Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Jiang Yunsui’s leg was still injured. They had already alerted the enemy earlier, and fearing Yelü Can would send reinforcements, they had to set out as soon as possible.
So they had no choice but to come up with another way to sneak in and drug them.
The others would enter through the secret chamber and surround the place from the outside.
After some discussion, they finally decided that disguising themselves as women and posing as traveling merchants who had been captured would be the easiest way to get inside.
Song Jin asked, “Who’s putting on women’s clothes?”
The moment he spoke, everyone’s gaze landed on him.
Song Jin: “…”
Heh… He never should have opened his mouth!
Song Jin immediately lost it. Fine, he would go, but the others had to go with him. Not a single one of them was getting out of this.
Fan He hugged himself. “M-m-me… I don’t have to, right? My face is a little too weathered.”
Song Jin smiled darkly. “What if some bandit happens to like mature women?”
Fan He cried, “Stay away from me!!!”
If they were going to dress as women, they naturally needed clothes and makeup. Otherwise, if they could sneak into the bandits’ den looking like this, those bandits would have to be truly blind.
Nanshu raised his hand enthusiastically. “Young Master, I’ll go buy clothes for you all!”
That’s right. Ji Yan’an was going too.
No matter what, he would have to go to the battlefield in the future. Even if he sat in the rear and commanded, he would still have to personally experience war.
So for him, this bandit-suppression operation would be excellent training.
Originally, however, he had expected to go in through the secret chamber. But Song Jin, Shen Qingzhu, and Fan He each chimed in, one after another, and boxed him in.
The three of them held fast to the principle that if they were going down, they were all going down together. They absolutely would not let Ji Yan’an escape.
Heh… If they didn’t take the chance to bully him now, once this kid grew up, he wouldn’t be so easy to bully anymore.
Nanshu not only bought the clothes, he even hired someone who knew how to do makeup.
Mm. A brothel madam.
When it came to makeup, no one was better at it than the women of a brothel.
“Oh my, this… Why is this a whole group of men?!”
Ji Yan’an and the others were either sitting or standing, all with their arms crossed and unhappy expressions on their faces.
Nanshu said, “Why do you care whether they’re men or women? Can you make them look, you know… a little softer and prettier?”
The madam immediately nodded. “I can. Of course I can!”
She even looked a little eager to try.
“Well then, who’ll go first? Or would you gentlemen like to change clothes first?”
Jiang Yunsui was currently sitting on a little stool, looking at the outfits and feeling that every single one of them was pretty.
What a shame she couldn’t wear them herself.
Nanshu picked up a pale blue dress and walked over to Ji Yan’an with a grin.
“Young Master, I’ll help you.”
Ji Yan’an looked at him with a chilly gaze. “You seem quite happy about this.”
Nanshu instantly retracted the big toothy grin he had been flashing, his will to survive extremely strong as he shook his head.
“No, no. Absolutely not.”
Ji Yan’an snatched the clothes from him and went into the room to change.
Soon, Song Jin, Shen Qingzhu, and the others came out after changing.
Aside from Ji Yan’an, everyone else wore the clothes of maidservants and older female attendants.
Mm… Fan He was the older attendant.
Fan He was in his thirties. After being tormented in prison for a while, he looked somewhat older than his age, so he was assigned the role of the older attendant.
The instant Shen Qingzhu and Song Jin walked out in pale pink maidservant dresses, Jiang Yunsui burst into cackling laughter.
Shen Qingzhu was still all right. His frame was a little smaller, though he was taller than most women.
Song Jin, on the other hand, had a larger build, especially around the shoulders.
Together with his gloomy expression, no matter how you looked at him, he did not seem like a maidservant. He looked like he was about to go assassinate someone.
Fan He dawdled for a long time, his face already flushed bright red.
“Where’s Nanmo? Why hasn’t Nanmo come out yet?”
Nanshu shouted toward Nanmo’s room.
Of the few of them, aside from Shen Qingzhu, who had the ability to protect himself, and Song Jin, who knew a little swordsmanship, the other two were both completely defenseless.
