CH 37

Not even a big tiger can beat me (pet obtained)

Ming Qin covered the horse with a cloth, checked the campfire, and spread a blanket on the board between two chairs, readying herself for sleep.

Standing by the carriage door, she shielded the woman wrapped in fox fur from the chilly breeze. She hugged her tightly, and then extinguished the oil lamp in an orderly fashion.

Murong Yan’s throat felt scratchy. She held onto the chain with a firm grip and slipped her other hand into Ming Qin’s single coat, feeling the warmth emanating from her back muscles. She curled up and buried her head in Ming Qin’s chest, attempting to suppress the urge to cough.

Perhaps it was due to their passionate moments earlier, but Murong Yan felt extremely tired and soon drifted into a deep sleep.

The following morning, Murong Yan stirred from her slumber, disturbed by the restless movements of the person beside her and the clanging of iron chains against the bed board. The noise gave her a pounding headache.

As she opened her eyes, she saw Ming Qin anxiously gazing at her with blood covering her face and watery eyes. With one hand holding her face and the other stained with blood, Ming Qin asked, “Are you hurt? Does it hurt?”

Feeling a bit puzzled, Murong Yan lowered her head and saw the source of confusion. She let out a helpless and amused sigh, “Ah Qin, I’m fine. It’s just menstrual blood.”

“Mens-trual blood?” The shadow guard looked momentarily confused before realizing her mistake. “Oh! You’re not injured.”

“Ah Qin, can you give me some menstrual cloth?” Murong Yan propped herself up and felt the warmth between her legs. She looked at the person in front of her with confusion and asked, “Have you never had your period before, Ah Qin?”

Ming Qin shook her head. “None of the women in the Shadow Guard Camp have their periods.”

“None of them?” Murong Yan exclaimed, placing a hand on her slightly swollen lower abdomen. “Not a single person?”

“That’s correct,” Ming Qin replied, while rummaging through her baggage. “All the girls who graduate from the Night Mist Courtyard take medicine for three years, and they never have their periods again. I graduated early, so I never experienced it.”

Murong Yan was at a loss for words upon hearing this revelation. She had known about the grueling training in the Shadow Guard Camp, but she had never imagined that the women there also had to endure birth control.

“Brother Ah Yun didn’t prepare for this,” Ming Qin said, searching through her belongings but coming up empty-handed. She then took out a knife from her pocket and asked, “Can I use my clothes instead?”

Cao Yun, who had grown up in the Shadow Guard camp, had never considered the issue of women’s menstruation, despite his attentiveness.

Murong Yan nodded in agreement and watched as Ming Qin deftly cut up her clothes. Unable to contain her curiosity, Murong Yan asked, “Don’t the people in the Shadow Guard camp want to have children?”

“Most members of the Shadow Guard don’t live very long, so they haven’t really thought about having children,” Ming Qin explained while she continued to work on the cloth with her knife. “Moreover, many of those who enter the Night Mist Courtyard have no way out and no home to return to, so there’s no pressure to continue the family line.”

“As for my master and mistress, they are lucky to have each other, and I don’t think they’ve considered having children,” Ming Qin added.

Murong Yan’s mouth felt dry as she gently touched her abdomen and asked in a low voice, “What about you, Ah Qin? Do you want to have children?”

For some reason, she was afraid to hear the answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Ming Qin shook her head and said, “I don’t want to.”

Murong Yan’s tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly as she asked, “Oh? Why doesn’t Ah Qin want to?” She forced her tone to remain calm as usual.

“Well,” Ming Qin began, a hint of amusement in her voice, “I had thought that if I could really retire and receive my pension, I would open a tea shop with my senior brothers and sisters. After it was established, I would travel around the world and eat all the delicious food!”

Ming Qin laughed at the thought and then made a face of disgust. “If I had a little kid with me, wouldn’t it be difficult to travel around and be busy all the time? I wouldn’t have time to play.”

After a moment of silence, Ming Qin turned to Murong Yan and asked, “And what about you? Do you want children?”

Murong Yan’s gaze fell to the ground as she replied firmly, “No, I don’t need them. I also want to be free like Ah Qin, to wander barefoot, explore the mountains and forests, and travel across the five lakes.”

Her answer was always clear to Ming Qin.

“Children… seem unnecessary. Having a good partner is enough,” Murong Yan added, looking up to gauge the other’s reaction.

Ming Qin didn’t notice anything and simply nodded, then handed the cut cloth strip to Murong Yan and said, “I’ll get some water for you to wash up.”

She quickly got out of the carriage, and the iron lock made a crisp sound.

As Murong Yan held the roughly made menstrual cloth in her hand, she couldn’t help feeling a little helpless and amused by the straightforward nature of the shadow guard.

Despite this, she couldn’t help but appreciate Ah Qin’s appearance in that moment.

Half an hour later, the two of them set off.

The official road was covered with new snow, making it difficult for the wheels to turn, but fortunately, the sky was clear.

