Chapter 64: Wang Yun Presents the Elixir

The drag-away songstress let out a few miserable screams before death, and then fell utterly silent...

Not long after Li Ru had departed, he heard the sound of Dong Zhuo having the songstress beaten to death with staves. Though unaware of the exact reason, his heart swelled with gratification at Dong Zhuo's decisiveness and immunity to feminine charms this time. "Dong Zhongying has indeed not forgotten his former ambition! Since it is so, I, Li Ru, might as well fan the flames..."

Imbued with motivation and brimming with efficiency, Li Ru immediately dispatched Xiliang soldiers to patrol every major street and intersection in Luoyang. They posted rewards with explicit terms: anyone who could finger the spreaders of rumors would be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold; those providing clues, a hundred pieces of gold; and anyone caught spreading rumors would face the same crime as their entire family!

With these few measures deployed, the rumors on the streets were swiftly and almost completely stamped out. Those spreading the rumors had originally targeted children, enticing them with ditties to chant. Now that Li Ru had instituted family collective guilt, the moment any stranger approached a child in the alleys or wards, it instantly drew suspicious and vigilant gazes...

Wealth moves the human heart, and it was not long before someone, tempted by the bounty, reported detailed clues. Li Ru ordered Captain of the City Gates Wu Qiong to lead troops directly in making arrests, but the rumor-monger was also vigilant. Sensing the situation turning sour, he fled Luoyang and headed straight for Yangcheng.

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When Wang Yun learned that the songstress he had presented to Dong Zhuo had actually been beaten to death with staves, he was given a severe fright. After pondering over and over, he still braced himself and went to pay a visit to Dong Zhuo.

It was not that Wang Yun did not fear Dong Zhuo flying into a rage, but rather that his family was large and wealthy, and should Dong Zhuo decide to strike, he could not run away on short notice. Furthermore, Wang Yun judged that the current situation was not yet entirely hopeless; going to see Dong Zhuo would at least prove that he did not harbor too much a guilty conscience.

Upon arriving at Prime Minister Dong's residence, the moment Wang Yun laid eyes on Dong Zhuo, he dropped to his knees with a thud to plead for mercy, prostrating himself and saying, "To have offended the Prime Minister's majestic tiger-might—Yun deserves a crime punishable by death!"

Dong Zhuo burst into hearty laughter and said, "It was merely a songstress, Zishi. Why does the lord speak thus?"

Was it not just killing a single songstress? Wang Yun, Wang Zishi, isn't your imagination a bit too overactive? Dong Zhuo found it rather amusing, and feeling a sense of pride that his fearsome reputation had terrified Wang Yun so, he stepped forward to help Wang Yun to his feet and ordered a banquet to be set out for entertainment.

Wang Yun looked closely and saw that Dong Zhuo truly did not bear the demeanor of plotting a treacherous feast, which allowed him to let go of his apprehensions just a bit.

In truth, when Dong Zhuo killed the songstress, he had not thought half that much at all. It was simply that the songstress had uttered words she ought not to have said, and coupled with the fact that Dong Zhuo was still in the heat of his anger, she met her tragic end...

In Dong Zhuo's view, a songstress was merely a movable toy, serving a function roughly similar to an inflatable doll of later generations. Aside from a very rare few, who would cherish and dote on an inflatable doll, treating it with tenderness and care?

Moreover, Wang Yun's impression in Dong Zhuo's mind was still fairly decent, at least vastly superior to Yuan Wei's.

That old codger Yuan Wei presumed upon his age and seniority, saying one thing while doing another, and constantly going around broadcasting how he had once promoted Dong Zhuo, acting as if he had bestowed some immense grace upon him. It was truly nauseating. Was it not just a petty post as a Chief of Bandits? How could he speak with such gusto about an official post smaller than a mustard seed?

By comparison, Wang Yun appeared infinitely more endearing. Not only was he respectful to Dong Zhuo, but he was also very attentive, sending treasures on one occasion and songstresses on another. Naturally, Dong Zhuo's attitude toward Wang Yun grew much warmer.

Having just ascended to the office of Prime Minister, Dong Zhuo was actually still much the same as he had been in Xiliang. Back in Xiliang, Dong Zhuo had been renowned among the Qiang and Hu tribes for his bold and heroic spirit, parting with wealth without the slightest stint when dealing with people who caught his eye. This point could be seen clearly from the way he bought over He Jin's subordinates and Lü Bu.

