A pair for a lifetime (being flirted with)
In the past few days while in the wild, Ming Qin always left the space inside the carriage exclusively for Murong Yan, wrapping herself in a blanket to sleep alongside the horses.
More precisely, Ming Qin has never slept on a bed plank when on a mission.
Even on guard missions, she would rest for a while atop beams or roof tiles, while always keeping a fraction of her awareness on the surroundings for any slight movements.
However, tonight there was rain drizzling outside, so Ming Qin originally planned to sit and rest in the corridor while keeping watch overnight.
“This… isn’t quite right,” Ming Qin said, looking at the bed which could indeed fit two people, still feeling a bit uneasy as she scratched her head, “It just seems to go against the rules.”
Murong Yan’s eyes shone brightly in the darkness, her hand tightly clutching Ming Qin’s sleeve, yet her tone was gentle as she spoke, “There have never been rules between you and I, Ah Qin.”
Ming Qin misunderstood this to mean that Murong Yan disapproved of her lack of discipline as a shadow guard to the princess and, feeling somewhat guilty, said, “I have failed you, I will be more disciplined from now on.”
Seeing the person in front of her foolishly apologizing, Murong Yan couldn’t help but switch tactics, saying, “Ah Qin, I get a bit scared alone.”
Hearing this, Ming Qin patted her chest, promising earnestly, “You don’t need to be scared, I’ll stand guard outside and won’t sleep. If any bad person comes, I’ll be the first to drive them away! You can rest easy.”
“But it’s my first time staying in this inn, and I feel a bit uneasy all by myself,” Murong Yan said with eyes that looked moist in the darkness, her somewhat cold hand holding Ming Qin’s arm as she whispered, “Would it be alright for you to stay by my side and keep me company?”
Ming Qin had never turned down this woman who spoke in such a soft voice, and even though she felt something was off, she still agreed.
She moved the brazier (heater) closer to Murong Yan, checked the bolt by the window to ensure it was locked, and then lay down obediently on the bed closer to the door, fully clothed.
The woman on the bed turned over, facing Ming Qin’s direction. Lying on her side, she whispered softly, “Ah Qin, I’m cold.”
“But this brazier is already burning too fiercely, adding more coal wouldn’t be good,” Ming Qin responded, turning to face Murong Yan and explaining in a low voice, careful not to upset her.
“I want a hug,” Murong Yan said, extending her arms out of the blanket towards Ming Qin, her eyes hidden in the darkness, conveying a longing and dependency.
Ming Qin moved closer, her one hand allowing Murong Yan to rest her head on it while the other was gently placed on her back.
“Sleep,” Ming Qin said softly.
The gentle breath of the woman tickled the skin on her neck.
The next second, a familiar silk-like softness appeared at her lips as Murong Yan slightly tilted her head, her breathing a bit labored as she pressed against her.
Ming Qin considerately bent down, so the woman in her arms wouldn’t have to strain herself, deepening the light kiss into a lingering one.
Murong Yan placed one hand on the throat of the person in front of her and climbed the other onto her back.
The temperature difference was noticeable even between their lips, as they clung together as if exchanging something.
Desperately seeking a more scorching warmth from the heat source within her embrace, when Murong Yan finally obtained the desired warmth of the spring waters, she savored it, allowing the heat to build up in her mouth, and only when she couldn’t bear it, did she devoutly swallow it down bit by bit.
The warmth seemed to spread to every limb and bone, her fingers gripping Ming Qin’s clothing tightly as if stimulated.
After a long time, so long that it seemed her body too had become a warm spring, Murong Yan reluctantly parted, panting breath by breath.
Ming Qin pressed her lips against the woman’s forehead, which was slightly sweaty and a bit salty. With a muffled voice, she helplessly said, “Now you’ve become too hot.”
“Not at all,” Murong Yan replied with a laugh, savoring the sweetness in her mouth.
“This is just right.”
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The following day.
The winter sun rose slowly, and without waiting for daylight, Ming Qin got up to wash and rinse.
The woman in the bed was still fast asleep, worn out from the recent exhausting days. Ming Qin, treading quietly like a cat, prepared clothes for Murong Yan before going downstairs to ask the inn employee for recommendations on nearby decent restaurants.
