Chapter 31 Falling off the cliff: She and Yin Ru fell off the cliff together.
He was truly furious.
Jin Suiqing racked her brains but still couldn't figure out why Jin Shiyu was angry.
Just as she was about to say something, Yin Rushi rode up to them and asked anxiously, "Is the young princess frightened?"
Jin Shiyu quickly changed his expression, naturally released Jin Suiqing, and said softly, "It's alright. On the contrary, Suiqing was too naughty and startled Miss Yin."
Jin Suiqing blinked, her eyes darting between Jin Shiyu and Yin Rushi, understanding dawning on her.
Oh, Jin Shiyu is angry, probably because she didn't listen to him and caused trouble for Yin Rushi.
Moreover, she not only disrupted Jin Shiyu and Yin Rushi's time together, but also almost got hurt and made Yin Rushi take the blame. Her behavior was like a cup of green tea with white flowers, determined to ruin this marriage.
Now, shouldn't she make a couple of coquettish noises and act cute with Kim Shi-ok, saying that she didn't mean it and shouldn't blame Sister Eun?
The thought of being a "green tea" (a manipulative woman) tempted Jin Suiqing, but Huangfu Li, who arrived at the scene, interrupted her spellcasting.
"Is my sister alright?" Huangfu Li asked somewhat carelessly, turning to Yin Rushi and scolding her gently, "Miss Yin, why were you so careless, letting the little princess, who can't ride a horse, ride alone, almost causing her to fall off and get seriously injured!"
Jin Suiqing: ...
She was completely speechless.
It's important to understand that the fun of being a "green tea" (a manipulative woman) voluntarily and being one voluntarily are completely different.
Judging from the situation, Huangfu Li is going to use her as a pawn again.
Although the pot is made of gold and blue, she absolutely refuses to take the blame!
Jin Suiqing acted decisively, sobbing, "Brother Crown Prince, I'm so clumsy and scared. Luckily, Sister Yin swapped horses with me, and Brother saved me in time. If I had ridden the white horse that Brother Crown Prince gave me, I probably wouldn't be able to see Brother Crown Prince today..."
Jin Shiyu and Yin Rushi both looked at Huangfu Li.
Yin Rushi preemptively asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince actually wants the little princess to ride a wild horse?"
Kim Shi-ok remained silent, his eyes revealing his disapproval.
Jin Suiqing had previously inadvertently revealed that Huangfu Li and the Empress were at odds over his blind date, their interests clashing, and Jin Shiyu was observing the situation. He was also deeply afraid; if he hadn't switched horses with Jin Suiqing and hadn't caught up with her, would his sister have been able to return to his side unharmed?
Jin Shiyu dared not think about it, and tightened his grip on Jin Suiqing's waist.
Jin Suiqing covered her face and pretended to cry, but the expression hidden in her hands was exactly the same as that of Ye Yue.
Huangfu Li, you think you can take advantage of your grandma? Dream on.
She chuckled, but the hand around her waist tightened more and more, making her very uncomfortable, almost to the point of pain. Jin Suiqing gradually stopped laughing, tears welling up in her eyes. She placed her hand on the back of Jin Shiyu's hand, scratched it gently, and said coquettishly, "Brother, loosen up, it hurts."
Jin Shiyu snapped out of his daze and quickly released his grip as if shaking off mud stuck to his hand.
Jin Suiqing couldn't bear to raise her eyebrows. She knew that Jin Shiyu disliked her, but there was no need to make it so obvious.
“Brother,” Jin Suiqing put on her acting skills, looking pitifully at Jin Shiyu, “why don’t you put me down? I’m so old, and people will laugh at me for riding a horse with you…”
Amidst Huangfu Li's background music, "Who dares to say such things to my sister? Your Crown Prince brother will skin him alive!", Jin Suiqing, like a hot potato, was thrown off her horse by Jin Shiyu.
Jin Suiqing stood there dumbfounded, shouting in his heart, "Jin Shiyu, you're not playing by the rules!"
In front of so many people, even an ordinary person would put on an act and comfort their younger sister. Even a hypocrite like Huangfu Li knew to utter a few words of lament.
Kim Si-ok, you're too lazy to even pretend anymore, aren't you?
Jin Suiqing glared at Jin Shiyu for a long time, but Jin Shiyu avoided her gaze, which angered her so much that she turned around and walked towards the black horse not far away.
Passing by Huangfu Li, Huangfu Li smiled and said, "If Jin Shiyu isn't taking his sister, how about the Crown Prince taking her?"
