Chapter 4 "Jiarou's gaze seemed to never be..."
In front of the tent, large and small prey were piled up on both sides.
At first glance, most of the animals are deer, roe deer, pheasants, and rabbits, but there are also quite a few lynxes, bears, and leopards.
The muskets and arrows stuck in the prey on the left are marked with white badges, and those on the right are marked with red badges.
Anyone with eyes can see at a glance that the prey marked with red badges far outnumbers those marked with white badges.
Yan Jiarou knew that Xiao Che's arrows were always marked with red insignia. He was good at riding and archery. When he rode his horse and shot arrows on the training ground, the other princesses always liked to pull her along to watch, saying how beautiful their third brother's riding and archery was, and how a pity it would be to miss it.
Although she was unwilling, she couldn't always go against their wishes, so she would go about three out of ten times. After seeing it so many times, that flamboyant red emblem was imprinted in her mind.
Xiao Che's archery skills were indeed impressive.
He tightened the reins with one hand, leaned over the horse's back, and galloped away. With the other hand, he took out his bow and arrow, straightened up, nocked the arrow, slowly bent the bow to its limit, and suddenly released his fingers. The sharp sound of the arrow cutting through the air rang out. With a whoosh, the arrow hit the target, its fletching trembling slightly, and struck the bullseye.
A gentle breeze lifted his hair, sending it flying freely in the air, adding a touch of captivating spirit and vigor.
Even the wind seemed to favor him.
The light emanating from Xiao Che was so intense that looking at him for too long could cause a feeling of dizziness and disorientation, and one couldn't help but feel slightly disoriented.
Sometimes she even wondered if she really hated him. If he had just gone along with her a little and not opposed her, would she still hate him as much as she did now?
Unfortunately, he was too proud and refused to give her the slightest kindness.
But it doesn't matter, the person she was meant to like was never him.
After regaining her senses, she turned her gaze back to the prey marked with red badges.
He always used a red badge, which was flamboyant and enthusiastic, just like the person he was.
Even though she disliked Xiao Che, she had to admit that his archery and horsemanship were outstanding—in terms of the number of prey, it was obvious that Xiao Che had won the hunt without even counting them.
Unfortunately, Prince Zhuo Sha of Northern Chu was not one to accept defeat.
He scoffed, then turned to face Emperor Wei Yuan, bowing respectfully. However, a glance at Xiao Che revealed a hint of provocation and disdain, clearly indicating he wasn't entirely convinced: "Your Majesty, in the original hunting competition with your prince, since my prey was less than His Highness's, I should have conceded defeat, attributing it to inferior skill… but…"
He then changed the subject, saying, "But I suddenly remembered that the mother of your country's third prince seems to be a member of the Lanling clan?"
Xiao Che lowered his long eyebrows slightly: "So what if it is?"
Zhuo Sha seemed to have been waiting for him to say this, and immediately replied, "That's it. I've heard that the Lanling people are different from ordinary people in many ways, especially skilled in riding and archery. Since your mother is a member of the Lanling people, you naturally have half the blood of the Lanling people in your veins."
"You won against me, but you only gained the advantage of bloodline. How can I accept that?"
Yan Jiarou's eyes widened upon hearing this. She was stunned. How could there be such a shameless person as Zhuo Sha in this world?
Why didn't he know from the beginning that Xiao Che had the blood of the Lanling clan? Why didn't he say so before? Why did he only bring it up after losing?
This is clearly a case of being unable to accept defeat, which is why he deliberately brought up these irrelevant things at the last minute to make excuses for his loss to Xiao Che.
How shameless.
Xiao Che had practiced riding and archery since childhood, and even without the advantage of being of the Lanling clan bloodline, he could still beat him.
Yan Jiarou found Zhuo Sha increasingly infuriating. No matter how much she disliked Xiao Che, he was still a member of their Wei Kingdom, and it was not up to the Northern Chu people to bully him.
She wasn't one to remain calm and collected, and was about to step forward and make a few sarcastic remarks to Zhuo Sha when Xiao Jue pulled her back and gently shook his head at her.
Yan Jiarou was taken aback for a moment before she came to her senses. With her personality, speaking rashly might only make things worse.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, she pursed her lips, and turned her gaze back to Xiao Che.
Perhaps because she was used to seeing Xiao Che handle all kinds of situations with ease, always effortlessly capturing everyone's attention and stealing the spotlight, she subconsciously believed that he could handle the current unexpected situation.
