CH 69

How Blind Can Lovers Be

Before the autumn wind started blowing, Ming Qin, Murong Yan, and Song Shu Qing left the capital together.

Although Ming Qin’s hearing had not fully recovered, for the beloved shadow guard, as long as she could hear her beloved crawling on her chest, passionately and affectionately calling her name, it was enough.

“Ming Qin, are you really leaving?” The teenage Emperor, who had just gone through his voice breaking period, asked reluctantly, “Did someone in the capital offend you? Tell me… tell me if someone did.”

“That’s not the reason,” the shadow guard smiled. Murong Wan could see clearly that Ming Qin was partial to Murong Yan, and this was evident to the entire Shadow Guard Camp.

If it weren’t for Murong Yan’s lack of interest in court affairs and the fact that the Shadow Guard Camp was hidden in the darkness, loyal to the Emperor, several courtiers would have pounded their chests and stamped their feet, urging the Emperor to stop them.

“The only tea house in Shu that matters is managed by Cao Yun, and I must return to assist him since I have already retired,” Ming Qin patted the young Emperor’s head as usual, unaware of their altered relationship. “You must strive hard in the capital to become a renowned Emperor of the ages, one whose name will be praised by all!”

“Don’t mess up my hair! It’s all over the place!” Murong Wan pushed away the woman’s hand with an irritable tone, but his face betrayed no anger. His ears grew red as he spoke, “I don’t need you to tell me. I will be a good Emperor, devoted to governance, and fair and just to the people.”

“Fantastic, fantastic! Oh… and don’t have too many kids. If you do, take good care of them,” Ming Qin said with a smile, speaking a bit recklessly as she patted the boy’s back. “In just a few years, you’ll be able to marry a wife. Time really flies, I remember when I first met you, you were still sniffling.”

Hearing her blunt words, Murong Wan’s face reddened. He gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence, “Shut up! What kind of girl talks about such inappropriate things… marrying a wife… having lots of kids!”

He then spoke in a somewhat flat tone, “Of course, I will take good care of them. There won’t be any hungry children in the palace again.”

The teenager was about to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a wooden cane tapping in the distance. Murong Yan, dressed in a silk robe, slowly walked towards them along the willow trees.

Although the sound was distant, Ming Qin turned her head as if sensing something incredible. When she saw her beloved woman, she smiled brightly and ran towards her.

“Yan Yan, you’re here?” She couldn’t help but spin the woman around in her arms. After setting Murong Yan down, Ming Qin held her hand and asked, “Have you finished talking to the General?”

Nodding, Murong Yan smiled, “There was nothing to talk about, just to inform him.”

Ming Qin thought of Murong Can’s shock when he heard that his sister was going to travel far away. If it weren’t for Murong Yan telling him that she would write to him and welcome him to visit Shu, the proud and tall man might have burst into tears on the spot.

“Are you departing tomorrow?” Murong Wan, who had walked over with Ming Qin, asked in a composed voice, his hands clasped behind his back. “If you need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.”

“Yes, at dawn tomorrow,” Murong Yan replied, looking at the young man and bowing slightly. She lightly rubbed Ming Qin’s hand with her thumb and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, but I have already prepared everything I need for this trip, and nothing is missing.”

“Don’t worry, old man!” Ming Qin patted Murong Wan’s shoulder and said nonchalantly, “Just stay in the capital and visit Shu whenever you have the time. Although our tea isn’t great, the snacks next door are quite delicious.”

Murong Wan clenched his fist and tried to contain his turbulent emotions, holding his forehead and saying, “Who are you calling an old man? Get out of here quickly! Just go to Shu and make tea for me, and don’t bother coming back!”

“Always so serious, remember to be happy!” Ming Qin grinned and waved at the young man before walking away.

As Murong Yan and the Emperor left hand in hand, she turned back to Murong Wan and nodded, “Take care of yourself, I will come back to see you.”

Alone by the fish pond, Murong Wan watched the two lovers exchange loving smiles. As they disappeared from his sight, he blinked back his tears and turned to face the towering palace wall.

Several crows flew overhead, cawing loudly, amplifying the sense of desolation surrounding the thin figure left behind.

“Senior Sister, do you have to leave so secretly?”

Ming Qin lifted the curtain and spoke to Song Shu Qing, who was driving the carriage. “If you hadn’t told Doctor Wang that you were leaving, he would definitely be furious.”

“Ming Qin, you don’t understand. Your Senior Sister has already gone through the age of being dissected and peeled by the doctor. I don’t want to experience the feeling of being in the lab every day anymore.” Song Shu Qing’s face turned pale, and she tightly held the reins, trembling a little. “I have to return to Shu and live freely.”

“Alright… but I have a feeling that Doctor Wang won’t let it go.” Seeing the murderous look in her Senior Sister’s eyes, Ming Qin obediently changed the subject. “If you’re tired, let me drive instead. I’ve rested for a long time.”

Rolling her eyes, Song Shu Qing said unkindly, “You better stay in the carriage obediently. I’m not that foolish.”

She would rather drive alone than sit in the carriage with Murong Yan. She felt like every second was like soaking in ice-cold water, even with the furry tiger lying under her feet.

This journey was completely different from the last time they fled the city. They had imperial documents and shadow guards with them, and the carriage was pulled by four horses on an official road. The interior was extremely luxurious, with enough space for the tiger to roll around, as well as several boxes of silver bills and clothes belonging to Murong Yan.

Bored out of her mind, Ming Qin lay on Murong Yan’s lap and looked up at the peaceful woman reading, suddenly grinning foolishly with joy.

“What are you smiling about, Ah Qin?” Without taking her eyes off the book, Murong Yan reached out and lightly touched Ming Qin’s cheek, curious.

