The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 56

There’s another transmigrator?

When Wang Wei, engrossed in his experiments, finally came to his senses, the sun had long set.

As he was about to stand up after twisting his neck, he suddenly discovered a dark figure kneeling at his door.

Startled, his heart raced, but he calmed down upon realizing it was Ming Qin, who had arrived during the day.

Goodness, it had been three hours, and this little shadow guard had not yet returned home.

Could it be that failing to meet performance standards might result in punishment for a shadow guard?

Wang Wei stubbornly turned his head away, refusing to meet her eyes. However, his bladder was desperately full. Unfortunately for him, Ming Qin was blocking the only door, preventing him from going outside to use the toilet.

Damn it, was he really going to compromise and speak to her?!

But it felt like the one who spoke first would lose.

The fifty-year-old man, stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat, childishly thought.

However, no matter how strong a bladder might be, there comes a time when it can’t hold any longer. Wang Wei looked towards the window of the wooden house, deciding to climb out of it to relieve himself.

Unfortunately, this fifty-year-old eccentric scientist greatly overestimated his own abilities.

Just as Ming Qin was racking her brain on how to persuade Wang Wei, she saw the old man awkwardly open the window and attempt to jump out. The moment he was about to step over, his upper body stiffly fell forward out of the window.

Although she couldn’t hear the man’s cries of agony, with Ming Qin’s years of experience in falls, given that posture and his age, such a fall was likely to result in serious injury.

She quickly got up, ignoring Wang Wei’s previous order, hurried into the room, and looked out of the wide-open window, only to see the elderly man trembling slightly as he lay on the ground, holding his waist.

“I’ve sprained it, sprained it.” Now Wang Wei couldn’t care less about winning or losing, he extended his hand pleadingly towards Ming Qin, saying, “Quick, help me up. I’m in so much pain. Hurry.”

Nimbly climbing through the window, Ming Qin carefully helped the old man up and obediently took Wang Wei to the latrine before supporting him into the house.

“Hey, hey, hey, be careful not to touch my culture dish. It’s filled with my precious bacteria babies.”

Wang Wei hung limply on the shoulder of the young shadow guard, hunched over and trembling as he walked, dodging the various objects scattered around the messy room.

“That’s my penicillin, don’t touch it! And that microscope, I finally managed to assemble it, if you touch it, it’ll fall apart.”

Ming Qin looked at a pile of bowls covered in mold and randomly stacked glazes, simply dodging them and helping the old man to his bed.

Surrounded by piles of books and miscellaneous items was a tiny, cramped space, barely enough to accommodate a person.

Wang Wei groaned as he laid down, and Ming Qin took out a bottle of medicine wine for bruises from her pocket, diligently applying it to him. The old man emitted painful groans, and if she pressed too hard, he would even whimper and wail, making her awkwardly scratch her head.

Throughout the night, Ming Qin was busy fetching water and delivering meals, occasionally being instructed to take care of the “good bacteria babies” on the table among various other tasks, bustling about without a moment of rest.

Finally, when Wang Wei felt somewhat better and saw Ming Qin obediently standing by his side, he suddenly felt a bit apologetic, but turned his head and said, “Don’t think that all this will convince me to return to the capital city. My standards are quite high!”

“I wasn’t planning on that,” Ming Qin felt somewhat baffled, and then as if something occurred to her, she suddenly asked, “What are your standards for returning to the capital city?”

“Ah…”

Wang Wei, who had spoken without much thought, hadn’t expected Ming Qin to suddenly ask a question. He scratched his tousled hair hurriedly, contemplating, “…You, if you help me sharpen ten… no, a hundred pipettes, then I’ll consider it.”

(Pipettes are similar to straws that can be used to suck up solutions, usually disposable and commonly used in medical, biological, and chemical laboratories.)

“Pipettes? What is that?” Ming Qin asked, tilting her head in confusion.

From his sleeve, he pulled out two handcrafted wooden bamboo tubes, the central opening extremely fine, seemingly honed painstakingly with a steel needle. (A very rudimentary version from ancient times.)

“If you can make a hundred bamboo tubes like this,” Wang Wei touched his non-existent beard, pretending to be profound, “Remember, each must be exactly the same, only then can the measurements be accurate! I’m considering whether to take you to the capital city or not.”

