Chapter 17

"Did you bring me back yesterday, brother?" Murong Yue asked.

Lu Xuejin: "It's too late, I didn't go to wake Tengluo. How did Your Highness sleep?"

Ziyan ladled out a bowl of hangover soup and placed it in front of Murong Yue. Murong Yue rubbed his temples and replied, "I slept very well... Thank you, Brother Changyou."

"Are you going to the hunting grounds today, brother?" Murong Yue asked, glancing down at the hangover soup he had prepared for him.

Murong Yue picked up the hangover soup and took a small sip. The cool sensation went straight to his lungs, dispelling all the lingering unease from the previous day. The dream he had the day before floated back in fragments; someone had brought him back… undoubtedly, it was Lu Xuejin.

Lu Xuejin: "I'm not going to the hunting grounds. I might go with the Si Ming Association to release the animals. If Your Highness goes, please return early. The forests of this hunting grounds connect to the deep mountains outside the city. Did Your Highness hear the roars of tigers and other strange beasts yesterday?"

The young man's gentle voice reached his ears. He watched the two lips open and close, his gaze falling on the young man's earlobe. Fragments of memories flashed through his mind, and his heart pounded painfully in his chest.

"I didn't hear it, I slept too soundly yesterday. But don't worry, Changyou, I'll be with my classmates and come back after the ceremony."

His heart was beating violently inexplicably in his chest, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"...What's wrong?" Lu Xuejin noticed his strange expression and leaned over to touch his forehead. "Headache?"

A cool touch landed on his skin, brushing past his temples. He looked up at the young man's fingertips; the young man's bones were slender, his fingers long and thin, resting on his forehead like a cool lotus leaf. The burning heat that had been ignited by the alcohol vanished completely.

Murong Yue: "It's nothing, Brother Changyou. I had a dream the day before, but I can't remember it now."

"I've never drunk strong liquor before, nor have I ever been drunk in public. Brother Changyou... did I offend you when I was drunk?" he asked. His uncle had given him sake a few times before, saying that he often caused trouble when he was drunk, but he still didn't know if it was true.

Upon hearing this, the young man's brown eyes flickered slightly, but his handsome face remained unchanged. His gaze reflected the man's expression, and he quickly regained his composure.

“Hmm…it’s not exactly offensive,” Lu Xuejin said. “It’s just that Your Highness thinks you’ve turned into a kitten and is being a little clingy.”

Murong Yue was taken aback by the first half of Lu Xuejin's words, but the second half made him pause slightly, almost thinking he had misheard.

His gaze fell on the dried fish on the table, and he met the faint smile in the young man's eyes. The young man was fair-skinned and otherworldly, his bright eyes crinkling, as clear and piercing as snowflakes on the eaves. As he looked at the man, he felt a shadow grow in his heart, a shadow that stretched out and continued to spread toward the young man.

"Brother Changyou, are you kidding me?" he asked in a low voice, then said to the young man, "Unfortunately, I don't remember anything. If I get drunk next time, Brother Changyou, just leave me behind."

"Hmm?" Lu Xuejin asked, slightly puzzled.

He lowered his eyes, remembering his uncle saying that he would not sleep well after drinking sake. He saw Lu Xuejin's thin wrist and thought that he could probably crush it with a little force.

"Back in the army, my uncle always said I was a bad drinker. I was worried... that I might accidentally hurt my brother."

He touched the young man's wrist, gently stroking his knuckles, his heart pounding for some reason. He looked up and spoke his heart, "In my eyes, Brother Changyou... is as fragile as a beautiful jade."

The air fell silent as Lu Xuejin's fingers were suddenly gripped, causing him to pause slightly.

Such frivolous words, yet the Ninth Prince uttered them with utmost seriousness. The young man's handsome face was earnest, his gaze scrutinizing him as if trying to penetrate him completely. The young man grasped his fingers, and the image of the young man in his arms the day before flashed through his mind. The sensation of their skin touching swept through his heart, causing it to stop for a moment.

While marveling at how attractive the young man was, he also harbored some wicked thoughts.

Lu Xuejin let the young man touch his finger bones and asked, "Your Highness said I am like a beautiful jade... Then I must ask Your Highness, between me and a beautiful jade, who is more pleasing to Your Highness?"

Her smile was pure and ethereal, yet deeply enigmatic.

"Your Highness... Your Highness?"

Tengluo looked at him and waved her hand in front of Murong Yue's face. She turned her eyes; the Ninth Prince's soul had been adrift for quite some time. How could he have become like this after returning from the young master's place, so dizzy and lightheaded?

“Your Highness, please take your time. I’ll go ahead first. If Your Highness is late, I can find a reason for you to speak to the Grand Tutor,” Tengluo said.

Murong Yue snapped out of his daze, and the young man's face flashed before his eyes. His slightly smiling expression was handsome and captivating, silently stirring his heartstrings and making him distracted.

"..." He didn't answer Lu Xuejin's question. He just kept remembering that person's smile and voice, which lingered for a long time.

Tengluo went ahead first. On the hunting grounds side, Xue Yi led his officials in the central half, while the disciples of Zhizhang Hall were led by the Grand Tutor in the outer half.

When everyone had arrived, Grand Tutor Zhao, his eyelids drooping, rubbed his prayer beads behind his back. For a scholar like him, coming to the hunting grounds was nothing more than going through the motions. But these children were different from him; they all looked on with excitement.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's get down to business," Grand Tutor Zhao said unhurriedly. "Don't go to the central hunting grounds, lest you disturb His Majesty's enjoyment. You'll work in groups of three, and each of you must hunt three animals to complete the task. I'll wait here. After you've handed over your game, you can come back to me to recite the book you didn't finish memorizing last time."

