Fang Er, Yuan Tiangang, and Niu Huang stood at the launch site, looking up at the sky, waiting for the casing to descend. However, no matter how long they waited, nothing fell from the sky.
"Duke, could it be that the wind in the sky blew the casing off course?" Niu Huang voiced his uncertain guess.
"Let's go back. We're not waiting anymore!" Fang Er considered that this possibility was indeed real. Air currents behaved differently at different altitudes, and who knew if this contraption had been blown astray by some rogue wind.
Since the test launch was successful, the important task now was to retrieve the rocket casing, warhead, and fuse. This endeavor would also accumulate experience for the artisans and lay the foundation for future rocket construction.
Thus, the three returned to their carriage, no longer concerned about the vanished casing, and drove back towards the Duke's mansion.
East of Shenyang City, at the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.
Chai Shao, with dark circles under his eyes, lay sprawled in a "great" posture on a wide flower bed, surrounded by three young women. His eyes were slightly narrowed, making him appear to be asleep, but his hands were restlessly stroking the women beside him. "Awake? No way!" he thought. This was a rare opportunity to visit a brothel legitimately. Whoever woke up was a scoundrel!
Creak~~~
Hearing the sound of doors opening in the rooms on either side, Old Chai quickly stopped his actions, closed his eyes tightly, and began to snore as if deeply asleep.
Li Ji, rubbing his aching lower back, pulled open his door and stepped out. Most of the previous night's wine had gone into Li Shimin, Li Xiaogong, Chai Shao, and Li Ji. For a man nearing forty, being able to get up was a testament to his good health. Just as he was about to sigh melancholically, he saw the door next to him open, and Li Xiaogong emerged, stretching lazily.
Li Xiaogong's face was covered in lipstick marks, especially around his nose, which was stained red.
"Haha, Old Jiu, you're in good shape!" Li Ji teased him.
"Hey! It's not bragging if I say it. Look at my waist~~" Li Xiaogong boasted, hands on his hips, doing a hip-thrusting motion. "Look at my speed~~ Look at my strength~~ Look~~"
Crack~~
"Oh, damn it!!!" A crisp sound came from his waist. The Prince of Hejian slid to the ground, holding onto the doorframe. His proud display turned into a wail of agony. "Quick, help me up! I've thrown out my back!"
"Hahahahahaha~~~" Li Ji, doubled over with laughter, walked towards Li Xiaogong.
Before long, Li Shimin also pushed open his door and came out. His appearance startled Li Ji. How to describe his current state? Gaunt? Sallow-complexioned? Haggard? Yes, all of the above. The two dark circles under his eyes were like the iron-eating beasts of Jiannan Dao.
Li Ji quickly went to greet him, asking worriedly, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
"Oh, bloody hell! Mogong, you son of a bitch, the pain is killing me~~~" As he took his first two steps, Li Xiaogong's curses came from behind him. Apparently, Li Xiaogong, whose back had been thrown out, had been helped up by Li Shimin only to be dropped back to the ground.
Li Ji looked at the dazed Emperor and the prostrate Li Xiaogong, caught in a dilemma. "Damn it, how much did this guy put in the wine yesterday!" Seeing no servants around, he yelled, "Old Chai! Little Chai! You two scoundrels, one old and one young, get out here quickly!"
Chai Shao, hearing this from his room, shuddered. "Damn it, something must have happened!" Meanwhile, Chai Lingwu, in his room downstairs, silently burrowed deeper into his covers, resting his head on the arm of the woman beside him, and closed his eyes, pretending not to hear. "With a bunch of old geezers around, how embarrassing it would be for me to go out!"
Just then, a sharp whistling sound came from overhead, followed by a clanging noise, as if something had been smashed. Li Jing and Li Xiaogong instantly turned their heads towards Chai Shao's room. The sound seemed to be coming from there.
"Ah~~ damn it!" "Damn it! Yuan Tiangang, I'll curse your ancestors!"
In the room, Chai Shao looked at the new object on the bed in horror. A dark steel cylinder had fallen from the sky, broken through the roof, and lodged itself between his legs! The pungent smell of gunpowder clearly told him its origin. It must have been that Yuan Tiangang again!
"Quick! Quick, help me see if my treasure is still there!" Chai Shao yelled at the three women huddled beside him in fear. He didn't dare to move, the room filled with the smell of gunpowder and burnt material. At that moment, he felt like he was developing a psychological complex!
"Master, it... it didn't hit." It was only when one of the girls spoke that Chai Shao braced himself with his hands and looked down. The sight made him break out in a cold sweat. If it had been even a finger's width off, he might have had to go to the palace! The burnt smell was from his hair being singed.
Bang~~
The door was kicked open from the outside, and a figure rushed in, looking at him nervously and asking, "Old Chai, is everyth--" Li Ji was the one who entered. Before he could finish, he was startled by what was on Chai Shao's bed. "Damn, where did this thing come from!"
"Where else could it come from? It must be that Yuan Tiangang, that Daoist priest, performing miracles again!" Chai Shao grumbled, "Damn it, if I don't beat him until he's crawling on the ground today, then my surname is his!"
Chai Shao got out of bed, put on his clothes in front of Li Ji, and walked out, cursing all the way. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw the vacant-eyed Li Shimin and the prostrate Li Xiaogong. Chai Shao was stunned and looked back at Li Ji. "What in the world is going on now?"
Li Ji spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "What else could be going on! Old Jiu has thrown his back out, and His Majesty has probably suffered from excessive 'yang' loss."
Chai Shao was startled by this. "His Majesty has suffered from excessive 'yang' loss?" This was a serious matter!
"Don't just stand there! Hurry and take His Majesty back. Let Old Sun get him some medicine to replenish him!" After speaking, he quickly walked towards Li Shimin. Two of them, one supporting Li Shimin and the other helping Li Xiaogong up, left the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion in a sorry state. As for Chai Lingwu, no one bothered with him anymore. He was a young, strong fellow, and surely nothing would happen to him.
In a corner, a pair of eyes saw the four of them leave and then scurried to outside Chai Lingwu's door, knocking lightly a few times. "Master, those four lords have left."
Only then did Chai Lingwu inside the room get dressed and get out of bed. He pinched the face of one of the girls and said with a smile, "Girls, wait for me. Master will redeem all of you today!" The girls were overjoyed. They quickly sat up, knelt on the bed, and kowtowed their thanks. "Thank you, young master, for your favor~~"