Chapter 41 Liquidation (Part 1)
Three days later, A Yuan, who had brought good news, quietly slipped back, which made Mu Lian's expression tense. In the past few days, to avoid any accidents, Mu Lian did not bathe, wash, or change clothes, and also tried to eat and drink as little as possible. She also deliberately smeared her face with mud and water, so that she looked no different from the other barbarian soldiers.
"You little brat, where have you been slacking off again? Why aren't you working properly?" Pretending to be fierce and reprimanding someone, Mu Lian grabbed A Yuan and quietly slipped behind the others.
"Let me go, let me go..." A-Yuan struggled desperately, taking the opportunity to stuff the wax ball containing the note into Mu Lian's hand.
Mu Lian pretended to kick A Yuan a few times, then pushed him away. A moment later, under the pretext of delivering something to Deputy General Liu, she arrived at A Lan's lodging.
The lewd sounds and whispers continued in the Pleasure Cave. The women, forced to accept their fate, no longer dared to resist and instead occasionally yielded to the sounds. Mu Lian sighed helplessly. Although she had a heart to help the world, she knew that she alone could not stir up this dark world. So she secretly asked Alan to instruct the women to wash themselves with the medicinal water more often.
This potion was secretly developed by the Inspectorate and always kept on female spies. Its purpose was to lower the opponent's guard should a seduction tactic be needed, and over time, it would not only diminish a man's virility but also weaken his fighting ability, without harming women. Mu Lian didn't bring much this time, so she dissolved the potion in water and had Alan distribute it to some women she knew, saying it would at least prevent some venereal diseases. The women in the Pleasure Cave were originally from respectable families, but now, having fallen into this situation, they were no different from military prostitutes. Yet, they still hoped to escape someday, so naturally, none of them wanted to contract that unlucky disease.
“Miss, Lord Liu has sent a message…” Mu Lian said in a rough voice as they arrived at Alan’s door.
After a moment, Alan's soft, lazy voice came from inside: "Come in..."
Upon entering, the two exchanged glances. Alan nodded and stood guard at the door. Mu Lian carefully peeled open a wax pill, soaked the paper strip in face powder, and then gently dried it over a candle flame. Soon, writing appeared on the paper—Ye Yiqing's reply. The writing was vigorous and unrestrained, quite in line with the style of a top scholar.
Mu Lian's heart stirred slightly. Her slender fingers, thickly coated with yellow powder, traced the words on the note, a fleeting smile playing on her lips. She took back the wax pill and examined it carefully, tearing off two thin films along the edge. Beneath the films, countless tiny pills were revealed, quietly embedded in the wax shell of the pill.
Taking the gold hairpin from Alan's hair, Mu Lian carefully picked out the tiny pills, finding nearly fifty or sixty in total. She solemnly handed the pills to Alan, lowering her voice, "I'll have to trouble Miss Alan to distribute them to others as well; the method of use is the same..."
Alan stared at the magical little pills, amazed and excited, nodding vigorously. It seemed this Miss Mu was no ordinary person; even her subordinates possessed such ingenuity—truly remarkable!
Two more days passed, and Mu Lian felt she was almost thoroughly seasoned, but she had also secretly figured out every nook and cranny of the dark cave. A couple of times she seemed to have aroused suspicion and almost had herself searched, but thankfully Liu Ruolin helped cover for her. In this way, Liu Ruolin was now essentially on Mu Lian's "pirate ship," and had no choice but to continue helping.
It was another day of rest in the Dark Cave. The cave was bustling with noise. Those who arrived early and were quick had already snuggled up with the girls, while those who arrived late could only grumble and grumble as they waited in line, each holding a wooden sign. However, with these signs and the soft moans of the girls inside, the group found it quite amusing to wait nearby. They could even have lewd and furtive discussions about who lasted longer and who lasted shorter, and no one seemed inclined to leave.
A-Yuan, blushing, stood guard not far from the entrance of Xiaoyao Cave, partly to prevent anyone from coming out, and partly to pick up his older sister as soon as possible. Mu Lian tried to dissuade him several times, but he wouldn't listen, so she had no choice but to let him be; after all, he was a clever child.
The Xiaoyao Cave attracted many soldiers, reducing the number of guards outside. Mu Lian quietly crept to the entrance, silently subdued the guards, and dragged them away. Meng Yuan, Ye Xun, and A Zhe, who had been waiting in the shadows, quickly changed into the guards' uniforms and followed behind Mu Lian. The group then quietly subdued several soldiers who were drinking and playing cards, and had the officers from the Judicial Office who arrived later disguise themselves as them. In this way, except for the guards around the few officials and inside the Xiaoyao Cave, the outside was filled with Mu Lian's people, and even the smelting workshop was controlled by the Imperial Guards under Deputy Commander Sun.
Mu Lian secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the operation seemed to be going quite smoothly. But time was of the essence, and there was no time to think further; the many women inside the Free and Unfettered Cave had to be rescued first. The group pretended to head towards the Free and Unfettered Cave, only to bump into a group of people who had already finished and come out.
Mu Lian frowned as she looked at the disheveled group of people in front of her, and gave Meng Yuan and A Zhe a wink. The group made way for her.
"Hey kid, what are you doing here? These brothers look a bit unfamiliar..." Just as the two groups of people passed each other, a soldier shook his head and grabbed Mu Lian, his eyes fixed on Meng Yuan and the others.
This soldier was a squad leader who was usually on duty during shift changes. He had seen many people and had the ability to recognize people. At this moment, he looked at Meng Yuan and the others with some doubt in his eyes.
In a flash, Mu Lian put on a deliberately ingratiating smile and said in a rough voice, "Hehe, brother, you're having a good time, but don't you want the brothers in other places to have some fun too?"
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up and don't stop us brothers from going in to have some fun..." Ah Zhe and the others immediately joined in, shouting loudly. Their tone and manner were exactly the same as the soldiers in the dark cave.
The soldier, relieved upon hearing this, chuckled a few times with winking expressions, and led his group of happier soldiers away. Mu Lian nodded approvingly to the crowd, signaling them to quietly follow.
"Lord Ye is very thoughtful. He specifically asked me to select a soldier with a Luoyang accent..." Meng Yuan whispered in Mu Lian's ear.
Mu Lian nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips, and led the others into the Free and Unfettered Cave. Through the curtain, the sounds of women weeping and men uttering lewd words drifted from inside, causing the group behind Mu Lian to pause, their expressions momentarily stunned, and their faces flushed.
Mu Lian touched her nose helplessly and said softly, "It's just a temporary measure; important matters come first..."
“…Yes,” A-Zhe and the others nodded in agreement. Coincidentally, the person who had dealt with the soldiers earlier had succeeded and only sent one person back to report the news.
Mu Lian glanced at the straw rope tied around the man's waist, nodded, and told A Yuan, who was hiding in the shadows, to change into it as well. Then she led the others to lift the pink curtain outside the gate of Xiaoyao Cave.
Inside, the lewd sounds grew louder, and the suffocating stench of perfume and sweat was overwhelming. The crowd rubbed the cotton balls hidden in their noses and quietly dispersed…
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