"Take good care of them." Yun Qingran stood up and instructed the maids and servants beside her.
"Yes, Miss Yun."
Yun Qingran glanced at the two children on the bed again, then turned and left.
After leaving the two children's courtyard, Pei Chen was standing at the door waiting for her. He stepped forward and said, "Miss Yun, let me go with you."
"Hmm." Yun Qingran nodded. Pei Chen's martial arts skills were quite good, and having another person meant more protection.
The two mounted their horses and rode out of the city. Outside the city, the emperor, wearing a black cloak, and a squad of guards in light armor were already waiting for her.
"Your Majesty, this humble woman pays her respects." Yun Qingran dismounted and bowed to the Emperor.
"I have already said that there is no need for formalities when no outsiders are present," the Emperor said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yun Qingran stood up.
"Here you go." The Emperor pulled out a token made of black jade from his sleeve, on which the words "Black Shadow" were written in silver and iron strokes.
Yun Qingran took the black jade token with both hands, looking bewildered, and asked the Emperor in confusion, "Your Majesty, what is this?"
"This is the mobilization token for this guard unit; it's yours from now on," the Emperor said.
"From now on, it will belong to me?" Yun Qingran didn't quite understand this sentence.
The Emperor smiled kindly and explained to her, "This guard unit is called the Shadow Guard. There are sixty-four of them in total, each highly skilled in martial arts, capable of taking on ten men at once. The Shadow Guard is one of my personal guards, the most outstanding of all. I have given you the mobilization token, so the Shadow Guard is now yours. No one in the world can mobilize them except you."
"Ah!" Yun Qingran looked at the Emperor in disbelief. The Emperor was going to give her a squad of guards!
"Don't you like it?" The Emperor couldn't help but chuckle at her stunned expression.
"I like them, but I dare not accept them." A squad of personal guards—she dared not take them, and even if she did, she wouldn't know how to care for them! She'd never raised anything alive before. Ugh!
The Emperor seemed to see her dilemma and said, "If it's given to you, just accept it. I've already allocated their military expenses in advance, so you don't need to support them."
The Emperor is such a kind person! He's truly a benevolent ruler! °???°
Nine-Tailed Fox: They're treating you like a daughter-in-law, you silly girl.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. From now on, I will dedicate myself to the Northern Yin and serve it to the very end!" Yun Qingran clenched her fist and promised.
"Yes, I trust you. Go ahead, and be careful on the road." The Emperor nodded with his hands behind his back, his eyes showing a mixture of worry and envy.
My son is luckier than me; the person he loves also loves him!
"Yes." Yun Qingran mounted her horse and looked at the Shadow Guards. There were sixty-four guards, some with bows, some with spears, some with halberds, and some with hooks. It was clear that they had different roles and specialties.
"Shadow Guards, follow me to Crimson Dragon Peak." Yun Qingran gave the order and set off first.
"Yes, Master." The Shadow Guards responded in unison and immediately spurred their horses to follow.
"You must return safely with the gallbladder of the Rock Cave King Serpent," the Emperor murmured, watching Yun Qingran's departing figure, before letting out a deep sigh.
Along the way, Yun Qingran changed horses at each post station and continued on her journey, traveling for three days straight without stopping for even a quarter of an hour.
"Miss Yun, you can't keep traveling like this, it could kill someone." At another post station, Pei Chen weakly pulled Yun Qingran back as she tried to change horses and continue her journey.
Yun Qingran glanced at him; his dark circles were huge, like flowers. He looked noticeably thinner.
The Shadow Guard was better than Pei Chen, probably because he had undergone special training, but he also showed signs of fatigue.
"Sorry, sorry," Yun Qingran said apologetically to Pei Chen. She had been so anxious these past two days that she hadn't noticed their condition.
"I know Miss Yun, you've been traveling so hard for the sake of the Prince, but this kind of travel isn't sustainable. Even I, a man, am finding it a bit exhausting, let alone you, a young woman." Pei Chen looked at her; her once fair and delicate skin was now sallow and dull.
"Give this to everyone, one pill each." Yun Qingran took out a palm-sized porcelain bottle from her bag and handed it to Pei Chen.
"What is this?" Pei Chen took the porcelain bottle.
"This is called the Essence Pill. It is mainly made from eight medicinal herbs: Polygonum multiflorum, Morinda officinalis, Panax notoginseng, Polygonatum sibiricum, Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, chrysanthemum, and Anemarrhena asphodeloides, using a secret method. Taking one pill can keep you full of energy and vitality for three days without sleep, making you even stronger in battle." After Yun Qingran finished speaking, she also took one herself.
"Wow, this is a miracle drug! If we use it on the battlefield, our Northern Yin will be invincible!" An army that remains energetic even without sleep is even more powerful and is definitely a deadly weapon on the battlefield.
“This medicine is very expensive and the production process is complicated, so it’s impossible to mass-produce it. Moreover, it has side effects. You can only take a maximum of three pills consecutively, and after taking it, you will be drowsy for about ten days.” Yun Qingran shook her head.
"What a pity," Pei Chen said regretfully.
"Go and distribute the Qi pills quickly. Take the medicine and eat. After you finish eating, we'll set off immediately," Yun Qingran urged him.
Half an hour later, everyone set off again. After traveling continuously for another day and a half, they finally arrived at the coast of Zhou County. In the distance, they could see an island that rose high above the sea level where the sea met the sky.
"Master, Crimson Dragon Peak is on that island." Eagle Feather, the commander of the Shadow Guard, pointed to the island.
"Rest for an hour, then head to the island." After saying this, Yun Qingran took out the medicinal herbs she had obtained from the Imperial Hospital and began to quickly refine various antidote pills.
"yes."
"My lord, they will enter the sea and land on the island in an hour." In the dense forest not far away, Zhao Xingyun, who could read lips, translated Yun Qingran's words.
"Let's go." Wu Yuan turned and left, departing from another location.
"Finally, we're going back to Southern Chu!" Zhao Xingyun skipped and hopped happily as he walked.
"Who said we were going back to Southern Chu?" Wu Yuan stopped and looked at Zhao Xingyun with a cold gaze.
"Otherwise, where are we going?" Zhao Xingyun lowered his voice, looking at the other person with a puzzled expression.
"Enter the sea, land on the island." After saying this, Wu Yuan turned and left the dense forest.
"Ah!" Zhao Xingyun was even more puzzled. Why go to Crimson Dragon Peak? It's full of poisonous snakes and miasma.
Although puzzled, Zhao Xingyun dared not disobey and immediately went to find a boat to buy food.
Wu Yuan and Zhao Xingyun set off ahead of Yun Qingran and her group.
An hour later, Yun Qingran refined several hundred antidote pills and distributed them to everyone. "These are antidote pills. The green ones are for snake venom, the red ones are for miasma poison, and the yellow ones are for poisonous insects and plants."
After distributing the antidote pills, everyone boarded the ship and headed towards the island.
As the sun sets, its golden rays spill over the sea, making the shimmering surface appear as if it's sprinkled with golden sequins.
The gray-blue sky, dotted with a few soft orange clouds, met the golden sea, creating a dreamlike scene. A warm sea breeze blew, and my mood seemed to improve considerably.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