As they were traveling, a cart pulled by an old man passed by. He waved his hand and greeted Ming Qin with a toothless grin.

“Miss, where are you headed?” The old man’s voice was hoarse, and he tugged on his tattered cap with concern.

“After visiting my hometown in the north, I have to take my sister for medical treatment,” Ming Qin said, using the pre-planned words and pulling up her collar to cover the iron lock around her neck.

At that moment, a piercing cough sounded from inside the carriage.

The old man’s face filled with concern, and a boy of around ten years old poked his head out from behind the old man’s cart. “Dear sister, please don’t go any further! The forest ahead is not safe.”

“That’s right, there’s a big tiger on the mountain ahead that has already eaten several people who went up to pick wild vegetables. We’ve reported it to the officials, but no one has come to deal with it. You two girls… it’s really not safe,” the old man said, his tone filled with worry despite his missing teeth.

“Thank you, Grandpa and little brother, for your concern. But this road is the fastest way, and we will be fine,” Ming Qin reassured them and smiled at the two.

Seeing that the girl was still determined to continue, the old man ceased his persuasion and simply bid them farewell before driving away.

Ming Qin watched the cart disappear into the distance before turning and lifting the small curtain covering the window behind her, afraid that the woman inside would still be anxious. She sincerely said, “Don’t worry, not even a big tiger can beat me.”

Murong Yan couldn’t help but chuckle and turned to the somewhat childlike shadow guard, “I’ve never worried about Ah Qin’s ability to take on a big tiger.”

Thinking that Murong Yan didn’t take her words seriously, Ming Qin became anxious. “I’m not joking! I’m really strong. If you don’t believe me, I can catch one and throw it to you for fun.”

Murong Yan struggled to suppress her laughter and took a deep breath to calm her tone. “I look forward to that day when I witness you throwing tigers around for fun, Ah Qin.”

She lightly tugged on the chain through the door, as if to reassure her.

Ming Qin then turned back to driving the carriage on the road.

The two of them were drawing nearer and nearer to the northern border, and at their current pace, they were only about a week away from the county designated by Cao Yun.

As the sun began to set, the sky, which was usually blanketed by clouds, was painted with a pink hue, lending even the distant mountaintops a lovely appearance.

Before they could fully take in the beauty of the scene, Ming Qin’s hand holding the whip came to a sudden halt, and with her sharp eyesight, she spotted something unsightly in the woods in the distance.

She was certain it was a tiger’s mark.

The typically docile horse grew restless and snorted sporadically.

It seemed like they would need to set up camp before the sun set.

Ming Qin soothed the horse and searched for a spot near the road. She steered the carriage towards a small hill and tied the horse securely. Carving several wooden stakes, she arranged them around the carriage to ward off any unwanted intruders. Then, she started a fire and kept a watchful eye on the forest.

“Ah Qin?”

Feeling a tug on her neck, Ming Qin turned around to see Murong Yan lifting the curtain.

“Don’t worry, we’re downwind,” Ming Qin said as she opened the carriage door and lifted Murong Yan, who had been sitting inside the carriage all day with a pale complexion, and placed her on the bench.

She extended her warm palm and gently massaged Murong Yan’s slightly swollen belly, asking with concern, “Is your stomach still hurting?”

She had heard from many senior sisters that menstruation can be very painful.

“I’m fine.”

Feeling the soreness in her waist and the slight pressure applied by Ming Qin on her stomach, Murong Yan smiled to reassure the concerned woman in front of her, then involuntarily coughed a few times.

Ming Qin furrowed her brow and stoked the bonfire to make it burn brighter, hoping to warm up the woman who had cold hands and feet.

The bright and blazing flames could deter wild animals driven by instinct.

But unfortunately, they couldn’t fend off treacherous thieves with evil intentions.

The next morning, Ming Qin made her way alone to the almost frozen surface of the river.

The bank was slippery and treacherous, with even the small stones feeling sharp under her feet. Despite her hands becoming bright red from the cold, she persisted and soaked them in the icy water.

Knowing that she had left Murong Yan behind to wash the menstrual cloth by the creek, Ming Qin felt the need to hurry back.

As she twisted the wet cloth, she couldn’t shake off the feeling of a chilling sensation creeping up behind her.

At that moment, Ming Qin realized she was not alone.

Was it a human or a beast lurking in the jungle?

Slowly turning around, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of shining eyes deep in the wilderness.

The creature before her was massive, with dense orange fur crisscrossed with black stripes and white teeth that glinted in the dim light. With each low growl, the creature’s shoulder and cheekbones moved, causing the stripes all over its body to appear blurred. Its massive footprints left deep impressions in the snowy ground.

As the tiger crept closer to Ming Qin, it moved with the grace of a skilled hunter, emerging from the thick forest.

“Good boy, you shouldn’t have come here,” Ming Qin said calmly, her expression fearless but slightly troubled.