Xiao Che smiled faintly, but his eyes were clearly cold as he looked at Zhuo Sha and said, "Oh? So what do you want?"
Zhuo Sha said, "Since the Third Prince has half the blood of the Lanling clan, he is naturally different from ordinary people. Although he defeated me, it was not an honorable victory. The competition between me and your prince is, in the end, a contest between Northern Chu and Great Wei. Therefore, for the sake of fairness, we should ask your country to send another prince to compete with me again."
After speaking, he clenched his fist and placed it on his shoulder, then bowed in the direction of Emperor Wei Yuan: "Please grant my request, Your Majesty of Great Wei."
Emperor Wei Yuan's expression changed slightly.
Zhuo Sha's words seemed to leave no room for refusal.
However, neither Xiao Jue nor Xiao Yan were skilled in riding and archery. Of the two, Xiao Yan was slightly better at riding and archery, but he had injured his leg recently and was unable to ride a horse.
As for Xiao Jue, his talent in riding and archery was too mediocre, and he had no chance of winning. If he lost, not only would he lose face as the crown prince of a country, but this matter would also concern the national dignity. His country was a great nation with hundreds of countries paying tribute and its fame spreading far and wide. How magnificent it was, and it should have produced many talented people. How could it lose to the mere Northern Chu?
If this gets out, wouldn't it damage the prestige of the [unclear]?
Emperor Yuan of Wei had a solemn expression, and the ministers sitting below him whispered among themselves.
Zhuo Sha curled her lips, a hint of mockery and contempt flashing in her eyes.
Just then, a low laugh came from behind. Zhuo Sha turned around and saw Xiao Che. He frowned slightly and squinted, asking inquiringly, "Third Prince, what are you laughing at?"
Xiao Che lazily lifted his eyes, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Nothing, I just find Prince Zhuosha's words rather laughable—"
"As you can see, my second brother is injured in the leg and unable to ride a horse. How can he compete with you? You said you wanted to change to another prince, but you should just say you want to change to the crown prince. However, the crown prince of the Great Wei, the heir apparent of the country, has such a heavy burden on his shoulders. How can he easily step down to compete with you? If something happens to him, I'm afraid even if your Northern Chu uses the entire power of the country, you will not be able to bear the consequences."
Zhuo Sha choked, her face turning pale: "You..."
After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Then, according to Your Highness the Third Prince, what should we do?"
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow casually and said, "Of course, it will be a pity for Prince Zhuo Sha to still have to compete with me."
Before Zhuo Sha could question him, he slowly added, "Don't worry, this time you won't suffer any losses."
After speaking, he turned and walked towards the seats on both sides, looking around as if searching for something.
Zhuo Sha stared at his retreating figure, her brows furrowed and her eyes searching.
There are so many rumors about the Lanling clan: they are beautiful and intelligent to the point of being almost supernatural. Today, after seeing Xiao Che, all the rumors have been confirmed. I wonder what he's up to this time.
All eyes were on him.
Including Yan Jiarou.
She watched Xiao Che walk towards her step by step, a playful smile on his lips, just like the expression he always had when he wanted to tease her.
She swallowed hard and suddenly became very nervous.
Perhaps they didn't know what Xiao Che was going to do, or perhaps it was because everyone's eyes were on him in public, but he looked at her and walked towards her step by step, which also drew everyone's attention to her.
As Xiao Che approached, the smile on his lips deepened, but he didn't speak for a moment. Instead, he looked down at the table and suddenly reached out and grabbed something: "This, can I borrow it?"
Yan Jiarou then came to her senses and looked up. She saw that the belt she had taken off after being wet by the tea was wrapped around Xiao Che's pale fingertips.
Jia Rou's face flushed red, and she stammered, "What...what are you going to do with this?"
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on his lips, and said only, "You'll find out soon enough."
After speaking, he walked back to his seat under everyone's gaze, covered his eyes with his belt, tied it in his hair, and took the bow and arrows from the eunuch beside him.
Two black eagles flew side by side across the sky. Xiao Che's ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly raised his bow and arrow, drew the bowstring, and released his fingers a moment later. The arrow, like a shooting star, suddenly streaked across the sky with great speed.
Black Hawk tried to dodge, but it was too late. The arrow pierced through its head and, with undiminished momentum, went through the abdomen of the black hawk standing next to it.
Both black eagles were pierced by a feathered arrow and fell to the ground.
It truly kills two birds with one stone.
