"You lot, come here!" Jin Yu jumped down from the roof and asked the guards patrolling below, "Did you notice anything unusual just now?"
They exchanged looks and shook their heads in unison. "No, chief. Did you find something?"
Jin Yu motioned for them to be silent and slowly crept into the room. Noticing his movements, Pei Qing pressed himself against a bookcase, not daring to breathe.
The guards behind him instinctively moved to follow Jin Yu inside. Pei Qing inwardly sighed with relief, planning to slip away by matching his steps to theirs.
Yet while Jin Yu appeared not to stop them from following, he secretly caught hold of one as they entered, making him stand still.
This man happened to be the "lucky one" Pei Qing had chosen. Hearing the extra footsteps, Jin Yu wore a smug expression as his scheme succeeded.
"Found you!"
He darted in front of Pei Qing.
Damn it! Pei Qing could not see what Jin Yu and the others were doing. When he realized the man who should have stepped down with him had made no sound, he knew he had fallen into a trap, but there was no chance to remedy it.
He simply let the cracked pot shatter, charging straight out to fight Jin Yu. Seeing that something was wrong, the others called for many more men.
Watching the growing crowd, Pei Qing secretly gritted his teeth. He had exchanged blows with Jin Yu before. If he fought seriously, Jin Yu would undoubtedly recognize him.
But without using his full strength, escaping the encirclement of Jin Yu and so many men would be far too difficult.
What should I do? Anxiety filled Pei Qing's heart, and his attacks grew even fiercer.
Suddenly, Jin Yu withdrew, letting the guards behind him surround Pei Qing on all sides. They were old opponents, after all. How could Pei Qing not know what Jin Yu intended?
He would certainly leap to higher ground, using the soldiers' encirclement to trap him before shooting him dead.
Although he knew this, he had only this one chance to break out. Pei Qing's gaze darkened, and he actually exposed his back to Jin Yu behind him.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp arrow tore through the air. Pei Qing's shoulder abruptly sank, and red blood seeped through his robes. When he realized Jin Yu was using a three-feathered arrow, he knew he was in trouble.
He had thought Jin Yu would not bring this arrow along when leaving the palace. The arrow bore the body-weakening powder he had previously given Jin Yu.
In other words, he was about to lose his strength...
As Pei Qing thought this, his vision darkened and his legs gave way. His entire body was about to collapse to the ground.
Yet the cold, hard touch of the ground did not come as the young man expected. Instead, a faint fragrance he knew all too well lingered at his nose.
"Your High..." ness.
Pei Qing completely lost his strength and collapsed into the familiar person's
embrace.
Chapter 40
Lou Yun caught him securely in her arms and let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, immediately followed by towering rage! Heaven knew how frightened he had been the moment she saw the arrow fly toward the young man. Had it strayed just a little, it would have pierced his heart rather than his shoulder! She could not begin to imagine what would have happened to Pei Qing next if she had not noticed something amiss tonight.
The more Lou Yun thought about it, the angrier she became-not only with Pei Qing, but also with those who had hurt him. The anger in her eyes deepened, and even her attacks carried a chilling killing intent.
Pei Qing was at fault, true; but those who had injured him deserved death just as much.
The imperial preceptor, sheltered in her arms, seemed to sense Lou Yun's concealed killing intent. He gripped the corner of her clothes and tugged gently. When her gaze returned to him,
he whispered, "It hurts."
Now you know it hurts? Why didn't you think you might get injured when you sneaked here behind my back? Why didn't you think it would hurt? What good does complaining to me now do?
Lou Yun inwardly cursed the young man until he was drenched in a shower of abuse, but her movements as she protected him grew gentler, and her attacks became considerably faster, their urgency unmistakable.
Jin Yu had not expected Pei Qing to have help. Standing on the eaves, he raised his hand, bent his elbow, and drew his bow. A cloud-piercing arrow tore through the sky and hurtled toward the pair.
Unlike Pei Qing, Lou Yun had no such misgivings. No one at court knew her fighting style. She snatched an arrow from a soldier and struck backhanded, splitting the incoming arrow down the middle from tip to tail, cleaving it in two.
A flicker of surprise crossed Jin Yu's eyes at the sight of the bisected arrow, followed by a blazing fighting spirit.
Very few could dodge his cloud-piercing arrows, much less intercept and split one at such close range. That required exceptionally profound internal energy. When had someone with such formidable martial arts come to the capital? Whose person could this be?
"Villains, you won't escape!" Jin Yu speculated inwardly, but his movements never stopped. Stepping across the roof tiles, he charged at them without pause.
Worried about the wound in the young man's shoulder, Lou Yun deliberately avoided fighting Jin Yu, wanting only to get him out as quickly as possible.
Before long, Lou Yun fought her way out of the encirclement with Pei Qing and returned to the imperial preceptor's residence without a word. Along the way, the young man tried several times to speak, only to be frightened into silence by her terrifying expression.
Only when Lou Yun pressed him onto the bed did Pei Qing muster a little courage and tentatively call:
"Your Highness..."
