Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 32

After riding a long distance without encountering any danger, Ling Yue began to suspect that the Eldest Princess might be teasing her again.

Just as she was doubting the princess’s intentions, a figure suddenly darted out from the roadside. Startled, Ling Yue quickly reined in her horse.

She hurriedly soothed the frightened horse, only to realize the one who had startled it was a gaunt, bony child.

The sound of hoofbeats had been so loud, yet the child seemed completely unaware, darting straight under her horse’s hooves. Had it been someone with a worse temper, the child would have surely faced a scolding.

But luck was on the child’s side, she had encountered Ling Yue.

Just as Ling Yue was about to dismount to check on the little girl, she remembered she was currently impersonating the Eldest Princess.

What would the Eldest Princess do in such a situation?

Before she could figure it out, the princess dismounted first and reached out a hand to the girl. Though her face was hidden, there was an unexpectedly gentle aura about her.

The girl had been somewhat fearful, but the eyes she glimpsed through the mask were so warm that she unconsciously let her guard down and reached out her hand.

The first thing she felt was cold, sending a shiver through her small frame.

“Are you alright, little one?”

Ling Yue found it strange to hear the Eldest Princess using her voice, but since she was now the princess, she didn’t need to do anything.

The little girl shook her head. “Thank you, sister.”

Lu He found it novel, she had never been addressed like this before. Or perhaps, doing these things while disguised as Ling Yue was simply amusing.

It was all because of her past actions people tended to avoid her whenever they saw her. She didn’t think this way out of loneliness, but rather because she often found herself bored.

So, she asked in an even gentler tone, “Next time you run, make sure to look where you’re going. It’s very dangerous.”

Qing Niao couldn’t hold back an eye-roll. This person’s acting skills were truly impressive, she had fooled her at their first meeting, and now she was using gentleness to amuse a child.

But in such a remote wilderness, why would a child be here? Was she lost? Or was it intentional?

Qing Niao instantly grew alert. However, she was no martial artist, and no matter how intently she listened, she couldn’t detect anything unusual.

She guided her horse closer to Ling Yue. Being near Ling Yue gave her an indescribable sense of security anything was better than that scoundrel Lu He.

Suddenly, a wind picked up, carrying a faint metallic scent, a smell all too familiar to Ling Yue.

The sound of the wind was pierced by something sharp, an arrow shot straight toward Ling Yue’s forehead. In a flash, Ling Yue drew the long sword at her waist and deflected it.

The arrow had been fired from the mountain opposite them. If one looked closely, they could even make out the figures of the assailants.

It was a bit unsettling to admit, but being targeted by arrows was something Ling Yue was quite familiar with.

“Whoosh!”

Another arrow cut through the air, again aimed at Ling Yue’s forehead.

Ling Yue blocked it once more, growing increasingly annoyed by the passive situation.

But she had only brought her sword she had left her spear at home, fearing it would draw too much attention.

As she fretted, a third wave of attacks arrived. The area they were in was too exposed, so Ling Yue turned and headed into the woods.

Qing Niao’s face paled slightly, but the enemy’s attention was solely on Ling Yue, paying her no mind.

She urged her horse to follow Ling Yue but was sharply stopped: “Don’t come closer.”

Qing Niao understood Ling Yue’s meaning with the enemy focused entirely on her, following would only risk getting caught in the crossfire.

Following the past would only make her a burden, so Qingniao ran without hesitation in the opposite direction.

The Eldest Princess mounted her horse with the girl in her arms, feeling the child trembling against her. Lu He gently patted her head and whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”

Yet her gentleness only brought forth the girl’s tears as she repeated over and over, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Lu He was not surprised and continued to soothe her, “It’s alright, don’t be scared.”

But the more she comforted her, the more guilt the girl felt, until she finally broke down, “They forced me.”

A flash of coldness crossed Lu He’s eyes, the truth was likely as she had suspected. They had sent the girl to startle the horse to probe her identity.

Now that the group had mistaken Ling Yue for her, they had schemed to drive her into the forest. If her guess was correct, there was another group waiting in the woods.

“Sister, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do it.”

Under normal circumstances, Lu He detested crying, fussy children, but now she was Ling Yue. Someone as foolishly kind as Ling Yue would never get angry.

Feeling helpless at her own thoughts, Lu He let out a soft laugh, mocking herself for becoming increasingly peculiar.

Though strange, compared to her previous dark and monotonous life, this seemed better.

She stroked the sobbing girl in her arms, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Then, do a small favor for this sister.”

The girl looked up, seemingly unable to believe that someone as weak as her could be of help in such a situation.

Her voice trembling, she asked, “Can I?”

Lu He glanced back toward the distant mountains. Based on the trajectory of the arrows, she could deduce where those cowards were hiding. With a tug on the reins, she changed direction.

On the way to catch the rats, Lu He felt a surge of excitement, which caused her disguise to slip after all, Ling Yue would never speak in such a mocking tone.

“Of course you can. I’ll teach you.”

The girl instinctively sensed that the masked sister had changed, but in her simplicity, she desperately wanted to atone for her mistake. She nodded firmly, “Mm!”

Lu He liked sensible and obedient people. Seeing the girl so compliant, the gentleness on her face became a little more genuine.

“Good child.”

Just as Lu He had anticipated, there was another group of people in the forest.

Ling Yue had just entered the woods and hadn’t had time to abandon her horse when the bandit, showing no courtesy, dropped upside-down from a tree and pressed a sword against her neck.

If Ling Yue hadn’t been alert and reined in the horse in time, she might have been decapitated on the spot.

