81. Hunting

◎ Make him extremely unfamiliar ◎

Chapter 81

Ji Kang had been restless since he saw his uncle and aunt shooting arrows at the range the previous day, and he couldn't sleep last night. Closing his eyes, he saw her smiling face. She jumped up, turned around, hugged her uncle, and placed a kiss on his cheek. In that moment, it seemed as if all the scenery of Songshan Mountain was concentrated in her radiant peach eyes.

I was so tired that I fell into a deep sleep in the early morning.

In his dream, the man in the shooting range was no longer the emperor's uncle, but him. They kissed, hugged, and kneaded each other, but nothing more. After waking up, he felt unbearable. Seeing Duan beside him, he couldn't help but pull her over.

During this time, he tried to imagine Duan's face as hers, but it was not her after all.

When he got up again, Duan shyly helped him wash and eat, but he could not show a good face to his wife, Princess Liang, and could only become more cold.

At this moment, a maid's voice suddenly rang out from outside the tent, "Is His Royal Highness Prince Liang here?"

Ji Kang had never had any impression of this voice, but he still stood up and lifted the curtain. He saw a maid with a pointed face whom he had never seen before. He did not say anything.

The maid didn't dare to look up. She trembled and said anxiously, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. Your Highness, Princess Qi has mistakenly entered Donglin. My wife has sent me here to find someone to help."

"What? Accidentally entered Donglin!" Ji Kang was shocked.

They usually hunted in the north and west, and the women's hunting circle enclosed a small area in the west. Although there were few wild animals outside the hunting circle, it was still safe.

But on this trip, the palace's animal trainer brought a vicious tiger that had deliberately reduced its food intake and placed it in Donglin for the last day of the group hunting competition.

Even he might not be able to kill that tiger, so if a little girl entered, she would probably be torn to pieces easily.

He said anxiously in his heart: "I'll go save her now!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" The maid kowtowed and immediately retreated.

Ji Kang turned back to the tent, picked up his heavy bow and quiver, and was about to leave, but Duan blocked him at the exit, "Your Highness, you cannot go!"

Seeing this, Ji Kang was furious, "Get out of here!"

"Your Highness!" Duan held him tightly. She had heard everything the maid had said outside. Seeing him trying to push her away, she quickly spoke, "Your Highness! This is a trick!"

"We've never seen that maid outside, and she's not Mingyue, the girl who was with Princess Qi. The prince isn't the only man in the camp right now; most of the men he walks around in are the ones she doesn't look for. Yet, that maid came straight to the prince's tent, not even sure if he was inside, and she just called for you to rescue Princess Qi."

Duan's words finally calmed Ji Kang down, his cheeks twitching.

Duan continued, "That maid's actions must have been due to the person behind the scenes. Somehow, they knew about the prince's feelings towards Princess Qi, and used this to lure the prince over."

"She must be trying to get the prince to be a hero and save the beauty, and to have an affair with Princess Qi, thus destroying both of their innocence. It's fine if the prince doesn't care about himself, but if you impulsively enter Donglin this time, or show impatience, it will definitely have a negative impact on Princess Qi."

"Don't you even care about Princess Qi's reputation? Your Majesty!"

Ji Kang looked at Duan in shock, as if he was meeting her for the first time, but he was still anxious. "So what? I can't just stand by and watch her fall into danger."

Duan bit her lip and looked at Ji Kang, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart. They had just done something intimate, and now her husband was willing to risk his life and reputation to save a woman he absolutely could not covet.

"Your Highness, I will go find Prince Qi and ask him to rescue Princess Qi. At this hour, the hunters have all come down the mountain and gathered at the main tent. Your Highness, please do not show up. If you cannot find Prince Qi, I will go find the Imperial Guards."

After struggling for a while, Ji Kang took a few steps back and sat down on the bed, as if he had lost all his strength. It turned out that with his status, he couldn't even save her.

Seeing this, Duan did not delay any longer and immediately ran to the main tent to look for Ji Ci.

…

In the East Forest, the trees were tall, each as tall as five people and extremely thick, surrounded by dense shrubs. The little white horse was scared away the moment the tiger appeared.

Jiang Qiuye was agile and fell to the ground sideways, rolling twice and narrowly avoiding the tiger's claws.

She didn't dare lie on the ground any longer, so she immediately stood up and looked at the white-haired tiger. The tiger's ribs were clearly visible, and it was obvious that it had been beaten and starved for many days, and it was definitely not born in this Songshan Mountain.

Although she did not participate in the arrangements for the spring hunt, she knew that everyone would prepare for group hunting on the last day.

