Chapter 48
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, Anian was picked up from bed by Yue Mingming and accompanied her to hunt pheasants in the mountains.
Anian rubbed his sleepy eyes, feeling extremely unhappy, but said nothing.
He was deeply moved by Yue Mingming's return, but since he resumed his boyhood, he became increasingly silent and taciturn, even showing some of the reserve of a teenager.
Yue Mingming still found different ways to tease him every day. He would still laugh and get angry, but all his emotions seemed to be covered with a thin layer of fog, and even he himself felt disappointed.
He will always remember what Zhao Congyun said.
Through a few words, he vaguely guessed his own identity, why his aunt died, and even had a premonition that what Zhao Congyun was planning was related to him... As a result, the young man's thoughts, which were already sensitive, became even deeper and deeper.
But he still coveted Yue Mingming's existence.
He had observed carefully that as long as she was there, everyone could secretly breathe a sigh of relief even at the border where conditions were so harsh, especially Zhao Congyun, who had a cold face all day long.
After the massacre at the post station, the entire team lost more than half its members, and Uncle Dong spent many days finding the two missing men. Zhao Congyun was so seriously injured that he needed half a month to recuperate before the team could set out again. This delay meant that by the time they reached the border, it was almost Lunar New Year.
Since arriving here, Zhao Congyun has almost never smiled.
Anian could understand Zhao Congyun very well. The only person who could smile in such a place where people were short of food and clothing and suffered from indifference... was probably Yue Mingming!
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you thinking about? You're hitting a tree!"
His thoughts were interrupted, and Anian suddenly stopped and looked up, only to find that there was no tree in front of him, not even a blade of grass.
Yue Mingming had a smirk on his face: "I'm just teasing you!"
She took his hand and waded through the knee-deep snow, cursing, "Look at you, you're so small, not even as tall as the stick in my hand, and you're always so bitter and resentful? Don't worry, even if the sky falls, the prince and Uncle Dong will hold it up. Just eat, drink, and have fun, and don't think about anything else!"
Ah Nian secretly complained, if he could eat and drink well, why would he go out hunting in such cold weather?
Yue Mingming turned his head and looked at him: "Why, you're not convinced? Do you think it's hard to follow me?"
"No." Ah Nian lied sullenly, "I'm just thinking about what to eat for dinner."
Yue Mingming said happily, "I heard that in addition to pheasants and rabbits, you can even run into wild boars in these mountains if you're lucky! If I really run into one, we'll have enough meat for a month! At the very least, I have to bring back two chickens today. One for Uncle Dong to braise, and the other to exchange for wine... How can we celebrate the New Year without drinking?"
At this point, Yue Mingming suddenly stopped and asked: "A Nian, have you ever had a drink?"
Ah Nian shook his head, and Yue Mingming blinked: "I'll let you have a taste tonight!"
Who in their right mind would give alcohol to a child?!
Anian was speechless, but his heart was burning with anticipation. Yue Mingming saw it and curled up the corners of his mouth slightly. The two of them joked with each other like this. Although the wind was biting and the mountain road was difficult, they enjoyed it.
Entering a deeper snow pit, where the trees and grass became increasingly dense, Yue Mingming thought for a moment and made up her mind: "This is it!" She placed An Nian aside, drew her bow and arrow, and squatted in the leeward place, ready for battle.
Ah Nian finally couldn't help but ask: "When did you learn to shoot arrows and hunt?"
Zhao Congyun did not hide it, so Anian knew that Jiang Huan was killed by the mute, and Yue Mingming shot him to death at the post station.
She avenged her aunt, and Anian could never forget this favor.
"I just... picked up a secret book." Yue Mingming made up a story without thinking. While speaking, his hand was firmly on the bow, and his eyes were fixed on the front without blinking.
As soon as she finished speaking, the arrow flew out with a "whoosh" sound, and a gray shadow fell among the bushes in the distance.
"Oh! I got it!" Anian was surprised and happy.
Yue Mingming, seeing him happy for the first time, tugged at his ears and treated the future emperor like a retriever: "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Go get it!"
Anian ran over excitedly, but didn't come back for a long time.
"...Anian?" Yue Mingming called out, but no one answered. She vigilantly drew her bow and arrow, and quietly moved over. She saw three masked men squatting in a snow cave, holding long knives across Anian's thin neck. Anian was holding the shot pheasant in his arms, refusing to let go.
Yue Mingming's heart nearly jumped out of his chest: "Put down the knife! Otherwise I won't be polite!"
When the other party saw the bow and arrow in Yue Mingming's hand and thought of the sharp arrow technique that had just shot the pheasant, fear appeared in his eyes and he moved his long knife forward another half inch: "Wife, if you don't want your child to die, give the chicken to us!"
……etc?
They're talking about...chicken?
Isn’t he the killer sent by Lord Fan?
Yue Mingming was stunned for a moment: "Are you sure... you only want chicken?"
The leading man said arrogantly, "What do you think of us brothers? Just hand over the chicken, and I promise I will never harm you or the child's life!"
Yue Mingming had never seen such a righteous robbery before, and she really wanted to complain, but Anian was still in their hands, so she didn't dare to be careless.
"A man of his word is a man of his word! Ah Nian, give them the chicken!"
Ah Nian didn't move: "Give it to them, what will we eat tonight?"
"..." Yue Mingming almost fainted: "Give it to them, I can catch more!"
Ah Nian stubbornly said, "I just heard them say that there's very little prey in this area. They've been hiding for several days before they saw this one pheasant... What if there's nothing left?"
Several people looked at each other, and palely defended themselves: "We...we were just joking!"
Yue Mingming rolled her eyes. She finally understood that these people were not vicious criminals at all. They must have had their reasons for coming to this point.
Thinking of this, she put away her bow and arrow and walked forward carelessly, only to find that it was only the back of the knife that was against Anian.
She pulled the chicken out of An Nian's arms and handed it over. The leading man happily reached out to take it, but then heard An Nian say coldly, "A few grown men, just to grab a chicken... How shameless!"
The man's hand paused.
Yue Mingming glared at Ah Nian, and seeing that he was still insisting on his actions, he cursed, "You're considered a man... You're still fussing over a chicken, how dare you criticize others?"
Ah Nian was choked to the point of silence, his lips pursed into a line as he glared at the three men fiercely. One of them suddenly threw his knife to the ground, clutching his head and wailing, "If there was still a way to survive, who would want to come to this desolate mountain to beg... Father and Mother, I've brought shame upon you. I've let down the Huo family's ancestors..."
The other two looked sad and at a loss.
"You guys go now." The leading man bent down to pick up his companion's knife and waved at Yue Mingming: "That kid is right. Even if we are useless, we shouldn't steal your things."
Yue Mingming asked, "I know you're not bad people. Tell me the truth, what's your motivation?"
The man sighed, "If the food hadn't been delivered so late, and if Brother Huo hadn't had a pregnant sister-in-law at home... we wouldn't have had to..."
Yue Mingming was silent. She had witnessed the hardship of life at the border these days. Zhao Congyun's mansion had no surplus food, let alone these ordinary people.
She turned to look at Anian, whose ears were red. He lowered his head and walked over to the man, handing him the chicken. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You guys take it."
Yue Mingming interjected, "One chicken is not enough... You are familiar with the conditions in the mountains, why don't you come with me and hunt more prey!"
The three of them looked at each other. The man in the lead pulled off his mask, revealing his dark red face. "To be honest, my name is Zhang Duo, and I'm a small captain in the border defense battalion. Since my lady doesn't mind, we're willing to go with you and give it a try!"
The other two also revealed their true identities. The young and reckless one was called Shi Cheng, and the one with a pregnant woman at home was called Huo Lianying. Both were soldiers from the guard battalion.
Yue Mingming also briefly introduced herself. She didn't dare mention her relationship with Zhao Congyun. It happened that many disaster victims had moved into the city recently, and everyone just thought that she and Anian were one of them. They even secretly felt that it was not easy for a woman to raise a child alone, and felt more and more ashamed.
With more people, they felt more confident and headed deep into the mountains. Unfortunately, there was almost no prey along the way, and apart from the pheasant, they didn't get anything else.
The snow was getting deeper and deeper, and the road was becoming more difficult to walk on. Anian was small and was almost buried, so the three men took turns carrying him forward. Yue Mingming saw this and felt warm in his heart. Anian was even more ashamed.
Just as everyone was hesitating whether to continue, a rustling sound came from the bushes in front. Yue Mingming immediately tensed his body, put an arrow in his right hand, held his breath and waited silently.
Is it a rabbit? A pheasant? Or a fox?
The noise grew louder and louder, followed by a strong fishy smell.
"No! Be careful! It's a wild boar!" Zhang Duo shouted. As he shouted, a huge black-maned wild boar rushed out, with sharp fangs bared in front, and rushed towards the crowd at an extremely fast speed.
Yue Mingming's arrow flew out like a meteor, and his body flashed. The others also avoided it. His heartbeat quickened, and the excitement of hunting surged in his eyes.
Unexpectedly, they were so lucky that they actually ran into a wild boar!
"Please take good care of Anian for me!" Yue Mingming called out while shooting several arrows in succession.
The three of them said "Okay". Shi Cheng carried An Nian on his back to find a safe place, while the other two held long swords and surrounded Yue Mingming.
The wild boar shook its head. The arrows that had just been embedded in its flesh had obviously injured it, but not fatally. This made it both cautious and angry.
What these people don’t know is that a mad wild boar is more dangerous than a tiger!
The boar pawed its hind legs a few times and charged again, this time heading straight for Yue Mingming. Yue Mingming dodged by rolling sideways, its tusks scraping against her skirt, leaving a long gash. But she also released her arrow, this time aiming for the beast's right eye.
Hit! Blood flows!
The wild boar howled, shaking the whole area. It turned around in anger and rushed forward again. Zhang Duo and Huo Lianying chopped down with their swords, but they couldn't stop the wild boar's speed at all. Instead, they were knocked down in the snow. Yue Mingming wanted to draw his arrow and aim again, but it was too late. In this half-second of hesitation, the wild boar's ferocious face was close at hand!
Yue Mingming felt a chill in his heart.
No way... Family feuds, power struggles, and assassinations all failed to kill her, but now she's going to be killed by a wild boar?
She can't afford to lose face like this!
At the critical moment, a spear flew from behind with the force of wind and thunder, accurately piercing the wild boar's throat and nailing the huge body to the snow.
The wild boar twitched a few times before finally stopping. Yue Mingming was so frightened that she took a long time to recover. When she came to her senses, she found three soldiers standing directly behind her, kneeling down with a plop.
“…Meet the Young Marshal!”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
