Hearing her urge, Chu Ning finally buried her head into the crook of the other’s neck without haste. She rubbed against her, wiping every trace of tears from her face onto Lu Zhidao’s collar. Finally regaining her composure, she pushed her slightly away.
Lu Zhidao didn’t dare move. She stood frozen like a statue, her immense strength failing her; she was nearly sent stumbling by the gentle shove.
“Where are we going?” Chu Ning asked in a low voice, her eyes fixed aimlessly on the ground.
Lu Zhidao finally snapped out of it, her heart still hammering against her ribs. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Rubbing her face haphazardly, she leaned down slightly, turning her head to seek Chu Ning’s gaze.
After a long moment without an answer, Chu Ning gradually returned to her usual self. She raised her eyes to look directly at Lu Zhidao. “I asked where we’re going!”
“Oh… anywhere is fine.”
“Aha! Lu Zhidao’s brain has officially stopped working. Get on the horse, let’s go!” Ling Feng, having seen enough of the spectacle, leapt onto his horse.
Seeing this, Lu Zhidao also flipped nimbly onto her mount.
She sat there bluntly, leaving Chu Ning standing alone on the ground, looking up at her…
Chu Ning: What model of idiot is this?
Lu Zhidao: Something feels wrong?
Realizing her blunder, Lu Zhidao hurriedly dismounted in embarrassment. “Do you know how to ride?”
“I’ve done it before, but I’m not very good at it.”
Since there was only one horse available, they had to make do. Lu Zhidao patted the saddle silently, signaling for Chu Ning to mount first.
Chu Ning furrowed her brows. Dealing with this person required absolute directness; otherwise, she would just stand there looking gormless.
“I’m injured…” Are you blind?
“Oh!” Lu Zhidao had a sudden realization. She scooped Chu Ning up by the waist and placed her on the horse. Reaching around her waist to grab the reins, she stepped into the stirrup and carefully mounted behind her. The saddle was designed for one person, forcing the two of them to press tightly together.
“You call that an injury? How troublesome.” Ling Feng kicked his horse impatiently and set off first.
Lu Zhidao gave the reins a gentle shake and followed.
The night in the outskirts was vastly different from the city; everything seemed exceptionally soft.
The moonlight slid down like silk, and only a few sparse stars dotted the sky. All things seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, leaving only the rhythmic da-da of hooves tapping against the ground, carrying far into the silent night.
Despite the throbbing pain in her ankle, Chu Ning’s heart felt still. She didn’t know where they were headed tonight, but a profound sense of security enveloped her.
Lu Zhidao, however, was not so at ease. One hand gripped the reins tight, while the other hovered awkwardly behind her. If she used both hands for the reins, she would inevitably be encircling Chu Ning’s waist. She wondered if that would be considered an overstep.
But the posture was uncomfortable. That one hand stayed suspended in mid-air for a long stretch of the road until, finally unable to help herself, Lu Zhidao stealthily and slowly slid it around the other’s waist to grasp the reins.
Seeing that Chu Ning didn’t object, she relaxed slightly, holding her in a loose embrace as she gripped the leather.
As they pressed together, a hint of sweet fragrance seemed to drift slowly from the hollow of Chu Ning’s neck and the tips of her hair, bringing a sense of peace.
“Mumu…” Chu Ning leaned back, resting her head on Lu Zhidao’s shoulder. Her eyes seemed to hold a flicker of a smile as she looked up at her.
Lu Zhidao’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Her grip on the reins tightened convulsively, and she froze.
A person can control their words, and the skilled can control their eyes, but the feelings in one’s heart are beyond anyone’s mastery.
“I thought you would stay behind.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“For your mission?”
“Yes!” This time, the mission and her heart’s desire were in perfect alignment, so Lu Zhidao’s answer was absolute.
The smile in Chu Ning’s eyes suddenly froze. She straightened up, pulling away from the shoulder. “And if there were no mission?”
Lu Zhidao had never considered this question.
“If there’s no mission, you just wait for the next one. Can you two move any faster!” Ling Feng turned his horse back to urge them on.
Seeing that the eastern sky was about to turn grey, Lu Zhidao said to Ling Feng, “We’ll go to the camp first. After we’ve rested, you arrange a boat for us.”
“Aha, ordering me around now?” Ling Feng pointed at Chu Ning. “You can enter the camp; she cannot.”
“Just for two days. We’ll leave once her injury is better. I know the rules.”
Seeing Chu Ning’s injury and knowing Centurion Jia’s men were already in the area, Lu Zhidao didn’t feel safe staying in a public place. Even though she was loath to return to that place, at this moment, the Secret Guard Camp was the safest location.
“You call that an injury? Her leg isn’t even broken. When did you become so delicate!” Ling Feng pointed at Lu Zhidao dismissively.
Before his voice faded, two sharp gazes from the horse’s back shot toward him simultaneously.
Ling Feng waved his hand and jerked his reins. “Fine, then hurry up.”
Lu Zhidao spurred her horse to follow, but she intentionally kept the pace much slower than before.
Chu Ning leaned back slightly and whispered, “Who is he?”
“Ling the Maniac.”
“Ling the Maniac?”
“Mhm.” Lu Zhidao lowered her head slightly and whispered a warning, “Once we’re at the camp, don’t wander around, and don’t look where you shouldn’t. They kill without blinking.”
