The two Black Armor Guards exchanged a glance, both sensing the other’s unwillingness to accept the Ninth Princess’s decision. They didn’t doubt her ability, but they believed this mission was simple enough that even with bad luck, nothing significant would go wrong.
Almost simultaneously, they began, "What if we..."
They stopped, understanding each other’s thoughts without speaking further. They imdiately mounted their horses and headed out to capture Xue Shengnan, ignoring the need for additional troops to avoid splitting the credit.
Experienced as they were, they knew that the incident happened near the East Gate, so they chose to start their search from there. However, with many towns and villages in the suburbs, a thorough search would be ti-consuming and laborious. Instead, they decided to gamble on a specific location—a mountain with a Guanyin Nunnery known for being a place where locals prayed for children.
Their reasoning was that Xue Shengnan, fleeing in haste and without much money, might seek shelter there, trusting the kind-hearted nuns to take her in.
Upon reaching the nunnery, they strategically blocked both the front and back entrances and began their search. The few nuns, seeing the arrival of Black Armor Guards, turned pale with fear.
The guard asked, "Has any woman sought shelter here? She would be fair and elegantly dressed."
A nun replied, "Yes, a lady and her maid arrived, saying they got separated from their family..."
"Where are they!?" The guards’ eyes lit up as they pressed urgently.
The nun pointed towards the back courtyard.
The guards rushed in, drawing their swords and readying themselves for a confrontation, though they hardly considered Xue Shengnan a serious threat.
One guard kicked the door open, while the other charged in, intending to subdue her imdiately.
Unexpectedly, they were t with a burst of flas!
The leading guard didn’t react in ti and collided with the flas. In an instant, he was engulfed, his entire body burning. Unable to hold his weapon, he scread in agony and ran outside in search of water. But the pain was too intense—after a few steps, his legs gave out, his bones seeming to break under the fire’s heat. He collapsed, lifeless, the flas continuing to consu his body.
The second guard, stunned by his comrade’s sudden death, barely comprehended what had happened.
Inside, Xue Shengnan, seizing the mont, released another fire talisman, her hand trembling. The guard, feeling the heat behind him, snapped out of his daze and narrowly dodged. The fireball flew past and ignited a tree instead.
Having escaped the imdiate danger, the guard glared at Xue Shengnan, furious, "You wretched woman!"
He swung his sword at her, intending to kill. The flash of the blade brought back mories of when she was kidnapped by bandits, leaving her trembling with fear, barely managing to step back.
"Miss!" Shuang’er cried out, but she was paralyzed with fear, closing her eyes and unable to watch.
Suddenly, there was a thud and a grunt, followed by silence.
Shuang’er slowly opened her eyes, shocked by what she saw.
The Black Armor Guard lay on the ground, his sword beneath his neck, blood pooling around him.
He was dead.
"Miss, did you... kill him?" Shuang’er’s voice trembled.
Xue Shengnan, still frightened, rolled her eyes at the scene, "He tripped over his own feet, fell, and his sword cut his throat."
Shuang’er stood in stunned disbelief, thinking: Could they be this lucky?
Regaining so composure, Xue Shengnan began searching the guard’s body for his identification and money. Fate had given her a chance, and she couldn’t waste it.
Shuang’er sobbed, "Miss, the Ninth Princess has sent the Black Armor Guard after us. We might escape once, but we can’t escape forever!"
Xue Shengnan glared at her, "Stop panicking. As long as we’re alive, there’s always hope for a coback."
Shuang’er, wiping her tears, finally voiced her resentnt, "Even so, we’ve never traveled far, and now the Black Armor Guard is after us. Surviving is hard enough; how can we ever turn things around? If you hadn’t foolishly set your sights on Young Lord Chu, we wouldn’t be in this ss."
Marrying Song Zihan would have been a good choice. One bad decision had turned them into fugitives, facing a future of hunger and hardship.
Xue Shengnan clenched her fist.
Smack!
She slapped Shuang’er hard across the face.
"Shuang’er, rember, I am your mistress. How I handle things is not for you to criticize. If you feel burdened by , we can part ways here and now."
Naturally, Shuang’er didn’t want that. She had no skills beyond serving others and relied entirely on her mistress, who at least knew talismans and Bewitched Worms.
"I will always be loyal to you, Miss. I was just worried because the Ninth Prince’s influence is widespread in Mu Nation. It’s only a matter of ti before we’re caught."
Xue Shengnan’s expression softened slightly, "We can’t stay in Mu Nation. We need to flee to Qi Nation."
Shuang’er was astonished, "But Qi Nation is thousands of miles away..."
Especially with nurous checkpoints along the way, how could they possibly avoid capture?
Determined, Xue Shengnan pocketed the guard’s identification and money, her resolve firming up, "We’re two weak won, unlikely to escape Mu Nation, but Qi Nation’s spies will know how to help us."
"Where will we find Qi Nation’s spies?" Shuang’er thought Xue Shengnan was losing her mind.
"I didn’t ingratiate myself with those high-born ladies for nothing; I was gathering information." Xue Shengnan smirked, "From Cheng Ping, I learned her father, the Zhonglang General, is a deep-cover Qi Nation spy."
Shuang’er was speechless with shock.
She had thought her mistress’s social maneuvers were re flattery, not realizing they had a deeper purpose.
"If you approach him recklessly, he’ll kill us to keep his secret," Shuang’er fretted, "Why would he help us..."
Xue Shengnan stood up, smoothing her wrinkled clothes, and smiled, "He will help because I know where Emperor Qi’s younger brother is."
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