The tiger kept its gaze fixed on her, its long, coarse tail flicking through the underbrush, causing a rustling sound.

“I should really head back soon,” Ming Qin muttered to herself, placing the object in her hand on a flat stone. “Could it be attracted by the scent of blood?”

The wild beast was about 16 meters away from Ming Qin, its powerful muscles tensed in a crouching position, emitting a low and menacing growl from its throat, like a tightly stretched bowstring, ready to strike.

Without hesitation, Ming Qin drew her long sword from her waist as she watched the scene unfold. The tiger seemed momentarily dazzled by the reflected light of the blade before it lunged towards her.

Ming Qin deftly dodged the attack of the ferocious beast, causing a splash of water on the riverbank.

The orange figure suddenly turned around, opening its blood-stained mouth full of sharp teeth, ready to bite Ming Qin. In a split second decision, she leaped onto the tiger’s back, tightly grabbing the fur around its neck, and swung her sword to strike it down.

The frenzied tiger panted heavily and thrashed about, even slamming its back against a nearby tree trunk. Ming Qin’s grip on the tiger’s fur slipped from her grasp as she was thrown off balance by its sudden burst of energy, causing her long sword to slip from her palm.

“Oh no…”

Ming Qin wasn’t concerned about losing her weapon. Instead, as she landed, she nearly stepped on something she had placed on a nearby rock.

She twisted her body in mid-air to avoid it, but ended up slipping on the icy mud and falling.

As the woman lay on the ground, the tiger immediately pounced and clawed at Ming Qin’s chest. Its determination to bite through the fragile human neck was evident in its attack.

With a calm demeanor, Ming Qin reached up and used her left hand to forcefully hold the tiger’s chin, which was covered in thick and spiky whiskers, preventing the beast from delivering a fatal blow.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by the size difference and unfavorable position, Ming Qin remained composed. The wound on her chest from the tiger’s claw was bleeding profusely, and her right hand was frantically searching for something.

Mixed with the stench of the tiger’s saliva, droplets fell on Ming Qin’s emotionless face. Just as the ferocious beast was about to deliver the final blow, its body suddenly stiffened, and it collapsed weakly to the ground.

Ming Qin firmly grasped a sharp dagger in her right hand and plunged it deep into the tiger’s fur.

Her wrist twisted mercilessly, and with a decisive strike, she sliced through the diameter of the tiger’s neck.

The upper half of the tiger’s body separated from its neck, and blood splattered on Ming Qin’s body, creating a large patch of red that made it impossible to determine whose blood it was.

The snowy ground was now marked with conspicuous traces, but Ming Qin only wiped her face lightly, showing no emotion.

The dead tiger lay on the riverbank as Ming Qin pushed its body off herself and stood up. She grabbed a handful of clean snow to try and remove the bloodstains from her body, attempting to make herself look less intimidating.

As she squatted by the river to wash her bloodied hands, the sound of rustling branches and twigs caught her attention. Turning her head, she noticed a soft and fluffy bundle rolling out from the grass.

“Oh, it’s because there’s a cub.”

Realizing there was a cub, Ming Qin gently approached and saw a small tiger with a head still smaller than her palm. It was likely not yet weaned and emitted a whimpering, high-pitched sound as it stumbled towards its mother’s corpse lying on the ground.

The attack on Ming Qin was likely due to her unintentionally provoking the strong maternal instincts of the beast.

“Even if I know you have a cub, I still have to kill you if we cross paths,” Ming Qin thought, thinking about the other villagers who had been attacked.

But as she looked at the small cub huddled next to its mother, she suddenly felt a pang of remorse for her hasty decision to strike.

After gathering her things, she prepared to leave. But as she glanced back at the now-cold body and the cowering ball of fur beside it, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of hesitation in the midst of the lonely forest.

“Never mind,” she sighed, as if giving up. “Just be a good warm cushion for the princess.”

She then grabbed the small tiger, who was waving its claws fiercely, by the scruff of its neck.

“Stay still!”

Observing the restless little creature in her hand, Ming Qin lifted it to her eyes and spoke to the tiger’s round grey pupils in a composed tone, as if instructing a junior shadow guard, “When you meet the princess, you must behave yourself. Do you understand?”

Whether it was the natural fear of a wild animal towards a strong individual or the unconscious killing intent emitted by Ming Qin after the combat, the struggling tiger indeed quieted down and fixed its gaze on the woman, lowering its furry head.

“Excellent.”

Pleased with the obedient behavior of the cub, Ming Qin nodded and then placed it in her arms, heading towards the carriage with firm strides.

Slightly in the distance, the clamor of unfamiliar voices and the grating, harsh shout of a man pierced through the air where the carriage had been parked. Ming Qin’s exceptional hearing picked up on the noise and her heart sank, her face turning the color of iron.

With urgency, she hastened her pace, her lithe form leaving no visible footprints on the snow