“I’m just thinking about how beautiful Yan Yan is.” Ming Qin spoke her mind without any hesitation, looking completely natural.

“Even though I am now old and thin with white hair, does Ah Qin still think I am beautiful?” Murong Yan asked absentmindedly as she touched her thin, prominent ribs and no longer plump chest.

“Of course!” Ming Qin sat up with a smile, looking straight at the woman beside her and said firmly, “Yan Yan is the most beautiful!”

Unconsciously, Ming Qin looked at the spot where her lips had passionately lingered at night, and her ears turned red again. “I like Yan Yan no matter what. If I didn’t like her, how could… um, anyway, Yan Yan is like a celestial being to me.”

Upon hearing these words, Murong Yan couldn’t help but pick up the book in her hand and cover half of her face. She then looked down at the person beneath her and laughed lightly. “If I were truly a celestial being, only Ah Qin, who has been banished to the mortal realm, would appreciate my fallen being.”

“That’s because others are blind.” Ming Qin shrugged, speaking with conviction. “It doesn’t matter if others don’t understand, Yan Yan has me! Everything I have belongs to Yan Yan.”

Putting down the book she could no longer focus on, Murong Yan gestured with a crooked finger for Ming Qin to lean forward. She then whispered something in Ming Qin’s left ear, close enough for her to hear.

The brief exchange caused Ming Qin’s heart to race and she swallowed nervously before responding blankly, “Okay, as long as Yan Yan wants it.”

As she watched the adorable reaction of the person in front of her, Murong Yan leaned back and whispered with her lips, “This time, Ah Qin can weigh a bit more. I like it.”

Just as Ming Qin’s head was overheating and her brain was crashing, her Senior Sister knocked on the wooden board of the carriage.

“Sorry for disturbing you two lovebirds so rudely. Um…you can continue in the evening, and I promise to stay far away and not be a third wheel. But can I trouble Qin Qin to come out for a moment, Your Highness? Your Highness can stay in the carriage for now.”

After rambling and apologizing for a while, Song Shu Qing finally revealed the key point, “Um… it seems like we’ve been surrounded by bandits.”

Her tone was casual, as if she was simply saying that she needed to use the bathroom.

The luxurious carriage had no accompanying guards or escorts wandering nearby. Even on the official road, such a conspicuous appearance still inevitably attracted some unenlightened criminals.

Although she had expected it earlier, Song Shu Qing didn’t expect to encounter these bandits so quickly, barely a few hours after leaving the capital. Looking at the dozen or so people with swords surrounding the carriage, she sighed heavily.

“I advise you to put down your weapons and leave now… ” Song Shu Qing calmed the horse and looked at the group of bandits, her face full of pity. “Otherwise, you will really die.”

However, her compassionate expression only provoked the men. The muscular man holding an axe, who seemed to be the leader, shouted in a rough voice, “You, little girl, how dare you advise our brothers when your own life is in danger!”

With a malicious grin, the man showed his yellow teeth and said, “This is a rare luxury carriage. I’ll take you and the little miss inside back to our village, and then…”

“Wait!”

Song Shu Qing quickly reached out to stop him, her face full of distress. “You can take me, but for your own sake, you’d better not involve the person inside. She’s like a mad dog, and once she’s activated, I won’t be able to stop her. You don’t want to know…”

“What did you just say?”

Before Song Shu Qing finished speaking, she saw Ming Qin bow her head and push open the half-closed door to jump down from the carriage, with Tiger, who was baring his teeth, following closely behind her.

“Who did you say you wanted to take back to your village? And what are you planning to do with her?”

Ming Qin’s voice was as cold as ice. Somehow, she had produced two sharp swords out of nowhere and swung them deftly, exuding a deadly aura.

“It’s over…”

Song Shu Qing rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She threw up her hands in frustration, “I told you to leave, why didn’t you listen? Now you’ve activated the mad dog. Do you know I have to write a letter to the authorities to deal with your shattered corpses? It’s really exhausting!”

“Who do you think you are, you stinking woman? What are you trying to say… Ah!” The lead man’s words were cut short as a blur of motion circled around behind him, and his neck was instantly severed.

Ignoring her Senior Sister’s complaints, Ming Qin surveyed the group of men with a squint, assessing them. Then she launched herself like a gust of wind into the pack of wolves, wielding her hands to pierce several men’s throats.

“I warned you a thousand times not to provoke someone in the heat of their passion, but now there’s no way out,” she muttered to herself. But when Song Shu Qing saw a man trying to escape on horseback in the distance, she casually plucked out a hairpin and threw it, knocking the man off his horse and onto the ground, where he groaned in pain.

The men’s cries echoed through the forest, but Song Shu Qing remained unmoved, simply crossing her arms and waiting.

“…Wait, Tiger, don’t eat that one. It’s too dirty,” she said, noticing Tiger tearing into the fallen corpse and quickly speaking up to stop him.

“After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the previously arrogant criminals with horses fell silent. Drowsy, Song Shu Qing looked at her clean Junior Sister’s surprised face and exclaimed, “It’s rare to see Qin Qin without a dirty body.”

Ming Qin explained calmly, wiping her dagger clean, “Yan Yan is afraid of blood. Although it took a bit longer, I couldn’t let her see me covered in blood. It would have frightened her.”

Hearing this, Song Shu Qing was dumbfounded, but she didn’t dare say much and simply pouted in disagreement.

Was Qin Qin referring to the woman in the carriage who was afraid of blood? The woman who once ordered the Crown Prince to be executed in front of her own eyes, her cold expression still vivid in Song Shu Qing’s mind.

The woman Qin Qin referred to and the woman Song Shu Qing knew were probably not the same person, right?

Rubbing her temples, Song Shu Qing looked at the messy scene on the ground and realized that she had gained a new understanding of “how blind lovers can be to each other.”