The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 66 Encirclement by Hungry Wolves

All the fear, panic, confusion, anger and joy seemed to be ignited in an instant. Yin Quan climbed onto Xiahou Ying's neck and pressed his whole body against hers, as if he had long forgotten the cold and dampness that enveloped him. He only wanted to keep absorbing and venting, turning the passive situation into the active one, and not giving Xiahou Ying any chance to turn the defense into the offense.

A slightly fishy and salty taste mixed with her natural sweet fragrance stirred a strange and subtle impulse in Xiahou Ying.

Suddenly, just as Yin Quan tightened his arms slightly, she abruptly stopped her attack and instead released him, clutching her chest and coughing until she coughed up a mouthful of pus and blood before finally stopping.

Seeing this, Xiahou Ying's expression turned frosty. He grabbed her wrist and took out a plain, dark blue porcelain bottle from the collar of his robe. He said with a narrowed gaze, "Your internal organs are damaged. Take this."

With a soft "Oh," Yin Quan sadly took the porcelain bottle from those slender, jade-like fingers and poured out a pill that was entirely black but seemed to be shrouded in a hazy halo.

She was immediately greeted by a rich and refreshing fragrance. Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and swallowed the strange-looking black pill.

A warm current rose within her body, reaching every limb and bone. The pent-up anger that had been weighing on her chest was instantly dispelled by this heat, causing the excruciating pain and icy coldness that had been tearing at her flesh to disappear without a trace. Even though her clothes were still damp and cold, her hands and feet had regained their warmth.

Seeing that her complexion had regained a little color, Xiahou Ying pursed her pale lips, and the worry and anxiety that had surged in her heart finally subsided a little.

When she woke up, he had already fed her a powerful rejuvenating pill, and just now he made her swallow another one. It seemed that the injury she sustained when she was swept against the sharp rocks in the rapids while protecting him was no longer a serious problem.

Once the blood stasis dissipates and her meridians are clear, she will not suffer any long-term effects.

Looking at Yin Quan from the side, Xiahou Ying's clear, deep black eyes suddenly formed a semi-transparent halo.

I still vividly remember Yin Quan's selfless act of protecting me.

She was clearly such a cowardly woman... yet she shielded him from that potentially fatal impact with her own flesh and blood. He was puzzled and a strange emotion arose within him.

Undeniably, at that moment, despite the black iron dagger embedded in his chest and his somewhat delirious state, an unprecedented surge of heat welled up from the depths of his heart.

The heat was strange and peculiar, familiar yet unfamiliar.

Under Xiahou Ying's deep, enigmatic gaze, as faint as a firefly's glow in a secluded valley, Yin Quan frowned slightly, leaned closer to him, and a hint of panic appeared in her eyes: "Xiahou Ying, what's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere? You..."

Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly covered her mouth with his hand, his cold gaze instantly turning sharp and fierce, like a blade gleaming with cold light.

Slightly puzzled, Yin Quan frowned and suddenly recalled Xiahou Ying's warning about the wolf pack.

Startled, she opened her eyes and heard a series of chilling howls from wild beasts, along with the rustling sound of their claws on tree branches.

Suddenly, at that moment, a black shadow, resembling a dog but twice the size of an ordinary dog, pounced towards them, letting out a piercing howl in the semi-transparent morning mist.

With her eyes wide open, Yin Quan frantically reached into her bosom, only to discover to her horror that the potion she had asked Lian Hongling to prepare had been washed away by the river at some unknown time. At this moment, apart from her teeth and nails, she had absolutely nothing on her body that could be used as a weapon.

Suddenly, at that moment, a white ribbon shot out like lightning. Before she could see it clearly, she heard a low moan, followed by a muffled sound of flesh tearing, and then a chilling spurt. Looking in the direction of the sound, Yin Quan gasped as she looked through Xiahou Ying's cold finger covering her mouth.

A foul stench filled the air, and the wolves surrounding them howled one after another, seemingly terrified by the blood of their companions, hesitant to attack.

Noticing the slight tremor in Yin Quan's lips, Xiahou Ying released his fingers, leaned close to her ear, and slowly parted his pale, snow-white lips: "I am injured, and the tinderbox on my body is soaked in water and cannot be used. You do not know martial arts, but fortunately there are not many wolves, so it is not impossible to drive them away..."

He paused for a moment, then stuffed the black iron dagger into Yin Quan's hand and continued, "From now on, be my eyes."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan pursed her lips, which had regained some color, then gripped the dagger tightly, turned around, and stood behind Xiahou Ying, back to back.

"Are you ready?" A cool, calm voice, as still as a pool of water, came from behind her. Yin Quan raised an eyebrow, bent her knees slightly, and lowered her body as well, replying, "Let's begin."

Before the two could finish speaking, the remaining four wolves seemed to sense the subtle change between them and pounced on them in unison, howling. In an instant, the stench emanating from the wild beasts enveloped the two, causing Yin Quan to frown.

With a flick of his arms, two white ribbons shot out from Xiahou Ying's wide sleeves, instantly binding the two wolves that were lunging at him. At the same time, he shouted, "Crouch down!"

Suddenly lowering her body, Yin Quan felt a gust of cold wind sweep over her head, followed by several mournful howls. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw that the four wolves, which had been baring their teeth and glaring fiercely just moments before, were now unconscious, and she didn't know whether they were dead or had fainted.

Overjoyed, Yin Quan turned to look at Xiahou Ying, only to find that his face was even paler than before, his skin almost transparent, and he looked like he was not alive at all, as if all the blood in his body had been drained, a terrifying sight.

"Xiahou Ying! Xiahou Ying, your wound has reopened?!" Exclaiming in alarm, Yin Quan supported his tall, seemingly unsteady body, her eyes filled with fear.

His vision blurred, and Xiahou Ying felt a buzzing in his head. He couldn't see or hear clearly, and his legs felt weak. He could barely stand.

As expected... I still can't circulate my internal energy...

If he hadn't given his last two pills to Yin Quan, he might not be in this predicament now.

Thinking of this, Xiahou Ying regained some of his senses. He helped Yin Quan sit down on the spot with her slender shoulders and said to her, "I just knocked those wolves unconscious. Go and kill them."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan's expression flickered for a moment, then he turned his head to look at the four wolves lying on the ground and swallowed hard.

She had plenty of experience observing chickens and fish being killed, but when it came to actually doing it herself, she had never done it even once... and now he actually wanted her to kill wolves?!

This...this is quite a leap forward...

To kill a chicken, slit its throat; to butcher a fish, first stun it...

But how do you kill a wolf?

Is it also a direct slit in the throat?

"you will not?"

"Of course not!" Yin Quan roared helplessly.

"Three inches below the jaw, sever his throat." With these casual instructions, Xiahou Ying closed his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Yin Quan's fingers, which were gripping the black iron dagger, suddenly felt a slight tingling or numbness.

Three inches below the jaw? Sever his throat?!

The way he said it made it sound like he was chopping vegetables...

Will we gradually become numb after killing so much...?

Despite harboring a lingering doubt deep down, Yin Quan acted decisively once she started.

Apart from having hot wolf blood splattered all over his hands, cuffs, and front, the whole process did not encounter any major obstacles.

Her hesitation was mostly due to it being her first time. Now, with Xiahou Ying's concise, clear, and easy-to-understand instruction, she was able to carry it out quite smoothly.

After washing his hands by the river, Yin Quan walked back to Xiahou Ying's side and said, "You seem to know quite a bit about how to kill wolves."

"On my way to Eastern Zhou as a hostage, I was besieged by a pack of wolves." Xiahou Ying moved his thin, pale lips slightly, his voice flat and expressionless, like a calm lake without any ripples. The cold moonlight reflected in it, casting a fine white smudge, like mist or snow, enchanting and mysterious, impossible to see through.

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan pursed her lips and changed the subject: "Wolves are nocturnal wild animals. Unless forced to, they should not appear here in the early morning. I think there may be even more ferocious beasts in these mountains and forests than wolves, which is why the wolf pack's foraging habits have been disrupted."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying glanced at her, his cold, dark eyes flickering with surprise.

"A concubine's daughter from a military family, yet she seems to know quite a bit about the habits of these ferocious beasts in the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan blinked, secretly admiring Xiahou Ying's improved ability to mimic others' speech. She then pursed her lips, sat down beside him, rested her elbows on her knees, and looked at him with her chin in her hands, replying, "Of course, I wouldn't have had the chance to know this in the General's Mansion. I learned all of this from the books in your mansion. Do you have any further questions?"

Deliberately lowering her voice, Yin Quan's expression as she looked at Xiahou Ying became somewhat enigmatic. During their brief conversation, the pale golden sunlight broke through the heavy fog and shone into the forest, silently outlining their silhouettes like fine gold dust flowing beside them.

“It’s already dawn. Let’s find the way down the mountain first, and then we can make further plans.” Without responding to her earlier pointed question, Xiahou Ying stood up as she spoke, but was suddenly stopped by Yin Quan, who pressed her arm down and whispered a rebuke.

"Wait a minute," she said, a strange light suddenly appearing in her beautiful eyes, before she abruptly reached out to pull off his robe.

"What are you doing?" Xiahou Ying frowned as he gripped those fair wrists.

"Take off your clothes and get some wolf scent..." Yin Quan answered without thinking, blinking, now it was her turn to be puzzled.

“Although it’s getting light, we’re unfamiliar with this area, and we’re bound to encounter some ferocious beasts in these mountains. Having the scent of wolves on us will at least keep some smaller ferocious animals away.” She continued explaining, glancing around as she spoke. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she looked away at Xiahou Ying, a smirk playing on her lips, and leaned closer to him, saying, “Hey, you weren’t thinking about anything lewd just now, were you?”