The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

Teahouse Teambuilding（5）

“Ah Qin, are you… excited?” (End of the text)

The northern wind was dry and strong, mixed with sandy soil hitting her face. Song Shu Qing, who was afraid of pain, really wanted to curse at this moment.

She reached out and pulled the scarf around her neck, trying to cover her mouth and nose. There was a fragrance floating on it, which was personally tied for her by Zi Yan before she left.

Sighing, Song Shu Qing muttered in her heart.

Coming to the northern border to endure the wind and sand in the middle of winter was bad enough, but why? Why did she have to go out in the middle of the night, secretly, to be responsible for the task of burning grain and grass?

The dark clouds beneath her remained steady, followed by seven or eight guards assigned by Murong Can. Considering her image in front of strangers, Song Shu Qing could only silently grit her teeth and swallow her complaints.

Raise! I demand a raise!

A few days ago, the plan they formulated was to remain idle outside the city, deploying appropriate forces to superficially harass Tuoba Yu, who could only be considered a nuisance to the siege. Then, a few elite soldiers would launch a night raid, not attacking the enemy camp, but targeting the belated supplies of the barbarian army. Afterwards, when Tuoba Yu received the shocking news, he would lead a large force and they would crush them in one fell swoop.

The plan… is a good plan…

Song Shu Qing truly admired Murong Yan, who could deduce the supply route with just a few discussions with her older brother… but why?

Why? Why was this damn night raid task entrusted to her?

Tightening the reins slightly, Song Shu Qing approached the location marked on the map, getting closer and closer. She gestured to the person behind her to keep quiet, dismounted, and continued to move forward stealthily in the darkness.

Well, indeed, this task can only be entrusted to herself.

After all, the current Qin Qin is blind at night and can’t hear well. Qin Shimei had rarely been involved in field work in the capital. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the Ever-Victorious General himself to engage in such sneaky activities, right? He still had to lead his troops to defeat Tuoba Yu personally during the daytime.

After much consideration, it was safer for her to keep an eye on things herself.

Her thoughts were all over the place, but her footsteps were steady, attentively observing her surroundings.

Crouching down and pressing her ear to the ground, Song Shu Qing listened carefully. With a few people following behind her, they moved stealthily, hugging the walls. It didn’t take long before they saw some lights not far away—a camp with black flags, the symbol of Tuoba Yu.

“They really are here…” Song Shu Qing couldn’t help but sigh softly. She didn’t want to dwell too much on her thoughts about Murong Yan, who calmly drank tea (or water) before their departure. She turned around and took the leather bag filled with oil that was handed to her. “Well… let’s finish this quickly and go home.”

She chuckled.

“Let’s have a barbecue party before dawn.”

Standing on the city wall under the moonlight, Ming Qin gazed at the quietly gathering troops inside the wall. Despite their numbers, each soldier was poised and patiently waiting for orders, displaying strict military discipline.

“Yan Yan, do you want to go down first? It’s windy and chilly up here.” Ming Qin tightened the fox fur coat around the woman next to her, expressing concern. “Besides, when the fighting starts, it can get quite bloody…”

“I’m not leaving.” Holding Ming Qin’s warm hand, Murong Yan spoke, her breath forming white vapor. “You’ll be on the battlefield later, and I want to watch over you.” Her tone brooked no argument.

Having full confidence in the abilities of the shadow guards and knowing that victory in this battle was unquestionable, Murong Yan still wanted to stay here, watching over Ming Qin, making sure she was safe and unharmed.

They embraced, and Murong Yan leaned against Ming Qin’s shoulder, as if she could hear her heartbeat with each beat. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah Qin, are you… excited?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ming Qin nodded. “These past few days, dealing with those annoying scouts from the Northern barbarians… I’ve been itching for a fight. It has been too peaceful before.” The former shadow guard hadn’t had a satisfying confrontation in a long time.

Her voice lowered. “It’s because of me… I’ve tied you down…” Murong Yan seemed to blame herself, her mood appearing genuinely low if one ignored the glint in her eyes. “It’s all my fault.”

Innocently, Ming Qin didn’t see the expression on the woman in her arms and hastily explained, “No, it’s not. Yan Yan didn’t tie me down. It’s that I can’t bear to be away from Yan Yan. Peace is good, really! Every day spent with Yan Yan is the best! It’s not your fault!”

