Chapter 14: The Princess, the Black Giant

Hearing this, Jin Qianbao silently cried out in despair.

Just as he was about to protest, the Nujiang turned her eyes, called over a minor official on horseback, and whispered, "This man is so towering—he must surely please the Princess. Go notify her at once: I have a fine gift for her."

"A fine gift?" Hearing the Nujiang's words, Jin Qianbao could not yet connect it to himself—he only felt her expression had softened, and his heart eased. He said, "Your Excellency, please see clearly: I am merely a passerby; I do not know that thief."

The Nujiang ignored him, but her gaze toward him now carried an inexplicable mix of admiration and hunger.

Jin Qianbao did not understand her thoughts; seeing her smile at him, he politely smiled back, thinking: "The customs of the Daughter Kingdom must still be pure— even a general of such high status, once the truth is known, is no longer so fierce."

Just as Jin Qianbao thought he would be released at once, the Nujiang suddenly shook her Long Spear and barked, "Seize him! Take him to the palace—the Princess will decide his fate!"

Alas… to hide his identity as a demon, to protect the lives and property of his thirty-six underlings, to… well, whatever the reason, the rightful master of Long Qi Dong on Jing Xiang Shan, the newly appointed Escort Agency Master Jin Qianbao, had now fallen into others' hands.

At first, Jin Qianbao merely felt a slight embarrassment—after all, a demon who had taken human form for a hundred years, captured by mere mortals, was truly shameful.

But when he was stripped naked and tied bare-skinned to this soft, fragrant bed, he felt he had utterly disgraced the face of all demons.

Just as he felt helpless and lost, a jingling of ornaments sounded outside, followed by a deep, thunderous, bull-like female voice entering from beyond the door.

"Situ General, you said you had a fine gift for this palace—what is it?"

"Your Highness, today while patrolling the city, I accidentally captured a stunningly beautiful man…"

Jin Qianbao recognized the voice as the Nujiang's, but before she could finish, the booming voice of the Princess cut her off impatiently.

"Oh? Really? You mean a man? A stunningly beautiful man?"

The Nujiang laughed sweetly and replied, "Absolutely, utterly stunning. If he weren't, I wouldn't have brought him. In all the world, I believe this is the first man worthy of Your Highness."

"Excellent, excellent! Where is he? Hurry, hurry, take me to him at once!"

Then came a creak—Jin Qianbao's door was pushed open from outside.

After hearing their conversation, Jin Qianbao realized he had become the Nujiang's "fine gift" to curry favor with the Princess.

Though the Princess's voice was coarse and she hardly sounded beautiful, when he heard the Nujiang say few men in the world could match the Princess, he felt a flicker of hope: since resistance was useless, he might as well enjoy it.

So, the moment the door opened, Jin Qianbao slightly lifted his proud head, struggled to bind his hands behind his back despite being tied down, and tried to assume a dignified, handsome posture.

But reality was cruel…

Reality was tragic…

Reality was destined to make him curse…

A gust of wind rushed in—and a short, thick man, face black as a soot pot, body as massive as a three-hundred-pound bear, burst into the room.

Yes,

a man!

A real man!

This was even more of a man than a man!

If one must describe her appearance, one could only say: such a woman belongs beneath the earth—how did she ever enter this mortal world?

If you insist on a concrete comparison: in later records, there was once a female demon without a neck, whose name contained the character "red." But this ugly woman's face was ten times uglier than that Red Brother.

But if you think her appearance is frightening enough, you are still too naive.

For though she stood only six chi tall—about one meter four to one meter five in later measurements—her weight was at least three hundred jin. And her face… it was blacker than it ought to be.

Seeing this sight, Jin Qianbao froze—he was truly frozen, utterly terrified into dumbness!

"Wahahaha! Truly a stunningly beautiful man! Situ, you've done well. Don't worry—once he's thoroughly in love with this Princess, I'll give him to you, so you can enjoy him too!"

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you… I shall not disturb Your Highness further."

"Good, good, you may leave."

As the Nujiang departed, the Princess's attendants also wisely withdrew, closing the door behind them—and Jin Qianbao heard the clink of metal: the door had been locked from outside.

"Little beauty, open your eyes quickly!"

"Little beauty, why won't you open your eyes? I tell you—if you obey me, this Princess will grant you endless wealth and honor for life!"

"Damn it! You'd rather be punished than be kind? Fine, fine—I love a man with spirit! Come, come, let's drink a few cups first before we have fun!"

At this moment, Jin Qianbao cursed himself for being so handsome, cursed himself for thinking he could outwit his way out of Long Qi Dong—otherwise, he'd still be on Jing Xiang Shan, still the little leopard pining for Jiao Xiao Wang.

Seeing Jin Qianbao's pained expression, the Black Giant Princess assumed he was soft to persuasion, not force. She adjusted her strategy, pinched her voice, swayed her massive frame, and sat beside him with a self-styled lightness.

Though she tried to control her strength, her power simply could not be restrained—this gentle sit sent the little leopard flying. Had he not been bound by ropes, Jin Qianbao would have been flung off the bed.

Watching the Black Princess pinch her voice and casually tug at her skirt, Jin Qianbao's heartbeat quickened—a chilling dread, unprecedented, surged up his spine and filled his entire body; his breathing, once smooth, now grew difficult.