Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Azheba was from a small tribe, one of the few families not controlled by the ten kings of the Norland. By convention, he had joined the Court Attendants Army of the Khan at the age of sixteen and after serving for eight years, was appointed to the position of centurion in a prison in the forbidden zone. The position was neither high nor low; it was more relevant that the position was far away from the core power structure, which meant that he had actually been relegated.
Without a strong backer or a strong relationship with the powerful, any lower noble like Azheba had almost no chance of getting promoted. Azheba himself had served at the prison for over a year now, and in just another year, he would be able to end his term and return to his tribe. Because he hadn’t made a name for himself in the Royal Court, his future was bleak even when he did go back to his own family.
Azheba didn’t want to disappear into nothingness like this. He had made a bunch of friends who were all young men without an influential family background. They also felt the unfair treatment of the nobles in the Royal Court and were worried about the future of the Prairie.
Aside from the lords who were fighting for the throne of the Khan, they were one of the few people who dared talk and criticize the Khan. “He’s very old now and more interested in women and longevity than ruling the country. The Norland needs a young leader who is dynamic and capable of breaking the shackles.” These were their core views.
However, King Kuari, the youngest of the ten kings, did not receive their allegiance. “King Kuari is only young on the surface. His heart is as rotten as the old men’s.”
So this group of young people had chosen their own leader: Prince Duodun.
Strictly speaking, they didn’t have a clear or complete plan. Everyone worked for Duodun according to their own understanding and ability. Due to their low positions, their efforts had attracted little attention from any of the other forces.
Azheba had been moved by Shangguan Ru and felt that she could be an important asset to the Prince in the future.
At first, she was just a pretty woman that had suddenly been dumped into a prison from out of nowhere, and though she was the ‘Queen’ of the Land of Fragrance, it seemed like her title was a favor from someone strong. It was not until the banquet last night that Azheba realized that this little girl, who had been so intoxicated, had a natural charisma for leadership, and that her acquiring the Land of Fragrance was no coincidence.
This changed his opinion of the one thousand female soldiers stationed at the Royal Court, and many more in a faraway land, as they were no longer just ornamental flowers, but rather barbed weapons.
The female archers of the Land of Fragrance had helped the Dragon King defeat the Golden Roc Army. This irrefutable fact, which had been spread by word of mouth, had become an absurd rumor after trekking mountains and rivers before arriving at the dragon court. Azheba, however, saw the hidden authenticity in the rumors from Shangguan Ru.
He explained to her the small group’s view of the situation and their ideals about the future while taking extra care to avoid mentioning any names, especially Duodun’s. In the end, he said, “The masters are one of the largest pest swarms on the prairie. If we let them continue controlling the Khan, the Norland is not far from falling apart. I don’t know what he wants from you, but I don’t want him to succeed.”
Shangguan Ru didn’t expect that her past-time of drinking to relieve boredom would have such an effect. But she still felt a bit dizzy at the moment and therefore did not immediately respond to the other party’s offer. Xu Yanwei, however, widened her eyes and asked, “We are more unwilling to let the zombie-faced men succeed. Honestly, can you really get us out?” She had heard nothing else clearly except for the words ‘get you out’.
“There’s always a way.”
“It should be simple. Pass the news to the Dragon King, someone will naturally come get us out, and then all the credit will go to you.”
Azheba bitterly smiled while shaking his head. “It might have been possible a day ago. But now the whole prison area is sealed off. There are at least two passes outside the camp that can’t be bypassed. So I can’t even send out a message. And I’m afraid it won’t be easy for anyone to save people from here, even for the Dragon King.”
“He always has a way,” Shangguan Ru casually replied before suddenly realizing that she had never felt panic ever since she was caught. It was because she had a deep faith in him. From when he was Servant Huan to the Dragon King, he had saved her many times.
Azheba coughed twice before he continued. “Actually, I have another way. Just report this matter to the Khan. How can the Norland treat an honorable guest like this? The Khan will definitely set you free and then punish the Immortal Master.”
“You just said that the masters control the Khan, but how can you be sure that the kidnapping is not the Khan’s intention?” Xu Yanwei asked.
“It’s not just the masters but also the Waning Moon Hall. How would they collude with the masters?” Shangguan Ru asked as a followup.
Azheba could not answer any of her questions. After pausing for a moment, he said, “I’ll get you out of here either way. But before that, I’ll try to make your situation more comfortable. Regardless, I hope that you won’t give it to him no matter what the Immortal Master wants.”
“Don’t worry.” Xu Yanwei stood in front of Shangguan Ru, “We know what we should do and who’s good and who’s bad. If you really want to help us live a bit more comfortably, get us two more tents and some… makeup powder.”
As soon as Azheba took his leave, Xu Yanwei turned around and said, “This boy has an ulterior motive, Miss Ru. Don’t be fooled by him.”
“What ulterior motives could he have?” Shangguan Ru was amused by Xu Yanwei’s vigilance.
“He… he could fall in love with you.” Xu Yanwei stared into Shangguan Ru’s eyes as if this was all the young lady’s fault.
Shangguan Ru smiled and said, “You call this an ulterior motive? It’s not a bad thing to be loved.”
Xu Yanwei’s eyes couldn’t grow any wider. “You are a young lady, how can you say this kind of words? And the Dragon King…”
“What has it to do with the Dragon King? Does he have the right to interfere with whether others love me or not?”