Hearing those words, Murong Yan buried her head in Ming Qin’s shoulder, concealing a triumphant smile.

However, seeing the woman in her arms not responding, Ming Qin thought she was still unhappy and anxiously reassured her, “Yan Yan, don’t be sad…” She scratched her head and spoke loudly, “When it’s dawn and the city gates open, I’ll go capture Tuoba Yu and present him to Yan Yan as a feat of valor…”

“It’s not that easy,” Murong Yan raised her head, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. “Besides, if you were to seize the enemy leader before my brother, he would be extremely frustrated.”

“Ah… is that so?” Ming Qin looked puzzled and conflicted. “Should I let him have it then? But if I do that, does it mean I can’t give a gift to Yan Yan?” She had a serious expression as she pondered whether or not to yield, fearing that Murong Yan would be furious upon hearing such a suggestion.

Unable to hold back her laughter, Murong Yan replied, “No need to yield.” She reached out and held the earring hanging from Ming Qin’s ear, speaking tenderly. “Ah Qin, you can give me whatever you want.”

“Great!” Ming Qin rubbed her cheek against Murong Yan’s soft hand and spoke earnestly. “I will do my best!”

“Mm, I’m looking forward to it.”

The two of them cuddled together until the sky silently revealed its pale underbelly, until a faint orange firework flashed in the distant hills.

It was the signal from Song Shu Qing.

It was time.

Murong Can, who had been waiting for a long time, drew his sword and let out a loud shout. Instantly, the sound of horns resounded, and he led the troops charging out of the city gates.

Fifty thousand soldiers poured out like a swarm, rushing towards the Northern barbarian camp ten miles away.

“Yan Yan, I’m going too.” Ming Qin looked at the close combat taking place and kissed the cheek of the woman in her arms.

“Alright.” Murong Yan gently narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be waiting for you.” Her tone was unusually calm.

Releasing her grasp and taking a step forward, Ming Qin hesitated not at all. She leaped down from the city wall, her hair, tied up by Murong Yan herself, trailing behind her as her black robe fluttered.

She swiftly ran across the blue stone at the city gate, then mounted her horse with a swift kick to its belly. The lone shadow guard rushed towards the battlefield resounding with the deafening sound of gongs and drums.

After several days of calm, despite having sentries keeping watch at night, Tuoba Yu and his troops were caught off guard by the sudden attack. Coupled with the news of their rear supply lines being destroyed by a fire just moments ago, chaos ensued in their ranks.

(Tuoba Yu: “Didn’t they say Prince Yu had passed away?! Why are you still so stubborn? I thought we had established an understanding over these few days, just putting on a show. How did it turn into a real fight, and you even took the opportunity to burn all my supplies?!”)

With a single hand gripping her long sword, Ming Qin controlled her horse and charged into the battle. A tinge of excitement dyed her cheeks crimson. With swift movements, she wielded her sword, tearing through the ignorant enemies beside her like a fierce beast.

Precisely inserting her blade into the gaps of their armor, she swiftly decapitated the man who attempted to attack her. Blood sprayed onto her hand, moistening the hilt, but Ming Qin paid no mind and continued to press forward.

The sounds of slaughter echoed through the sky.

Courageous and skilled in combat, Murong Can led a few shadow guards at the forefront, directly assaulting the main formation of the northern barbarian army. When he caught sight of the shadow guard at the corner of his eye, he swung his long blade engraved with a Qinglong pattern while saying, “Do not let the bloodshed on the battlefield scare you, or else I would think my little sister has misjudged you.”

“Impossible.”

With a reddened corner of her eyes, Ming Qin wore an unconscious grin on her face, exhaling bursts of white breath. “Yan Yan never makes mistakes.” She knocked down the enemy charging towards her, their screams seeming oddly ordinary amidst the chaotic trampling of hooves.

Suppressing a snort from his nose, Murong Can casually severed the wooden pole carrying a black military flag and turned his gaze forward. His blade danced even faster in his hand, determined not to be outdone.

No words were exchanged between the two in the midst of battle.

Suddenly, a muscular man with a braided hairdo appeared, exuding a threatening aura as he swung a massive battle-axe, intending to attack Murong Can from the side.

Ming Qin moved forward to block, raising her hand to deflect the sword’s force and withstand the attack, but the axe landed heavily on the ground.

