The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 873 - 873 402 Dragon Shadow Guard (Second Update)_2

Chapter 873: 402 Dragon Shadow Guard (Second Update)_2 Chapter 873: 402 Dragon Shadow Guard (Second Update)_2 The borderlands were far away, and furthermore, investigating the remnants of the former dynasty and settling Princess Ning An also required some time.

Gu Jiao looked at him, seemingly waiting for a more specific answer.

He continued, “If it’s quick, I’ll be back by spring; if it’s slow, I could be back within a year.”

“That long.” Gu Jiao wrote. “I’ll treat you to a meal to see you off!”

Lord Hou laughed heartily, “Good! By coincidence, I still have one last move to teach you. You were too hasty with that move you used on the arena earlier. Next time you face that situation, do it like this…”

The two of them ate for a full two hours, with Lord Hou mainly providing guidance to Gu Jiao. While she might have grown impatient listening to others, she found his advice truly engaging.

Lord Hou felt he could teach her a bit more, but unfortunately, it was getting late, and little brother Gu had to go back, while he needed to start preparing for his departure from the capital.

Lord Hou wouldn’t let his brothers pay for the meal; he went downstairs to settle the bill himself.

As long as the old man didn’t act like her grandfather, he was quite charming. Gu Jiao thought for a moment and handed him the small token from her waist.

Lord Hou looked puzzled: “What’s this for?”

He was asking what she intended to do with it, not what it was.

Clearly, he recognized the token.

Gu Jiao hadn’t thought too much about it; she picked up her little notebook and swiftly wrote, “My first expert token, I’m giving it to you!”

Lord Hou asked, “Are you really willing to give me something so precious?”

One had to win ten matches to get such a token, and it was his first expert token in life. Lord Hou knew all too well how significant this token was to him.

Lord Hou thought too much.

Gu Jiao felt that she was about to get a second-level expert token, so this one… it didn’t matter if she gave it away.

The main thing was that she didn’t want to spend silver to buy him a gift to see him off.

Seeing that she was sincerely giving it to him… Well, was it not sincere? Without spending a dime, Lord Hou gladly accepted it.

“It’s getting late; time to head back,” he said with a smile, standing up.

But suddenly Gu Jiao remembered something and wrote in the notebook, “Right, the friend you mentioned last time…”

Mid-sentence, she crossed it out and rewrote, “The friend you talked about last time, the one who wanted to elope with the woman he admired, why was there no follow-up?”

This was something the old man had brought up to her openly, so it wasn’t prying into his privacy.

Lord Hou stiffened slightly, in a place Gu Jiao couldn’t see, his hands clenched the arms of the chair: “No more eloping.”

“Why?” Gu Jiao wrote.

Lord Hou opened his mouth, looked out the window with difficulty, and said, “…She’s gone.”

Gu Jiao: Oh.

Gu Jiao didn’t ask any further.

Gu Jiao hadn’t come by carriage today. Lord Hou offered to escort her, but naturally, she couldn’t reveal where she lived. She shook her head, declining, indicating she had other matters to attend to.

Seeing that Gu Jiao didn’t seem imprudent, Lord Hou gave a few words of caution before stepping into his carriage and leaving.

In early August, Tang Yueshan was ordered to travel to the borderlands. The official reason was to act as an imperial envoy to bestow upon Princess Ning An the title of First-rank Lady of Peace and Stability of Zhan Country and upon her consort the title of First-rank Marquis of Martial Peace.

The emperor also entrusted Tang Yueshan with a substantial amount of rewards and supplies for the soldiers to survive the winter on the border.

In fact, the rewards and supplies were secondary; the escort of troops that accompanied them was the key.

Lord Hou was incognito among the entourage, joining as a staff member from Tang Yueshan’s household.

On the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gu Jiao went to the underground Martial Arts Arena again.

She was now a first-level expert and could fight opponents two ranks higher than herself. She didn’t know if she should consider herself lucky today; her first opponent turned out to be a third-level Turkic swordsman.

The Turkic people had exceptionally strong physiques, and as soon as he entered the arena, Gu Jiao felt an unusual pressure.

Indeed, the higher she got, the stronger the experts she faced.

