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Chapter 222
Chapter 222
Chapter 222
[World 3] The Imperial Concubine Cast Aside to the Doghouse (2)
Unable to see a single thing in the dim light of dusk, Chu Xiang focused all her spiritual energy into her eyes, enabling her to see everything within a few meters of her vicinity clearly. Following the memories of the original host, she headed in the direction of the place where they raised doves within the imperial palace. On her way there, she came across quite a few patrolling imperial guards. However, with her keen senses, she was able to stay hidden in the dark after detecting them long before they could even see her.
Since the original host rarely ever explored the imperial palace, Chu Xiang sometimes got lost and took quite a bit of time to figure out where she was during those moments. Moreover, she even managed to get her hands on four doves and some flame sticks unnoticed. Using the woven piece of cloth that was part of her clothing, she tied up the four doves before quickly hiding. The guards on night duty only came over to take a quick glance before going back to their stations, not finding anything amiss.
T/N: Flame sticks are the olden days equivalent of lighters used in ancient China.
While wandering quietly around the area, Chu Xiang was trying to come up with a plan to turn the current situation around when she suddenly noticed a hint of restlessness in the distance, followed by a loud shout. It seemed as if the guards were chasing someone as the entire place in the direction of the commotion lit up brightly. Seeing this, Chu Xiang hurriedly carried the doves and ran back towards the direction of the doghouse. Just as she arrived at a sharp turn down the road, she noticed that there was someone ahead. However, unable to stop her momentum in time, she suddenly ran straight into someone’s embrace!
In an instant, the man instinctively covered her mouth and pressed her against the wall. Lifting her gaze, Chu Xiang looked at the man in black and noticed his pair of crystal clear eyes. She tapped on his hand in the reassurance that she wouldn’t scream.
The man in black was just about to knock her unconscious until he noticed the motions of her hands and the doves in her arms. Staring blankly at her, he then saw her ragged clothes and asked in a deep voice, “Who are you?”
Not sensing any killing intent from the man, Chu Xiang whispered, “I’m just a mere palace maid. What about you?”
He looked back at the bright lights approaching from the distance. “A bold individual like you certainly doesn’t seem like a mere palace maid. To think you’d even ask for my identity. I’m someone dispatched by the rebel army to assassinate that bastard of an emperor. From the looks of things, you must have some sort of place to hide in, right? Take me with you.”
“Follow me,” Chu Xiang said as she transferred some of her spiritual energy into his body to analyze his intentions. To her surprise, the feeling he gave off was actually warm and gentle. At the same time, she quickly switched routes and dashed towards the doghouse.
She asked softly, “You actually dared to follow me? Are you afraid that I might sell you out?”
The man in black gripped his dagger tightly and shot her a quick glance, “In that case, I’d have to take you down with me.”
Fleeing from death, one would naturally have countless thoughts flashing through their mind all at once. In fact, the man in black too did not understand why he chose to follow Chu Xiang. It was only after seeing her calm, unperturbed eyes and strange movements that he subconsciously believed that she would give him an opportunity to escape. As a matter of fact, this intuition of his had actually saved him on countless occasions.
Chu Xiang hurriedly led the man in black through the small opening into the doghouse and covered it back up with the rocks right before the patrolling guards arrived in the area. She then brought him into the house.
“Master, you’re back!” Zi Yu exclaimed, on-edge. The instant she heard movements coming from outside, she rushed towards the door overjoyed. However, as soon as she saw the man in black, she shrieked.
Chu Xiang immediately covered her mouth and urged repeatedly, “Don’t make any noise. I’m the one who led him here. The palace guards are currently looking for him, so don’t make even a single sound.”
Hearing her words, Zi Yu nodded repeatedly. Upon being released, she could not help but drag her master to the side and ask softly, “Master, what is the meaning of this? He clearly doesn’t seem to be a good person. Since the imperial guards are looking for him, if they were to find him here, we would definitely be done for.”
“Zi Yu, a person trying to assassinate the emperor isn’t necessarily a bad person. Besides, I’ve already brought him back here, so just be patient for the time being. Who knows? He might just be our only chance.” Chu Xiang then passed the doves over to her and instructed, “Make sure to keep them hidden well. Since we definitely won’t be able to eat them today, we’ll just have to find a chance to do so tomorrow.”
Zi Yu stared at the four doves in her hands, wanting to ask Chu Xiang just how she managed to get her hands on them. But seeing how Chu Xiang was already walking towards the man in black, she might as well look for a place to hide the doves first.
Standing next to the tattered wardrobe, the man in black noticed Chu Xiang approaching him and asked with his eyes closed, “Master? Who exactly are you? Why did you help me? What sort of intentions do you have in mind?”
“Since I saved you, shouldn’t you be the one who reveals your own identity first?” Pausing for a moment, she continued, “In this doghouse, people call me, “Master,” but I’m clearly an imperial concubine who was tossed to the side. You should’ve also realized just how miserable of a life I’m living right now. I decided to help you since there’s no one left in the imperial palace to help me. I was betting on whether or not you’ll be able to get me out of the palace.”
Originally, the man in black was extremely on guard against Chu Xiang. But after listening to her straightforward words, however, he was completely dumbfounded. An imperial concubine who was banished to the doghouse actually wanted to leave the palace? His initial impressions of women who were thrown into the doghouse were that they were crazy or miserable. How could there be someone like Chu Xiang who was bold enough to ask an assassin to help her escape from the palace? Moreover, Chu Xiang had previously snuck out to steal the doves. Surely, she intended to eat them later on, right? What an odd person.
Seeing how the man in black remained silent, Chu Xiang stepped forward with knitted brows. “If you find it inconvenient to reveal your identity, then just tell me whether or not you’re able to get me out of here. You must have a way to get out since you managed to find a way in tonight. As long as you help me escape today, I will definitely repay the debt in the future.”
Hearing the gradually approaching commotion from outside, he said in a soft voice, “If you help me survive through this night, I will think of a way to get you out of here.”
At that moment, Zi Yu rushed into the house in a panic and said in a scared voice, “Master, it seems that they’ll be coming in for an inspection. What should we do?”
Chu Xiang shot a glance outside and immediately laid down on her bed without notice. “You, come over here and hide in the quilt. Zi Yu, when they come in for an inspection, make sure to cry and beg for them to ask an imperial physician to come to take a look at my condition. Just tell them you don’t know what kind of disease I had contracted and that I coughed out blood in the afternoon and it’ll soon be too late for me.”
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