Chapter 18

A white tiger…that’s a rare and exotic beast. In Lidu, most places are infested with venomous snakes; tigers are a rarity. If my uncle knew, he would surely regret not coming to Lidu with him.

"Don't be afraid," Murong Yue whispered to the horse, gently stroking its mane with his palm. A hint of a smile played in his eyes, reflecting the horse's fearful pupils.

"You'll see soon enough, I never show off in front of others." Murong Yue laughed, his sharp teeth barely visible on his lips, his smile barely contained. He watched the tiger pouncing on him in the distance, his heart pounding in his chest. It was his body's warning of impending danger.

Take a good look and see what real hunting is.

The white tiger, nearly two meters long, revealed its ferocious face in mere seconds, almost the instant Murong Yue had grasped the reins. A roar followed, and the white tiger's fangs were aimed at his neck as it lunged towards him. If caught, it might bite his neck off on the spot.

"Your Majesty," Song Zhao couldn't help but exclaim from the side.

"What?" Xue Yi watched quietly, and seeing the boy about to be mauled to death by the tiger not far away, he glanced sideways slightly. "You think he doesn't have the ability to deal with it?"

"I do hope so. However, judging from his demeanor just now, he didn't seem to be faking it. So it seems... I was the one who was outmaneuvered by him."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive tree nearby was pounced down by the white tiger. The tiger's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, and remnants of an unknown animal lingered in its open mouth. Heavy claw marks snapped the tree roots, and the entire tree collapsed. Murong Yue rolled to the side as it fell.

He tossed aside the long arrow in his hand, the sharp dagger flashing silver on the ground. His cheek was scratched by the tiger's claws, and several streaks of blood flowed down his face. Seeing the blood, the white tiger became even more excited, opening its jaws and pouncing on him.

It was incredibly fast, so fast that if one were to react at the speed of the naked eye, he might be dismembered.

With a "thud," the dagger pierced the white tiger's right eye the instant it pounced on him, and scalding blood gushed out. The tiger's paw then landed on his shoulder, the sharp armor piercing his shoulder blade, and fine blood flowed down his clothes.

A furious roar erupted, and the white tiger's breath landed near his head, nearly crushing his skull. The closer the danger, the calmer he became. He listened intently to his own heartbeat, and a dagger flashed from his hand. His pupils focused on the white tiger's face; its movements slowed to a crawl until every frame was clearly visible.

Fresh blood gushed out, with only about a second to react.

All he could see before him was a vast expanse of red and black. The red was the blood flowing from the white tiger's right eye, staining the sky crimson. The black was the black of the beast's face, from the white tiger's pupils to its sharp teeth, to its high-raised tail, and its distinctly black and white hide.

"Thump—" My heartbeat slowed down.

The white tiger's sharp teeth touched his neck, and just as blood was about to gush out, he abruptly reversed the direction of the dagger in his hand, slicing deeply down the tiger's skin. The hide was brutally torn open, and the dagger instantly pierced the white tiger's heart. All the strength was drained from the white tiger's body; its eyes widened and it twitched for a moment before collapsing in despair.

The shadows of the trees rustled past, reflecting half of the blood-red sky. A long gust of wind blew in their faces, and Murong Yue and the white tiger fell together. His breath was chaotic and intense. Because he was stained with the blood of the beast, his whole body seemed to be burning with fire, growing vividly from the blood.

The dagger was still stuck in Baihu's chest, and the foal not far away was foaming at the mouth, its eyes filled with fear as it looked at the boy.

"..." The air fell silent, and Song Zhao remained silent beside him.

A profound silence permeated the surroundings, creating an atmosphere more terrifying than any ferocious beast, a solemn and deathly stillness.

“The old emperor hid him in the capital, presumably to let him learn something. Now it seems he has indeed learned quite a bit,” Xue Yi squinted and looked at the sky not far away. “Song Zhao, look at the sky, it’s going to rain.”

He stood tall, his pupils stained with layers of blood, silently reflecting the boy not far away.

"I was originally in the military camp. Although I am not as good as Xiao Qi in the Six Arts, my archery skills are not bad... By the way, you asked me earlier about how to deal with the matter of the three court officials. After thinking it over, I realized that if someone in the shadows has rebellious intentions, the only way out is for me to keep the rebellious son who was spared because of my soft heart."

Xue Yi picked up the black longbow. Made of black rhinoceros wood, its entire body gleamed with a dark hue, like a bow of death. He lowered his gaze to the distant boy, who, in his eyes, was no longer alive.

"It's just a pity... that we'll be going back stained with blood today."

A long, dark arrow pierced the air. The boy in the distance had just gotten up from the ground and tidied the white tiger's corpse. He paused, seemingly lost in thought, and wiped the blood from his body. The sound of an arrow flying through the air followed; exhausted from dealing with the white tiger, his reaction was ultimately too late.

In a split second, the sound of something shattering rang out in the air. The arrow had pierced the boy's heart, yet he remained seated, frozen in place.

Murong Yue heard the sound of the protective mirror shattering, and a long, black arrow pierced his chest, the pain shooting through him instantly. He hadn't even put down the tiger skin he was holding when he saw the man not far away.

