Chapter 84: Setting Off for the Imperial Capital
Xie Qiang had assumed the starship would depart directly for the Imperial City, but she didn’t expect it to make a brief stop at an airfield in the Third War Zone during its return trip.
And the person who boarded halfway through caught her completely off guard.
Seeing that the newcomer was Jiang Qingwan, Hong Que couldn’t help but frown. “Why is she here?”
“Orders from the Emperor,” Sen Ji said tonelessly from the pilot’s seat.
Xie Qiang gave him a surprised look, then looked down at her light-brain to confirm. The message the Emperor had sent her made no mention of bringing Jiang Qingwan along.
Behind Xie Qiang, Cang Jiu was leaning against her backrest, his hands busy braiding her hair into a pigtail.
His gaze swept across the chat content on Xie Qiang’s light-brain. The youth’s eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “My, Your Highness, why is the Emperor being so mean? He knows Jiang Qingwan has a history with you, yet he still makes her return with you.”
“The Imperial City media has already reported that our return is due to our merit in destroying the wormhole and we’re heading back to receive honors. By bringing her along, won’t the people of the Imperial City think she had a share in that achievement too?”
Xie Qiang’s thumb froze on the screen. She looked up at him.
The youth immediately flashed a brilliant, radiant smile.
He was speaking with hidden meaning…
Xie Qiang carefully mulled over Cang Jiu’s words and soon sensed something was amiss.
The Emperor knew she and Jiang Qingwan had a history…
A small matter like that might circulate within the base, but why would the Emperor know? Why did he specifically call Jiang Qingwan back?
While she was lost in thought, Jiang Qingwan walked up to her and greeted her in a soft voice, “Her Highness the Princess.”
Xie Qiang arched an eyebrow.
Before, Jiang Qingwan would only call her “Princess” or “Your Highness.” This was the first time she had used her full title, “Her Highness the Princess.”
The complete title represented total respect. It seemed the heroine already knew about her reforms to the Guide work system.
After greeting her, Jiang Qingwan took a seat further back without another word. Xie Qiang glanced at her through the rearview mirror and happened to meet her gaze.
The woman gave a gentle smile, as if she had already forgotten their past grievances. However, she quickly lowered her head, her long fingers lightly clutching her skirt, and did not meet Xie Qiang’s eyes again.
Hmm… was her last blow to her ego too much?
It seemed she needed to find a time to have a good talk with her.
Xie Qiang withdrew her gaze and looked forward.
On the third day of the flight, Xie Qiang was “forced down.”
“Xie Qiang—!”
As her body crashed through the starship’s front viewport, shattered by a rapid swarm of Zerg, Xie Qiang’s eyes widened. She reached out toward Hong Que, who was shouting in panic from the ship. “Save me…”
Her body was in freefall, with countless Zerg swarming toward her. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest. Just as she was about to pull out her Suzaku Spear to protect herself, she saw a slender black figure. After cleaving through the dense Zerg before her, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
The youth in black swung his Zhulang Sword, slaughtering the flying Zerg attacking from behind.
“Mo Yin…” Xie Qiang’s body trembled with terror; she almost couldn’t hold onto her Suzaku Spear. “I’m scared.”
The youth in black tightened his grip. “Don’t be afraid.”
I will protect you.
Hearing his voice, Xie Qiang finally felt a sliver of safety. She huddled quietly in his arms, calming her racing heart.
This plot point actually happened after all!
In the novel, after the villainess had her arm severed by an assassin and recovered, she fell into an insect tide on her way back to the palace. Only Mo Yin, who always remembered his duty as a guard, was the first to follow.
At that time, Hong Que had remained at the war zone and didn’t return to the palace. Cang Jiu, on the starship, not only had to deal with the surging flying Zerg but also had to protect the heroine. Combined with the massive scale of the insect tide, he would have lost track of the villainess and Mo Yin even if he followed. Thus, he gave up.
By the time he led the heroine to destroy most of the swarm and found the two, the villainess’s right foot had already been eaten by the Zerg.
She thought that by avoiding the arm-severing incident, this plot wouldn’t occur. She didn’t expect the plot wouldn’t let her go; it was just that this time, Sen Ji and Hong Que were also on the starship.
