Chapter 26026 Day and night together
Chapter 26
Meng Yuning suddenly became nervous: "Who is coming?"
"I don't know." Qi Jingyan replied, then looked at Mu Yun: "Go and take a look."
Mu Yun agreed and led two guards into the woods.
"Brother Mu, I'm going with you." Su Yang hurried to catch up, howling like a wolf as he ran: "Woo~"
Hearing the excited howl, Qi Jingyan warned again: "If you can drive it away, don't cause any conflict."
Mu Yun responded from a distance. Su Yang, however, seemed not to hear and howled again, and countless wolves howled in response from afar.
Meng Yuning's hands trembled, and she almost dropped Yi'er to the ground. Frightened, Yi'er hugged her neck tightly with her two little hands, and did not forget to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, Ning, Yi'er will protect you."
Being comforted by a three-year-old, Meng Yuning felt a little embarrassed. She held Yi'er firmly and said stubbornly, "I'm not afraid. I'm just tired. Yi'er, you've gained weight recently. I can hardly hold you anymore."
Yier reached out and patted her belly, believing it to be true: "Yier has gained weight."
Meng Yuning teased him deliberately: "Yeah, if you get any fatter, then Ning won't be able to hold you anymore."
Yi'er's face wrinkled, and he began to worry: "Then Yi'er, eat less. But Yi'er needs to eat more and grow up quickly."
Seeing the little boy struggling, Meng Yuning couldn't help but laugh: "I was just kidding, you haven't gained weight."
Yi'er tilted his head and looked at her: "Really? Can Yi'er still eat more meat?"
Meng Yuning smiled: "Of course."
Yier clapped his hands happily.
Qi Jingyan watched the two of them laughing and joking with a gentle gaze. Seeing that Meng Yuning kept changing hands after holding Yi'er for a while, he reached out and took Yi'er, putting him on the ground: "Go feed your little rabbit."
Yier agreed and ran to the rabbit cage.
Qi Jingyan smiled and watched Yi'er running around quietly.
Seeing that he looked calm and upright, sitting like a mountain, Meng Yuning looked in the direction where Mu Yun and the others had just left, sighed softly, and thought to herself that this man had a really big heart.
If those uninvited guests were people who wanted to host Qi Jingyan's banquet, then this place would probably be uninhabitable.
But Qi Jingyan's leg hasn't healed yet. If he leaves now, his leg might never heal again.
After spending so many days together, she felt that he was really a good man, and good people should be rewarded. He was still so young, and it would be so uncomfortable if he had to sit in a wheelchair forever.
Qi Jingyan saw Meng Yuning sighing at him from the corner of his eye, and turned his head to look at her: "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuning looked at his legs, a worried look on her face: "Your Highness, are we leaving now?"
Qi Jingyan didn't answer but asked, "Are you worried about my legs?"
Meng Yuning nodded honestly: "Yes."
Qi Jingyan raised the corner of his mouth: "My leg is fine, don't worry."
Meng Yuning was still worried: "But Doctor Tang just said yesterday that you need to keep your leg in acupuncture for another three to five days before you can walk."
Qi Jingyan: "Then stay here for three to five days before leaving."
Meng Yuning pointed outside the mountain: "But, someone is coming."
Qi Jingyan: "Don't worry, we won't let them find this place."
Seeing how confident he was, Meng Yuning had no choice but to believe him: "Okay, then I'll go play with Yi'er."
He stood up from the stool and trotted towards Yi'er, raised his hands to make eagle claws, and purred his voice: "Little Yi'er, let's play Eagle Catches Chicken!"
Yi'er was feeding the rabbits with a handful of grass. When he saw An Ning running towards him, he screamed, threw the grass away, and ran away: "The eagle is coming!"
Qi Jingyan, who was about to give some more advice, said: "..."
-
Mu Yun ran all the way with two guards and intercepted the newcomers before they got close, but they did not show up, but hid in the trees.
