Chapter 77 The Royal Hunting Grounds (Part 1)
Once the date for the autumn hunt was set, the palace was filled with a long-lost atmosphere of relaxation and joy, a rare treat after the purge of the court.
The Crown Prince's suggestion pleased the King of Zhen, and his gaze toward the Crown Prince changed from one of warning to one of kindness and peace.
The King of Zhen noticed the changes in Zhensu, wondering if it was because his own Purple Mansion reflected Zhensu's ever-increasing desires, causing a demonic quality to condense within him. Not only did the King of Zhensu experience internal turmoil with each approach, severely testing Zhensu's composure and Purple Mansion, but a group of courtiers were also captivated by Zhensu, some approaching him under the pretext of asking about horse training, others even inviting him to their home banquets, despite their own lack of interest in Zhensu.
The Crown Prince had also fallen before, but now it seems there's no need to worry.
King Zhen was also helpless, so he temporarily canceled the procedure of Masaki attending court, reducing his opportunities to appear in front of the public.
However, Masaya became increasingly indifferent to him.
King Zhen knew he couldn't hide Shinju forever, so the autumn hunt was a good opportunity to take Shinju out for some fresh air.
Little did he know, Masatsu's anger wasn't due to the restriction on his movements. As a cultivator, seclusion year-round was nothing unusual; he'd never experienced any discomfort. Masatsu simply no longer wished to remain in this world. Seeing the Poison King made him miserable, and not seeing him didn't alleviate much of the pain. But if he didn't leave soon, he feared he would be completely trapped. In recent days alone, he had wavered countless times; for the first time, he couldn't believe in the resolve he had once so proudly held.
Thus, Shinju's cultivation became increasingly focused, bordering on fanaticism. Even when there was no dragon energy to draw upon, he would relentlessly refine the poison pills, all for the sake of forging them. Even when the pain was so intense that his limbs felt like they were melting, he never stopped. His tolerance to poison had reached a whole new level; ordinary poisons no longer affected him at all. He insisted on gathering and refining large quantities of poisons, attempting to numb himself with pain.
Unexpectedly, this method was becoming increasingly ineffective. If poison tolerance were divided into five levels, then his current poison tolerance would be at least at level three; even poisons like the Secret Five Stone Powder couldn't make him flinch. The downside was that the poison needed to break the restriction on the Purple Mansion required a much stronger attack; the upside was that his meridians had also been refined. Upon closer inspection with his divine sense, it was clear that most of his meridians were now close to black, no longer the bluish-red they once were.
When the poison pill finally revealed most of its true golden color, the King of Poison entered the Zhengren Hall with news of the autumn hunt.
Still lying on the chaise longue, Shinju quietly wiped away the blood flowing from his seven orifices, slowly rose from the chaise longue, and stepped forward to take the outer cloak that the King of Poison had taken off.
To everyone's surprise, King Zhen did not hand the clothes to Shinju. Instead, he draped the outer cloak over Shinju's body, cupped his face in his hands, and felt the coldness in his palms. King Zhen said sternly, "You're not even covered with a blanket. Look how frozen your face is."
Shinjuku glanced at the King of Venom once, then looked away and muttered, "Not cold."
"You still say you're not cold." The King of Zhen turned his head and ordered Tang Quan, who was waiting behind him, "Bring a hot water bottle."
"Yes." Tang Quan replied and withdrew.
Mayuki twirled the downy fur of his outer cloak, but didn't take it off. He just stood there staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
Seeing this, King Zhen sighed inwardly, his brows furrowing. He pinched the tip of Shinju's ear and asked, "Autumn Hunt, don't you want to go?"
Seeing that Shinju still seemed unenthusiastic when he heard about the autumn hunt arrangements, King Zhen assumed he was about to refuse. Unexpectedly, a strange light flashed in Shinju's golden eyes, and he actually nodded.
"Yes, I went."
King Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He almost considered whether to intercept the Zhao family members halfway and resettle them in another city to appease Zhen Su.
Therefore, the autumn hunt was officially scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
Time flew by and the day of departure arrived.
