The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 37
by Little PandaEven a Big Tiger Can’t Beat Me (Pet Acquired)
After covering the horse with a cloth and checking the fire, Ming Qin spread a blanket over the wooden board that bridged the two seats, preparing to sleep.
She pressed herself neatly against the carriage door, blocking the faint cold draft that seeped in from outside, then pulled the woman wrapped in the fox-fur cloak close and blew out the oil lamp.
Murong Yan’s throat felt a little itchy. With one hand gripping the chain and the other slipping inside the thin garment of the person before her to press against her warm back, she curled up and buried her head against Ming Qin’s chest, trying to suppress the urge to cough.
Whether it was because of the tender intimacy from earlier, Murong Yan felt incredibly drowsy. For once, she fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
The next morning, she was roused by a flurry of movement beside her. The clink of the chain striking the bed boards slowly pulled Murong Yan, whose head was slightly aching, back to consciousness.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Ming Qin staring at her with a deeply worried expression. One hand was cupping her face, while the other was stained with blood. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were watery. “You’re hurt! Does it hurt?”
Murong Yan was confused for a moment. She looked down at herself, then understood. A little exasperated and a little amused, she said, “Ah Qin, I’m fine. It’s just my menstruation.”
“Menstruation?” The Shadow Guard looked puzzled at first, then something clicked and her expression cleared. “Oh! So it’s not an injury.”
“Just give me some monthly cloth1, Ah Qin.” Pushing herself up, she felt the warmth between her legs. Somewhat baffled by the other’s reaction, she asked, “Has Ah Qin… never had her period before?”
Ming Qin shook her head. “None of the Shadow Guards have periods.”
“None of you?” the woman asked in surprise, pressing a hand to her slightly swollen, aching lower belly. “Every single one?”
“Yes. All the girls who graduate from Yelan Court have to take medicine for three years. After that, they never get their period again.” Ming Qin said as she rummaged through the bundle. “I graduated early, so I’ve never had one even once.”
“This…” Murong Yan didn’t quite know how to react. She knew the Shadow Guard training was harsh, but she had never imagined it would also involve forced sterilization.
“Ah Yun-ge didn’t prepare any,” Ming Qin said after searching for a long time without finding anything. She pulled out her dagger from her bosom. “Can I use my clothes?”
Cao Yun, who had grown up in the Shadow Guard Camp, no matter how meticulous he was, had never thought to account for a woman’s menstruation.
Murong Yan nodded at Ming Qin, watching as the other woman pulled out a piece of clothing from the bundle and began cutting it with practiced ease. She couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t the people in the Shadow Guard Camp want children?”
“Shadow Guards don’t live very long, so no one really thinks about it. Besides, most of the people who end up at Yelan Court have no other options and no home to go back to. Naturally, there’s no pressure to carry on the family line.”
Ming Qin kept working as she answered. “Master and Shiniang were incredibly lucky to have each other. I don’t think they ever considered the issue of children either.”
Murong Yan’s mouth felt dry. She gently touched her own lower belly and asked in a low voice, “What about Ah Qin? Would Ah Qin want to have children?”
For some reason, she was a little afraid to hear the answer.
Ming Qin looked up and thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
The woman’s tightly pressed lips relaxed slightly. “Oh? Why not?” she asked, forcing her tone to remain as calm as usual.
“I’ve thought about it before. If I really do get to retire with a pension, I’d open a tea shop with my senior siblings. And once that’s settled, I want to travel the world and eat all the delicious food there is!”
Just thinking about it made Ming Qin laugh out loud. Then, with a look of distaste, she added, “If I had a little kid tagging along, it’d be impossible to roam freely. I’d be running around in a daze every single day. When would I have time to have fun?”
She paused, then asked in return, “What about you? Do you want children?”
“No. I don’t need them.” Murong Yan lowered her gaze, but her tone was firm. “I want to be just as free as Ah Qin. To let my hair down, walk barefoot, wander the mountains and forests, and roam the five great lakes2.”
In front of Ming Qin, her answers were always clear.
“Children… are a bit superfluous. Having one good person by my side is enough.” Murong Yan looked up, wanting to see the other’s reaction.
But the oblivious Ming Qin didn’t notice a thing. She just nodded, then handed the cut strips of cloth to her. “I’ll get some water for you to wash up with.”
She slipped out of the carriage in an instant, the iron chain clinking crisply.
Looking at the roughly made monthly cloth in her hands, Murong Yan felt a mix of exasperation and amusement at the Shadow Guard’s denseness and straightforwardness.
Oh well. This was exactly the kind of person Ah Qin was, and she loved her for it.
About half an hour later, they set off.
Fresh snow had fallen on the main road, making the wheels difficult to turn. Looking up, the sky was thankfully cloudless.
A cow-drawn cart approached from the opposite direction. The old man driving it waved, his missing teeth showing as he greeted Ming Qin.