Mu Yun and his two guards each found a tree to hide in. Su Yang looked around and, too lazy to find a new tree, he quickly jumped onto Mu Yun's tree and huddled together with him. He touched his arm in a familiar manner and whispered, "Brother Mu, my wolf brothers are nearby. How about giving them some meat later?"
Mu Yun thought to himself that this guy really didn't listen to His Highness's words, but it was not easy to say anything to him, after all, he was not one of them.
He tried to figure out Su Yang's temperament, carefully choosing his words, and said in a gentle voice, "Brother Su, if we can drive them away, it's best to do so. Try not to shed blood, otherwise we'll probably cause even bigger trouble and we won't be able to stay here any longer."
"You saw it just now. Our prince's leg hasn't healed yet. If he leaves in a hurry, his leg..."
Mu Yun stopped talking midway and sighed heavily.
When Mu Yun said this, his tone was serious, and he did not treat Su Yang perfunctorily as if he were a child.
Su Yang felt comfortable after hearing this and was willing to follow his advice.
When he imagined that Qi Jingyan's legs could not be healed and he could never return to the capital to take back everything that belonged to him, he felt the same way and agreed without hesitation: "Okay, then let my wolf brothers drive them away and not kill them."
Mu Yun bowed to him and said, "Brother Su is so righteous. Thank you for your help."
Su Yang returned the greeting: "Brother Mu, you are too polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a group of people dressed as hunters appear not far ahead. The two of them counted them quickly and found that there were sixteen of them.
The two men fell silent, looking down at them and closely watching their every move.
Those people were holding knives in their hands, looking around, and walking forward, complaining.
"We've been searching for days and haven't even seen a single ghost. If we keep searching like this, I'm afraid our legs will break."
"I heard that when the lame man ran away, he took more than a dozen people with him, including a child. How could he run fast? In my opinion, he might have died a long time ago."
"Who says not? Since the order given to us is 'leave no one alive,' then the same order must have been given to everyone else. With so many people looking for those dozen or so people, where else can he run to? He might be killed by one of the other teams."
"In my opinion, we should go back now..."
Seeing these wimps retreating again, the leader turned around and shouted coldly, "Shut up, everyone! The higher-ups said we must find the person alive or dead. Whoever finds them first will be rewarded with one thousand taels of gold, dead or alive."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up: "What, one thousand taels of gold?"
The leader continued, "Anyone who wants to go back now, get out now. I won't stop you. But I'm going to say this upfront: if this thing is done and the money is divided, those who left shouldn't have the audacity to approach us."
After this was said, no one made any noise. Only one of them said with some doubt: "It's good to get money, but boss, how could that cripple be in this desolate mountain?"
"The higher-ups are the same. Why did they assign us to this damn place to search?"
The leader turned and continued walking: "Whether we can find it or not, it all depends on luck. Stop talking nonsense and look carefully."
Seeing them coming in this direction, the guards on the two nearby trees all looked at Mu Yun. Su Yang also looked at Mu Yun: "Brother Mu, how about it, can we let Brother Wolf take action?"
Mu Yun nodded and reminded again: "Just scare them and drive them down the mountain."
Su Yang smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Brother Mu." Then he raised his neck and said, "Awoo~"
Hearing the sudden wolf howl, the faces of those people all changed. They immediately stopped, drew their swords, and looked around vigilantly.
This was a shocking sight. A group of gray wolves appeared in the woods ahead of them at some point, completely blocking their way forward.
A timid man turned pale, grabbed the leader's collar, hid behind him, and said in a trembling voice: "Boss, there are so many wolves, let's go."
Another person said: "I counted them, there are about forty or so."
Someone else slowly stepped back. "There are only sixteen of us. One against two isn't enough. It's hard to win. Boss, let's retreat. Gold is worth more than life."
The leader glanced at the back of the wolf pack and hesitated: "But I see these marks on the ground, it seems like they are heading forward. Maybe the person we are looking for is over there."
Someone is not afraid of death: "Yes, one thousand taels of gold are within our grasp. Why don't we give it a try? Otherwise, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"Yeah, look at the wolf, it's just standing there, not moving. It's probably afraid of the knife in our hands." As he said that, he swung the knife twice in the direction of the wolves, but the wolves didn't move at all.
