Queen O's Timid Fugitive A - Chapter 8
8
As dusk approached, the weather turned cool.
With a cold and detached expression, Jiang Ciqing sat upright on the chair, her spine straight, holding bamboo chopsticks between her fingers. Her knuckles were pale and prominent, and her every movement, though seemingly casual, was restrained within precise boundaries—unlike the others at the table, who carried themselves with deliberate affectation.
“Ciqing,” someone called.
Jiang Ciqing turned her head and responded with a faint smile.
Under the cover of the tablecloth, a certain someone grew increasingly unrestrained. The pointed tip of a high-heeled shoe hooked onto the hem of the long robe, lifting the fabric before slipping inside. The heel glided lightly over the young Alpha’s leg, bringing a slight sting. Before the other could react, the heel, now resting against the ankle, suddenly kicked upward with a bit more force.
As expected of a battle-hardened S-rank Omega, the kick wasn’t heavy but landed precisely in the gap between muscle and shinbone.
“Hiss…” Jiang Ciqing, who had been responding with perfect composure, abruptly stopped and sucked in a sharp breath.
“What’s wrong?” The Crown Prince across the table asked with concern.
The pain lingered, but Jiang Ciqing forced her expression to remain neutral. “Just got bitten by a bug.”
The Third Princess beside her frowned. “How could there be bugs?”
The attendants she had brought were all trusted aides, meticulous and thorough in their work. They had long since scattered insect-repellent powder around the riverside pavilion and placed mugwort and other herbs to ward off pests. There shouldn’t have been any mosquitoes or insects to cause trouble.
The sharp pain in her calf didn’t subside—instead, it intensified. The angular high heel pressed against the fair, delicate skin, leaving a thumb-sized red mark that deepened and indented further.
“Probably just a stupid mosquito that couldn’t smell the mugwort,” Jiang Ciqing replied flatly, her expression indifferent, as if she didn’t care at all. She even picked up a slice of beef with her chopsticks.
“Perhaps Master Jiang’s scent is too alluring. Even if it meant braving the mugwort, that insect was willing to risk its life for a taste,” Xu Fusheng, sitting directly across from her, interjected with a hint of mockery.
The heel slid upward along the muscle, leaving a long red trail.
Xu Fusheng seemed to take great pleasure in this, like a child insisting on marking her possessions to assert ownership.
The others merely laughed it off. Throughout the journey, Xu Fusheng had repeatedly slighted Master Jiang, as if the latter had offended her in some way. The group had even categorized the two as mutual adversaries who simply couldn’t stand each other.
The Third Princess, who had seen the two dancing together earlier, glanced over with more suspicion than the others. Before this, hadn’t these two held hands and stepped onto the dance floor right in front of her…?
Could it be because Jiang Ciqing had slighted her by leaving the dance floor first?
Liang Anchen frowned. Though she couldn’t be entirely sure, she mentally labeled Xu Fusheng as “grudge-bearing” and silently warned herself not to provoke this Omega. With the current political climate still uncertain, even if she couldn’t win Xu Fusheng over, she couldn’t afford to make an enemy of her.
The person across from her remained relentless. With her eyelids slightly lowered, she appeared to be staring at the white porcelain bowl in front of her, scooping bamboo fungus and chicken soup with a spoon. Under the table, her right leg crossed over her left. Seeing that the other party wasn’t reacting, she switched tactics.
The already unsteady high heel dropped to the ground, and the cool tip of her toe pressed against the red mark she had just made.
The contrast between cold and warmth, coupled with a faint sting, made the sensation all the more acute.
Jiang Ciqing’s fingers twitched, and the chopsticks in her hand wobbled. The paper-thin slice of beef slipped and fell, luckily caught by the porcelain bowl beneath, saving it from becoming garbage.
The intruder continued her advance, hooking around the shinbone and inching upward. The wide robe concealed the scene beneath, but a red haze spread across the fair skin, distinct from the earlier scratches.
The knuckles of Jiang Ciqing’s fingers grew more pronounced, as if threatening to break through the thin skin. The chopsticks, unable to withstand the pressure, bent slightly as she slowly and deliberately picked up another slice of beef.
Xu Fusheng leaned forward, bringing the spoon to her lips. The elegant lines of her shoulders and neck stretched the fabric of her clothes, and the slightly open collar revealed a glimpse of her collarbone.
Jiang Ciqing gripped the chopsticks, determined to bring the beef to her mouth. She couldn’t discern its quality, only that it wasn’t gamey.
The other grew even more audacious. The smooth, jade-like toes, cool to the touch, pressed against the warm skin, probing further as if determined to reach the limit.
Jiang Ciqing’s straight spine suddenly arched as she leaned back against the chair, trying to create distance.
At the same time, she lifted her gaze, her deep, pool-like eyes locking onto the figure across from her in a silent warning.
Xu Fusheng propped her right arm on the table, her chin resting on her palm. The upward tilt of her eyes carried a spring-like amusement, and her red lips, moistened by the soup, parted slightly in provocation.
The Alpha’s eyes darkened as she instinctively assessed her surroundings.
The sun hung halfway behind the mountains, casting the river in alternating light and shadow, its surface shimmering with orange-red ripples. The pavilion stood by the riverbank, surrounded by green grass and willow trees. The attendants had been dismissed to wait over ten meters away, and the others at the table were immersed in the banquet’s revelry—toasting, laughing, and exchanging flattery.
No one noticed a thing.
Jiang Ciqing remained leaning against the chair but stopped retreating, adopting an air of lazy dominance instead.
Even a clay figurine has a temper. The gentlest dog, when pushed too far, will bare its fangs and growl in warning.
