The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 40

Yanyan, be good, never look back (Separation)

After three days of staying with the hunter couple, Ming Qin breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at Murong Yan, whose complexion had finally recovered, showing a soothing smile.

Lying back on the bed, Murong Yan was amusing a small tiger, her fingertips gently prodding the cub’s soft paws, making it roll over and expose its belly like a kitten.

“Ah.”

Perhaps too excited, the little tiger suddenly raised its tail, baring its teeth and nibbling on the hand before it, obliviously causing the lady some pain.

In the moment Murong Yan made a sound, Ming Qin raised her head, scooped up the tiger cub with one hand, and pulled it down from the bed. Indifferent to the tumble the little furball took, she quickly grasped the hand of the woman on the bed and carefully checked it for any wound.

“Ah Qin, I’m alright,” Murong Yan reassured with a smile, nursing a bit of pain where the sharp teeth had grazed but not broken the skin. She affectionately gripped Ming Qin’s hand in response, comforting the person before her who was draped in concern.

Ming Qin observed the conspicuous red scratches on the woman’s fair hand, her previously uplifted corners of the mouth now turned down, her expression becoming gravely serious. She firmly held the little tiger by the scruff of its neck, locking eyes with the cub.

“You really mustn’t be so reckless!” The two—person to tiger—stared at each other, a sight somewhat amusing. “To barge around so carelessly and heavily around distinguished folk, you really don’t know who you take after, do you?”

(It’s just like you, you idiot…)

The little tiger, whether understanding or not, opened its tiny mouth and let out a pointed yowl, as if in defiance.

Bringing the little tiger to Murong Yan’s side, Ming Qin sternly instructed, “This person is the most important to me, so you should cherish her as if she were a treasure. If she feels cold, warm her up like a stove. If she is mistreated, tear apart those bad people. Understand?”

Ming Qin grasped the small tiger’s paw and gestured with its still undeveloped tiger claws.

“If you hurt her, I will fix you!” Ming Qin threatened.

Murong Yan looked at Ming Qin, who was talking seriously to the young beast, and couldn’t help but smile. She patted the leg of the shadow guard and asked, “Ah Qin, are you sure he understands human language?”

After gently placing the obedient little tiger cub down, Ming Qin confidently nodded, “He understands. If he doesn’t, I’ll teach him a lesson.” After saying this, she glanced at the frightened cub hiding in the quilt.

Just as the person on the bed was about to continue resting, Ming Qin suddenly felt a faint vibration from the ground, her expression turning grave in an instant as she immediately lay down to listen attentively with her ear against the floor.

“This is bad!”

A few breaths later, Ming Qin swiftly got up, quickly helping the woman on the bed, who was barefoot, slip on her prostheses and stockings.

With a calm demeanor, Murong Yan cooperated with the movements to lift her leg, holding the little tiger cub that was about to nap on one side. Her tone was collected as she inquired, “How many are there?”

“Roughly ten, lightly armed; from the sound of the hooves, they should be the imperial cavalry from the capital,” Ming Qin reported quickly as she tied a fox fur coat around the woman, and then bent down to lift her in her arms, “The number is not many, probably just the vanguard of pursuers.”

“Let’s go,” Murong Yan said in her usual indifferent tone, but she buried her face in Ming Qin’s shoulder and neck, taking a deep breath.

Hurrying towards the stables, they encountered the hunter’s wife outside feeding chickens. Seeing the urgent figures of the two, the pregnant woman looked on in surprise.

Taking the reins of the horse, with one person and one tiger in her arms, Ming Qin mounted the horse and called out to the stunned woman with a straight back, “I am deeply grateful for your care these past days. Should anyone cause you trouble, just say it was I who coerced you with a knife at your throat.”

Without waiting for a response, Ming Qin then rode off into the snow.

Along the narrow paths of the forest, her black cloak billowed out behind her.

The cold wind, carrying snow, lashed fiercely against her face, yet Ming Qin dared not stop, only urging the horse to gallop continuously northward.

Gazing at the footprints in the snow ahead, a shadow passed over Ming Qin’s eyes.

In her view, seven or eight men clad in military garb with swords hanging at their waists appeared— their fine cloth and cloaks embroidered with subtle patterns marking them as men from the capital.

Ignoring the men’s shouts to halt, Ming Qin did not lessen her speed. Instead, she spurred her horse to even greater velocity, racing past them.

