Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 71

Ling Yue soon realized the princess wasn’t merely taking a stroll after all, no one would casually wander beneath a cliff.

Down here, even moonlight couldn’t reach, with only the incessant chirping of insects filling the air.

Before descending, the princess had extinguished the torch and chosen a spot slightly farther from the rope ladder. Thanks to their martial skills, they managed it; anyone else would have found it impossible.

There were many secrets here. The merchant caravan had stationed people both at the site where the goods had fallen and near the rope ladder.

Perhaps due to a shortage of personnel, no one was stationed at the top of the cliff.

Ling Yue instinctively took the lead, moving forward cautiously while fearing the princess might struggle to keep up, so she held the princess’s hand.

The other’s hand was still as cold as ever, likely due to the toxins in her body.

Recalling the princess’s episodes of illness, Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache, unconsciously tightening her grip.

In her past life, she had owed the princess too many favors. Though that life was set in stone, the outcome of this one remained undecided, she needed to make proper amends.

Ling Yue’s thoughts wandered, but she remained vigilant of her surroundings. Hearing the faint sound of others breathing, she lightened her steps and grew more cautious.

In the pitch darkness, she overheard their conversation.

“I keep feeling uneasy.”

“Uneasy about what? What’s done is done, no use overthinking it.”

“Sigh, why did we have to leave like this?”

“Pathetic. Staying with this branch of the caravan offers no future. Better to take what we can and go.”

After a long pause, the hesitant one sighed again. “If I hadn’t offended the young lady, nothing you said would have mattered.”

“Tch! Look at you, so spineless. The young lady has gone north. Though the war just ended, who knows? She might not even make it back.”

The tone was gloating, laced with anticipation.

After some thought, Ling Yue deduced the “young lady” they referred to was Wen Yuanyuan, as this caravan belonged to the Wen Merchant Guild, and Wen Yuanyuan had indeed headed north.

Naturally, Ling Yue disliked such talk, but now wasn’t the time to teach anyone a lesson.

Soon, unfamiliar footsteps approached. Afraid of being discovered, Ling Yue leaned back, only to find the surface she touched wasn’t the cold, hard rock but the warmth of a human body.

Realizing she had pressed against the princess, Ling Yue shifted forward slightly.

The darkness concealed the princess’s expression; otherwise, Ling Yue would have seen her smiling.

Ling Yue’s ears twitched. Judging by the footsteps, the newcomers were quite skilled in martial arts.

One of them spoke with a northern accent, making Ling Yue tense. She hadn’t expected that merely hitching a ride would lead to one complication after another.

Unable to see their faces in the dark, Ling Yue committed their voices to memory.

The woman with the northern accent seemed angry. “What’s going on? Weren’t they supposed to be the weakest guards? How did they manage to kill our people instead?”

The two from earlier sounded embarrassed. They didn’t understand it either, the guards’ skills were usually mediocre, but today, it was as if they were possessed by martial gods.

Fearing misunderstanding, one quickly explained, “They really aren’t this strong normally, I swear!”

The woman with the northern accent seemed to be the leader, as she was the one doing all the talking. After hearing the explanation, she snorted coldly, “Let’s hope so. Since you’ve taken this job, don’t even think of pulling any tricks.”

“How would we dare! We’re honored that Lady Bai trusts us.”

The escort named Bai scoffed, “I hope you prove worthy of my trust.”

With that, she left with her people.

Their path took them past Ling Yue’s hiding spot. Ling Yue pulled the princess further into the shadows.

Suddenly, Bai stopped and glanced in their direction before turning and approaching step by step.

Ling Yue pitched her voice, “Meow~”

She was skilled in vocal techniques, and the sound was incredibly convincing.

Bai halted, then turned back, her footsteps fading until Ling Yue could no longer hear them.

It wasn’t just Ling Yue who breathed a sigh of relief; the two from the merchant caravan also relaxed. One of them cursed under his breath, “What’s her problem? Her own people aren’t up to the task, and she has the nerve to act all high and mighty. No wonder she resorts to such underhanded tricks she can’t compete with the Sun-Chasing Escort Agency!”

