Queen O's Timid Fugitive A - Chapter 22

22

The sun set, casting a golden dusk over the silent deep forest.

A white horse was tied to a small tree, nibbling at cat-tail grass. The faint sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves mingled with the gurgle of a stream. A tall, elegant figure appeared in the interplay of light and shadow.

Holding a few ripe persimmons, Jiang Ciqing had found no more luck since the rabbit was snatched from her. Unwilling to actively search for game, she wandered leisurely, naturally resorting to fruit to fill her stomach.

It was harvest season, and the fruits were not only easy to find but also ripe and sweet. Jiang Ciqing washed them in the stream, then sat cross-legged by the water, gazing into the distance, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.

In the distance, wisps of smoke began to rise. The autumn hunt lasted three days, and most participants, to save time, chose to camp in the forest overnight.

Though Jiang Ciqing didn’t care about the competition, she found returning to face the old Emperor alone bothersome. So, she decided to spend the night in a tree, too lazy to even pitch a tent.

The white moon gradually emerged, dotted with scattered stars in the night sky.

Noticing smoke rising about fifty meters away, Jiang Ciqing frowned. This smoke was denser than the others, indicating a larger group. The group she had encountered most often was the Fifth Prince’s, with Xu Fusheng among them.

A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. She had deliberately avoided them, yet they’d crossed paths again.

Should she leave or stay?

She took a heavy bite of a persimmon, letting the sweet juice mask the bitterness on her tongue. She hadn’t revealed her position, so there shouldn’t be an issue.

Unconsciously, she tugged at her collar, feeling that this early autumn was warmer than usual.

The night deepened.

After a brief clamor, the forest returned to its native inhabitants—chirping insects and calling birds. A snake with intricate patterns slithered along a branch, slowly climbing to the treetops.

“Alphas and Omegas should keep their distance. Miss Xu’s tent should be farther from us Alphas,” said the Fifth Prince, Liang Anmu, his face illuminated by the blazing campfire, his deep features made even more striking. A gentle smile played on his lips.

Xu Fusheng, however, was unmoved. Her beautiful face retained its usual half-smile, her proud demeanor unyielding, keeping everyone at arm’s length. Hearing his considerate words, she merely hummed and turned toward the farthest tent.

She didn’t notice—or didn’t care—that Liang Anmu’s face darkened instantly. As the Emperor’s most favored young prince and a rare A-grade Alpha, he was accustomed to flattery and adoration.

To make such a sacrifice for an Omega…

He considered his actions humble enough, giving Xu Fusheng more than enough face. Yet she remained indifferent, neither touched nor warm.

The self-proclaimed heaven’s chosen one, the Fifth Prince, couldn’t bear such humiliation.

But then he thought of his ambitious older siblings, who, despite their usual rivalry, teamed up seamlessly against him. If not for the Emperor’s decree, he wouldn’t even have the chance to approach Xu Fusheng.

Suppressing his anger, he flicked his sleeve and stormed off.

He didn’t notice Xu Fusheng pause, her dark gaze following the stream into the distance.

The familiar scent of bamboo…

Heat…

The tree shadows blurred, mingling with the moonlight. Her collar was tugged down, the bandages around her neck starkly visible. Sweat slid from her forehead, dampening her hair.

Jiang Ciqing finally realized, belatedly, that the heat wasn’t from the weather—it was her.

No wonder she hadn’t thought of it. With her gland so badly injured, she’d spent a month bedridden, comforting herself that she’d avoided a heat cycle. Yet now, she caught a faint whiff of tequila…

Thud!

The Alpha sprawled on the branch flipped over, crashing into the pile of leaves below, startling the horse, which stomped and backed away.

Jiang Ciqing gasped in pain, grateful she hadn’t chosen a higher branch and that the autumn leaves cushioned her fall. Otherwise, she might’ve broken a bone. The searing heat was momentarily forgotten under the sharp pain, a flicker of clarity flashing in her dark eyes. She struggled toward the stream.

A distance of a dozen steps in daylight now felt endless. The crescent moon swayed in her vision, blurring into a white circle. Her clothes, soaked with sweat, clung to her, smeared with leaves and red mud, making her look utterly disheveled.

Splash!

Another tumble, and she fell into the stream, the splash hitting the bank before flowing back into the water.

Jiang Ciqing exhaled in relief, bending to submerge herself further. She’d only cared about the stream’s clarity before, not expecting to bathe in it. The water was shallow, barely reaching her knees. A tall Alpha like her curled up awkwardly, like an adult squeezing into a child’s bathtub.

