Chapter Seventy-Four: The Master of Disguise

Upon entering Yangzhou, Zhaoyu dismissed the seventeen warriors who were originally supposed to storm the imperial palace with her, instructing them to return to the organization and report. Thus, the party of twenty-two shrank to just five.

Xiao Xinzhu seemed fine; although she was shy about Ming Tian seeing her naked, she and Ming Tian were mutually in love, so she didn’t react too strongly.

Zhaoyu, on the other hand, was a different story.

Originally, she had been grateful to Ming Tian for avenging her father’s death. But being seen while bathing was a matter of chastity for a girl, especially in this era—it was a grave issue. Ever since Ming Tian had woken up, she’d been pouting, cheeks puffed out in silent anger, refusing to say a word.

Ming Tian, however, had no time to worry about her. He had more pressing concerns—his stomach...

“How disgusting—ah, I can’t even feel my stomach anymore.” Ming Tian walked the streets of Yangzhou with no interest in the surrounding beauty.

“Ming Tian, are you all right? I—”

“Don’t touch me. I’m warning you, don’t touch me!” Not giving An Luo any chance to show concern, Ming Tian hurriedly ducked behind Xiao Xinzhu, finding her silver armor particularly reassuring.

Ming Tian now had a psychological shadow when it came to An Luo. Even though they were buddies, after the bathing incident, Ming Tian realized the person he feared most in this world was An Luo! Whenever he was around, strange and ambiguous things seemed to happen. No, he’d have to find a chance to get rid of him, or else he was sure to “bend” eventually.

Of course, Ming Tian was just daydreaming—he’d never actually harm his friend. He was just scared of him now.

One had to admit, Yangzhou had its own unique charm.

On the bustling streets, everyone wore a relaxed, carefree expression, making it hard to believe this was the twilight of the Southern Qi.

There had been countless poems extolling the culture and beauty of Yangzhou since ancient times, but after so many years in the workforce, Ming Tian’s literary knowledge had long since been returned to his teachers. The only poem about Yangzhou he could recall was by Du Mu, written centuries later.

Green hills faint, distant waters winding,
Autumn ends, yet southern grasses thrive.
Twenty-four bridges, the moonlit night—
Where is she, teaching the jade flute?

Yes, if not for the last line, Ming Tian would never have remembered it so well. Playing the flute? Which man doesn’t like a woman skilled at playing the flute? Right?

As he recalled the poem, Ming Tian raised his brows, his mind wandering to some strange thoughts.

“My lord,” Xiao Xinzhu, standing protectively in front of him, spoke up, “your clothes are rather dirty and tattered. Shall I buy you something new?”

Ming Tian was taken aback and looked down at himself.

Indeed, what he wore could barely be called clothing—more like dried pickled vegetables, really. The outfit had been a gift from Prefect Yu Baoqing of Douhu State; it had been splendid at first, but after so much hardship, it was now a sorry sight.

Ming Tian sighed, not even bothering to complain. In ancient times, it seemed, good-looking clothes weren’t durable, and durable clothes were never good-looking. Still, having a woman pay for him felt...

He patted his pocket and realized he’d left all his travel money in the imperial palace—he had nothing on him.

“Indeed, Ming Tian, you should care a bit about your appearance. I still have to introduce you to our leader later,” Zhaoyu suddenly chimed in, grinning mischievously like a child.

Wait a minute, weren’t you just sulking? When did you get so friendly all of a sudden? And, you talk about appearances? I’ve seen you naked—your image is ruined in my eyes! Shouldn’t you at least be shy? Aren’t you from ancient times? What happened to your chastity? In all those historical dramas, when a man sees a woman bathing, she cries and insists on marrying him. Hey! Say it already! Say you’re going to marry me!

Zhaoyu, for all her leadership skills, turned out to be just a lively girl at heart. Her unusual behavior made Ming Tian swallow nervously.

“All right then, I'll trouble you, Your Highness.” Scratching the back of his head, Ming Tian, who was unused to being treated by women, had no choice but to accept.

At that moment, Zhaoyu exchanged a sly grin with Xiao Xinzhu, who, though her expression was hidden by her armor, nodded in agreement.

Wait—what’s going on? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

...

Perhaps I shouldn’t be a marquis consort anymore. No, perhaps I shouldn’t even be human. Isn’t this ancient times? Aren’t all clothes custom made by tailors? Why are there ready-made clothes for sale in a shop? And why are they immediately available?