Grand Tutor Zhao said casually, "You may leave only after you have finished reciting the text."

The boys and girls were extremely excited after listening to the first half, but they all became listless after listening to the second half.

“Grand Tutor, we’ve finally managed to get out today, why do we still have to recite texts? Has His Majesty stipulated that we must bring books to the hunting grounds?” one of the students said.

"Indeed, Grand Tutor, how about we memorize the book when we get back?"

Grand Tutor Zhao shook his head. “No. This was originally His Majesty’s grace that allowed you to come and receive the blessing of the Hunting God. You must not forget your original mission.”

A chorus of sighs erupted from below.

The young men and women packed up their crossbows and left. They were all born into wealthy families and had received the Six Arts and rites of etiquette. Originally dejected, they were quickly captivated by the scenery of the woods after entering, and forgot the Grand Tutor's instructions.

As spring arrives in March, the red plum blossoms have faded, and the peach blossoms slowly begin to bloom. The shadows of the trees sway gently, and the willow branches peek out a hint of spring green.

Murong Yue was accompanied by a young man and a young woman. The young man was Xiao Shen, the younger brother of General Xiao Qi. The young woman was Yue Lanxin, the daughter of Prince Bingliang.

These two were extremely low-profile within the academy, with very little presence. As far as he knew, Xiao Qi was as famous as Song Zhao, had distinguished herself in battle during the late emperor's reign, and later resolutely switched sides to Xue Yi. As for Prince Bingliang, his family had served three emperors and had repeatedly protected themselves during political upheavals.

Murong Yue led a chestnut pony; the Grand Tutor had chosen only gentle and fine steeds for them. He stroked the pony's mane, and the horse nuzzled against his palm in return.

The three of them remained silent the whole way. A rustling sound came from the bushes, and Xiao Shen was the first to stop.

"A rabbit?" Xiao Shen raised his crossbow and aimed it at the bushes from which the noise came.

Yue Lanxin: "Perhaps. You'll know once you hit the target."

As he spoke, Xiao Shen's long arrow flew out from his hand. With a "whoosh," the arrow flew into the tree stump, scaring away the wild rabbit in the grass.

Seeing this, Yue Lanxin fired an arrow in the direction the rabbit had fled, nearly hitting its tail; a few snow-white feathers stuck to the arrow's wing.

Xiao Shen: "It's a bit lacking."

As soon as they finished speaking, a cunning rabbit was about to slip into its burrow. A long arrow shot out from behind them, its fletching vibrating in the air and producing a sharp, resonant sound.

The arrow's fletching grazed Murong Yue's cheek. Murong Yue's eyelids opened, his dark eyes fixed intently. The arrow fell to the ground a short distance away. The straight arrowhead pierced through a hare and two smaller hares, blood pooling on the ground. Three prey lay before them.

Xiao Shen and Yue Lanxin both stopped and looked at the boy behind them. The boy was still leading the horse, his longbow was put away, and he walked past them straight into the woods.

Murong Yue led his horse away. Back in the military camp, he had always favored the halberd, but his true skill lay in mounted archery. He looked up at the sky; through the trees, a net-like pattern stretched across the horizon, and owls darted through it, their wings outstretched.

He kept a close eye on the snowy owl's flight path, as the snowy owl could only be seen in the north, which was not common in Lidu.

With a "whoosh," the bowstring in his hand tightened, and the long arrow flew out, drawing a straight line through the forest.

A dull thud echoed through the air as the snowy owl cried out in pain, then could no longer flap its wings and plummeted from the trees to Murong Yue's feet.

Murong Yue saw the blood all over the ground, his dark eyes grew even darker, his fan-shaped eyelids drooped, and when he saw the bloodstains on the dead creature's feathers, a faint emotion surged in his chest.

He put the snowy owl into the trap, and then shot a long-eared owl, a black-winged kite, a black kite, and a goshawk.

When the trap was full, he looked at the empty birds staring at him and suddenly remembered the young man's words.

That person is kind-hearted and wouldn't kill animals indiscriminately; perhaps he would go to a release ceremony. Previously, he thought such behavior was pretentious and scoffed at it.

Now, recalling the young man's face and figure, a strange emotion wells up within me. If I were to bring back a considerable amount of prey, it might cause that man to frown and worry.

Thinking this, Murong Yue picked out two lightly injured long-eared owls from the trap and casually tossed them back into the bushes. He considered this a release; whether the remaining two birds survived was up to fate.

The forest beside him was eerily quiet. He looked up and realized he had unknowingly wandered deep into the woods. The shadows of the trees swirled and rustled on either side, and the chirping of insects had fallen silent.

"Your Majesty, if we go any further, we may be entering the territory of ferocious beasts," Song Zhao warned.

"I haven't seen a single wild animal," Xue Yi said dismissively. "Not seeing any... makes the hunting grounds rather dull."

The shadows of the trees rustled, and Xue Yi suddenly stopped. Song Zhao followed Xue Yi's gaze.

The hunting grounds were utterly silent, save for the rustling of the wind and the cries of cranes. In the distance, a horse let out an uneasy whimper, and suddenly a deep tiger's roar echoed through the woods.

A flash of black and white tiger stripes streaked across the trees. The tiger's roar was deep and powerful, its imposing presence causing the wild beasts in the forest to scatter in panic. Less than a hundred meters from the white tiger, Murong Yue stood still, leading his foal and gently stroking its mane to calm the horse down.

The boy slightly turned his head, staring at the white tiger. Its pupils were dark with excitement, and its brows and eyes revealed a dark and gloomy aura, thick as ink rain, its imposing presence no less than that of a tiger in the mountains. This was completely opposite to its obsequious demeanor in front of others.

Xue Yi stopped and narrowed his eyes slightly.

A note from the author: