Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

The khan smirked coldly as she drew near. She lifted Qin Yining's chin with her whip, forcing her to look into Anari's burning eyes. "Née Qi, you indeed have a way with turning your charms on men. Why don't you impart your ways to me?"

  Qin Yining had long grown weary of Anari's petty jealousy. "The khan slanders me again and again, and it can only be because you lack confidence in your hold on your husband's heart. You know full well I bear no ill intent toward the esteemed khan. If you must doubt someone, you should be directing your suspicions toward Siqin! As a woman myself, I would give you a word of warning: refrain from hurting others and guard yourself against those who wish to hurt you! It would appear the khan has it the other way around though!"

  Her words hit the nail on the head and drove straight into Anari's heart. Infuriated, the khan’s brows snapped together and she raised a hand to bring her whip down on Qin Yining. "I can't stand slutty foxes like you who seduce men, yet claim otherwise without a shred of shame! People like you are an affront to all women!"

  Chapter 490: Out for Blood (II)

  Qin Yining wasn't about to passively suffer Anari's attacks—she caught the whip mid-swing. Despite the burning pain of the whip's barbed hooks digging into her hand, she stared unflinchingly back and held on tightly.

  Qin Yining's grip was like a vice. Infuriated, Anari yanked her whip back several times, but to no avail. Their struggle over the whip brought the two even closer.

  "Let go!" The khan hissed, teeth gnashing.

  "Khan, as a woman, it’s normal to invest parts of yourself and feel jealous of others in the name of love. This I understand.” Qin Yining's beautiful eyes bore into Anari. “However, the khan is no ordinary woman. What's more, you are Tatar's master. Now that you occupy the throne, your nation must come first above all else. You can no longer spend all of your time indulging in the matters of your heart.

  "I can tell you this: there is something very wrong with your consort. He has no interest in me, yet he continues to set me up to be misunderstood by you. His popularity among the common populace of Tatar also prevails over your own. As for what his intentions are, do you really need me to break them down for you sentence by sentence?"

  Anari's pupils contracted violently, her voice shaking as she shot back, "Vile slander!"

  "I’m not speaking nonsense and the khan knows this all too clearly. My words strike you in the heart precisely because you feel the same!" Qin Yining voiced the bald truth, but it wasn't out of mercy for Anari, who was the enemy of Great Zhou.

  Truthfully, she pitied this tyrannical, emotionally-paranoid woman. Anari was too simple-minded and no match for Siqin. Through the duration of Qin Yining’s stay in Tatar, she’d seen through the khan consort’s motives. After putting two and two together about the history he and Anari shared, she genuinely felt sorry for the khan. Alas, Anari was blinded by love, her heart filled with jealousy. Siqin's moves behind her back escaped her completely.

  Should Anari heed Qin Yining's warnings and raise her guard against Siqin, that would render Pang Xiao's enemy as less of a threat. The Great Zhou couple stood to lose nothing from such a turn of events, and it might even help this woman. So there was nothing bad in it for Qin Yining.

  But if Anari insisted on going down this wrong path and continued to grant Siqin this much power, then there was nothing she could say.

  Anari's lips trembled as she fixed her glare on Qin Yining, her eyes so widened that it looked as if her skin would rip apart. "Don't even think about driving a wedge between me and my consort! You think you can make him yours and replace me like this? Dream on! Tatar belongs to me, and so does my consort! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

  As soon as she finished, Anari tossed her whip away and grabbed Qin Yining by the throat.

  Caught off guard, Qin Yining ignored the whip and scrabbled to make Anari loosen her grip. The whip had pierced the tender skin of her palm earlier—her right hand left a large patch of warm, slippery blood on Anari's arm.

  Startled by the sudden sensation of Qin Yining's touch, Anari's hold on the other woman's neck faltered. The princess consort saw her opportunity to strike—she kicked Anari away in one hurried motion!

  Taking a blow to her stomach, the khan gasped in pain and stumbled back a few steps before falling on her behind. Meanwhile, Qin Yining coughed uncontrollably, the blood from her hand dying her collar and sleeves crimson—even the front of her jacket and skirts were speckled in blood.

