CH 40

Listen obediently, never look back (Separation)

After staying with the hunter couple for three days, Ming Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief as she gazed at Murong Yan, who had now fully recovered.

Murong Yan lay on the bed, playing with the small tiger and tenderly stroking its soft fur with her fingers, causing it to curl up like a kitten.

“Ah,”

The little tiger, perhaps overly stimulated, suddenly raised its tail and bared its teeth at Murong Yan’s hand, causing her some pain without her realizing how severe it was.

As soon as Murong Yan cried out, Ming Qin immediately looked up and grabbed the little tiger with one hand, yanking it off the bed. The furry creature tumbled twice on the ground at her feet, but she paid it no attention, her sole focus on inspecting the woman’s hand with deep concern.

“Ah Qin, I’m okay,” Murong Yan reassured her, flashing a smile and holding her hand. “It just stings a little from the scratch, but it’s not bleeding.”

Ming Qin studied the noticeable red marks on the woman’s pale hand, her once cheerful expression now serious. She gripped the little tiger by the scruff of its neck and stared straight into its eyes.

“You’re so irresponsible!” she scolded the animal, the two pairs of eyes – one large and one small – locking onto each other in a comical fashion. “You act recklessly and have no sense of decorum around such esteemed company. I wonder who you’re trying to imitate.”

(“Just like you, silly…”)

The tiny feline didn’t seem to comprehend, and it let out a sharp cry, as if in protest.

Ming Qin hoisted the little tiger up and held it in front of Murong Yan, her tone stern as she scolded the animal. “This person is the most important to me, and you must treat her as if she were a precious treasure. If she’s cold, you must warm her like a hand warmer. If anyone bullies her, you must tear them apart. Do you understand?”

Ming Qin took hold of the tiger’s paw and demonstrated with its still-undeveloped claws.

“If you hurt her, I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson!” Ming Qin threatened the little tiger, her voice firm and resolute.

Murong Yan couldn’t help but smile as she watched Ming Qin engage in a serious conversation with the young animal. She patted the leg of the shadow guard and asked playfully, “Are you sure it understands human language?”

After placing the well-behaved little tiger back on the ground, Ming Qin nodded confidently and replied, “It understands perfectly. And if it doesn’t, I’ll make sure to teach it.” She then turned her attention to the frightened tiger cub, hiding beneath the blankets.

Just as Murong Yan settled back onto the bed, Ming Qin suddenly felt a faint vibration beneath her feet. Her expression turned serious in an instant, and she leaned down to listen intently.

“Got it!” Ming Qin exclaimed.

After taking a few deep breaths, Ming Qin helped Murong Yan put on her prosthetic limb and shoes.

Murong Yan remained composed, lifting her leg as she cradled the little tiger, who was about to drift off to sleep beside her. She calmly asked, “How many of them are there?”

“About ten, lightly armed. I heard the sound of their horses’ hooves, so they’re likely cavalry from the capital,” Ming Qin quickly replied as she helped Murong Yan into her fox fur coat. She then bent down to lift the woman up. “There aren’t too many of them, probably just the advance scouts.”

“Let’s go,” Murong Yan said calmly, but buried her face deeply in Ming Qin’s neck and took a deep breath.

Hastening towards the stable, they encountered the hunter’s wife who was outside feeding chickens. The pregnant woman looked surprised at the two hurried figures.

Ming Qin led the horse, with one person and one tiger in her arms, and called out to the stunned woman with a straight back, “I am deeply grateful for your care these past few days. If anyone comes to trouble you, just say that I am holding you and your husband hostage with a sword.”

Without waiting for a reply, Ming Qin rode off on the horse through the snow.

As she rode along the narrow mountain path, Ming Qin’s black outer robe billowed in the wind.

The biting cold, mixed with snow, relentlessly assaulted her face, but she dared not slow down. She urged the horse to gallop at full speed towards the north.

Her eyes scanned the snowy ground ahead and darkened when she spotted a set of footprints.

Following them, she soon caught sight of seven or eight men dressed in military uniforms, with swords hanging from their waists. The quality of their fabric and the dark patterns embroidered on their cloaks identified them as soldiers from the capital.

