The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 102 : A Turning Point

Translated by : Mazu & Shl

Edited by : Anks & Ely

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Jiang Ruan welcomed the sword's tip with a straightened back. Her action was too decisive and righteous[1]; it caused even Xuan Li to remain rooted to the ground from shock. The assassin had also not expected that an unknown young girl would suddenly appear. She narrowed her eyes, her action not at all soft-hearted, as she plunged the flexible sword[2] directly into Jiang Ruan's chest. Just that during the moment of imminent peril, a dagger flew past and deflected the sword away from its original target by just a few degrees. The sword's power was hindered and did not plunge directly into Jiang Ruan's chest, however, it made a gash from her shoulder to her chest and blood immediately stained her clothes red.

[1] 义无反顾 (yìwú fǎngù): honor does not allow one to glance back (idiom); to pursue justice with no second thoughts.

[2] 软剑 (ruǎn jiàn): a special type of sword used in the past which can bend.

Jiang Ruan fell backwards from the impact, but suddenly her body felt lighter and she fell into a wide and cold embrace. She felt the mfan's breath on her ear, and smelled the fragrant green bamboo scent of his body. Xiao Shao protected her in his arms, then easily seized a sword from the hands of another assassin before blocking the pursuit of the current assassin. He told the surprised Empress Dowager Yi De, "It's better not stay here any longer. Empress Dowager, please take your leave first."

Jin Yi and Jin Er suddenly appeared in front of Xiao Shao and he entrusted Jiang Ruan to Jin Yi. Then, the two secret guards escorted Jiang Ruan and Empress Dowager Yi De away.

Xuan Li saw everything that had happened. He had intended to save Empress Dowager himself, but because Jiang Ruan rushed over all of a sudden, he was startled. Seeing her wounded and Xiao Shao helping her to escape, his heart could not settle as if there was a voice reminding him: No, it's not like this, it shouldn't be happening this way.

While everything that had happened was so bizarre, Xuan Li couldn't figure out the source of his strange feelings. And, what exactly was the meaning behind the smile Jiang Ruan flashed at him when she faced the tip of the sword? It seemed to contain an incomprehensible feeling, making his heart palpitate, yet he had no way to guess at its true meaning.

Xuan Li wasn't the only one to witness the whole thing, there was another spectator inside the great palace hall – Princess He Yi. Throughout the chaos, the imperial bodyguards at her side shielded her, so she was not targeted by an assassin. She was about to search for that person's figure, but upon looking up, she found Xiao Shao with Jiang Ruan in his arms. Immediately, her gorgeous small face became distorted.

She knew what kind of person Xiao Shao was: extremely detached and usually not close to anyone, let alone an unfamiliar woman. Jiang Ruan was just a court official's daughter. There were so many injured women here, but Xiao Shao only saved Jiang Ruan. Besides, Princess He Yi saw the concern in Xiao Shao's eyes clearly; he was clearly worried about Jiang Ruan.