Chapter 168: A Kiss
When they caught up to Gu Changxiao’s team, Jin Sui found that even meeting Gu Changxiao alone had become a problem. His entourage already included Northern Frontier officials and Eunuch Zhou, the supervisor of the army.
She was supposed to be the one to connect Gu Changxiao and Princess Tuoya, so naturally, she had to keep it from others. The five of them stopped in the forest near the entourage. Jin Sui massaged her temples, contemplating how to lure Gu Changxiao out.
Finally, her gaze fell on Liu Yun. “Can you secretly go see the Prince and ask him to come here to meet me? Make sure not to be discovered by the Northern Frontier officials or Eunuch Zhou’s men.”
Liu Yun responded with an “Oh” and rode his horse forward. Jin Sui grabbed his collar. “Did you understand? It needs to be secret! Quietly!”
Your reaction makes me very uneasy!
Liu Yun squinted at her, as if to say, I’m much smarter than you, can you stop nagging me about such a small matter?
Jin Sui could only watch him leave nervously, waiting anxiously. The two Yan family bodyguards were fine, but the Princess’s bodyguard, after seeing the Northern Frontier officials, was already preparing to flee at any moment.
Jin Sui had to use her limited, broken Northern Frontier dialect to comfort him, saying, “It’ll be fine. The Left Wise King wants to kill the Li King, and the Li King is very willing to cooperate with your Princess.”
Just as she finished comforting the Princess’s bodyguard, she suddenly heard a noisy sound of horse hooves from ahead. Then, hundreds of cavalrymen dressed as herders, brandishing scimitars and howling, charged towards Gu Changxiao’s entourage.
Jin Sui was shocked. They were already close to the Northern Frontier Royal Court, how could there be bandits? Were the Northern Frontier bandits and mountain bandits this rampant?
The Princess’s bodyguard’s eyes widened, and he turned to run. The Yan family bodyguards couldn’t even stop him. He turned to Jin Sui and asked, “Miss Ji, what should we do?”
Jin Sui drew her hand crossbow and sternly replied, “Charge through!”
Although the Yan family bodyguards hesitated, their family head had given instructions. If they had to listen to Miss Ji, they could only follow suit.
When Jin Sui saw the fighting style of those Northern Frontier bandits, she knew they were a group of battle-hardened soldiers who had disguised themselves as bandits to hunt down Gu Changxiao.
Undoubtedly, it had to be the Left Wise King!
Either he didn’t intend to meet Gu Changxiao and feared something happening during his enthronement ceremony, so he decided to kill everyone beforehand.
Or, he felt that Gu Changxiao had brought too many men, so he decided to kill some of his men first, then capture Gu Changxiao alive and kill him personally to vent his anger.
Regardless of the reason, Gu Changxiao was now facing the greatest crisis since leaving the pass.
Indeed, they had encountered several waves of bandits along the way. The forces sent by Prince Yu were nothing. They had been ambushed and attacked all the way, and as they were about to reach the Royal Court, the Northern Frontier decided to tear off the pretense.
Speaking of which, the political situations in Great Xia and the Northern Frontier at this time were quite similar. In one, the old emperor had just died, the Crown Prince was missing, and the Left Wise King held all the power.
In the other, the old emperor was gravely ill, Prince Yu was acting as regent, and he wanted to use the Left Wise King’s hand to have Gu Changxiao die in the Northern Frontier.
Jin Sui wanted to call Gu Changxiao stupid. Knowing it was a situation with a nine-in-ten chance of death, why did he still enter the game?
But she also knew what Gu Changxiao wanted to protect: the border city that still had a spark of life, the Northwest Army that had followed him for many years, and perhaps even her, the fake Li King.
Sometimes, there are situations where you know you will die, but you have no choice but to choose.
Perhaps Yan Jiu had also cursed her as stupid in her heart! She could have lived out her remaining years under the protection of the Yan family, but instead, for the sake of so-called loyalty, she overestimated her abilities and came to the Northern Frontier to save someone.
In a way, her choice was the same as Gu Changxiao’s. Both were incurably stupid, and their values were laughable.
Her thoughts gathered. The Yan family bodyguards wanted to circle around to the Black Feather Army. Even if they were to help, they should go to where their own people were more numerous, to feel more at ease.
But Jin Sui chose to circle behind the Northern Frontier people, terrifying the two Yan family members. “Miss Ji, we’ll surely die this way!”
Jin Sui guaranteed, “We won’t die! I won’t force you; you can even hide first.”
The two exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and resolutely followed her. If they really hid, their family head would kill them when they returned.
Besides, if Miss Ji, a woman, wasn’t afraid, and they, two grown men, were scared and hid, it would be a disgrace to the Yan family!
Once you step out the door, especially out of the country, you no longer represent yourself.
Seeing that the two were not going to back down, Jin Sui was delighted. She took out a pile of fish oil firearms for them. “I’ll ignite and fire them first. You just throw them where there are many Tartars!”