But she couldn’t care less now.

Soaked in the cold water, her eyes tinged with vivid red, her tongue tasted the metallic tang of bitten skin. The icy stream chilled her to the bone, yet her skin burned, as if roasting on a spit. Caught between ice and fire, the Alpha’s expression grew grave.

From past experience, this heat cycle would last four or five days. But the hunt was only three. If she didn’t leave, the Emperor would send people to find her. If she did…

Could she even make it out? And what about the heat afterward? Inhibitors were not just ineffective for her—they were useless.

What was the penalty for deceiving the Emperor?

The Jiang family…

Jiang Ciqing glanced at her calf, where a dagger for self-defense rested.

The Jiang family head, gravely ill, joins the autumn hunt, only to be attacked by a beast, triggering a pheromone imbalance and, in a fit of madness, cutting out her own gland. How’s that for an excuse?

The life-threatening heat cycle became a death knell. Either the Jiang family falls, or she becomes a ruin.

Thin clouds veiled the bright moon. The stream flowed on, slightly delayed by Jiang Ciqing’s presence, creating frothy white waves.

After all her struggles, it amounted to nothing.

Jiang Ciqing’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. Her disheveled clothes floated thinly in the water, swaying like seaweed, revealing her slightly bony shoulders, sharp collarbones, soft curves, and the faint outline of abdominal muscles. Her pale skin, tinged with a flush of desire, was like a lofty god fallen to earth, fragile and vulnerable.

That’s when Xu Fusheng appeared. Her red skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze, her steps slow and leisurely, like someone strolling by the stream at night.

Jiang Ciqing tensed, instinctively gripping the dagger, alert like a wounded wolf wary of any rustle.

The scent of bamboo spread with the wind. Even Jiang Ciqing didn’t realize that her heat-cycle pheromones, laced with sweetness, transformed the usually fresh, elegant bamboo into the tender, dew-kissed shoots after rain, exuding a delicate sweetness.

Xu Fusheng, the only one aware, raised an eyebrow. Looking at the Alpha pretending to be fierce, she found it amusing.

Her red skirt brushed past Jiang Ciqing’s cheek. Instinctively, Jiang Ciqing grabbed her ankle, her voice low and hoarse. “Xu Fusheng.”

“In broad daylight, in the middle of nowhere, the unmarried Alpha head of the Jiang family openly grabbing an Omega’s ankle—hardly appropriate, don’t you think?” Xu Fusheng leaned down slightly, her stunning, haughty features sharp, like a noble looking down from on high.

Jiang Ciqing opened her mouth, regretting her impulsive words. Her chilled, purpled fingers gripped the warm skin, feeling the pulse beneath. She tightened her hold slightly.

“Xu Fusheng…” the Alpha whispered, her eyes averted.

Perhaps this state pleased Xu Fusheng. Her gaze, now tinged with interest, lingered below Jiang Ciqing’s collar, roaming freely like a brazen libertine.

Her ears flushed red. The young Jiang family head, raised in Nanliang’s capital, had never faced such audacity. She instinctively tugged at her collar, her thick lashes trembling.

Xu Fusheng’s lips curved into a faint smile, her tone cold and cutting. “How long will Master Jiang keep holding me?”

Jiang Ciqing froze, her fingers curling before obediently letting go.

The calloused touch left a tingling sensation. Xu Fusheng’s expression was unreadable, her mood betrayed only by her clenched jaw.

She moved her ankle, as if to leave.

Jiang Ciqing didn’t stop her, unusually compliant in this moment, submerged in the water like an abandoned dog, her messy hair dripping, pattering onto the stream’s surface.

“Jiang Ciqing, why don’t you beg me?!” Xu Fusheng snapped, exasperated. Always like this, stubbornly defiant with her inexplicable pride, going against her at every turn. With a splash, her red skirt hit the water. Jiang Ciqing let out a muffled groan, instinctively reaching to hold the person now straddling her lap, only to hurriedly pull back her hands.

Xu Fusheng hated this side of her. Her red eyes blazed with unmasked anger. Far from the gentle, sweet Omegas, she was a queen of the wilds, meant to be untouchable and proud, not constantly vexed by this useless Alpha.

She grabbed Jiang Ciqing’s collar, yanking her close with a fierce, unyielding expression. “Who do you think you can rely on? The old Emperor? You think a couple of ginseng roots mean he favors the Jiang family? Do you know how those princes and princesses are plotting to destroy your family?”

