Chapter 15 It wasn't yet midsummer, and the leaves in the woods...
Before the height of summer, the air was still quite cool thanks to the shade provided by the trees and foliage.
The dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, occasionally dappling Xie Baoqiong's face. The pleasant temperature and the swaying of the horse's back made him feel sleepy for the first time, and he yawned listlessly.
Xie Rongjing behind him seemed to have no intention of hunting. He held the reins with one hand and the bow with the other, controlling the foal beneath him to walk slowly through the forest.
As the horse stepped into the shade of the trees, he looked back and saw Xie Rongjing with a relaxed expression, seemingly planning to ride horses all day.
"Brother, aren't you going hunting?"
As the horse swayed, Xie Baoqiong's hair, which bounced back from her forehead, brushed against Xie Rongjing's chin.
Xie Rongjing reined in the horse, bringing it to a stop under the shade of a tree. He casually tidied Xie Baoqiong's hair, noticing his younger brother's sleepy expression, and said gently, "Is Qiong'er bored?"
Xie Baoqiong nodded, twirling her fingers around the horse's mane: "Brother didn't hunt any prey, won't others laugh at you?"
That's how it's written in storybooks: an ordinary-looking protagonist shines brightly during the spring search, attracting a lot of attention. Thinking of this, he glanced at Xie Rongjing again, even though the latter was anything but ordinary.
As he finished speaking, Xie Rongjing suddenly chuckled, "Is this what Qiong'er is worried about?"
Xie Rongjing forced a smile, straightened his expression, and said with a hint of youthful pride, "What would Qiong'er like to eat tonight? Brother will hunt for Qiong'er."
"A rabbit." The first thing that came to mind was the wild rabbit that Su Xiaochun had once caught, and he answered casually.
Xie Rongjing smiled and agreed, and the two chatted and laughed as they prepared to ride away.
A white object fluttered down from the treetop overhead.
Xie Rongjing reacted quickly, protecting his head and pulling him back into her arms.
A white object brushed past Xie Rongjing's hand and was caught by Xie Baoqiong's raised hand.
"Qiong'er, were you hit?" Xie Rongjing's voice was filled with anxiety as he hurriedly looked at the falling object.
“Brother, it’s a duck.” Xie Baoqiong picked up the object he had received; a white creature with its eyes closed lay in his palm.
Bright red blood, like the filling of a boiled glutinous rice ball, seeped from that small body, soaking the white feathers.
Xie Rongjing's gaze swept over the gray downy feathers that hadn't completely faded from the white creature, his brows furrowing as he corrected him:
"This is a young snow goose. Pregnant and young animals are not hunted during the spring search, so it must have been accidentally injured."
As they spoke, the baby bird in their hands opened its eyes tremblingly, let out a few weak cries at the two of them, and flapped its wings, trying to take off.
Xie Baoqiong clenched her fists, her eyes clear and unwavering, her dark pupils as unyielding as a mountain: "Should we save it?"
Xie Rongjing, who was behind him, could not see his expression, and replied, "Since we've encountered it, it's not destined to die. It's perfect to keep it in the manor to keep Qiong'er company."
Having said that, Xie Rongjing took the reins, turned the horse around, and headed out of the woods.
—
While Xie Rongjing went outside the tent to instruct the servant to fetch medicine for her injuries, Xie Baoqiong propped her head up and leaned over the table to observe the little white bird that almost blended into the white brocade handkerchief.
The little white bird that used to flutter its wings in the forest is now only a slightly undulating body, proving that it is still alive.
Xie Baoqiong looked up at the direction outside the tent, half-closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. He then reached out and touched the little white bird's head with his finger. Strands of spiritual energy flowed through his finger and into the body that was gradually losing its vitality.
In no time, he withdrew his finger, and the little white bird curled up on the handkerchief opened its glass-like eyes and stared straight at him.
At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and Xie Rongjing moved to the table. He caught sight of the little white bird that was still perched on the handkerchief after waking up, and exclaimed in surprise:
"This bird is quite intelligent; it stopped flying after realizing it was being rescued."
As Xie Rongjing said, when the wounds of the little white bird were bandaged, it did not struggle. It only flapped its wings in pain when the medicine came into contact with the wound.
His gaze followed Xie Baoqiong's every move.
After bandaging the wound, Xie Rongjing washed his hands and said with a smile, "It seems to like you. Qiong'er, would you like to continue riding horses or stay here with the little bird?"
Xie Baoqiong didn't want to experience being rocked to sleep on horseback again, so she politely declined Xie Rongjing's invitation: "I want to stay here."
"Then Qiong'er, stay here obediently and wait to eat rabbit tonight." Before leaving, Xie Rongjing was still worried and repeatedly instructed, "Father will be here in a while. If you need anything, tell the servant outside the tent not to run around."
He nodded vigorously, secretly making plans in his mind:
Xie Zhuo won't be back for a while. Sanqi and Sixi didn't come with him this time. With many aristocratic families coming for this spring search, isn't this a good opportunity for him to gather information?
He warmly bid farewell to Xie Rongjing, and saw his figure on horseback turn into a small black dot in the distance. Just as he was about to leave, the little white bird on the table let out its first cry since arriving at the camp.
"Chirp".