Retaining the tone, here’s an improved version:

Ignoring the shouts of several men ordering her to stop, Ming Qin didn’t slow down. Instead, she flew past them on her horse, urging it to run even faster.

In an instant, she drew her sword and cut off the reins of several horses that were tied nearby.

Faster! Faster!

Ming Qin tightened her grip on Murong Yan’s hand as they galloped away on the horse.

Even the best horse cannot run wildly day and night. After about half an hour, the sound of iron hooves trampling through the snow noticeably slowed down.

As she studied the map in her hand, Ming Qin listened carefully to the sounds behind her.

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

『Whoosh!』

Murong Yan was just about to speak when Ming Qin suddenly turned around and caught an arrow that was shot from behind with her hand.

However, more arrows followed, falling densely like raindrops. Some missed their targets and hit tree tops. Ming Qin turned around and swung her sword, knocking down all the arrows shot at her.

Feeling safe for a moment, Ming Qin breathed a sigh of relief and urged the horse to try and pull further away from the distant pursuers.

However, when she lowered her head to speak to Murong Yan again, a sharp and piercing sound, completely different from the other arrows, cut through the air.

『Dong!』

The person behind her stiffened, and then suddenly leaned forward as if pushed.

“Ah Qin? What’s wrong?”

Murong Yan tried to turn around but was held tightly by Ming Qin’s arm. Despite her usually calm demeanor, Murong Yan was now anxious, and her voice was almost drowned out by the strong wind.

“It’s okay,” Ming Qin whispered in Murong Yan’s ear.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Then, a rough and deep voice filled with inner strength emanated from behind them. Riding his horse with his long bow in hand, Xiao Tai shouted loudly, “I am Xiao Tai, sent by the new Emperor to pursue the thieves who kidnapped Princess Chongwen. Surrender immediately!”

Upon hearing his name, Ming Qin’s face turned pale. She pulled out the arrow embedded in her right shoulder. Its iron head was poisoned and emitting a chilling purple color. Several barbs protruded from the front, and as she pulled it out, it deeply tore into her flesh, causing a rush of bright red blood to flow from the wound.

Despite the pain, Ming Qin remained calm and silent. She casually threw away the arrow and unsheathed her long sword from her waist, hacking at the surrounding trees to slow down the pursuers’ speed.

Gritting her teeth, Ming Qin thought quickly.

The horse beneath her was already exhausted and couldn’t maintain a fast pace for much longer. Additionally, their tracks would be impossible to conceal in the snow.

Ahead of them lay an open plain, while behind them was a group led by Xiao Tai.

Ming Qin couldn’t allow Xiao Tai to catch up with them or risk being ambushed by his men. Even with her exceptional martial arts skills, she couldn’t guarantee Murong Yan’s safety if they were out in the open and the pursuers started firing arrows indiscriminately.

Ming Qin shook her head firmly. It wasn’t an option.

Looking at the fifty or more pursuers behind her, Ming Qin’s thoughts raced through her mind.

I have promised the Emperor, my master, and my senior sister to safely deliver Murong Yan to the northern border.

But most importantly, I have made a promise to myself.

Even if it means sacrificing myself.

And.

It doesn’t matter.

Impulsive and negligent, Ming Qin had caused Murong Yan a lot of trouble during their journey. However, she knew that she was skilled in combat and killing, which was the primary job of a shadow guard, rather than being a caregiver.

Ming Qin made a decision.

Glancing back at the fifty pursuers closing in on them, she spoke quickly and decisively, shoving a cloth package from her waistband into Murong Yan’s arms. “When you leave the forest, keep going straight and never look back.”

Murong Yan, who had been trying to remain composed, was now feeling anxious. “Ah Qin? What do you mean?”

Murong Yan reached back to touch the person behind her, but her hand felt dampness on the clothes. Withdrawing her hand, she saw her fair palm covered in bright red blood.

“Are you hurt, Ah Qin?” Murong Yan’s previously calm voice now had a hint of anxiety.

