T/N: h.e.l.lo everyone, Happy New Year! I started 2019 with a flu and i"m so sorry to be saying this but I can"t keep up with my regular schedule for QTFTS at the moment. When i"m not bed ridden anymore and can think straight when translating (lol), i"ll get back to our regular MWF release schedule. And patreon will also be moved on the 2nd week of January. Sorry again >.> Let"s welcome 2019 with a blast! and some yuri goodness!

At dawn, two days after the banquet, Su Xin was summoned by the emperor.

“Emperor Qu likes you very much. This emperor1 doesn"t need you to do other unnecessary things. You just have to remember to please her at all cost.”

Emperor Yu directly said to Su Xin with resolute eyes; she understood her role in this matter. Anyways, even if this emperor was trying to use her to maintain a good relations.h.i.+p with the Qu country, that"s fine. Sooner or later, Su Xin"s mission will take her near Qu Feiqing—this was her easy ticket.

When the courtesans who performed in the banquet began making arrangements and sealing contracts, He Yunshu realized that Su Xin was nowhere to be found.

He Yunshu felt disappointment hit her gut. She hurried to the courtyard where Su Xin and her last met.

From afar, she could already draw Su Xin"s silhouette. She seemed to be waiting for her and He Yunshu closed their distance, almost out of breath, with a jovial smile.

She thought Su Xin was waiting for her because she chose her.

“Xue Yao.”

He Yun took Su Xin"s hand whose face looked mournful. Upon seeing her friend"s distressed countenance, He Yunshu knew that she was mistaken. Su Xin"s decision didn"t involve her and it wiped her smile away quickly.  

"Yunshu, I have to go."

"Why didn"t you tell me?"

He Yunshu was a little angry. It turned out this was Su Xin"s original plan. A plan that did not include her.

"I was about to..”

"Where will you go? Who are you going with? Tell me." He Yunshu felt deeply hurt and her voice did not conceal how she felt at the moment.

Su Xin didn"t know why she felt guilty when this separation was already bound to happen, with their circ.u.mstances and all. She looked at He Yunshu forlornly, knowing nothing can be changed, “Emperor Qu.”

“What?"

He Yunshu stared at Su Xin, eyes wide like saucers. From what she heard, Qu Liu country was infamous for its dark legends, especially its ruthless female emperor.

“How did you get involved with her? She is a very dangerous person. Why did you choose to let her protect you? Xue Yao, I can.. You know I can.." He Yunshu"s voice trembled at the end, she couldn"t contain her sadness anymore but she fought back the tears.

He Yunshu couldn"t understand why Su Xin wanted to have anything to do with Qu Feiqing, and didn"t want to ask her for help instead. Weren"t they friends?

“Yunshu.. I have my own business to do, so I have to leave. That"s my goal.”

Su Xin felt helpless with her friend reacting so strongly. She didn"t want to say goodbye with unresolved misunderstandings.

He Yunshu let go of her hand, somewhat dazedly looking at Su Xin.

"Xue Yao, I really do not understand what you want to do."

Oh dear Miss Mary Sue, even if I told you that I wanted the female emperor to praise me for my beauty, you would not believe it.

Su Xin didn"t say a word. It"s better to be silent.

“..It may be difficult to see each other in the future."

He Yunshu was disheartened, this dynasty had shortcoming in terms of transportation. There was almost no way that she could visit Su Xin, it was also very difficult to communicate. Especially when Su Xin will be in another country.

“Yunshu will certainly become a very powerful person in the future. When that time comes, I will cheer for you in my heart, always."

Su Xin was a.s.sured of this. After all, He Yunshu, the protagonist, is Miss Mary Sue. Unlike Su Xin who was a mere a.s.sa.s.sin, He Yunshu had more skills worthy of being called the female lead and to survive in this world.

With or without her, He Yunshu would fare.

It was nice meeting you, Miss Mary Sue.

—-

A few days later, Qu Feiqing returned to Qu Liu country bringing with her Su Xin and Shu Juan.

Su Xin and Qu Feiqing sat in the same carriage. Shu Juan was left to travel with the other servants just outside the emperor"s carriage.

The carriage was decorated luxuriously despite made for travel, and was wide, leaving some respectable distance between her and the emperor. The two opposing seats occupied by both women were covered by thick, silky blankets that promised comfort during a rough travel.

Qu Feiqing was reclining in her seat with her eyes closed, leaving Su Xin on the other side who was secretly dying from boredom. It was a long, dull travel and all she saw was empty landscapes, her backside hurting from the long hours of sitting. The excitement she felt from when she first arrived to the capital was nowhere to be found; faded with the seriousness of her impending mission in the Qu Liu country.

Su Xin glanced at Qu Feiqing, and seeing that this woman was intent on ignoring her, she began to divert her attention to hara.s.s the poor AI, Fourteen.  

Master fourteen, do you also have a system called Thirteen and Fifteen?

[Well, the creator has limited energy and was able to create only 15 systems. I am the 14th. ]

Are all systems like you?

[How?]

Responsible, diligent, attentive to detail, serious and unsmiling. Has no sense of humor.

Su Xin felt that if Fourteen was personified, he would be a professional man in a suit. Perhaps, with  sleek-looking eyegla.s.ses, dark straight hair and tall physique.

[Uh.. no.. For that matter, is the host is willing to turn on a temporary system group chat function?]

Su Xin"s eyes widened at this unexpected prompt from Fourteen. It wasn"t everyday you get to talk to different systems in the Fate Trading System.

Open, open, open! Su Xin cheerfully said the three repeated words to Fourteen and then a string of voices came to her mind.

[Hi darling, I am system Thirteen. Fourteen? Ah! This guy"s not cute at all, he can"t even act cute. I tried several times to persuade him only to fail.]

The voice of Thirteen was so lively, it was not robotic like Fourteen who speaks in a flat tone.

[Dear, if I"m not busy, we can talk together and—]

Thirteen"s line was suddenly cut off.

[He"s noisy. I closed the connection.] Fourteen ruthlessly said with his robotic voice. Su Xin was relieved. She didn"t want to admit this, but she had become used to Fourteen"s monotonous voice. Thirteen"s would probably give her a splitting headache.

Master Fourteen, I think it"s still a good thing that you are just like that. Thirteen is so noisy, How is his host?

[Birds of the same feather—Thirteen"s host likes to hear thirteen nag.2]

Fourteen sometimes lamented that as a colleague, he couldn"t strangle the Thirteenth! But, Thirteen"s host was really tolerable with it. He could only shake in head and watch them with judging eyes.

Su Xin couldn"t help but emit a laugh, earning a strange look from Qu Feiqing who seemed to have just woken up from her respite.   

Su Xin immediately entered her expressionless state.

Hey, there"s no need to look at me like that. She was not a r.e.t.a.r.d, her brain was sound. Really.