The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

earing his name, Ming Qin’s face turned pale.
She pulled out the arrow embedded in her right shoulder.
Its iron head was poisoned and emitting a chilling purple color.
Several barbs protruded from the front, and as she pulled it out, it deeply tore into her flesh, causing a rush of bright red blood to flow from the wound.

Despite the pain, Ming Qin remained calm and silent.
She casually threw away the arrow and unsheathed her long sword from her waist, hacking at the surrounding trees to slow down the pursuers’ speed.

Gritting her teeth, Ming Qin thought quickly.

The horse beneath her was already exhausted and couldn’t maintain a fast pace for much longer.
Additionally, their tracks would be impossible to conceal in the snow.

Ahead of them lay an open plain, while behind them was a group led by Xiao Tai.

Ming Qin couldn’t allow Xiao Tai to catch up with them or risk being ambushed by his men.
Even with her exceptional martial arts skills, she couldn’t guarantee Murong Yan’s safety if they were out in the open and the pursuers started firing arrows indiscriminately.

Ming Qin shook her head firmly.
It wasn’t an option.

Looking at the fifty or more pursuers behind her, Ming Qin’s thoughts raced through her mind.

I have promised the Emperor, my master, and my senior sister to safely deliver Murong Yan to the northern border.

But most importantly, I have made a promise to myself.

Even if it means sacrificing myself.

And.

It doesn’t matter.

Impulsive and negligent, Ming Qin had caused Murong Yan a lot of trouble during their journey.
However, she knew that she was skilled in combat and killing, which was the primary job of a shadow guard, rather than being a caregiver.

Ming Qin made a decision.

Glancing back at the fifty pursuers closing in on them, she spoke quickly and decisively, shoving a cloth package from her waistband into Murong Yan’s arms.
“When you leave the forest, keep going straight and never look back.”

Murong Yan, who had been trying to remain composed, was now feeling anxious.
“Ah Qin? What do you mean?”

Murong Yan reached back to touch the person behind her, but her hand felt dampness on the clothes.
Withdrawing her hand, she saw her fair palm covered in bright red blood.

“Are you hurt, Ah Qin?” Murong Yan’s previously calm voice now had a hint of anxiety.

As if to comfort her, Ming Qin brushed her lips against Murong Yan’s temple.
Ignoring her question, she continued to speak in a low voice, “Once you cross the grassland, the local governor will send someone to meet you.
With the horse’s speed, you can reach there in less than half a day.
I will ensure that no one catches up with you.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you behind!”

Murong Yan tightly gripped the iron chain in her hand and refused to let go, shouting in agitation, “I don’t want to go, Ah Qin! I don’t want to go alone.”

Ming Qin turned her head and saw that Xiao Tai was pulling the bowstring to aim for another shot.

She lifted her long sword, preparing to defend herself, and spoke calmly, “It’s just half a day, you can do it.”

With a swift motion, she knocked down the arrow aimed at her, but her wrist felt numb from the impact.

“No, I can’t do it alone, Ah Qin,” murmured Murong Yan, her voice trembling with a painful feeling that seemed to tear at her heart and lungs.
“I can’t ride a horse, I really can’t.
I can’t do it without you by my side.”

Ming Qin recalled the image of Murong Yan in a red robe riding a horse when they first met and smiled.
“You can do it.”

She removed the hairband that was tying the person in front of her and reached down to search the horse’s back.

“No, I won’t allow it! I won’t!”

Murong Yan’s screams became hysterical, her eyes turning red with tears as she desperately reached back, trying to grab onto the warm body behind her while clutching the iron chain tightly in her hand.
“I forbid it! I command you not to leave me alone, do you hear me, Ah Qin? I won’t let you go! I forbid you to leave, it’s my order!”

Her grip on the iron chain tightened, causing her fingers to turn white from the effort.

“Yan Yan.”

Ming Qin said, switching sides and calling out to her softly in a more affectionate tone than ever before.

“Yan Yan, Yan Yan.”

Ming Qin murmured, leaning in to kiss the woman’s earlobe, which was adorned with an earring.

“Yan Yan promised to listen to Ah Qin, didn’t she?”

Her warm breath tickled Murong Yan’s ear, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

Too cunning.

Only now, when she’s being so proactive in calling her name and bringing up this long-standing promise.

Ming Qin is really…

Too cunning.

Murong Yan’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she bit her lower lip tightly, rendered speechless.

Ming Qin pulled the chain that hung between them, and with a flick of her wrist, the iron chain easily shattered, as if the shackles were never a restraint for the young shadow guard.

“I won’t die,”

Ming Qin reassured her, noticing her silence.
She clasped the back of Murong Yan’s hand tightly and whispered hoarsely, “You know that Ah Qin is not lying, right?” She then handed her the reins she held in her hand.

Ming Qin lowered her head, pressing her warm cheek against Murong Yan’s frozen, red face.

Tears blurred her vision, and she struggled to suppress the urge to cry out in sorrow.

“Ah Qin…”

“Yan Yan, listen to me.
Don’t look back,”

The forest ahead had come to an end.
Ming Qin didn’t say much but lovingly ran her fingers through Murong Yan’s disheveled hair.
She then jumped off the horse and forcefully slapped its legs.

The horse winced in pain and bolted, causing Murong Yan to tremble as she clutched the reins, her mind blank.
Her delicate figure lay alone on the horse’s back.

As the warmth of Ming Qin’s embrace disappeared, the cold wind hit her body, and Murong Yan finally came to her senses.
However, by then, the horse was already running at lightning speed, having gone dozens of meters out of the forest in just a few breaths.

She obediently didn’t look back.

She didn’t dare.

Watching the horse gallop away, Ming Qin drew her long sword and turned to face nearly fifty pursuers with a fierce momentum.
Her right arm, which held the sword, was stained with dark red blood, which dripped and stained the white snow on the ground.

Despite being alone, she showed no fear as a fierce killing intent surged within her, capable of stopping hundreds.

She tightly wrapped her right hand and the sword with cloth, tying a knot with her mouth before steadily drawing a long scratch on the ground with the sword.

Ming Qin looked at Xiao Tai, who was leading the way on horseback, and said in a flat tone, “If you want to move forward, you can only do so by stepping over my dead body.”

She took a posture that wouldn’t retreat, even if her head was shattered and her body torn apart.

Her eyes seemed to have flames in them, full of fighting spirit.