The Empress’s Gigolo

Ren Baqian had seen the barracks of Great Xia before and found them to be well organized and systematically run.

During their daily reconnaissance trips, the scouts would give reports on suitable camping sites. After the commander had selected a site, a defensive fence made of tree trunks and tough branches would be built around it to act as a barrier against the enemy.

Sometimes, two trenches would be dug outside of the camp or spiked iron caltrops would be scattered around as another line of defense.

Everything in the camp would be arranged properly with large pits dug at certain intervals to serve as latrines.

If the Great Xia soldiers were considered as a regular army, these rebel soldiers seemed to look like refugees to Ren Baqian.

Barracks? None!

Common latrines? Also non-existent!

Dozens of rebel soldiers were lying haphazardly on the ground around the bonfires to rest.

Anyone who wanted to answer the call of nature would simply go to the field nearby.

From the treetop, Ren Baqian stroked his chin and concluded that given the quality and morale of these rebels, they would be defeated with one assault if the soldiers from Protectorate of the South were here.

After pondering for a while, Ren Baqian turned his attention back to the empress.

They were sitting side by side on the branch. It was dark all around them, and some noises came from the rebels on the hill below. Uphill, it was quiet, though the cries of wild animals could be heard occasionally.

Ren Baqian leaned to one side and pressed his shoulder against the empress.

“What’s the matter?” The empress opened her eyes to look at him.

“Nothing.” Ren Baqian smiled.

After a short while, Ren Baqian pressed his shoulder against the empress again.

The empress looked at him sideways with eyes that were so clear that it seemed like you could see right into her soul. She didn’t say anything, but lifted him up by his collar and shook him. She shook him until his whole body went soft and then put him back on the branch by using two fingers to gently hold his clothes so as to prevent him from falling down.

Ren Baqian couldn’t say that he was just idling around. He subsequently leaned his sore and numb body on her shoulder and said with a laugh, “I feel that it is very nice to sit quietly here with Your Majesty.”

“Hmm!” The empress exhaled.

“The night scenery is beautiful!”

The empress looked up, but the trees were blocking most of the sky while the moon was nowhere in sight.

She took her two fingers from his jacket collar and pulled at his face with them.

“Where’s the moon?”

“In my heart! Ouch…” Ren Baqian felt that her finger pressure was getting stronger and stronger even before he could finish speaking.

Four hours later, it was late at night when a message was finally received from the north. With his binoculars, he saw more carriages near a campfire in one area to the north. In particular, he saw a person who looked like Rao Yu.

After all, women with that shape were rare and even rarer in an army.

“That’s it,” the empress said decisively.

“Your Majesty, why don’t you let Protector General Xi and his team tackle them first and see whether other hidden forces will join in?”

“Alright!” The empress carried Ren Baqian with her to the ground below. Next, someone led them to look for Xi Wanya and his team, who were more than five kilometers away to the north.

Ren Baqian used the binoculars to look in the indicated direction. There was a big open space with a bonfire in the center and many carriages around it. There were many female guards near the bonfire, and the vigilance was higher here as the guards were patrolling the surrounding area.

“Rao Yu should be there.” Ren Baqian nodded. Among the three forces, Green Bell Flower had the most women.

“Please give the order to fight!” Qing Ping cupped his fists and requested.

“Is the winged cavalry ready?” The empress asked.

“Your Majesty, it has been arranged!” said Gong Cheng, who had arrived in haste.

“Permission granted!” As the empress brushed her skirt, everyone around seemed to receive a signal that aroused their fighting spirit.

Qing Ping cupped his fists to bid farewell to the empress, took a 1.2 meter long mace that was 30 centimeters in diameter, and jumped below to approach the carriages of the other party. From a treetop, he then leaped dozens of meters up into the air and swooped down with great momentum like a crashing meteorite.

Following this vigorous assault, the carriages below exploded one by one, and the occupants scurried out. One of these tall and fat ladies was Rao Yu, who was carrying a pair of golden scissors as she escaped nimbly. This was totally inconsistent with her physique.

Boom!

A loud noise erupted in the night.

The place where Qing Ping landed and tens of meters of the surrounding area became a big pit where both horses and humans were blasted to pieces.

When Rao Yu was fleeing for her life earlier, she caught a glimpse of him clearly and hastily shouted, “It’s Qing Ping! Be careful!”

“You have caught up with us!” she told Qing Ping with a wince.

“Hahaha, I’m especially here to collect your head!” Qing Ping stood laughing in the pit and then jumped out. He swung his mace and blew away the guards in front of him like discarded dolls.

After this sweep, Qing Ping jumped toward Rao Yu again.

Ren Baqian observed the jumping figure from the hilltop and felt that Qing Ping was like a barbarian full of hopping spirit.

Rao Yu again managed to sneak away with great dexterity by retreating to the back as two old men blocked Qing Ping from the front.

“Where are Xi Wanya, Zong Shen, and Qi Zixiao?”

Everyone turned to look around to find the locations of the others.

They knew that Qing Ping couldn’t be here alone.

Subsequently, Xi Wanya and Zong Shen, as if imbued with the spirit of the mountain, stepped out of the forest.

“We are under Her Majesty’s orders to get rid of traitors such as you. Do you want to give up?”

Despite knowing that Qing Ping wouldn’t come alone, their expressions still changed when they saw the other two appear.

Three Cardinal Heaven experts. Furthermore, they were right in front of them.

Previously in Wu City, nine people were barely enough to counter them. Now, however, two of those experts, Qingyun Sword and Zuo Leng, had surrendered to the other side, and the rebels were left with six Spirit Wheel experts whose combined power was no match for these three.

If not for the three unusual creatures, these people would only be able to think about escaping.

“Get the rest of the people to come out! Where’s Qi Zixiao?” Another four people appeared beside the two old Spirit Wheel experts. All six were together now.

“You are just some small fries. Is there a need for Her Majesty to be here?” Xi Wanya laughed. “There’s not much to say to you. I’m here to take off your heads.” Holding his long saber sideways, he stamped his leg as his saber flashed across the necks of the six people. A faint white line could only be seen in the dark.

These people didn’t even hear the movement of the air, but instantly retreated with fright when they saw the saber slashing at them.

A booming sound rang out after the saber passed by. It was as if the air was cut apart and then slammed together.

Zong Shen attacked at the same time. As he sprang up fiercely, the onlookers felt that he wasn’t a person, but a huge saber-toothed tiger coming at them. The knife was like a sharp tooth and if anyone was a little bit too slow, he would end up in the tiger’s mouth.

“Traitors, go and die.” Qing Ping passed by two people as he rushed toward Rao Yu, but she had already retreated 100 meters, and up to 100 guards were blocking the way. However, after Qing Ping wielded his mace in the air, each and every one of them was blown away to either side like rag dolls.

“Tsk tsk!” Ren Baqian was on the hilltop clicking his tongue. The guards of Rao Yu were women with pretty faces and good figures, but under Qing Ping’s boorish hands, they were smashed beyond recognition.

“Why are those three unusual creatures still not out yet? Could they have taken the opportunity to run away in the night?” Ren Baqian muttered as he looked on. With the conspicuous appearances of those three creatures, their side would be able to discover them as long as the distance wasn’t too great.

With the speed of these experts, their arrival should only take a bit of time.

Now that Qing Ping was about to kill Rao Yu, why hadn’t the three unusual creatures appeared?