However, Ming Qin’s wrist also went numb, and her arm drooped down.

Seeing the situation, Murong Can swiftly stepped in, extending his long sword and beheading the cumbersome enemy before they could recover.

“Indeed, I’ve regressed a bit.” Ming Qin’s wrist trembled slightly as she discarded the sword she had been wielding and grabbed a nearby flagpole. She nodded to Murong Can and said, “Thank you.”

“It was just a casual assist. If something were to happen to you, Yue’er would be heartbroken.” Murong Can’s tone was somewhat awkward as he whispered, “Besides, you were the one who helped me first…”

Like a dragon and a tiger, seemingly incompatible, they intertwined and had a subtle understanding, moving together like sharp blades slicing through enemy forces.

They were nearing the enemy’s main camp.

Sitting atop his horse, Tuoba Yu watched his seventy thousand troops crumble, collapsing into disarray and unable to form a coherent army. What was initially meant to be a show for the newly appointed leader of the barbarian tribes, a display of loyalty and military might, had now turned into a complete defeat, with his forces in disarray. It could be said that he had not only lost his wife but also his soldiers.

Gritting his teeth, Tuoba Yu turned around with his deputy, intending to escape the battlefield amidst the chaos.

“Hmph, are you going to abandon your subordinates?” Murong Can, with a sharp gaze, looked at the man attempting to flee and disdainfully snorted, “If I let you go, wouldn’t it make the world think that our country’s borders can be freely entered and exited?” He urged his horse forward, chasing closely behind.

But Ming Qin had already taken the lead, half a body’s length ahead of Murong Can. The man shouted at the shadow guard ahead of him, “Hey! Don’t snatch it from me!”

“Hmm? But Yan Yan said there’s no need to let you have it,” Ming Qin casually replied without looking back. Then she weighed the pole in her hand and said, “Things like this have always been first come, first served, right?” With one eye narrowed, she threw it like a javelin, only to be blocked by the bearded deputy general next to Tuoba Yu.

Unfazed by the unexpected turn, Ming Qin fiercely whipped the horse as soon as the man blocked the spear. The horse, feeling the pain, charged forward, leaving Murong Can and the barbarian deputy officer behind. Without forgetting to look back, she said, “You can have the big-bearded one as compensation.”

Swiftly removing her leg from the stirrup, Ming Qin crouched steadily in the saddle. After two breaths, the shadow guard exerted force and leaped towards the galloping Tuoba Yu. He forcefully pulled him down from the horse, and the two of them tumbled heavily on the ground, rolling several times.

Without time to catch her breath, Ming Qin grabbed onto the man’s collar and swiftly drew her dagger from her waist, striking without hesitation.

However, Tuoba Yu was no pushover. He bent his leg and kicked towards the woman’s abdomen, forcing her to let go.

Taking a few steps back, adjusting her breath, Ming Qin once again moved forward to stop the man from mounting his horse. Her dagger grazed his leg, forcing him to draw his sword and engage the approaching shadow guard.

The clash of metal created sparks that flew intermittently.

Tuoba Yu, wielding a broadsword, had a strong and robust physique, exerting immense strength with each swing that produced a piercing sound in the air. Ming Qin, holding the dagger, moved with light and agile steps, launching a rapid and precise offensive that left shallow wounds on the man’s body.

The two of them engaged in a fierce back-and-forth, reaching a momentary stalemate.

“You… are… skilled.” As their blades clashed once again, Tuoba Yu struggled to speak in broken official language. “To whom… do you… belong?” He had never heard of a woman like her in the Northern Border Army and was curious about her affiliation.

Somewhat puzzled, Ming Qin couldn’t quite understand the man’s fragmented words. Tilting her head, she replied, “I belong to Yan Yan, Princess Chongwen Murong Yan.” Despite her submissive tone in answering, her attacks remained fierce.

“A princess? The general’s sister?” Tuoba Yu raised his hand to parry and then swung his sword again, speaking indifferently. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to meet her this time. I’ve heard she is a beauty.”

“What do you want?” Ming Qin stepped back, her hand hanging down as a strand of hair fell, obscuring her expression.

Thinking that the woman before him had weakened, Tuoba Yu let out a cold laugh, gripping his sword with both hands. “Women, food, always have to be taken by force.” He took a step forward, intending to deliver a fatal blow to the motionless figure before him. “Seems like it will have to be next time.”

