The crowd shook their heads like tambourines.
In an instant, Jing Hengbo redirected the focus from the problem, leaving it hanging without an answer.
“Ah, my lords, swiftly retrieve the box for me. Hmm, where could it have gone…”
“My lords” shook and gently reminded, “Your Majesty, ‘my lords’ is a title for high-ranking officials. We are of lowly status, merely third-tier walking guards in the Jade Radiance Palace, unworthy of such address…”
“Alright, alright. The box, the box,” Jing Hengbo loudly called, “The box seemed to have cracked open earlier. Don’t forget to gather everything that fell out for me…”
After a while, the guards brought in a large box, with a few others carrying and holding onto it.
“These shoes are strange. There are thorns on the soles! Such big thorns!”
“What is this thing? It’s only as big as my palm, triangular. How do you wear it? Is it a scarf or a face mask?”
“What about these strips connecting a couple of circles? Are they for holding water?”
A curious young guard secretly opened the box with all those colorful things, flipped through it, and suddenly his face changed. With a snap, he closed the box tightly.
“Hey, what did you see? Why so nervous?” his companion asked, intrigued.
The young guard shook his head repeatedly, face turning pale, holding onto his pants, trembling, and staring at Jing Hengbo.
“What’s going on? Why are you staring at her like that?” The curiosity of his companion grew stronger.
“Brother!” The young guard grabbed his sleeve, “We can’t recognize this queen! She’s a pervert, a major pervert! She definitely won’t abide by our palace rules. She’s the one we brought back, and if something big happens in the future, it will bring us capital offenses! Brother, let’s escape quickly! Huh?”
“What nonsense are you talking about!” His companion shook off his hand. “How do we escape? The Royal Master might already know! Besides, Queen Majesty looks perfectly normal, not a pervert.”
The young guard wore a distressed expression, glanced at the box, and shrunk to the side.
That dreadful thing…
Jing Hengbo with a smiling face received her box, “Thank you, my lord… uh, no, my dear!”
The “dear” stumbled a bit…
Quickly discarding the worn-out black stockings with a few swift moves, she pulled out a new pair from the box and elegantly selected a pair of high heels.
“Chunky heels for stability… no, lacking in femininity… maybe flat heels? The ground here isn’t exactly even… no, that won’t highlight my long legs… how about slender heels… just in case someone tries to harm me, I can pin them down!” Jing Hengbo put on a pair of leopard-print, thin-strapped, ten-inch high heels, and raised her head with a charming smile, “Isn’t that right, my dear?”
“Dear” stared at the shining, slender heels resembling steel nails, collectively shivering…
“Dear, I’m thirsty. Boil some water for me.”
“Dear, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat? Preferably roasted chicken legs.”
“Dear, I haven’t washed my face yet. Go fetch some water. Remember to add some flower petals. Do you have any royal court secret formulas for essential oils or floral soaps?”
“dear, set up a tent for me to take a nap, preferably with wool.”
Jing Hengbo, feeling quite pleased, crossed her legs and watched a group of wild guards scurrying around at her command, her expression very satisfied.
In reality, she wasn’t that hungry or thirsty. Before preparing to escape from the research institute, she had already sneakily indulged in half of the snacks made from the little cakes. She just wanted to enjoy being a queen since she had taken on the role. Besides, the heavenly windfalls were dropping too fast, creating a sense of unreality. She had to test whether this queen’s business was truly as grand as it seemed, made of genuine gold and silver.
The test results were quite satisfactory.
Jing Hengbo felt reassured.
She lay down comfortably, about to command a few guards to give her a massage when she noticed those fellows huddling together, seemingly dividing something. In the crowd, faint flashes of colored light could be seen.
Jing Hengbo quickly climbed to her feet and tiptoed over.
The group of people was arguing in hushed tones.
“You lost! The queen fell from the sky! Hurry up and carry my ruby, it’s so heavy. The Chief Guard refused to throw it, saying it would bring trouble. I don’t want to carry it back to the wilderness!”
“You’re the one who lost! The queen climbed out! Didn’t you see her crawling out of the pit? A basket of sapphires! It belongs to you!”
“Nonsense! She fell!”
“Nonsense! She climbed out!”
“Fell!”
“Climbed!”
…
One minute later, a fight broke out. Rubies and sapphires rolled all over the floor, along with the emeralds picked up earlier, getting trampled in the dust. People were too busy tearing hair and hitting each other’s mouths to care.
