I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script
Chapter 114

The First Day as a Bodyguard

Before parting ways, the group discussed their respective plans.

"I'm heading to the mortal realm for a while," Jiang Yan took another sip of wine. "There's a mortal I need to escort for a stretch. If not for Sect Leader Ling’s matter, I would have set off this morning."

Song Ping asked curiously, "Isn’t your Talisman Competition about to start? Will you make it back in time?"

"When I was still a mortal, my family had an old friend who treated me very well," Jiang Yan explained. "The person I’m protecting now is their descendant—by seniority, he’d be my nephew or cousin. The kid’s got a straightforward personality and has offended quite a few people in court. Now that he’s been demoted and sent away, there might be some danger along the way. His grandfather sent a letter asking for my help, and since he’s about to leave the capital, I plan to escort him discreetly. Missing the Talisman Competition isn’t a big deal."

Xu Shulou suggested, "Since I don’t have anything urgent to do, why don’t I go in your place?"

"Senior Sister," Jiang Yan hesitated, "this kid… speaks his mind a little too bluntly."

Xu Shulou looked puzzled. "You already mentioned that."

"What I mean is," Jiang Yan rubbed his chin, "I’m afraid he might end up dead by your hand before his enemies even get to him."

"..."

Seeing Xu Shulou’s right hand tighten around her folding fan, Jiang Yan burst into laughter and quickly dodged away. "Senior Sister, I’m just joking!"

"..."

After the group’s laughter died down, Xu Shulou reassured him, "Go focus on your Talisman Competition. I’ll handle this for you. Don’t worry—your nephew is my nephew too. I’ll keep him safe."

Jiang Yan bowed sincerely. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

They bid farewell at the city gates, each heading their separate ways—except for Xu Shulou, who remained behind, eyeing Bai Roushuang’s cheerful expression. "Aren’t you leaving?"

"I’m going with you to the mortal realm."

"..."

"Don’t even think about ditching me." Bai Roushuang narrowed her eyes at her silent senior sister.

"I wasn’t planning to," Xu Shulou sighed. "It’s just that covert escort missions can be tedious. I didn’t think you’d be interested. But if you want to come, then come along."

With that, she leapt into motion, heading toward the capital. Bai Roushuang skipped after her.

Upon arriving near the capital, the two settled at a roadside tea stall outside the city, waiting for their target to depart.

The wait proved dull indeed—Bai Roushuang grew so bored she started asking the tea stall owner for brewing tips.

The owner, charmed by the sweet-talking girl, shared her secrets freely—which teas paired well with mint, which ones benefited from a touch of dried tangerine peel.

Xu Shulou waited for several hours before the owner, noticing her stillness, teased, "Waiting for a lover?"

Bai Roushuang choked on her tea, but Xu Shulou answered calmly, "Waiting for my nephew."

"..."

They lingered until dusk, just as the owner was packing up, when a chestnut-colored carriage with silver insignias—matching Jiang Yan’s description—rolled into view from the capital’s direction.

Nearby, a group of scholars recognized the vehicle and murmured among themselves, "Isn’t that the Cheng Mansion’s carriage?"

"Indeed. Young Master Cheng is leaving the capital today. He got dragged down by Imperial Censor Su’s mess."

Their voices were low, but Xu Shulou overheard and interjected, "Which Imperial Censor Su?"

Startled, the scholars turned and, seeing two women who clearly weren’t government spies, answered, "Who else? The Imperial Censor-in-Chief, the Top Scholar of the seventeenth year of Zhangshuo’s reign."

Xu Shulou smiled faintly. "Him. So he’s risen to Imperial Censor-in-Chief now."

"You know Imperial Censor Su?"

"Only met him twice. We’re hardly acquainted."

She exchanged a few more idle words with them before the carriage disappeared down the road. Then, she and Bai Roushuang set off after it at a leisurely pace. Since any attackers were unlikely to strike so close to the capital, they kept their distance to avoid drawing attention.

An hour later, the carriage stopped at an all-night roadside inn, where three or four other vehicles were already parked.

Meanwhile, Xu Shulou and Bai Roushuang discovered a black-clad figure lurking in the grass nearby. They promptly crouched beside him. "Brother, here to keep an eye on Young Master Cheng too?"

The man, startled by their sudden appearance, denied it. "What Young Master? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Ah, so you just enjoy midnight grass-stalking as a hobby?"

The man eyed them warily. "And who are you two?"

"Allies," Xu Shulou said.

The man hesitated. Had the employer sent extra hands? Before he could decide, Xu Shulou nudged him. "Mind scooting over? Your spot has the best view."

Her shamelessness left him flustered—yet he instinctively shifted to make room.

And so, three pairs of eyes gleamed from the grass, fixed on the inn’s entrance.

"Honestly, this is kind of fun," Bai Roushuang mused. "Adds some variety to life."

Xu Shulou nodded. "Life’s all about trying new things."

The man shushed them. "Could you two shut up? Is this how professionals stake out a target?"

"Ah, our apologies," Xu Shulou said meekly. "Any other pointers, brother?"

He scowled at their attire. "Couldn’t you at least wear black?"

"We’ll remember next time."

"And you—stop swatting at mosquitoes! All that rustling will give us away!"

Bai Roushuang pouted. "Fine."

"What kind of amateurs even are you?"

"..."

They fell silent. The man focused intently on the inn, while Xu Shulou and Bai Roushuang occasionally glanced at the stars. Suddenly, the man bolted forward—the chestnut carriage had resumed its journey.

Bai Roushuang huffed. "How rude. Didn’t even invite us."

She moved to follow, but Xu Shulou held her back. "Wait a little longer."

