Chapter Update: Today brings the first release! Brothers, sisters, lend me your strength! I will soar like a roc for our Evil Lord!

What kind of logic dictates that every man must carry that on his person? What manner of reasoning is this? We have wives, we have concubines, and if all else fails, we have coin; the brothels are utterly ubiquitous nowadays, so where can one not resolve a physiological need? As for carrying that around? That’s tool exclusively for rapists!

Now, if anyone were to produce that from themselves right now, wouldn't it be tantamount to openly announcing: I am a rapist!? How are we supposed to maintain any semblance of life afterward? Do we still care about face? The dozen or so burly men stood frozen, jaws slack, eyes wide, completely unable to respond, resembling nothing so much as wooden carvings or clay statues.

“Oh dear, I am only using this to research an antidote. I’m acting purely out of goodwill, not doing anything wicked. Must you all look so alarmed?” Dugu Yi stammered, trying to sound firm while acting guilty, persuasively guiding them: “Besides, if, because you produced that, I manage to formulate an antidote, and all the women in the world can be free from worry henceforth, can you imagine how many sisters would be grateful to you! You’d be the greatest contributors.”

The group remained silent, faces dark. Of course you aren't doing anything wicked, because even if you wanted to do something wicked, you lack the capacity! In this matter, it seems you possess no advantage whatsoever except for being taken advantage of!

“Hand it over, hand it over, just hand it over,” Dugu Xiaoyi stretched out her hand, looking intensely eager.

“Reporting to Miss, there is none!” the head retainer stated.

“You can have it now, just give it to me, and I won’t tell anyone the medicine was yours.” The little girl grew increasingly amiable!

“Truly none, we absolutely have none!” The leader instantly broke out in a cold sweat. If that was found on him, he would certainly be dismissed immediately upon returning! Moreover, who knows how many suspicious people might stir up trouble for him? He would rather die than admit to having any, let alone the fact that he genuinely possessed none!

“Nor do we!” The ten-plus men replied with righteous indignation, standing rigidly straight. At this juncture, everyone understood the situation clearly. Furthermore, their current deployment was a formal military operation; restraining themselves was the priority, why would they involve frivolous nonsense? Had their brains rusted over?!

“Damn it!” Dugu Xiaoyi cursed crisply. Her sharp words caused the dozen-plus men to look askew; they never expected this little mistress to utter such direct profanity: “Not a single one of you big men brought any?”

The ten-plus men nodded their heads frantically like chickens pecking grain.

“Since none of you have any, then you shall all be punished together. Guards!” Dugu Xiaoyi’s voice dripped with killing intent: “Drag these twelve men out, and each one shall receive one hundred military rods!”

The crowd was utterly dumbfounded. Simply not carrying that, and being dutiful, good family men, was a crime? We aren't just good men; we are soldiers, soldiers who march onto the battlefield. Does that thing even warrant censure? What kind of precedent is this? Heavens above, Earth below, grant us a place to reason!

At Dugu Xiaoyi’s command, several guards rushed in—fierce as wolves and tigers. These men were exclusively drawn from Jun Moxie’s personal retinue, selected from the two hundred and fifty men specifically detailed to attend to Dugu Xiaoyi; every one of them possessed considerable skill. They paid no mind to whether the little girl’s orders made sense or not; they operated on the principle of immediate execution of command. They seized the men and prepared to escort them out to face ‘military justice.’

“Stop!” the head retainer sweated profusely. If those one hundred military rods were actually administered, these ten-plus men would likely all perish right there. At this stage, it was better to acquiesce to the little princess’s desire, and then they could report the situation to Miss Guan Qinghan, asking her to keep a close watch on the little princess so that no major disaster would occur. To lose their lives over this matter would be truly unjust.

“Oh? You have some now?” Dugu Xiaoyi waved a hand, ordering the guards back, and asked with great interest.

“Skinny Monkey, you should have some on you, right? I recall when you were at the Li Tianxiang residence, you secreted some away. Hand it over quickly!” The head retainer glared at the thinnest of the dozen men, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“I… I…” The man called ‘Skinny Monkey’ blinked pitifully, utterly speechless. He truly hadn't expected that under the threat of one hundred military rods, his boss would sell him out.

“What ‘you’? Hurry up and take it out!” the head retainer barked furiously, cursing hatefully: “You good-for-nothing fellow!”

“But… but mine is for my own consumption. I figured this trip to the Southern Sky wasn't a real military action, so I prepared to relax on the way back,” Skinny Monkey looked pleadingly at his superior, his thin face flushed red, truly embarrassed and ashamed.

Someone couldn't help but snicker softly. An explanation is a cover-up; a cover-up confirms the fact. What kind of man carries that for his own consumption at all times? Everyone knew the answer without asking.

“Is it the kind meant for men to consume?” Dugu Xiaoyi’s eyes lit up: “That’s even better! Uh… that might suffice too… Hand it over quickly! I’m in a rush to research!”

