Chapter 4: The Troublemaker, Princess Qi

Su Ying cursed under her breath, impatiently grabbing an arm-thick tree branch from the side. As the burly man lunged at her, she swung the club with all her might, slamming it into his raised arm. Before he could even cry out in pain, her club descended again.

This blow landed heavily on his mouth.

"Ugh!"

The man stumbled and fell to his knees. With a "pfft," he spat out several yellow teeth mixed with thick, dark blood.

Su Ying didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. She ripped off his belt, threaded it under his armpits, and threw the other end over a tree branch. With a sharp tug, she hoisted the man up and hung him from the sturdy trunk.

"You b*tch, let me down..."

The two burly men who had followed him saw this and stepped forward with murderous glares. But the moment they took a step, Su Ying slammed her club against the man hanging in the tree.

The last rays of the setting sun fell into Su Ying’s cold, sharp eyes, looking like a raging fire capable of incinerating everything. "If you take one more step forward, I’ll dislocate his arm. Two steps, and I’ll shatter his leg. I’ll keep going until every bone in his body is broken."

The two men were so overwhelmed by Su Ying’s intense aura that they dared not move. Recalling the ruthlessness she had shown while fighting the guards, they didn't dare advance any further.

The other prisoners had long since noticed the situation. Seeing that the troublemakers didn't dare to cross Su Ying, they abandoned any foolish ideas they might have had.

The guards, who had been waiting to watch a good show, felt frustrated, but they didn't dare stir up any more trouble.

"What kind of background does that woman have? She’s like a demon," one guard muttered, glancing at Su Ying. When their eyes met, he immediately looked away, terrified. They had never seen such a frightening troublemaker.

"Su Ying, the Princess of Qi," a scrawny guard said quietly.

"What? The Princess of Qi? That lovesick fool? How is that possible..." The others were shocked.

It was no secret in the capital that the Prime Minister’s eldest daughter was a lovesick fool who spent her days chasing after the First Prince, Xiao Jue, practically begging to be taken into his bed.

Fate, however, was cruel; the Emperor had betrothed her to the Prince of Qi. Even after marriage, she remained entangled with the First Prince, becoming the talk of the town.

But that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was how this idiot had suddenly become so formidable. The way she fought and killed—how could she be the useless, romantic fool everyone knew?

While the guards whispered about Su Ying, a pair of eyes among the prisoners stared at her with dark, sinister intent.

Su Ying suddenly looked up toward the crowd behind her, but she only saw lifeless prisoners. She frowned and looked away.

Her senses were incredibly sharp; she had felt a highly aggressive gaze just a moment ago. Before she could investigate further, Dabao, lying beside her, began to whimper.

Su Ying pulled her thoughts back and reached out to touch Dabao’s forehead.

It was burning hot. Damn it, he had developed a fever.

She carefully checked the wound on Dabao’s back. It was red and swollen; the anti-inflammatory medicine hadn't been enough to stop the infection.

Taking advantage of the deepening night, she stood up and went behind a large tree. When she returned, she held a micro-needle filled with antibiotics. The needle was only the size of a thumb, easily concealed in her palm.

She returned to Dabao, injected the medicine, and fed him fever-reducing pills. Looking at the state of his wound, she knew the fever wouldn't break for at least three to five days.

To make Dabao more comfortable, Su Ying pulled his head onto her lap, letting him use her as a pillow.

"Bad... bad woman, you can't sell my sister..." Dabao’s already defined brows were tightly knitted, and he looked very restless in his sleep.

Hearing his murmurs, Su Ying let out a long breath. Her warm hand rested gently on his small head as she whispered in a voice barely audible, "Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, no one will ever bully you again." Then, she began to hum a soothing lullaby.

This was a song taught to her by the "Amu" who had been the only source of warmth in her camp. Whenever she felt terrified or uneasy, Amu would hum this tune to her.

She had once sworn to take Amu away from that bloody world, but Amu hadn't lived to see her grow strong; she had been torn to pieces by zombies.

Su Ying closed her eyes, hiding the pain deep within her gaze. When she opened them again, she had returned to her cold, unapproachable self.

Under Su Ying’s soothing, Dabao gradually calmed down. Taking advantage of the moment, Su Ying leaned against the tree and closed her eyes.

The moment her breathing became steady, Xiao Jin’s black eyes snapped open.

His eyes, like stars in the dark night, rested heavily on Su Ying. Even the night could not suppress the intense coldness in his gaze.

He did not believe that Su Ying had suddenly changed her nature to be kind to him and the children. He was waiting; he needed to know what this woman’s ultimate goal was.

The sky began to turn a pale, ink-tinged white.

When Su Ying opened her eyes, the guards were already waving their whips, shouting at the weak prisoners to get up and start walking.

"Get up! Get up! Everyone, get moving!"

The guards had a deadline to deliver the prisoners and return to the capital to report; otherwise, they would be punished for failing their mission.

They had been delayed for half a day yesterday, so they naturally had to start early today to make up for lost time.

Su Ying stood up and glanced at the broken branch nearby. The burly man who had been hung there yesterday had already been rescued by his accomplices. She didn't pay it any mind; if these scumbags came for her, she would beat them one by one, or kill them in pairs.

As soon as Xiao Jin woke up, a piercing pain shot through his leg. It was the first time in days he had felt such pain, but he knew it meant his injury was healing.

He endured the pain and tried to pick up Erbao, but his arm gave out. He could barely lift the child, let alone stand up and walk.

Su Ying was preparing to carry Dabao when she saw Xiao Jin’s dark, grim expression. "You can't even stand, yet you want to carry the child? If you want to show off, make sure you have the strength to back it up."

Xiao Jin’s pupils contracted, a dark swirl appearing in his deep black eyes.

When she met his gaze, Su Ying felt as if she were being stared at by a black hole, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.

She didn't know what kind of hell this man had crawled out of to possess such oppressive power even in his current, wretched state.

Su Ying beckoned to Erbao. "Ling'er, come here. I have some dry rations."

Erbao was still a bit afraid of Su Ying, but seeing Xiao Jin’s forehead beaded with cold sweat from the pain of his wound, she obediently climbed off him.

"Father, Ling'er isn't hurt. Ling'er can walk by herself."

Su Ying shoved a piece of dry ration into Erbao’s hand. "Be good, eat something. We have to start walking soon."

Erbao clutched the food and looked at Su Ying expectantly. Su Ying understood and said, "Don't worry, your father has some too."

Hearing this, Erbao began to eat obediently.

Xiao Jin braced himself to stand, but as soon as he moved, the piercing pain in his leg forced him to sit back down on the ground, powerless.

Just as he was about to try again, his arm was suddenly lifted. The next moment, he was hoisted to his feet by Su Ying.

The veins on Xiao Jin’s forehead throbbed.

"Let go!"