Everyone hesitated, secretly calculating their fortunes, as if planning to rush past the wolves.
The two guards were a little anxious. If they were allowed to rush over, their residence would be exposed, and these people would have to die today.
From what they said, it seemed that they were assigned to this place to look for His Highness. If they didn't return and no news came back, it would be equivalent to telling others that His Highness was on this mountain.
Or, should they show up and lure them away?
The two looked at Mu Yun, waiting for his decision. Mu Yun shook his head, signaling them not to act rashly, and then looked at Su Yang.
Su Yang gave Mu Yun a look that said "I'll take care of everything", changed his tone, and howled again.
When the wolves heard the command, they stopped waiting and jumped up together and rushed straight towards the people.
Those people did not expect the wolves to suddenly attack, and their faces changed drastically. Some of the timid ones turned around and ran away. Once someone started running, the other hesitant people also panicked and subconsciously followed.
The leader originally wanted to kill a few wolves to scare the pack, but when he saw that most of them had run away, he was so angry that he cursed his mother. He had no choice but to give up and turned around to run for his life.
Seeing that everyone had run away, Su Yang jumped and leaped on the trees, driving the wolves to chase those people all the way down the mountain before giving up.
Mu Yun followed behind and saw with his own eyes those people rush out of the mountains and forests, jump into the river, swim to the other side, and then return with a few people.
---
Meng Yuning held the bowl and ate the porridge absentmindedly.
The porridge in the pot was ready just now. She originally said that she would wait for Mu Yun and the others to come back to see what was going on before eating, but Qi Jingyan ordered to eat, so everyone took a bowl of porridge and ate and drank as if nothing had happened.
Everyone had finished eating by now, even Yi'er had put down his bowl, but Meng Yuning was still eating. She usually ate slowly, and today she had something on her mind, so she ate even slower.
Seeing her turn her head to look outside the mountain again, Qi Jingyan reached out and gently pressed the top of her head, turning her head back: "Eat your meal in peace."
Meng Yuning said "oh" and finished the remaining porridge in the bowl. Then she stood up and started to clear the bowls on the table.
Qi Jingyan pinched her wrist and said, "Sit down."
The guard who had been waiting nearby came forward, took away all the bowls, and took them to the spring to wash.
Meng Yuning had just sat back when she saw Mu Yun and Su Yang coming back. They came closer and told her the truth about what had just happened.
It was mainly Su Yang who was talking. He was gesticulating and his words were very interesting. After listening to them, several people felt as if they had witnessed with their own eyes the miserable appearance of those people fleeing down the mountain in panic.
Meng Yuning, who had been nervous the whole time, was amused by him: "Hahaha, a bunch of timid losers, they were scared away just like that." This made her worry for a long time.
Seeing that she actually mocked others for being timid, Qi Jingyan's mind flashed back to the scene when she leaned against the window and looked out this morning, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
Qi Jingyan waited for Su Yang to finish speaking, then bowed to him and said, "Thank you, Mr. Su."
Su Yang waved his hands and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. We've known each other since we fought, and besides, I had such a delicious meal with you guys. I think we can be considered friends now, right?"
Qi Jingyan: "Of course."
Su Yang cupped his hands and said, "Alright, I'll take my apology, but from now on, how about we call each other brothers?"
Qi Jingyan nodded slightly: "Brother Su, please feel free to do as you please."
Su Yang smiled happily, clasped his fists and shouted, "Brother Qi, you can just call me Ayang."
Qi Jingyan returned the favor: "Ah Yang."
Su Yang clasped his fists towards Mu Yun again: "Brother Mu."
Mu Yun also returned the greeting: "Brother Ayang."
Then he greeted Mu Shan, Mu Feng and others one by one, and everyone replied, "Brother Ayang."
Su Yang was very happy to recognize so many brothers at once. He bowed to Meng Yuning who was sitting beside him and said, "Sister-in-law Qi."
