“Let’s go find Fourth Brother together.” The Tenth Prince answered without hesitation. He already felt guilty for not sending the alarm bomb last time, and now that he had met Lanqin, he naturally had no reason to ignore her.
So the Tenth Prince ordered some tree trunks to be found to serve as torches, which were then lit with tinder, and the group prepared to set off carrying the burning wood. Just then, a familiar, sharp whistling sound once again ignited the dark night sky.
"Look, it shouldn't be far from here. Let's hurry over there!" Lanqin couldn't help but exclaim. Her intuition told her that this alarm flare was Fourth Master's response to the alarm flare she had just fired. Otherwise, according to common sense, if the other party saw the alarm that was not far from him, he should have rushed over on his own. Since he hadn't rushed over, it must be that he was also in a predicament and had no choice but to use the alarm to inform him.
The Tenth Prince nodded, and the two of them, one in front and one behind, led twenty or thirty strong men and ran wildly in that direction.
...
The black bear was nearly exhausted, but it still refused to give up, waving its two large paws, trying to pounce. The Fourth Master ordered his servants to rain down arrows to deter it, but because the black bear's hide was dark and its flesh tough, many arrows failed to pierce its skin. Therefore, for every step they took to escape, the black bear would pursue them; for some reason, this beast simply wouldn't let go of those who had wounded it.
"Master, there seems to be some movement behind us?" A burly man suddenly ran up to the Fourth Prince's mount and said. The Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were completely focused on the raging black bear and did not notice the movement behind them.
"No way, if another black bear comes along, we'll be in trouble." The Fourteenth Prince turned around and listened, and sure enough, there was the sound of trees shaking.
"Take ten men and go see what's going on. Maybe someone is coming to rescue us. Didn't we just fire the alarm?" Fourth Prince said to Fourteenth Prince. "If there really is a wild beast, find a way to escape. We must find someone to rescue us. I'll hold out here for now."
"Fourth Brother, I can't leave." The Fourteenth Prince said without any room for doubt. Although he always harbored resentment towards his own brother, when faced with such a life-or-death situation, the two of them thought of standing together.
"Go and take a look first, just in case it's not a wild animal?" The Fourth Prince turned his head away, so his expression couldn't be seen.
The noise behind them grew louder and louder, with faint flickering flames and what seemed to be human voices mixed in.
"Fourth Brother, it's not a wild beast, it's a person! Someone has come to rescue us!" The Fourteenth Prince was already exhausted. If another ferocious wild animal came, he really wouldn't be able to handle it.
Immediately, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and just as Fourth Master had said, the howling of the bear grew weaker and weaker, and it dared not pounce recklessly anymore.
"Master!!" As soon as Lanqin saw the Fourth Master's tall and slender back, her eyes were immediately filled with a surge of emotion, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Sigh, I wasn't originally a woman who easily acted coquettishly. But after transmigrating to the Qing Dynasty, my tomboyish nature was completely overwhelmed.
Lanqin thought for a moment, then burst into laughter through her tears. This series of facial expressions was noticed by the Fourth Master, who turned around and stared at her.
Little one, were you worried about me? Are you crying tears of joy now that you're seeing I'm alright?
"Why are you here?" Although Fourth Master asked this question, his tone was already very gentle.
Lanqin kicked the horse's belly and rode over. Just as she was about to speak again, she caught sight of the seven-foot-tall black bear lying there, panting.
This was the first time Lanqin had encountered such a ferocious beast so openly; back in the 21st century, she had always watched it from behind bars and in various large iron cages.
“My lord, I really can’t go back alone first. I wanted to come and see you.” Lanqin changed the subject and said, “It is said that bears are monogamous. This bear may also have a wife or husband, and children. My lord, let’s let it go.”
The Fourth Prince glanced at the Fourteenth Prince, as if to say, "This bear wasn't caused by me, it was caused by him."
The Fourteenth Prince quickly said, "We didn't want to disturb it either. We just caught a little bear, but we didn't expect this black-faced monster to chase after us like a madman."
"Where is the little black bear? It might be its cub. You stole its cub, of course it won't let you go." Lan Qin thought to herself: You little rascal, you're too stupid. If you let the bear cub go, it will let you go.
"They're dead, that's why the bear is chasing us so relentlessly," the Fourteenth Prince said softly.
Sigh, these Manchus, they love to draw bows and shoot arrows by nature, and take pleasure in killing, really... Although Lanqin knows that hunting must mean killing, she still can't quite accept the sensory stimulation brought by the slaughter of large animals. Right now, she doesn't dare to look at the black bear that is bleeding continuously.
“Master, let’s go. Let’s release this bear that has lost its cub. And you should hunt here less often in the future. It’s said that bears hold grudges. It will remember that you killed its cub. If you meet it again, I’m afraid…” Lanqin was about to say something more when she realized that she seemed to have said the wrong thing.
Because, Fourth Master's face also darkened instantly.
"Since that's the case, we might as well kill this bear now, otherwise we'll be leaving ourselves with future troubles." Fourth Master said coldly, staring at the black bear that could only breathe.
Lanqin felt a chill run down her spine, and she regretted what she had just said. If she hadn't spoken, she might have been able to persuade them to let it go.
"My lord, this forest is so vast, the chances of encountering it again are slim. I've also heard that bears are extremely grateful animals. If you spare it this time, perhaps it will repay the kindness and forget its grudge." Lanqin had no choice but to say this. In truth, she only said this because she didn't want to witness the slaughter of animals.
"Fourth Brother, I think your wife doesn't want you to kill this bear," the Fourteenth Prince said at the opportune moment.
"Fourth Brother, this bear is already on its last legs. Even if we don't kill it, it probably won't survive." Only now was the Tenth Prince able to interject with this statement.
"You don't want me to kill it?" Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin and thought to himself: This little princess is quite compassionate. Before, she didn't let Third Prince hunt birds, then she said she would send the deer she caught to Yonghe Palace, and now she's pleading for this black monster.
"My lord," Lanqin said, "I feel that these tigers, lions, and bears are all living beings; they also have families and children. Besides, we don't eat these things, so what's the point of killing them? Just to show off our bravery is a bit cruel. And to kill them for their fur is a waste of resources." Lanqin felt that everyone's eyes were on her. Probably no one had ever dared to criticize the royal hunting practices like this before. It was said that Emperor Kangxi was extremely fond of hunting. Naturally, his sons were all skilled hunters. Hearing this, she found it quite novel.
The Fourth Master's face was unreadable, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or unhappy.
"Fourteenth Prince, can you find the bear cub's body? If you return it to its mother, it won't keep chasing after you," Lanqin said to the Fourteenth Prince when he remained silent.
At this moment, everyone tried to keep quiet, except for the black bear that was kicking and panting on the ground.
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