Xu Yanwei was stupefied. She touched Shangguan Ru’s forehead and said, “You are really outspoken today. I’m embarrassed for you, so you’d better quit drinking. Even if the Dragon King has no right to meddle in your affairs, you still have a dead husband…”
Xu Yanwei shut up in time. Shangguan Ru lost her good mood and started walking towards the outside, saying, “I can quit anything except for alcohol. Life is short, so I hope to be free and drink whenever I can… Ehh, I’ve always thought you were free and easy, but why do you look like an old grandma today?”
Shangguan Ru laughed and left, leaving the confused Xu Yanwei behind, who touched her own forehead and wondered when had she become so garrulous. “It’s all the Dragon King’s fault,” she murmured. She would have been the one who was carefree if she wasn’t always taking care of the Dragon King’s women.
Queen Ju and Xiao Fengchai were sitting with their backs facing against each other, pretending that the other did not exist.
The tent finally woke up from the boredom after Shangguan Ru and Xu Yanwei came in one after the other.
“We’ll find a way out on our own.” Shangguan Ru glanced at the three women, no longer drunk.
Xiao Fengchai looked at her in amazement, “Weren’t we clear on this? When you recover your power and run away, you go tell the Dragon King and then he’ll get us all out.”
“It’s not safe. Even if I do manage to run away, the Immortal Master and the Waning Moon Hall will transfer you away, and the Dragon King also doesn’t have too much manpower here. It won’t be easy for him to save all of us alone. What I’m saying is that we have to find a way to escape together.”
Shangguan Ru hadn’t proposed a specific plan yet but just that idea alone already made the other three feel frightened and uneasy.
“I don’t know kung fu. I can’t run fast even if I want to.” Xu Yanwei unconsciously resorted to her old means and said this in a soft voice as if a gust of wind could blow her down.
“This is the forbidden zone of the Royal Court. There are soldiers everywhere, and one loose arrow…” Xiao Fengchai shivered. She wasn’t afraid of any men in front of her but it would be difficult for her to deal with them if they were far away.
The two objected in a mild tone but Queen Ju surprisingly agreed, saying, “Shangguan Ru is right. We can’t count on the Dragon King. He came to the Norland to form an alliance and will not offend the dignitaries here easily. It’s better to think of our own way than cause him trouble.”
Actually, the Dragon King had already provoked many people, but Shangguan Ru didn’t mention these things.
“What can we do then? I heard that the outside is a big grassland, at least half a day’s journey from the closest populated area even with a horse. Besides, there are horsemen patrolling on the periphery, guarding so closely not even a rabbit can run out.” Xu Yanwei raised many difficulties.
Shangguan Ru revealed a confident smile. “You heard? From whom?”
“From the monks…” Xu Yanwei tried to lie but changed her mind halfway. “You’ve drunk with a large group of men but you won’t allow me to talk with them?”
Queen Ju failed to conceal her disgust and took a step back, maintaining her distance with the ‘bad woman’. If she had power in her hands right now, the first thing she would do would be to drive Xu Yanwei away. Not only was this woman born low but she was also disloyal. She had forgotten about the present Queen as soon as she met her former young lady.
Xiao Fengchai, however, took a step forward and appeared quite excited. “Yes, we don’t know kung fu but that doesn’t mean we are useless. The Immortal Master is not a real man, but all the guards here are men. Isn’t that an advantage for us in dealing with them?”
Xu Yanwei suddenly came to understand. “Right, the men here are easy to deal with. One coy look at them will make them obedient. But there’s one thing that’s strange. Miss Ru, how could you come up with this idea? It should have been Sister Fengchai and me.”
Queen Ju looked even worse. She even regretted agreeing to Shangguan Ru’s proposal. “I quit. It’s blasphemy to even let these men look at me.”
Xiao Fengchai’s eyes changed at the very thought of using her charm. She ogled Queen Ju and said, “Don’t worry. You are the Queen, so how could you do such a lowly thing? Just leave it to me and Sister Yanwei. Your Highness can just sit here and wait for the Dragon King to gracefully rescue.”
Queen Ju hummed and found herself being ganged up upon so she held her tongue in anger.
“We have to run away together. We won’t leave anyone behind.” Shangguan Ru made this rule.
Queen Ju quickly adjusted her mentality. She had already been isolated, so if she kept being so reserved, even her noble identity would be forgotten. If they really had to run away from the prison on their own, she should be the well-deserved leader. “Well, Xiao Fengchai and Xu Yanwei will be in charge of… dealing with the men and asking about the situation. The more detailed the better. As for Shangguan Ru, you should find a way to restore your kung fu and if you can, you can drink a few more times with the prison guards…”
“Your Highness has issued an edict, so how dare this little woman not obey?” Xiao Fengchai said with no intention of obeying orders at all.
Queen Ju said with her head held high, “I won’t be idle either. I’ll deal with the Immortal Master. Isn’t he trying to get the Daoless Divine Power? I’ll give him a copy to let his guard down.” She pointed at her heart and continued, “I’ve got a few copies here.”
Shangguan Ru also had a plan. She really needed to restore her internal energy. ‘The senior monk of the Four Noble Truths Temple may help,’ she thought.
