Mingli and Mr. Huo were so frightened that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Mr. Huo leaped forward, catching him in his arms just as he landed, and asked, still shaken, "Your Highness, are you injured? Were you frightened?"

Gu Yuzhi blinked, still a little dazed, and after a while, her eyes brightened as she said, "No, no!"

He wasn't scared at all; in fact, he found it kind of funny!

After being put down by Mr. Huo, he held up his hands and looked at them repeatedly. After a while, he whispered to Mingli, "Mingli, why am I still not growing taller?"

He grew quite a bit last year, but this year he doesn't seem to have grown at all; he can still fit into last year's clothes.

However, he didn't think too much about it, because whether it was his elder brother or the other princes, they were all quite tall, and he was sure he would grow tall when he grew up.

In addition, Teacher Shu said that he was always outdoors, sunbathing and taking some kind of supplement that would help him grow taller, so he thought that he would definitely be taller than his elder brother in the future.

After muttering to himself, Gu Yuzhi still looked at the big tree with some unwillingness: "I'm going to try again. This time I'll run a little further and I'm sure I can get onto the branches!"

Mingli was afraid that he would really get hurt and wanted to persuade him, but he didn't know how to start. He could only look to Mr. Huo for help, but Mr. Huo nodded and said, "Your Highness, please try. I will be watching down here."

The Huo family army wouldn't give up at the first sign of difficulty.

So when Mr. Huo heard that the young prince was still determined to climb the tree, he not only did not stop him, but also felt that it was the right thing to do.

Besides, he knew why the young prince had climbed the tree.

Mingli was already of low status and his voice carried little weight, and since Mr. Huo wasn't on his side, he could only stand cautiously behind the tree, thinking that if the young prince fell, he would risk his life to protect him from injury.

Gu Yuzhi slung his bow and arrows behind his back, stood still and chuckled a little to warm up before charging forward with all his might. When he was almost at the tree, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped forward. Then, he used his toes to push off the tree trunk with such force that the whole tree trembled.

He stretched his hand upwards with all his might, his eyes wide open, and even his facial features were straining.

Mingli looked up at him, so nervous that he forgot to breathe. He clenched his fists tightly and watched as Gu Yuzhi gripped the tree branch tightly with both hands, used his toes to push off again, spun around in the air, and then landed steadily on the tree branch.

Sitting on the tree branch, Gu Yuzhi looked down and was surprised to see the top of Mr. Huo's head. Everything was so new and exciting!

Gu Yuzhi exclaimed "Wow!" and climbed up a bit more before settling down, his back ramrod straight: "Now I can see!"

He moved around a bit, leaning his back against the tree trunk to make himself more stable, before taking down his bow and arrows and scanning his surroundings with a sharp, piercing gaze.

Although the view is much better from the treetop, the line of sight is limited, and you can only see what's in front of you.

Gu Yuzhi pursed his lips tightly, keeping his bow-drawing hand in the same position.

Mingli below kept looking up at him, not daring to breathe loudly.

Only when Gu Yuzhi released his grip and the arrow flew out, causing a pheasant to fall to the ground, did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After hitting the target, Gu Yuzhi's expression improved considerably. He tilted his head and smiled at Mingli, "Mingli, go and quietly retrieve that pheasant, while I shoot a rabbit."

As he spoke, he put his hands behind him on the tree trunk, and with a little effort, he stood up. Then he turned around, and instead of sitting down, he simply stood on the branches and stared at the ground.

The light was already quite dim, and Gu Yuzhi's eyes started to sting after staring at it for a while. He shook his head slightly and was about to walk forward when he heard Mr. Huo say, "Your Highness, don't move."

As for the magnet, Gu Yuzhi also sensed something was wrong, and a chill suddenly rose up his back.

There was a strange hissing sound mixed in with the rustling of leaves.

Gu Yuzhi froze completely.

Although he hadn't encountered one before, Gu Yuzhi understood that he had encountered a snake!

He pursed his lips tightly, and his hand holding the bow seemed to be cramping, but he didn't dare to move at all, and even his breathing slowed down considerably.

Mingli picked up a pheasant, trotted back, and called out loudly, "Your Highness..."

The next instant, the little white snake lunged at Gu Yuzhi's neck and bit him, while Mr. Huo threw the pebble in his hand.

The sound of something cutting through the air came, and Gu Yuzhi suddenly crouched down. The little white snake was instantly hit by a pebble and fell limply onto a tree branch.

At the same time, Gu Yuzhi suddenly released his grip, and the arrow flew out again. The rabbit that was hopping around not far away suddenly fell to the ground, its legs kicking violently before it went completely still.

Gu Yuzhi grabbed the little white snake and climbed down the tree, but was held tightly by Mr. Huo. He raised the little white snake and said, "Mingli, hurry up, I've hunted a rabbit over there."

Mingli...

Mingli was so frightened by the little white snake in Gu Yuzhi's hand that he dropped the pheasant. His legs were so weak that he almost knelt down. He had no strength left to pick up the rabbit.

Gu Yuzhi exclaimed in surprise, tilting her head to look at him: "Why aren't you going?"

Mr. Huo put him on the ground, turned his head and glanced at Mingli, knowing he was terrified. He chuckled and said, "Your Highness, I'll go pick it up. You and Mingli should go back to the camp first."

He knew, of course, that His Highness's vision would be impaired as darkness fell, and whispered, "This snake is non-venomous. Your Highness can give it to the guards and we'll cook snake soup for you tonight."

Gu Yuzhi was about to agree with a smug look when he looked down and saw that the little white snake had stopped pretending to be dead. Its golden vertical pupils were staring straight at him, and its slender tail had wrapped around his wrist.

He raised his hand and exclaimed, "Mr. Huo, the snake is still alive!"

Alive?

Mr. Huo looked down and stared at the little white snake, and for a moment he began to doubt his own abilities.

He clearly threw the stone precisely at the green snake's vital spot, so how come the little white snake is unharmed?

The little white snake only glanced at Mr. Huo for a while, clearly not interested in him. It wrapped its tail around Gu Yuzhi's wrist tighter and hissed at him, sticking out its tongue.

Gu Yuzhi didn't know why, but he suddenly let go. The little white snake, now free, didn't leave. Instead, it wrapped itself around Gu Yuzhi's body, its head resting obediently on his wrist.

He raised his hand even higher, blinked, and asked, "Are you still making snake soup?"

As soon as the words "snake soup" were uttered, the little white snake stood up again, sticking out its tongue at Mr. Huo, its threat quite obvious.

Mr. Huo sighed with some grievance. It was clearly the young prince who suggested the snake soup this time, so why was the snake still holding a grudge against him?

He waved his hand and said, "This snake is intelligent and perceptive, Your Highness, please keep it for now!"