Trusting her senior sister, Bai Roushuang lay back in the grass without question.

After another incense stick’s worth of time, Xu Shulou pointed toward the inn. "Now we follow that blue-roofed carriage."

"They switched vehicles? No wonder they’re traveling at night," Bai Roushuang observed. "Makes sense—anyone caught up in court intrigue would have a trick or two."

The plain blue carriage, its curtain faded from washing, was the kind commoners might hire. Under cover of darkness, it slipped away from the inn.

And the two women followed once more.

At the break of dawn, the carriage came to a halt in the wilderness. Aside from the guard acting as the coachman, a master and his servant stepped down. The servant, dressed as a page, began lighting a fire to boil water, while the young master sighed mournfully, "It's all my father's fault for insisting on saving that Imperial Censor Su! Since no one dares touch him, they’ve decided to take it out on me, his son. Who knows how many years I’ll be stuck in this backwater before I can return to the capital?"

The page tried to console him, "Young Master, don’t worry too much. There’s no guarantee you’ll even survive the journey."

"I know you mean well," the young man said bitterly, "but please stop talking to me."

The page then began gesturing at him with exaggerated motions.

Confused, the young master asked, "What are you doing?"

"Mmm! Mmm-mmm! Mmm?"

"Speak properly!"

The page grinned. "This humble servant merely wished to ask Young Master whether he’d prefer steamed buns or flatbread for breakfast."

The young master snapped, "I want braised pork knuckle from Peony Pavilion!"

Hidden in the shadows, Xu Shulou sighed wistfully. "Now I’m craving braised pork knuckle too."

"......"

Over by the fire, the page cheerfully obliged. "Then I’ll tear the flatbread into the shape of a pork knuckle for you."

The young master fumed. "You’re just here to annoy me, aren’t you? Didn’t we bring any fasting pills?"

Bai Roushuang couldn’t help but chuckle. "This master-servant pair is quite amusing."

Before the pork knuckle-shaped flatbread could be eaten, a cold glint of steel shot toward the young master with deadly precision. The accompanying guard swiftly tackled him to the ground, narrowly avoiding the ambush.

"Who goes there?!" The page immediately shielded his master, shouting in alarm. The guard drew his blade, scanning their surroundings warily.

Six or seven masked men encircled them. One of them sneered, "Did you really think changing carriages and taking a detour would fool us? Young Master Cheng, you’ve overestimated yourself."

"......"

The masked men advanced step by step. "Greetings, Master Cheng. On your journey to the underworld, don’t blame us lowly folk. Blame your meddlesome father instead!"

Though the young man had just been complaining about his father, he now stubbornly retorted, "Bah! My father is upright and loyal—I’d never blame him! If anyone’s to blame, it’s you lot. And I won’t let you off even in the underworld!"

The masked man scoffed. "Attack!"

At his command, a volley of arrows shot toward the young man in the center of the encirclement. Just as it seemed the guard would be overwhelmed, Xu Shulou flicked her wrist. A folding fan flew out, spinning midair to intercept the arrows, knocking every single one to the ground. The fan returned to her hand, and with another effortless toss, it surged with spiritual energy, striking the still-stunned assailants and rendering them unconscious.

The guard and page stood frozen in shock, but the young master beamed. "See? I told you my grandfather sought a cultivator to protect me, and you didn’t believe me!"

Xu Shulou retrieved her fan and stepped out of hiding with her junior sister. "Are you gentlemen unharmed?"

"Quite all right, quite all right," the young master replied, though traces of lingering fear still flickered in his eyes. He smiled apologetically at the two women. "You must’ve been frightened witnessing such a scene. It’s my fault for dragging you into this. My apologies."

The page tugged at his sleeve, gesturing toward Xu Shulou’s fan.

The young master glanced at it—the delicate jade-green silk fan resting in her fair hands looked utterly harmless. He dismissed it as coincidence. "No way. Didn’t Grandfather say the cultivator he sought was a male Taoist? Someone from the Jiang family... Hmm, was it Brother or Uncle Jiang Yan?"

The page scratched his head, recalling the same detail, and fell silent.

The guard asked, "How did you ladies come to pass through here?"

"We’re heading to Qushan County. This was merely along our route." Since they hadn’t guessed her identity, Xu Shulou saw no need to reveal it. Ever since her appearance at the Xiao Kingdom’s imperial palace years ago, the kingdom’s successive rulers had been wary of court officials forming close ties with cultivators. Even after sending Princess Xiao Ya to cultivate, they remained uneasy. Only out of sheer desperation for his grandson’s safety had Young Master Cheng’s grandfather secretly reached out to Jiang Yan.

"Well, our destinations aren’t far apart," the young master mused. "If not for the assassins on my tail, I’d gladly invite you to travel with us."

"But don’t you have an immortal protecting you?"

The page grimaced. "That’s not certain. The old master only said he had some past connection with the Jiang family. What if the cultivator decides saving Young Master once is enough to repay the favor and just leaves?"

Xu Shulou didn’t press the matter. She could always continue tailing them from the bushes if needed. The young master, however, studied the two women. "Where is your carriage? Let me escort you back."

"We don’t have one."

The trio gaped. "You walked here on foot?"

"Yes."

They exchanged glances, scrutinizing the women. Xu Shulou and Bai Roushuang still wore the plain robes they’d donned for their visit to Lingxiao Sect, with no ornaments in their hair. Having recently rolled through the grass, Xu Shulou somehow remained pristine, while Bai Roushuang’s clothes were slightly rumpled. Too preoccupied with tracking and rescuing, they hadn’t paid it much mind—but the trio’s expressions gradually shifted to pity. Young Master Cheng sighed sympathetically. "In that case, you’d better travel with us."

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