But none of that mattered.

“Pfft... Hahaha...” Zhaoyu couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Even the armored Xiao Xinzhu trembled, trying to stifle her giggles.

Yin Chan covered her mouth, unable to contain herself, and ran out to laugh, leaving only An Luo staring at Ming Tian in stunned silence, swallowing nervously as if he’d just seen his first love.

With long, flowing hair and silken robes, Ming Tian felt utterly out of place in his new attire.

What the—why am I wearing women’s clothes?! And not just any, but the most exquisite gowns of this era! The material, the craftsmanship—honestly, they rivaled anything modern.

And An Luo, why are you blushing at me? Do people in ancient times play tricks like this too?

“It suits you! It really suits you!” Zhaoyu clung to Xiao Xinzhu’s shoulder, laughing so hard she could barely stand.

Ah, I see. You two are still holding a grudge over me seeing you bathe and want to mess with me... But did you have to force me into women’s clothes?! Was cross-dressing really popular back then?

Besides, it’s not like I saw you on purpose! And even if I did, so what? What’s wrong with a man being a little lustful? That’s justice! Perverts are justice—haven’t you heard that saying?!

Wait... Now that I think about it, cross-dressing is pretty perverse... Is that what makes it justice?

“Ming... Ming Tian...” An Luo came over, looking embarrassed.

Ming Tian’s eyes narrowed to slits. His future bride was messing with him, but he couldn’t retaliate, so he could only vent his frustration on An Luo.

“What do you want? I warn you, if you come any closer, I’ll kick you where it hurts.”

“No, it’s just... Miss Zhaoyu told me to give you these once you’d changed.”

As he spoke, An Luo held out two steamed buns.

“Pfft—hahahaha!” Even the gentle, reserved Xiao Xinzhu couldn’t help bursting out laughing.

An Luo, are you really clueless, or are you in on this prank? Ah, I can’t take it anymore. I don’t want to complain any further.

Forget it. I saw them bathing, so I’ll take my punishment. I deserve it.

And yet...

Though he felt bitter inside, seeing Xiao Xinzhu laugh made Ming Tian’s heart a little lighter.

At least, if he could make the woman he loved smile, it was worth any embarrassment.

“Give them here.” Taking the buns, Ming Tian tucked them into his chest, wiped a tear from his eye, and headed for the door.

The shopkeeper, having assumed the clothes were for the women, gaped as Ming Tian—a grown man in women’s attire—strode out.

Walking down the street, feeling the gazes of those around him, Ming Tian realized that, oddly, no one seemed to look at him strangely. It was as if, in their eyes, he really was a woman.

He slapped his face in despair.

I forgot—I’m a transmigrator, and in this life, ridiculously good-looking... Maybe I really was made for women’s clothes. If this keeps up, I’m going to develop a complex.

Come to think of it, this counts as a feat, doesn’t it?

The first great cross-dressing “hero” of the Southern and Northern Dynasties!

Heavens! Suddenly, I want to achieve greatness! Please, just take me away!

Meanwhile, Ming Tian, on the verge of tears, had no idea that, not far away, a man and a woman had been watching him from a rooftop since the moment he entered the city.

“That’s him, right?” the man asked.

The woman glanced down at the parchment portrait. “That’s him—Ming Tian, first on Lord Cui Jue’s most wanted list.”

“Why is he in women’s clothes?” the man asked, baffled.

“No idea. Maybe he’s trying to avoid attention. After all, he’s the one who managed to blind Lord Cui Jue in one eye—and they say he killed Liu Jian, too. We can’t underestimate him.”

“Liu Jian? The second strongest at headquarters?”

“That’s right. Rumor has it, Ming Tian even defecated on his corpse’s face. He clearly doesn’t take us, the Chaos Reavers, seriously.” The woman’s face flashed with anger.

“Still, to me, he just looks like a pervert.”

“Pervert or expert, it doesn’t matter. Keep following him. If we can kill him tonight, we’ll be the leaders of Yangzhou’s third branch!”

...

After four chapters of pure comedic banter, I feel it’s not working—I still haven't found the perfect balance between proper plot and humor. Too much banter weakens the storyline. I’ll keep adjusting to achieve the perfect mix, and I hope all you loyal readers can give me more suggestions. Thank you!