The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 37

Even a big tiger couldn’t beat me (got myself a pet)

She draped a blanket over the horse, checked the fire, and then Ming Qin laid out a board between two chairs and covered it with a blanket, ready to sleep.

She dutifully nestled against the carriage door, blocking the slight chill seeping in from outside, and hugged the woman wrapped in fox fur tightly, then snuffed out the oil lamp.

Murong Yan’s throat tickled with an itch, one hand gripping the chains tight, the other sneaking under the woman’s thin robe to press against her warm back muscles, curling up and burying her head in Ming Qin’s chest to try and suppress the urge to cough.

Maybe it was the coziness of the moment, but Murong Yan felt unusually drowsy and, for once, fell into a deep sleep.

Come early morning, she was awakened by the restless shifting of the person beside her, the clinking of the chains against the bed board nudging Murong Yan to a slow awakening, her head throbbing slightly.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw Ming Qin looking at her anxiously, one hand cradling her face and the other stained with blood, her lips puckered and eyes brimming with tears, “You’re hurt! Does it hurt?”

Murong Yan felt somewhat baffled. She looked down at herself and then understood, replying with a mix of resignation and amusement, “Ah Qin, I’m fine, it’s just menstrual blood.”

“Menstrual blood?” The shadow guard looked confused at first, then as if realizing something, had an epiphany, “Oh! So it’s not an injury.”

“Just hand me some menstrual cloth, that will do,” Murong Yan said, propping herself up and feeling the warmth in her lower body. Puzzled by the person’s reaction in front of her, she asked, “Ah Qin, haven’t you ever had a period?”

Ming Qin shook her head, “No one in the Shadow Guard Camp ever gets their period.”

“You don’t get it?” the woman asked in surprise, rubbing her slightly swollen abdomen, “Not a single person?”

“Yes, every girl who graduates from the Night Mist Courtyard has to take medicine for three years, and after that, they don’t get their period anymore,” Ming Qin explained while rummaging through her bundle. “I graduated early, so I never experienced it.”

“This…” Murong Yan was somewhat at a loss for words. She knew the hardships of training as a shadow guard but had never considered the additional burden of contraceptive measures.

“Brother Ah Yun didn’t prepare for this,” Ming Qin searched in vain, then pulled out a dagger, “Can I use my clothing?”

Growing up in the Shadow Guard Camp, Cao Yun, despite his meticulous attention to detail, had never considered the matter of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Murong Yan nodded to Ming Qin as she watched the person in front of her skillfully cut up a garment taken from her bundle. She couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t people from the Shadow Guard Camp want children?”

“Shadow Guards don’t live very long, so most of us haven’t really thought about it. And those who enter Night Mist Courtyard are mostly those with no way out, homeless, naturally free from the pressures of continuing the family line.”

Ming Qin’s hands didn’t stop moving as she answered, “It’s extremely fortunate for the Master and his wife to have each other’s company; I think they haven’t considered the issue of offspring either.”

Murong Yan’s throat felt dry. She touched her own belly lightly and asked in a low voice, “What about you, Ah Qin? Do you ever want to have children?”

For some reason, she felt somewhat afraid of hearing the answer.

Ming Qin tilted her head up in thought, and then shook her head, “I don’t want to.”

The corners of the woman’s tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly, “Oh? Why don’t you want to, Ah Qin?” She strained to keep her tone as calm as usual.

“I have thought before—if I really manage to retire with a pension, I would open a tea shop with my senior sisters and brothers. Once it’s set up, I want to travel the world, to taste all the delicious foods out there!”

Ming Qin couldn’t help but laugh at the thought, then with a look of disgust, she said, “If I had a little kid tagging along, wouldn’t that make it difficult to travel freely? I’d be dizzy and busy every day. When would I find the time to play?”

After a pause, she turned the question back, “What about you? Do you want children?”

“No, I don’t need that.” Murong Yan lowered her eyes, her tone firm, “I want to be as free as Ah Qin, to roam barefoot, wander through mountains and forests, travel the five great lakes.”

Before Ming Qin, her answers were always clear.

“Children… they’re somewhat superfluous. Having a cherished one by my side is enough,” Murong Yan continued, looking up, wanting to see the reaction of the person before her.

But the dense Ming Qin remained unaware, merely nodding her head before handing over the cut strips of cloth before saying, “I’ll go get some water to clean you up.”

Then she slipped out of the carriage door, the iron lock making a crisp sound.

Gazing at the rough homespun cloth in her hands, Murong Yan felt a mix of helplessness and amusement at the guilelessness and frankness of her shadow guard.

Well, it was exactly this sort of demeanor in Ah Qin that she found endearing.

After half an hour had passed, they set off on their journey.

The official road was covered with fresh snow, making it difficult for the carriage wheels. Murong Yan looked up at the sky, thankful for the cloudless day.

A bullock cart approached, and the elderly driver waved his hand, his missing teeth on display as he greeted Ming Qin with a smile.

