CH 32

Hurt Yan Yan (Punishment)

Ming Qin was tormented by regret inside, wondering why she had left Murong Yan alone, leading her to be bullied by a group of crude men.

She looked at the woman standing in front of her, who was frowning and biting her lip, and then turned her head in the direction the group had left.

“Don’t be sad,” she said with a murderous tone, “I’ll go and cut up those bastards right now.”

Despite the need to hurry, she grabbed her sword and attempted to leave, only to have her sleeve caught.

“Ah Qin,” Murong Yan called out in a low voice as she grabbed Ming Qin’s arm.

“What’s wrong?” Ming Qin kneeled down on one knee and moved her head closer to hear the woman’s voice more clearly. She consciously restrained her murderous aura, fearing that the person in front of her would be easily shattered by her touch.

“You…” Murong Yan struggled to speak, as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat. She clenched her hand and finally asked, “Why did you let that man beat you?”

As Murong Yan looked at the person in front of her, she noticed that the left side of her face was swollen and marked with red and purple bruises. Her heart ached for Ming Qin as she asked, “But why did you choose this method?”

“Because it’s the quickest and least costly,” Ming Qin replied matter-of-factly. In case Murong Yan didn’t understand, she added, “That group of people appears to be a convoy headed to the capital. Your portrait may have already been sent to surrounding stations and posted at various gates. I fear that if we cause a commotion and draw attention to ourselves, they may recognize you and reveal our whereabouts to the Crown Prince.”

The person speaking seemed unconcerned about the injury on her face, and only analyzed the pros and cons of the situation.

But…

But!

But there must be better ways to handle this, Murong Yan thought in a chaotic manner.

Murong Yan thought to herself that it would be better to take extreme measures, such as smashing the men’s carriage, poisoning them, delaying their journey, or even killing them all in the wilderness and leaving their bodies to be eaten by wild dogs, rather than letting Ah Qin get hurt.

Even if Ah Qin lost the fight, she would still be upset for half a day.

If she accidentally broke her palm, the sight of bloodstains would make her uncomfortable.

And hearing about her difficult childhood would cause her to grieve in the middle of the night.

How could she allow that arrogant, dirty, vulgar man to throw a punch at her beloved friend?

The thought of this made Murong Yan’s anger well up in her heart, and her eyes turned from pained to cold. She reached out to touch Ming Qin’s injured face and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“No,” Ming Qin replied calmly. She felt the coldness of Murong Yan’s fingertips caressing her heated cheek and squinted her eyes in comfort. “It seems that he was just a wealthy young man who doesn’t know martial arts, and the accidental hit was quite hard. But I don’t feel pain, so it’s okay.”

To show that she was truly fine, Ming Qin added, “I clenched my teeth and adjusted my position properly, so my teeth and ears are still intact. It’s not a problem.”

Ming Qin’s response only fueled Murong Yan’s anger, but she tried to remain calm as she spoke to Ming Qin. “Ah Qin, please don’t do this again. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way and don’t take everything lightly,” she silently prayed in her heart.

However, Ming Qin, who was still kneeling on the ground, tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding what Murong Yan meant.

Although Ming Qin sensed Murong Yan’s anger, she was not sure which of the things she had done that Murong Yan was referring to.

The young shadow guard realized that Murong Yan was angry with her for not properly protecting her and leaving her vulnerable to danger on the street.

Feeling guilty, she said, “I’m sorry, please don’t be angry. I promise I won’t make such a mistake again.” Ming Qin swore to herself that she would do better in protecting Murong Yan.

Seeing Ming Qin’s remorseful expression, Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m not angry with you, Ah Qin, and I won’t be angry with you,” she reassured Ming Qin. She pressed her cool hand against the redness on Ming Qin’s cheek and brought her close to her body, “I’m angry with those men.”

The kneeling Ming Qin looked up at Murong Yan with shining eyes, and wrapped her arms around her waist through her robe. Her tone was unusually calm, almost eerily so. “Did those men make Yan Yan angry?” she asked.