Raising her head, Ming Qin didn’t dodge but instead moved forward. The wind lifted the hair off her forehead, revealing eyes that were already bloodshot from killing. “There won’t be a next time.” Her voice remained calm and steady as she spoke each word. “You’re going to die.”

In that instant, a piercing sound filled the air, followed by a muffled noise as a weapon pierced flesh. Tuoba Yu felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, causing his hand suspended in mid-air to freeze, rendering his weapon unable to strike.

But Ming Qin didn’t have the patience to wait. She reached out and directly severed the man’s head along his neck. The blood that had just spurted out was still warm, splattering onto her expressionless face.

“Qin Qin, I arrived just in time, didn’t I?” Song Shu Qing rode on horseback from a distance, holding her most proficient hidden weapon between her fingers. She yawned lazily, her relaxed demeanor giving no indication that she had just ambushed Tuoba Yu.

“Whether he comes or not, he’s going to die.” Ming Qin shook off the blood from her dagger and lifted the severed head, her eyes showing no ripples.

“Hmm? Did this mop fish, oh no, this Tuoba Yu anger you?” Understanding her junior sister’s temperament, Song Shu Qing shrugged her shoulders and wiped away the tears that involuntarily welled up in her eyes. “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Quickly end this battle. I’m really tired. And your little wife, Yan Yan, is still waiting for you.”

Awakened by the name spoken by her senior sister, Ming Qin blinked her eyes and suddenly changed to an urgent expression. “That’s right, Yan Yan!” Holding the still wide-eyed head in her hand, she blew a whistle, summoning Qing Shi and mounting him swiftly.

Watching her junior sister hastily head towards the city wall, Song Shu Qing sighed and clapped her hands, addressing the defeated soldiers around her. “Alright, alright. Can you see it? Your commander is dead. Those who can run, retreat quickly. Those who can’t, surrender obediently.” Seeing a few remaining barbarian soldiers still struggling, she shouted again, “Your supply lines are cut off, oh yes, they were burned… right, burned by me, the beautiful and intelligent me.”

Never concerned about the aftermath of the battlefield as a general, Ming Qin left it to Song Shu Qing and Murong Can to handle, while her mind was solely focused on the city wall, braving the wind as Murong Yan waited for her.

The black flags behind them had all fallen, leaving only the vibrant red banner of the Northern Border Army on the grassland.

From afar, as if sensing something, Ming Qin looked up.

Even though her vision was not very clear, she knew that the woman on the city wall was looking at her.

“Yan Yan!” she called out, unable to resist despite the distance that still separated them.

Riding swiftly, she shouted, “We won! I won! I’ve beheaded the enemy general!” Overwhelmed with excitement, she unconsciously held up the severed head, proudly displaying it like a jubilant child.

Beside Murong Yan on the city wall stood Qin Shimei, who looked uncertainly at the head held by her 『former』colleague, now resembling a hellish demon with bloodstains all over. She glanced to the side with some hesitation.

Not finding any fear on the princess’s face, instead, Murong Yan wore an involuntary gentle smile and intense love in her eyes.

When she reached below the city wall, Ming Qin halted her horse and shouted in delight, “This is the merit I’ve earned for Yan Yan!” She instinctively wiped her face but only made the clean side as messy as the rest.

The bloodstains covering her body contrasted sharply with her radiant smile, making it so glaringly visible. However, Murong Yan seemed oblivious to it, her gaze fixed on the eyes of the shadow guard as if infused with radiance.

Addressing the person below the city wall, Murong Yan spoke, her voice extremely soft, even Qin Shimei couldn’t make out her words.

Even though the sound didn’t reach Ming Qin’s ears, the shadow guard understood her message through lip reading and vigorously nodded in response to her beloved on the city wall, “Okay, once we’re done, we’ll return to Shu. I’ll listen to everything you say, Yan Yan!”

The winter in the North is too cold, indeed unsuitable for dwelling.

As long as she can be with Yan Yan, it doesn’t matter where they stay.

She looked up with a smile, gesturing for the woman on the city wall to wait a moment. Ming Qin weighed the gift in her hand, tightened her legs around the horse, and hastily entered the city gate.

Not a second could be waited anymore, the impatience was overwhelming.

She rushed toward the place she called “home.”

(End of the Epilogue)

(End of the entire story)