As if to comfort her, Ming Qin brushed her lips against Murong Yan’s temple. Ignoring her question, she continued to speak in a low voice, “Once you cross the grassland, the local governor will send someone to meet you. With the horse’s speed, you can reach there in less than half a day. I will ensure that no one catches up with you.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you behind!”

Murong Yan tightly gripped the iron chain in her hand and refused to let go, shouting in agitation, “I don’t want to go, Ah Qin! I don’t want to go alone.”

Ming Qin turned her head and saw that Xiao Tai was pulling the bowstring to aim for another shot.

She lifted her long sword, preparing to defend herself, and spoke calmly, “It’s just half a day, you can do it.”

With a swift motion, she knocked down the arrow aimed at her, but her wrist felt numb from the impact.

“No, I can’t do it alone, Ah Qin,” murmured Murong Yan, her voice trembling with a painful feeling that seemed to tear at her heart and lungs. “I can’t ride a horse, I really can’t. I can’t do it without you by my side.”

Ming Qin recalled the image of Murong Yan in a red robe riding a horse when they first met and smiled. “You can do it.”

She removed the hairband that was tying the person in front of her and reached down to search the horse’s back.

“No, I won’t allow it! I won’t!”

Murong Yan’s screams became hysterical, her eyes turning red with tears as she desperately reached back, trying to grab onto the warm body behind her while clutching the iron chain tightly in her hand. “I forbid it! I command you not to leave me alone, do you hear me, Ah Qin? I won’t let you go! I forbid you to leave, it’s my order!”

Her grip on the iron chain tightened, causing her fingers to turn white from the effort.

“Yan Yan.”

Ming Qin said, switching sides and calling out to her softly in a more affectionate tone than ever before.

“Yan Yan, Yan Yan.”

Ming Qin murmured, leaning in to kiss the woman’s earlobe, which was adorned with an earring.

“Yan Yan promised to listen to Ah Qin, didn’t she?”

Her warm breath tickled Murong Yan’s ear, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

Too cunning.

Only now, when she’s being so proactive in calling her name and bringing up this long-standing promise.

Ming Qin is really…

Too cunning.

Murong Yan’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she bit her lower lip tightly, rendered speechless.

Ming Qin pulled the chain that hung between them, and with a flick of her wrist, the iron chain easily shattered, as if the shackles were never a restraint for the young shadow guard.

“I won’t die,”

Ming Qin reassured her, noticing her silence. She clasped the back of Murong Yan’s hand tightly and whispered hoarsely, “You know that Ah Qin is not lying, right?” She then handed her the reins she held in her hand.

Ming Qin lowered her head, pressing her warm cheek against Murong Yan’s frozen, red face.

Tears blurred her vision, and she struggled to suppress the urge to cry out in sorrow.

“Ah Qin…”

“Yan Yan, listen to me. Don’t look back,”

The forest ahead had come to an end. Ming Qin didn’t say much but lovingly ran her fingers through Murong Yan’s disheveled hair. She then jumped off the horse and forcefully slapped its legs.

The horse winced in pain and bolted, causing Murong Yan to tremble as she clutched the reins, her mind blank. Her delicate figure lay alone on the horse’s back.

As the warmth of Ming Qin’s embrace disappeared, the cold wind hit her body, and Murong Yan finally came to her senses. However, by then, the horse was already running at lightning speed, having gone dozens of meters out of the forest in just a few breaths.

She obediently didn’t look back.

She didn’t dare.

Watching the horse gallop away, Ming Qin drew her long sword and turned to face nearly fifty pursuers with a fierce momentum. Her right arm, which held the sword, was stained with dark red blood, which dripped and stained the white snow on the ground.

Despite being alone, she showed no fear as a fierce killing intent surged within her, capable of stopping hundreds.

She tightly wrapped her right hand and the sword with cloth, tying a knot with her mouth before steadily drawing a long scratch on the ground with the sword.

Ming Qin looked at Xiao Tai, who was leading the way on horseback, and said in a flat tone, “If you want to move forward, you can only do so by stepping over my dead body.”

She took a posture that wouldn’t retreat, even if her head was shattered and her body torn apart.

Her eyes seemed to have flames in them, full of fighting spirit.