The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 71

by Little Panda

Shijie Arc, Chapter One

I’m not a little kid, I’m Ming Qin (First Entry into the Shadow Guard Camp)

It all started with a bottle of wine and an overabundance of sympathy.

If she hadn’t seen a helpless kitten meowing on the road, if she hadn’t just had a bit of wine that left her feeling tipsy and dizzy, twenty-five-year-old Song Shuqing wouldn’t have chosen to climb over the fence after her company’s party, rushing onto the asphalt road all by herself. Nor would she have frozen like a stone, unable to dodge in the face of a truck running a red light.

Even the little cat was more nimble than her. The moment it saw the approaching headlights, it leaped from the woman’s arms and, like a wisp of smoke¹, hid in the bushes.

Sure enough, people who manage too much idle business² never come to a good end…

Whatever, at least the cat is safe.

This was Song Shuqing’s final thought before she closed her eyes.

In the pitch-black darkness, Song Shuqing, who had just experienced such a horrific car crash, had assumed she would either wake up miraculously in a hospital bed or go to heaven and say hello to God.

But life is always full of surprises. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a crude wooden hut, surrounded by a dozen sleeping children covered in scars, clearly underage.

Just as she, shocked, was about to call child protective services to report someone for child abuse, she discovered that her fingers had suddenly become as short as a few chubby sausages.

No way.

No way, no way?

I just spent five hundred yuan on a manicure! How did it end up like this?

Like a child’s hands…

Song Shuqing scrambled to get up, but her limbs were weak, and she accidentally tumbled off the bed plank. Reaching up to touch her forehead, she realized she seemed to have a fever.

“Is anyone there? What kind of damn prank is this…”

Calling out with a hoarse voice, Song Shuqing struggled up from the floor, swaying on her feet. “Is anyone there?”

“Shh!” A tall boy sat up and shot her a fierce glare. “Be quiet. Are you trying to get us all denied a meal?”

“Ugh… so fierce.” Startled, Song Shuqing wanted to go see what was outside, but her body felt sore and weak. She crawled helplessly back onto the bed. “This must be a dream, it must be a dream…”

Muttering to herself as if in a trance, her head felt incredibly heavy, and she passed out again.

“Wake up! Wake up!”

Before the sky had lightened, a young boy with a braid shook the soundly sleeping Song Shuqing awake.

“…Let me sleep a little longer…” Turning over in pain, Song Shuqing swatted the boy’s hand away, mumbling.

Frowning, the person persisted. “Shimei! Wake up, quick! If you’re late, you’ll get the paddle³.”

Puzzled by the girl’s lack of response, he reached out and touched her forehead. Twelve-year-old Cao Yun was startled and shouted to a tall boy outside, “Da Linzi⁴, this is bad! Song-shimei has a fever!”

Fourteen-year-old Lin Yan walked in. Looking at the pale-faced girl, his expression was troubled. “Damn. Shifu isn’t here today. The one supervising our training is Qin-shibo⁵, and he’s the fiercest…”

“Then… what do we do?” Cao Yun pursed his lips, his expression worried.

“Anyway, let’s go first. We can’t be late ourselves…” Lin Yan decided helplessly, casting a sympathetic glance at the suffering Song Shuqing on the bed before gritting his teeth and leaving.

As the feverish Song Shuqing lay deliriously on the bed, she vaguely saw a stern man yelling at her. The next second, a rag was stuffed into her mouth, she was hauled up, and a bamboo cane struck her mercilessly and heavily on the calves.

The girl, not yet fully conscious, was jolted awake by the sudden pain. She immediately began to struggle, tears welling in her eyes as a muffled, pained groan escaped her throat.

“That’ll teach you to be late! That’ll teach you to be late!” The more the girl resisted, the harder Qin-shibo hit. “Just a bunch of orphans. You should be learning properly to earn your own keep. You can forget about eating today!”

Beaten nearly to the point of passing out, Song Shuqing was thrown into a narrow wooden hut filled with junk. The wretched girl felt hungry and pained all over, her mind as if frozen.

What the hell is this place?

Child abuse and no food.

It hurts so much… damn it. Don’t tell me I’ve transmigrated?

No way. I just got a promotion, I just moved out of that awful home… damn it…

She kept reminding herself that she was a mature adult with the mind of a twenty-five-year-old and couldn’t let a small thing like this make her cry. But lying on the ground, Song Shuqing still couldn’t stop the tears from tracing paths down her cheeks. The throbbing, stabbing pain from her calves, where her skin was splitting and her flesh was gaping, was becoming unbearable.

