Chapter 364: I Have Avenged the Arrow
The light in the prison was dim.
"Stop hiding!"
Yu Wen Tianqing carefully observed all the places where Ji Qingwu could be concealed.
He shouted, "The gates of the Imperial Prison can only be opened when the locks on the inside and outside are turned simultaneously with two secret keys!"
Yu Wen Tianqing narrowed his eyes, scanning every object within his line of sight.
"It’s useless to hide. Come out obediently now, and I promise I’ll treat you well. I won’t let you suffer."
Ji Qingwu was hidden in a dark corner of the interrogation room. The awkward position made sweat bead on her forehead and the tip of her nose.
She couldn’t hold on for much longer.
But her eyes, devoid of any fear, were astonishingly bright.
Right now, only the two of them were in this space. This wasn’t much different from the scenario Ji Qingwu had envisioned.
Yu Wen Tianqing’s footsteps grew closer, now only a few yards from her hiding spot.
Ji Qingwu’s mind was buzzing with excitement. She struggled to control her breathing, recalling the key steps and rehearsing them over and over in her mind.
Her palms grew sweaty, and she gently wiped them on her skirt. When she glanced down and saw the ink plum blossoms on her pink dress, her wildly pounding heart instantly steadied.
’Even with the limited space, the poor line of sight, and so many other disadvantages...’
’...I have to do this.’
Yu Wen Tianqing was still trying to coax her out. "If you want to start a new life somewhere else, I can help you. We can cooperate, just like you did back in Nanchu."
"Open a clinic, live a quiet, peaceful, and free life. Wouldn’t that be nice?"
But no one answered his one-man show.
Yu Wen Tianqing’s voice turned vicious as he gave his final ultimatum.
"My patience is limited! If you don’t come out, you’ll be in for it when I find you!"
Ji Qingwu silently recited in her mind...
’Let the body guide the arm, the arm guide the fingers. The bow and hand must become one.’
Before coming to the Imperial Prison, she had made a special trip to Jiyin Hall to retrieve the Heaven-shaking Bow, which she had just placed outside the cell door.
Ji Qingwu was crouched on top of a wooden cabinet filled with torture instruments, looking down from her high vantage point.
Yu Wen Tianqing had already entered the interrogation room and was searching everywhere for her.
Ji Qingwu’s expression was solemn. She lowered her body, drawing the bowstring in the confined space, raising her hand and pressing down on her wrist.
Her eyes were fixed on the back of her target.
At the same time, Yu Wen Tianqing’s ear twitched. He heard a faint sound from his right rear, and his heart leaped with joy.
"I’ve found you!"
A triumphant look on his face, Yu Wen Tianqing turned around.
In that instant, a white-fletched arrow shot through the air from the direction of a torture rack.
The arrow was ordinary.
But the bow was no common item. Powerful and heavy, it loosed arrows at incredible speed.
Ji Qingwu swallowed twice, not daring to breathe deeply, only taking shallow sips of air.
Yu Wen Tianqing could only watch as the arrow flew toward his heart, so fast he could barely see its trajectory. All he could hear was the sharp whistle of it cutting through the air.
The sound of the sharp arrow piercing flesh, a sickening SQUELCH, was terribly clear in the quiet of the Imperial Prison.
They were already close, leaving Yu Wen Tianqing no time to react. The arrow viciously struck him in the left side of his chest.
Yu Wen Tianqing’s body fell to the ground, the white fletching of the arrow stained with blood.
Just then, the gate of the Imperial Prison was broken by an external force. The thousand-jin Mystic Iron gate crashed down with a deafening CLANG.
Ji Qingwu’s back, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.
The collapse of the gate shook the very cabinet she was hiding on, which began to wobble as its boards CREAKED.
It was about to give way under her weight.
A figure ran toward her, arms outstretched.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ji Qingwu, the Heaven-shaking Bow on her back, leaped down and into his embrace. The cabinet behind her shattered into pieces.
Zhao Mingyan’s breathing was ragged. His arms locked around her like steel bands, holding her and the bow tightly.
Ji Qingwu wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart pounding like a war drum. The immense THUMP-THUMP cracked open the layer of ice sealed deep in her heart.
What had been frozen was the memory of Emperor Wu Su lying on the bed in his Zhaoyang Hall chambers, his face ashen and lifeless.
Even now, it was a scene she dared not recall.
It wasn’t until today, when she decided to fetch the bow and arrow, that she realized just how important the man before her was to her.
Ji Qingwu’s gaze went over Emperor Wu Su’s shoulder and fell upon Yu Wen Tianqing, who lay on the floor, still bleeding grotesquely colored blood.
But she felt it wasn’t enough.
’He hurt the one I love. An eye for an eye, returning an arrow for an arrow... is that really enough to make him suffer?’
’No, he needs to feel even more pain.’
’I’m just that petty.’
A pair of warm hands cupped Ji Qingwu’s face, trying to recapture her attention.
"Ah Wu, are you alright?"
Zhao Mingyan frowned, studying her. Her face was still beaded with fine sweat and her back was damp, a testament to the tension of the situation.
Ji Qingwu shook her head, covering his hands with her own small ones.
Her voice, soft and a little hoarse, was filled with deep affection.
"I’ve gotten revenge for that arrow."
A violent tremor ran through Zhao Mingyan’s body. He pressed her head against his shoulder.
Ji Qingwu moved her hand to his left chest, feeling the turbulent, surging heartbeat beneath his outwardly calm expression.
She tapped her finger against it again, as if talking to his heart.
"I got revenge for you, you know."
Zhao Mingyan couldn’t find any other words, only managing to murmur, "Ah Wu..."
Li Yuzong was so moved his old eyes blurred with tears. He secretly wiped them with his sleeve, letting out a sob.
Only then did Ji Qingwu see the crowd of people standing behind Emperor Wu Su. The Chief of the Imperial Guard and the other guards had all turned their backs in unison.
She quickly buried her head in his chest, her ears turning bright red, a far cry from her calm and composed demeanor just moments ago.
But soon, she struggled to lift her head again.
Zhao Mingyan looked down at her. "Ah Wu, what is it?"
In the dim, cold Imperial Prison, Emperor Wu Su’s voice was as gentle as water.
A thousand-year-old glacier seemed to melt into a ceaselessly flowing hot spring.
Ji Qingwu’s ears couldn’t help but tingle, but there were more important things to do right now.
"Princess Yong is not doing well."
*
「Three days later.」
Ji Qingwu yawned as she woke up in her room on the third floor of the clinic.
Mo Lingling lived next door, but she thought she could hear Mr. Duan’s voice.
He sounded a little agitated, as if they were arguing...
Ever since capturing Fourth Prince Xijin in the Imperial Prison that day, Ji Qingwu hadn’t had a single day of peace.
She had left Jiu Jiu at the palace, and she didn’t know if Emperor Wu Su had time to look after them. But at least there was Yuan Heng, and if not, Li Yuzong and Little Dongzi were there too. Nothing could go wrong.
Ji Qingwu was practically as busy as the Emperor.
Princess Yong was recuperating at the clinic, and Prince Yong visited a dozen times a day.
Duan Mingfeng was seriously injured and also came here for medicine and to recuperate. Whenever Mo Lingling saw him, she was like a cat with its fur on end—jumpy and on edge about everything.
The voices from next door died down. Ji Qingwu rolled over, planning to go back to sleep.
"Fifth Cousin!"