Jing Hengbo stood behind the crowd, her fingers, painted with golden nail polish, covering her mouth, eyes wide like emeralds. She didn’t even notice her high heels getting stepped on a few times.
Th-this… these are all gemstones?
Are these guys using gemstones as bets in baskets? And they’re arguing about carrying them or not? Have they lost their minds?
Crossing into another world is truly fantastical!
Jing Hengbo’s shoulders tensed, breathing became rapid, fingers nervously trembled, and even strands of her hair quivered.
If her three roommates were present, they would likely hum a tune of “Mother Dragon’s Ailment.”
All four of them were orphans, with Jing Hengbo not even certain about her exact age. However, the other three unanimously agreed that she must be a dragon.
Dragons are inherently extravagant and love anything shiny.
The brawl continued, escalating from slapping to calling reinforcements, and the demands shifted from acquiring gemstones to whoever lost being responsible for carrying all the gemstones back to the wilderness.
Suddenly, a thunderous shout echoed, reverberating through the sky.
“Stop—fighting—”
The guards halted, noses bleeding, dumbfounded as they turned around.
Standing three feet away was the trembling Queen Majesty with fierce eyes, raised arms, and a fierce countenance.
“Those who—block—me—shall—die—”
Jing Hengbo pushed one aside with one hand and strode forward.
“You, don’t move!”
“You, stand firm!”
“You, lift your foot.”
“You, move three centimeters to the left… Yes! Be careful! STOP! Don’t step on my gemstones!”
Three minutes later, everyone in the chaotic crowd had moved out of the threat zone for the gemstones.
Amid the crowd, a pair of vibrant red buttocks protruded as Jing Hengbo knelt on the muddy ground. Her meticulously maintained fingers, adorned with golden nail polish, delicately dug out those shiny things one by one.
A group of guards rubbed their chins, observing in a circle.
“Huh, what is the queen doing?”
“Huh, she’s stashing them all away.”
“Huh, doesn’t she find them heavy?”
“Huh, doesn’t she know she’s heading back to Dahuang soon, where these things are scattered everywhere and not worth much?”
Oh, finally, someone is carrying these ridiculously heavy gemstones for us! Heaven knows we brought them out to exchange for goods, and the impoverished people of Da Yan! who’ve never seen such treasures, claim they have no use for them and refuse to exchange them!
Ah! Queen Majesty is so kind!
Queen Majesty, who is benevolent to all, meticulously wiped clean the gemstones stained with mud. She gathered them one by one into a cloth bag, struggled to lift the heavy load, and slung it over her back.
Damn! It’s so heavy!
Oh no!
Jing Hengbo, with a smiling face, carried the gemstones, warning everyone with a fierce gaze not to covet them. She then used a rope to tightly bind the gemstones around her waist. With awkward and laborious steps, she walked away.
She felt very happy.
The guards watched her bend over, carrying the gemstones on her back, and felt happy too.
…
After walking a few steps, Jing Hengbo realized it was too much to handle. The gemstones were too heavy, straining her back and causing her waist to ache. She considered various places to hide them, but none felt secure. In the end, she had to put most of them back into the box, only selecting a few emeralds to carry with her.
Although she hadn’t eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. Being interested in all things fashionable, she knew what gemstones were the most precious.
As she was packing the box, she looked at her clothes covered in mud and decided to change. She casually grabbed a mini-skirt from the box, without saying a word, and pulled down the zipper on the back of her tight-fitting skirt. The zipper, stained with dirt, got stuck halfway. Without lifting her head, she said, “My dear, come and lend a hand.”
No response. Jing Hengbo raised her head—huh, where did everyone go?
Upon closer inspection, the nearest ones were all three yards away, their buttocks facing her in unison.
Jing Hengbo shrugged, “Nervous.” She pulled the zipper up again, smoothly sliding it to the bottom.
The skirt slid off her shoulders, and Jing Hengbo self-admiringly caressed her arms, “My skin is white as snow…”
A cool breeze blew across her back, making her shiver. Only then did she notice the corpses scattered around.
“Why are there so many dead people?” A belated realization hit someone, and they quickly jumped away, fearfully covering their shoulders, “Guards! Guards! Drag away these bodies for me! Guards! Guards! Shield me from the wind!”
