CH 7

Get Lost with Your Sympathy and Pity (Misunderstanding)

Ming Qin looked up at the man in front of her and was surprised by his stern voice. “Master?” she asked, sensing that something was off. “Is there a new mission?”

He Jingshou, her master, held his hands to his chest, projecting an aura of authority despite sitting down. “Qin Qin, where have you been?” he asked, his tone grave.

“I went to the Hidden Moon Tower in Changshou District,” Ming Qin replied respectfully, her hands clasped behind her back.

He Jingshou frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, “Do you even know who’s living in the Hidden Moon Tower?”

Ming Qin straightened her back unconsciously and replied, “Yes, it’s Chongwen’s County Princess Murong Yan, the daughter of Prince Yu.”

He Jingshou slammed his hand on the table, leaving a deep palm mark on the polished mahogany surface. “I can’t believe you knew who it was and still dared to go there!” he roared. “Do you have a death wish, or are you trying to provoke me?”

Ming Qin felt a chill run down her spine and wanted to defend herself, but she knew better than to interrupt her master when he was angry. She stood there submissively, hoping that his fury would subside soon.

After cursing for what felt like an eternity, He Jingshou finally took a deep breath and said, “You are a skilled martial artist, but you lack the wisdom to navigate this world. I understand that.” As he looked at his disciple, his heart ached at the memory of her recent near-death experience while carrying out a mission.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead before continuing in a softer voice, “The situation in the capital is turbulent, and you are too naive to understand its complexities. So, I forbid you from getting involved any further. You are not to see her again.”

Ming Qin’s hands hung down at her sides as she listened to her master’s orders. When she heard that she was not allowed to see County Princess Murong Yan again, she looked up anxiously and started to protest, “But Master, I-“

He Jingshou rose to his feet and cut her off with a stern shout. “Qin Qin! Stop talking back and do as you’re told.” He watched as his disciple shrank back in fear, then turned and left the room with a satisfied flutter of his robe.

Ming Qin remained standing in the room for a long time, feeling bewildered. Her master had spoken in anger, and she struggled to make sense of his words.

Why is Ming Qin forbidden from visiting the Hidden Moon Tower, even though she knows it belongs to County Princess Murong Yan?

What is the relationship between the ongoing turmoil in the capital and Ming Qin’s intended visit to the Hidden Moon Tower?

What is Ming Qin’s involvement in the situation, and what is expected of her as a result of her master’s orders?

Ming Qin removed the bandages from her body and sprinkled medicinal powder on her open wounds. As someone who had always trusted her master and believed that he made the best decisions, she had never questioned his orders and had always obeyed them without hesitation.

However, her recent prohibition from seeing Murong Yan had left her wondering about the reason behind it.

The next day, Ming Qin went to buy breakfast with a pair of panda eyes, still recovering from her injuries.

Ming Qin had a restless night, tossing and turning as she pieced together her master’s words in her head, trying to figure out why she had been forbidden from seeing Murong Yan.

The next day, her sad demeanor startled her fellow junior brothers and sisters.

Lost in thought, Ming Qin accidentally broke the arm of her sparring partner, junior brother Xu Jun, without paying attention. It was only when Xu Jun cried out in pain that she snapped back to reality and loosened her grip on his arm.

“Sorry about that,” Ming Qin said apologetically.

The day was drawing to a close, and the snowfall was getting heavier. “Let’s stop for the day,” she announced to the youngsters before dismissing them, making sure to place Xu Jun’s arm properly before she left.

As she watched the snow and wind intensify, the cold breeze rustling the branches with a biting chill, Ming Qin couldn’t help but think about Murong Yan’s dry cough, and her concern for the County Princess caused her to furrow her brows.

When Ming Qin visited the doctor to examine her wounds, she suddenly asked, “Dr. Ren, can you get me some medicine to nourish my vital energy and stop my cough and moisten my lungs?”

Confused, Dr. Ren observed the healthy-looking shadow guard before him and inquired, “What you want to prescribe should be a prescription to facilitate healing, to create blood and remove blood clots, right?”

Ming Qin clarified, “It’s not for me! It’s for a friend who is weak and she can’t stand the cold weather.”

Dr. Ren had agreed to provide medicine for Ming Qin’s weak and delicate friend, Murong Yan. Ming Qin was about to leave the camp, feeling cheerful about the news when she had a sudden thought and turned back to the room.

Deciding it would be better to make the medicine herself, Ming Qin collected a pot and porcelain urn from the kitchen and started a small charcoal fire in the corner of her room. Squatting on the floor, she used a small fan to stir the medicinal soup occasionally. Unfortunately, the poor quality charcoal caused the smoke to sting her eyes and make them red with tears.

When the junior sister came to ask for advice and entered the room, she was startled to see Senior Sister Ming Qin crouched on the floor with red, teary eyes. The sight made her so afraid that she quickly backed out of the door.

Despite the tedious and uneventful process of boiling the medicine, Ming Qin persisted in staying awake, trying to keep herself from yawning by fanning her face.