After speaking, the irresponsible mad old man tossed the bamboo tube to the dark guard, then carefully turned around, holding his aching back, covered himself with a blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.

As regular snoring sounds began, Ming Qin carefully fiddled with the bamboo tube in his hands, thought for a moment, took the iron needle from the table, and left the house.

Three days later.

When the little dark guard, whom he thought had been scared off by his demands and knew better than to return, suddenly showed up at his doorstep, Wang Wei was genuinely surprised.

“If you can make a hundred bamboo tubes like this,” Wang Wei touched his non-existent beard, pretending to be profound, “Remember, each must be exactly the same, only then can the measurements be accurate! I’m considering whether to go to the capital city or not.”

After speaking, the irresponsible mad old man tossed the bamboo tube to the shadow guard, then carefully turned around, holding his aching back, covered himself with a blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.

As regular snoring sounds began, Ming Qin carefully fiddled with the bamboo tube in her hands, thought for a moment, took the iron needle from the table, and left the house.

Three days later.

When the little shadow guard, whom he thought had been scared off by his demands and knew better than to return, suddenly showed up at his doorstep, Wang Wei was genuinely surprised.

Ming Qin took out a bag of carefully polished bamboo tubes, handing them over to the man before her. Her fingers were wrapped in bandages, seeping tiny droplets of blood.

Blinking hard, Ming Qin spoke with a hoarse voice, “A hundred…pipettes, Imperial Physician Wang …Uncle Wang, please count them.”

Her vision blurred, she was truly uncertain whether the count was exactly one hundred or perhaps ninety-eight.

The old man looked at the items in his hand, his jaw almost dropping in shock. For him, shaping just one or two would take at least half an hour, yet in just a few days, this little shadow guard managed to produce so many…

This little shadow guard is truly something…

“So dedicated, it’s remarkable.”

“She could be selected as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons,” Wang Wei thought to himself.

“So now, Uncle Wang, would you consider going to the capital with me?” Ming Qin asked, leaning closer to the man, afraid of missing his response.

Three days ago, as soon as Ming Qin left the cabin, she found a bunch of wood similar to the bamboo tubes in the template. In a simple inn nearby, she took out her dagger and carefully began to whittle the solid wood in her hands.

It’s unclear if it was because the night outside was silent or because Ming Qin had already become oblivious to her surroundings, but the young shadow guard just sat in front of the window, working by the faint light of an oil lamp, her wrists moving continuously.

Under the dim light, her eyes that had been open for a long time grew increasingly sore and blurry in vision.

Not yet.

Ming Qin blinked hard, the medicine that Song Shuqing had given her already finished, consumed like she was eating beans.

Before returning to the capital city, she could not yet relent.

Her eyes ached and felt hot, and involuntary tears fell, roughly wiped away with her shoulder. Still, Ming Qin stubbornly persisted.

Her vision, already somewhat blurred, started to double, making it difficult for Ming Qin as she used an iron needle to polish wooden holes.

The sharp needle kept pricking her palm, leaving behind vivid red bloodstains.

Indeed, it is said that the five fingers are connected to the heart.

No wonder I, who lacks pain sensation, don’t feel pain in my fingers, yet my heart feels incredibly sore.

Yanyan is waiting for me, I need to hurry up.

Blood dripped down steadily, making a rhythmic sound in the quiet room, but Ming Qin, whether she lost her hearing or not, did not care and just kept on whittling.

It was because of this tireless effort that she could hand over the items Wang Wei specified in such a short time.

“Uncle Wang, please, come with me to the capital.”

Ming Qin, seeing the person in front of her not responding, spoke again to persuade, her injured hand urgently grabbing his shoulder, ready to kneel, “If we don’t set off now, it will be too late.”

“I…”

Watching the earnestness on the young person’s face, Wang Wei stuttered for a moment before sighing as though giving up, “…Fine, just show me the medical records then?”

Upon hearing Wang Wei relent, Ming Qin hurriedly pulled out a stack of letters from her bosom, quickly stuffing them into his chest as if afraid he might change his mind.

Wang Wei unfolded the letters, reluctantly starting to read them. Strangely, his brows rose higher and higher, his fingers clutching tightly as if trying to burn holes through the paper with his gaze.

After a short while, he put down the letters, a look of shock on his face, and exclaimed, “There’s another transmigrator?”

LP: Re-translated on March 24, 2024