“Miss, where are you going?” the old man’s voice was hoarse as he tugged at his slipping hat and asked with concern.

“I need to head north to my hometown, taking my sister to get treatment,” Ming Qin replied, reciting the rehearsed story, pulling up her collar to cover the iron lock around her neck.

Inside the carriage, as if on cue, a heart-rending cough could be heard.

The old man’s face showed worry, and a boy of about ten years old poked his head out from behind the ox cart, saying, “Good sister, don’t go any further! The forest up ahead isn’t safe.”

“Yes, yes, there’s a big tiger on the mountain ahead that’s eaten several people who went up to gather wild vegetables! We’ve reported it to the officials, but no one’s come to deal with it. With just you two girls… it really isn’t proper,” the old man’s speech was a bit airy, but his tone was sincerely filled with concern.

“Thank you for your concern, grandpa and little brother, but this path is the fastest one, and we’ll be fine,” Ming Qin said reassuringly, smiling at both of them.

Seeing the young lady’s determination, the elderly man didn’t press further but bade her to take care and drove his ox cart away.

Watching the ox cart disappear into the distance, Ming Qin turned back and lifted the cloth curtain covering the small window behind her, eager to assure the woman inside, “Don’t worry, even a big tiger couldn’t beat me.”

Hidden inside, Murong Yan couldn’t help but chuckle at her somewhat childish secret guard, “I’ve never worried about you losing to a big tiger, Ah Qin.”

Thinking that the woman was taking her words lightly, Ming Qin grew anxious, “I’m serious! I’m very strong. If you like, I could catch one for you to toss around for fun.”

Murong Yan tried hard to suppress her laughter, took a deep breath to calm her voice, and said, “Then, I look forward to the day when Ah Qin plays around by tossing a tiger.”

She gently tugged on the chain through the door panel, as if to offer comfort.

Only then did Ming Qin turn back to continue driving the carriage on the road.

The two were getting ever closer to the northern border, and at their current pace, they were only about seven days away from the county town designated by Cao Yun.

Under the slanting sun, the rare cloudless sky was splashed with a shade of pink, painting even the distant mountaintops in hues that were pleasing to the eye.

Before she had a chance to admire the scenery, Ming Qin’s hand, which was brandishing the whip, suddenly paused. Relying on her exceptional eyesight, she spotted filth in the distant woods.

There was no mistake about it; those were most likely tiger tracks.

The horse that had been gentle so far also became agitated, snorting nervously, with its steady gait becoming erratic.

It looked like they’d need to find a spot to set up camp before sunset. As Ming Qin thought this, her hands simultaneously soothed the horse.

She parked the carriage at the base of a mound not far from the official road, secured the horse, and then quickly whittled several wooden stakes with the dagger in her hand. She placed them discreetly around the carriage and kindled a large fire, vigilantly observing any rustling in the woods.

“Ah Qin?”

Feeling the tug on her neck, Ming Qin turned her head toward Murong Yan, who had lifted the carriage curtain.

“Don’t worry, we’re downwind,” Ming Qin reassured as she opened the carriage door, lifting the pale-faced Murong Yan— who had spent the whole day inside the carriage—out and settling her gently onto a stool.

With warm palms, Ming Qin gently massaged Murong Yan’s slightly swollen abdomen, concern in her voice, “Does your tummy still hurt?”

She had heard many senior sisters and junior sisters talk about the torment of the monthly period.

“I’m alright.”

Feeling the soreness around her waist and the slight pressure Ming Qin applied to her stomach, Murong Yan smiled and comforted the person before her with a worried expression, then couldn’t help but cough a few times.

Ming Qin frowned and stoked the fire to make it burn brighter, intending to warm up the woman with icy hands and feet.

The fiery blaze was good at keeping away wild beasts that rely on their instincts to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.

Unfortunately.

Sadly, it couldn’t ward off the thieves harboring ill intentions.

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Early the next morning, Ming Qin found herself alone by the river’s edge, which was nearly frozen over.

The bank was slippery, and the pebbles were sharply pointed, causing Ming Qin’s hands, soaked in the water, to turn bright red from the cold.

She had to wash the menstrual cloth by herself because it was necessary to leave Murong Yan behind; she thought she needed to hurry back.

Just as she wrung out the wet cloth and prepared to get up to leave, a chilling sensation instinctively crept up her spine.

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 glowing amber eyes deep within the thicket.

The enormity of its frame, the dense orange fur crisscrossed with black stripes, and the sinister glint of white teeth bared with each low growl – the movement of the creature was mystifying, making one’s eyes dazzle as spots danced across its body with every step, and its massive paws left deep impressions in the snow-covered ground.

Slowly, assuming the stance of a hunter, it approached Ming Qin from the woods.

“Good child, you shouldn’t have come here,” Ming Qin stood her ground, unfazed, albeit with a frown of annoyance.

