Chapter 243
Book 22 Chapter 2 - Going Along With The Plan
Xiang Shaolong was taken aback, "Why do you say it’s a trap?"
Xiao Yuetan surmised, "Few individuals are my match when it comes to plotting and trickery. When you told me how you managed to rise to your current position, I already smell a rat and paid extra attention to everyone and everything around me. Not only does Zhang Quan hates you to the core, Dong Shuzen and the courtesans close to her can’t wait to see the last of you. Given such circ.u.mstances, Zhu Xiuzhen’s invitation can only be a trap."
Xiang Shaolong sobered up and cursed his own inattentiveness. He nodded, "I suppose when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Fortunately, I had no intention of going anyway."
Xiao Yuetan was baffled, "Since when did our great Xiang Shaolong become so easy going? As the saying goes - It is hard to fight external battles when the internal battles are not won yet. If we do not use this opportunity to diminish our enemies’ influence, the schemes coming from these women coupled with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d will catch you off guard one day. Moreover, you have promised Feng Fei to a.s.sist her in resisting the men l.u.s.ting over her. If you do not counter attack them with some trickery, how are you going to prove yourself to her?"
Xiang Shaolong was awkward, "I am not used to scheming against women and I always have a soft spot for them. In addition, I have no clue how I can counter this beauty trap."
Xiao Yuetan beat his own chest with confidence, "Firstly, let me a.n.a.lyze the entire scenario. From my conversation with Yun Niang last night, I found out that Dong Shuzen and Zhang Quan are sleeping partners; and the same goes for Sa Li and Zhu Xiuzhen. They are not genuine lovers but just trading s.e.x for power and vice versa. Now that Sa Li has been dismissed and Zhang Quan demoted, you have indirectly antagonize both Dong Shuzen and Zhu Xiuzhen. You are in a perilous state right now."
Hugging his blanket, Xiang Shaolong concluded, "This is Feng Fei making use of me to restructure the Song & Dance Troupe. Otherwise, why should she trust a complete stranger like me?"
Xiao Yuetan agreed, "Feng Fei is a scheming beauty and is even more cunning than a fox. You have become one of her chess pieces. I can sense that she dare not offend Dong Shuzen, otherwise even Zhang Quan will be dismissed along with Sa Li. Ha! What kind of trap is Zhu Xiuzhen laying for you? I don’t think she has the courage to kill you. It is most likely she will malign you for entering her bedroom with an ulterior motive, pressuring Feng Fei to sack you from the troupe."
Xiang Shaolong was overjoyed, "That sounds like a good deal to me. If I can leave the troupe, you can then engage me as a driver or a manservant. By then, no one will be able to identify me!"
Xiao Yuetan exhaled, "Going over to my side is even more dangerous. Many of my s.h.i.+pmates have seen your WANTED portrait and someone may recognize you after spending more time with you. That is why I tricked Gongsun Heji and the others back to my s.h.i.+p. Only when I have completed your disguise can you interact more freely with them."
Xiang Shaolong wondered, "What should we do now?"
Xiao Yuetan shook his head, smiling, "Zhu Xiuzhen is only adept at using her body to trap men. Shaolong, are you interested to try out this woman? I guarantee that it will be a memorable session and you will not be disappointed."
Xiang Shaolong’s excitement is beginning to stir but he quickly suppressed it. He rejected, "I am not used to making love to a woman who has no feelings for me, nor do I want to overpower her in such a manner. If Feng Fei knows about our relations.h.i.+p, she will have a bad impression of me. So this is undoable."
Xiao Yuetan concurred, "I forgot that you are a true gentleman. Since this is the case, let’s give her a scare and teach this wanton woman a good lesson."
He continued detailing his plan in soft whispers.
As the river wind blows through the air, Xiang Shaolong snaked out of his cabin through the cabin window. Using his climbing equipment, he hooked up the higher decks and stepped on horizontal planks protruding from the s.h.i.+p’s body. Like a lizard, he s.h.i.+mmied towards Zhu Xiuzhen’s bedroom.
Luckily, the layer of ice formed on the s.h.i.+p’s external wall has melted away due to the rise in temperature. Otherwise, it will be a precarious climb even with the hooks and ropes.
There is complete silence on the s.h.i.+p and the sh.o.r.e is equally noiseless. Under such hostile weather, everyone will want to snuggle in their warm bed and blankets.
Every time he pa.s.ses through a cabin window, he has to stoop down.
He has to travel past ten odd cabins and only a few of the cabins are still illuminated with a faint candlelight. Zhu Xiuzhen’s cabin is obviously not one of them.
The three rooms nearest to the s.h.i.+p’s front belong to Feng Fei, Dong Shuzen and Zhu Xiuzhen, the three most influential courtesans. Yun Niang’s room is on the opposing side.
As Xiang Shaolong’s room is nearer to the s.h.i.+p’s tail, he has to climb a long distance, through several sections of the s.h.i.+p before he can arrive at Zhu Xiuzhen’s window.
It is a different world being inside the cabin and outside the s.h.i.+p. Besides the difference in temperature, it also evokes a different kind of feeling.
Xiang Shaolong was humoured.
He resembles a hero from Wuxia (sword-fighting) novels who can scale walls and jump from roof to roof. The only disparity is that he is not fighting for justice but simply trying to preserve his existence.
Xiao Yuetan’s a.s.sessment of Feng Fei has made him more wary of this beauty.
As the saying goes - Never trust anyone. He is too gullible and even more so in front of good-looking women. His mind has subconsciously given him the impression that these women are equally beautiful on the inside. A woman’s heart is hard to fathom. Right now, Zhu Xiuzhen is a living example.
Xiang Shaolong retrieved his grappling hooks and shot them out again, further and higher. Using the momentum, he repeated this step a few times and finally landed outside Zhu Xiuzhen’s window.
The room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
He was about to draw out his dagger and pry open the window when he heard intermittent sounds of moaning coming from Dong Shuzen’s window up ahead.
Xiang Shaolong was stunned and curious at the same time. He couldn’t help but inched forward to her window and place his ear again the wall.
Who could be in Dong Shuzen’s room?
He was in a state of shock after hearing what followed.
It turns out that the two person making love in the room are both women and he could hear them screaming in ecstasy as they reached their o.r.g.a.s.m.
It appears that Dong Shuzen is bis.e.xual.
He was about to leave when Dong Shuzen praised in a hoa.r.s.e voice, "Xiuzhen is really good."
Xiang Shaolong was astounded. Why is Zhu Xiuzhen in Dong Shuzen’s room? And who is in Zhu Xiuzhen’s room right now?
Didn’t Yun Niang tell Xiao Yuetan that Dong Shuzen and Zhu Xiuzhen are hooked up with Zhang Quan and Sa Li respectively? In that case, Dong Shuzen should be opposing Zhu Xiuzhen instead. Why are they a lesbian couple now?
While he was in a state of confusion, Zhu Xiuzhen panted, "To think that you are still in the mood to tease me. That fellow should be making his way here soon. If we continue making out, we will not be able to hear him entering my room."
Dong Shuzen giggled, "All we need to hear is Xinyue’s cries of rape!"
Zhu Xiuzhen pondered, "I