T/N: Early update because i"ll be busy tomorrow. We finally get some action scenes! Chapter 26 – Crocodile Tears (2)
Horses started acting in frenzy as they sensed danger. Flared nostrils and whites of their eyes were showing in fear as they produced high-pitched neighs that made the crowd frantic.
Trunks formerly situated at the back of some horses began hitting the ground in dominoes and ropes could be heard snapping, unable to restrain the stressed horses.
Despite the commotion outside, Qu Feiqing remained unusually calm inside the carriage. This seemed to be a usual occurrence to her.
Su Xin, thinking that Qu Feiqing was asleep, attempted to insinuate a warning to her, but the emperor was already on her feet before Su Xin could actually utter a word.
She began to get rid of the heavy garments she was wearing. It created a rhythmic flopping sound as it fell on the carriage floor, pooling around the emperor"s feet.
Looking at the emperor, it took Su Xin several seconds before it sank on her mind that Qu Feiqing was actually undressing right before her very eyes.
She looked away accordingly and coughed to hide her embarra.s.sment.
“This emperor is fearless. What are you hiding from?” Qu Fei Qing chuckled. She was not afraid to be looked at nor was she embarra.s.sed.
To Su Xin"s relief, Qu Feiqing didn"t strip until she"s naked. She only took a thick layer of her magnificent garments, revealing an inner thinner gown which allowed her to move freely.
"We are in a dangerous situation. Be careful.” Qu Feiqing commanded Su Xin.
She then took a sharp hairpin from her hair causing some black silky strands to spring freely from the intricate updo.
With precise movements, Qu Feiqing positioned the hairpin in her hand and threw it like a dart. Su Xin was in awe as the hairpin surged through the air with palpable energy, earning a strangled whimper of pain from one unlucky intruder outside. She felt like she"d witnessed magic unfold before her, but she knew that it was not a trick of illusion but simply one manifestation of the wonders of Jianghu; the martial arts of ancient china.
Qu Feiqing appeared satisfied by her first strike. She felt alive, her eyes were dilated out of pure ecstasy.
When the Son of Heaven,1 such as Qu Feiqing, is provoked, a mountain of corpses are left in the wake.
This kind of ambush was not new to Qu Feiqing, it didn"t perturb her one bit. Su Xin on the other hand appeared nonplussed, but she later on got back to her senses and quickly brought in Shu Juan who was completely vulnerable outside. The girl curled up inside Su Xin"s arms, her pale lips trembling. Shu Juan was never exposed to these types of traumatizing incidents. Su Xin felt a little bit guilty that her servant had to go through this and would leave her unscarred emotionally. The least she could do was keep her safe.
The carriage bore the seal of the emperor which glinted against the glaring sun, making it the most dangerous place in this situation. The a.s.sa.s.sins were clearly aiming for Qu Feiqing. So if there"s a place the a.s.sa.s.sins would be eager to target, it"s the carriage. But Su Xin couldn"t think of other hiding spots for Shu Juan to hide. They were practically in the middle of nowhere; they couldn"t possibly hide nor escape. There was simply no running away from this ambush.
It was planned well.
The ruckus outside got even heated up as the clamour outside from opposing parties rose in volume by the minute. After seeing to it that both Su Xin and Shu Juan could fend off themselves, Qu Feiqing stepped out of the carriage to confront her a.s.sa.s.sins.
Su Xin lifted up the curtains to see men garbed in black fighting against Qu Feiqing"s guards. Servants were contained in one corner, each was crouched on the ground, hands covering their ears in great fear. It was simply mayhem.
[Host, you are advised to leave this carriage at once. After 5 seconds, you will be shot with a hedgehog.] Fourteen issued an emergency alert.
Without hesitation, Su Xin exited the carriage and dropped to the ground, pulling Shu Juan down with her. True to Fourteen"s words, the carriage was shot with a resounding boom split seconds after. An instant kill.
Su Xin made a noise at the back of her throat. If it was not for Fourteen, she perhaps met death for the second time. Only this time, her soul would never had the chance to see heaven but instead, it will feed the life force of the system"s creator.
But this crazy system, ah. It wasn"t a hedgehog, but a canon!
Shu Juan shook even harder, her life flashed before her eyes. She couldn"t even think of the possible consequences if they didn"t manage to dodge. She was so scared that she couldn"t cry; even her tears refused to fall.
She gritted her teeth and braced herself for another possible attack.
天子 (tiān zǐ) – the (rightful) emperor; “Son of Heaven” (traditional English translation)