The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 16
by Little PandaWhat Is There to Pity?
After those looking for trouble mysteriously tripped for the eighteenth time, and after he knocked Zhang Yurong unconscious for the third time in the martial arts hall without so much as touching him, Murong Wan finally shouted Ming Qin’s name during a lunch when no one else was around.
“Did you do all of this?” Murong Wan asked with a displeased look, staring at Ming Qin, who had materialized in a flash.
Ming Qin stared at the food box on the table and swallowed. Steeling herself, she said stiffly, “I don’t know what the Eleventh Prince is talking about. The weather is certainly lovely today, hahaha…”
Outside, dark clouds hung heavy, threatening rain.
“You… you…” It was rare for Murong Wan to encounter a fool who lied so terribly. Stamping his foot, he said stubbornly, “You don’t need to pity me!”
Ming Qin felt those words sounded overly familiar. Somewhat perplexed, she replied, “But I don’t pity you?”
“If you don’t pity me, then why did you help me teach Zhang Yurong and his lackeys a lesson these past few days?” Murong Wan demanded loudly. “I’m telling you, I don’t need your pity!”
Seeing there was no one around, Ming Qin pulled down her face mask. “I taught Zhang Yurong and his crowd a lesson because they are obnoxious. They insulted your mother, which is very bad! They deserved to be punished,” she said frankly.
The next second, she knit her brows in confusion again. “Besides, should I be pitying you? What is there to pity?”
Murong Wan had not expected the person before him to react like this. He began to stammer, “I… I… You, you, you don’t pity me for growing up without a mother? For being so weak, bullied every single day, and being so miserable?”
“But I don’t have a mother either, and I don’t even have a father. I know a lot of people without parents; am I supposed to pity them all?” Ming Qin did not quite understand, her mind full of questions.
She continued bluntly to the boy, “You get bullied every day because your martial arts are too terrible. Do I need to pity you for being terrible? But even if I pity you, your martial arts won’t get any better, will they?”
Listening to Ming Qin’s words, Murong Wan only found them grating. Angered and frustrated, he could not say a single word. “You, you, you…!”
“You don’t have a mother, but you still have a father who will protect you. My martial arts are the strongest, and your father sending me to protect you shows that he really cares about your safety,” Ming Qin said calmly, a look of matter-of-factness on her face.
Then she tilted her head, recalling, “And I don’t think you’re weak at all. You can recite all those difficult texts in the classroom, which I can’t make head or tail of. Out of all those students, that old, stubborn tutor still praises you every single day. You’re very impressive.”
Hearing Ming Qin praise him so sincerely, Murong Wan—who, after all, was only a ten-year-old boy—was stunned.
“Not knowing martial arts doesn’t mean you’re weak. I know someone who is different from ordinary people; she is delicate, fragile, and has no martial arts training at all. But she is so smart and so brave. I think she is the strongest person I have ever met.”
The image of Murong Yan’s face flashed across Ming Qin’s mind. Smiling, she continued, “Besides, you’re healthy. Just eat more food! Learning martial arts isn’t something that happens overnight. You’ll slowly get stronger, and when that day comes, no one will ever bully you again!”
Murong Wan felt his throat grow tight. Speaking with difficulty, he asked, “Do you… do you really think I’m impressive?”
“Of course!” Ming Qin said firmly, and then asked him back, “Do you think you’re impressive?”
The boy was dazed. Looking into Ming Qin’s clear eyes, he nodded heavily. “I am strong. And I will get stronger and stronger!”
Ming Qin smiled happily. “I believe in you!”
Seeing that Murong Wan seemed to have nothing to say, she put on her face mask, patted the boy’s head, and prepared to turn and leap back onto the tree branch. Unexpectedly, she felt a sudden tug on her sleeve.
“There is too much food in the food box. Eat with me,” the little prince said, keeping his head lowered as he held onto her.
Ming Qin looked at the sumptuous dishes and swallowed. She immediately and gladly agreed, pulling down her mask to happily feast.
“Eh? Why are you crying?” Halfway through the meal, Ming Qin looked at the boy’s trembling shoulders and asked with her cheeks puffed out.
“You’re so noisy, shut up.” Murong Wan’s voice was choked as he turned his head away, refusing to let Ming Qin look at him.
