Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: A Secret

Before Ying Xiu could think further, the Qiang convoy suddenly stopped. He heard the prince in the carriage say a few words to the leader of the escort, who looked confused, unable to understand the Qiang language. The accompanying translator wiped his brow, but said nothing.

The situation was at a standstill. From a distance, the prince’s voice was lower than before, so Ying Xiu couldn’t hear it clearly. He began to wonder if he had misheard earlier.

Suddenly, the young prince leaped onto the top of the carriage. Barehanded and arrogant, he looked down at the people of the Southern Dynasty and raised his voice, babbling in a language no one understood. The translator said nervously, “The young master is young and full of spirit. He is one of the best warriors of the Qiang tribe and wants to test the martial arts of our dynasty. He asks you all to not be shy in giving him a lesson.”

The translator’s words were polite, but the meaning Ying Xiu heard from the prince was completely different. The Qiang prince had clearly said that the people of the Southern Dynasty were a weak bunch that he could defeat with a single finger. He also said he wanted to have some fun with them.

He was confused. Why did his father speak the same language as the Qiang people? When he was a child, his father taught him to speak two languages, and he learned both. After he came down from the mountain, he realized no one around him spoke that language, so he gradually stopped using it. Who would have thought that it was the Qiang language?

His father was a Qiang, a Qiang who was a sworn enemy of the Southern Dynasty. Ying Xiu was suddenly rooted to the spot. The people of the Southern Dynasty hated the Qiang tribe the most. On this point, the northern and southern gentry were united in their hatred. Facing this arrogant Qiang prince, they wanted nothing more than to drag him down from the carriage.

Immediately, someone stepped forward and leaped onto the carriage to challenge the prince. However, the prince, a foreigner from the grasslands, was as big and strong as a bear. With his naked, muscular upper body, he was a giant. Judging by his physique alone, there was no one in all of Jiangzhou who was more robust. In just a short while, three or four men from the Southern Dynasty were thrown off the carriage. They fell hard, spitting up bl00d, and lay on the ground unable to move. If the soldiers had not intervened, the Qiang carriage would have mercilessly rolled over them.

The prince was full of pride, shouting in the Qiang language. The translator’s face became even paler. Even though the people of the Southern Dynasty couldn’t understand him, they knew from his expression that he was belittling them. The crowd became increasingly agitated, wanting to rush forward.

“Tch!”

Under the dazzling sunlight, an object came flying at him. It was carried by a sharp wind and scraped across the back of the prince’s neck, fast and accurate. The prince initially paid no attention, but a sudden sharp pain in his neck made him stumble and fall heavily, face first, with a loud thud. The Qiang attendants quickly grabbed the object and were astonished to find that it was just a soft flower petal from a water lily.

The Qiang convoy came to a complete stop. They argued loudly, demanding to catch the person who threw the hidden weapon. When the translator said the words “hidden weapon,” the people burst into laughter. It was just a flower petal. How could that be a hidden weapon?

Ying Xiu, hidden in the crowd, casually adjusted a lotus flower on the bank and turned to leave, but he heard the prince say that he would detain everyone who sold and bought flowers.

“Is that the conduct of a Qiang prince?”

Ying Xiu said this in the Qiang language. When the Qiang people and the soldiers suddenly heard the authentic southern accent speaking Qiang, they all looked at him in surprise. The prince stared at him coldly. “Who are you?” Many of the people at the weir had already recognized Ying Xiu and quickly surrounded him, huddling together.

“You said you wanted us to give you a lesson. Why are you backing out now?” Ying Xiu did not answer him. He stepped out from the crowd and stood on the long street. The prince, having been humiliated, saw the joy on the faces of the people and that they were clearly led by the youth in the golden robe. He knew he had met his match. He said no more and waved his hand, ordering the convoy to continue forward.

Seeing the arrogant Qiang people slink away, the people let out a sigh of relief. They all talked about where a flower petal came from in the middle of winter that could knock down a Qiang prince who was as big as a small mountain. It was truly unexpected. In their heated discussion, no one paid attention to the two sentences Ying Xiu had said to the Qiang prince.

Ying Xiu can speak Qiang. When Shang Weijun learned of this from the Imperial Guard, even he was surprised. It seemed that this assassin’s background was very interesting and might have something to do with the Qiang people. He wondered what the emperor would think when he heard this news. However, the deeply suspicious emperor simply nodded slightly when he heard, indicating that he knew.

Ying Xiu has a secret. How could a person with such a pure and transparent heart hide a secret unless he himself didn’t know that he was hiding a secret?

Shang Weijun asked cautiously, “Does this subordinate need to investigate?” As early as the first time the emperor saw Ying Xiu, the Imperial Guard had already presented all the information about him to the emperor. If they were to investigate further, it would likely reveal secrets that even the Wang clan of Langya, who had taken in Ying Xiu for so many years, didn’t know about.

