Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 80

The full moon hung like a plate in the sky, and even the wind had the sense to die down. Amidst the dead silence, voices began to drift through the air, and the sound of disorganized footsteps grew clearer as they approached.

Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin exchanged a glance. The rolling nuts of their crossbows had been wound to the final turn, their fingers hooked over the triggers. As the figures emerged under the high moon, Ye Xuejin watched the front and whispered three words: “Fourteen of them.”

“You take the left, I’ll take the right,” Yun Chi whispered back, her voice barely audible.

At this point, both had nearly stopped breathing. They remained motionless, their entire bodies coiled like springs. Closer. Even closer. With perfect timing, they lowered their fingers.

Click.

The triggers, now slightly warmed by their touch, were finally pulled. Two sharp bolts streaked out in parallel, followed immediately by two more before the first had even landed. Finger after finger pressed down, again and again. Accompanied by a series of wails, there was not a single moment of hesitation.

With two repeating crossbows firing ten bolts each, twenty sharp arrows were unleashed in an instant. Of the fourteen men, thirteen collapsed. Only one bailiff, possessing enough agility to dodge, managed to survive the initial volley.

“Who’s there?!”

Terrified, the bailiff instinctively tried to assert his authority. “I am from the Governor’s Manor—argh!”

Before he could finish his sentence, six short bolts from their sleeve-crossbows pierced his body in succession. Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin watched him hit the ground before stepping out from behind the trees.

“Take this.” Yun Chi focused her mind to stow the crossbows and handed Ye Xuejin an electric baton. Just as they stepped into the open, they heard the sound of running footsteps.

Startled, they ducked back behind the trees.

Zhou Qishan and three servants, having heard the commotion, rushed forward. They were met with a ground littered with bodies. Most lay still, their fates unknown. Only one man showed signs of life, staring at the night sky with a face full of horror, half-collapsed and trembling.

A young servant, acting without thinking, rushed over and pinned the man down. He noticed the arrows protruding from the man’s abdomen. “Eldest Young Master, this… this…”

Recognizing the newcomers, Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin looked at each other and stepped out, holding their electric batons. The servants were so shocked they couldn’t form a complete sentence as the two figures suddenly appeared. They instinctively balled their fists and stood in front of Zhou Qishan.

“Your Highness! It’s Her Highness and the Prince Consort!”

The young servant recognized the familiar prison garb and shouted in surprise, his eyes darting between the women and the “divine artifacts” in their hands. Zhou Qishan’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately rushed forward, kneeling in greeting. “This subordinate has arrived late. We have allowed Your Highness and the Prince Consort to be startled.”

“Your Highness and the Prince Consort have been startled,” the servants echoed, kneeling in a mix of shock and joy. They were shocked that these men had all fallen in the few steps they had lagged behind, but joyful that the Princess was unharmed. Looking at the electric batons, they all reached the same conclusion: Immortal protection!

Ye Xuejin’s words confirmed their theory.

“The Prince Consort and I were taking a stroll when we were alerted by the Immortal for some reason. Before we could react, the Immortal struck and dealt with these people. Do you know why they were here?” Her voice was calm as she scanned them, hiding the gloom in her eyes.

The servants looked at Zhou Qishan. He first offered a sigh of relief. “Praise the Immortal for their protection. It is fortunate that Your Highness and the Prince Consort are safe.” He patted his chest, still appearing shaken, and explained, “To answer Your Highness, we saw these people acting suspiciously and followed them out of concern. We only rushed forward when we heard the screams.”

The servants paused, confusion flickering in their eyes, but they said nothing. At that moment, Yun Chi used her electric baton to knock out the only person who was still conscious and trying to crawl away.

Ye Xuejin frowned as if puzzled. “I see. You all may return. The Prince Consort and I will handle things here.”

Zhou Qishan rose obediently, and the servants followed, though they kept looking back as they walked away.

