The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 32

Harming Yanyan (Punishment)

Ming Qin felt only a torment in her heart, regretting why she had left Murong Yan alone, causing her to be bullied by a group of crude men.

She looked at the woman before her, who was slightly frowning and biting her lip, then turned her head toward the direction the group had left and said, her killing intent soaring to the heavens, “Don’t be sad. I’ll go chop those bastards to pieces right now.”

            

Heedless of the need to hurry on their journey, she lifted her saber and was about to leave.

But her sleeve was grabbed.

“Ah Qin…” Murong Yan called out in a low voice, clutching Ming Qin.

            

“What is it?” Ming Qin said softly. To hear the woman’s voice more clearly, she knelt on one knee and brought her head closer, consciously retracting her killing intent, afraid that the person before her, as fragile as colored glass​¹, would be easily shattered by her touch.

“You…”

It was as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat. Murong Yan clenched her fist. When she spoke, her voice was strained, “Why did you let that man hit you?”

            

Ming Qin obediently tilted her head up and answered without a second thought, “Because that way, that man wouldn’t bother us anymore.”

Looking at the person before her, whose left cheek was swollen high with a purplish-red mark, Murong Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart. “I mean, why did you have to use that method?”

“Because it was the fastest way with the least loss.”

            

Ming Qin replied as if it were a matter of course and, fearing Murong Yan wouldn’t understand, explained in detail, “That group of people seemed to be a convoy heading to the capital city. Right now, Your Highness the Commandery Princess’s portrait has likely been sent from the capital to the surrounding post stations and posted at every checkpoint. I was worried that if we caused a commotion and they formed an impression of you, they might easily leak our whereabouts to the Crown Prince.”

Murong Yan watched Ming Qin ramble on, completely unconcerned about the injury on her own face, merely analyzing the various pros and cons.

But… But!

            

There were clearly so many better ways, Murong Yan thought chaotically.

Even secretly smashing that group’s carriage, poisoning their party to delay their journey, or even slaughtering them all in the desolate wilderness and letting their corpses be devoured by wild dogs, would have been better than letting Ah Qin get hurt.

When Ah Qin even lost a game of Go, she herself would be vexed for half the day.

            

If she accidentally scraped her palm, she herself would feel pained just looking at the bloody mark.

Hearing about her difficult childhood, she herself would feel sorrowful in the middle of the night.

Her Ah Qin, the Ah Qin she placed on the very tip of her heart​², how could she let that arrogant, filthy, vulgar man land a single punch on her?

            

At this thought, anger surged in Murong Yan’s heart. Her lowered gaze shifted from heartache to a cold severity. She reached out, caressed Ming Qin’s injured face, and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Ming Qin felt the coolness of her fingertips caressing her own feverish cheek. She narrowed her eyes in comfort and replied calmly, “He clearly looked like a rich young master who didn’t know any martial arts, but he hit surprisingly hard. But I don’t feel pain to begin with, so it doesn’t matter.”

            

As if to show she was truly fine, she continued, “I made sure to clench my teeth, and I adjusted my position, so my teeth and ears are both fine. It’s not a problem.”

But she didn’t know that this answer only made the flames of anger in Murong Yan’s heart burn even more fiercely. Suppressing her rage toward that group of men, she tried to calm her tone as she said to Ming Qin, “Ah Qin, don’t do this kind of thing again in the future.”

Don’t ignore yourself anymore, don’t treat everything about yourself as nothing. Murong Yan prayed silently in her heart.

            

However, Ming Qin, still kneeling on the ground, tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding.

Ming Qin could feel Murong Yan’s anger, but she wasn’t quite sure what 『this kind of thing』 referred to.

The young shadow guard guessed that Murong Yan was angry that her protection had been inadequate, letting her encounter such danger alone on the streets. So she spoke guiltily, “I’m sorry. Don’t be angry. I will never make this kind of mistake again.”

            

I will absolutely work harder to protect Murong Yan. Ming Qin swore to herself.

Seeing the obedient Ming Qin agree with her, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m not angry at Ah Qin, and I would never be angry at Ah Qin.” She pressed her cool hand against the red swelling on Ming Qin’s cheek, gently pulling her closer as she coaxed, “I’m angry at that group of men.”

            

Kneeling on the ground, Ming Qin looked at Murong Yan with sparkling eyes. She reached out, wrapped her arms around her waist under her outer robe, her tone abnormally placid, even excessively calm and flat. “Did those men make Yanyan angry?”

Placing one hand on the head of Ming Qin, who was resting against her thigh, Murong Yan said slowly, “Yes, I’m so angry.” Her hand stroked the soft black hair, again and again. “They harmed something very important to me, making my heart nearly drip blood.”

“So that’s how they harmed Yanyan.” Ming Qin murmured softly, her head tilted. The warm breath from her lips faintly brushed against Murong Yan’s lower abdomen, causing the woman’s body to tremble lightly beneath her skirt.

