The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 64
by Little PandaCannot hear, and also cannot see
When Ming Qin was rescued, just like a drowning person, and at the moment she felt she could finally take a big gasp of air, she instead felt that her own world was a little strange.
She opened her eyes, yet still could not see; listening carefully, inside her ears it was still silent.
Her body felt sluggish, as if covered by a layer of gauze, making everything seem so lonely and silent; she was still situated in darkness.
But…
She could still smell the rich scent of medicinal herbs around her, mixed with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, and the most important thing…
The scent of the peony flower.
“Yanyan…”
Ming Qin opened her mouth, her throat feeling as dry and raspy as if it had been ground by sandpaper; she swallowed her saliva with effort.
“Yanyan.”
She persisted in calling out, because of that omnipresent fragrance of the peony flower, Ming Qin was certain that Murong Yan was definitely by her side.
She strenuously wanted to sit up and grope around her, but discovered that the muscles all over her body were extremely stiff, and her limbs could not move, as if she were being bound.
This kind of ice-cold sensation seemed to be…
Is it chains?
“Ah Qin?”
Murong Yan, who was in the middle of changing her clothes, at the instant she heard the call, the sash1 in her hand that was not yet tied tightly slipped down; with her body half-exposed, she stumbled and staggered as she ran towards the bed, “Ah Qin, is that Ah Qin?”
“Yanyan, Yanyan, are you by my side?”
“Ah Qin, I am here.” Hearing the familiar human voice, Murong Yan was so excited she was about to shed tears, and joy surged wildly in her heart. “I am here, I am right here.”
She came before Ming Qin, who was struggling to get up, and wanted to reach out her hand to touch her. “Ah Qin, how do you feel?”
“Yanyan, where are you?”
“Yanyan, are you there?”
The person she clearly yearned for was right before her eyes, yet Ming Qin still mumbled and asked.
The surging inside Murong Yan’s heart stopped abruptly. She stood still, looking at Ming Qin’s jet-black yet completely lusterless pupils2, and her heart grew cold by an inch.
Ah Qin could not hear, and also could not see.
Although she was awake, had the senses that were taken away still not completely recovered?
Deserves to die.
The Crown Prince, that thing that deserves to die.
Her face was gloomy, and she only felt that it was difficult to breathe. At that time, she should have done it more ruthlessly, more tragically, that would have been right…
“Yanyan, you are there, right?”
Ming Qin, lying on the bed, took a deep breath, and then grinned and laughed, her voice weak. “There is Yanyan’s scent.”
Stunned for a moment, Murong Yan instantly forced herself to wave away the gloomy thoughts.
She hurriedly went forward and sat on the edge of the bed. Looking at the person lying on her back, she tucked her loose hair behind her ear, bent over, and lightly touched Ming Qin’s face.
“Ah Qin, I am here.”
Even though she knew the person before her could not hear her voice, she still repeated patiently, “I am here, Ah Qin, I am here.”
“It really is Yanyan, eh.”
Feeling the peony flower scent in her nasal cavity become richer and the warmth on her cheek, Ming Qin knew she had not guessed wrong, and her heart leaped for joy. “Yanyan, I have come back.”
All sorts of emotions accumulated in Murong Yan’s chest.
Ecstasy, surprise, pity, grief, sorrow—the chaotic emotions fermented and expanded in her heart.
Murong Yan uncontrollably bent over and hugged Ming Qin’s shoulder, her fingers firmly gripping her clothes, with so much force that her knuckles turned white.
She uncontrollably kissed the person beneath her frantically, as if to vent the swelling pain in her heart, wanting to make the two of them become one body, but the surging emotions were still torrential and could not be dispelled.
It clearly should have been joyous; clearly, seeing Ah Qin wake up should have been joyous…
Yet she felt her eye sockets turn sour and her nasal cavity turn astringent.
Unwilling to let the blind person see her shed tears, Murong Yan deeply buried her head in the hollow of Ming Qin’s neck, biting her lower lip tightly.
But even with such restraint, even with such forbearance, scalding tears still surged up from the depths of her heart, and, unstoppably, drop by drop, they burst from her eyes like a gushing spring.
Feeling the warm breath on her shoulder and her unlined garment being dampened, Ming Qin felt extremely distressed; unable to embrace Murong Yan, she could only comfort her in a low voice, “Yanyan, I have come back.”
“So, don’t cry anymore.”
But this gentle whisper was like a heavy hammer, prying and shattering the woman’s final forbearance and suppression, blow by blow.
The fragility that had always been buried in a gloomy corner of her heart seemed as if it could no longer be concealed, forcing the proud woman to have no choice but to lay everything she had previously hidden with all her might out in the open under the sunlight.
“…Ah Qin, I am begging you, don’t leave again. Ah Qin…”
“Anything is fine… no matter what the reason, be it for use or for pity… I am begging you, just stay by my side properly… don’t throw me away again…”
For the first time, the strong and self-controlled woman lost her voice and cried bitterly, in front of the hearing-impaired Ming Qin.