Jin Suiqing shook her head solemnly: "No."
At least Jin Shiyu threw her off his horse when it stopped and mounted Huangfu Li's horse. Who knows when this man will throw her off again?
Jin Suiqing, dressed in a clumsy manner, climbed onto the horse's back, pulled on the reins, and had only taken two steps when Jin Shiyu blocked the horse's path: "You don't need to ride today, go back to your tent."
She looked at Kim Shi-ok in confusion; it seemed that Kim Shi-ok's neck was even redder than before, as if she had been in the sun for too long.
Jin Suiqing grew increasingly annoyed with him and retorted, "No, I'll ride it."
She went back alone, leaving Jin Shiyu and Yin Rushi to go on blind dates.
Keep dreaming.
Jin Shiyu's tone softened slightly: "Be obedient."
"No."
Jin Suiqing was furious. Jin Shiyu disliked her, was overly controlling, and always said nonsensical things. Today, he even threw her off her horse in public.
Just because a tiger doesn't roar doesn't mean it's a sick cat! Jin Suiqing pouted and put her hands on her hips, declaring in one smooth motion, "Brother, today, I'm going to ride!"
Yin Rushi couldn't help but burst into laughter, and her laughter became increasingly unrestrained.
Jin Suiqing asked, annoyed, "What are you laughing at, sister?"
Yin Ru said, "Hahaha, I am an only child and rarely see siblings bickering. I never expected it to be so interesting. No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince keeps calling me 'little sister.' If I had a little princess as a sister, I would think about her every day."
Jin Suiqing rolled her eyes inwardly. Her two clever brothers were all faking it, but Yin Ru, you actually believed it?
On the surface, Jin Suiqing said in a charmingly innocent tone, "Sister Yin, please stop laughing."
Yin Rushi laughed even louder, and it took her a long time to stop.
“Since Young Master Jin is worried about the young princess riding alone, and the young princess doesn’t want to ride with her brothers,” Yin Rushi said, jumping off her horse and leaping to the black horse. She then mounted the horse, embraced Jin Suiqing, and said, “Young princess, would you mind riding with me?”
Jin Suiqing's eyes widened in surprise.
Yin Rushi's movements were fluid and clean. She pressed herself against Jin Suiqing's back, and a delicate yet gentle fragrance wafted over, enveloping her and making her heart pound.
Goodness, Sister Yin is so charming! Jin Suiqing forgot about being angry with Jin Shiyu, and only cared about blushing and her heart pounding. She nodded shyly, "Okay... Sister Yin."
Across from him, Kim Shi-ok's face darkened for a moment.
Huangfu Li clutched his chest: "My sister didn't choose me, and my brother the Crown Prince is injured."
Jin Suiqing shook his head, then proudly waved his index finger back and forth: "As the saying goes, men and women should not touch each other."
Huangfu Li laughed too. After laughing enough, he suggested, "Since my sister wants to ride to her heart's content, how about we skip the polo and go hunting instead?"
Huangfu Li's suggestion is bound to be bad.
But Jin Shiyu was watching closely. If Jin Suiqing refused, Jin Shiyu might immediately kidnap her back to the tent. She couldn't stay by their side and disrupt the blind date mission, which would ruin Jin Suiqing's chances.
Let's go anyway.
"The woods on the south side of Shuangji Mountain are the hunting grounds, where the prey are all raised and released by humans. You don't need to dismount if you hit the target." Huangfu Li ordered his men to bring bows, arrows, and daggers, and distributed them to the three men. He pointed to the arrow fletchings and said, "The fletchings are different colors, and the score will be based on the color of the fletchings on the prey."
Jin Suiqing: "What about me? What about me?"
Jin Shiyu tossed her a small dagger: "Use this."
The dagger was quite small, and Jin Suiqing swung it a couple of times, finding it fairly easy to handle. However, he still complained, "Since we don't need to dismount, the dagger is useless. I want a hunting bow too."
Yin Rushi handed her the hunting bow: "Princess, try to see if you can draw it."
Jin Suiqing excitedly took the bow and arrow, but under Yin Rushi's earnest guidance, she tried her best but couldn't draw it much. The arrow slipped from her fingers like a thud and landed on the horse's hooves.
The dark horse even stepped on it in disgust.
Jin Suiqing gave up struggling, handed back the hunting bow, and slumped down in front of Yin Rushi. Sure enough, no matter which world she was in, with zero physical strength, she could only be a brainpower expert.