By the time the medicine was finished, it was already midnight. Ming Qin carefully wrapped the porcelain urn in a cloth and tied it to her back before stealthily leaving the camp, moving nimbly across the rooftops under the moonlight.

As she climbed the high building, Ming Qin took careful steps, her main concern being the medicinal soup in the porcelain urn spilling over.

When she reached the window, she peered inside quietly. The room was dark, with no lights on, except for a small oil lamp burning dimly by the far end of the bed. The glow was faint, but it was enough for her to see the figure behind the bedspread. It was Murong Yan, who had already fallen asleep.

Great!

Ming Qin thought to herself, relieved that she wouldn’t have to risk being seen by the County Princess.

While her master had instructed her not to see Murong Yan, he had not explicitly forbidden her from delivering medicine to her.

Ming Qin let out a sigh of relief and quietly entered the room, placing the porcelain urn on the coffee table.

However, she then thought of the County Princess’s difficulty in walking and decided to grab a stool and place it next to Murong Yan’s bed, resting the cup on it.

To make the room warmer, she added some charcoal to the stove beside the bed, and moved the stool closer to the stove to prevent the medicine from cooling too quickly. After that, she took a brush and ink and wrote down the instructions for taking the medicine, placing them in front of the bed before leaving.

Ming Qin nodded in satisfaction before she flipped over to leave the room.

For seven consecutive days, she delivered medicine to Murong Yan and returned late each night, but with a lighter heart.

The dark circles under her eyes had disappeared entirely.

Ming Qin had prepared the medicine early and was already perched atop a tree at midnight, waiting for Murong Yan to retire for the night and put out the lights.

As she waited, snowflakes gently dusted her shoulders.

However, Ming Qin began to feel uneasy. Murong Yan appeared to be sleeping on a couch, her thin frame wrapped in a blanket, while the window was inexplicably left half-open, allowing in a cold breeze that rustled the pages of a book lying nearby.

Ming Qin bit her lip in anguish, realizing that the open window would only worsen Murong Yan’s condition.

Suddenly, the branches rustled and the shadow guard appeared at the top of the building.

Ming Qin quickly rolled over and closed the window, then silently approached the sleeping woman. She gazed at Murong Yan’s pale face and carefully wrapped the blanket around her before gently lifting her up.

Ming Qin held the cold and icy body in her arms, wondering if Murong Yan had taken her medicine properly.

The slender figure felt weightless, like a willow branch, causing the shadow guard to move even more carefully.

She gently placed Murong Yan on the soft bed and covered her with a quilt. Then, Ming Qin untied the porcelain urn and set it on the bedside table.

As she was about to lower the bedspread, she met Murong Yan’s open eyes.

Her eyes were clear, not at all like those of someone who had just fallen asleep.

Oh no!

Master had said she couldn’t see her!

Ming Qin’s upbringing had instilled a deep-seated sense of obedience within her, urging her to leave the room as soon as possible.

Yet, she found herself rooted to the spot, held captive by the overwhelming emotions surging within her.

Observing the conflicted expression on Ming Qin’s face, Murong Yan arched her eyebrows and questioned, “Is my being awake causing you discomfort?” Her tone was cool and distant. “If you dislike seeing me so much, why did you force yourself to come?”

Ming Qin’s chest felt heavy, her fingers barely moving and her tongue stiff, making it difficult for her to explain herself.

Observing her frozen expression, Murong Yan sneered, growing more convinced of her suspicions. “Sneaking upstairs every day is a great disservice to the Shadow Guard Master,” she remarked with a cold laugh as she struggled to sit up.

“I… I…” Ming Qin felt a wave of self-hatred wash over her for her inability to speak coherently. She wanted to reach out to help as she saw Murong Yan struggling to sit up, but the princess slapped her hand away and rebuked her with a scratchy voice. “Don’t touch me. You really make me sick to my stomach.”

Ming Qin took a few steps back, her eyes turning red with hurt and shame.

“Leave now!” Murong Yan shouted, hurling the medicine jar at Ming Qin’s hanging head with all the strength she could muster.

“Take your hypocritical sympathy and pity and get out of my sight!”

Ming Qin did not move, and the porcelain jar hit her left shoulder, which had not yet fully healed, and shattered into pieces.

The scalding soup spilled onto her body, but Ming Qin didn’t register the pain. It was only when the County Princess told her to leave that she became aware of it, and she quickly escaped out the window like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Clutching at her chest, Ming Qin’s heart was in turmoil. Although the blow was physical, why did it hurt so much?

The person in the room lay helplessly on the bed, coughing uncontrollably.

Murong Yan found her own annoyance growing at the sight of such weakness, and she couldn’t help but curl up into a ball as she looked at her thin wrists.

In truth, she was even more irritated with herself for being unable to control her own grief and the cowardly whispers of her heart.

Stay! Stay!

Whether sympathy or pity, don’t leave me.

Stay!

A bitter sneer slowly curved the corners of her mouth.

Sure enough, there was nothing left of herself.

Not even her dignity.

Murong Yan closed her eyes and prayed for a quick escape from this world.

Fortunately, she lost consciousness before dawn.