"What do you expect now? Coins?"
The princess asked, she was tending to test this girl. Her eyes were greedy but which kind of greed was it?
"No, we are looking for the heads of robbers to avenge."
Before the princess became bored of the conversation and leave, Li Shu changed the subject.
"The Extremists robbers." Chaoxiang finished his sister.
The princess exchanged a glimpse with her eunuch. He shook his head, he didn't trust these siblings, at all.
Fu Liu opened his mouth to protest, but she smirked, it was one of the days that the princess was driving stubbornly.
"Why don't you join our explore? I am also looking for road tracks they had settled."
Literally, she was certain that they wanted to reach their goal through the royal guards. Why not use their skills? "Your hands speak of being able to fight."
Princess Xing Huan walked forward and grabbed the girl's hand and rolled her sleeve up, but unexpectedly, her eyes caught the bracelet. It was exactly like the one she was presented by her mother.
She doubted if this was utterly the one, she had, the gem was an emerald while the one on her bracelet was a high-carat ruby. In her opinion, these two were suspicious! She wasn't a fool who would drive mad quickly!
These two could be the members of the Extremists brigands who had come to avenge the lives she had taken, probably, until now they had discovered who was behind their sudden attacks.
"Where did you get this bracelet?"
"I bought it for her from a badger." Chaoxiang lied before his majesty uttered something wrong.
"What a pleasant cursed gift! I can't take it off my wrist!" Li Shu growled and grimaced to make it believable.
"What do you mean?"
Fu Liu gazed at his princess suspiciously, something was wrong, she was questioning them in her own way to reach something. His eyes fell on the bracelet, he had seen its drawing, the princess had illustrated it with all detail and it was impossible for a jewel to have exact uncut with another one.
"The night we lost our parents was the night I wore this bracelet."
Chaoxiang added and made Li Shu bewildered, he had no clue if his captain had such a talent in storytelling. They wanted them to feel pity but the princess's face was blank.
"You can cut your hand if you don't want it to be there!" Fu Liu recommended and made the girl furious.
Li Shu was about to snatch a knife and kill this eunuch, she could cut his balls indeed if had them at all. No, he hadn't, otherwise, he wouldn't serve the princess as a eunuch. At this point, he couldn't answer this like a man; a girl was thinking and acting differently. She could cry and beat him or burn him with a biting response.
"Will you marry a woman with one hand?" She chose the second option.
"What?"
The princess was giggling, not only him but also the rest of the guards were doing so but when they received a sharp threatening glare, they swallowed it.
"I could be appreciated it if we could make a good match as you are already a eunuch! Do you want me to cut my hand off now?"
The princess caught the embarrassment on Fu's face, he was about to cry on the girl and leave.
"Cut it out, I've never seen someone like you. If you want to join our chase, follow us."
The girl shrugged! Turning to her brother demanded, "Bring our horses, brother."
Chao quickly obeyed before they miss the chance.
During the hesitance being alone with them, she blurted out something that kept the princess's eyes on her.
"The Extremists have a witch; I want her alive to get rid of this. When I touched the bracelet, it transformed like a snake and twisted over my writs. The crimson gem turned into a green emerald, right afterward."
Li Shu was mixing the fact with the lies but about the witch, it was true. The Extremists had chained her and this news was told by the conjurer they met.
The princess nodded, "If we find them, you will have the witch, but in exchange, give me that bracelet."
"Good deal, anyway, I don't like it."
Li Shu was certain that none of their desires would be gained in one day and awkwardly, he was persuaded to be patient while he was one of the most impatient creatures on the earth.
She had no qualm that the princess recognized her jewel and tended to take it from Li Shu peacefully. She could arrest her and cut her hand off as the eunuch poked his nose in to have it. Fu Liu mentioned that on purpose and Li Shu Grasped it while the princess had an intriguing will, to have their help for dispatching the brigands, advantaging this besides having her belonging. The princess was smarter than he thought.
Xing Huan kept her eyes on the girl, what she was saying sounded right but there was a huge mystery about her. Perhaps her shattering language caused it, but let's pray that she wasn't a swagger, otherwise, she had no option but to kill this tough treasure or make her slave.
Chaoxiang came back with the horses and the girl masterfully jumped up the saddle and pulled the rein. Galloping ahead, they went to the Xin waterfall. That place was the only one they hadn't surveyed until now.
Li Shu was scanning the place consciously, now she had the owner of the jewel but he didn't know how to break the curse because when the princess touched it, no change was discovered.
"What is that?"
Li Shu stated and bounced up on a tree branch and climbed up. There was a crow's carcass tied to the tree trunk near the tip. It was hard to be disclosed by those who were looking for traces on the ground.
Cutting the rope with her dagger, she flew down and landed on the ground.
The princess was pleased, she had never thought of searching on the trees, she thought they must have been mapping their path through stones and other stuff but the thieves were using cursed tools. This girl was so skillful, that not a regular person could climb up the tree.
"To keep track of their way they used this kind of tree which is taller," Chao stated.
"They must be settled near the borders but I doubt if their head is living here." The princess interjected.
"Where can he be?" Li Shu asked excitedly.
"In a great city that he can have eyes on everything. He knows about our merchants' moves and schedules, and they attack with a principle that I doubt comes from ambushing. Their troops are organized all over and seize forward in an exact time."
Fu Liu explained; however, it was three months that no sudden attack was reported.
Li Shu frowned, the thieves knew about this survey, that was why they had ambushed, they won't come out until the princess was browsing for them, transparently.
Princess Xing Huan wanted to find their head but this person was able to move wherever he wanted. Perhaps, watching them right now, and mocking this stupidity.
The princess, dismounted, and Li Shu heard a gear-like sound, her eyes bulged, it was a trap.
"Be careful!" She screamed and stormed toward the princess, grabbing her, and pushing her out of the way. An arrow scratched a guard's arm and sat on the tree.
"Your highness!" Fu Liu cried out and unsheathed his swords.
Li Shu was staring at the princess's eyes, her heartbeats were severing, she swallowed, in this body of a girl, she shouldn't act like a man, she shouldn't feel like a man.
Grabbing his sister, Chaoxiang made her up.