The Secret of Greatness

The morning mist had yet to dissipate, and outside the Summer Palace, the air was still tinged with a damp chill. Lao Ai felt his eyelids heavy, struggling to open them. His chest felt as if a boulder were pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe. Zhao Taihou, the queen dowager, was half-lying on top of him, one of her long and fair legs draped over his waist. Her raven tresses were scattered across the pillow, with a few strands playfully tickling Lao Ai's cheeks, causing a slight itch.

He couldn't help but grin, revealing a set of neat teeth. The wild night he had just experienced still lingered in his mind, and the exhaustion in his body was overshadowed by a profound sense of satisfaction. Lao Ai let out a big yawn and stretched, his joints crackling with a faint "crack, crack" sound.

He carefully shifted his body, trying not to wake Zhao Taihou. But as soon as he moved, she let out a soft moan, turned over, and pressed herself even closer to him, wrapping her arms around him more tightly. She mumbled in a soft, languid voice, "Don't move... let's sleep a bit longer..." Her voice was sweet and charming, carrying the drowsiness of someone just awakened, like a kitten's paw scratching at one's heart.

Unable to resist, he gently caressed the smooth spine of Zhao Taihou, feeling the delicate sensation transmitted through his fingertips. He began to contemplate: in the days to come, he would have to work even harder to serve the queen dowager well, making her comfortable and content. Wouldn't wealth and honor then be easily within his grasp? Perhaps he could even secure a higher official position! Thinking of this, Lao Ai couldn't help but chuckle softly, his voice filled with barely concealed pride. He felt that his life had reached its pinnacle. What were kings and generals compared to him?

"My biological father, who had seen countless women, knew well that without a manhood that stood tall as a mountain, one could not stand firm in this fiercely competitive world. Lao Ai, though lacking in martial prowess or extraordinary wisdom, was unparalleled in making women succumb to his desires." Lao Ai's thoughts drifted back to many years ago—when he was still an obscure commoner, wandering through the streets and alleys, his greatest dream was merely to have enough to eat and wear, and to marry a somewhat pretty young woman. He had never imagined that one day he would climb to such great fortune.

All of this was "thanks" to his father.

It was strange that Lao Ai's memory of his father was confined to just two years of his youth. Back then, a tall and imposing figure, laden with carriages full of gold, silver, and jewels, suddenly burst into the dilapidated cave where he and his mother lived. Mother and son were stunned, as if in a dream. In a daze, they heard his mother's trembling voice urging him to call the man "father," and he did so.

From that day on, his father began to scrutinize him closely, from head to toe, which made Lao Ai feel extremely uneasy. His father frowned deeply, seemingly dissatisfied with his scrawny physique, saying that he lacked masculinity and looked like a withered bean sprout, unlikely to amount to anything in the future.

Lao Ai was still young then and didn't understand such things. He only knew that his father deemed him "inadequate," and he felt a surge of frustration, though he didn't know what to do about it.

His father, however, was decisive. On that very day, he began to "purge" Lao Ai with a variety of strange herbs. He forced him to drink the bitter and foul-smelling medicinal soups and soak in baths filled with oddly scented concoctions.

At first, Lao Ai was tormented to the brink of death. He was constantly dazed and couldn't even eat properly. His mother, heartbroken, cried and tried to stop the process several times, but his father sternly forbade her.

"Womanly pity! This boy has such a weak foundation. If we don't take drastic measures to strengthen him, how will he ever make a mark in this world?" His father glared, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Though his mother couldn't bear to see her son suffer, she knew her husband had Lao Ai's best interests at heart. So, she could only stand by silently, watching over him.

Strangely enough, after nearly a year of such conditioning, Lao Ai seemed like a completely different person. His once frail body became strong and robust, his skin tanned to a bronze hue, and he exuded a rugged vitality.

What surprised Lao Ai even more was the strange change in his body. In the quiet of the night, he could feel a surge of heat coursing through his veins, making his blood boil and leaving him almost uncontrollable. When he secretly looked in the mirror, he saw that his manhood had become extraordinarily impressive—simply... simply beyond belief!

From then on, a legend about a "great beast" spread across the grasslands. When the young girls saw Lao Ai from afar, they would scream and run away like rabbits fleeing from a wolf. Some were so frightened that their legs buckled, and they would collapse to the ground, crying as if they were about to be devoured.

At first, Lao Ai felt quite proud, thinking he looked mighty and heroic. But as time went on, he grew tired of it.

"What kind of situation is this?" Lao Ai muttered, scratching his head in frustration as he plopped down on the grass, staring at the distant flock of sheep.

It wasn't just the girls that bothered him. More importantly, he felt that his "talent" was wasted on the grasslands. "No way, I have to go to Guanzhong! The women there are as tender as water, and a pinch brings a spring~" Lao Ai stood up abruptly, punching the stone beside him. He didn't want to spend his whole life in this godforsaken place, herding sheep. He wanted to go to Guanzhong, to see the bustling world. He wanted to show those self-proclaimed dandies what a real man was like. He wanted those high-and-mighty noble ladies to know what true pleasure was.

He brushed the grass off his backside and strode purposefully toward his tent. He needed to pack his bags and get ready to leave. Guanzhong, here I come! Just you wait and see what kind of storm I'll stir up!