The Fourteenth Prince rode his horse through the forest, which was located behind the island. Because no one had ever set foot there, the trees grew exceptionally lush.
Every now and then, birds and beasts would dart out, and the Fourteenth Master would pretend to be very interested, drawing his bow and arrow and aiming at his prey without mercy. Before long, he had shot several pheasants and wild rabbits.
The men Zhu Wanqing sent to follow the Fourteenth Prince never dared to get too close, but followed him from a distance.
The Fourteenth Prince leisurely rode his horse through the forest, and before he knew it, it was noon. He had already wandered around the forest several times, but showed no sign of returning.
The woman, standing warily behind her companion, asked, "Should we inform the sect leader? Or go and ask the prince to return?"
His companion glanced around and whispered, "No need. The sect leader only told us to keep an eye on the prince. The prince hasn't shown any unusual behavior. Perhaps he's just been staying at Cangyue Tower for too long and wants to come out for a change of scenery."
The woman was somewhat anxious and said worriedly, "But the prince doesn't seem to want to go back. If something happens, it will be difficult for us to explain to the sect leader when we return!"
Another woman hiding behind them peeked out and gestured towards the Fourteenth Prince, saying, "Don't worry, even if the Prince wanted to go out, he couldn't. The Sect Leader has been overwhelmed by the Prince's affairs these past few days. The Prince finally offered to come out for a walk today, and the Sect Leader agreed. We'll just keep a close watch on him. If anything happens, we can report it in time..."
Seeing that her two companions both said so, the woman took a deep breath, nodded, and continued to follow the Fourteenth Prince.
Whether it was from exhaustion or hunger, the Fourteenth Prince found a spacious spot under a tree, put down the pheasant he had set up, and began searching for dry branches.
Soon a fire was built, and the skinned pheasant was placed on it to roast. The Fourteenth Prince had long noticed the woman following him, but he pretended not to see it, and went about turning the pheasant over and adding fuel to the fire.
The pheasant's surface began to gleam with a dazzling golden light, and drops of oil dripped into the fire, sizzling and releasing an enticing aroma. Fourteenth Master heard a slight movement from the bushes behind him, a cold smile playing on his lips, and let the pheasant continue roasting.
The woman behind the Fourteenth Prince stared intently at the roasted pheasant, swallowing hard as her stomach rumbled. The woman in the lead glared at him disdainfully and hissed, "You good-for-nothing, be careful you don't get caught!"
The woman pursed her lips, licked the corner of her mouth, and said aggrievedly, "It's because the prince roasted it so deliciously..."
The leading woman seemed about to erupt in anger when a gurgling sound suddenly came from her stomach, causing her face to flush with embarrassment. The other women were amused and desperately tried to suppress their laughter. The leading woman, exasperated, turned her head away and whispered an order, "No one is allowed to laugh! Let me see the Prince..."
While roasting the pheasant, Fourteenth Master idly gathered up dead trees from the surrounding area. Because of the aroma of the roasted pheasant, the women didn't notice what he was doing. Only Fourteenth Master himself knew what he was doing.
Once everything was ready, the Fourteenth Prince secretly observed the people following him. A mysterious smile appeared on his lips as he picked up a roasted pheasant, golden brown and crispy, and deliberately tore into large bites of meat in front of the women behind him. The pheasant meat was clearly tender and melted in his mouth. The women watching could imagine the lingering fragrance after eating it; the rich aroma alone made their mouths water.
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