Not willing to wake her resting companion too early, Ming Qin waited until the sky was fully bright before she went back upstairs into the room. By then, Murong Yan had already dressed, looking refreshed and clear-headed.
Kneeling at the foot of the bed, Ming Qin carefully adjusted the straps on the prosthetic limb, while reporting to her companion, “I’ve just learned from a guy that there’s a morning market next door. There’s a stall there selling sesame pancakes that are quite good. How about you wait here while I go and buy some for you?”
After hearing this, Murong Yan shook her head and said, “I’ll go with you.”
“But…” Ming Qin hesitated, concerned that even though it was not far, the trip might be too taxing for Murong Yan.
“I can manage. Ah Qin, let me try, alright?” The woman’s expression was calm, yet her words carried a firm resolve.
“Okay.”
Seeing Murong Yan’s determination, Ming Qin nodded, “I’ll be right beside you. If it gets to be too much, just let me know.”
Carrying her if needed would be a piece of cake for her anyway.
Once she’d put on her robe, Ming Qin helped Murong Yan downstairs. Informing the innkeeper, they then slowly made their way towards the morning market.
Despite the journey being less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Murong Yan found it strenuous; her face turned pale, biting her lips tightly, causing Ming Qin, who was guarding her from behind, to feel her heart skip a beat.
As they almost reached the morning market’s gate, Murong Yan could no longer hold on and stopped, her body softened as she gasped for air, “Ah Qin, I can’t go on.”
Ming Qin quickly stepped forward to support her by the waist, holding her up.
“You’ve done great, Yanyan, you’ve walked a long way.”
Ming Qin’s voice was soothingly coaxing her, afraid that she would be discouraged, she added, “Yanyan is a good girl, speak up when you can’t take it anymore. We’ll take our time, no rush.”
Pulling aside her cloak, Ming Qin half-hid Murong Yan in her embrace as they slowly made their way toward the morning market. Worried that Murong Yan couldn’t handle the bustling crowd, she placed her on a bamboo bench not far from the entrance, where fewer people passed by. Only then did Ming Qin bounce excitedly into the market.
Resting her chin on her hands, Murong Yan watched Ming Qin with a look that seemed to want to buy everything in sight, a spender’s zeal that almost made her laugh. But suddenly, her view was blocked by the figures of several men.
“Beautiful girl, sitting here all by yourself, who are you waiting for?”
The leader among them, a man dressed in fine clothes, looked at the unveiled Murong Yan with a provocatively light smile, “Could it be that you’re waiting here for your right man? Perhaps it’s this young master, no?”
The men following him heard this and burst into raucous laughter, whistling loudly.
Murong Yan wasn’t angry, just a bit annoyed.
She tried to get up to leave, but her weak legs were still slightly trembling. Not wanting to cause a commotion, she patiently said, “This Palace… this young lady is indeed waiting for someone dear to her heart, and fortunately, that person is not you.”
The men, seeing a woman dressed like a commoner dared to talk back, got even more excited. “Oh! The lady sure has a sharp tongue. A beauty like you is too good for any ordinary man.” The leader adjusted his collar confidently and declared, “You need a real man like me to keep you company.”
An armed guard at the waist of the finely dressed man, seemingly familiar with the drill, chimed in to tout his master, “This young master here is the second son of the current Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, know that? If you become his concubine, it would be like a sparrow turning into a phoenix.”
The Ministry of Civil Affairs? Isn’t that the most corrupt group?
Under the Crown Prince’s manipulation, the entire bureaucratic system of civil officials’ appointments, removals, promotions, and transfers was in disarray, with corruption rotting it to the core—a department that made a mess of the court like chickens flying and dogs jumping.
And the second son of the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was especially notorious, a well-known profligate son who bullied the common people and forcibly seized peasant girls, nothing but a tyrant clad in the skin of officialdom.
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Thinking this, Murong Yan’s voice sank with displeasure, “A good bird chooses a tree to nest in. Moreover, this young lady longs only for a lifetime with a sole partner. I have never once thought of being a concubine in my life; I’m afraid this withered branch will have to seek someone else.”
“You!”
The finely dressed man was taken aback, only then realizing that this commoner woman had likened him to a withered branch, and was so shocked that he was at a loss for words.