It was not a whimper like a muffled grunt, nor was it silent tears, but rather, she let her voice go, allowing everything that had been suppressed to burst its dikes, letting out her voice, roaring, and venting crazily.
As if she were a young child abandoned all alone by the world who had finally found someone she could rely on, Murong Yan opened up her wounds and revealed her weakness; every wail and every howl was telling of her own grievances and indignation…
…and also the torment of thinking of her beloved but being unable to see her, of reaching out no matter what yet being unable to grasp anything, a torment that pierced the heart and lungs.
Ming Qin beneath her clearly could not hear anything, yet it was as if she could feel her pain; tilting her head, she kissed her temple hair again and again, murmuring into her ear.
“Yanyan is so good.”
“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid.”
“I am here.”
Inexplicably, a drop of water slid from the Shadow Guard’s hollow eyes, the tear track intertwining on Ming Qin’s shoulder, which was already wet to a complete mess.
The woman lying prostrate on top of her was sobbing uncontrollably. The person beneath could feel the convulsions transmitting one by one from her abdomen. Ming Qin was vexed by her own powerlessness and could only twist her restrained wrists, groping for Murong Yan’s palm that was propped on the head of the bed, and grasped it tightly.
“Yanyan…”
Her thumb lightly rubbed the back of the woman’s soft hand, as if in comfort. Ming Qin patiently waited for the person on top of her to calm her emotions.
Not knowing how much time had passed, she felt Murong Yan’s breathing slowly calm down as she cried herself to sleep on her shoulder, as if a string had snapped. Ming Qin turned her palm over, their ten fingers interlocking tightly, and promised in a low, hoarse voice.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I will never let you cry again…”
The awakened Ming Qin’s whole body was no longer imprisoned.
But for some unknown reason, the iron lock on her right ankle was uniquely left behind. Although the extended chain was long enough for her to come and go within the room without hindrance, it was not enough for her to step out of the room’s door.
Ming Qin did not care at all; as long as it was Murong Yan’s decision, she had no complaints.
After groping her surroundings, she already recognized3 that she was in Changning Palace, in Murong Yan’s boudoir4. All the furnishings inside the room were consistent with how they were before she left. This also allowed Ming Qin, whose spatial memory was astonishing, to move about freely most of the time, even though her eyes could not see.
But she still relied on the scent of the peony flower beside her to distinguish things.
Perhaps it was because she had lost her other senses, or perhaps it was because the woman’s presence put her heart at ease, but Ming Qin had an extraordinary perceptive ability for Murong Yan’s scent.
When she felt a momentary cold wind from outside diluting the fragrance in the room, she would then know of the woman’s brief departure, and her heart could not help but feel a little downcast.
When she smelled the floral fragrance approaching again, Ming Qin would know that her beloved woman was nearby. Even when a strong scent rushed into her nasal cavity, she would consciously extend her hands to embrace the soft body that drew close to her.
Especially at night, Ming Qin would sniff the tips of the hair of the person in her arms, repeatedly reminding herself before sleeping peacefully of the fact that she was no longer submerged in darkness.
And as for now, when the originally pure peony flower scent was mixed with other miscellaneous smells—a thick scent of Chinese medicine and a musty smell that would not disperse from his body—Ming Qin then knew that the person by Murong Yan’s side, who was taking her pulse, was Wang Wei.
“Wang Wei, you are indeed so stinky.”
Although she could not see the person or hear the voice, Ming Qin still broke into a grin. “No wonder that little girl told me that no one is willing to go to your house.”
“Hmph, Shadow Guard Xiao Ming, you have no idea how stinky you were when you were unconscious.” Wang Wei took off the white cloth used for diagnosing the pulse, unwilling to admit defeat in the slightest as he said, “So stinky it could fumigate the heavens!”
“…Ah Qin is not stinky.”
Murong Yan, standing to the side, seemed to be truly and deeply afraid that the person who had lost her hearing would be saddened by these words. She bent over and lightly stroked Ming Qin’s face, lovingly kissing her forehead. “I have helped Ah Qin with a sponge bath every day; Ah Qin is not stinky.”
“Commandery Princess, Shadow Guard Xiao Ming can’t hear you anyway, why are you…” The completely tactless Wang Wei had not yet had time to finish speaking before he was kicked by Song Shuqing, who was beside him.
She rolled her eyes.
“You still dare to bicker with a patient? If you don’t know how to talk, then don’t talk.”
Song Shuqing interrupted his words before the Commandery Princess could chase the crazy old man out, and then asked with concern, “How is Qinqin’s condition? Is she alright?”
“Mm… there is still a little bit of poison in her body; we can only wait for it to be metabolized. There should be no problem.” Wang Wei pondered with a rare, serious expression, and then paused again. “As for the lost five senses, I’m afraid we can only let time slowly restore them.”
Looking at Murong Yan’s darkened expression, Wang Wei thought of Song Shuqing’s prior instructions and changed the subject. “However, since she has already recovered her sense of smell and touch, I feel there is still quite a good chance.”
