Qingcuo sheathed her sword. Before her, two headless corpses slowly collapsed and silently slid into the water, dyeing it red with blood.
They were the two canal gang members who had quietly tailed them.
These weren't just ordinary gang members either. Both were trained in martial arts, one had opened six meridians, the other five.
Among mortals, they would be considered formidable fighters.
But.
Before Qingcuo, they were no different from any other mortals, they were just a matter of one sword stroke.
Throughout their journey of fleeing in disguise, there had been no shortage of people seeking trouble, all of whom Qingcuo had dispatched just as cleanly.
Beside her, Chu Wenruo, disguised as a common fisherwoman, spoke in a worried whisper:
"Killing them here... will that cause too much of a disturbance? What if more people come?"
After all the danger over these past days, the pampered consort of Liang had seemingly grown used to the constant brushes with death all around her. She no longer reacted in shock and panic.
Even so, beneath the turmeric paste that made her complexion waxy yellow, exhaustion was clearly visible.
Having always lived in the inner palace with people waiting on her every need, she now not only had to flee for her life, but also learn how to make fires, cook food, and survive on bitter wild vegetables. The worst part was that she hadn't had a proper bath in nearly five days.
Though they had now reached the edge of the Eastern Court Lake, they had to maintain an even filthier appearance to improve their disguise, it was utter misery.
And this was still with Qingcuo by her side to take care of her.
Had she been on her own, she likely wouldn't have lasted three days before either being caught or starving to death.
From her arms, the little princess poked out her head and said pitifully:
"Mother, I'm hungry. When can we eat?"
Chu Wenruo lovingly patted her head and smoothed her hair. "Soon. Very soon."
"Ying'er, just bear with it a little longer."
The little princess gave a soft "mm" and blinked her eyes. "Then... are we still eating wild vegetables today?"
"Mm..."
Chu Wenruo answered with difficulty, feeling like her sense of maternal responsibility was being put through a cruel trial.
Suddenly, she turned and saw a finger-length slender fish swimming lazily beside the boat. Her eyes lit up. She quickly reached out and grabbed it.
"Ying'er, look!"
Chu Wenruo held the fish out to the little princess, comforting her, "We're having meat tonight! A treat, fish and wild vegetable soup!"
She conveniently ignored the fact that just moments earlier, two corpses had sunk into these very same waters...
The little princess's eyes sparkled. She opened her mouth wide and chomped down on the fish's head.
Chu Wenruo turned pale with fright. "You can't eat that! It's still raw!"
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
The princess clamped down hard on the fish's head and shook her head furiously, refusing to let go.
Thankfully, she was still losing her baby teeth and didn't have many usable ones yet. She could only grind and suck, unable to break through the enemy's armor, so to speak.
By the time Chu Wenruo managed to pull the fish out of her mouth, it was coated in saliva and near death...
The little princess licked her lips in satisfaction, her eyes still glowing with greenish excitement. She said in a muffled voice:
"Mother, the fish is yummy. Let's eat this tonight!"
Chu Wenruo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked at the limp fish in her hand with exasperation.
How could this child be only four years old and already so strong?
The boat rocked slightly.
Qingcuo waited until they had quieted down before speaking solemnly:
"The three-day deadline is almost up."
"The fishermen at this wild ferry all know each other. They've worked together for decades. A few unfamiliar faces will immediately raise suspicion."
"The longer we stay here, the more likely we'll be exposed."
Qingcuo shook her head and sheathed her sword. "If Chen Kuang doesn't arrive by tonight, we'll leave immediately."
"Once we're away from here, we won't have to worry about the canal gangs noticing and sending people after us."
Chu Wenruo grew nervous and quickly said, "That's impossible. If we could make it here safely, then he surely will too."
Qingcuo nodded slightly, then rowed the boat toward the shore. "Let's hope so."
She jumped ashore first, then turned and extended a hand to the consort.
Chu Wenruo stood up, feeling a bit dizzy from sitting too long. Her body swayed slightly.
Qingcuo immediately stepped forward and caught her hand. "Careful, my lady."
Chu Wenruo handed over the sloth-like little princess who was clinging to her neck. "Let Ying'er sit aside first."
Qingcuo nodded and took the princess, placing her gently on the muddy ground.
But as she glanced at the princess's face under the scarf, her expression shifted ever so slightly, she seemed momentarily dazed.
Just now, she had assumed the child's exaggerated movements were simply because of hunger.
But in that moment, she could have sworn she saw green light flashing in the little princess's eyes.
Now, facing her directly, Qingcuo realized it hadn't been a trick of the light.
The little princess already had unusually light-colored eyes, not the typical brown of most people, but a shade closer to amber.
This was quite rare among Liang people. But since Chu Wenruo's own eyes were similarly colored, it had always seemed normal.
Yet now, looking closely, Qingcuo could see a faint, almost imperceptible change in those eyes.
Beneath the amber hue, a thin trace of glowing blue had begun to bloom.
That ethereal blue was hauntingly beautiful, strange and captivating.
Like a floating light, like an illusion.
It carried the still, deathly chill of glaciers buried for a thousand years, eerie and mesmerizing, enough to drag one into its depths.
Qingcuo's heart thumped. She took a sharp breath, unease creeping in.
But she wasn't the type to dig deeper or give in to excessive emotion.
As a spy, the most important skill was suppressing one's curiosity.
She simply assumed this had always been the princess's natural eye color, she'd just never noticed it before.
Regaining composure, Qingcuo set the princess down on the muddy shore and turned back to help Chu Wenruo up.
The edge of Eastern Court Lake was constantly soaked by the water, so the ground was muddy year-round.
The little princess had never played in the mud before. Curious, she scooped up a handful.
She squeezed it gently. A faint, metallic scent tickled her nose.
It smelled like blood.
She was already very familiar with this scent.
Ever since the fall of Liang's imperial capital, it had never left her nose.
The little princess slapped the mud back onto the ground and looked up. Her eyes, tinged with that faint blue, suddenly contracted into narrow vertical pupils, bright red!
And just a few steps away, under the reeds and mud, lay a long-rotted corpse on its knees.
Blood oozed from the body, flowing over its pitch-black six arms and scaly limbs, soaking into the dirt and turning it a sickly dark red.
In its hand was a sword.
The little princess curiously reached out, pulled the sword from the muck, and called out:
"Mother! There's a sword here!"