Meng Yuning's heart sank, and his smile froze. "Um, Brother Ayang, when you call me that, I feel like I've aged more than ten years. How about you call me something else?"
Qi Jingyan, Mu Yun, and the others all laughed. They thought she wouldn't let Su Yang call her that, but they didn't expect her to say it like that.
Su Yang was also amused by Meng Yuning's words. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I heard Yi'er call you An Ning. How about I call you Sister An Ning?"
Before Meng Yuning could say anything, Qi Jingyan spoke up: "Just call me Sister Meng."
Meng Yuning has been called Aning by everyone since she was a child. She thinks it is nice for Su Yang to call her Sister Aning. She doesn't know why Qi Jingyan asked Su Yang to change her to Sister Meng, but it's just a name, so it doesn't matter. If he says so, then let him do it.
Su Yang's eyes flickered between Qi Jingyan and Meng Yuning, and he uttered an "Oh" in a drawn-out tone, as if he had discovered some incredible secret. Such a handsome boy actually smiled shiftily. Then he bowed to Meng Yuning and happily changed his tone: "Sister Meng."
After shouting, he raised his eyebrows at Qi Jingyan, "Is this okay, Brother Qi?" Qi Jingyan nodded to show his satisfaction.
Meng Yuning looked at the inexplicable exchange of glances between the two of them and wondered how it could be so baffling.
But before he could think about it, he saw Doctor Tang coming over and said, "Your Highness, the needle in your leg will need to be applied for at least three more days."
The topic returned to business, and everyone's expressions became serious, knowing that Doctor Tang was asking when they would leave.
Qi Jingyan thought about it and made the decision: "We will set off in three days."
Everyone nodded: "Okay."
Qi Jingyan looked at Su Yang, who nodded and agreed. "Ayang, what are your plans?"
Su Yang didn't expect Qi Jingyan to ask such a polite question. He said in a somewhat unhappy tone, "Brother Qi, we are brothers now. Of course I will go with you."
"Besides, didn't those people say that many people are still looking for you? With me here, a lot of troubles can be solved. Not only can I drive the wolves, I can also make snakes obey me. Just watch if you don't believe me."
As he spoke, he pulled out a flute from his waist, put it to his lips and started playing.
The flute sounded melodious, and soon, a rustling sound was heard from the woods. Colorful snakes swam out one after another and stopped at the edge of the woods, spitting out their tongues.
Everyone's scalp suddenly went numb, and Meng Yuning even grabbed Qi Jingyan's arm.
She grew up in the countryside in the south, and seeing snakes was a common occurrence for her. She was a fool when she was little, not afraid of anything. She dared to catch bullfrogs with her bare hands and chase snakes with a stick.
These days, she and Mu Feng went up the mountain to look for mountain products, and they encountered snakes more than once, but she didn't think anything of it.
But when she saw so many snakes packed together, the hairs on her body stood up instantly and goose bumps appeared on her arms.
In order to get Qi Jingyan to allow him to follow, Su Yang spared no effort to show his skills. The harder he blew, the more snakes came out of the woods.
Seeing Meng Yuning's grip on his arm getting tighter and tighter, her nails almost digging into his flesh through his sleeve, Qi Jingyan grabbed Su Yang's hand holding the flute and said, "Brother Ayang, there's no need to play anymore. Come with us."
Su Yang put away the flute and grinned, "Okay."
Meng Yuning pointed at the snakes that were lined up and spitting out their tongues, "Then make them leave quickly."
Su Yang agreed and blew the flute a few more times. The snakes scattered and soon disappeared.
Meng Yuning finally breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her arms with her hands, but she was still a little frightened.
She looked at the young man with an innocent smile and suddenly found him scary.
I secretly decided to make more delicious food for him in the future and to maintain a good relationship with him, otherwise I would die in his hands in a minute.
Qi Jingyan, Mu Yun, and the others were also sizing up this seemingly heartless young man. They were all thinking, with such a dangerous person, it would be best to just be friends.
But he could drive such a powerful man out of his home and make him homeless. I wonder what kind of terrible people his father and the bitch and bastard he called him are.