It seems that Zhao Wan'er wants to die...

She had held her temper and didn't kill Zhao Wan'er, but this woman had to provoke her. However, at this moment, her crazy jealousy towards Zhao Wan'er instantly disappeared.

It turned out that Zhao Wan'er was not the kind person she thought she was. In fact, she was as vicious as herself, but she just hid it well.

Jiang Qiuye's light bow was left on the back of the white horse, but even with the power of the bow and arrow, it was not enough to kill the tiger.

She pulled a dagger from her waist and stared into the tiger's dark eyes without flinching. The tiger bared its teeth and roared again, raising its powerful claws to strike her.

She spun in time, stabbing the dagger into the tiger's back and leaping onto it. The tiger screamed in pain and tried to throw the person off its back by leaping with its hindquarters. However, the dagger was lodged firmly in its muscle. Jiang Qiuye used the dagger as leverage with her left hand and raised her right fist to strike the tiger's head.

The force was so great that the tiger's head shook and one could even hear the sound of its skull cracking.

The tiger's gait wavered, but it leaped again. The dagger stuck in its back, lubricated by blood, slashed quickly. Jiang Qiuye was thrown off the tiger's back, rolled on the ground, and then stood up. His pink and white riding clothes were splattered with blood.

The tiger seemed to understand the strength of the man before him and retreated timidly. Jiang Qiuye lowered his hand holding the dagger and turned around, ready to let the beast go.

Seeing the man's back turned, the tiger sensed an opportunity and rushed forward. But Jiang Qiuye was prepared. She rolled over and slid backwards, and the tiger pounced high, and as it leaped over her, the dagger in its hand went straight for the tiger's throat, piercing it.

She was worried about too much blood splattering, so she did not pull out the dagger immediately, but rolled away from the tiger.

The tiger fell to the ground and she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to step forward and pull back the dagger, but she didn't expect that the beast was not dead yet. It suddenly stood up and pounced with its sharp claws. Although she turned around, it was not in time and a bloody mark was left on its back.

Pain shot through her back. She gritted her teeth, turned around again, and pulled the dagger from her throat. Blood gushed out, staining her clothes. The tiger fell to the ground again, dead instantly.

Jiang Qiuye stood up and put the dagger back at her waist, her face expressionless. The pain in her back made her feel depressed. She breathed hard and closed her eyes. Killing a tiger could not relieve her anger.

Putting her hand to her mouth, she whistled, and the little white horse in the distance heard the whistle and came galloping over. She climbed onto the white horse, observed the surroundings and speculated for a while, then galloped towards a higher place.

Zhao Wan'er saw the entire scene of Jiang Qiuye killing the tiger just now.

She was shocked.

How is that possible?

The tiger had been hungry for days, and it took more than ten men to hunt it down. She had hoped Ji Kang would come to her rescue. If they were both killed by the tiger, it would kill two birds with one stone and also discredit the relationship between Princess Qi and Ji Kang. If Ji Kang rescued Princess Qi, their unclear relationship would be made public.

However, before Ji Kang arrived, Princess Qi had already single-handedly killed the tiger. Such skill was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

As she pulled the horse back and was about to turn and leave, the horse suddenly leaped up with its front hooves. Zhao Wan'er was unprepared, lost her balance, and fell heavily to the ground.

She gritted her teeth and propped herself up to see that her horse had run away with a sharp arrow stuck in its butt.

Is that possible? How is that possible?

She coughed several times and tried to stand up while enduring the pain. Suddenly, she saw a woman walking out of the forest in front of her. Her pupils dilated.

And that woman was none other than the Princess Qi who had just killed the tiger!

"You, you don't, don't, you don't know how to shoot arrows?"

She looked at Jiang Qiuye, who was wearing a jade crown and a pink and white riding uniform stained with blood, and her heart became more and more panicked and frightened.

Jiang Qiuye had a blank expression on his face, but after hearing her question, he suddenly burst out laughing, and two dimples appeared on his cheeks. "Cousin Wan'er, you're so stupid. You just believe whatever I say."

Zhao Wan'er turned around and tried to escape as if she had seen the King of Hell.

Jiang Qiuye narrowed his eyes. Hunting in the forest only brought chickens, ducklings, elk, and tigers. What was the point? Hunting Zhao Wan'er was clearly the most interesting.

She smiled sweetly and became more and more excited. She raised the bow in her hand, aimed at Zhao Wan'er who was escaping like a snake, and shot an arrow accurately, hitting her right calf.

"ah--"

Zhao Wan'er screamed and tears gushed out. Unbearable pain came from her calf, and then she lost strength and fell to the ground.