How could the brand left by years in Xiliang vanish so easily? At this moment, Dong Zhuo had not changed all that much; feeling that Wang Yun treated him well, he naturally treated Wang Yun well in return.

After eating and drinking for a spell, seeing that Dong Zhuo genuinely bore no grudge against him over the songstress affair, Wang Yun still felt somewhat uneasy. Pondering for a moment, he spoke to Dong Zhuo, "Since Yun has come this time, I have a precious treasure specially presented to the Prime Minister."

While audaciously downing his wine, Dong Zhuo was also somewhat curious as to what kind of treasure could be praised even by a fellow like Wang Yun. He asked, "What sort of treasure is it?"

With an air of mystery, Wang Yun drew a white jade gourd from his bosom and respectfully offered it to Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo took the white jade gourd, looking at it left and right, yet he could not find anything extraordinary about it. What kind of treasure was this? You, Wang Yun Wang Zishi, had better not be trying to swindle me!

The white jade gourd was carved from top-tier mutton-fat white jade, crystal clear and translucent, about the size of a palm, and felt warm and moist to the touch, quite pleasing to the eye. Yet at best, it could only be considered a fine plaything; it hardly fit the description of a treasure as Wang Yun had claimed.

Though such an item was not found everywhere, neither was it something impossible to obtain. How could it be called a treasure? Dong Zhuo cast a brief glance at Wang Yun, and the look of doubt and perplexity on his face was unmistakable.

Wang Yun stroked his beard and said with a triumphant air, "This is an artifact belonging to Celestial Master Ge! I beg the Prime Minister to examine it closely; within lies an entire universe..."

"Which Celestial Master Ge?" Dong Zhuo failed to react for a moment.

"Naturally, it is Immortal Ge Xiaoxian, Master Ge. Aside from him, who else in this world would dare style himself Celestial Master Ge?"

Dong Zhuo was given a start, nearly losing his grip on the gourd in his hand, and hastily grabbed it tight. "Master Ge's personal artifact?!" This could indeed truly be called a treasure. Celestial Master Ge Xuan was, after all, a disciple of the immortal Zuo Ci; if this gourd were genuine, it would surely carry some aura of immortality...

With a look of considerable reluctance, Wang Yun said, "This item was acquired by Yun by chance many years ago and has been treasured ever since... The Prime Minister might as well inspect it closely..."

Dong Zhuo brought the white jade gourd right before his eyes for a careful examination, finally catching sight of what appeared to be a faint, barely perceptible seam around the mouth of the gourd. Turning his head to look at Wang Yun once more, and upon receiving Wang Yun's affirmative nod, he gingerly and cautiously uncorked the gourd's mouth...

Instantly, wisps of golden light shot forth fiercely from within the gourd, dyeing Dong Zhuo's pupils a golden hue.

In a daze, Dong Zhuo murmured, "This... this... could it be..."

Wang Yun nodded and said, "It is precisely a furnace of Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs refined by Celestial Master Ge! Legend has it that when Celestial Master Ge opened the furnace for these golden elixirs, wind and thunder arrived simultaneously, shattering the cauldron completely. All eighty-nine golden elixirs within were on the verge of transforming into rainbows and flying away. Fortunately, Celestial Master Ge performed Daoist arts to preserve them with this jade gourd..."

Wang Yun's narration was truly vivid and graphic, leaving everyone in the hall, including Dong Zhuo himself, utterly intoxicated in spirit...

Wang Yun continued, "Later, not daring to arrogate Heaven's creation, Celestial Master Ge specifically left these elixirs for those destined to find them. In the past, Yun contracted a severe illness, but fortunately obtained this pill. After taking it for three days, I turned the corner and found safety. However, Yun is a person of meager fortune and dared not consume many. Now, observing that the Prime Minister's blessed fortune is profound and capable of bearing these elixirs, I have specially brought them as an offering..."

With that, Wang Yun crept a bit closer to Dong Zhuo and lowered his voice. "These elixirs are intensely yang and fierce. Consuming them feels like a fire rising within the belly, banishing all fear of bitter cold, and furthermore..."

Wang Yun paused, continuing with an expression every man could understand, "...they allow one to dally with multiple women without leaking essence..."

The more Dong Zhuo listened, the more his heart tickled with desire. Cradling the jade gourd in his hands, he praised it unceasingly: "Such a thing—truly a magnificent treasure! Hahaha..."

The two men looked at each other and laughed heartily, appearing for a moment to be in absolute harmony.