He was momentarily drawn to the view and turned back to the table. The little white bird, seeing him looking over, stopped making a sound and just tilted its head to stare at him.
The demon and the bird stared at each other for a moment, and finally Xie Baoqiong picked up the bird and placed it on her head, not forgetting to say, "You mustn't make any noise later."
The little white bird perched in her hair like an exquisite decoration, not particularly eye-catching. Xie Baoqiong confidently went out with the bird in her hair.
As soon as he stepped outside the tent, he heard the servant guarding him ask, "Young master, what are your orders?"
"It's nothing." Xie Baoqiong waved her hand and walked out, but suddenly stopped: "Do you know where everyone else is besides the hunter?"
The servant assumed he was bored in the tent and replied, "Some of the younger young masters and ladies are having a banquet to the west. Would you like me to take you there?" As he spoke, the servant pointed in a direction.
"No need to follow me, I'll go by myself." Xie Baoqiong left these words and walked in the direction the servant pointed.
After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, I saw a group of people gathered together.
He touched the little white bird on his head and quietly blended into one of the groups of people.
He didn't pick this group of people randomly; rather, he vaguely heard them mention names related to Xie Zhuo in their conversation.
The conversation didn't stop because of the extra person. Only the person next to him looked at him, clearly startled, but still pretended to be calm and said, "Whose family are you? I've never seen you before."
"I haven't been in Yanjing for long," Xie Baoqiong explained vaguely.
Meng Rui immediately understood and said, "Oh, your father is a newly appointed head of the Ministry of Rites."
Being given a random identity saved Xie Baoqiong the trouble of fabricating one out of thin air, so she naturally had no complaints.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd called out Meng Rui's name, but Meng Rui didn't have time to ask him his name.
"Hey, Meng Rui, your mother and Princess Huayang weren't close friends before, so do you know who that person who was recently brought back to the Yongshun Marquis's residence is?"
This time, not only Meng Rui's attention was drawn, but Xie Baoqiong's attention was also drawn.
"Ah, when did this happen?" another person asked.
"So much time has passed, and you still don't know! Meng Rui, do you even know anything at all?"
“I don’t know either.” Meng Rui shook his head. “After Princess Huayang left, my mother lost contact with the Yongshun Marquis’s mansion.”
"Haven't you heard? That person has also been brought in for this spring search. We'll find out when we meet them."
The topic was temporarily set aside, and everyone started chatting about other things. Only Xie Baoqiong glanced at Meng Rui without leaving a trace, trying to find out about Princess Huayang's past. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar figure.
A group of people dressed in official robes passed by not far away, and the person in the lead could only be Xie Zhuo.
Xie Baoqiong pursed her lips, noted down Meng Rui's name, and quietly retreated while the people around her were not paying attention to him.
Intrigued by the conversation, Meng Rui raised his elbow and asked, "Isn't Lord Xie your father's superior? Have you heard anything about the inside story?"
When Meng Rui stretched his elbow to the side, he poked at empty air. He turned his head and saw that there was no one there: "Hey! Where did everyone go?"
"Who is it? Meng Rui, what nonsense are you spouting?" Another person slapped Meng Rui on the back, startling him. The scene of Xie Baoqiong's appearance flashed through his mind, and he swallowed hard, saying:
“The young master of the Ministry of Rites who was just standing here is about the same age as you and me.”
The other person's eyes turned strange. "Isn't the head of the Ministry of Rites just one son? He's much older than us."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze happened to blow by, and Meng Rui broke out in a cold sweat.
...
Unaware that she had frightened Meng Rui again, Xie Baoqiong was avoiding Xie Zhuo's figure and hiding behind the tent that had been set up.
The grassland was not as lush as the forest, and at this moment, the only thing that could conceal him was the camp not far away.
Seeing that Xie Zhuo was about to circle around to the front of him, Xie Baoqiong gritted his teeth, made a hand seal, and hid inside the tent.
This technique can only conceal his aura, not his physical form. As long as the mortals inside the tent don't pay attention to the location of the doorway, they won't find him so easily...
"Where did this brat come from?" a gloomy voice rang out as he entered the tent.
His steps froze on the spot. If he had known he would be discovered as soon as he entered, he would have preferred to stay outside the tent and be led back by Xie Zhuo.
She slightly raised her eyes, only to be met with a pair of inhuman vertical pupils.
The eyes looked strangely familiar, and just as he was trying to figure out where he had seen them before, a familiar aura rushed towards him.
The man sat sideways on the chaise longue in the inner room, propping his chin up with one hand, his gaze sweeping over him with interest. Beneath his floor-length robes, the curves of his legs, unlike those of a human, were faintly visible.
"Which sect are you a disciple of?"
He cautiously stepped back, but upon hearing Akamatsu's question, he breathed a sigh of relief and stopped in his tracks.
"Sir, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am not a cultivator. I came here with my elders and mistakenly entered the camp. Please forgive me, sir. I will leave immediately."
Judging that Xie Zhuo had already left and that he wouldn't run into him outside, he apologized and turned to leave.
Suddenly, everything went blurry before his eyes, and a chilling aura approached from behind.
When the surroundings became clear again, he was already in front of the chaise lounge.
A note from the author:
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Jinjiang's image storage space is so expensive, I really don't have enough Moonstones QAQ
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