Chapter 101: Chapter 101: "What If It Hurts? Will You Take Responsibility?
The world spun around her, and she was snatched onto another horse.
This horse was taller and stronger, a rare and fine steed. Its coat was as black as ink, its four hooves as white as snow, and it ran like a gale through the mountains.
The rider’s movements were fast and ruthless. His iron-like arm wrapped tightly around her soft stomach, pinning her.
Even with an extra person, the great horse’s speed didn’t falter in the slightest, moving as fast as lightning.
It was so fast that Ji Qingwu forgot to even struggle.
Because she had been pulled forcefully onto the horse, she was now sitting sideways. The position was not only awkward and painful on her rear but also unstable.
Fearing she would be thrown off, she subconsciously clung to the man’s firm, powerful arm.
She looked up at his face. It was as cold as frost, his expression as taut as a snow-covered mountain on the verge of an avalanche.
Emperor Wu Su spurred the horse on, the sound of its hooves clattering as its speed instantly increased even more.
Ji Qingwu’s heart began to race. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. It felt like it was about to leap out of her throat. This was even more terrifying than jumping from her horse or falling off the cliff had been.
Not only was she tormented mentally, but the howling wind also scraped painfully against her face.
She tried to shrink back, but the man’s lean, muscular body behind her was as hard as a wall.
She could only turn her face away from the wind. But, worried she’d be thrown from the speeding horse, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight, as if he were her lifeline.
Her hair was a tangled mess in the wind, and Ji Qingwu wanted to bury her face in his chest.
But when her soft skin brushed against his thin silver armor, the pain only intensified.
Her tailbone ached from the bouncing. She was uncomfortable all over.
Ji Qingwu couldn’t help but let out a few pained whimpers.
Hearing the faint cries, Emperor Wu Su finally glanced down at her.
He saw her eyes shut tight, her long lashes trembling nonstop. Her shoulders were hunched, and she was pressing herself into his embrace, a pitiful sight to behold.
He finally took pity on her. With one arm, he lifted her by the waist and shifted her into a straddling position. Ji Qingwu felt much better.
She wanted to ask him to slow down. "Your Majesty..."
But the moment she opened her mouth, her plea was not only scattered by the wind, but she also got a mouthful of it for her trouble.
Ji Qingwu could only curl into a small ball, lean against his chest, and try her best to adapt to the insane speed.
The horse was very familiar with this forest. It galloped with a majestic air, as if trying to break through the dark horizon in the distance.
At first, Ji Qingwu felt her heart pound and her breath catch, unable to handle such a frantic pace. She felt like she was going to die on that horse.
But after about fifteen minutes, the fine steed galloped past the dense forest that blotted out the sky, and a flat, open plain suddenly appeared before them.
The azure sky was gradually being devoured by the night. In the distance, a faint crescent moon and a scattering of stars were now visible.
Ji Qingwu’s body rose and fell with the stallion’s powerful, ground-eating strides. She felt as joyful as a galloping filly herself.
With her back against Emperor Wu Su’s warm, solid chest, she no longer felt cold, nor did she fear falling.
The horse’s thundering pace did not slow, its strides still light and powerful.
Ji Qingwu’s face was flushed. Her eyes widened with excitement as she watched the crimson bonfire blazing in the distance.
She didn’t know where this was. It wasn’t the hunting encampment, but several large tents had been pitched, and guards in black armor patrolled the area. It seemed to be some sort of private location.
Emperor Wu Su pulled on the reins, and the stallion’s thundering gallop slowed.
But instead of heading toward the large tents ahead, he brought the horse to a slow stop several hundred meters away.
He loosened the reins, letting the horse wander as it pleased.
Seated between Emperor Wu Su and the reins, Ji Qingwu hadn’t been controlling the horse, but she was still breathless and exhausted, mainly from the excitement.
She had never galloped at such a speed before. It had pushed her past her physical limits, but it also made her completely forget the terrifying events in the forest.
Now, she only felt the exhilaration of each breath, as if every pore on her body had opened up.
’I’m alive. I can still feel how vivid the world is. It feels so good.’
’In the future, when I think back on this night, I’ll probably only remember the thrill of the gallop and the carefree joy I feel right now.’
Ji Qingwu relaxed completely. She lowered her gaze and saw the man’s large, well-defined hands holding the reins.
A thought stirred in her heart. ’After dealing with Princess Qingyun, Emperor Wu Su didn’t leave. Has he been waiting in the woods for me all this time?’
’Taking me on this wild ride... was it to help me release my pent-up emotions?’
Ji Qingwu eagerly tilted her head back, wanting to see the expression on the handsome face of the man behind her, to see if he felt as exhilarated as she did.
But she moved too quickly and slammed right into Emperor Wu Su’s hard jawbone.
The impact was surprisingly loud.
Ji Qingwu’s head throbbed from the collision. She reached up to rub it, wondering how badly his chin had been hit.
After a moment, Emperor Wu Su’s voice came from above her head, his tone unreadable. "Of all the parts of your body, your head is the hardest."
He didn’t say the next part out loud. ’The one part that should be hard—her heart—is incredibly soft.’
’This woman, who looks so delicate and frail, insists on charging headfirst into difficulties that would make others shrink back in fear. She has a certain chivalrous, righteous spirit.’
’Should I condemn her for being too soft-hearted?’
Emperor Wu Su knew he couldn’t, and he shouldn’t.
The person she had risked her life to save was his own younger sister. Qingyun had been ungrateful; if he were to criticize Ji Qingwu now, it would only grieve her and make her feel wronged.
He could only suppress his temper. Taking her on this ride was as much for venting his own frustrations as it was for her.
’If you have a premonition that something will become a lingering trauma, you must shatter it before it leaves a deep impression.’
He watched her expression shift from terror to adaptation, and finally, to relaxed enjoyment.
He also felt a sense of pleasure at the delight on her face. It was as if simply watching her could dispel his own inner demons.
Hearing what sounded like a hint of displeasure in the Emperor’s voice, Ji Qingwu decided to nestle quietly in his arms and not move a muscle.
But after a moment, she squirmed uneasily and asked softly, "Your Majesty, did that hurt?"
’My head doesn’t hurt anymore, anyway,’ she thought. ’I should probably ask how he’s doing.’
Emperor Wu Su’s anger gave way to a derisive laugh.
’Has this woman forgotten she almost fell off a cliff, or what? She has the nerve to worry about whether I’m in pain.’
Emperor Wu Su lowered his gaze to the crown of her head, where he could see a hair whorl. The palace elders used to say that people with more hair whorls were more intelligent. Clearly, that rumor wasn’t credible.
He curled his lip into a sarcastic smile. "And if it does hurt? Will you take responsibility?"
Ji Qingwu turned back in surprise. For a man as tough as Emperor Wu Su to say it hurt, she must have hit him quite hard.
’Don’t tell me I actually damaged His Majesty the Emperor’s jaw?’ she thought nervously. ’Does this count as offending the Emperor? Did I harm his sacred person?’
She quickly twisted around, tilted her head up, and carefully examined his well-defined jaw. It seemed fine—no redness or bruising.
A diagnosis requires observation, listening, questioning, and examination.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
Ji Qingwu asked as she reached out to touch his jaw.
