Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 74

Amid the warmth of the campfire, Xuan Jingchi gradually felt drowsiness creeping in. Propping her head up, she couldn’t help but doze off.

In her half-asleep state, she faintly heard a voice calling out—soft, but in the silence of the cave, it was enough to startle her awake.

When the slightly anxious voice called again, Xuan Jingchi realized it was Leng Qiuci murmuring in her sleep. She pricked up her ears to listen carefully, and once she made out what Leng was muttering, she couldn’t help but look up at her, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patterns on the cave walls. Leng Qiuci frowned slightly and slowly woke up.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Xuan Jingchi—dressed in a white underrobe—pacing back and forth in front of her. Her eyes flew wide open. “Damn emperor, what are you up to?”

Xuan Jingchi, who had been leaning halfway out of the cave to fiddle with something, turned back at the sound of her voice and clapped her hands. “You’re awake. I hung my outer robe on a tree outside—the bright yellow will stand out. That way, when they come looking, they’ll spot us.”

Leng Qiuci stood up and walked to the cave entrance, peering down. A large tree grew horizontally in front of the opening, many of its branches broken—likely the very tree that had caught them the night before.

Her gaze swept the surroundings. The cave seemed to be halfway up the mountainside, still quite high from the ground below. The cliff face was sheer and barren, with no trees to climb. A misstep here would mean certain death.

Leng Qiuci understood they were trapped here, with no other option but to wait for rescue.

The only question was how long it would take for someone to find them. If it took too long, they’d die of thirst before starvation even became a concern.

At this thought, she licked her dry lips.

Xuan Jingchi seemed to read her mind and said, “Don’t worry. A person can survive three days without water. General Chi has over two thousand men under his command. Last night was too dark—they couldn’t see well enough to search properly. But once day breaks, they’ll comb the mountain. With so many people, they’ll definitely find us today.”

Leng Qiuci knew she wasn’t wrong but didn’t respond, shooting her a glare before turning to walk deeper into the cave.

“Miss Leng, where are you going?”

Leng Qiuci didn’t answer, striding purposefully into the darkness.

Xuan Jingchi quickly followed.

“Are we exploring for a way out? They say those who survive great calamities are destined for fortune—maybe there’s treasure in here.” She grinned obsequiously. “You’re the skilled one, so any treasure we find is all yours.”

Leng Qiuci cast her a cold sidelong glance but neither spoke nor stopped her.

Xuan Jingchi had seen plenty of horror-adventure films—sci-fi, tomb-raiding, jungle expeditions, cave escapes—all fraught with peril and death, where most of the expedition team met gruesome fates.

Knowing she lacked the protagonist’s plot armor, Xuan Jingchi steeled herself, pulling a hairpin from her bun to use as a makeshift weapon. She even warned Leng Qiuci, “Watch out for traps and hidden weapons! There might even be unknown creatures lurking around! Or poisonous gas! Don’t touch anything recklessly!”

Leng Qiuci didn’t slow her pace, snapping, “If you’re scared, don’t follow!”

“Huh? I-I’m not that scared,” Xuan Jingchi would never admit she sometimes chickened out. “We’re comrades in hardship—of course we should brave this adventure together.”

“Comrades?”

Xuan Jingchi nodded, blinking. “Don’t you think that sounds more heroic?”

For the first time, Leng Qiuci wondered if this mad emperor was truly unhinged, spouting nonsense with a mind that might not be all there.

The journey turned out to be surprisingly smooth—no obstacles, no dangers, as easy as walking down a city street. Xuan Jingchi wasn’t sure if she felt more relieved or disappointed.

The silence between them grew oppressive, broken only by their echoing footsteps. To dispel the awkwardness, Xuan Jingchi decided to break the ice with a topic she thought might interest Leng Qiuci.

“Miss Leng, do you like Meng Wan?”

At this, the woman ahead froze mid-step before slamming Xuan Jingchi against the cave wall, the impact sending a sharp pain through her back.

Leng Qiuci’s hand tightened around her throat, cutting off her breath.

Xuan Jingchi coughed. “I-I was just asking! No need to get worked up!”

Leng Qiuci’s eyes burned with murderous intent. “Talk. What do you know?”

Xuan Jingchi instantly regretted opening her mouth. “I don’t know anything!”

“You don’t?” Leng Qiuci tightened her grip, wrenching Xuan Jingchi’s arm with a sharp twist. A sickening crack followed as the joint dislocated, drawing a scream of pain from Xuan Jingchi. “Ah—!”

“Are you going to talk or not?!”