The guards with their backs turned remained motionless—Queen Majesty, the sound of your skirt sliding down was the only noise heard so far, suggesting that you’re probably still in a state of disarray. At the moment, turning around might cause casualties. Good luck with whatever you seek!
“Help!” Jing Hengbo screamed, hopping around and accidentally stepping on a corpse. The sticky sensation underfoot felt like treading on a soft snake, causing all the hairs on her body to stand on end.
A less composed young guard, alarmed by her terrified scream, couldn’t resist turning around. At first glance, he saw a dazzling white figure in the darkness, the woman’s exquisite silhouette undulating in the chaotic shadows, resembling a sculpted jade vase.
“Help…” Jing Hengbo was about to reach out to him for help when the lad, in a swift motion, turned away again, screamed, and ran a few steps before leaping into the river with a splash.
Jing Hengbo’s outstretched arm came to an abrupt halt in midair.
What’s going on here?
With her mouth agape, she waited for the lad who had gone mad and jumped into the river to resurface. However, all she saw was a water line swiftly streaking across the river surface, disappearing on the other side.
What in the world does this mean?
Did he run away? Water escape?
All because he turned around and glanced at her?
Was it necessary?
“Hey…” After standing still for a while, Jing Hengbo walked up to a guard with his back turned to her and poked him in the back. “That person just now… What was he doing?”
The guard curled up, burying his face in the mud, and mumbled in a muffled voice, “Your Majesty, self-exile.”
“Huh? Why?”
“He committed a serious crime,” the guard said sadly. “He should have taken his own life, but he escaped. Out of camaraderie, we didn’t want to pursue it. We are also guilty of covering up… Well, that’s how it is.”
“Huh?” Jing Hengbo’s eyes widened. “What serious crime? Looking at me? Really? I don’t mind!”
“Ah?” Jing Hengbo’s eyes widened. “What serious crime? Just for looking at me? Is that necessary? I don’t mind!”
“I mind.”
Suddenly, a voice drifted in, like a murmur, echoing in her ear.
“Who?” Jing Hengbo was startled, looking down at the guard who remained motionless, not saying a word.
She raised her head, seeking the source of the voice, and then saw, suddenly, a figure on the other side of the river.
The figure was slender, and the black hem of the robe fluttered like a wisp of dark cloud in the night wind. Upon closer inspection, the robe wasn’t entirely black but shimmered with fine silver light. The glow, intertwined with the hazy moonlight and the glimmering river, spread a romantic pale silver hue, making it difficult to discern the contours of the figure, yet suddenly, it seemed dazzling.
Although Jing Hengbo couldn’t see the person’s face, she felt like he was smiling at her.
A peculiar, indescribable smile. It was like witnessing another life at the end of the universe, separated by time and years. It felt lonely yet knowing, with a touch of faint mockery.
A mix of wickedness and melancholy.
Jing Hengbo’s saliva immediately dropped with a sizzle.
Handsome!
Absolutely Handsome!
With her extraordinary discernment for beauty accumulated from watching various top-tier movies, she deduced with 100% certainty that he was a beauty! And not just any beauty, but one with an extremely unique temperament!
Fantastic!
The laws of crossing into another world indeed weren’t broken in her case—there were beauties everywhere, not just a golden finger!
Just a moment ago, the brief notion that “something might be amiss; maybe being a queen isn’t right” sparked by the guard’s plunge was immediately dismissed by the sight of the figure on the far riverbank.
“Ah-ha!” Afraid of scaring away the handsome man and sparing herself from another dip in the water, Jing Hengbo quickly pulled up the zipper with a swoosh and headed straight for the riverbank. “Hey handsome, I’m Jing Hengbo, my English name is Jennifer. You can call me Hengbo or Jenny. What’s your name? How old are you this year? What’s your Chinese zodiac? Your star sign? Where do you live? Let’s get to know each other…”
The mysterious and charming man suddenly extended his hand to her, his fingers slender under the moonlight.
Jing Hengbo immediately smiled and reached out her hand, “Ah, hello, hello. But how can we shake hands from such a distance…”
With a lift of his finger, the river surged with a splash, and a figure from the water was lifted out stiffly. The man casually hooked the person’s collar with a finger and tossed them aside.
“Thud.”
Drenched and lifeless, the corpse crashed at Jing Hengbo’s feet.