Skinny Monkey was overwhelmingly depressed and ashamed. Trembling, he fished out a small paper packet from his robes. Holding it, he felt like crying out in despair but dared not. Seeing the strange looks his companions were giving him, at that moment, Skinny Monkey wished he could instantly dig a hole and bury himself.

It was mortifying! He wondered how much silver it would cost later to buy the silence of these few men. If only these few knew, they were all brothers, and they might hold their tongues, but if word spread that he was… incapable, he would truly have to kill himself with a knife.

Seeing the fellow hesitating, Dugu Yi lost patience, suddenly leaped over, snatched the packet away with a swift movement, chuckled happily, and then remembered to compose her expression before asking seriously: “This thing… how is it used?”

Skinny Monkey’s face was bright red, his neck also flushed. Struggling, he replied, “One simply needs to use a fingernail to pick up a fingernail’s worth and dissolve it in wine to drink.”

“Pfft.” Several people behind them couldn't help it and burst out laughing, then hurriedly covered their mouths, choking with muffled coughs until their bodies convulsed slightly and the muscles in their faces twisted.

“Oh,” Dugu Xiaoyi nodded knowingly, adopting the air of an expert. “What reaction does it cause after use? Does it damage the body?”

“That…” No! As for the reaction… Ah, regarding the reaction, Skinny Monkey’s sweat beads the size of soybeans dropped from his face one by one; he truly didn't know how to answer specifically. His face turned almost waxy yellow.

Everyone behind him shared the same action: one hand firmly covered their mouth, the other hand tightly clutched their stomach, their entire bodies trembling.

“Oh, I see, I see. It’s none of your business now, you can all leave.” Dugu Xiaoyi’s face flushed, seemingly realizing the impropriety of her question. She waved her hand, and the men, feeling as if they had received amnesty, hastily moved to turn and leave, only to stop when Dugu Xiaoyi shouted: “Wait!”

“This matter,” she declared with imposing authority, “is a secret, understand? This concerns the happiness of countless women, so not a single word must leak! Especially my few elder brothers, they absolutely cannot know, understand? Ah, I… I’m afraid they might sneak some to eat, uh, yes, I’m afraid they might sneak some to eat, what if that happens?”

What? Afraid her brothers might sneak some? Did the young masters of the Dugu family need to sneak consumption of such things? Everyone’s expression instantly became incredibly strange. If Dugu Xiaoyi’s elder brothers heard that sentence, they would probably spit up a mouthful of blood and faint: We are perfectly normal!

Dugu Xiaoyi then glared: “So you absolutely cannot let them know! If anyone tells them, hmph, I will… I will… I will pour this entire packet down whoever told them’s stomach! Do you hear me clearly?”

“We hear clearly!” The crowd hastily retreated. They had barely stepped out of the tent a short distance before they suddenly collapsed one by one, rolling on the ground in huge bursts of laughter, laughing so ecstatically they couldn't stop.

“You… you guys…” Skinny Monkey was furious and ashamed, his eyes wide open. Even his meager cheeks were trembling; he was speechless.

“Hahaha, this is too funny, so Skinny Monkey is such a resourceful person, truly… unexpected. No wonder this fellow always runs far away whenever we visit the brothels… Hahaha! The young masters might actually sneak consumption of that thing too!” The men hugged their stomachs, rolling over and over, instantly collapsing into a heap from laughter.

Skinny Monkey’s face turned purple and he trembled violently, suddenly hugging a tree and smashing his head against it several times.

Truly, he wished he could cry but had no tears.

After a long while, once their laughter subsided, the head retainer coughed seriously a few times: “We’ve had our laugh. I need to instruct everyone on a few things: No one is allowed to leak anything about today’s events! I trust you all know the consequences if this matter gets out; by then, none of us will have an easy time! You didn't get those hundred military rods today, and I assume you don't want to face military law another day. Do you understand?”

The crowd nodded one after another, assuring him they would keep silent.

“I must go see Miss Guan now and implore her to keep a very close watch on the little princess; we cannot allow a great disaster to unfold,” the head retainer said urgently as he hurried out.

Inside the tent, Dugu Xiaoyi carefully wrapped the small packet in her handkerchief and tucked it into her robes. Feeling extremely guilty, she glanced left and right before finally revealing a triumphant smile.

“Hehe, hehe,” Dugu Xiaoyi was overjoyed, feeling like singing. Grinning, she revealed a pair of small canine teeth, skipped to the mirror, scrutinized her face closely, and muttered to herself: “I’ll see where you can run now, hmph. Jun Moxie, this young lady is going to use brute force and make you into cooked rice, so you can’t run anymore! Hmph, Sister Guan, please don't blame little sister for being disloyal! Hehe, let’s see how you’ll snatch anyone now?”

Lost in her triumphant thoughts, Dugu Xiaoyi made a playful face. Dugu Xiaoyi had grown up in a prominent family, and she truly understood very little about matters of that nature. Jun Wuyi’s words to Guan Qinghan this time had reignited the panic in her heart, leading her to devise this strange plan.

[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book]