『Clatter』

A stacked wooden crate suddenly fell over, startling the inwardly chaotic Song Shuqing. “Shit…”

“It’s not a rat, is it?” she said in a hoarse voice, dragging her leg and squirming to back away.

Just then, illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window, a small, scrawny girl with messy hair peeked out from behind the crate. Holding a bundle of something, she deftly leaped over to Song Shuqing’s side in a few quick movements.

Seeing that it wasn’t a rat, Song Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief. She nonchalantly closed her eyes and remained on the floor, letting the strange little girl fuss with something beneath her.

Feeling a cool ointment being applied to her burning wounds, instantly suppressing the pain, a surprised Song Shuqing opened her eyes. She swallowed hard. “You’re just a kid. How do you have medicine…”

The little girl tilted her head and replied, “First place in training. A reward.”

“You’re giving such a precious reward to me? You don’t think it’s a waste?” Song Shuqing asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the expressionless child before her, whose body was also covered in bruises.

“Getting first is easy.” With a look of complete indifference, the little girl put away the ointment, then pulled a dry mantou⁶ from her robes and handed it to Song Shuqing. “Eat.”

Although the mantou didn’t look very appetizing, Song Shuqing, whose hungry intestines were rumbling, couldn’t afford to be picky. She took it and began to gnaw on it carefully.

Halfway through chewing, she looked at the little girl squatting beside her and asked, “Why are you taking such good care of me?”

“Ah Yun-xiong⁷ and Da Linzi told me to find you. Because I’m the best and won’t get caught,” the little girl said honestly, propping her chin on her hand.

“Really? The two boys who woke me up this morning?” Song Shuqing recalled as she swallowed the last bite of the bun. “So, little kid, do you know how to get out of here?”

“I’m not a little kid. I’m Ming Qin,” she said, introducing herself. The girl’s face was wooden, but she suddenly puffed out her chest proudly and gestured. “Shifu gave me my name.”

“Okay, okay, Ming Qin.” Not really paying attention to what the person in front of her was saying, Song Shuqing just placated her perfunctorily before asking again, “So, Ming Qin, do you know how to leave this place?”

The girl tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, after Qin-shibo has cooled down, he’ll let you out if he still remembers you.” Her tone was blunt as she nodded.

Trying her best to stay calm, Song Shuqing took a deep breath and mustered what little patience she had left. “I mean, how can I leave this godforsaken place… without being beaten and without participating in some bullshit training?”

“Just graduate.” Ming Qin looked as if it were a matter of course, holding up her fingers to count. “Graduate from Yelan Courtyard⁸, become a Shadow Guard directly under His Majesty, and you won’t be beaten anymore. You can also earn money, get your own room, and eat whatever you want…”

Song Shuqing’s eyes lit up when she heard this. “Then how do you graduate?”

“Just pass the training.” Ming Qin’s expression was still one of it being a matter of course. “If you don’t pass the training, you can’t graduate. You’ll be sent out. Maybe sold to a wealthy family as a maidservant, or if you’re better looking, you’ll be chosen for the brothel.”

“You’re so pretty, you’ll definitely be sent to the brothel first.” It seemed like a compliment, yet it didn’t. Seven-year-old Ming Qin spoke these unfunny words without a hint of hesitation.

Unable to process so much information at once, Song Shuqing’s mind just blanked. Staring at the girl with sparkling eyes, she felt like this kid was trying to piss her off to death.

(Only later, after getting to know Ming Qin, did Song Shuqing realize that this was just her straightforward shimei’s most sincere, malice-free response…)

After being locked up for three days and three nights, Song Shuqing, who had once been corporate livestock, finally resigned herself to the fact that she had transmigrated into the toughest Shadow Guard training camp.

In TV dramas, they at least transmigrate as a princess, or a young mistress⁹ of a great house, or at worst, the illegitimate daughter¹⁰ of some prince¹¹…

Why the hell did I have to be so miserable?!

She had originally thought that with her advanced 21st-century wisdom, she could easily pass through five gates and slay six generals¹². But she never expected that, having grown up in a civilized world, the moment a cold, gleaming blade was pointed at her nose, her legs would tremble in fear as she watched, wide-eyed, a lock of her hair get sliced off.

“Shijie, this won’t do! You have to dodge!”

Ming Qin looked at the shijie she was sparring with, her face full of confusion.