The other seemed more troubled. With a sigh, he said nervously, “Is this really okay? That Ling Que is related to General Ling. What if this reaches the princess?”

Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Unbeknownst to them, they had already been performing in front of the princess for quite some time.

Suddenly, she felt her hand being gently squeezed, followed by a tickling sensation in her palm. The princess was writing something.

Interesting?

Given the limitations of this method, the princess kept it concise, making it easier for Ling Yue to understand.

Ling Yue wrote back in her palm: Yes.

The conversation between the two men continued. The previously bold guard shrank at the mention of the princess but still tried to sound tough, “How could it? Does the princess have nothing better to do? Besides, even if she were standing right in front of me, I wouldn’t be scared!”

Though he claimed to be unafraid, his trembling legs betrayed him. The darkness, however, concealed his fear, fooling the other man into thinking he was genuinely brave. The other guard couldn’t help but admire him, “Xu Hu, you’re something else.”

Ling Yue found it even more amusing and made a mental note of the name.

Xu Hu thought himself insignificant, believing someone as lofty as the princess was beyond his reach. Unfortunately, life is full of surprises.

Her palm began to itch again.

What should we do?

The princess was asking for her opinion. Ling Yue wanted to listen a bit longer, hoping to gather more information, so she wrote in the princess’s palm: Wait and see.

Feeling as though she had taken the lead, Ling Yue thought it might be inappropriate and added: Your Highness’s thoughts?

The princess quite enjoyed this method of communication though she was biased, as this fondness only applied to Ling Yue. Still, waiting and watching was too slow for her liking.

So, she wrote in Ling Yue’s palm: Not ideal. Change tactics.

Though her plan was rejected, Ling Yue was curious about the princess’s idea and wrote: Your Highness’s brilliant plan?

A faint smile curled the princess’s lips, her eyes flashing with ruthlessness. Instead of writing, she leaned close to Ling Yue’s ear and whispered, “Capture them and interrogate them directly.”

Ling Yue froze. So simple, so direct, so brutal!

She had thought it would be a more cunning plan, but upon reflection, it seemed like something His Highness would do.

However, weren’t they supposed to keep a low profile? How could they possibly stay inconspicuous like this?

Their personas had shifted from famine victims to highly skilled martial arts heroes in an instant.

But since the Grand Princess had said so, it meant the impact wasn’t significant after all, they weren’t using their real faces now.

Once she understood, Ling Yue rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling with a hint of excitement and even a trace of regret as she murmured softly, “If only we had captured those who left earlier.”

The two men guarding the gold remained unaware of the impending disaster. One of them brazenly boasted about how unafraid he was of the Grand Princess, interspersing his words with a few curses.

Ling Yue grew increasingly irritated as she listened. No longer hiding, she followed the grating voice and charged forward.

Xu Hu was still cursing: “What do they mean by the Grand Princess’s great virtue? Pah! She’s clearly a witch! Only fools would be deceived by her!”

“And that Ling Yue! What kind of general is she? A mere brat probably just an illusion created by that witch. How could someone’s cowardice change overnight?”

“And the young lady! Instead of staying comfortably in Rongcheng, she had to run off to that bitter, freezing wasteland. What an idiot!”

Ling Yue hadn’t been that angry at first, but the man had precisely stepped on several of her sore spots. She didn’t mind being insulted herself, but she wouldn’t allow anyone to slander those she cared about.

Rarely stirred to anger, she leaped forward and swept a kick across his face.

Xu Hu was knocked to the ground. As the pain registered, he let out a howl, “Aiyo! My teeth! It hurts! Who’s there?”

The other man was terrified, but out of loyalty, he tried to rescue Xu Hu. Drawing his blade, he swung it at Ling Yue’s back.

Ling Yue detected the movement by sound, sidestepping gracefully. The man, unable to halt his momentum, stumbled forward. Seizing the opportunity, Ling Yue drove her knee into his abdomen.