Ming Qin handed him a handkerchief and patted his shoulder. “It must be this chicken. It’s so spicy it made you cry. Children shouldn’t eat things this spicy.”
Speaking with confidence, she piled some other dishes onto his plate before polishing off the chicken herself in a few bites.
“…I am not a child anymore.”
He could not tell if this Shadow Guard woman was being thoughtful or was just completely oblivious.
This was probably the most difficult riddle for ten-year-old Murong Wan to solve.
Murong Yan’s stomach churned.
Even though her hair was not styled in a bun and held no hairpins, her head felt incredibly heavy.
She forced herself to look up at the viper-like man standing before her, fighting down the urge to vomit.
“Jiejie, this prince’s dear Jiejie. Have you been thinking of this prince?”
Murong Xiao looked at the face of the woman before him, the admiration in his eyes mixed with too much madness and obsession as he walked toward her step by step.
Never had she loathed the Crown Prince’s approach so intensely. Murong Yan felt her domain being violated, barged into by an intruder who had never been permitted. Every single inch of her body screamed in rebellion.
The only person she had ever permitted was Ah Qin.
This sickening man before her.
It was unbearable.
The moment Murong Xiao’s hand touched her neck, she spoke with languid disdain, “I still remember that when Your Highness was a boy, you didn’t have so much nonsense to say.”
It was rare for Murong Yan to voluntarily bring up the past, and the man’s hand froze. “When Jiejie first met this prince, this prince was only eleven. Now, this prince is twenty-three.”
As if thinking of something exciting, he licked his lips. “Does Jiejie want to know how much this prince has grown?”
Murong Yan felt her insides churning, her temples throbbing violently.
Not wanting the disgusting man in front of her to have his way, her tone remained calm, as if she did not care at all as she said, “I truly have not the slightest interest.”
“What a pity. This prince has practiced day and night while thinking of his dear Jiejie.” Murong Xiao withdrew his hand and shook his head with an expression of regret. “Is Jiejie still angry with this prince?”
The discomfort throughout Murong Yan’s body seemed to have neared its limit. Speaking to provoke the red-eyed man before her, she replied, “How could I ever dare to be angry with Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
She let out a cold laugh, enunciating each word slowly. “I feel no anger toward Your Highness, nor do I feel hate. Naturally, I feel no affection either. I feel absolutely nothing at all.”
Hearing this, the sleazy expression on the man’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a blank stare. He widened his eyes and tilted his head. “Dear Jiejie does not have this prince in her heart? But this prince has Jiejie in his.”
Staring at the woman so close to him, a wild wave surged in his heart.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, I want to tear her to shreds so badly, gnaw on her, fill her up, make her belong to me.
He reached out, wanting to choke the woman’s thin, weak neck.
No, no, now is not the time. Her father is that cursed Prince of Yu. Now is not the time. If I want to possess her forever, now is not the time.
Folding his arms, the man’s entire body trembled from the sheer effort of restraining himself.
It took about one stick of incense1 for his heavy breathing to subside. Keeping his eyes locked on her, Murong Xiao slowly backed away toward the door.
Right before leaving, he cast a deep look at Murong Yan. Suddenly, his mouth split into a sinister, icy grin. “Jiejie looks even more beautiful during this meeting than before. I wonder why that is?”
Without waiting for her response, as if he could no longer bear it, Murong Xiao violently threw open the door and stormed out.
Once the iron chains were locked back into place, Murong Yan began to retch over the water basin, heaving with such force it felt as if she were trying to empty her internal organs entirely, only stopping when nothing but sour water remained.
Lying down weakly, she trembled uncontrollably, her entire body devoid of strength. She thought she had to call someone to clean up before Ming Qin arrived, but before she could, her consciousness blurred, and she fainted.
LP: Disgusting piece of shi–
So are we ever going to get an explanation as to why this piece of shit emperor is imprisoning his niece who saved him from assassins? And letting his disgusting dickless little son go and torment her? I can’t wait to see his head get bashed in, hopefully
It seems like the emperor is mostly powerless and dickless controlls most of the power. It’s him that imprisoned her, not the emperor.
Of course as we can see it shouldn’t be particularly difficult for the shadow guard to bust her out, so still a bit unclear.
Uugh disgusting prick
Ewww the crown prince is so disgusting
oh my god i hate him so much