  Anari burst into wrathful rage, shrieking before rushing at Qin Yining once more to grab her neck again. The princess consort hastily reached out a hand to stop her.

  At this very moment, the gently closed door to Qin Yining's quarters was pushed aside. Siqin entered in long strides, only to see the women in mid-scuffle. The sight of the two with bloodied hands and clothes left him astounded.

  "Khan! Calm yourself!" Siqin quickly strode forward and swept Anari up in a hug from behind.

  Anari swiped her arm out to scratch Qin Yining’s face, completely mad. "Bitch! You bitch!"

  Qin Yining blinked a few times, the sarcastic smile she directed at Siqin's performative actions not even reaching her eyes. This cunning man continued to wear a mask of utter devotion. How could someone like him be compared with the likes of Pang Xiao and Li Zeyu? What an insult to their names!

  "I beseech Consort Siqin to take good care of the khan." Qin Yining tapped a bloody finger against her temple. "She seems to be not quite right up here," she continued dryly. "Perhaps you should have your best doctor take a look at her."

  "You! How dare you continue to provoke me! Siqin, kill her for me!" Anari thundered as she shoved Siqin.

  Her shrill shrieks stabbed into Qin Yining's eardrums, the look of insanity contorting her features sending chills down one’s spine. Was someone with an easily-triggered temper like Anari really suited to be the khan? Didn’t that mean she would be led by the nose for the rest of her life?

  Qin Yining made sense out of everything that had just transpired; she even suspected Siqin was employing certain nefarious methods to make Anari act this way. Normal people weren’t nearly as volatile as she was.

  Siqin drew Anari into his arms and inspected her hands. Seeing that she was unharmed, he heaved a sigh of relief. Instead of meeting Qin Yining's look, he murmured, "Khan, you must remember your noble status. If your subordinates see you like this, rumors will spread like wildfire. What will become of your reputation then?

  Already enraged, Anari's fury blazed even hotter at his words. She growled, "If you want me to feel better, then kill her this instant!"

  "Khan, didn’t I tell you last time? We can’t kill this woman yet."

  "You continue to stand up for her?"

  "Khan, I am doing no such thing. Calm down."

  Anari lost control of her temper, screeching, "You've fallen for her after all! Everything you said to me before was complete lies!"

  "Khan!"

  ......

  Qin Yining didn't understand what they were saying, but there wasn't much else they could have been arguing about, so she had an inkling of what was going on.

  In the end, Anari was so riled up that she stormed out, taking the troop of guards at the door with her as she left.

  Only then did Siqin look at Qin Yining. Seeing the blood dripping from her hand, he turned back to address the old mamas tasked with watching over her. "Call for a doctor."

  The granny servants were there on Anari's orders, but having seen the spat between the consort and the khan, they followed his commands without question and immediately went to locate a doctor.

  Siqin spoke no further. Arms crossed, he stared as the doctor cleaned Qin Yining's bloodied hands and dressed her injuries, leaving only after her wounds were bound. He didn’t speak a single word to Qin Yining, not even sparing her a glance. She could tell Siqin didn't care if she lived or died in the slightest. However, it seemed Anari had immediately caught wind of her husband calling a doctor for the foreign princess, for her doors
were locked once again.

  Sitting by the fire, Qin Yining wrapped a blanket around her and fell into deep thought. If this continued, her life would be very much endangered. Siqin was intentionally provoking Anari to send her to her demise!

  Things were exactly as she thought.

  After midnight, Qin Yining had just fallen asleep when her doors were suddenly pushed open. A swarm of guards seized her, muffling her with a tattered rag and binding her with ropes before carrying her out without breaking a sweat.

  Standing outside her quarters was none other than Anari, She gave a dry laugh, then commanded, "Take the slut away!"

  Chapter 491: Out For Blood (III)

  Qin Yining’s heart pounded furiously; being hauled around like an animal was very uncomfortable and unsettling. The most important thing, however, was that though she didn’t understand Anari’s orders, circumstances made it plain that the situation was dire.

  As she struggled, a chance glance at the khan’s eyes slowed her movements. Those were the eyes of looking at someone as good as dead.

  I guess it’s going to be difficult for me to escape death tonight.

  Anari hated her guts and Siqin’s repeated acts had successfully painted a misleading picture that Qin Yining yearned for the khan consort. Not only did Anari flounder in a vat of jealousy, but the humiliation of someone stealing her husband—she, the most powerful in the land!—slapped at her face.

  Add to that the Soothsayer declaring the two women having similar destinies, and who knew what else after Qin Yining left that day—all this combined to result in current affairs.

  The Soothsayer wants me to die? Why?

  Isn’t she under my husband’s banner? Why isn’t she helping me and in fact hurting me instead?

  She’s doing harm to me now and my husband doesn’t know her true nature. If he continues to blindly trust her, will he become her next victim?

  Livid and anxious, Qin Yining’s struggles proved futile. A gag was shoved into her mouth the next time she tried calling for help. Though she wanted to leave clues for Pang Xiao, nothing was forthcoming. There was no other way out but to travel outside in the form of a human package.

  With their khan in the lead, the palace guards quietly opened any door she demanded entrance to. Her retinue left the palace not long after.

  Once out on the streets, it was late enough that there weren’t many citizens walking around. Thrown onto the front half of a saddle on the back of a horse, Qin Yining couldn’t struggle at all since her hands were tied behind her. It was a challenge to even keep herself on the horse. It was only when the man who’d tied her up jumped into the saddle and pressed down on her lower back that her downward slide was halted.

  Anari led the group down a collection of quiet streets. Left, right, right, left. A spacious front yard soon came into view.

  Qin Yining was lifted off the horse, carried into the yard, and dumped into a heap on the floor of the main house.

  Anari stalked in with hands behind her back, throwing her red cape aside the moment she entered. She wore only a narrow-sleeved, sorrel satin robe beneath. The khan raised her hand and whipped Qin Yining a few times, the merciless action quickly biting through thick outer-robes to draw blood. The whip was studded.

  Qin Yining quivered from pain, cold sweat pouring down her body. Alas, bound hands and feet kept her on the ground. She could only curl in on herself and bury her face in her knees.

  Anari vented her fury with each whip, cursing loudly in Tatar, “Bitch! Slut! How dare you solicit my husband! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”

  Even if the princess consort didn’t normally understand the language, she knew full well what was going on now. It looked like her earlier guess had been right. Something had set the khan off and driven her to drag out a prisoner in the middle of the night.

  The flogging didn’t stop until Qin Yining’s flesh was a bloodied mess. Throwing down the whip and bending over to catch her breath, Anari jeered in the Great Zhou tongue.

  “Well? This khan is personally relaxing your muscles and stimulating your blood circulation. How does it feel?”

  Qin Yining could only glare viciously at her captor.

  Highly pleased with the princess consort’s condition, Anari knelt down and grabbed a handful of hair. “Know this well, you are in Tatar, my land! You may live if I allow you to live, you will die if I wish you to die. Proud of your slutty strutting in front of my consort, hmm? Want to take my throne, hmm?

  “If you die here today, you die with a whimper and no one will know it! Aren’t you something and so mightily noble? Here, kowtow to me. I might allow you to live if I am satisfied. How about it, hmm?” Anari covered her mouth as peals of laughter rang out. The more gaily she roared, the more the dejection and frustration of this past period seemed to be swept clean.

  Qin Yining maintained the fetal position from her earlier whipping, her eyes appearing even more bright and sharp in a face stained with her own blood and dirt. She seemed to be able to see through every heart and every thing.

  Kowtow?

  She wouldn’t disgrace herself even if she were to die!

  Anari insulting her was to insult her father and husband. Being alone in Tatar, anything embarrassing she did would only inspire dirty gossip of all Great Zhou women.

  She was in Anari’s hands, anyhow. Ever since her capture, Qin Yining had been prepared to lose her life on this little jaunt. All she had to respond to the khan’s gloating was just a sigh. She wouldn’t satisfy the khan no matter what.