Killing two birds with one stone is already difficult enough, but Xiao Che was blindfolded!
Everyone present was amazed and began to discuss it animatedly.
Yan Jiarou stared blankly at Xiao Che, his eyes still fixed on her belt, her personal item... Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a flush of heat. Fortunately, her belt was a special design, made by the Imperial Clothing Bureau at her own request, unlike the belts used by ordinary women, so others couldn't tell that it was a woman's belt.
The covering over his eyes didn't seem out of place at all; the piece tied behind his head fluttered in the wind, making him appear even more ethereal and otherworldly, like a celestial being.
With his eyebrows and eyes covered, his superior bone structure became even more apparent, with a high, straight nose and a clearly narrowed jawline... every inch of it seemed to have been meticulously sculpted.
The mountain sunlight was intense, and the golden light was filtered through the leaves into patches of light that danced on his pale lips, dazzling the eye.
Yan Jiarou stared at him for a long time until he suddenly ripped off the belt covering his eyes, and she finally came to her senses.
Xiao Che's eyes were very light in color, appearing as a pale brown in the sunlight, which was quite captivating.
He slightly curled the corners of his lips and looked at Zhuo Sha, saying, "Prince Zhuo Sha, you say I have half the blood of the Lanling clan, and my physique is naturally different from ordinary people, while you are just an ordinary person. Even if I win against you, it will be an unfair victory..."
"But ordinary people have two eyes. Just now I covered my eyes. Isn't that enough to offset the effects of this half of my bloodline and make me a normal person again?"
"Since that's the case, I just shot down two eagles with my eyes covered. Prince Zhuosha, you don't need to cover your eyes. Just shoot down two black eagles with one arrow like I did, and you'll win. How about it?"
"You..." Zhuo Sha's face changed several times, sometimes turning green and sometimes red, but she couldn't say a word.
Killing two birds with one stone is not something that can be done so easily. Black hawks mostly fly alone, and it is rare to see them flying in pairs like that... Yes, Xiao Che must have just happened to see the black hawks flying in pairs and calculated this point, so he deliberately designed this scene to lure him into the trap.
Ah, the Lanling people, truly cunning and scheming.
Moreover, even if he did find an opportunity, even without covering his eyes, he might not have the accuracy and strength to shoot two eagles with one arrow.
He was destined to lose this match no matter what.
Xiao Che's act of covering his eyes, seemingly a concession, actually forced Zhuo Sha into a corner with no way out and no words to say. Zhuo Sha had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "There's no need to compete anymore. I, the young king, admit defeat."
Xiao Che gave an "Oh?" sound, then casually stroked his longbow, and slowly asked in a drawn-out tone, "So this time, are you truly convinced?"
"You!" Zhuo Sha clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead. He wanted to say something more, but in the end, he turned his head away and reluctantly hummed in agreement.
Xiao Che easily defused the provocations and clamor from Northern Chu in an unexpected way.
Yan Jiarou felt relieved and couldn't help but smile. She was about to talk to Xiao Jue, who was standing next to her, and let him see how the Prince of Northern Chu had been humiliated when she looked up and met his gaze.
Yan Jiarou was slightly taken aback: "Crown Prince Brother..." She didn't know why Xiao Jue didn't follow the others to look at Xiao Che and Zhuo Sha, but instead turned his gaze to her at some point. Had he been looking at her the whole time?
Xiao Jue simply smiled gently, his eyes holding something she couldn't understand, and said thoughtfully, "Jia Rou's gaze seems to have never left Third Brother."
Yan Jiarou was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "I...I...but everyone is looking at him..."
“Yes, he always manages to easily attract everyone’s attention,” Xiao Jue’s voice was soft, almost a murmur, but his gaze seemed to pierce right into her heart, leaving her nowhere to hide. “It’s perfectly normal that everyone is looking at him and can’t take their eyes off him. In that case, Jia Rou, why are you in such a hurry to explain?”
Yan Jiarou opened her mouth, her eyes revealing a helpless and bewildered look, unsure of what to say.
Xiao Jue looked at her and said, "Jiarou, sometimes when you look at your third brother, your eyes are exceptionally bright. When you see me, although your eyes are full of joy, it is not the same as when you look at him."
Yan Jiarou didn't understand what she meant, and subconsciously replied, "The person I like is you, not him. The way I look at him is naturally different from how I look at you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue's gaze softened, a gentle smile playing on his lips, love flowing tenderly between his brows and eyes: "Little Jia Rou, I hope so."
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