Just as Gu Yuzhi had imagined, by evening, the group was still quite a distance from Quanzhou.

Gu Yuzhi jumped off the carriage and, without needing Mr. Huo's reminder, chose a suitable spot and directed the guards to set up camp.

He jogged over to Mr. Huo, looked up at him, and said, "Mr. Huo, the light is just right now, let's go hunting!"

It's summer now, and Mr. Huo said that there are more wild game to hunt and more wild vegetables and fruits to see in the summer.

He was really curious, and running around all over the mountains and fields like this allowed him to learn a lot of knowledge that he couldn't learn from books.

Mr. Huo looked around at the place that Gu Yuzhi had chosen. It was sheltered from the wind, flat, and there was no need to worry about strong winds or landslides.

The stream is located a short distance downhill, but it's not very large, making it easy to fetch water without worrying about the campsite being flooded by rising water levels during heavy rains.

Most importantly, you can see the tracks of many small animals here, which means that this place is very safe and there are basically no large wild animals around.

Mr. Huo nodded slowly, smiling as he expressed his approval of the place Gu Yuzhi had chosen: "Your Highness is truly exceptionally intelligent. Several months have passed, yet Your Highness still remembers it so well and has done such a good job."

Although he felt he had done a good job, he felt a little embarrassed by Mr. Huo's praise and said with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Huo."

He stared at Mr. Huo without blinking, his eyes full of urging: "Mr. Huo, we need to hurry up a bit, or the sun will be completely setting soon, and then the rabbits and pheasants will all be hiding and sleeping."

He also wanted to have an archery contest with Mr. Huo, but his eyesight wasn't very good at night. If he didn't set off soon, he would lose before the contest even started, once it got completely dark!

Seeing his eagerness, Mr. Huo pointed to the forest behind their camp and said, "Your Highness, go get the bows and crossbows. We'll go hunting here later."

Gu Yuzhi's eyes lit up, and he turned and ran happily. A moment later, he returned with his small crossbow, calling out, "Guard Qi..."

As soon as those three words were uttered, Gu Yuzhi's initial excitement plummeted to rock bottom.

He remembered now, Guard Qi had already joined the army, serving as the vanguard of the Northern Desert Army, and there would be no more Guard Qi after that...

Gu Yuzhi's face scrunched up like a little bun. He pounded his chest and said silently, "Manager Wen, Teacher Shu, I feel my heart is beating a little fast, and I feel a bit uncomfortable."

Wen Xiuzhu subconsciously took a step forward, then quickly stepped back, turning his gaze to Shu Xiaohan and gesturing for her to go forward.

He's really bad at comforting people.

Shu Xiaohan naturally didn't expect anything from him. She squatted down, patted Gu Yuzhi's head, and sighed, "Is the young prince missing Guard Qi?"

Gu Yuzhi pouted and snorted, "I didn't! I know that Guard Qi is in the Northern Desert Army, not far from me. Besides, Guard Qi used to go on escort missions for one or two months at a time, and I'm used to it."

He knew, of course, that what Teacher Shu said was right, but he resolutely refused to admit it. He was afraid that if Guard Qi found out that he missed him, what would happen if he secretly left the military camp?

Gu Yuzhi lowered his head, radiating disappointment: "I'm just used to calling him that."

Shu Xiaohan lowered her eyes and understood what he meant after a moment's thought. She sighed silently, then patted his head and said, "Look, Chief Secretary Xie and Mr. Huo are waiting for you."

Gu Yuzhi then perked up and looked ahead, only to see that Chief Secretary Xie, Mr. Huo, and several guards had already taken up their bows and arrows. Behind them was the fiery red sunset, which made Gu Yuzhi unconsciously close his eyes when he looked over.

He tried to put Qi the guard out of his mind and jogged forward, saying, "I'm here! Let's hurry up and see who's the best tonight!"

Mingli followed closely behind him, also holding a small bow and arrow, his main point being: I don't know how, but I still want to participate.

With these guards and the young prince present, and given that his crossbow was specially made for dealing with large animals, he didn't plan to participate tonight. After briefly explaining the rules and scope of the competition, he pointed to the mountains and forests in front of him and said, "Meet here in one hour. Now, you can set off!"

As soon as Mr. Huo finished speaking, the guards scattered in all directions, while he stayed by the young prince's side, not participating in the hunt, mainly to protect the young prince's safety.

Gu Yuzhi had only taken a couple of steps when he stomped his foot in anger and said, "This is not fair!"

Mr. Huo looked surprised: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Gu Yuzhi snorted, took two steps back, stood in front of the bushes, and compared his head to the bushes: "Look, look! My eyesight isn't very good to begin with, and I'm not even tall enough!"

"I haven't even seen the prey yet, and it's already run away. How am I supposed to compete?"

It's not like winter now, when the snow is very thick and all these bushes are covered in snow. Some small animals can even run on the bushes, and he spotted them at a glance.

Now all the prey are on the ground and in the grass. He's not even as tall as the bushes, so he probably has to stand on tiptoe to even see the prey. Before he can even make a move, the prey has already run away!

Gu Yuzhi grew angrier the more he thought about it, and stomped his foot hard again: "I'm going to lose!"

For some reason, Mr. Huo thought of his son when he was a child. After learning martial arts for a few years, his son thought he was very powerful and acted like he was superior to everyone, provoking others everywhere.

The generals all gave way to him, which made him even more arrogant.

Mr. Huo was afraid that he would grow up to be a lawless spoiled brat, so he sent him to the battlefield. As a result, Huo Liangyao tried for a long time, but he couldn't even budge one of his legs.

That was the first time Huo Liangyao had suffered a setback. Just like the young prince, he stomped his feet and kept shouting that it was unfair.

Just then, Chief Secretary Xie brought over a rabbit and, seeing Gu Yuzhi like this, exclaimed, "Your Highness, it hasn't even started yet, and you've already given up?"

This is not in line with His Highness's character at all.

Gu Yuzhi stared wide-eyed at the rabbit in Xie Changshi's hand. He wanted to tell Xie Changshi that it was unfair, but then he realized that saying that would be admitting defeat!

He snorted and raised his head, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. You go and do your thing!"

Chief Secretary Xie felt that His Highness was acting a bit strangely, but seeing his expression, he knew that His Highness didn't want to talk to him, so he could only say "oh" and continue walking forward.

After Xie Changshi had walked away, Gu Yuzhi snorted.

To lose and to admit defeat are not the same thing!

Gu Yuzhi looked up, his eyes lighting up as he gazed at the large tree before him. He took a few steps back, a few running starts, lightly touched the trunk with his toes, and stretched his hand upwards, trying to grab a branch...

The next instant, amidst Mingli's gasp of alarm, he fell...