She then crouched and swept his legs out from under him, sending him crashing heavily to the ground. Not letting up, she stomped hard on his back, rendering him unable to rise no matter how he struggled.

Another rush of wind came from the side, but Ling Yue remained unruffled these two were hardly a match in her eyes. She took a step forward, evading Xu Hu’s sneak attack, then swiftly shifted her right leg back, tripping him effortlessly.

With both men lying so close together, Ling Yue simply stepped on them.

By the time the Grand Princess strolled over leisurely, the fight was already over.

Ling Yue found it all rather dull and decided to mock Xu Hu a little. She sneered, “You talk so big, yet you’re this weak.”

Instead of anger, Xu Hu felt sheer terror. The darkness offered no comfort, but he recognized Ling Yue’s voice and stammered in panic, “You, you’re that girl from the famine victims!”

Ling Yue scoffed, “Your ears are sharp. Maybe I should cut them off.”

The joke was far from funny; Xu Hu was nearly scared out of his wits. He tried to break free, but strangely, the slender figure on his back felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Struggling to calm himself, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, “Wh-what… what do you want?”

Ling Yue instantly lost interest, but her anger hadn’t fully subsided. Deciding to scare him further, she let out a cold laugh, snatched the knife from his hand, and pressed the icy blade against his cheek.

“What do we want?” She paused, then laughed again. “Naturally, we’re here to rob you.”

Xu Hu’s imagination began to run wild. He thought Ling Yue and the other person’s claim of seeking refuge in the Northern Kingdom was a lie, and that their true intention was to infiltrate merchant caravans and rob them.

Today, the two of them had fallen alongside that cart of gold, so it was possible they had discovered it.

Xu Hu was utterly terrified and hadn’t even considered that if this were the case, Ling Yue would have simply taken the gold directly instead of going through all this trouble to come back and steal it.

The Eldest Princess stood to the side, watching as Ling Yue enjoyed herself, and smiled while observing the scene.

Perhaps feeling it was too dark to see properly, she deliberately picked up a torch from the ground and lit it.

The flames spread, driving away the darkness, and as the night wind blew, Ling Yue’s shadow swayed along with it.

Seeing that she was standing too close, the Eldest Princess moved farther away with the torch.

Xu Hu’s face was a pitiful sight, one side swollen high, his lips covered in blood, and because he was lying face down on the ground, the blood on his lips had mixed with the dust, making him look filthy and wretched.

He cried out, “No! That gold belongs to the Frostwind Escort Agency! If you take it, they’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth!”

It really was better to be straightforward. She hadn’t even asked, and he had already volunteered some information.

Ling Yue sneered at his threats, completely unfazed. “Fine, let them come. Do you think I’m afraid of them?”

Her attitude only intensified Xu Hu’s panic. To mask his fear, he blustered, “They have connections to high-ranking court officials! Do you dare to defy the imperial court?”

Ling Yue’s expression turned peculiar. She glanced back at the Eldest Princess, who was holding the torch, her expression unchanged.

But this reaction made Xu Hu think they were afraid. As if grasping at a lifeline, he exclaimed triumphantly, “Let us go now, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

Ling Yue couldn’t help but look at him as if he were an idiot.

What official could possibly outrank the Eldest Princess?

His behavior, however, made Ling Yue less angry. She let out a cold laugh. “You wish. But I’ve suddenly lost interest in robbing you. Tell me the name of that high-ranking official, and I’ll let you go. How about that?”

Ling Yue’s voice carried a faint, persuasive tone. She wasn’t usually like this, but having spent time with the Eldest Princess, she had inevitably been influenced.

The cold blade against his skin brought Xu Hu back to reality. His resolve wavered, but the knife continued to press downward until it rested against his neck.

The threat of death was so palpable that Xu Hu’s defenses crumbled step by step.

He screamed, “It’s Wang Fu!”

Ling Yue’s pupils contracted sharply.

Her?

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