With one hand on Ming Qin’s head resting on her lap, Murong Yan replied slowly, “Yes, I’m very angry. They hurt something very important to me, and it felt like my heart was bleeding.”

The woman’s body trembled beneath the hem of her skirt, and the warmth of her breath mingled with the corners of her lips, barely brushing against the small of Murong Yan’s back.

“So they hurt Yan Yan this way,” Ming Qin said.

“Yes, Ah Qin,” Murong Yan confirmed.

Murong Yan’s smile was sweet, yet dangerous, like a thorn waiting to draw blood from anyone who dared to touch it. “Should they be punished?” she asked, her voice laced with hidden killing intent.

“Yes, they should be punished. Anyone who has harmed you deserves to be punished,” replied Ming Qin, her black-clad form exuding a silent power that could unleash itself at any moment.

She was like a beast lying beneath the Queen’s skirts, waiting for the right moment to strike. Even the slightest movement of her muscles could make everyone around her tremble.

Murong Yan knew she held the chain that kept the beast under control, and instead of fear, she couldn’t help but smile even wider. “Ah Qin, will you help me punish them?” she asked.

Ming Qin raised her head, and her pupils suddenly dilated like a black panther locking onto its prey. Her blood rushed to her limbs as if she was ready to violently rip out the other party’s fragile throat and chew up the bones to swallow.

“Of course.”

The man in fancy clothes sat in the carriage, pulling back the curtain and shouting at the guards riding alongside him, “I want wine! And I want to go to a brothel!”

The green-clad guard with a sword tried to calm him down, “Second Young Master, the snow is too thick here. We were stranded in the last town, so we need to hurry to get to the next place before dark.”

As if afraid that his young master would act recklessly, the guard added in a low voice, “If we don’t make it there soon, there will be many wolves once the sun sets.”

Despite the guard’s warning, the man in fancy clothes remained petulant, “I should have brought that beautiful woman with me.”

The guard nodded in agreement, “Indeed, she was a stunning beauty.”

“I haven’t met many girls who remain so defiant after seeing me. I wonder if she’ll still be as spirited after catching a glimpse of my handsome face,” the man in fancy clothes remarked, his discontent evident in his eyes. He then turned to the guards, “If I were to indulge myself, I could have let you have a turn.”

The green-clad guard remained silent. He had a family and was not interested in theft or coercion.

The very idea disgusted him. He was simply following the orders of this pleasure-seeking young man, even if he found his behavior absurd. He chose to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to it.

As the sun set, the man in fancy clothes let out a bored sigh. “This is so dull,” he complained, rubbing his buttocks. “Have we arrived yet? What’s wrong with this carriage?”

His words seemed to jinx the carriage, as several rivets suddenly fell out of the wheel axle, causing the huge carriage to topple over to the left. The lasso holding the horse in place snapped off, and the carriage tumbled down the steep slope, grunting and rolling.

“Aah! Aah!”

The man in fancy clothes tumbled around the carriage several times until it finally slammed into a tree. His head spun as he shouted in pain, “It hurts! It hurts! Get me out of here! I think I’ve broken my leg… Oh, it hurts!”

Several guards rushed down the snowy slope in a moment of panic and gathered around the tilted carriage door, trying to pry it open.

“Second Young Master, the door won’t budge!” exclaimed one of the guards who found the door handle and pulled it with all his might. Despite their combined efforts, the door remained stubbornly shut.

“Young Master, try pushing it from the inside!” suggested the green-clad guard.

“I’ve broken my leg! Do you want me to use my strength?” cried the man in fancy clothes in frustration. “I can’t believe I brought a bunch of losers! You’re all trash! Get me out of here!”

A few guards attempted to pry open the wooden door with their swords, but when they unsheathed them, the scabbard revealed only an empty hilt, the sharp blades having gone missing.

As the men searched the frigid forest for a replacement blade, the sky began to darken and the distant howling of wolves could be heard.

One wolf’s cry was followed by another, and then another, until a chorus of howls echoed through the trees.