Tears welled up in Xuan Jingchi’s eyes—whether from pain or regret, it was hard to tell.

She immediately caved, trembling in agony as she pleaded, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk… Could you… put my arm back first… please? Otherwise, I won’t have the strength to speak.”

Leng Qiuci remained unmoved. “You seem to be speaking just fine. Talk first, then I’ll fix it!”

Gritting her teeth, Xuan Jingchi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with her uninjured hand. “It was… last night… I heard you calling her name… over and over.”

Leng Qiuci froze, a faint blush flashing across her pale face before her usual icy demeanor returned. “What else?” she demanded sharply.

“Nothing else, nothing at all, I swear!” Fearing disbelief, Xuan Jingchi turned slightly to hide her good arm behind her back, looking up at Leng Qiuci like an abused puppy begging for mercy.

Leng Qiuci glared at her, then suddenly grabbed the limp, dangling arm and gave it a forceful tug and push—click—reconnecting the joint.

Clutching her sore arm, Xuan Jingchi panted heavily. “Thank you! Thank you, Miss Leng, thank you, Heroine Leng!”

“Not a word of this to anyone!” Leng Qiuci yanked her collar. “Or next time, it’ll be your pretty head I remove!”

Faced with the death threat, Xuan Jingchi flashed her most obedient and docile smile. “No, no, I understand. This is your secret.”

Leng Qiuci released her and turned to continue walking. This time, Xuan Jingchi wisely followed in silence.

But after just a few steps, Leng Qiuci suddenly halted. Xuan Jingchi immediately leaped back a large stride, on high alert, thinking, Again? Last time, I was caught off guard.

To her surprise, Leng Qiuci didn’t turn around—only tilted her head slightly, her expression brimming with a maidenly shyness.

“Do you think… she might… like me?”

Xuan Jingchi: “…”

How would she know if Meng Wan liked Leng Qiuci?

Though she spent a lot of time with Meng Wan, their conversations were strictly professional—personal feelings had never come up.

When no answer came, Leng Qiuci shot her a cold glance, putting Xuan Jingchi on full defensive alert.

But after that glance, Leng Qiuci simply turned away again and heaved a heavy sigh.

Her tone carried unmistakable melancholy, as if weighed down by unspoken longing.

Xuan Jingchi looked at her. In truth, Leng Qiuci was merely a seventeen-year-old girl, just like any other maiden in the bloom of youth, yearning for sweet and heart-fluttering romance. It was only because she had spent years as an assassin that she always maintained that icy, emotionless demeanor.

Thanks to this original body, she no longer had any family left. The person who likely mattered most to her now was her beloved Wan-jiejie, Meng Wan.

After hesitating for a moment, Xuan Jingchi finally spoke, “I think Meng Wan cares deeply about you. Last night, when you were locked in combat with those two men and teetering on the brink of life and death, I saw her crying bitterly, her face streaked with tears.”

Recalling that scene, Xuan Jingchi sighed. “If she weren’t an imperial envoy with a mission to fulfill, I think she would have chosen to die with you.”

“R-really?”

Xuan Jingchi nodded. “It’s true. She probably likes you too.”

“She likes me?” Leng Qiuci trembled all over, her voice tinged with irrepressible joy. Yet, in the next instant, her tone darkened as she suddenly mocked herself, “She cares about me. She sees me as a sister—a good little sister. I know that.”

Xuan Jingchi: “…”

She imagined for a moment—if Xuan Jingning were in mortal danger, she would grieve and mourn for her, but she wouldn’t choose to die with her. But if it were Xiao Yueli, she would undoubtedly follow her into death without hesitation.

“Well,” Xuan Jingchi mused, “after we return, I can subtly sound her out for you. Who knows? Maybe she doesn’t just see you as a sister.”

Leng Qiuci froze, glancing back at her before coldly retorting, “Dog Emperor, why are you helping me? Don’t think I’ll owe you any favors just because you’re doing this.”

“Fine, fine. I don’t need your gratitude,” Xuan Jingchi said helplessly. “Just consider it the meddling of a bored dog emperor.”

Leng Qiuci snorted and turned away, refusing to look back as she warned, “Listen here—you can ask all you want, but if you mess this up, I’ll take your head.”

Xuan Jingchi instinctively touched her neck and forced an awkward laugh. “No, no, I won’t.”

But inwardly, she groaned—what exactly counted as “messing up”?

Failure would just mean Meng Wan didn’t return her feelings.

But I only promised to ask, not to guarantee results! Aaaah!