I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore." Fate was so similar - beautiful women always ended up being taken by pirates.
Wei Caiwei sighed along with him, genuinely feeling: Such a beauty, yet born as a man.
However, Wei Caiwei still had a solution. She prepared medicine and personally taught Wang Daxia how to handle the situation.
Early the next morning, members of the White Lotus Sect came knocking at the door. Lu Ying, with her centipede-scarred right cheek, opened the door. "We joined the White Lotus Sect yesterday. There's yellow paper posted at the entrance, and I was personally appointed as incense master by Ming Wang. Why are you harassing us so early in the morning? Isn't it 'join the sect to avoid disaster'?"
The sect members were startled by Lu Ying's scarred face and said, "Ming Wang has ordered fellow believer Madam Ximen to help handle sect affairs." Members of the White Lotus Sect of equal rank called each other "fellow believers."
It was finally happening. Lu Ying blocked the doorway and said, "My wife is feeling tired and hasn't gotten up yet. I'm afraid she'll have to come later."
The sect members replied, "That's fine. Ming Wang has sent a carriage to pick up Madam Ximen. It will arrive soon."
Lu Ying invited the sect members inside. "Please have a seat, fellow believers. I'll go wake her up."
Wang Daxia deliberately took his time, spending nearly half an hour to finish dressing. Today he wore peach-red robes and pinned two freshly bloomed crabapple flowers in his hair bun, making him look even more charming.
Before leaving, Wang Daxia reminded Lu Ying, "Husband, rest well at home and don't let your wound get wet. I'll be back soon."
When Wang Daxia arrived at the White Lotus Sect headquarters, which was the former county government office, Ding Wu as the strategist and Wei Caiwei as the military doctor had both arrived early. Seeing Wang Daxia swaying his slender waist seductively as he entered the courtyard, they both worried for him - he was being too flirtatious, and Ming Wang might not be able to resist.
Sure enough, as soon as Wang Daxia entered the county magistrate's Duty Room, Ming Wang slammed the door shut with a bang and bolted it!
When Ming Wang tried to embrace Wang Daxia, Wang Daxia kept circling around a round table, playing a lively game of chase.
Ming Wang rubbed his hands impatiently. "Beauty, I wanted you to come find me at midnight yesterday. Why didn't you come?"
"Ah?" Wang Daxia was stunned. "When did Ming Wang say you wanted this humble one to meet you privately at midnight?"
Ming Wang explained, "When I scratched your palm three times and touched your hand three times, that meant we should meet at midnight. In the past, when the Fifth Patriarch passed Buddhism to Master Huineng, he struck Master Huineng's stone mortar three times, meaning he wanted Master Huineng to come to his room at midnight. In 'Journey to the West,' when Patriarch Subodhi taught Sun Wukong his skills, he also knocked Sun Wukong's head three times, wanting him to come learn at midnight. How could you not understand my meaning?"Wang Daxia truly hadn't considered this angle—this Iron Bull actually had so many twists and turns in his thoughts. He said, "Even if I understood, meeting at midnight wouldn't work. After all, I have my husband sleeping by my pillow, and a bunch of bodyguards living downstairs. It's inconvenient to go out at night."
Ming Wang waved his hand grandly, "That's no problem. With just one command from me, they could all disappear today, and they wouldn't disturb us."
Wang Daxia's heart tightened, but he smiled and said, "A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a secret affair. I, your humble servant, and Ming Wang have met by chance—a fleeting romance. What we want is the thrill of an affair. Without a husband, where's the fun? Ming Wang, please don't say such frightening things anymore. I won't stand for it."
Seeing the beauty's coquettishness, Ming Wang said, "Fine, I'll do as you say. Come here, let me kiss you."
Wang Daxia flicked his handkerchief, "Ming Wang must swear an oath."
Ming Wang raised his hand to the sky and swore not to harm Lu Ying, then reached out to embrace and kiss him.
Seeing that it was about time, Wang Daxia clutched his forehead and sat on a stool, "Oh dear."
Ming Wang hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, my beauty?"
Wang Daxia twisted his handkerchief, "I left in such a hurry this morning that I haven't had breakfast yet. I feel dizzy."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? I have plenty of food here." Ming Wang opened the door and ordered someone to bring pastries and fine wine, hoping to get the beauty drunk and accomplish his goal sooner.
And so, Ming Wang watched as Wang Daxia ate a bowl of wonton noodles, a plate of osmanthus rice cakes, a bowl of red bean tangyuan, glutinous rice balls... My goodness, this beauty eats more than I do.
While Wang Daxia was drinking, Ming Wang tried to steal a kiss again. Wang Daxia placed a wine cup imprinted with his bright red lipstick against Ming Wang's lips, "Come, first drink three cups from me."
Ming Wang pressed his lips against the bright red imprint and drank three cups in a row. His steps began to waver—perhaps because he had waited for the beauty late into the night without sleep, he seemed less able to hold his liquor today, feeling dizzy after just three cups.
After three cups, the lipstick marks were all over Ming Wang's lips. Wang Daxia covered his mouth with a handkerchief, laughing so hard that the begonia flowers in his hair trembled wildly, scattering pink petals onto his shoulders.
Ming Wang suddenly felt as if he were dazzled by a riot of flowers—his legs grew weak, and his vision blurred.
Ming Wang lunged toward the beauty, but the beauty reacted as nimbly as a monkey, dodging his embrace. Instead, he lifted his long leg and placed his foot on the wine table. Beneath the pink skirt was a stretch of pale, straight calf, as slender as chopsticks!
The beauty wasn't wearing pants today! Like a delicate willow waiting to be plucked, he stirred a spring-like warmth in Ming Wang's heart.
What a treasure I've found. Ming Wang lunged toward the long leg, wanting to take a bite.
But Wang Daxia pulled his leg back, executing a graceful spin and, in the process, slipping off his bright red embroidered shoe. He poured all the wine from the jar into the shoe, "If Ming Wang can drink another shoe from me, you can do whatever you want with me. I won't say a word."
Ming Wang looked at the bright red shoe, shaped like a boat, and thought, "The beauty's foot seems bigger than mine?"
Wang Daxia pouted his bright red lips, "If you don't drink, it means you despise me. I'm leaving."
"Drink, I'll drink." Ming Wang held the bright red embroidered shoe and drank it all in one go.
The wine contained medicine prepared by Wei Caiwei. After drinking it, Ming Wang collapsed onto Wang Daxia and immediately blacked out. His last clear memory was burying his head in the beauty's mountainous bosom—warm, soft, and fragrant.Wang Daxia effortlessly hoisted Ming Wang onto his shoulder, carried him into the bedroom, and laid him on the bed. Using brute force, he tore off Ming Wang's clothes and did the same to his own. He then scattered the torn garments and shoes along the path from the wine table in the parlor to the bed, creating a scene of wild revelry to fabricate evidence of a drunken tryst.
But that wasn't enough. Staring at the naked Ming Wang, Wang Daxia recalled Wei Caiwei's instructions from the previous night. He reached out and scratched several bloody marks across Ming Wang's chest, particularly on his back.
Wei Caiwei had also suggested biting several rows of teeth marks into Ming Wang's shoulders.
However, as Wang Daxia gazed at Ming Wang's burly shoulders, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Scratching the body was already the limit of what he could manage.
Just the thought of claw marks made Wang Daxia's imagination run wild—if it were bite marks, then...
Wei Caiwei was clearly unmarried, so how did she seem to know so much about such matters?
He didn't dare ask. Ah.
Author's note: Banxia: Don't ask. If you do, the answer is they've slept together.
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