“Miss, where are you headed?” the old man asked in a slightly hoarse voice, tugging at his slipping hood with concern.
“I’m heading north to go back to my hometown. I’m taking my elder sister there to recover from an illness,” Ming Qin said, using the story they had prepared beforehand, pulling up her collar to hide the iron chain around her neck.
As if on cue, a hacking cough came from inside the carriage.
The old man’s face showed worry. A boy of about ten poked his head out from behind the cow cart. “Good sister, don’t go any further! The forest up ahead isn’t safe.”
“That’s right, that’s right. There’s a big tiger on the mountain ahead. It’s eaten several people who went up to pick wild vegetables! We reported it to the authorities, but no one’s come to deal with it. You’re just two young ladies… it really isn’t a good idea.” The old man’s words were a bit lispy from his missing teeth, but his tone was full of concern.
“Thank you for your concern, Grandpa and little brother. But this road is the fastest way. We’ll be fine,” Ming Qin said reassuringly, offering them a smile.
Seeing that the young lady was insistent, the old man didn’t try to persuade her further. He just told her to take care and drove his cart away.
Once the ox cart was far off, Ming Qin turned and lifted the cloth curtain covering the small window behind her. Afraid the woman inside might be worried, she said earnestly, “Don’t worry. Even a big tiger can’t beat me.”
Murong Yan let out a soft laugh at the somewhat childish Shadow Guard. “I was never worried that Ah Qin couldn’t beat a big tiger.”
Thinking the woman didn’t believe her, Ming Qin grew a little flustered. “It’s true! I’m really strong. If you like, I can catch one and let you play with it.”
Murong Yan struggled to hold back her laughter. Taking a deep breath to steady her voice, she said, “Then I look forward to the day I see Ah Qin playing with a tiger.”
Through the carriage door, she gave a gentle tug on the chain, as if to soothe her.
Only then did Ming Qin turn back and continue driving.
They were getting closer and closer to the Northern Borders. At their current pace, it was only about seven days’ travel to the county town Cao Yun had specified.
Under the setting sun, the rare cloudless sky was splashed with a wash of pink, stretching all the way to the distant mountain peaks. It was a beautiful sight.
But before she could enjoy it, the hand holding the whip suddenly paused. With her extraordinary eyesight, Ming Qin spotted a patch of filth deep in the forest.
She couldn’t be wrong. That had to be a tiger’s mark.
The usually docile horse began to snort anxiously, its steady gait faltering.
I need to find a place to camp before sunset, Ming Qin thought as she soothed the horse.
She pulled the carriage to a stop beneath a small hill not far from the main road, tethered the horse, and quickly used her dagger to carve out several wooden stakes. She set them up discreetly around the carriage, built a large fire, and watched the movements in the forest with alert eyes.
“Ah Qin?”
Feeling the tug on her neck, Ming Qin turned to look at Murong Yan, who had lifted the curtain.
“Don’t worry. We’re downwind,” Ming Qin said, opening the carriage door and lifting the pale-faced Murong Yan, who had been cooped up inside all day, out onto a stool.
She reached out with her warm hand and gently rubbed Murong Yan’s slightly swollen lower belly. “Does your stomach still hurt?” she asked with concern.
She had heard many of her senior and junior martial sisters talk about how miserable menstruation could be.
“I’m fine.”
Feeling the ache in her lower back and the slight pressure of Ming Qin’s hand on her stomach, Murong Yan smiled to reassure the worried-looking woman, then couldn’t help but cough a few times.
Frowning, Ming Qin stoked the campfire to make it burn brighter, hoping to warm the woman whose hands and feet were always cold.
A blazing, bright fire could drive away beasts that instinctively avoided danger.
Unfortunately.
It couldn’t stop men with ill intentions.
The next morning, Ming Qin went alone to the nearly frozen river.
The bank was slippery and treacherous, the small pebbles sharp. Ming Qin’s hands were frozen red as she soaked them in the water.
She had to hurry back, since she had no choice but to leave Murong Yan alone to come to the stream and wash the monthly cloth, she thought.
Just as she was wringing out the wet cloth and getting ready to leave, a sudden chill ran down her spine, a primal instinct.
At this moment, she was not alone.
Or rather, it was one person and one beast.
Ming Qin slowly turned around, meeting a pair of bright yellow eyes deep in the thicket.
A massive body, thick orange fur crisscrossed with black stripes. White fangs gleamed ominously with every low growl. With each step, its shoulder blades moved, making the stripes all over its body dizzying to look at. Its huge paws left prints in the snow-covered ground.
Slowly, with the posture of a hunter, it emerged from the woods and walked toward Ming Qin.
“Good boy, you shouldn’t have come here.” Ming Qin still stood with her back straight, showing no fear, only a slightly troubled frown.