The tiger continued to fixate on the human before it, its thick tail swishing through the underbrush, rustling softly.

“Ah, I really need to get back soon,” murmured Ming Qin as she placed the item in her hands on a flat stone, talking to herself, “Could it have been lured here by the scent of blood?”

The beast was about fifteen meters away from Ming Qin, its muscles taut in a stalking stance, emitting low, threatening growls from its throat like an arrow strained on the bow, ready to launch.

Witnessing this, Ming Qin didn’t hesitate to draw her long sword from her waist. The tiger seemed to be dazzled by the glint of the blade, instantly pouncing towards the person before it.

The sword-bearer nimbly dodged the predator’s assault, causing a splash along the riverbank.

The orange figure spun around violently, opening its tooth-filled, gaping maw to bite Ming Qin. However, it didn’t anticipate the woman’s move as she swiftly leapt onto the tiger’s back, grabbing hold of the fur around its neck with a firm grip, and raised her sword to strike down.

The crazed tiger panted heavily and thrashed its body wildly, intentionally ramming into a nearby tree trunk. Its unexpected ferocity forced Ming Qin to let go, and her longsword slipped from her grasp.

“Oh no…”

Ming Qin paid little attention to her weapon now lying on the ground. Instead, she almost stepped on the item she had placed on a rock, causing her body to twist involuntarily in mid-air.

Unexpectedly, she slipped on the icy mud upon landing.

The tiger, upon seeing the fallen woman, swiped its claws at Ming Qin’s chest, without hesitation, intending to sink its teeth into the vulnerable human neck.

Calmly, Ming Qin extended her hand and firmly pressed her left hand’s tiger-mouth against the tiger’s chin, which was covered in coarse, prickly whiskers, halting the ferocious beast’s attack.

Feeling the hot breath on her face and struggling against the vast difference in size and the disadvantageous position, Ming Qin found it challenging. Blood gushed from the wound embedded in her chest from the claws, forming a pool of fresh red. Her empty right hand groped downward.

Mixed with the foul-smelling saliva, droplets fell onto the woman’s expressionless cheeks. Just as the savage beast was about to revel in its triumph, its body suddenly stiffened and collapsed weakly.

Ming Qin held a sharp dagger in her right hand and buried it deep into the tiger’s fur. Her wrist mercilessly twisted as she proceeded to slice downward along the neck’s diameter.

Nearly half of the tiger’s head separated from its neck.

Fresh blood splattered onto the woman’s body, and the extensive red made it difficult to distinguish whose blood belonged to whom.

The pristine white ground bore conspicuous marks, but Ming Qin merely wiped her face lightly, paying no mind to it.

She nudged the lifeless body that had fallen onto her aside, leaving the enormous tiger lying on the riverbank. Ming Qin rose to her feet and grabbed a handful of clean snow, attempting to clean the stains on her body, making herself appear less horrifying.

As she squatted by the river, washing her blood-stained hands, she heard a rustling sound coming from the grass. Ming Qin turned her head and saw a fluffy bundle rolling out.

“So, it was because she had a cub.”

Ming Qin noticed the small tiger cub, its head not even the size of her palm. It must have still been nursing, stumbling towards its mother’s lifeless body while emitting whimpering, high-pitched cries.

It was likely that her unintentional intrusion had triggered the fierce maternal instincts of the wild beast, leading it to attack.

“Even though I know you have offspring, I still have to kill you when confronted.” Thinking of the other villagers who had been attacked, Ming Qin did not regret her decision.

However, as she looked at the little creature nestled beside its mother, she suddenly felt a twinge of remorse despite her unwavering resolve to act.

Preparing to leave with her belongings, Ming Qin turned back and glanced at the gradually growing cold corpse and the huddled ball of fur nearby. In this desolate forest, her footsteps hesitated.

“Never mind…”

She dropped her shoulders in a show of giving up, “…you might as well be a nice little hand-warmer for the Princess.”

After saying this, she scooped up the frisky little tiger by the scruff of its neck, which had been pawing at her aggressively but adorably.

“Stop squirming!”

Looking at the restless little creature in her hands, Ming Qin lifted it to her eyes, and with the same steady tone she would use to discipline her junior brothers and sisters, she stared into the little tiger’s round, grey eyes and instructed, “When you see the Princess, you better behave, got it?”

Unsure if it was a beast’s innate instinct to fear the strong or perhaps the unintended murderous aura that Ming Qin released after the battle, the frantically struggling little tiger actually calmed down, gazing at the person in front of it as it drooped its fuzzy big head.

“Good.”

Seeing the little beast obediently listen to her command, Ming Qin nodded in satisfaction, then tucked it into her embrace and strode towards the carriage.

Faintly, she heard the noise of strangers near where the carriages were parked—a man’s shouting voice particularly grating to her exceptionally keen ears.

Her heart sank, her face instantly turned ashen, and she picked up her pace, her light figure leaving not a single trace in the snow.

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LP: Re-translated on February 18, 2024

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