In a trice, she drew her sword and cut the reins of several horses tied nearby, setting them free.

We must go faster! Even faster!

The horse stretched its legs in a run, and Ming Qin tightened her grip on Murong Yan’s hand.

But even the finest steed can’t sustain a mad dash without end – after roughly half an hour, the sound of iron hooves crashing against the snow noticeably slowed.

Ming Qin kept one eye on the map in her hand and her ears perked for any pursuit from behind.

“Don’t be afraid,” Ming Qin whispered into the woman’s ear, bending down, “I will protect you.”

『Whizz!』

As Murong Yan was about to speak, Ming Qin suddenly turned back, catching the arrow shot at them with a swift, reverse-handed grab.

But what followed was a barrage of arrows, raining down densely like drops in a storm. Some with poorer aim hit the treetops. Ming Qin turned around and swung her sword, knocking down each and every deadly projectile aimed at them.

Feeling they’d moved out of range, Ming Qin let out a sigh of relief and spurred her horse to try to widen the gap from the distant pursuers. Yet as she lowered her head to address Murong Yan once more, a piercing and distinctively more shrill whistle sliced through the air, unlike any of the previous arrows’ sounds.

『Thud!』

Murong Yan felt the person behind her stiffen, and then suddenly lurch forward as if forcefully pushed.

“Ah Qin? Ah Qin? What’s wrong?”

The woman tried to turn back, but was tightly locked in place by Ming Qin’s arm . The usually composed Murong Yan was now noticeably anxious, her voice almost snatched away by the howling wind.

“It’s nothing,” Ming Qin whispered into Murong Yan’s ear, reassuringly.

“Don’t be afraid.”

A rough and deep voice, filled with profound internal strength, came from behind the two. Xiao He, riding on a horse and holding a longbow, shouted loudly, “I am Xiao He, under the command of the new Emperor, here to pursue the thieves who abducted the Chongwen Princess. Halt your horses and surrender immediately!”

Upon hearing the identity of the newcomer, Ming Qin’s face turned pale. She reached back and pulled out the arrow lodged in her right shoulder. The iron arrowhead was coated with a poison that emitted a chilling purple color. Several barbs protruded from the front, causing deep, bloody wounds as she pulled it out.

Seeming completely unfazed, Ming Qin tossed the arrow aside and drew the long sword from her waist, slashing at the surrounding area. The severed tree trunks fell onto the road, attempting to slow down the pursuers.

Gritting her teeth, Ming Qin’s mind raced.

The horse beneath her was already tired and unable to maintain a high-speed gallop, especially in the snow, where their tracks couldn’t be easily erased.

Just beyond the woods lay an open plain, with Xiao He leading the pursuers from behind.

To let Xiao He get close was out of the question, not to mention if he commanded his men to release a flurry of arrows without the cover of the trees. Even with her highly skilled martial arts, Ming Qin couldn’t guarantee the safety of Murong Yan.

This wouldn’t do.

Gazing at the no fewer than fifty pursuers behind, Ming Qin thought.

She had already promised the Emperor, her master, and her senior sister to safely deliver Murong Yan to the northern territories.

Above all, she had made a promise to herself.

She must intercept the pursuers right here.

Even if it meant shattering her body to pieces.

However.

It mattered not.

Reckless and negligent, she allowed Murong Yan to suffer much hardship along the way. Indeed, compared to the meticulous care required of an escort mission, it is the simple contests of martial prowess and the acts of killing that she was good at as a shadow guard.

Ming Qin steeled her resolve.

Glancing back at those pursuing her, she stuffed the cloth bag from her belt into the bosom of the person before her and spoke swiftly and clearly, “Soon, once you’re out of the forest, keep going straight along this path, and whatever you do, don’t look back.”

Listening to Ming Qin as if she was entrusting her last wishes, Murong Yan tried to feign calm but suddenly felt a sense of panic, “Ah Qin? Ah Qin, what are you saying?”

She frantically reached back to touch the person behind her, only to find her hand on a patch of dampness on her clothing. Pulling her hand back, she saw it was covered in the glaring red of fresh blood.

“Ah Qin, you’re injured!” Murong Yan’s voice, usually cool and detached, was now tinged with distress.