  When the princess consort remained unmoved, Anari furiously yanked a handful of hair and dragged the woman up. “Do you not beg for mercy?”

  Though gagged, the look in Qin Yining’s eyes spoke volumes. She wordlessly expressed her contempt of the khan, further provoking Anari.

  “You’re not afraid of death? Oh, I remember. You are the daughter of Wise Pan An and the wife of the Faithful Prince of the First Rank. You think highly of yourself and nothing of death. In fact, you care least about death, so you won’t beg for mercy, won’t you!”

  Qin Yining narrowed her eyes. At least you’ve got a brain about you.

  Anari snorted coldly and widened her eyes with inspiration. “If you’re not afraid of death, are you afraid of becoming a plaything for others?”

  Qin Yining’s pupils contracted violently.

  The khan pointed to the eight strong men behind her, like a child who’d found a new toy. “We don’t have many girls with tender skin like you in Tatar. My men are all brave warriors and have never experienced someone like you before. Kowtow and I’ll spare you from them. I’ll make your end swift and painless, and keep your body whole. How about it?”

  Twin flames burned in Qin Yining’s eyes, so hot they could burn Anari straight through. How could a fellow woman use such filthy tactics to humiliate her!

  “Do you submit or not?!” Bizarre irritation rose at the look from the princess consort. “If you apologize to me, I will preserve your corpse! Otherwise I’ll gift you to them and let them have their way with you!”

  Qin Yining sniffed derisively and closed her eyes, the dismissive attitude thoroughly enraging Anari. She threw the princess consort away and turned to her men. “She’s yours now! Play with her as you will. If she dies, that’s on her. I will not fault you.”

  “Understood!” Lust had crept up to the eight long ago. A stunning beauty theirs for the taking! It didn’t even matter that they had to share with each other.

  Qin Yining lay limply on the ground, watching the eight advance on her.

  Chapter 492: Out for Blood (IV)

  With great effort, Qin Yining took in deep breaths to calm herself. I can’t panic. Only by analyzing the situation with a cool head will I grasp any chance of escape or to fight back.

  Be as that may, her body shuddered uncontrollably. As she kept wriggling backward, the coarse ropes chafed her arms and wrists, tearing open her skin in several places. Compounded with the wounds she�
��d acquired from the whip, her face went white from the pain. However, it was almost frightening how bright her eyes remained, her beauty untarnished by the blood all over her body and her disheveled state.

  The excitement of the eight warriors built with every passing moment. Shrieking and hollering, they rushed Qin Yining.

  Anari hugged her shoulders, barely containing the hearty laughter that shook her frame; she was exceedingly pleased with herself. "Let's see how you'll keep up that big ego of yours from now on! Sit back and enjoy the performance—Tatar men are far stronger than your Great Zhou men! Hahaha!"

  As she had a rag stuffed in her mouth, Qin Yining couldn't even curse out loud—all she could do was whimper, her eyes red with anger.

  The men had drawn close, the two who arrived first looking incredibly eager. One of them ripped off their shirt while the other untied the ropes binding Qin Yining's legs together.

  Qin Yining gritted her teeth as they held her down, rendering her struggling useless. As soon as the ropes around her leg loosened, she aimed a vicious kick at the nearest man’s tender regions. Alas, the move she put all her strength behind was caught by her opponent's hand.

  These men were highly trained bodyguards, while all Qin Yining had was raw strength. Having never been trained in martial arts, there was nothing she could do to fight back.

  Despair slowly wormed its way into the princess consort’s heart. Though she kept persuading herself to think it as being bitten by a dog, what woman wouldn't be affected by this kind of predicament?

  Her widened eyes gradually welled with tears. How she wished Pang Xiao would suddenly appear and kill everyone!

  But that was simply impossible—how could he possibly sneak into Tatar and make it just in time to save her, what with Ji Zeyu and Li Qitian monitoring his every move? There was also everyone in the Qin and Pang clans to consider. Pang Xiao didn't have the liberty of acting on his own, lest he endanger both their families.

  Qin Yining understood all that, yet she couldn’t hold back her tears.