The Yan family members asked in shock, “Is this the Thunder Fire that burned tens of thousands of Tartars to death in the border city?”
Jin Sui replied, “Two thousand, only two thousand Tartars, not tens of thousands. But you’re right, it is this Thunder Fire.”
The rumors are getting more and more exaggerated. I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow they say I destroyed the Northern Frontier kingdom.
The two instantly gained confidence and nodded repeatedly. “Miss Ji, don’t worry, we guarantee we’ll complete the mission!”
Soon, the three arrived at the edge of the battlefield, behind the Tartar army. They were focused on charging forward, and no one noticed the approach of the three.
This was also the Tartars’ arrogance. They believed they were on their own territory, and killing a few Xia soldiers required no special alert. After all, the Xia soldiers had no reinforcements.
Then they welcomed the nightmare of their lives.
With a “whoosh,” a beautiful and exquisite glazed glass bottle fell from the sky. A quick-witted Tartar even reached out to catch it.
But as soon as the glazed glass bottle hit the ground, it shattered with a “crack,” followed by a thunderous “boom.” A sky-high flame exploded, engulfing men and horses. The heat wave rolled, and those around had nowhere to escape.
What made them even more desperate was that more glazed glass bottles were falling from the sky.
Finally, someone discovered Jin Sui and the three and charged at them with swords. “They’re using hidden weapons, quickly, kill them!”
But by this time, the situation had completely reversed. Due to the fish oil firearms, the Tartar men and horses were either startled and fled, or were burned and killed.
The Black Feather Army seized this opportunity and launched a counterattack. Led by Gu Changxiao, they instantly surrounded the Tartars. Without any interrogation, even if someone shouted, “I am a Northern Frontier general…”
Gu Changxiao severed their heads with a single saber. When you appear in the guise of a bandit, you are destined to die as a bandit.
However, Jin Sui and the other two were surrounded by over a dozen Northern Frontier people. The two Yan family members drew their swords, panting. There was fear, but more excitement.
So this is how satisfying it is to kill Tartars! No wonder the border soldiers changed after fighting Tartars with the fake Li King.
Also, it turns out the Tartars aren’t that terrifying! Before the Li King came to the border city, when encountering Tartars during the autumn hunt, Yanzhou City would immediately close its gates and never send out troops.
They would let the Tartars sweep through the villages and towns outside the city. At that time, in the eyes of ordinary people, the Tartars were invincible.
Unexpectedly, with just a few bottles of fish oil firearms, hundreds of Tartars were scattered.
Perhaps next time the Tartars come to Yandi for an autumn hunt, even without the Li King, we can kill them all ourselves!
Jin Sui replaced the fish oil in her hand crossbow with short arrows, showing no fear, and looked at these Tartars as if they were dead men.
A Tartar angrily charged at Jin Sui with his saber. He could tell that these three were led by this woman.
Although she was a beautiful woman, now, she had to die!
Just as Jin Sui raised her crossbow, she heard a “whoosh.” An arrow, whistling through the air, shot into the Tartar’s chest.
He clutched the arrow in disbelief and fell from his horse.
Jin Sui recognized it. With such arm strength, it could only be Hei Hu.
As expected, Gu Changxiao, Hei Hu, Han Xing, Huo Zi’an, and Liu Yun charged in. They didn’t pursue the fleeing Tartars. This was the Northern Frontier; pursuing enemies was tantamount to seeking death.
Instead, they chose to kill the Tartars surrounding Jin Sui and the two. Jin Sui didn’t even fire a single crossbow bolt before the dozen or so men all fell.
Then she heard Hei Hu’s gruff voice ask Liu Yun, “This is the woman you said was looking for the Prince? She’s really brave!”
Suddenly, he saw Jin Sui’s face clearly and almost fell off his horse. His leopard-like eyes widened, and he slapped his thigh, exclaiming, “My heavens, this woman looks so much like the Prince!”
Han Xing kicked him, and he quickly corrected himself, “She looks so much like Daoist Ji!”
It was clear that everyone thought the same, and they all looked at Jin Sui in shock.
But no one spoke. Only Hei Hu continued to say, “Daoist Ji’s face is truly remarkable. No matter if it’s a man or a woman, anyone who looks like that is very good-looking!”
When Jin Sui saw Gu Changxiao’s slightly haggard and blood-stained face, she felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
This anger had been accumulating for a long time, tracing back to the day Gu Changxiao drove her out of the border city, it had begun to sprout.
But at that time, she felt more heartbroken. Then, the coachman and the youth were killed. When she learned the truth from Yan Shiyi, the anger flowed into her blood with her heartbeat.
No matter how cold and harsh the Northern Border was, it never extinguished her anger or cooled her blood.
At this moment, the fish oil fire behind her was still burning, with the power to burn the heavens and destroy the earth, as if to melt and dissolve the cold and harshness.
Jin Sui listened to the crackling of the flames, the wails of the Tartars, the neighing of the warhorses, and looked at Gu Changxiao’s face. She did what she had always wanted to do.
She dismounted, walked up to him, and glared at him. She said nothing, but Gu Changxiao quickly dismounted.
His eyes remained fixed on her face the entire time, as if she would disappear in the blink of an eye.
She extended her hand, which had just thrown fish oil, and grabbed Gu Changxiao’s collar. A collective gasp of surprise came from the surroundings.
What is this woman’s relationship with the Prince? How dare she be so bold?
Then, Jin Sui raised her hand and slapped Gu Changxiao hard.
With a “slap,” Hei Hu was so startled that he raised his hand to cover his face, watching the scene through his fingers.
Then, they heard this extremely beautiful, extremely brave, and extremely domineering young woman point at Hei Hu and the others and angrily ask Gu Changxiao:
“I handed my brothers over to you, and you left without a word. Was it so you could lead them to promotion and wealth, to live good lives!
Not so you could lead them to their deaths! Gu Changxiao, you are a scoundrel!”
Hearing this voice and seeing her demeanor, Hei Hu’s saber and Han Xing’s sword instantly dropped from their hands.
And Gu Changxiao’s eyes, filled with sorrow, instantly lit up.
He first lightly touched the face that had been slapped, as if that slap had dispelled the despair and deathly aura that enveloped him, giving him a new life.
He looked at Jin Sui, his eyes overflowing with deep affection, and revealed a joy and happiness as if a long-held knot had been untied. “Brother Ji.”
It wasn’t a test, nor a question, “Are you Ji Sui’s sister? How did you become a woman?”
It was a confirmation: the young woman before him was his Brother Ji!
Then, Gu Changxiao did something that was even more astonishing than Jin Sui slapping him in public.
He pulled Jin Sui into his arms. At that moment, Jin Sui thought he was angry because she had hit him and was going to retaliate.
She raised her hand to block his chest. “What are you doing?”
Looking at her expression, like a startled little cat, Gu Changxiao lowered his head, his slightly rough lips pressing against Jin Sui’s cherry-petal-like lips.
He was… kissing her…
Jin Sui’s eyes widened, and she was stunned for two breaths before reacting.
She hurriedly pushed him, kicked him, and twisted her waist to struggle, but it was all useless.
This kiss seemed to have been waited for and endured by Gu Changxiao for a long time, as if he wanted to merge her into his body.
Jin Sui gave up. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her, as it would stop eventually anyway.
Only when she began to have difficulty breathing, her heart beat faster, and her face turned red like a red plum, did Gu Changxiao release her, smiling wantonly.
“Sui Sui!”
At this moment, he looked like an eighteen-year-old youth, not the Li King burdened by a mountain of responsibility.
Jin Sui gasped and pounded his shoulder, feeling her lips were swollen.
“Who gave you permission to call me that! You haven’t answered me yet, why did you bring my brothers to their deaths?”
At this moment, Hei Hu’s crying resounded through the heavens. “You are the Prince, no, you are Daoist Ji, no, you are…”
Jin Sui was annoyed by his crying. “Just call me Miss Ji.”
Hei Hu refused. “How can that be?”
His eyes lit up, and he shouted, “Leader Ji! You are my Leader Ji!”
Jin Sui: …That works too! It has a real gang leader vibe.
Han Xing was also teary-eyed. He had the same thought as Hei Hu. Regardless of whether Leader Ji was male or female, she was their most trusted and respected leader from the past!
Huo Zi’an’s eyes were so wide they were about to fall out. The fake Li King was a woman?
He looked up at the sky. There were no red clouds, and the sky had no holes.
He remembered the fake Li King pouring syrup on herself, looking with amusement as she was devoured by ants. He remembered her setting fire to the Tartars and leading the enemy on horseback.
You’re telling me she’s a woman!
Huo Zi’an rubbed his eyes again and again. Either he was crazy, or the world had gone mad!
The world had actually produced such a crazy woman!
As for Liu Yun, he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He stood to the side with his arms crossed, smiling like a fox who had successfully stolen a chicken.
Meanwhile, the two Yan family bodyguards only realized what was happening when they heard this. The Miss Ji they had traveled with was the fake Li King of the border city, Daoist Ji.
At first, they regretted their eyes were faulty, having not noticed it all this way!
When Gu Changxiao hugged and kissed Miss Ji, they felt sympathetic towards their family head.
So the family head accompanied her for a thousand miles just to give Miss Ji to the Li King for a kiss!
Our family head is truly pitiful.
Just then, a soldier rushed over and shouted, “Your Highness, we’ve found out. These people are looking for some princess…”
Before he could finish, he also froze on the spot. The young woman the Prince was holding looked like Daoist Ji!
Immediately, a woman’s voice rang out, “Gu Changxiao, what are you doing? How dare you betray the Prince!”
This woman was naturally Yan Shierniang. In her mindset, Gu Changxiao falling for Ji Sui was Gu Changxiao seducing and enticing her.
But for him to go and kiss another woman was a betrayal of Ji Sui.