“Ying Xiu’s foster father was a Qiang who lived in Jiangnan under an assumed name. He was skilled in lightness skills and swordsmanship. Start by looking at the border population records from the Jianyuan era,” the emperor said unhurriedly. Shang Weijun was already used to his emperor’s terrifyingly keen insight and immediately took his leave. As he turned, he almost bumped into Ying Xiu, who had returned. Ying Xiu saw the driver again, and that vague sense of familiarity resurfaced. He nodded to the other person and asked curiously, “Are you Xie Zhou’s servant?” The other person nodded without speaking, looking very aloof.

Not hearing his voice, Ying Xiu assumed that his previous feeling was an illusion and that his voice was not familiar after all. He gave a polite smile and walked directly into the building, rushing up to Xie Zhou. After he left, Shang Weijun walked outside, sighing that the assassin was too sharp. He seemed to have already realized that he was the person who wanted to execute the scholar at the Yuan River literary gathering. The emperor had kept this assassin for so long, even allowing him to sleep in the Dragon Bed and share a hall with him. He wondered what the emperor’s intentions were… Could it be that he wanted to keep him as a male concubine and bring him back to Jiankang? But he was an assassin. To be a male concubine, his tendons would at least have to be severed.

Ying Xiu sneezed. Is someone talking about me? Xie Zhou looked at him. “Are you getting a cold? I’ll have the physician come take a look.”

“I’m fine,” Ying Xiu waved his hand. This was a small matter. Why bother the physician for every little thing? “I heard the Qiang envoys are passing through Jiangzhou, so I went to see the excitement today.” His tone was like a child who had just come back from playing and was sharing something new with a close elder.

Although he knew everything that happened, Xie Zhou still unconsciously moved closer to him. He himself did not even notice this small action.

“The Qiang people are all very tall and strong. That prince was like a small mountain,” Ying Xiu said, gesturing as he spoke. There was no fear in his eyes, only curiosity about the foreigners’ physique. “I wonder how they grew so tall. If only I could grow that tall…” The youth propped his chin on his hand, lost in a fantasy where he was big and tall and wouldn’t hit Xie Zhou’s chin when he looked up.

Xie Zhou almost laughed. The moment Ying Xiu looked at him, his expression became serious. He agreed, “The Qiang people are born on the grasslands and grew up on horseback. I’ll take you horseback riding someday. Maybe you’ll grow taller.”

The mention of horseback riding made Ying Xiu’s eyes dim for a moment. He remembered how the gentry sons had trampled the people with their horses, but that didn’t mean he was now afraid of horses. Besides, he really wanted to see the white-robed client’s heroic look as he galloped on a horse.

Ying Xiu immediately moved closer, as if a tail was wagging behind him. His eyes were bright. “Can we go tomorrow? Please?”

Xie Zhou thought for a moment. “In a few days, I’ll take you to Jingzhou. The land there is flat, and there are many grasslands.” He could also kill another group of people there.

Ying Xiu was overjoyed. Most of his long-distance trips were for assassinations. This would be his first time traveling for fun. He didn’t have to plan how to kill or how to clean up afterward. All he had to do was have fun. The youth was so happy that he wanted to hug Xie Zhou and spin him around. He had just put his hand on the man’s lean waist when he noticed the other person looking down at him calmly. His face flushed a little. He thought for a moment and asked the most important question. “Um… Xie Zhou, how much money do we have left at home?” Is it enough for us to go to Jingzhou?

As far as he knew, a client’s salary was not very high. Now Xie Zhou had to support the two of them, as well as the servants and guards at the guesthouse. One, two, three, four… so many people! The assassin was starting to think about taking on some side jobs to earn money.

Xie Zhou skillfully pulled him into his arms and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry about it.” Ying Xiu was caught off guard and naturally nestled into his embrace. He looked up at Xie Zhou’s face. Even from this angle, Xie Zhou was still beautiful, an unearthly kind of beautiful. His jawline was defined and his features were smooth, like a perfect line drawing, colored with the most vivid and coldest colors in the world, settled in his cold and beautiful eyes. A single look could captivate a person’s soul and make them unable to look away, never to forget.

Ying Xiu couldn’t resist. In that position, he secretly kissed the client again. He wrapped his hands around the man’s long neck and lightly pressed his face against his cheek, a fleeting touch. It was warm, soft, and filled with a certain delight.

Xie Zhou was momentarily dazed. He looked down at Ying Xiu. The youth was very shy. Every time he succeeded in an ambush, he would lower his head and not dare to look at him. His delicate face was red, and his earlobes were also bright red. Xie Zhou reached out and flicked those two small earlobes, holding them between his fingers, and watched them turn even redder.

“It tickles…” Ying Xiu finally struggled. He whispered, “Don’t play with that.”

…He’s being a tease again. Xie Zhou let go of his fingers, freeing his red earlobes. The youth had already scrambled up and sat far away, looking as if he wanted to draw a line between them.

“I’m not going to talk to you until we get to Jingzhou!” Ying Xiu said with a threat. He turned to the side, no longer looking at Xie Zhou. His heart was beating unusually fast. The scene he had just witnessed was still incredibly clear in his mind.

How can someone be this beautiful? If he looked at him for another second, he was afraid he might…