Seeing that everyone was staring at him quietly, Su Yang realized something and slapped his forehead. Like a child who had done something wrong, he frantically explained, "Without my order, the snake wouldn't bite for no reason. Oh, that's not what I meant. I meant that I would never use a snake to hurt you."
Qi Jingyan: "Ayang, we believe you."
After that, without giving him a chance to say more, he gathered everyone together and announced the news of departure in three days. After giving some instructions, everyone got busy.
The first people to come to look for a place were Mu Jiu and another guard, but now they both left first.
Then Mu Feng left with two guards.
Meng Yuning couldn't help much, so she took a few guards who had no tasks at the moment to collect the dried goods that had been dried, packed them up according to categories, and put them one by one in the bamboo baskets that Mu Jiu had prepared long ago.
Yi'er noticed the solemn atmosphere and ran over to ask, "A Ning, are we leaving?"
Meng Yuning nodded: "Yes, we will leave in three days."
Yi'er was very sensible. He didn't ask any more questions and helped Meng Yuning move things into the basket.
After packing everything, I realized that everyone had stockpiled a lot of things recently. They included all kinds of bamboo shoots, mushrooms, dried vegetables, pheasants, ducks, dried fish, etc., which filled up three large bamboo baskets.
Meng Yuning felt a sense of accomplishment: "Now I don't have to worry about having nothing to eat on the road."
After packing up the dry goods, Meng Yuning took Yier to practice archery again. Maybe it was because of the coming danger or because the practice for so many days finally paid off, but Meng Yuning shot ten arrows today, and all ten arrows hit the target.
Although most of the arrows only hit the edge, at least they hit the target. In the past, it was considered good if three or four out of ten arrows hit the target.
So not only did Yi'er jump up and down and say "Aning is the most powerful in the world", even Qi Jingyan clapped his hands for a rare time and said "good job".
Meng Yuning put her hands on her hips, feeling incredibly strong. "Your Highness, I'm telling you, there's no living thing in front of me, otherwise I would have hit it with one arrow."
Seeing this girl still bragging, Qi Jingyan couldn't help laughing and pointed at himself: "Come, treat me like a living thing."
Meng Yuning was dumbfounded: "Ah? This is not good, this is so dangerous."
Qi Jingyan: "It's okay, I can catch it."
But Meng Yuning refused, fearing that she would accidentally shoot him and injure him, which would be a sin for her.
Qi Jingyan waved to Yi'er: "Come here."
In Yier's mind, his brother was the most powerful person in the world, so he had no burden at all. He raised his small bow and shot a small arrow at him with a whoosh.
Qi Jingyan easily pinched the small arrow between two fingers, then raised his hand, and the small arrow accurately fell into Yi'er's small quiver behind him.
Meng Yuning's eyes lit up: "Wow, Your Highness, you are awesome." Yi'er's eyes sparkled, and he mimicked the parrot: "Brother, you are awesome!"
Qi Jingyan's mouth twitched: "Bull?"
Meng Yuning secretly thought she had made a slip of the tongue, but she suppressed her laughter and quickly tried to make amends: "Your Highness, you are amazing."
Seeing that she was deliberately covering up, Qi Jingyan did not ask any further questions. After all, this was not the only new word he had heard from her.
He pointed at the bow in Meng Yuning's hand: "Now it's your turn."
After seeing how powerful he was, Meng Yuning bravely shot an arrow at him. However, she didn't control the aim of the first arrow well, and of course she was a little hesitant to use much strength, so the arrow fell limply at his feet.
Qi Jingyan used the same strictness he had when teaching her, and said with a stern face, "Be more serious."
Meng Yuning didn't dare to slack off anymore. She adjusted her breathing and tried again. The arrow went straight to Qi Jingyan's arm. Qi Jingyan caught it easily as usual and threw it into the quiver with his backhand.
He even said calmly, "Weren't you full just now?"