            

“Yes, Ah Qin.”

Murong Yan’s smile, a sweet expression, seemed to coexist with dangerous thorns, causing anyone who touched it to draw blood. “Do they deserve to be punished?”

“They deserve it. All who harmed Yanyan deserve to be punished.” A hidden killing intent surged.

            

The black-clad Ming Qin was like a wild beast slumbering lightly at the hem of a queen’s skirt, every inch of her muscle quietly concealing a power that could erupt at any moment. The instant it opened its eyes, it could make everyone in the vicinity tremble.

As if knowing she herself was the chain that restrained this great beast, Murong Yan showed no fear on her face; on the contrary, her smile deepened. “Then, Ah Qin, will you help Yanyan punish them?”

Ming Qin raised her head, her pupils suddenly dilating like a black panther locking onto its prey. Blood rushed to her limbs in an instant, as if she were already preparing to violently tear open the other’s fragile throat, chew their bones to pieces, and swallow them down.

            

“Of course.”

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“Wine! This Young Master wants wine! I want to go to the brothel!” the lavishly-dressed man sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain and roaring at the guard​³ riding alongside.

The green-clad, saber-wearing guard placated him, “Second Young Master, the snow here is quite thick. We were already delayed in the last town. We need to hurry now to reach the next resting spot​⁴ before dark.”

            

Seemingly afraid his own willful young master would cause a scene, the guard added in a low voice, “If we don’t get there quickly, there will be many wild wolves here once the sun goes down.”

Only after hearing this did a hint of fear appear on the lavishly-dressed man’s arrogant face. He mumbled, “If only we’d brought that good-looking girl from before.”

The guard heard this and also nodded, saying, “That girl from before was indeed a rare beauty.”

            

“It’s rare to see a girl so willful and domineering after meeting this Young Master. I really want to see if she can still be so feisty after witnessing this Young Master’s heroic bearing.” The look of unfulfilled desire in the lavishly-dressed man’s eyes was completely unconcealed. He looked at the guard beside him. “If this Young Master has his fun to his heart’s content, I can even let you all have a taste.”

The man in green did not reply. He had a wife and child at home, had no interest in the matter of stealing fragrance and snatching jade​⁵, and was even more disgusted by taking things by force.

He was simply following orders to accompany this playful young sir. No matter how absurd he felt his actions were, he could only close his eyes and plug his ears.

            

They continued until the sun began to set. The lavishly-dressed man sighed, “Ai​⁶, boring! So boring.” Then he rubbed his rear and complained angrily, “Are we there yet? Why is the carriage so bumpy today? It’s making me anxious.”

As if in response to his words, several rivets in the wheel axle fell out simultaneously. The huge carriage body overturned to the left, the harness securing the horses suddenly snapped, and the entire carriage tumbled down a steep slope, rolling over and over.

“Ah! Ah!…”

            

The lavishly-dressed man tumbled around inside the carriage for a few turns until the carriage stopped by slamming into a tree. His head was knocked dizzy, and he yelled, “It hurts! Wah! Quick… quickly get this Young Master out! This Young Master’s leg is broken… It hurts so much! Wah…”

In a flurry of panic, several guards quickly reined in their horses and hurried down the slope through the snow, frantically surrounding the door of the crookedly overturned carriage.

“Second Young Master, the door won’t open!” one of the guards said, having found the handle and pulling with all his might. The others saw this and immediately went to help, but unfortunately, the door was as if glued shut, not budging an inch.

            

“Young Master! Try pushing from the inside!” the green-clad guard suggested.

“My leg is f#cking broken! And you want me to use my strength?” A squeal like a stuck pig and a stream of curses came from inside the carriage. “I’ve really raised a bunch of rice buckets!​⁷ Useless trash! Get me out of here!”

Several guards thought of using their swords to hack open the wooden door, but to their surprise, when they drew their swords, aside from the hilt, the entire scabbard was empty. The sharp blades that had been inside had all grown wings and flown away​⁸.

            

Just as the men were busy searching the chilly forest for something to replace their blades, the sky had quietly darkened, and from not far away, the howl of a wolf was heard.

The first howl, the second, the third, and then they rose and fell one after another.

The horses stamped their hooves nervously, their heavy breaths exuding fear.

            

The man in the carriage was completely unaware, still screaming curses about his guards’ incompetence.

Outside the carriage, the men looked at each other in dismay, listening to the filth being spewed from within the carriage and the roars of the beasts approaching from the distance.

When the first man turned, walked back up the slope, mounted his horse, and galloped away, the rest followed without another moment’s hesitation.

            

In the forest, aside from the snowflakes falling one by one, all that remained was an overturned carriage and the curses of the oblivious man inside.

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LP: Re-translated on July 08, 2025

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