Lace Glory Universe King GL - Chapter 5

That night, after helping her out at the mountain villa, Hua Mulan put away her long-handled umbrella and followed the little princess closely.

But then she lost her: Sun Shangxiang turned a corner, and when Hua Mulan tried to catch up, the figure had vanished, as if she had disappeared into the streets at one o’clock in the morning in an instant.

How could that be?

In the distance was a subway station, surrounded by towering buildings. The roads, usually bustling during the day, were now straight and empty. The shops along the street were all closed; there was nowhere to hide.

Only the streetlights shone in isolation.

Hua Mulan wandered the streets, searching, replaying the moments she lost sight of her in her mind.

The little princess seemed to walk with purpose, not looking around, and had turned right at the corner, heading somewhere. Mulan had followed for two steps, maybe three seconds at most, then turned onto the same street—but even if Shangxiang had rolled forward, she couldn’t have disappeared from sight that quickly.

Hua Mulan scanned the street corners: a closed convenience store, a pharmacy, an inscription trading shop, a “Kingdom Travel Agency”…

No late-night bars, no 24-hour vending machines—nothing to hide behind.

After searching several times without finding her, Hua Mulan felt a bit discouraged and left the area, checking into a cheap hotel.

The next day, she returned to the corner where she had lost Sun Shangxiang and retraced the route from the previous night, still unable to find any gaps or clues.

She sat by the narrow window-side table in a beverage shop, watching the street outside.

“Did you see that?”

“Which one? Oh, yes, I saw it.”

“The runaway wedding was yesterday. I mean, Sun Quan already issued a bounty!”

“When was that? Let me see.”

“One hundred million gold coins! Guess where she is now?”

“She definitely hasn’t left Jiangdong yet.”

“Wow, so rich. If we could bump into her on our way, that would be perfect—my little fortune princess…”

Hua Mulan glanced sideways and saw a couple sharing a milkshake, chatting idly.

She trusted her instincts: people don’t vanish into thin air. Sun Shangxiang hadn’t gone far; she had just used a method unknown to Mulan to escape. But what method?

One hundred million gold coins meant Sun Shangxiang was truly important to Sun Quan. He would not stop until she was captured.

This also meant that if Mulan let her guard down, many others would be on the road trying to intercept her first.

Hua Mulan felt her mouth dry and went to the counter to order a drink. Suddenly, sounds of a fight came from the back alley of the shop.

A small-eyed, thin-lipped man and a green-haired girl were throwing things at each other, stopped by someone nearby.

“You’re crazy for money, big trash!” the girl said angrily.

“Say that again? I’ll hit you!”

“Do you think you can beat me, trash?”

Bystanders tried to intervene, watched, commented, and even one explained the situation to Hua Mulan.

The man had seen the one hundred million bounty and went looking for her, hoping to get lucky. He grabbed a girl whose hair color matched that of the runaway bride but was immediately pushed away, sparking the argument.

“Is it really necessary? They’re just ordinary people. No need to get involved in noble matters!”

“Exactly.”

“Still hoping to bump into the little princess in broad daylight? Dream on.”

“By the way, can there really be a hundred million?”

People around whispered and discussed.

The thin-lipped man, losing the argument, reached into his jacket with his right hand.

Hua Mulan was quicker. She subtly released a pair of short blades, using just enough force to fly toward his head.

The angle was safe but would cause dizziness.

Hua Mulan stepped forward and retracted the blades. The man held his forehead, swaying as if he might fall.

Hua Mulan steadied him, preventing him from collapsing, and told the crowd, “Stop arguing! Take him to the hospital!”

Seeing the man suddenly about to faint, people assumed he might have a heart condition and rushed to call an ambulance.

Amid the chaos, Hua Mulan gave the green-haired girl a wink.

The girl pursed her lips, showing her gratitude.

Hua Mulan left the alley. She thought: now that Sun Quan had made the bounty public in Jiangjun City, Sun Shangxiang had nowhere to hide. Of course, she could change her appearance, rely on a trustworthy friend, and hide in some secluded place—

Hiding somewhere was definitely the best plan; no one could guarantee a friend wouldn’t betray her. But why had she, after the runaway wedding, ended up in the bustling city and then suddenly vanished?

She must have used a mechanical trick, Hua Mulan reasoned.

Although Jiangdong had no mechanical masters, with Wu’s wealth, they could definitely hire someone to create a perfect mechanism.

Exactly. No one could vanish into thin air.

Placing the entrance of a hidden place in a busy city, even near a subway exit, was clever.

The best hiding spot scatters the target, leaving the pursuers unable to act.

If that was the case, then Hua Mulan hadn’t completely lost her yet. Thinking this, she relaxed slightly.

For the rest of the time, Hua Mulan waited mostly on that street. Until late at night, the girl with the changing twin tails appeared.

Sun Shangxiang was about to leave when a barrage of explosives fell just a few meters ahead, forming a ring of fireworks.

She looked back and saw four or five burly men lined up, clearly lying in wait.

Sun Shangxiang rushed in another direction, but the archer behind adjusted, delivering the explosives accurately to block her path again.