“But, there is one thing you did get right,”
Murong Yan looked at the man before her with a disdainful gaze, sneering coldly at his attempt to show off his finery as if desperate to proclaim to the whole world his status as a young master, “Indeed, no man in this world is worthy of me. Even if it were your father, it would be the same.”
The man, out of sheer anger and embarrassed rage, his face turning red, shouted, “What a brazen woman! I’d like to see if you can still bark so arrogantly when you’re beneath me, in my bed!”
Murong Yan was extremely irritated by the man’s vulgar roars, gathering her energy to stand up and leave.
Seeing her attempt to walk away, the man reached out to grab the collar of Murong Yan’s clothing.
Unexpectedly, in a flash, his hand was struck down by another woman who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
She was tall and held two sesame seed cakes in her hand, with a smile on her face.
Yet her eyes flashed with a fierce light that was level and piercing, causing the man to feel a chill.
“Might I ask what business you have with my young lady?” Ming Qin spoke up, stepping forward to shield Murong Yan behind her.
“It hurts like hell!”
The finely dressed man suddenly shook his hand, wailing loudly and making a scene.
“How dare you hit me, the young master?! Guards!” The several sword-wielding guards by his side closed in, menacingly drawing their long swords, displaying their arrogance.
“Pain?”
Ming Qin didn’t feel the tension of the situation; she was merely puzzled, tilting her head slightly and clenching her hand. She believed she hadn’t hit him hard, it was just a light tap, nothing more.
“How will you apologize to me, the young master, now!” the finely dressed man roared, veins popping out on his neck.
Behind her, Murong Yan, with furrowed brows, was about to speak but was stopped by Ming Qin raising her hand.
Handing the sesame seed cakes to Murong Yan, Ming Qin smiled reassuringly and then whispered softly, “Don’t make a sound. It is absolutely essential that no one notices you again.”
Turning around, Ming Qin’s smile disappeared, and she faced the group of men with a serious expression, shouting, “If that is the case, an eye for an eye – I shall let the young master strike me with a punch.”
The finely dressed man was surprised by the woman’s suggestion, his eyes widening, and then he became somewhat excited, saying, “Remember, it was you who said this!”
He looked at Ming Qin, who appeared plain and dressed in shabby clothing, without a trace of pity or tenderness for her femininity.
The man licked his lips and stepped forward, rotating his wrists. Seeing the woman’s unbothered demeanor, his irritation grew. He yelled, “Make sure you don’t dodge!”
“You may strike. I will not dodge,” Ming Qin said nonchalantly, standing with her legs slightly apart and arms crossed over her chest.
“Good.”
The man clenched his fist, bent down to gather strength, and with a twist from his waist, he threw a punch that landed with a “thud” on Ming Qin’s face.
Although the hand that swung the fist felt as if it had hit a rock and was painfully aching, the man couldn’t help but feel a sense of triumph at the sight of the woman reeling backward from his heavy blow.
Ming Qin straightened up and calmly asked, “There, have you calmed your anger now?” all while appearing indifferent to her own swelling cheek.
“You… You’re not in pain?” The finely dressed man looked at her, somewhat alarmed, as she neither cried nor pleaded in a low voice.
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“No.” Ming Qin touched her cheek and replied flatly, “But indeed, you are stronger than I thought, certainly not a pushover.”
“You… are insane!” The finely dressed man, completely unable to comprehend the woman before him, gestured and hurried away with a group of equally shocked attendants.
Ming Qin was somewhat puzzled by their reaction but was also pleased by their departure.
She smiled, unaffected by the tugging of her swollen cheek, and turned to look at Murong Yan behind her, asking with concern, “Why don’t you try the sesame cakes and see if they’re good?”
Murong Yan, however, was just looking down.
“What’s wrong? Not to your taste? Shall I buy something else?”
Ming Qin squatted down, only to see that Murong Yan’s eyes were rimmed red, as if on the verge of tears. In that moment, fury surged in Ming Qin’s chest, and a murderous intent flashed in her eyes, “Don’t tell me, those men hurt you just now?”
She unsheathed her blade.
Silent, Murong Yan only spoke after a long while.
“You really are foolish.”
LP: Re-translated on February 10, 2024
the question is- did they have sex? the way the author wrote this, im confused.
the question is- did they have sex? the way the author wrote this, im confused.