Gu Jiao threw a probing punch to test the other’s strength. She was forced to retreat several steps, accidentally biting her lip hard enough to bleed.

Gu Jiao smiled. Interesting.

Next, Gu Jiao intended to execute her real skills, but before she could make a move, a dark figure leaped onto the platform like a specter. So fast that no one saw exactly what happened, the Turkic swordsman was kicked away in one sweeping move!

The Turkic swordsman fell into the crowd, hit the ground, and fainted on the spot, bleeding from his mouth!

“What’s going on? Who’s causing trouble!”

The gong-striking martial judge hurried forward, intending to expel the black-clad expert, only to be grabbed by the throat by the expert and lifted high into the air.

Seeing that something was amiss, the masters at the martial arts arena prepared to swarm the intruder. Gu Jiao was surprised—wasn’t this the Dragon Shadow Guard who was even more formidable than the emperor’s guards, the one she encountered in the forest that night?

Why had he come? And why had he kicked his opponent off the stage?

Could it be he thought she was being bullied?

Gu Jiao found this guess utterly absurd; after all, they were strangers to each other, and he had no reason to help her, but regardless, this time he didn’t attack her as he had before.

Gu Jiao approached him and hesitated for a moment before lightly tapping his wrist, signaling him to put the man down.

He looked at Gu Jiao, then at the martial judge he was about to strangle, and to her surprise, he actually let go.

Gu Jiao pulled out her notebook and wrote asking why he had come here, but he didn’t speak.

Could he be illiterate?

Gu Jiao stroked her chin, contemplating on how to communicate with him when he turned and walked away.

Gu Jiao: “…”

Are all Dragon Shadow Guards this capricious?

Gu Jiao apologized to the martial judge and promised to cover the medical expenses for the Turkic saber fighter, suggesting that sending the injured to the Miraculous Hands Hall would suffice. She then leaped down from the ring and followed the Dragon Shadow Guard.

The Dragon Shadow Guard stopped outside the house of the Yan Country pharmacist and stood guard there, motionless.

Why was he standing there?

Was his master inside?

Was his master the Yan Country pharmacist?

After pondering for a while, Gu Jiao boldly walked up to the Dragon Shadow Guard.

The Dragon Shadow Guard did not chase Gu Jiao away, as if to him, she was merely air, or perhaps… something that was allowed to be near him.

Gu Jiao wanted to see who his master was. If the Dragon Shadow Guards were not exclusive to Zhan Country’s royal family, could it mean that she might also be able to acquire a Dragon Shadow Guard through some channel?

Thinking this, she raised her hand to knock on the door but was blocked by the hilt of the Dragon Shadow Guard’s sword.

Was she not allowed to knock?

Was she not allowed to… disturb the master inside?

It seemed the master had given him an order not to allow anyone to disturb them.

Well then, she might as well wait.

Gu Jiao started her vigil outside the door.

Literally squatting and keeping watch, she grew bored and even began to draw circles on the ground with a charcoal pencil.

As she doodled, she applied too much force and snapped the pencil, sending a piece flying that smacked against the Dragon Shadow Guard’s mask.

Although it was just a mask, it was tantamount to a slap in the face.

Wait, a mask?

Gu Jiao touched her own face; her mask was indeed still on.

That day in the forest she hadn’t worn her mask, but today she was, and whereas she wore black night clothes that day, today she was in blue garments.

Dressed so differently, how had the Dragon Shadow Guard recognized her?

Gu Jiao tilted her head and looked at the Dragon Shadow Guard—did he have a special skill for recognizing people?

The Dragon Shadow Guard, whose mask had been hit, paused for a moment, and his gaze shifted slightly as if a certain change had occurred.

He, like Gu Jiao, touched his mask.

Oh no, could it be he was angry?

Could it be he was going to kill her?

It was no wonder Gu Jiao was so paranoid; after all, this Dragon Shadow Guard was so unpredictable. The first time he saw her in the forest, he nearly killed her, and he even pinched her husband’s face!

Gu Jiao knew she couldn’t win in a fight, and it seemed too late to run…

As Gu Jiao’s mind raced, considering how to escape, the door behind them creaked open.

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