Probably, I suppose.
With his hands on his hips, he heavily nodded, looking a bit cocky. “After all, she has my, a divine doctor’s, wonderful hands, and Shadow Guard Xiao Ming’s vitality is as tenacious as a xiaoqiang5 that can’t be beaten to death. The problem is not big.”
After hearing these words, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She solemnly bowed and cupped her hands6 towards Wang Wei to thank him, her posture even lower than it was at the time when she had Wang Wei diagnose and treat her.
On the way leaving Changning Palace and returning to the Imperial Academy of Medicine, Song Shuqing sighed and said, “Tell me the truth, how is Qinqin’s body really? Although I am not as formidable as you, I can also feel that Qinqin’s body is already severely depleted. What is your judgment?”
“Mm… it is true that Shadow Guard Xiao Ming’s vital energy7 is depleted.” Wang Wei cleared his throat. “But regarding the lost five senses, I am also not that pessimistic.”
“Although8 you instructed me before going to Changning Palace to speak on the positive side to the Commandery Princess, I was not completely lying just now.” The old man carried his medicine box and continued to speak. “These two matters—my wonderful hands as a divine doctor, and Shadow Guard Xiao Ming being as strong as a cockroach—are more real than real gold9.”
The chance of a full recovery still exists.
If she is lucky enough.
The author has something to say:
God’s perspective10: She will make a full recovery, don’t worry (originally I wanted to play with having the Commandery Princess sit on the can’t-see-can’t-hear Ming Qin’s body and do bad bad things herself, but this green-colored app can’t write it out, so I can only rely on imagination)
P.S. I’ve been moving house recently and have had less time to look at the computer. I suddenly woke up from a nap to find that many people have added this to their collections. Thank you to the people who recommended my story. How could there be such a good Christmas present? It made my strength triple while moving house~
LP: Re-translated on September 09, 2025
Damn, we lost a smut chapter!
Footnotes
- 衣帶 (yīdài): Literally “clothing belt.” It refers to the sash or belt used to fasten traditional Chinese clothing like robes.
- 雙瞳 (shuāngtóng): Literally “dual pupils.” It refers to the pupils of both eyes. In some historical or mythological contexts, it could refer to the rare condition of polycoria (having more than one pupil in one eye), which was sometimes seen as a sign of a sage or king.
- LP: The source text here reads ‘以然任認出’ (yǐ rán rèn rèn chū). This appears to be a typographical error for ‘已然認出’ (yǐrán rèn chū), which means “already recognized.” The text has been translated based on the likely intended meaning to maintain grammatical fluency.
- 閨房 (guīfáng): A lady’s private room or bedchamber; a boudoir. The term carries connotations of privacy, femininity, and seclusion for unmarried women in traditional Chinese society.
- 小強 (xiǎoqiáng): Literally “little strong.” It is a very common and somewhat affectionate slang term for a cockroach, popularized by a Stephen Chow movie. It is used to describe someone with tenacious vitality or resilience, who is hard to kill or defeat.
- 拱手 (gǒngshǒu): A traditional Chinese salute or gesture of respect, made by cupping one’s hands together in front of the chest. It is used in formal occasions, greetings, and expressions of gratitude or apology.
- 元氣 (yuánqì): A concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) referring to the fundamental, congenital energy or life force of a person. A deficiency in yuánqì (元氣空虛, yuánqì kōngxū) indicates a severe depletion of one’s constitutional strength and vitality.
- LP: The source text uses ‘随然’ (suí rán), which is a common typo for ‘雖然’ (suīrán), meaning “although.” The text has been translated based on the intended meaning to maintain grammatical fluency.
- 真金 (zhēnjīn): Literally “real gold.” It is often used in the idiom 真金不怕火煉 (zhēnjīn bùpà huǒliàn), meaning “real gold does not fear the test of fire,” to signify something that is genuine and can withstand scrutiny.
- 上帝視角 (Shàngdì shìjiǎo): Literally “God’s perspective” or “God’s point of view.” In the context of literature and storytelling, it refers to an omniscient narrative point of view, where the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters and future events.
Ah how cute, finally reunited for realsies. Very cute the pair of them. I suppose this means she won’t be as strong as she once was
Ah how cute, finally reunited for realsies. Very cute the pair of them. I suppose this means she won’t be as strong as she once was
Thank you for the chapter!! Huhuhu, finally! Im so happy and sad at the same time. But i hope our Ming Qin will recover faster and regain her senses!
Thank you for the chapter!! Huhuhu, finally! Im so happy and sad at the same time. But i hope our Ming Qin will recover faster and regain her senses!
With other novels, I’d probably be annoyed at this kind of suspension of disbelief the author is asking. This novel tho.. this one I don’t mind either way she recovers or not lol just as long as them two are finally together again
With other novels, I’d probably be annoyed at this kind of suspension of disbelief the author is asking. This novel tho.. this one I don’t mind either way she recovers or not lol just as long as them two are finally together again