Gently, Ming Qin nuzzled the woman’s temple with her lips, choosing not to answer her question. Instead, she whispered instructions, “After crossing the prairie, the local magistrate will send someone to meet you. With this horse’s speed, it will take less than half a day to get there. It will be quick. I will ensure no one catches up to you.”

“No, I refuse!”

Murong Yan’s grip on the iron chain she held tightened, showing no sign of letting go, her voice rising with emotion as she exclaimed, “I do not wish to leave, Ah Qin! I do not wish to go alone.”

Ming Qin glanced back and saw Xiao He extending his hand to draw his bow, aiming for another shot.

Lifting her longsword in preparation, Ming Qin’s voice was calm as she spoke, “It’s merely half a day; you can do it.”

With a swing of her arm, she knocked down the arrow flying straight at her, but her wrist felt somewhat numb.

“No, I can’t do it alone, Ah Qin.” Murong Yan’s quivering voice was quiet, yet seemed to carry a heart-wrenching pain, “I don’t know how to ride a horse, I really don’t. Without you by my side, I can’t do it.”

Ming Qin thought back to when they first met—Murong Yan dressed in red robes, masterfully riding a horse—and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. “You can do it.”

She then undid the hair tie of the person before her, before bending over to fuss over something on the horse’s back.

“You are not allowed! I forbid it!”

Murong Yan screamed hysterically, her eyes already brimming with redness. Her hands, clenched around the chain, frantically reached behind her, desperate to hold onto the warm presence at her back, “I forbid you, by my command, you are not to leave me alone—do you hear? Ming Qin, I will not let you go! I forbid you to leave; this is my command!”

Her fingers turned white with the force she exerted on the iron chain.

“Yanyan.”

The roles reversed, Ming Qin softly whispered into the woman’s ear with a gentleness and affection that outweighed any she had shown before.

“Yanyan, Yanyan,” she murmured while lowering her head to place a kiss on the woman’s earlobe, adorned with an earring.

“Yanyanpromised to listen to Ah Qin’s words, right?”

The warm breath on her ear made Murong Yan involuntarily shiver.

Too cunning.

Choosing such a moment to actively call out to her, and to bring up that ancient promise.

Ah Qin really is…

Too cunning.

Murong Yan’s eyes welled up with tears, her lips tightly pursed, unable to speak.

Ming Qin pulled the chain that hung between them, her wrist flicked, and the iron links easily shattered, as if for the young shadow guard, iron chains and shackles had never been a restraint at all.

“I won’t die.”

Facing the woman who didn’t respond, Ming Qin seemed to understand her worries. Clasping her hand, her voice hoarse and quiet, she whispered, “Yanyan knows Ah Qin isn’t lying, right?” She then passed the reins into her hands.

Ming Qin lowered her head, her warm cheek pressing against Murong Yan’s face, now reddened and cold.

Tears blurred her vision, and the woman’s nose prickled with a sourness as she fought the urge to wail out loud.

“Ah Qin…”

“Yanyan, be good. Promise me you won’t look back.”

The woods ahead had come to an end, and Ming Qin, without saying much more, tenderly stroked Murong Yan’s disheveled hair, then leapt off the horse and gave a firm pat on the horse’s leg.

The horse, responding to the pain, hastened its pace. Murong Yan’s trembling hands clung to the reins, her mind a blank slate, her delicate figure hunched alone on the horse’s back.

Feeling the warm embrace behind her disappear, with the biting wind against her, Murong Yan came back to her senses. But by then, the horse had already galloped dozens of yards out of the forest in just a few breaths.

She obeyed and didn’t look back.

Nor did she dare to.

As she watched the horse fade into the distance, Ming Qin pulled out her long sword with satisfaction and turned to face the formidable pursuit of nearly fifty men. The blood from her right arm, stained dark red, dripped onto the blade, staining the pure white snow below.

Even though she stood alone, she showed no signs of fear, emanating a majestic aura of killing intent.

She tightly wrapped her right hand and the sword together with a cloth, securing it with her mouth, then firmly drew a long mark on the ground with the sword.

Ming Qin looked at Xiao He, who was leading the group on horseback, and spoke in a calm tone, “If you wish to continue forward, you can only do so by stepping over my dead body.”

It was an unwavering stance, even if it meant sacrificing her life.

Her eyes seemed to burn with flames, filled with determination.

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LP: Re-translated on February 24, 2024

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