Beneath the dark wood, Xue Yi's eyes were deep and unfathomable, his pale face hidden among the shadows. His entire body was jet black, like a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life, coldly staring at him. A chill instantly and silently emanated from him, as if he had been heavily slammed down by something invisible. A sudden, sharp pain tore open a gaping wound in his heart, dragging him down with a painful force.

They all saw it... Xue Yi wanted to kill him to silence him.

A surge of crimson blood welled up in Murong Yue's throat. He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with ghostly fire. The flames seemed poised to incinerate the person nearby. Covered in blood, his breathing became rapid, and he lay on the ground, dizzy. If he were to die here, he would drag Xue Yi down with him.

Changyou... Brother Changyou.

The image of the young man flashed through his mind. It was as if he had returned to that snowy day when he first met him, the heavy snow falling on him, freezing him to the bone, making him almost see his own corpse. He stood outside the Golden Palace, the figure from his memory passing by him, people walking and stopping, quickly moving on.

"This is a beautiful scene, but there are some noises disturbing this beauty. What's that noise in the distance?"

"...Murong Yue?"

No... You can't.

He watched the young man walk away, getting further and further away from his sight. He wanted to grab him, but a surge of overwhelming emotions welled up in his chest, and he could no longer hold on. He vomited a mouthful of blood and then fainted.

The wind whistled.

"Shh—" "Shh—" "Shh—"

"Young Master, it's going to rain." Ziyan looked at the sky outside. It was sunny just a moment ago, but now dark clouds were pressing down in front of her, and a cool breeze was blowing, dispelling the warmth of early spring.

Lu Xuejin had just returned from the Si Ming Society. After listening to Ziyan's words, he glanced at the sky and wondered if it was the weather causing his right eye to twitch violently, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

"How is things going with Wei Ning?" he asked.

Ziyan: "Tengluo just sent a message that Lord Song is keeping a close eye on things, so this matter may not succeed. If we can't send it out this time, Miss Wei will think of another way later."

Lu Xuejin didn't listen. He stared at the dark clouds, feeling inexplicably anxious. He suddenly looked at Ziyan and asked, "Did Your Highness take an umbrella with you when you went out?"

This question stumped Ziyan. She replied, "Young master, this servant doesn't know either. Perhaps Tengluo knows."

"The people from Zhizhang Palace will be back soon. If you're worried, young master, you can go and see them," Ziyan said.

Lu Xuejin responded and opened an umbrella before leaving the tent. He soon spotted someone in the direction of the hunting grounds. He saw Zhao Taifu, who had returned early today. He did not see Murong Yue among the students.

"Grand Tutor Zhao, Ninth Prince... have you seen him?" Lu Xuejin asked.

Grand Tutor Zhao had noticed him long ago and originally intended to ask him some questions about the articles, but upon hearing him mention Murong Yue, he replied, "I saw him this morning. There were wild animals in the hunting grounds, and the students all returned on their own. I remember... he was in a group with Xiao Shen. Young Master Lu could go and ask Xiao Shen."

"I understand... Thank you." Lu Xuejin went to find Xiao Shen.

Xiao Shen: "He led a foal and walked away by himself. He went in the north direction, and we heard the roar of a beast just now. We've all returned... He's probably on his way back."

"Young Master, His Majesty's guards have arrived. His Majesty requests to see you," Ziyan reported to her young master after meeting the guards.

Lu Xuejin couldn't find Murong Yueren, and remembering that the boy had a headache that morning, she couldn't help but worry about whether he had encountered danger in the forest.

"Ziyan, prepare the horses."

"..." Ziyan paused for a moment, and seeing that Lu Xuejin's mind was no longer on this, she did not say anything to remind her.

"Yes," she replied, and hurried off to find horses.

"The Emperor's place..." Ziyan said, watching as Lu Xuejin led her horse into the hunting grounds. The young man's face was indifferent, his brown eyebrows rolled up, clear but unable to penetrate people's hearts.

She couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't said it aloud... The Emperor is jealous; the more the young master worries about the Ninth Prince, the more dangerous the Ninth Prince's situation becomes.

It started raining in Plum Garden.

Lu Xuejin walked through the shadowy path, raindrops brushing against his cheeks, wetting his hair and eyelashes. His eyes, dark as if washed clean, gazed heavily at the several paths leading in different directions to the hunting grounds. All the paths led north; he wondered which one Murong Yue had taken.

The horse seemed a little uneasy in the rain. He pulled hard on the reins with his long fingers, his eyes catching sight of two abandoned owls in the bushes, which followed the trail of blood.

The rain intensified, and the weather, uncooperative, quickly washed away the bloodstains.

As darkness fell, Lu Xuejin wandered around the vast hunting grounds for two hours. He was soaked to the bone, and although it was cold, it burned him. The torrential rain transformed into the raging fire that destroyed the Prime Minister's residence in his memory; he was caught in the flames, not knowing where to go.

"...Your Highness, Ninth Prince."

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rain hitting steel, and the silver mirror of the sun and moon reflected silver light from the grass.

He led the horse over.

Not far away, beneath the destroyed trees, the boy and the white tiger's beautiful corpse lay together.

A note from the author: