Chapter 160:Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 160: 

 

Just as the usually refined Master Xie was screaming miserably, four guards dressed in black night uniforms suddenly leapt down from the beams above. While still in midair, their blades gleamed in the light as they slashed toward the two Japanese attackers.

The one who had been attacking Master Xie was immediately struck down, blood spraying all over Master Xie's head and body. Poor Master Xie, his eyes wide open in shock, was too terrified to make another sound. His once-white beard was now flecked with blood.

Meanwhile, the Japanese assailant fighting the chief guard managed to block a few strikes, but realizing he was no match, he leapt through the window with a crash and landed in the courtyard. Upon standing up, he saw that the guards and the other Japanese attackers had already engaged in a fierce battle.

When the courtyard lights had turned on, the gate had swung open, allowing many more guards to rush in and join the fight.

The chief guard, seeing Master Xie now drenched in blood and too scared to speak, called for two guards to move him aside. Master Xie, his eyes locked on the dagger still embedded in the bedboard, opened his mouth wide but couldn’t utter a sound. All he managed was a couple of strangled gasps, as if someone were choking him.

The two guards ignored his distress, turning instead to face outside and protect him. Only then did the chief guard open the door and step outside. He glanced around, saw that the guards had gained the upper hand, and breathed a sigh of relief. He shouted, "Take them alive!" before joining the fray with his blade.

In just a short time, four or five of the Japanese attackers had already been cut down.

The leader of the assassins, who had jumped out through the window, realized the battle was lost. He called out for a retreat, and the remaining Japanese attackers formed a defensive circle around him. The leader pulled something from his cloak and threw it to the ground. With a puff, a cloud of smoke billowed up, expanding rapidly in the wind and soon enveloping the entire courtyard. The guards, their vision obscured by the smoke, struggled to see, and the Japanese attackers took the opportunity to escape over the walls and flee.

After a while, the smoke slowly cleared. Frustrated, the chief guard ordered, "Leave ten guards to protect Master Xie, in case the attackers come back. The rest of you, follow me to pursue them!"

As the chase continued, the guards pursued the Japanese attackers to a small hill by the river. They watched as the attackers disappeared into a cave halfway up the hill.

Previously, Mian Tang had instructed that during their last encounter on the bandits' mountain, the clean sweep left no survivors to question. This time, she had hoped to capture at least one or two alive to interrogate about the island.

However, when the chief guard arrived at the cave, he feared an ambush inside. He ordered the guards to surround the base of the hill to prevent any escape and sent someone to report to the Princess Consort Huaiyang.

Mian Tang, who had stayed awake all night in the manor, had been anxiously hoping that her suspicions about the flash of the spyglass had not been in vain.

When the chief guard returned and confirmed that there had indeed been an attack on Master Xie’s residence, Mian Tang felt more certain of the situation.

She immediately instructed someone to inform Prince Huaiyang so that he could dispatch soldiers to capture the remaining Japanese attackers hiding in the cave.

Although Mian Tang felt that she, along with the four loyal brothers, could easily handle these "small fries" themselves, she had recently been forced to admit that she was the one behind the identity of "Little Dog." If she were to risk danger again by acting alone, her husband, Cui Jiu, would certainly not forgive her.

So, Mian Tang sent the chief guard to the military camp to inform Prince Huaiyang about the attempted assassination of Master Xie.

But less than half an hour later, the chief guard returned, his face grim. He reported, "The road to the camp is being guarded by the soldiers brought by the two imperial envoys from the capital. They aren’t allowing anyone in or out. Apparently, there was a report that there are Japanese spies in the camp, and the envoys sent soldiers to investigate through the night. The camp is on lockdown."

Mian Tang's expression hardened.

Prince Huaiyang had a habit of never sharing the frustrating matters of officialdom with her, but Mian Tang could tell by Cui Xingzhou not returning home for several days, just how troublesome those imperial envoys must be.

If they could capture the Japanese attackers who targeted Master Xie this time and follow the clues to uncover the northern men collaborating with the Japanese, it would clear the soldiers of Zhenzhou from suspicion.

With this thought, she decided not to delay any further. She momentarily pushed aside Cui Xingzhou's warnings about not taking risks and instructed, "Don’t wait until dawn. The hillside is right by the river, and the Japanese are skilled in water. We must prevent them from escaping by water under cover of darkness. I’ll lead the team myself and capture them tonight."

When they reached the foot of the hill, the chief guard and Fan Hu adamantly refused to let the Princess Consort go up the mountain, reminding her that the prince had warned them that if she took any more risks, all the guards would suffer for it.

Mian Tang had no choice but to reluctantly agree, allowing them to head up the mountain to capture the Japanese while she stayed at the foot, protected by several guards, waiting for news.

Standing by the riverbank, Mian Tang looked up at the bright moon in the sky, the cool night breeze blowing. She calculated that after this incident, Master Xie would be both terrified and enraged at the Japanese, and should no longer delay in finishing his drawings. If all went well, they could quell the Japanese rebellion in Beihai within a few months.

At that moment, she heard Fan Hu running down from the hillside, shouting, "Princess Consort, the cave is empty!"

Mian Tang’s mind raced, and she muttered, "This is a diversion…"

Before she could finish, there was a sudden splash behind her. A figure leapt out from the river, swiftly grabbing her and dragging her into the water. Realizing the danger, Mian Tang quickly countered by gripping the assailant's arm and trying to push them away, but the attacker skillfully neutralized her move, pulling her into the water together.

Perhaps due to her past injuries and nearly drowning before, Mian Tang always felt panicked whenever she was in the water, as if reliving the cold and helplessness of falling into the river at Yangshan. It always took her a while to calm down and overcome the fear.

This time was no exception. As soon as Mian Tang was unexpectedly dragged into the water, a surge of panic immediately flooded her heart. Her body stiffened, and her hands flailed desperately in the water.

But after just a moment, she overcame her fear, held her breath, and began to hear the angry shouts of the guards on the shore and the sound of blades clashing.

She knew full well that these invaders, living on islands, were extremely skilled in the water—something she couldn’t hope to match.

But as long as she got out of the water, with her own skills and the assistance of the guards, these sneaky invaders wouldn’t stand a chance.

Just as she was about to swim to shore, she felt someone pulling her foot, dragging her downward. Mian Tang drew the short knife she had brought with her and, looking down, saw a shadow beneath her. She bent forward and struck at the person, but unexpectedly, the figure was incredibly agile in the water. While pulling at her foot to disrupt her movements, they skillfully dodged her attacks, avoiding every thrust.

It was clear that this person’s skills were on par with hers.

After stabbing several times without breaking free, she finally couldn’t hold her breath any longer. She involuntarily opened her mouth, swallowing a gulp of water. Seizing the moment, the person yanked her, spinning her around in the water. Mian Tang’s head suddenly struck a rock near the shore, and everything went black as she lost consciousness.

Just before darkness overtook her, the last thought that flashed through her mind was: Oh no, my husband will know I disobeyed and fell into this trap. He’ll be so angry with me. And Yi'er… he’s still so young… he can’t lose his mother…

Seawater began flooding into her nose and mouth, and in the suffocating depths of the sea, she felt as though she were sinking into a boundless mire, trapped in an endless series of dreams from which she could not wake.

Scenes flickered before her eyes like a spinning lantern carousel.

One moment, she was galloping across Yangshan Mountain with Liu Yu, the wind roaring past her ears, and Ziyu smiling gently at her, saying, "Mian Tang, don’t ride too fast, or you’ll fall..."

The next, she found herself deep in the mountain forests, with distant glimmers of campfires marking the stronghold of that scoundrel, Prince Huaiyang Zhenzhou.

She was saying to Lu Yi, "The rainy season is almost here—let’s make sure those sons of dogs soak their feet in mud for a while..." Her comrades around her burst into hearty laughter, and standing on the mountain peak, she laughed with confidence.

But in the blink of an eye, she was standing outside Ziyu’s study again. After a misunderstanding, she had quarreled with him. Now, having calmed down, she wanted to approach him, to apologize and resolve the rift between them.

Unexpectedly, her sworn sister Yunniang, disheveled, emerged from Ziyu's study. Upon seeing her with tear-stained cheeks, she spoke pitifully, "Mian Tang, please don't misunderstand. Ziyu just drank too much and mistook me for you. I couldn't get away last night... Please don't tell him. I won't compete with you for him... Last night was just a misunderstanding..."

Mian Tang felt a wave of deep disgust rising from within her, causing blood to surge up her chest, and a bitter taste flooded her mouth.

After spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood, she struggled to lift her head and saw several burly men surrounding her, grinning menacingly. "You little wench, daring to compete with the adopted daughter of Prince Sui for a man? Are you just longing for him without hope? Today, after we cut your tendons, we’ll take turns torturing you and make you obedient..."

After saying this, the men cackled as they began to unfasten their clothes.

Even if she were to die, she would never fall into their hands. Gathering her last bit of strength, she bore the intense pain in her limbs and suddenly charged into the nearby splintered mast from the fight, rolling into the turbulent river...

She could still hear the thugs on the boat discussing, "What should we do? Should we jump in and fish her out?"

"You fool! With her injuries, how could she possibly survive? When we go back, we’ll just report to Prince Sui that she drowned..."

This kind of dream ebbed and flowed; she didn’t know how long it lasted, but Mian Tang finally slowly opened her eyes, only to feel a sharp pain in her head, prompting her to close her eyes again.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a clean, rough wooden bed. By the window, the blue sky and white clouds were reflected, and the occasional call of seagulls could be heard.

As she slowly turned her face, she noticed a young man with a doll-like face and thick brows and big eyes sitting beside the bed, deeply engrossed in looking at a nautical chart. Hearing her faint groan, he looked up at her and smiled, saying, "You're awake?"

Mian Tang nodded and raised her hands before her eyes, noticing only a faint scar on her wrists. As she moved her hands and rotated her wrists, there was no pain or discomfort, as if she had never been injured at all.

Here's the translation:

She carefully scrutinized him, certain that she had never seen this person before. However, the last scene before she fell into the water was that of being attacked by several subordinates of Prince Sui, who had cut her tendons before she plunged into the water.

Thinking of this, she quickly raised her hands with great effort, only to see that her pristine wrists bore just two faint red lines—shallow scars that had already healed.

Mian Tang felt a moment of confusion, unsure how long she had been asleep and why the injuries on her wrists were... completely healed?

Turning her head again to look at the doll-faced young man, she asked with uncertainty, “Are you one of Prince Sui's men?”

The young man shook his head, a look of confusion crossing his face. He squinted slightly as he replied, “Of course not… Do you… not recognize me?”

Mian Tang struggled to sit up and cupped her hands in a salute, saying, “May I ask your esteemed name?”

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