Memories of the humiliation she had suffered days ago flooded back—the dim room, the glistening tears at the corners of her eyes, and that arrogant Omega who had taken advantage of her.
The rose’s stem coiled around her thigh, eagerly stretching toward its destination.
Jiang Ciqing picked up her chopsticks again, but this time, her other hand slipped beneath the table.
Like the most patient hunter, she laid the most tempting bait in the trap and waited, hidden in the forest.
And so, the unsuspecting little fox fell into the snare. The hidden trap suddenly snapped shut, ensnaring the slender ankle in her grasp.
Xu Fusheng was caught off guard. Instinctively, she tried to pull her leg back, but the grip only tightened. Her smile vanished, replaced by shock and disbelief as she stared at the other.
Accustomed to Jiang Ciqing’s docile compliance, she couldn’t comprehend this sudden rebellion—especially not when it mirrored her own tactics.
No matter how much Xu Fusheng struggled, Jiang Ciqing didn’t loosen her hold. Instead, she calmly picked up a vegetable with her chopsticks.
The captured party, constrained by the fear of knocking over the table if she kicked too hard, could only struggle with half-hearted effort.
Though Jiang Ciqing wasn’t as high-ranking as Xu Fusheng, she was still a young, physically robust Alpha. Against an opponent who couldn’t use her full strength, she had no trouble maintaining the upper hand.
The skin beneath her palm was delicate, its veins and muscles clearly defined. The protruding ankle bone, much like its owner, delivered sharp pain in their tug-of-war—like a wild rose growing from a cliffside crevice, demanding a bloody price from anyone who dared pluck it.
The vegetable on her tongue was slightly bitter. Perhaps the chef had been lazy, using too much heat and overcooking it.
Jiang Ciqing looked up, this time from a position of control.
Xu Fusheng was furious, her eyes tinged with red. Someone accustomed to leadership couldn’t tolerate such humiliation—especially not from an Alpha who had once knelt at her feet, completely under her control.
If she couldn’t pull her leg back, she’d push forward instead. With her wealth of combat experience, Xu Fusheng immediately lifted her foot and aimed a kick at the most vulnerable spot.
Jiang Ciqing let out a muffled groan.
But she had a countermeasure ready. The rough pad of her thumb lightly scraped the sole of Xu Fusheng’s foot.
Xu Fusheng immediately grabbed the tablecloth, her foot arching reflexively as her calf jerked back.
She glared across the table, her ruby-like eyes burning with indignation: You shameless—!
Jiang Ciqing smiled faintly, meeting her gaze without flinching: You started it.
Both accustomed to wearing masks, they continued their silent battle beneath the table while maintaining perfectly composed expressions above it.
The spoon clinked against the bowl, a crisp sound ringing out.
“Miss Xu,” Liang Ankai, seated beside her, turned to address her.
Xu Fusheng smiled in response, the redness at the corners of her eyes making her gaze even more enchanting under the shimmering light.
Beneath the table, the hand continued its mischief.
“Earlier, General Zheng mentioned that you once slew a sixth-tier magical beast,” Liang Ankai said with surprise. As a prince of Southern Liang, how could he not have heard of this widely circulated tale? He was merely looking for an excuse to bring it up.
The man seated beside the Crown Prince nodded. He appeared quite old, with white hair and deep wrinkles like gullies carved into his face. Two unmistakable knife scars marked his chin, and his murky eyes were sharp, carrying an unshakable air of bloodshed.
This was Zheng Yunshan, the general who commanded a third of Southern Liang’s military forces. The court had long been divided between civil and military factions, and Zheng Yunshan was the leader of the latter—as well as the Crown Prince’s father-in-law and staunchest supporter.
“It was just luck,” Xu Fusheng replied lightly, her left hand secretly clutching the tablecloth, twisting it into crumpled folds.
Magical beasts in the Imperial Star were roughly categorized into ten tiers. Tiers ten to eight existed only in legends, and seventh-tier beasts hadn’t been seen in centuries. Sixth-tier beasts, though rare, did exist. It was said that a single sixth-tier beast could slaughter an entire city. And yet, this Omega before them had slain such a terrifying creature.
“So it’s true!” Liang Ankai couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement. Rumors paled in comparison to hearing the truth from the person herself.
A beast capable of massacring a city! Even in the untamed wilderness where magical beasts roamed freely, such a creature would be a hegemon ruling over its own territory.
Xu Fusheng shook her head, downplaying it. “It was just a trick. The sixth-tier beast was already old and on the verge of death. I led my elite troops to lie in ambush for dozens of days, waiting until it was at its weakest before attacking.”
“Even in its weakened state, it was still a sixth-tier beast. Miss Xu’s Eagle Banner Army is truly as formidable as the rumors say,” Liang Ankai replied with a smile.
The old foxes at the table exchanged glances, their thoughts inscrutable.
Their wariness of Xu Fusheng grew, but so did their greed.
If she had slain a sixth-tier beast, then she must possess a sixth-tier magical core.
Jiang Ciqing lowered her gaze, her face devoid of surprise—because she had been there too, watching as the sixth-tier beast breathed its last.
She even knew exactly why Xu Fusheng had sent troops to hunt it down…
It was because of her.
If not for that beast exposing their hiding place, perhaps the scar on her back wouldn’t exist.
Xu Fusheng held grudges. The first thing she did upon returning was dispatch her army to exterminate the beast. As for the sixth-tier core…
It was the betrothal gift Xu Fusheng had pressed into her palm when she marked her.
Jiang Ciqing released her grip, her dark eyes unreadable, betraying no emotion.