Pei Qing watched Lou Yun's every movement, unwilling to miss even the slightest expression on her face. But from the moment she rescued him until now, when she had already brought him back, her expression had not relaxed for an instant.
"Your Highness..."
The young man called again, still receiving no response.
At this point, Pei Qing's unease reached its peak. He knew Lou Yun might be angry over this. He had thought she might scold him, or perhaps even punish him, but he had never expected her to ignore him entirely, as though he were not there at all.
Lou Yun rose and told Mo Chi, who was waiting outside, to bring the medicine. Then she called for water and gauze. She went back and forth several times, never once responding to Pei Qing.
At last, Pei Qing could bear it no longer. Lou Yun made the last line of defense in his heart utterly collapse. As she changed his dressing, he called in a choked, tearful voice, almost pleading, "Your Highness... Fangyi... please talk to me."
The young man changed how he addressed her again and again, wanting only some response from the woman before him. But what he did not know was this.
The instant Lou Yun saw his injury, the violent emotions within her erupted like a volcano, almost devouring her reason. Had she not still been mindful of his injury and the need to treat it first, she feared she would already have lost her senses as she had in the bamboo grove last time, unable to distinguish friend from foe.
Being able to calmly apply medicine to him now was already the result of restraining herself with every ounce of her strength. Asking her to spare any attention to soothe Pei Qing was far too difficult.
But Pei Qing knew none of this. He knew only that his Highness was angry, so angry she would not even acknowledge him.
"Your Highness..."
The young man called again. His calls were truly giving Lou Yun a headache, and she could not help snapping, "Can't you behave yourself just a little?"
At these words, the young man instantly went still, as though his acupoints had been sealed. When told to lift his arm, he lifted it; when told to extend his hand, he extended it. He could not have been more obedient.
At the same time, Pei Qing never again raised his head to meet Lou Yun's eyes. Tears rolled down like falling rain. Afraid the sight would only irritate her further, he did not dare lift his head and let her see his tear-drenched face.
Lou Yun finally finished treating the wound on Pei Qing's shoulder. After carefully examining it, she abruptly let out a relieved breath. It was that very moment of relaxation that fully opened the floodgates of the violence inside her.
Pei Qing is already injured. Better not let myself get distracted again. Not wanting to worry the young man, Lou Yun offered no explanation before pushing the door open and leaving.
Hearing the door close, Pei Qing silently curled up beneath the covers. His hands tightened around his knees until the pain in his shoulder roused him.
Almost as though tormenting himself, the young man did not let go. Instead, he thought it was good that it hurt. That way, he could remember this lesson and avoid making his Highness so angry again.
Then he remembered that Lou Yun had taken special care to bandage him before leaving, and silently loosened his arms. If his Highness saw blood seeping from his wound again, she would probably be even angrier.
What should I do... sob... The young man buried his head in his arms. His stifled sobs filled the silent room. Affected by the body-weakening powder, Pei Qing had little strength to begin with, and these few movements exhausted the last of it.
The ointment also had a mildly sleep-inducing effect, and the young man fell asleep in tears like this. Even in his dreams, he could occasionally be heard apologizing and pleading hoarsely, "Your Highness... I was wrong. Please talk to me. I beg you... talk to me."
The only savior who could rescue the young man-Lou Yun-was too overwhelmed to attend to anyone else just then. Using movement skills so swift she left only afterimages, she returned to the crown prince's residence. The instant she arrived, Ying Yi, who was guarding it from the shadows, appeared first. Before he could salute,
a palm strike from Lou Yun came hurtling through the air. Caught off guard by the blow, Ying Yi crashed into the artificial rockery behind him and spat out a large mouthful of blood. But he had no time to think of himself.
Damn it! In this state, the master must be having another bout of madness! Curling a finger at his lips, he sounded a secret whistle, summoning all his brothers.
Had it merely been out of the caution she had possessed as a sovereign in her previous life, Lou Yun would not have expanded her force of shadow guards to such a size.
Ever since she discovered that the madness from her previous life had followed her into this one, her shadow guards had been responsible for more than protecting her. They also had to restrain her.
If she had an episode in the palace someday, these shadow guards could help conceal it somewhat.
If she had an episode outside, she could simply find a deserted place and let her madness run its course.
Although she had been in this world for eighteen years, she disguised herself and left the palace whenever she had the chance. On the one hand, she wanted to find a way to rid herself of her madness completely. On the other, the palace truly was dull.
Lou Yun ignored everyone stationed along the way and charged straight into her room. Afterward, Ying Yi and the others guarding the surroundings could clearly hear all sorts of implements hacking into wooden objects inside, along with the sounds of utensils shattering.
An unknown amount of time passed. A fish-belly whiteness had already appeared on the horizon, and the sun had broken through the dawn before the room finally fell silent.
Ying Yi and the others held their breath and focused, all staring motionlessly at the tightly closed door. The next moment, it opened before their eyes, revealing Lou Yun's utterly exhausted face.
"Shutang, bring water." Lou Yun leaned against the door and gave the order slowly.