“He doesn’t look like that…”
Lu Zhidao remained noncommittal. “We’ll stay for a day or two. Once your injury is slightly better, I’ll have him arrange a boat. We can leave by water; you can recover on the boat.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.” Chu Ning smiled faintly and leaned back again, resting in her embrace.
Lu Zhidao instantly stiffened her back so Chu Ning could lean more comfortably. She stared straight ahead—not out of solemnity, but because she didn’t dare move.
After a long time, she summoned the courage to steal a glance down, only to see Chu Ning’s brows furrowed and her face somewhat pale.
“Does it hurt much?” Lu Zhidao asked softly.
“Yes.”
“I’ll take a look when we get back.”
“You know medicine?”
“I am often injured,” Lu Zhidao scratched her head, answering honestly.
Chu Ning couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “You can let the horse go faster; Ling the Maniac is far ahead.”
“The horse is tired.”
“Are you saying I’m fat?”
“No!” Lu Zhidao looked down quickly to explain. “This horse has been running all day.”
Chu Ning pursed her lips and said nothing, leaning her head into the crook of Lu Zhidao’s neck with a tired sigh.
“During the day…” Lu Zhidao felt a rare urge to speak, but then felt it was unnecessary. She opened her mouth and then closed it again.
“Mhm?” Under the moonlight, the voice sounded exceptionally soft.
“I originally stole this horse, but then I thought you wouldn’t like that, so I went back and gave the person money.” Lu Zhidao felt a small sense of pride—like a child who had forcibly helped an old lady across the street and then carefully wrote it in a diary, waiting for praise.
“Could you please hurry up!” Ling Feng turned back to find them once more.
Amidst Ling Feng’s constant urging, the two of them, draped in moonlight, finally neared the camp gates.
“Aha! You should have seen how anxious she was earlier. I’ve trained with her for years, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it,” Ling Feng laughed, exposing Lu Zhidao’s secrets right in front of Chu Ning. “Now that she’s found you, she’s forgotten how to ride a horse!”
“Is that true?” Chu Ning looked up at her with a beaming smile.
Lu Zhidao felt entirely uncomfortable. She explained awkwardly, “That’s not true at all.”
“Lu Zhidao has become increasingly pretentious since leaving the camp.”
“Shut up!”
Under the cover of night, Ling Feng chattered away with a grin, and Chu Ning listened with great interest. Only Lu Zhidao maintained a mask of forced indifference.
Suddenly, a dark shadow came stumbling toward them from the direction of the camp.
Detecting something wrong, Lu Zhidao instantly became alert. She loosened the reins, wrapped one arm around Chu Ning’s waist to pull her closer, and placed her other hand on her sword hilt, ready to draw.
In the Secret Guard Camp, no one ever left like this. You either became a Secret Guard and walked out openly, or you died inside.
“What’s happening?”
Before Chu Ning could finish, Ling Feng flicked his wrist, throwing a copper coin dart. The shadow collapsed instantly and didn’t crawl back up.
Quick-witted, Lu Zhidao saw Ling Feng strike and immediately let go of her sword, using one hand to cover Chu Ning’s eyes, trying to shield her from the bloody sight.
“Aha… who’s guarding the gates! Someone actually escaped? How embarrassing, how embarrassing…” Ling Feng continued to grin, kicking his horse. “I’ll go see if they’re dead for sure.”
Chu Ning pulled down Lu Zhidao’s hand. She stared wide-eyed in the direction of the figure, incredulous. “Why did he kill him?”
There were always “Secret Slaves” who couldn’t endure and tried to flee; once discovered, death was the only end.
“Probably a runaway,” Lu Zhidao said with a dark expression, guiding the horse to steer clear of the body.
Nevertheless, Chu Ning saw the man’s face. Ling Feng’s dart was buried deep in his forehead. The man had suffered immense pain; his eyes were bulging even in death, and his body was twisted in a grotesque, unnatural position. The blood hadn’t clotted yet, pouring steadily from his facial orifices.
“Don’t look.” Lu Zhidao raised her hand to cover her eyes again, urging the horse faster.
Ling Feng soon caught up, laughing. “Aha, dead as a doornail! Has my hidden weapon technique improved again?”
“His crime didn’t warrant death, did it?” Chu Ning said, her heart still thumping with fear.
“That’s where you’re wrong—”
“Shut up!” Lu Zhidao interrupted him without hesitation.
Chu Ning pursed her lips and asked no more. She finally realized that when Lu Zhidao said “kill without blinking,” it wasn’t an exaggeration at all.
At the camp gate, it was the same old routine: before the person arrived, the hidden arrows did. Lu Zhidao stopped a long way back, letting Ling Feng deflect the arrows and open the gate before she rode inside.
As soon as they entered, someone ran forward to take the horse.
Lu Zhidao vaulted down and reached up to carry Chu Ning down.
She had no intention of letting her go.
“I can walk myself,” Chu Ning patted her.
“You walk too slowly. It’s inconvenient here.”
Lu Zhidao carried her through familiar paths into a guest room in a quiet corner. She placed Chu Ning onto the couch with great care.
Don’t let anyone disturb us.” Lu Zhidao grabbed the door and thud, shut Ling Feng outside.