Once they were a distance away, the young servant glanced at Zhou Qishan, who was walking ahead with his head down. Just as the youth was about to speak, an older servant pulled his arm and shook his head, signaling him to keep quiet.

The young servant clenched his fists and lowered his head. He didn’t understand.

Suddenly, Zhou Qishan turned around, his gaze heavy. “Not a word about tonight is to be leaked to anyone. I will speak to my father myself. These people were acting despicably; if word gets out, it will be shameful and could damage the reputation of Her Highness and the women. Moreover, if Her Highness learns the full truth, she will certainly feel distressed. Do you all understand?”

“Understood,” they replied.

The young servant let out a quiet sigh of relief. So the Eldest Young Master was just worried about the Princess’s mood and the women’s reputations. He had thought… thought what? He shook his head, casting aside those stray thoughts.

Back at the scene, Ye Xuejin stared in the direction the Zhou men had gone, her brow remaining furrowed. Seeing her lost in thought, Yun Chi stowed her baton and took her hand. “What’s wrong?”

Ye Xuejin returned the squeeze. “They arrived too quickly.”

It had only been a few seconds, and they weren’t even out of breath when they reached the scene. That meant they had been tailing the group closely the entire time. The miners and bailiffs hadn’t been quiet; their voices were loud. Over such a long distance, it was impossible for Zhou Qishan’s group not to have heard their intentions.

If they heard and did nothing, they were either incredibly stupid—unable to guess what the mob planned—or they did guess and chose not to act until it was over. In either case, Zhou Qishan’s behavior was worth scrutinizing.

“Is something wrong?” Yun Chi asked.

Ye Xuejin shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go back.”

“Go back? What about these people?” Yun Chi was puzzled. When she had checked the bodies, she noticed only half of the fourteen were killed instantly. Some were just unconscious, and one had been knocked out by her baton. Privately, she wanted no survivors; such subhuman scum deserved to die.

Ye Xuejin pressed her lips together. “I think… we should let them come and see.”

“Them?” Yun Chi’s eyes widened, then she understood. “You’re right. They should see this. I’ll stay here and keep watch. You take the electric baton—keep it on and be careful.”

Though she didn’t expect further trouble, she wanted to be safe. Ye Xuejin nodded and headed back toward the huts.

Yun Chi looked at the men on the ground. With a thought, she concentrated and smiled knowingly. As expected, the storage space only accepts dead objects; it cannot hold living things. She tested it by “collecting” the seven dead men and then “releasing” them back exactly where they were, before hiding behind a tree to wait.

Suddenly, she felt a chill. She stood out in the open, pretending to be worried, and hurried after Ye Xuejin.

A moment later, she ducked her body, took off her shoes, and circled behind the bushes, creeping toward a specific direction nearby.

Behind a row of tree shadows, a young bailiff was practically clinging to Lord Zhang, whispering tearfully, “M-M-My Lord…”

“Stop wailing! I’m… still… alive,” Lord Zhang hissed, clutching his goatee so hard his hand shook.

He had orchestrated tonight’s events, so naturally, he had to observe the results from the shadows. Initially, he was worried when he saw the Zhou men following, thinking they might spoil the plan. He hadn’t expected the Zhou family to just watch and do nothing. Even more shocking was seeing over a dozen men fall to arrows in the blink of an eye. In that moment, he felt as if an entire army were behind those trees.

But then, only two women walked out. He remembered who they were: the deposed Eldest Princess Anhe and her Prince Consort.

His mind was filled with the image of the men falling and the Prince Consort poking a survivor with a stick-like object, after which the man stopped moving. He was truly terrified now. These new prisoners were too sinister. There were ghosts—no, perhaps it really was an Immortal!

His legs began to shake violently. “Don’t touch me! Quick, carry me back to the city!”

The young bailiff was stunned. “But the city gates are closed!” Besides, why should he carry him? His own legs were like jelly.

Then, he understood why. Lord Zhang’s legs were shaking harder than ever, and a foul odor began to spread through the air.