NOVEL SIMPLE “My Lady…”
Looking at the girl with a smile, Qin Feng only felt a chill pass along his skin. Fear rooted him to the ground. He didn’t want to test with his life if there were more traps near him. Turning again to the tranquil lake which showed no sign of danger, he was sure the arrowheads he had seen under the water just now wasn’t just an imagination. If someone was so confident in their flying skills and was bold enough to jump off the cliff directly, he might end up a hedgehog, pierced by arrows.
Giggling, Ye Li said, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just messing with you. It’s not usually like this.”
Silent, Qin Feng was convinced that it would only be more dangerous than this.
Turning around, she pointed at the boundless stretch of forest and asked with a smile, “Have you been here before?”
Looking towards where she was pointing, Qin Feng answered after a moment of hesitation, “There’s no place for drill near the capital. The Hidden Cloud Soldiers usually go to places a bit far.”
Besides, as an army of cavalry, the Hidden Cloud Soldiers normally did drills at desolate locations. A forest wasn’t a suitable choice.
Smilingly, Ye Li said, “When will our men arrive?”
Qin Feng said after a pause, “In about two hours.” In fact, he wasn’t sure about that since the princess only provided those men with a bunch of maps with minimal instructions with each one slightly different. Though men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers were good at tracking, they might not be as good as they usually were with an illegible map. He was worried those men couldn’t make it here successfully. He never considered that those men would fail because of being discovered by commoners for not even rookies would make a mistake like that.
“How many, do you think, will get here?”
“We have 50 men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers and 50 of Army of Mo Family. Even if not all of them can make it here, I’m sure 70 to 80 can, at least.” Qin Feng then said after some consideration, “My Lady…” Hesitant, he still thought he should express his concern.
As the leader of Hidden Cloud Soldiers, he considered himself responsible for the elite soldiers. If the princess didn’t like her secret guards, she should have asked the leader of the secret guards to give his men more intensive trainings so that she could have more choices. Though 50 men short wasn’t a big deal to Hidden Cloud Soldiers, he wondered what the princess wanted them for. If she wanted them to be her secret guards, the number was too big. Besides, there was already a branch of secret guards. With miscommunication, it was easy to lead to conflict between secret guards and Hidden Cloud Soldiers. If she wanted them on the battlefield, the number was too small since 70 to 80 elite soldiers wouldn’t make much of a difference, who would be lambs to slaughter in front of an army of hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers.
“Don’t worry.” Noticing Qin Feng’s concern, Ye Li chuckled and said, “I have 30 men of secret guards on this mission as well. I wonder who will get here first. Let’s take a bet.”
Qin Feng remembered hearing from Secret Guard No.3 that the princess was good at taking bets, yet he still replied firmly, “Hidden Cloud Soldiers.”
Without a doubt, the Hidden Cloud Soldiers was far superior in terms of combat effectiveness as well as power for action. They might not be as good as some secret guards regarding martial arts skills, yet not all secret guards were good fighters except those who protected the prince and princess. However, every man of Hidden Cloud Soldiers had gone through rigorous trainings, all of whom were good team players.
Brow raised, Ye Li didn’t agree. “I think secret guards will be the first to arrive, then men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers. But men of Army of Mo Family who get here will outnumber the former two groups.”
“That’s impossible!” Denied Qin Feng. It wasn’t that he looked down on Army of Mo Family. He just considered Hidden Cloud Soldiers better. At least, Hidden Cloud Soldiers wouldn’t lose in a 50 vs. 50 situation.
“Let’s wait and see.”
Ye Li had got rid of most traps in the lake and down the cliff, the design of which surprised her and brought her new understanding of the wisdom of those who lived in this era. Originally, she had considered to get some unconventional mechanism to defend this valley. Now it seemed her concern was unfounded. If all the mechanism here was activated before she was informed, she didn’t think she could get away unharmed.
All the temporary lodges were taken to pieces. Instead, there were a circle of cottages with plants that dispelled snakes and insects on the outer circle. That took nearly ten months to finish, which was completed last month. Meanwhile, it cost all her dowry in addition to the gold that Han Ming Yue had given her. Luckily, she made a fortune on her journey to Cool Breeze Bright Moon House so she felt nothing other than happiness as she looked at what was in front of her.
Two hours later, a man in black got down from the cliff and landed on the earth a bit awkwardly.
Qin Feng turned to him and found it was a secret guards. Contempt rose in him. If the princess hadn’t turned off all the mechanism, that one would have had an arrow through his heart. However, he knew he would have been in the same awkward situation if the princess hadn’t told him about the hidden traps.
“I’m Secret No.17, My Lord.”
Ye Li nodded and gestured at him to have a rest.
A while later, another man showed up. It was still a secret guard. Afterwards, a man of the Hidden Cloud Soldiers. Then, men of Army of Mo Family.
Soon enough, Qin Feng noticed the difference. Most secret guards and men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers arrived alone while soldiers of Army of Mo Family turned up in groups of four or five. Therefore, though they got here last, they made it in the largest number.
Four hours later, Ye Li clapped her hands and everyone got up to their feet.
“My Lord.”
She nodded and glanced at the group in front of her, 63 in total, with 28 men of Army of Mo Family, 20 men of the Hidden Cloud Soldiers and 15 secret guards.
“Break up. I want you to stand next to those you don’t know and those who don’t come from your team.”
Though unclear of what Ye Li wanted, they still acted accordingly and formed new ranks.
She nodded happily as if everything was starting to get on the right track. Then, she turned around and pointed at the cottages as she spoke, “For the next three months, you’ll live there. Those who pass the final test remain. The rest will return to their original post. Now, meet your… instructors.”