Ever since this shijie got a fever and was brutally beaten, her originally quiet personality had changed completely. She muttered things she couldn’t understand all day, and her martial arts, which were mediocre to begin with, had become abysmally poor. If she hadn’t pulled back her blade in time, she would have accidentally lopped the person’s head off.

“I… I… I want to dodge, but I’m scared…”

Her face scrunched up, Song Shuqing felt like she was about to cry, shaking her head. “When have I ever cut a person? I can’t even slice pork! I can’t do it, I just can’t…”

Ming Qin looked up at the girl five years her senior and scratched her head. She felt that even though Song Shuqing was much older, she looked utterly pathetic.

Hmm… I guess I’ll have to look after her more.

The little girl sheathed her sharp blade, stood clumsily on her tiptoes, and strained to pat Song Shuqing’s head, which was much higher than her own. She stammered out some comfort, “Oh… it’s okay… don’t be scared, okay? I definitely won’t cut you. We just need to practice more…”

And so, the two of them avoided everyone else’s eyes, with Ming Qin slowly teaching her shijie from the very beginning every night.

Staring at the blisters on her hands that kept breaking, healing, and breaking again, Song Shuqing would complain with teary eyes while a stone-faced Ming Qin applied her reward ointment for her.

“Hoo, hoo, it doesn’t hurt, Shijie, okay… it’ll be better after I put the medicine on.”

The seven-year-old girl puffed up her cheeks and blew gently on the wound, carefully dabbing the medicine.

Knowing her shijie hated dancing with blades and brandishing swords¹³ and getting stained with blood, the simple-minded Ming Qin used her excellent qinggong to steal a hidden weapon¹⁴ secret manual¹⁵ from the Shadow Guard Camp’s collection and quietly-meow-meow¹⁶ showed it to Song Shuqing.

“Once I learn it, I’ll teach you… That way, even if you don’t touch a blade, you can still defeat opponents from afar and pass the assessment!” Happily telling Song Shuqing her plan, Ming Qin put her words into action, studying the techniques every night and secretly teaching them to her shijie in the early morning.

As time passed, although she wasn’t heaven-defying¹⁷ like Ming Qin, Song Shuqing could at least hold her own when sparring with her peers and not be at a disadvantage. Occasionally, she could even rely on her wits to win by surprise attack.

Even so.

Song Shuqing still saw herself as just a passerby in this strange era.

She believed that no matter how long she stayed, she would never develop feelings for anything in this world strong enough to tie her down.

Perhaps on a night when thunder and rain intermingled, or at the moment a comet fell, she might just transmigrate back to her original world.

Therefore, Song Shuqing just watched everything around her with a cold eye, indifferently. Her only goal was to escape this hellish Yelan Courtyard.

In this way, three years of time passed in the blink of an eye and were gone.

“Hey? Da Linzi, where’s Qinqin?” Song Shuqing, having just finished her evening meal¹⁸, looked around and stopped Lin Yan in the corridor. “I just went to the training grounds, but I didn’t see Qinqin there either.”

“Sigh, don’t even ask.”

Lin Yan sighed, looking helpless. “Qinqin stole something, I don’t know what, seems like a martial arts manual. It was discovered yesterday. You have to understand, stealing is a huge taboo in the camp. Being expelled from the sect¹⁹ would be getting off easy…”

“Luckily, Shifu cherishes talent, so he just gave her a severe beating. I heard it was really bad, though. She’s probably still in solitary confinement²⁰ right now…”

Song Shuqing sucked in a sharp breath. Without another word to Lin Yan, she turned and rushed to the small wooden hut without looking back.

Frantically prying open the lock, a pale-faced Song Shuqing found Ming Qin, not yet ten years old, lying on the floor with her back covered in bloody whip marks, her breathing faint.

“Qinqin, you’re insane.”

Kneeling to check the girl’s injuries, Song Shuqing’s hands trembled with anxiety. “Why didn’t you tell Shifu and the Shibos you had a reason for stealing? You just let them beat you like that?”

Pale-faced, Ming Qin opened her eyes and managed a weak grin at the newcomer. “If I told them… Shijie would be punished too.”

“You’re so afraid of pain, you’d just end up crying again…”

Before she could finish, the little girl’s body felt unbearably tired, and she couldn’t help but pass out again.

“Qinqin… you!”

You’re a lunatic!

Damn it!

Recalling what she had learned in her medicine class, Song Shuqing searched the woods for familiar herbs.