Of course, Ji Yan’an knew how to use hidden weapons.
It was something he had trained in after his body began to fail, so he could protect himself.
So, for everyone’s safety, Nanmo-the guard responsible for staying close to Ji Yan’an and protecting him, and whose martial arts were passable-had to go as well.
Expressionless, Nanmo stepped out.
“Pfft-hahahahaha…”
Nanmo practiced martial arts, so the muscles on his body were thicker than everyone else’s. On ordinary days, dressed in fitted combat clothes, he looked rather lean. But now, wearing a maid’s dress, he looked… well. Broad-backed and thick-waisted.
Jiang Yunsui and Nanshu laughed the loudest.
It wasn’t until Nanmo fixed them with an icy stare that they hurriedly covered their mouths.
Even so, their shoulders were still shaking.
“Oh my, this won’t do. You… this outfit is too small. One look and no one would ever think you’re a girl.”
Suddenly, the madam’s eyes shifted. “I’ve got it. All of you, go change into another set. People of the Western Regions are tall and sturdy, and their women are taller than women of the Central Plains too. Go put on clothing from the Western Regions.”
“Besides, the lot of you have rather defined features. Passing as women from the Central Plains is out of the question.”
The madam immediately went with Nanshu to find clothing worn by People of the Western Regions.
Half an hour later, Song Jin held up the outfit, veins popping at his temple.
“This is clothing?! This is just a few scraps of torn cloth!”
The madam clicked her tongue. “Women of the Western Regions are much more open and daring than women of the Central Plains. One look and I can tell you’re all noble folk, never lived in Beizhen City before, have you? Isn’t this exactly how those women from the Western Regions dress?”
“And there’s a face veil and headscarf too. Perfect for hiding some of your more masculine features.”
Fan He waved his hands again and again. “No, no, no. I really can’t do this!”
The madam said, “You’re all grown men. What, will you lose a chunk of flesh if someone looks at you a few times? What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and change.”
“Um, shouldn’t we make it a bit more uniform? This one…”
The madam looked toward the Young Master.
Ji Yan’an: “…”
In truth, what Ji Yan’an was wearing was already quite suitable.
He was still only a twelve-year-old youth, and with the poison and illness afflicting him, he was naturally a little more slender than an ordinary man. His features were already fine and delicate, and his skin was pale. Dressed in that pale blue skirt, he had the air of a cold, aloof ice beauty.
But everyone else had changed.
Nanshu said, “No, no, no. My master is sensitive to the cold.”
“That’s easy enough. Just dress him more warmly. The Western Regions have more conservative garments too.”
What they prepared for Ji Yan’an was a red outfit with slightly more fabric than the others. Nanshu even added a white cloak for him.
Jiang Yunsui looked at those beautiful skirts and whined, “Such pretty clothes. I like them too. I want one too.”
Nanshu picked her up and carried her aside.
“Be good, all right? We’ll get you one when we go back. Right now, we have serious business to do.”
Jiang Yunsui gave an obedient, “Oh.”
After they finished changing, the group dragged their feet and shuffled out.
The madam’s eyes lit up at the sight.
“See? What did I tell you? This is what suits you. Cover your faces and put on the headscarves-look how pretty you are.”
To be fair, these outfits really did suit them better than the maid dresses.
Mainly because each and every one of them was tall, with long legs to boot.
Fan He nearly broke down as he tugged at the fabric of the skirt split below.
“Couldn’t they have used a little more fabric?!”
The madam said, “No, no, that won’t do. There’s still one more thing.”
Her gaze landed on the leg hair of the men.
The grown men all suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Song Jin’s voice turned sinister. “Try shaving my leg hair and see what happens.”
Now she was really pushing her luck.
“But this of yours…”
Nanshu rubbed his chin. “Your leg hair really is too out of place.”
In an instant, all eyes turned to him.
Nanshu said, “Wh-what? I-I’m just telling the truth.”