It seemed they wanted to capture her alive, not kill her. But she didn’t hesitate: she fired a Red Lotus Bomb—

No, the opponent was faster. She was immediately slowed and unable to move.

“Little princess, surrender!” one man said.

Hua Mulan, gathering strength in the shadows, charged in an arc and performed a Sky-Splitting Slash, cutting her way forward.

Earlier, she had observed that it was two against five, and the ambush had already been set. They were clearly at a disadvantage, so speed was critical. She had to get Sun Shangxiang out first.

After being slowed, Sun Shangxiang fired the Red Lotus Bomb.

“Don’t dawdle, come with me!” a blue figure shouted.

The large blue flower on the hairpin flashed before Sun Shangxiang’s eyes. It was the heroine who had saved her the night of the runaway wedding!

Hua Mulan grabbed Sun Shangxiang’s hand and ran into a narrow alley.

In the tight space, the enemy archer could not fully utilize their skills, and their attacks ricocheted off the walls, sparking bright flashes.

“This way!” Hua Mulan led her around a corner. “They don’t know the terrain. Can you roll and climb?”

“Yes.” Sun Shangxiang ran while storing her heavy crossbow.

“Good, we go above,” Hua Mulan indicated they should move over the rooftops.

The scene was a shame no one else could see: Hua Mulan’s blue skirt and long high ponytail fluttered against the glass building façade, like a blue-and-white lightning strike descending to earth.

Sun Shangxiang sighed in admiration. Who exactly was this hero?

Another long chase ensued. The two of them traveled about thirty li before stopping at a vertical parking lot.

From the top, they could observe the surroundings; cars could provide hiding spots, giving wide views and good concealment.

They sat between two rows of cars, catching their breath.

“The five of them have been scouting the area for hours. They’re outsiders and can’t catch up,” Hua Mulan said.

“From Wei capital,” Sun Shangxiang confirmed.

“You know them?”

“I recognized one, Dian Wei. His red eyes are his mark.”

“Looks like not only all of Wu is after you, but even people from Wei want a cut.” Hua Mulan knew that although Wu and Shu were close, they often clashed with Wei.

“Are you after the bounty too?” Sun Shangxiang asked.

Her tone was blunt. She needed to know why this stranger had helped her twice and seemed to always know her whereabouts.

Hua Mulan smiled but didn’t answer directly. “What, princess, do you want to go back with me and claim the reward?”

Sun Shangxiang understood it was a joke. If she wanted the bounty, they could have captured her directly instead of chasing her so far to hide in a parking lot.

“No, it’s too little. If I’m taking it, I want all of Wu’s wealth. That was left by my brother,” Sun Shangxiang said bluntly.

“I think the same as you. First, the money is too little. Second, I want something bigger.”

“What bigger thing?” Sun Shangxiang didn’t understand.

“No matter what it is, I won’t harm you,” Hua Mulan changed the subject. “Don’t worry, princess.”

“Just call me Shangxiang. So, you have your own purpose. If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. But are you still going to follow me?”

“Maybe,” Hua Mulan thought. She wanted to get close to Sun Quan and figured learning information from this girl would be useful.

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” Though she liked her, Shangxiang still didn’t understand why Hua Mulan was following her.

“I’m useful to you.” Hua Mulan paused, knowing the other didn’t trust her. “Think of me as someone sent on a mission.”

Shangxiang nodded, looking at her bright eyes in the night, feeling some trust.

“You haven’t asked your heroic name yet.”

“Mulan, from Heluo,” Hua Mulan answered.

“No wonder your techniques feel unfamiliar. Thanks for saving me twice. So, where are we going next?”

“That depends on you. What’s your next step?” Hua Mulan said.

Shangxiang’s expression darkened. With pursuers everywhere, a secret base unavailable, and the Liu family offended, she needed to avoid the current storm.

“I want to go to Heluo with you and lay low. I’ve long heard that the female emperor in Chang’an is neutral and befriends heroes from all over. There must be a place for me there,” Shangxiang said, rekindling hope.

“For how long?” Hua Mulan’s tone cooled slightly. Her goal was to gather intelligence, not tour the mountains with a runaway princess.

“…I can’t say yet. Maybe I’ll find a benefactor there,” Shangxiang said.

Hua Mulan was silent, considering how valuable a fallen princess might be to the female emperor.

Shangxiang simply hoped to be with Hua Mulan. Whether they went to Heluo didn’t matter; she already trusted her.

“But I have things to do here,” Hua Mulan said, seeing Shangxiang’s disappointed gaze.

“If you insist on doing your thing, I’ll go to Heluo alone. Staying here alone in Jiangjun, I’ll eventually be caught,” Shangxiang said.

Indeed. So little princess, you want to venture into Chang’an alone? How peaceful that place would be is questionable. Hua Mulan considered giving ground.

“Fine, I’ll escort you out of the Three Territories. Otherwise, you might not get far alone,” Hua Mulan said.

“Hmph, as if I’m so weak.” Shangxiang didn’t submit but appreciated having a helper.

“You still don’t trust me, huh?”

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