Yin Rushi comforted her, saying, "Princess, don't be discouraged. We have more eyes than them, so we're sure to win."
Jin Suiqing nodded reluctantly.
*
The forest was lush and dense, blocking out the sun. The three of them strolled leisurely along the path, showing none of the intense atmosphere that a hunt should have.
Jin Suiqing knew that Yin Ru was taking care of her, but what about the other two?
Jin Shiyu and Huangfu Li flanked them from the front and back, occasionally drawing their bows to shoot an arrow or two, mostly chatting and laughing. Huangfu Li was in charge of talking, and Jin Shiyu was in charge of listening.
Huangfu Li said casually, "I heard that Miss Yin has entered the National Academy. On behalf of the Empress, I would like to ask how you are adapting?"
"In gratitude to the Empress," Yin Rushi said, "I'm adapting very well. The teachers at the advanced school are very caring and have helped me catch up on a lot of missed lessons. Although I'm a little tired, it's been very fulfilling."
Huangfu Li teased, "His Majesty also said that if there is anything I am not used to, I can ask him or Jin Shiyu. If you have nothing to do, you can also visit the Jin residence. He has a lot of rare and interesting things there."
Seeing Huangfu Li leading the conversation toward Jin Shiyu, Jin Suiqing quickly interjected, "If Sister Yin has any discomfort, it's better to come to me. I'm free, and I'm more fun than my brother."
Kim Shi-ok: "All you do is play. You'll be last on the next exam..."
"Brother!" Recalling that night, Jin Suiqing felt a tickle in her tailbone and said with a blush, "Don't say it anymore."
Yin Rushi was unaware of the reason, and after Huangfu Li explained with a smile, the two of them felt ashamed that Jin Suiqing had ranked last in the exam.
Little did they know that there was another reason behind Jin Suiqing's shame.
Just thinking about that day made Jin Suiqing's teeth itch. That bastard Jin Shiyu, one day she would hold him down and give him a good spanking!
To change the subject, Jin Suiqing flicked her finger and pointed at the fleeting shadow ahead, saying, "Sister Yin, rabbit, rabbit, quickly release the arrow!"
Yin Rushi reacted quickly, nocked an arrow, drew her bow, and shot the rabbit.
Just as Jin Suiqing was about to clap and cheer, a cold glint flashed in Huangfu Li's eyes, and he raised his hand to catch an arrow flying towards him.
The fletching of the arrow was a different color from the three people.
Huangfu Li clicked his tongue lightly: "Are there other people hunting in the forest? How could they be so blind?"
Before he could finish speaking, another arrow flew by, grazing Huangfu Li's cheek. Jin Shiyu pressed Jin Suiqing's head down, saying, "Lie down. It's coming for us."
Yin Rushi nocked another arrow and fired it in the direction it had been fired. A muffled groan was heard, and a black-clad assassin emerged from behind the bushes not far away, shot in the left eye, and died instantly.
The bloody scene did not stop the assassins; instead, it drew even more arrows at the three men.
Jin Shiyu simply shouted "Scatter!" and the three of them rode off in different directions.
Yin Rushi hugged Jin Suiqing tightly, squeezed the horse's belly hard with her feet, and the black horse leaped up and jumped into the woods, turning into a black shadow and quickly disappearing from sight.
Jin Suiqing gripped the dagger tightly, inwardly cursing.
How could they encounter an assassin like this?
Jin Suiqing couldn't tell if she was excited or scared. Her voice trembled as she said, "Sister Yin, both arrows are aimed at Brother Crown Prince. We should be safe now, right?"
Yin Rushi replied in a deep voice, "I don't think so."
With a whoosh, an arrow struck the black horse's hind leg.
Jin Suiqing was shocked. Damn it, they were actually coming for them!
The assassins were like ghosts, with several arrows relentlessly pursuing them, shooting along their path. Yin Rushi protected Jin Suiqing, gripping the reins tightly, as they weaved back and forth through the complex forest terrain.
"Grab them." Yin Rushi handed the reins to Jin Suiqing, freeing her hands. She nocked a bow and fired several arrows, felling two more assassins.
However, the number of assassins did not decrease.
Jin Suiqing sheathed his dagger and gripped the reins tightly. Fortunately, the old horse was experienced, and even though Jin Suiqing was not very skilled, the black horse ran relatively steadily.
The two ran, pursued by the assassin. Suddenly, their view opened up ahead, and Jin Suiqing realized the danger and quickly tightened the reins!