Chewing the bitter leaves into a pulp and applying it to Ming Qin’s bleeding wounds, the usually somewhat cold-hearted woman felt a terrible ache in her heart.

It seemed she could no longer place herself outside the matter.

At least with this girl, it felt as if Song Shuqing had formed a bond deeper than blood, something so similar to familial love that she could no longer just stand by and watch.

“You arrogant little brat… you better stay alive!”

The author has something to say:

Hi everyone, long time no see, this is Forest Changchun~

•

There are a few things I’d like to explain to everyone.

First, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but yes, I’ve signed a contract (though it still doesn’t feel real to me).

One night, while I was busy moving and preparing for Christmas, I suddenly received the notification. My internal reaction was probably something like, 『Huh, now?』. I guess this is that magical law of ‘you can never find something when you’re desperately looking for it, but it will suddenly appear when you’re not looking for it’?

•

Regardless, after signing a contract, it’s more likely I’ll get on the rankings and have the opportunity for more people to see my story, which I’m truly happy about! Thank you to all the readers who have accompanied me on this journey. I’m incredibly grateful for every word of encouragement and every bottle of nutrient solution. And thank you to the mysterious person who recommended my story, you gave me more motivation~

Could I be the legendary nurturing-type author²¹? (laughs)

•

Second, the plan is to go VIP on Friday, so for those who have finished the main text, please be careful not to repurchase it! Of course, if you want to do a second read-through or just browse it occasionally, you are more than welcome (laughs). I did a rough calculation, and subscribing to the whole main text will be about four yuan (cheaper on the app, more expensive on the website). Everyone is welcome to sponsor my milk tea fund and warm up my winter~

•

Next is about the upcoming extras. Besides Shijie’s romance arc, there will be sweet daily life for the main CP, Hu’er’s perspective, and the fates of minor supporting characters (you might not be interested, but my brain has its own ideas, and I must write them), totaling about seventy thousand characters. Since the main text is now complete, I plan to update five days a week if possible, leaving some time to stockpile chapters for my next novel.

•

Finally, regarding this chapter, it’s the long-awaited Shijie! In this chapter, I quickly went over the childhood of a few characters in the Shadow Guard Camp and revealed the bond between Ming Qin and Song Shuqing, but that’s not the main point!

The main point is, we are now officially entering Shijie’s romance arc (throws confetti)! I’m really looking forward to everyone’s reactions, because I was grinning like a fool the entire time I was writing it.

•

The complexity of Song Shuqing’s character is no less than that of the two main protagonists. I hope that when you see Shijie being both cool and a little bit shameless in love, you’ll be able to feel her unique, subversive charm.

I’ll remind everyone again, the side CP is not shuangjie²². If you can’t accept that, are too serious, are rather strict, or dislike the huakui²³ setting, I suggest you don’t read it. If you do choose to continue, I hope you can be gentle. After all, in this world, there are many times when the body is not its own master²⁴, and Zi Yan is truly a pitiful person.

•

Although I say that, the tone of their story is a comedy (it’s hard for it not to be funny when Shijie is around), and it is without a doubt a sweet HE. And while Song Shuqing herself is very mischievous and likes to run a train in her mouth²⁵, she is also a very gentle source of redemption…

Ahem, I won’t say more. You’ll know once you read on!

•

Happy New Year to everyone~

I hope everything goes smoothly for all of you in the new year.

•

May all the beautiful things in the world happen to you, and may you also become a source of beauty for others.

•

As always, praying for you.