She turned over with all her strength and sat on the ground, trying to pull out the arrow, but the hook was firmly lodged in her flesh, and the touch was like shattering bones, and the pain spread throughout her body.

Her breathing began to become unstable, and she cried bitterly as she looked at Jiang Qiuye who was not moving not far away, with a sweet smile still on her face.

Zhao Wan'er became more and more frightened. This woman was too weird. She would definitely die in this forest today.

"No, don't kill me! Please!"

Jiang Qiuye tutted and shook her head. What she hated most was people who begged for mercy like this before dying. Tears and snot flowed into her mouth, her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was messy, and she looked as dirty and ugly as a beggar.

…

Princess Duan of Prince Liang successfully found Ji Ci in the main tent. He had just finished hunting and dismounted.

When Duan told him that Princess Qi had mistakenly entered Donglin and might be in danger, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy pool, freezing cold.

Without having time to inform Tian Qu, Ji Ci jumped on the horse again, squeezed the horse's belly hard, and went straight into the mountains, leaving only a little dust in the air on the ground.

He rode very fast, the wind blew against his cheeks, and he felt extremely panicked.

Why would this foolish woman go to Donglin alone? What would he do if something happened to her?

The East Forest was small, and silence fell upon him once he entered. He grew increasingly uneasy. Had something happened to her? Was it too late?

"Ah——" a woman screamed from the distance.

Ji Ci trembled all over, murmured "Ye'er" softly, and went towards the voice.

But as he was about to get closer, he narrowed his eyes, quickly tightened the reins, and reined in the black horse. He dismounted somewhat stiffly and walked over lightly.

The trees here were huge, isolating him completely from the outside.

Besides the standing Jiang Qiuye, he also saw Zhao Wan'er sitting on the ground, with arrows in both legs. Jiang Qiuye raised his bow and arrow, aiming at Zhao Wan'er in a perfect posture, with a sweet smile still on his face, yet it was something he found extremely unfamiliar.

Zhao Wan'er's lips trembled in pain, her words slurred as she cried out, "Qiu Ziye, you can't kill me! I'm the Lady of Lou State. I have the Zhao family and all the forces in the south behind me. They won't let you go. And, and you don't want my forces to help Prince Qi anymore?"

Jiang Qiuye first tried to hold back her laughter, but after a moment, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. She held her stomach for a while before straightening up and said grimly, "Cousin Wan'er, what are you talking about?"

"What?"

"Cousin Wan'er, did you really believe me when I said I was willing to take you as my concubine? Do you think I care about your background and your connections to the southern powers? I don't care at all. Your words that day were truly touching, but I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I'm a selfish and vicious woman. I don't care about anything other than living a comfortable life."

"Even the empire, my country, and human life are nothing to me. You don't understand me at all, cousin Wan'er. I wanted to kill you last time in the palace. If Ji Kang hadn't stopped me, you would have died in the lotus pond in the palace."

She smiled, raised her arrow, and shot it casually. The arrow passed Zhao Wan'er's earlobe and hit the head of a snake a hundred steps away, pinning it to the tree.

Zhao Wan'er screamed again, covering her bleeding ear and turning to look at the dead snake, her heart filled with shock. "Your archery skills?"

This woman's archery skills were so formidable that mine seemed like a child's toy by comparison. Zhao Wan'er turned back to look at her. She had definitely killed more than one person! There was no trace of murder in her eyes, no nervousness, no panic. Although she was smiling, she didn't seem happy at all.

Who is she?

"Qiu Ziye! Aren't you afraid that King Qi will know your true identity?"

"How could he know? This is Donglin. Cousin Wan'er accidentally entered Donglin and fought a tiger. It was truly unexpected that she managed to kill the tiger all by herself. But unfortunately, the tiger was so ferocious that it still bit her to death."

Jiang Qiuye's words made Zhao Wan'er tremble like a sieve. She shook her head and whispered, "No, no."

"Cousin, the game between us is finally over."

After saying this, Jiang Qiuye raised the bow again, aimed at Zhao Wan'er's eyebrows, and pulled the bow to its full length.

"Goodbye, cousin."

With a smile on her face and a relaxed hand, she shot the arrow out. At the same time, from the side of the forest, another arrow came as fast as lightning and broke the arrow shot by Jiang Qiuye.

Jiang Qiuye was suddenly shocked. She slowly turned her head to look in the direction where the arrow was shot. Her pupils contracted instantly, her fingers trembled, and her body felt cold. She didn't know when he stood there.

The wound on her back, which had not been very painful before, seemed to be torn apart again, tearing her into two pieces.

"Husband, husband..."