They ran all the way to the edge of a cliff. Before Jin Suiqing could even feel relieved that she had pulled the reins in time, she suddenly heard the sound of the rope snapping.
The reins broke!
Jin Suiqing and Yin Rushi flashed, lost their balance, fell off their horses, and tumbled towards the cliff.
At the critical moment, Yin Rushi threw away her bow and arrows, grabbed the broken reins, and hugged and protected Jin Suiqing.
Jin Suiqing screamed, feeling a sudden darkness engulf her. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself upside down, her feet caught in the stirrups, hanging precariously from the edge of a cliff.
A sharp, pulling pain came from her ankle. Jin Suiqing looked up in a daze and saw that it was the black horse spirit struggling to pull her toward the cliff.
Not only did her ankle hurt, but her elbow also hurt. Her elbow was caught on the reins, with the other end hanging from Yin Rushi, who was bleeding from her forehead and delirious.
In an attempt to protect her, Yin Rushi's head struck a rock during the roll, causing blood to gush out and flow down her cheek.
Yin Ru showed signs of a concussion; her pupils were dilated and her breathing was shallow and slow. Even so, she weakly said, "I...I'm sorry, I've dragged...Princess...Song, loosen the reins, the horse...can't pull me...the two of us..."
Jin Suiqing gritted her teeth; before Mara even arrived, her ankle would break!
Without hesitation, she drew her dagger to cut the reins wrapped around her elbow, but unexpectedly, at this critical moment, the system started beeping: "Detection indicates that Yin Rushi's survival threat level is increasing. Please ensure the mission target survives."
Damn it!
Jin Suiqing cursed inwardly, "Damn it, is her life worth less than anyone else's?"
The system is turning a deaf ear.
In this dire situation, with no hope of resistance, Jin Suiqing mustered all her strength, gritted her teeth, and bent over, desperately trying to pull the leather straps connecting her to the stirrups. As she pulled, she said to the black horse, "Go find..."
Jin Suiqing's vision blurred, and she felt a chill run down her spine. In this life-or-death situation, she could only turn to Jin Shiyu for help.
The moment the leather rope snapped, Jin Suiqing shouted with all his might, "Go find Jin Shiyu and lure him here!"
Jin Suiqing and Yin Rushi fell off the cliff together.
*
The sound of horses' hooves clattered as Jin Shiyu chased after the black horse to the edge of the cliff.
After separating from Yin Rushi, Jin Shiyu realized that the assassins were not pursuing him, so he quickly returned and encountered a black horse galloping out of the woods.
The black horse neighed, its reins nowhere to be seen, and one of its stirrups was missing. Jin Shiyu was anxious and chased after the black horse to the edge of the cliff.
He dismounted and surveyed the surroundings, but could not find his sister or Yin Shiyu. There was a pool of blood on the ground, which spread sparsely to the edge of the cliff.
Huangfu Li arrived late and quickly flew to Jin Shiyu's side: "Where are my sister and Miss Yin?"
Jin Shiyu ignored him, staring at the cliff, his jaw clenched, the muscles on his cheeks bulging, and his fists clenched at his sides, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.
"They didn't fall off the cliff, did they?" Huangfu Li turned around anxiously. "I'll send people to look for them right away."
Jin Shiyu suddenly stopped Huangfu Li and grabbed him by the collar: "What are you pretending for? It was clearly you who did it."
Huangfu Li sneered: "What do you mean I did it? Jin Shiyu, what are you talking about?"
Jin Shiyu's eyes were empty, and his breathing was rapid: "I told you, Jin Suiqing would never threaten you!"
“Haha,” Huangfu Li laughed heartily, “You’re overthinking Jin Shiyu. I’ve always been very honest about how much I care about my sister. When have I ever targeted her?”
He patted Jin Shiyu's cheek dismissively and mocked, "But what can I do if my silly sister insists on riding Yin Rushi's horse?"
Jin Shiyu raised his fist, as if to bring it down, but Huangfu Li showed no intention of dodging: "Take it, Jin Shiyu. If you're going down this path, don't expect everything."
Kim Shi-ok was taken aback.
He held his fist up for a long time, but finally forced it back to his side.
Huangfu Li scoffed, shook off his hand, and straightened his collar: "If we go now, we might be lucky enough to find my sister's whole body. If we're too late, the hungry wolves in the mountains will have a feast."
Author's Note: No rankings this week, here's a 7,000-word post. [Heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
