19 Your Beauty is to Blame (1/2)
Chapter 19: Your Beauty is to Blame
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Being derived from a fairy tale, their dialogue seemed to be quite profound—it seemed to plunge headlong into the lake of life and become slag showing no sign of appearance. But, after given careful thought, one realized the two speakers were no more than two youths of fifteen to seventeen years old. Once they had taken off their clothes of a distinguished princess and a Shubi Lake wood-chopper.
There were some situations, like being stuck in the bottom of an icehouse well, where a person would forget things like status and wealth, and their interactions became pure. In the forest, next to the Northern Mountain Road that had just experienced a bloody battle, beside a burning bonfire the Tang princess Lee Yu and Ning Que simply became a story listener and a storyteller.
Because the wounded were sleeping all around, the storyteller lowered his voice, which caused the story listener to lean forward to get closer. As a result, they were naturally sitting together, shoulder to shoulder, huddled around the bonfire to talk about some meaningless gossip before they went to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, the darkness gradually dissipated and the sky above the forest changed from a blanket of stars into the faint light of dawn. From the southern part of the Northern Mountain Road came the rapid sound of horses' hooves.
Lyu Qingchen and Ning Que opened their eyes at the same time, exchanged glances and then woke up the rest of their companions. One grassland barbarian laid his ear to the ground to listen, and after a moment he rose his right hand up to make a gesture. He made a sign by making a fist, waving it heavily and quickly, which indicated to the companions that many people, including armored cavalries, were approaching from the south.
As the bonfire had burned out, under the charred wood was a gray dust covering the still glowing embers. The bodyguards and grassland barbarians struggled to get up, taking out their long and well-prepared single crossbow, and then aimed them down the still dark Northern Mountain Road. Since everyone was still hobbled by their severe injuries and they knew the strength of the coming party, they decided that there was no point in hiding and only to wait calmly to be saved or to be killed.
The leaves on Northern Mountain Road rolled along the path as a dozen cavalries rushed out from the dim early morning twilight, the people mounted on the horses were wrapped in very thick black armors. Their horses ran as fast as the wind, and their hooves' sounded like heavy thunder, causing the ground to tremble. And as the burning embers vibrated, they emitted little puffs of soot and smoke.
These were the most elite black armored cavalries of the Tang Empire!
Wrapped in those heavy armors, once they assaulted first on the battlefield, these cavalries had never met a rival in the world. Even the powerful Great Sword Masters could not effectively inflict damage to these armored warriors.
Even if in the dawn light, everyone could clearly see the arrow and sword wounds on the armored cavalries who were rushing down the road, indicating that they had been attacked. Maybe they had encountered an ambush at the southern foot of the hill. In any case, everyone could imagine the anxious mood of the cavalries, who were definitely not equipped for jungle combat but still forced to go overnight through the Northern Mountain Road.
A dozen armored black cavalries roared through the entrance of Northern Mountain Road. At the front was a young armored knight, wearing a red cloak. From a distance of around 328 feet, he looked at the people beside the bonfires and shouted, ”I'm the Gushan Commander, Hua Shanyue, and I'm here to ask for Her Highness!”
Hearing the name of Hua Shanyue, the bodyguard carrying the crossbow arrows suddenly relaxed, loudly responding with a reply. Ning Que lowered his eyes and looked down at Princess Lee Yu leaning on his shoulder. Her eyelashes were moving slightly. He could not help smilingly raising his eyebrows and silently lay down the boxwood bow in his left hand.
As fast as lightning, the horse ran full speed, hooves hammering, down the Northern Mountain Road, rolling up or trampling the fallen leaves that covered the road. The young general claiming to be Hua Shanyue gripped his saddle head and flew down the road on his horse. He quickly ran to the bonfire so he could kneel down on one knee with hands folded, then in a hoarse voice he said, ”I'm responsible for the overdue rescue, which even death can't atone, so I'm begging your Highness for forgiveness.”
By this time, the dozen armored black cavalries had rushed into the forest. With their faces etched with exhaustion, those Tang elite warriors all dismounted and knelt in a queue behind Hua Shanyue, and said in unison, ”Your Highness, please forgive us.”
They had no idea of when Lee Yu had opened her eyes. She seemed to have just woken up, or perhaps... she had been awoken for a long time.