“Xie Qiang—!”
Just as Xie Qiang was thinking, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. Thinking she was hallucinating, she realized the voice was getting closer. “Xie Qiang!!!”
Her eyes flew open.
Wait, that voice… was Hong Que?!
Xie Qiang poked her head out from Mo Yin’s arms and was shocked to see Hong Que behind Mo Yin. He had burst through the crowded flying Zerg, fire-red wings extended from his back, reaching out his arm with a face full of tension.
His red wings batted away all the Zerg rushing him. He flew to Xie Qiang and Mo Yin’s side and immediately began scolding her. “Xie Qiang! Are you an idiot?! You were wearing a seatbelt and you still fell out?!”
Xie Qiang shrank her head back under the scolding, feeling quite aggrieved. “It suddenly broke…”
However… “Why did you come out? Was it to… save me?”
“Of—!” Seeing Xie Qiang’s moved expression, Hong Que immediately changed his tune. “Of course I didn’t come to save you! I was afraid something would happen to Mo Yin!”
Xie Qiang pouted.
Heartless. And to think she had saved him before.
After tumbling through the insect tide for who knows how long, Xie Qiang finally heard the screeching of the Zerg grow faint. Then, the three of them fell out of the swarm and landed on the ground.
Hong Que surveyed the surroundings. Seeing the ground covered in Zerg eggs, his expression changed instantly. “Is this a wormhole?”
Looking at the slimy eggs on the ground, Xie Qiang’s vision went dark. She immediately clung tightly to Mo Yin’s neck, refusing to get down. “Mo Yin, you carry me!”
“Look at how cowardly you are!” Hong Que heard her and immediately mocked her unceremoniously. “If we weren’t here, you’d probably be scared to death, wouldn’t you?”
Xie Qiang glared at him and countered, “As long as Mo Yin is here, I won’t be scared to death!”
“You!” Hong Que’s face turned sour. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come to save you!”
Xie Qiang rolled her eyes. “You didn’t come to save me anyway; you were afraid something would happen to Mo Yin!”
Hong Que: …
Hong Que was so angry his face darkened. “I don’t have time to bicker with you. We need to find a safe place to set up camp. The Zerg check the eggs at irregular intervals. If they find us, they’ll call more Zerg immediately.”
With that, he took the lead and walked into the distance.
Mo Yin followed with the girl in his arms. Seeing her looking around uneasily as if afraid a Zerg would suddenly pop out, he adjusted his hold to lift her higher, then released his wolf ears from the top of his head, placing them right before her eyes.
“Play with these.”
Xie Qiang didn’t expect Mo Yin to be so thoughtful and gentle. She was quite moved. She reached out and rubbed the youth’s wolf ears, whispering, “Thank you, Mo Yin.”
Hong Que, who was looking for a cave nearby, saw this and rolled his eyes. “Lovesick fool.”
Half an hour later, Hong Que finally found a satisfactory cave. After camouflaging the entrance, he looked down at the time on his light-brain.
It was already evening.
Wormholes were damp and cold at night. With a Guide’s constitution, if they couldn’t stay warm, they could easily freeze to death.
“Tsk, what a pain.” Hong Que looked at the small, frail Xie Qiang—who clearly had zero cold resistance—and knitted his brows in distaste. “I’m going out to find something to start a fire.”
Xie Qiang nodded at his words, then asked with expectation in her eyes, “Can you find some food too?”
“…Fine! You have so many requests!” Seeing her watery eyes staring at him as if she wanted to rely on him with her whole heart, Hong Que’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately backed away several steps and left the cave grumbling.
Cunning woman, she only knows how to use acting cute to seduce him!
Translator’s Note: “Zhulang” (朱狼) means Vermilion Wolf, and “Suzaku” (朱雀) refers to the Vermilion Bird, one of the four mythological symbols of the Chinese constellations. It’s interesting that their weapons share a theme! Also, Hong Que is such a classic tsundere—acting like he doesn’t care while his heart is doing backflips. And Mo Yin giving her his ears to play with? That’s top-tier guard service right there.
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