The Emperor Yuan heard people discuss the leader of the bandits’ fondness for men and how he was going to confer favor1 on a captured scholar tonight . Although he was also ‘captured’, he wanted to see what kind of existence the infamous bandits’ stronghold was in person .
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He felt pity for the scholar and so thought to kill his way to the leader's bedroom to rescue him .
He did not expect the so-called leader to be Yan Ge . It was no wonder they talked about the bandit leader’s fondness for men . Yan Ge was a woman and that was the end of the homosexual matter .
At this moment, Emperor Yuan’s heart burned from extreme fury . He had guessed her numerous identities and thought she was a chivalrous swordsman from the Jianghu that robbed the rich and helped the poor . He never imagined she would be a mountain bandit leader, and a notorious one at that .
Emperor Yuan’s former good impression of Yan Ge vanished immediately . He even had an urge to dismember the woman into thousands of pieces to vent his hatred .
Yan Ge was stunned as she listened to Emperor Yuan's loathing and infuriated voice . It would seem that she became an unscrupulous mountain leader with indiscriminating tastes?
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Anyway, it was not time to reveal her identity yet .
Since Emperor Yuan was here, the imperial hidden guards must also be around . She had to find a way to lure him away .
Should the Ming Army and Imperial Secret Guards encounter one another and shouldered their respective duties, they will fight to the death . Also, if Emperor Yuan knew that the Ming Army was buying food in private, he might misunderstand and think they were going to rebel .
Yan Ge’s idea changed in the time between a bolt of lightning and a spark of fire2 . She reached out to pull him: "Your Majesty, why are you here?"
Emperor Yuan thought Yan Ge was about to attack him and waved the dagger in his hand . Yan Ge did not dodge and her arm was struck .
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The hot blood that splashed across Emperor Yuan's face instantly extinguished his anger . In its stead, a nameless flame rose up . Why didn't she dodge? He pressed down on Yan Ge's arm and his question changed into: "Why do you want to be a mountain bandit leader here?”
Yan Ge covered the wound with her other hand: "Your Majesty, this can’t be the dagger I gifted you, can it? You’re quite cruel to use it to harm me . ”
Emperor Yuan heard her words and flung the dagger to the ground without hesitation: "If you properly admit your guilt, Zhen[I] will spare your life!"
His words just fell when Yan Ge suddenly pushed him away and a leap rushed out of the window .
How could Emperor Yuan allow her to leave like this? He immediately chased her in an angry huff .
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Yan Ge led him to the back of the mountain .
The terrain was strategic, and there were still traps . She originally thought to get rid of Emperor Yuan here and reunite with her own people, but while the emperor lived a pampered life, his martial arts were not weak . He pursued Yan Ge closely and he nearly intercepted her several times .
This was not going to work .
The wound on Yan Ge’s arm was bleeding profusely and wasting more time was detrimental for her .
She was irritated, but as she listened to Ji Zai screeching in her mind about an upcoming trap, she pretended not to know and tripped into it .
Emperor Yuan saw something was wrong and flew forward to pull her, but he flung himself too hard and she was heavier than he thought . Grabbing Yan Ge’s wrist, he fell into the trap along with her .
Emperor Yuan wanted to pull her into his arms, but right before they landed, Yan Ge flipped them over and became the sacrificial victim .
The pit was very deep . There were no spikes at the bottom, and the two people can be said to have recovered their lives .
However, Yan Ge's condition was somewhat serious .
1 Confer favor (临幸—lín xìng): this term normally refers to when an emperor sleeps with a concubine .
2 Bolt of lightning, spark of fire (电光火石—diànguāng huǒshí): a saying that basically means an extremely fleeting moment .