Chapter 19: Arrived in Another World?

After a long while, an unwilling voice finally rang out, “Retreat!” Immediately afterward, Jin’er heard the sound of their swift departure. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the fighting had ceased; apart from the corpses on the ground, only Nangong Che’s people remained standing nearby.

“Master, are you all right?” Several men hurried over, asking anxiously. Some among them were wounded, but none appeared to be seriously hurt.

Nangong Che carefully set Jin’er down, frowning slightly as he shook his head and quickly scanned the group.

“We lost two men,” one of them, seeming to understand Nangong Che’s meaning, stepped forward and reported.

At these words, Nangong Che’s brows drew together, his lips pressed into a thin line, and for once, a rare trace of anger flickered across his face.

“Move out at full speed and stay alert,” he ordered in a low voice. Turning, he took Jin’er by the arm and walked straight toward a nearby horse. The others immediately responded in unison, each mounting a swift steed.

Jin’er let out a soft gasp as Nangong Che lifted her onto the horse. With a crack of the whip, the horse beneath them neighed and shot forward at a gallop.

“Ah!” Jin’er cried out, her body thrown completely into Nangong Che’s embrace behind her.

Before she could recover, Nangong Che reached out and circled her waist with his arm, holding her securely.

Jin’er’s body went rigid, her heart seeming to skip a beat, her breath nearly forgotten. Though she now appeared only twelve years old, she had in fact lived twenty years—her mind long since matured beyond that of a child. What woman, tumbling into the arms of such a perfect man and feeling his arm wrapped so intimately around her waist, could remain unmoved, her heart untouched?

“What’s wrong? Still frightened?” Sensing her stiffness, Nangong Che lowered his head and asked.

Jin’er snapped back to herself with a shiver, quickly taking a deep breath. “I feel much better now. I’ve never ridden a horse before, so I was a little scared.” It was true she’d never ridden, though with him there, she wasn’t afraid of falling at all.

“I’ve got you. There’s nothing to fear.” His words, tinged with a faint smile, drifted down from above. Jin’er’s cheeks flushed as she nodded and murmured her assent, falling silent.

The wind howled past her ears as Jin’er nestled close to Nangong Che, almost able to feel the steady beat of his heart. Her mind went blank, and for a moment, she let herself simply revel in the warmth and security behind her, unable to resist sinking into it.

Their group pressed on without pause toward Jùnzhōu, encountering no further ambushes along the way. That night, they once again gathered around a campfire to prepare supper.

“May I ask you something?” Jin’er, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked up at Nangong Che.

He returned her gaze with a gentle smile, nodding for her to continue.

“This morning, during the fight, I saw your sword emit a golden light, while your opponent’s glowed green. What was that about?”

She had always been fascinated by ancient martial arts, especially the legendary moves in martial arts novels—those that could harm with a petal, or leave no trace in the snow. But after waking up in the body of a princess exiled to the Cold Palace, she’d had no chance to experience such things herself.

“You don’t know?” Nangong Che regarded her oddly.

Jin’er blinked in confusion. “Should I?”

He arched a brow, giving her another long look. “I thought everyone on the Five Spirits Continent knew. The royal families of the five kingdoms—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—each possess the spiritual power of their respective element. I am of the Metal Kingdom, so my power is metallic; the man I fought this morning, whose power was green, is of the Wood Kingdom, so his is wood-aligned. He is royal blood of the Wood Kingdom.”

Elemental spiritual power? Jin’er’s mouth fell open in astonishment. Incredible! So she really had crossed into another world...