Chapter 7: The Imperially Bestowed Bodyguards (Part 2)

  Lin Qiulü rode her horse at a gallop, the empty road stretching out before her without a soul in sight. Her horse could run freely, its mane and tail flowing in the wind as it thundered along. The scenery on either side of the road whizzed by like a fleeting shadow, though these green hills and sparkling waters would normally be enough to entice travelers to stop and linger, they held no allure for Lin Qiulü now.

  A veil floating on her face covered her countenance, and outsiders could not see her appearance through the veil. However, just from her figure on horseback, which was as light as a dance, she couldn't be an ugly woman. When passing by cities along the way, there were also some idlers who wanted to see what she looked like, but they were all intimidated by the clothes on her body.

  It's not that those people would think a woman wearing casual clothes could make people retreat, but the clothes she wore were really frightening. Except for the lack of a helmet on her head, the tight-fitting and comfortable armor, the cloud-stepping boots on her feet, and the bright yellow silk belt around her waist, at first glance, it was the uniform of the Imperial Guard. Who had eaten leopard gall or grown several dozen brains would dare to lay hands on the Emperor's personal bodyguards in broad daylight?

  The color of the imperial guard's uniform was indeed intimidating, but what caught people's attention even more was the striking red phoenix emblem on her sword scabbard. This emblem was one-of-a-kind in the world, with no duplicates. It was the exclusive symbol of the Feng Wei, the female guards who protected the Emperor directly, and were part of the Dragon Phoenix Guard. Although the Dragon Phoenix Guard also belonged to the Imperial Guard, except for the Emperor himself, even the Commander of the Imperial Guard did not have the authority to give them orders.

  Of course, the Dragon and Phoenix Guard is not something that everyone is qualified to know about. Apart from those high-ranking officials and a few officers directly responsible for the Emperor's safety, no one would normally know that there was such a secret armed force beside the Emperor. As for where they came from, apart from the Emperor himself, no one knew. Despite their secrecy, this did not prevent those who were specifically serving this armed force from understanding it.

  The Dragon and Phoenix Guard is directly responsible for the last security checkpoint of His Majesty the Emperor, with authority so high that even the commander of the Imperial Guards would be shocked. If they think there is a threat to the safety of His Majesty, no matter if it's a first-rank prince or a high-ranking official, they have the power to take them down directly, and if met with resistance, they will kill without hesitation. Despite this, when they are deployed, it seems that they have never encountered anyone who would be considered resistant in their eyes.

  Sometimes, some extremely confidential imperial orders were also delivered by the Dragon and Phoenix Guard. If they had to reveal their insignia and gallop wildly on horseback, certain departments of local government offices would have to resolve any potential troubles that might block them immediately, or else their lives wouldn't last much longer. Of course, such departments might not even be known to the local magistrates.

  Lin Qiulü galloped her horse so rapidly, and drew out the sword of Feng Wei. Even if there were any troubles on the road, they had been secretly taken care of, and would not disturb her urgent imperial decree.

  However, the mobilization of those secret departments this time was probably a misjudgment. Lin Qiulü's galloping horse is true, but it has nothing to do with the emperor's secret mission. Although she was indeed carrying out the emperor's orders, this secret imperial order had no connection with urgency. It was just that Lin Qiulü was angry in her heart, which led to such behavior.

  What kind of person is this, a commoner, a guy who was kicked out of the army, and he's actually going to let her, the chief of the Phoenix Guard, be his bodyguard! When I came to the capital city with His Majesty before, that was a heavy responsibility for our sect, guarding the true dragon son of heaven. That is the duty of several mysterious sects. Each ancient sect needs to send one inner mountain disciple to join the Dragon and Phoenix Guard at the emperor's side, this is a normal thing.

  Serving the Son of Heaven is also a kind of honor among the disciples of the sect's inner mountain gate, and only the most excellent disciple of each generation has such an opportunity. Being close to the Son of Heaven can also directly absorb the true imperial energy emitted by the Nine-Five Supreme, which is extremely beneficial for cultivation. Each Dragon-Phoenix Guard needs to return to the sect to resume their cultivation when the next generation of disciples comes to take over. However, each time, these returned disciples are still the most excellent ones.

  Not to mention anything else, just the short decades of open and secret struggles around the emperor's side are several dozen times richer than the worldly experiences of other extraordinary disciples over hundreds of years. Whether in terms of insight or experience and lessons learned from dealing with such matters, what they have gone through is not comparable to that of other disciples who have no opportunity. If such worldly training still cannot maintain an advantage, then the title of the best in the inner mountain gate that they take pride in is really too much of a misnomer.

  However, the Dragon and Phoenix Guards had another constraint. Apart from protecting the safety of His Majesty, they would not pay attention to other matters. Most of the time, as long as the emperor's orders were not too excessive, they would also execute them accordingly. Nevertheless, it was absolutely impermissible for them to take the initiative to kill someone or serve in bed. The most important thing was that no one dared to teach the emperor the method of cultivation lightly, which was a great sin punishable by heaven. Being an emperor was already a blessing from heaven, and having good fortune, longevity, and prosperity was already perfect; who would dare ask for more?

  Even if it's the Emperor himself, he wouldn't dare to easily mobilize these Dragon and Phoenix Guards, let alone have a female disciple of the Phoenix Guard serve as his concubine. However, the Emperor has one special privilege that can be used once in a lifetime. He can designate any one Dragon Guard or Phoenix Guard and bestow them upon his trusted confidant as their personal bodyguard. This is the only special right the Emperor has in his life, and neither the Dragon Guards nor the Phoenix Guards are allowed to disobey.

  Lin Qiulü's anger originated from this. The person he had never seen before, who was only mentioned once by the general in front of the emperor and seemed to be an insignificant figure, actually made the emperor use his one and only chance in life to bestow himself as a guardian to that guy named Qin Yifan.

  Leaving the imperial palace, far away from the true dragon son's side, these are not to say that Lin Qiulü has a lot of anger. It's just that an extraordinary beauty who is proficient in all aspects of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and whose swordsmanship has reached the level of perfection, was actually bestowed upon an ordinary person without even an official position, and it's said to be one of those martial artists that these cultivators look down on. Lin Qiulü had not looked down on many princes and nobles, but now she has no choice but to follow the emperor's orders and go to that guy's side. Is fate really so cruel? Or is this a tribulation that she must experience in her cultivation journey?

  Took the kid to the hospital, update is a bit late, sorry about that