Ling Yue thrust her sword toward the bandit’s throat. In his panic, he fell to the ground. As she sheathed her sword, her chestnut horse reared its front hooves, ready to strike the assassin.

But then, a faint rustle came from above, a life-or-death crisis. Ling Yue understood this feeling better than anyone.

An impenetrable aura of killing intent enveloped her, locking onto all her vital points.

Looking up, she saw seven people leaping down to surround her.

Seeing Ling Yue with no way to retreat, their eyes gleamed with excitement, as if they could already envision her body pierced and bloodied.

To their disappointment, Ling Yue leaped lightly aside, simultaneously whipping her horse. The horse, stung by the pain, bolted forward, and the man on the ground fell silent instantly.

Before the others could land, Ling Yue cracked her whip again. A piercing scream startled the birds in the forest.

In an instant, one was dead and another injured. At this moment, Ling Yue was not as amiable as usual. Without waiting for a reaction, she lashed out again, wrapping her whip around her opponent’s sword and snatching it away.

Ling Yue stared blankly at the confiscated spoils of battle, unable to comprehend how these few individuals had dared to attempt an assassination of the Grand Princess. If the Grand Princess were so easily dealt with, she would have been dead long ago.

The sound of arrows cutting through the air returned, and Ling Yue leaped onto another tree. Winter had just passed, and the trees were still bare. While the forest offered more cover, it couldn’t entirely block the archer’s line of sight.

The figures below took to the air with their swords, still attempting to encircle her. In her past life, Ling Yue had faced armies of thousands without fear, this was nothing more than a minor skirmish to her.

But she soon realized something was amiss. The attackers’ strikes were merely a diversion, meant to conceal the powder clenched in their left palms.

Simultaneously, they tossed the powder, and a pungent odor assaulted Ling Yue’s nostrils.

Having succeeded, the assailants retreated to a distance, observing her with unblinking eyes.

For some inexplicable reason, they began to grow smug and overconfident.

One of them sneered with a mocking laugh, “You venomous witch! That new guard of yours isn’t exactly loyal to you, is he?”

Another chimed in, “Seems the boss was right, Ling the Second is weak, not worth worrying about.”

“Hahaha! What Grand Princess? What Living King of Hell? Now you’ll have to go meet the real King of Hell!”

Ling Yue remained perched in the tree. Her throat felt intensely uncomfortable, as if something were about to surge up from her stomach, but she forcibly suppressed it. She couldn’t bear the thought of the Grand Princess appearing so disheveled before her enemies.

The assailants’ laughter gradually faltered. They exchanged uneasy glances, and one of them couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

“Tsk! No matter how strong her endurance, she shouldn’t be able to hold out like this.”

A quicker-witted one caught on and cried out in panic, “Oh no! She’s not Lu He!”

“How can that be? We’ve been tricked! She’s Ling Yue!”

Ling Yue had held her breath in time, inhaling little of the powder, but upon hearing this, she understood that the drug would have a different effect on the Grand Princess.

Once her coughing subsided, Ling Yue didn’t rush to reveal her identity. Instead, she continued to mimic the Grand Princess’s voice, her tone cold and laced with sarcasm. “Are you blind?”

The assailants grew confused again. That infuriating tone, that contemptuous glare, if she wasn’t Lu He, then who else could she be?

But if she were Lu He, didn’t that mean?

One of them panicked, exclaiming in disbelief, “You’ve cured the love poison?!”

Ling Yue mentally noted this information and sneered, “Care to take a guess?”

Her demeanor practically screamed: Yes, you guessed correctly.

The assailants scattered and fled without a second thought, showing no intention of continuing the fight.

Ling Yue hadn’t even had the chance to stretch her skills before the situation turned like this. She couldn’t help but reflect on how fearsome the Grand Princess’s reputation truly was.

Nevertheless, Ling Yue had no intention of letting them escape. The assailants fled in all directions, and she casually picked one to pursue though it wasn’t entirely random, as this was the one who had called her a “venomous witch,” his mouth particularly foul.

When it came to lightness skill, Ling Yue was no amateur. After all, in her past life, she had managed to evade the Grand Princess’s pursuit countless times. With a single whip strike, she sent her target tumbling to the ground.

Ling Yue closed in step by step. The terrified bandit, unable to stand, scrambled backward on his hands, his face pale with fear.

He glanced back in horror, shrieking, “Stay away from me!”

Ling Yue crouched down, thrusting her sword into the ground beside his neck, a hair’s breadth from ending his life. Her voice was icy as she demanded, “Speak. Who are you?”

Shock washed over the bandit’s bloodless face. His eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re not Lu He!”

Once again, her identity was being questioned, and Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel a wave of frustration.

Just as she was about to ask more, the sound of arrows whistling through the air reached her ears, and the scent of blood in the wind grew thicker.

Ling Yue initially thought the archer had resumed their actions, but when she turned to look, she was startled.

Though the distance had grown somewhat, Ling Yue recognized at a glance that the person drawing the bow was none other than the Eldest Princess.

Lu He naturally noticed the stunned Ling Yue as well. She held the girl’s hand, guiding her to draw the bow, and said with a smile, “See, this is more effective than crying.”

She aimed the arrow directly at Ling Yue.

Ling Yue’s pupils contracted sharply, the panic from her past life surging back. Instinctively, she dodged.

As soon as she moved aside, Lu He released the girl’s hand.

“Whoosh!”

“Ugh!”

The arrow plunged straight into the bandit’s heart.

Ling Yue’s heart raced wildly. Silently calculating the distance, she realized it was even farther than the distance she had fled in her previous life.

So, the Eldest Princess’s archery skills were exceptional, it was her own foolishness in her past life that had blinded her to it.

Support