“Jiang family head? What are you? Even inheriting that powerless title of yours is met with resistance, and you think the Emperor will forgive your crime of deceiving him?”

“This cold water hasn’t woken you up? Let me help you!” Xu Fusheng’s words were merciless, each one a knife to Jiang Ciqing’s deepest fears.

The lofty Jiang family was, in truth, a pebble teetering on a fragile branch, easily toppled with a flick.

Her collar was pulled open, dislodging the bandages around her neck. The sweet bamboo scent somehow intertwined with the tequila’s aroma.

Xu Fusheng glared at her coldly, nearly tearing the silk in her hands.

“Jiang Ciqing, you still…”

“I beg you,” Jiang Ciqing interrupted.

This time, it was Xu Fusheng who froze.

The person beneath her was forced close, her sharp jawline like a hidden blade beneath delicate skin—much like Jiang Ciqing herself, gentle and polite on the surface but unyielding underneath.

Yet Jiang Ciqing had those docile black eyes, like a puppy’s, dark and glossy. When she looked at you earnestly, you’d believe you were her everything, trusted and obeyed without reservation.

Xu Fusheng fell silent, her lips pressed tight.

She had never told Jiang Ciqing that what drew her that night wasn’t the ethereal flute but those eyes looking at her. That’s why she left her place and walked toward her.

Jiang Ciqing, unaware of her thoughts, assumed she wasn’t satisfied and repeated, “Master, I beg you.”

The words, long unsaid, came out haltingly. Her lowered lashes trembled, her eyes misty, the unbearable heat condensing into dewdrops, shaken off by her long lashes.

“You…” Xu Fusheng was the one at a loss now. She released the collar, her thumb brushing over the protruding collarbone, leaving a red mark with a mischievous intent. “Who’s begging me?” she asked, her voice low.

“Me…” Jiang Ciqing managed after a long pause.

“Say it again.” Xu Fusheng’s fingers rested on the loosened bandages, effortlessly pulling the fabric away.

“Xu Fusheng,” the Alpha said, her face taut as if angry, her legs beneath shifting slightly together.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Fusheng, ever the tease, pretended not to understand, asking deliberately.

“Help me…” The Alpha, pinned by the neck, squeezed out the words, her voice fading. Had she not been pressed against Xu Fusheng, the words might’ve been inaudible.

“Help who?”

“Eleven,” Jiang Ciqing blinked, finally yielding.

Pleased, Xu Fusheng chuckled softly. Her bare shoulder, held by a single thin strap, gleamed white and round, capturing Jiang Ciqing’s full attention.

Xu Fusheng hooked her arms around the Alpha’s neck, her position slightly higher. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with the stream’s reflection, water droplets sliding from her shoulder, exuding a delicate allure.

She tilted her head, her smile coaxing. “How does Eleven want me to help?”

Jiang Ciqing’s face darkened, her black eyes flashing a warning. “Xu Fusheng, do you know you talk too much?”

“Hmph…” Xu Fusheng frowned, about to reprimand her, but the Alpha surged up, wrapping her arms around her waist. The sweet bamboo scent enveloped her as the once-hesitant Alpha finally silenced her with a kiss.

Her red lips were soft and warm, laced with the rich taste of tequila. Jiang Ciqing, a lover of liquor, greedily savored it, her arms tightening around the slender waist, as if to crush it into her very being. In this moment, she was a true Alpha—domineering and fierce.

Even in this moment, the Omega maintained her lofty demeanor, her brows slightly raised, her eyes narrowed, her stunning face tinged with a peach-blossom haze. Her arms around the Alpha’s neck tightened occasionally, as if guiding her.

The water rippled, the distant mountains blurred. The cool moonlight draped everything in a thin veil.

Xu Fusheng’s mind wandered briefly, thinking this Alpha was even more dog-like—biting chaotically, unable to control her strength.

“Hiss…” The Omega winced, no longer indulging her. Angrily, she grabbed the small bun at the back of Jiang Ciqing’s head and yanked.

The Alpha’s arched back stiffened, her bites softening.

A gust scattered sparks from a distant campfire, the surrounding tents silent in slumber.

The stream lapped relentlessly at the banks. Wildflowers, blooming into autumn, swayed with the water, their delicate white foam clinging to the stems.

Clothes lay scattered on the shore, dripping wet. Black and silver hair intertwined in the water, suppressed gasps piercing the night.

The night deepened. The moon, tired of struggling against the mist, hung lazily in the sky. Bamboo and tequila melded, becoming a sweet bamboo liquor.