Oh, An Jin, I’ve ultimately let you down… Why couldn’t you have explained things more clearly?
Frustrated, I tugged at my ear and walked several rounds, only to run into a figure standing straight, smiling coldly.
“Seventh… Princess?” I was stunned.
She smiled sweetly. “My lady, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.”
Before I could grasp her words, I felt a pain in my neck.
Covering my neck, I turned to see a red-clad guard looking surprised: “Not unconscious yet?”
“My neck has always been tough,” I explained.
The Seventh Princess’s face darkened as she pressed a sachet against my nose.
This time, I truly passed out.
When I awoke, touch was the first sense to react. I was on a soft bed.
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least the Seventh Princess hadn’t thrown me in a dark cell.
Then I smelled a rich fragrance.
Ambergris? I relaxed again, still in the palace.
I opened my eyes to a bright yellow bed curtain, surrounded by golden dragon tassels.
The breath I had just relaxed caught in my throat. The Seventh Princess hadn’t brought me to the Dragon’s Bed, had she?!
“Awake?” a familiar voice asked, beautiful yet slightly gloomy.
I stared at the slightly effeminate face before me, but only produced unintelligible sounds. I tried to move, but nothing would budge. The Seventh Princess had delivered me like a packaged gift.
“Unexpectedly, my royal sister has sent me a great gift,” the Crown Prince said with a brilliant smile. “My lady, should I accept this gift or not?”
His face turned somewhat unsightly. He glanced at me, then said coldly, “Don’t think he can take you away.” Then he stood up, put on an outer robe, and walked outside the hall.
I strained to hear the conversation outside.
“…Does the Prince know where my wife is?”
“How could… she be missing?”
Anxiously, I called out to An Jin in my mind, urging him to come quickly. But he didn’t hear me.
“Does the Prince really not know where my wife has gone?”
“I do not know.” The Crown Prince’s voice was steady and dignified. I felt indignant; he was lying without a hint of hesitation.
An Jin fell silent for a moment. Thinking of his previous confrontational attitude, hope ignited in my heart. If only he would forcefully enter and check…
“Since that is the case, I will not disturb the Prince.” An Jin’s voice was methodical. “This subject takes his leave.”
He left, just like that. So much for lovers being telepathic… He couldn’t be aggressive on someone else’s territory. If he did, he would likely become a prisoner tomorrow as a Ministry of Personnel official.
The Crown Prince returned, clearly pleased with himself, his footsteps lighter.
“Did I not say so?” He pulled back the golden bed curtains, smiling. “My lady, just stay here peacefully. I can protect you completely, yes?”
I blinked.
His expression cooled slightly. “Why must you be so stubborn? I am doing this for your own good.”
I blinked again.
He shook his head. “I originally directed my heart to the bright moon, but the moon only illuminates the gutter. A good bird chooses its nest; An Jin is not a worthy tree to rely on.”
I blinked desperately.
He seemed to realize something. “Oh, I almost forgot, my lady cannot speak yet.”
I closed my eyes, almost moved to tears. He pulled out a sachet and brought it to my nose. A strong, irritating smell made me choke and cough. After coughing, my throat gradually regained movement.
The Crown Prince watched me warily, as if I might run away.
I nodded stiffly, eyes brimming with tears: “The Crown Prince is licentious and took a fancy to my looks, forcibly abducting me into the palace. I wash my face with tears daily, fortunately rescued by this brave hero…”
The masked man finally seemed unable to contain his indignation, covering his forehead and turning away, his shoulders trembling before calming down. “Since that’s the case, I shall act righteously today and rescue you from peril.”
I was overwhelmingly grateful.
He walked to my side, grabbed my waist, and tucked me under his arm, preparing to leap. I tugged his sleeve: “Can we change positions?”
He thought for a moment, then hoisted me over his shoulder, my head hanging down.
Tears streamed down my face. “Hero, isn’t there a more comfortable way to carry me? Like holding me with both hands…”
He coldly replied, “Do you think I could use lightness kung fu while holding you with both hands?”
I gritted my teeth. “In that case, let’s return to the previous position. Thank you, hero. When I return home, I’ll have my husband reward you…”
Before I finished, he flipped me and tucked me under his right arm, leaping out the window.
The sky spun, the ground sank, my neck wailing, my intestines churning. The hero carried me over countless walls and rooftops covered in white snow, cold wind whistling down my neck. I could only desperately divert my consciousness, wondering why this hero resembled An Jin.
This physique, this waistline, and this strength… However, to my knowledge, An Jin does not know martial arts.
Originally, he was going to learn. At six, he excitedly carried a wooden sword longer than himself, telling me he was going to learn swordsmanship and asking if I liked his new look.
I told him that Liusheng WeiJie’s scholarly appearance was the future male standard in Yan Feng City, and that brute strength and fighting were crude, suitable only for supporting characters. He was discouraged, dragging his sword home dejectedly, never mentioning martial arts again.
The hero, able to move freely in the heavily guarded Qifeng Palace while carrying a human-shaped rice bag, clearly possessed high martial skills.
I lost myself in thought, growing numb, until the hero set me down. I nodded blankly at him. “Thanks, hero.”
Nearby, a memorial arch with hanging lanterns barely illuminated the willow-lined embankment. The hero stood by a willow tree, arms crossed, watching me.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I stiffened my face. “Hero, I’m going home. About the reward…”
“No need.”
I turned, walked a few steps, then stopped. “Hero, may I see your face?”
He sneered. “Don’t you know curiosity kills?”
I hesitated. “But I still want to see your face.”
He lowered his arms and slowly walked towards me. His tight outfit outlined a slender silhouette, like power coiled to be released. Suddenly feeling regretful, I stepped back. “Actually… it’s not that urgent, hero, don’t take it seriously…”
The hero pondered, “Why do you want to see?”
“I feel you’re a bit like my husband.”
“That sugar cake seller? You think I’m him?”
“Uh—” I intended to smile but only managed a lip twitch. “No one says a sugar cake seller can’t be a hero.”
“Fine.” He unexpectedly agreed. “If you want to see, come and unveil it yourself.”
I hesitated. “Will you kill me to keep it secret?”
“No.”
“Will you poison or blind me?”
“No!”
“Will you kidnap me as a mountain bandit’s wife?”
He grew angry, leaping up and reaching for me. Startled, I couldn’t dodge and was caught in his embrace. “Do you think I’m a bandit? Are you looking or not?”
“Looking.” I mustered courage and pulled down his black cloth.
He stared at me, eyes like black smoke, face like polished jade.
“Indeed… quite similar.” After a long look, I asked, “Do you have a brother named An…?”
He gritted his teeth. “Xiao Yao!”
I lowered my head. The hero had merely struck the Crown Prince’s pressure point, clearly not an assassin but intentionally there to rescue me. That familiar feeling from our decade together couldn’t be erased, but I didn’t understand how he suddenly became a martial arts master. I thought I knew him well, but now I discovered he might have secrets unknown to me, leaving me somewhat disappointed.
“It’s me.” His tone softened.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Heroines of Antiquity