The tiger kept its eyes fixed on her, its thick tail swishing through the low bushes with a rustling sound.
“Ah, I need to get back soon,” Ming Qin muttered to herself, placing the things in her hands on a flat rock. “Could it be that it was attracted by the smell of blood?”
The beast was about five zhang away from her. Its powerful muscles tensed into a crouch, a low, threatening rumble coming from its throat. It was like a drawn bowstring, ready to spring.
Seeing this, Ming Qin didn’t hesitate. She drew the long sword from her waist. The tiger, seemingly startled by the light reflecting off the blade, lunged at her in an instant.
The swordswoman dodged the beast’s attack, sending a splash of water up from the riverbank.
The orange figure spun around, opening its massive, fang-filled maw to bite Ming Qin. But it hadn’t expected the woman to leap onto its back in one bound. She grabbed the thick fur at its nape and raised her sword to strike.
The enraged tiger, panting heavily, thrashed wildly, even trying to slam its back against a nearby tree trunk. This unexpected ferocity forced Ming Qin to let go. As she was thrown off, the long sword slipped from her grasp.
“Ah, damn it…”
Ming Qin wasn’t concerned about losing her weapon. But as she landed, she nearly stepped on the things she had placed on the rock, forcing her to twist her body in midair.
Unfortunately, she slipped on the icy, muddy ground and fell.
Seeing the woman on the ground, the tiger slammed its claws onto Ming Qin’s chest and lunged without hesitation, aiming to crush the fragile human neck with its bite.
Calmly, Ming Qin reached up and used the webbing of her left hand to firmly brace against the tiger’s rough-whiskered chin, stopping the beast’s vicious attack.
She could feel its hot breath hitting her face from above. The disparity in size and the clearly disadvantageous position made it a struggle. Blood was gushing from the wounds where the claws were embedded in her chest. Her free right hand groped downward.
Foul-smelling drool dripped onto the woman’s expressionless cheek. Just as the ferocious beast was about to succeed, its body suddenly stiffened and collapsed limply.
Ming Qin’s right hand held the sharp dagger, buried deep in the tiger’s fur. Her wrist twisted mercilessly, then she cut straight down along its neck.
Nearly half the tiger’s head was severed from its neck.
Blood splattered onto the woman’s body. The large swaths of red made it impossible to tell which blood belonged to whom.
The white ground was left with a striking stain, but Ming Qin just wiped her face casually, unconcerned.
She pushed the corpse lying on top of her aside. The massive tiger lay there on the riverbank. Ming Qin grabbed a handful of clean snow and tried to clean the grime off herself, to look less terrifying.
As she crouched by the river, washing the blood from her hands, a rustling sound came from the bushes. Ming Qin turned her head and saw a soft, fluffy ball roll out.
“So… it was because she had a cub.”
Ming Qin saw a tiger cub whose head was smaller than her palm. It was probably still nursing, letting out high-pitched squeaks as it stumbled toward its mother’s body lying on the ground.
She must have triggered the beast’s fierce maternal instinct by accidentally wandering in, which was why it had attacked.
“But even if I knew you had a cub, if we met, I would still have to kill you.” Thinking of the other villagers who had been attacked, Ming Qin didn’t regret her decision.
But looking at the little creature huddled beside its mother, she who had struck so mercilessly suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She picked up her things and prepared to leave. But she looked back at the cooling corpse and the shivering little ball of fluff. In this desolate forest, her steps hesitated.
“Forget it…”
She dropped her shoulders in resignation. “…You can just be a proper hand warmer for the Commandery Princess.”
Then she grabbed the cub, which was swinging its paws and trying to look fierce, by the scruff of its neck.
“Stop moving!”
Looking at the restless little thing in her hand, she lifted it to eye level, just like when she disciplined her junior martial brothers. Staring into the cub’s round, gray eyes, she said calmly, “When you see the Commandery Princess later, you have to behave, understand?”
Whether it was the beast’s instinct to fear the strong, or the killing intent Ming Qin had unconsciously released after the fight, the struggling little tiger actually calmed down. It stared at the woman and drooped its fluffy head.
“Good.”
Seeing that the little beast was obediently listening to her, Ming Qin nodded in satisfaction. Then she tucked it into her bosom and strode back toward the carriage.
Faintly, she heard the sound of strangers’ voices coming from where the carriage was parked. The clamor of men shouting was especially jarring to Ming Qin’s keen ears.
Her heart sank. Her face turned ashen. She quickened her pace, her light figure leaving no trace in the snow.
She’s a bad guard. Keeps leaving her charge alone in the middle of nowhere and keeps randomly getting herself injured (thus reducing her effectiveness as a guard).
The poor cub tiger 😭😭
The poor cub tiger 😭😭
No! I can’t believe I caught up already!
No! I can’t believe I caught up already!