Shinjuku intended to change into his attendant's official robes, but Kiyoe was ordered to bring him a riding outfit and a rabbit fur cloak, so he had no choice but to change into them.
Fortunately, he usually served the King of Zhen when he changed clothes quite often. Except recently when the King of Zhen forbade him to get close, he could still half-guess and half-misunderstand how to put on these elaborately designed clothes.
When he arrived at the Zhen King's bedchamber, he found that the Zhen King had changed into clothes in the same color scheme as his own, but not riding attire. Instead, it was a magnificent floor-length robe, with silver, blue, white, and gold accents. The five-clawed dragon pattern embroidered in gold thread shimmered subtly, and the gilded gold crown on his head added to the grandeur. This attire, which could easily overshadow the main character, was carried off effortlessly by the Zhen King's superior physique. It did not appear wild or flashy, but rather exuded a low-key and dignified elegance.
Shinjuku stared blankly for a long time, unaware that even the King of Poison had been secretly observing him for a long time.
After days of pent-up frustration, King Zhen finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and secretly thought it was a good omen.
"Come here, the strap is tied wrong." King Zhen beckoned the person to his side, gently placed his chin on Masakatsu's shoulder, and re-tied the side strap of Masakatsu's trousers from behind.
Shinju's hands instinctively rose and then froze in mid-air, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he stared at the King of the Bladesman's well-defined knuckles as he manipulated the bindings. Though the King of the Bladesman's hands did not directly touch his legs, they brought an imminent pressure that made his heart pound like a drum and his breathing become erratic.
However, while the King of Poison appeared calm on the surface, he was actually exerting his strength in secret, trying to suppress the urge to tear people apart and swallow them whole, and suppressing the trembling in his fingertips, finally tying a perfect knot.
"Alright." King Zhen withdrew his hand, drew the jade-handled horsewhip from his waist, wrapped his large hand around Shinju's hand, and turned his head to say, "Let's go."
Shinjuku felt his thoughts were sluggish. Although he wanted to break free, he was a beat too slow and ended up being led all the way to the horse.
The servants along the way all lowered their heads and held their breath, not daring to look up, only able to catch a glimpse of the two people whose clothes matched and whose steps were in sync.
When choosing a horse, Shinju seemed to suddenly come to his senses and resolutely refused to ride the Akhal-Teke horse with the King of Zhen.
"Qing'er doesn't like riding 'Qifeng'?" King Zhen suppressed his displeasure, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze became stern.
Shinjuku pursed his lips without answering, then swung himself onto the horse. The sight of the short-legged horse carrying his tall, slender frame was likely to be quite comical.
However, Shinjuku preferred to endure the strange looks from others rather than ride with the King of Venom, fearing that getting too close would lead to an accident. So he rode the short-legged horse "Kifu" forward.
The King of Zhen's gaze darkened, and with a flick of his whip, his prized horse "Wind Chaser" galloped off. The King's eyes remained fixed on Zhen Su's retreating figure. He noticed that although Zhen Su exuded a stubbornness, when riding too fast, he would gently spur his horse's flanks, causing "Qi Feng" to adjust its pace and stay within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of him. This awkward obedience deepened the King of Zhen's gaze.
The rest of the royal family and the families of important officials followed behind, none daring to step forward. Even the crown prince only followed in the middle, gazing at his father's majestic figure from afar.
General Yan, accompanied by his guards, marched in formation on both sides towards the royal hunting grounds located on the outskirts of the capital.
The autumn hunt has always had a tradition of the emperor firing the bow. However, since the King of Zhen was dressed in such elaborate clothes that were inconvenient for riding and shooting, everyone thought that the King of Zhen might be planning to let the crown prince shoot first, to win good luck, and at the same time clarify the rumors of his dissatisfaction with the crown prince.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, everyone saw the King of Poison draw back his heavy bow, which weighed over ten stones, and without aiming or hesitation, he suddenly shot an arrow that pierced the sky—
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Author's Note: Crown Prince: Peanuts for me (speaks out)?
Sorry, only one short chapter (
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