LP: Re-translated on October 02, 2025

Footnotes

Hanzi: 一溜烟. Pinyin: yīliùyān. Explanation: A common idiom meaning “to disappear in a flash.” The literal translation, “like a wisp of smoke,” is used here to preserve the original imagery.
Hanzi: 多管闲事. Pinyin: duōguǎnxiánshì. Explanation: A chengyu (idiom) meaning to meddle in others’ affairs or be a busybody.
Hanzi: 挨板子. Pinyin: āi bǎnzi. Explanation: Literally “to receive the plank/board.” A form of corporal punishment, common in historical Chinese settings, involving being struck with a flat wooden paddle, usually on the buttocks or legs.
Hanzi: 大林子. Pinyin: Dà Línzi. Explanation: A nickname for Lin Yan. ‘Da’ (大) means ‘big,’ and ‘Linzi’ is a diminutive form of his name, Lin. It’s a familiar way of addressing him.
Hanzi: 秦世伯. Pinyin: Qín Shìbó. Explanation: ‘Qin’ is the surname. ‘Shibo’ (世伯) is a respectful form of address for a senior male of one’s father’s generation, or in this context, a Senior Martial Uncle, a senior instructor in the same sect as one’s master.
Hanzi: 馒头. Pinyin: mántou. Explanation: A basic, staple food in Northern China. It’s a plain, mantou made from wheat flour, water, and leavening agents, without any filling.
Hanzi: 阿云兄. Pinyin: Ā Yún xiōng. Explanation: A familiar form of address for Cao Yun. ‘Ah’ (阿) is a common prefix for names, and ‘xiong’ (兄) means ‘elder brother,’ used here as a term of respect among peers.
Hanzi: 夜岚庭. Pinyin: Yè Lán Tíng. Explanation: The name of the training camp. It means “Night” (夜), “Mountain Mist” (岚), and “Courtyard/Pavilion” (庭).
Hanzi: 大小姐. Pinyin: dàxiǎojiě. Explanation: Literally “big young sister.” The title for the eldest daughter of a noble or wealthy family, equivalent to “Young Mistress” or “Lady.”
Hanzi: 庶女. Pinyin: shùnǚ. Explanation: The daughter of a concubine or a wife other than the primary, legal wife. They typically had a lower social status than the legitimate children (嫡女, dínǚ).
Hanzi: 王爷. Pinyin: wángyé. Explanation: A title for a prince or a king of a vassal state in imperial China. It denotes high nobility, usually a male member of the emperor’s family.
Hanzi: 过五关斩六将. Pinyin: guò wǔ guān zhǎn liù jiàng. Explanation: A famous idiom originating from the classic novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. It refers to the story of the general Guan Yu overcoming numerous obstacles to escort his sworn brother’s family to safety. It now means to overcome a series of difficulties.
Hanzi: 舞刀弄剑. Pinyin: wǔdāonòngjiàn. Explanation: A chengyu (idiom) that literally means “to dance with blades and play with swords.” It refers to wielding weapons or practicing martial arts.
Hanzi: 暗器. Pinyin: ànqì. Explanation: Literally “dark weapon.” A category of concealable weapons used for stealth attacks or ranged combat, such as darts, needles, or throwing knives.
Hanzi: 秘笈. Pinyin: mìjí. Explanation: A book or scroll containing secret knowledge, usually about advanced martial arts techniques, cultivation methods, or alchemy formulas.
Hanzi: 悄咪咪. Pinyin: qiāomīmī. Explanation: An internet slang term meaning to do something secretly, quietly, or stealthily. It’s a cuter, more playful version of ‘悄悄’ (qiāoqiāo – quietly).
Hanzi: 逆天. Pinyin: nìtiān. Explanation: A common term in web novels meaning to go against the will of heaven. It describes something or someone so powerful, talented, or lucky that they defy the natural order.
Hanzi: 晚膳. Pinyin: wǎnshàn. Explanation: A somewhat formal or traditional term for dinner or the evening meal, often used in historical contexts.
Hanzi: 逐出师门. Pinyin: zhú chū shīmén. Explanation: A severe punishment in a martial arts school or sect, where a disciple is formally cast out and disowned by their master and community.
Hanzi: 关紧闭. Pinyin: guān jìn bì. Explanation: A form of punishment where a person is locked up alone in a small, often dark, room for a period of time.
Hanzi: 养成系. Pinyin: yǎngchéng xì. Explanation: A term originating from idol culture, meaning “nurturing type” or “raising simulation type.” It refers to idols (or in this case, an author) who are supported by fans from the early stages of their career, with the fans feeling a sense of participation and pride in their growth and success.
Hanzi: 双洁. Pinyin: shuāngjié. Explanation: Literally “double purity” or “double clean.” A popular tag or trope in Chinese web novels indicating that both partners in a romantic relationship are virgins and have never been in love with anyone else before.
Hanzi: 花魁. Pinyin: huākuí. Explanation: Literally “flower queen.” A historical title for the most talented and celebrated courtesan in a pleasure district.
Hanzi: 身不由己. Pinyin: shēnbùyóujǐ. Explanation: A chengyu (idiom) meaning one has no control over one’s own actions; forced to do something against one’s will due to circumstances.
Hanzi: 满嘴跑火车. Pinyin: mǎnzuǐpǎohuǒchē. Explanation: A common idiom meaning to talk nonsense, brag, or make things up. The literal translation, “to run a train in one’s mouth,” is preserved to capture the original imagery.

Footnotes

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