Meng Yuning sensed a hint of sarcasm in that calm tone, and her desire to win surged. She fired arrow after arrow, but none of them touched a single piece of Qi Jingyan's clothing or a single strand of his hair. The smile on Qi Jingyan's face only grew wider, and she felt a little discouraged and annoyed. She thought to herself, "What a useless person!"
Seeing An Ning frustrated, Yi Er ran over with his little bow in hand: "An Ning, Yi Er is here to help you."
After saying that, the little boy skillfully put the bowstring on the arrow and shot an arrow at his own brother without mercy. Of course, Qi Jingyan caught it again.
When Meng Yuning saw the help coming, she instantly became excited, and the two of them started shooting wildly at Qi Jingyan.
Qi Jingyan used only one hand, receiving one string after another, and he still had some time to spare.
Qi Jingyan continued, looking at the two people who were in a panic, jumping left and right, and constantly discussing tactics, but still got nothing, and suddenly laughed out loud, and then couldn't stop, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook continuously, and he waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he would stop.
Meng Yuning and Yier threw down their bows and arrows and ran over, pulling him from the left and right, asking him what he was laughing at. The winner hadn't been decided yet, so why didn't he come?
Qi Jingyan was so annoyed by their unreasonable demands that he had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender and said that he had no strength left.
Meng Yuning and Yi'er clapped their hands, shouted "We won, we won", and ran away holding hands.
Qi Jingyan supported his head with his hands and laughed silently for a long time before stopping.
Mu Yun, Mu Shan and others stood in the distance, staring blankly at this scene. After a long while, Mu Shan sighed, "Brother, our prince seems to be alive again."
For the next two days, Meng Yuning was either packing up or practicing archery with Yi'er against Qi Jingyan. Perhaps it was because shooting at a living target could arouse one's desire to win, the archery skills of both of them improved by leaps and bounds, and even Qi Jingyan praised them repeatedly.
These days, Su Yang has been running into the mountains with a small bamboo basket on his back. No one knows what he is tinkering with. When others ask him, he doesn't say anything and guards his bamboo basket very tightly, not letting anyone see it.
In this way, everyone was busy and it was the third day, which was also the last day staying in the mountains.
Thinking that they were about to embark on another life of escaping through mountains and rivers and sleeping in the open air, Meng Yuning prepared an extremely sumptuous dinner for everyone.
After everyone had a lively meal, they went about their own business.
Meng Yuning and Qi Jingyan took Yi'er to the pavilion to enjoy the night breeze for a while, then went back to the house to wash up and then lay down on the bed.
Yi'er had fallen asleep, but Meng Yuning was still not sleepy. She looked at the moon in the sky through the window and sighed softly.
Qi Jingyan tilted his head to look at her: "Why are you sighing?"
Meng Yuning: "I've lived here for so long, and I'm really reluctant to leave suddenly."
In fact, this is not the only reason for sighing. In the mountains, isolated from the world, everyone is equal and there is no difference in status. Or, in other words, they temporarily forget each other's identities.
But when he arrived in Lingnan, even though Qi Jingyan was the demoted former crown prince, he was still the high and mighty His Royal Highness Prince Shen.
As a prince, finding a chef who can cook is simply a trivial matter.
As for her, now that she was no longer useful as a cook, all she had left was her identity as "the daughter of his enemy whom he wished to kill as soon as possible."
Even if she is not, in his eyes, in the eyes of the world, she is.
By then, they would probably no longer be able to get along as easily as they do now.
Well, forget about getting along with her easily. It's very possible that one day he might remember the evil things her stepfather did and want to kill her.
Otherwise, run again? Anyway, her identity documents and travel permit were all in her bag.
However, the world is not so peaceful. She is a person who gets out of breath after climbing a mountain road. She may not even know how she died when she looks back.
Oh, forget it, forget it, just follow him.
When the time comes, he will want to kill her. Considering the time they spent together in the mountains, sleeping in the same bed day and night, he will let her die quickly.
Seeing her face changing constantly, sometimes worried, sometimes aggrieved, sometimes angry, Qi Jingyan couldn't help but ask, "What are you worried about?"
Meng Yuning's mind was full of how she would die. When she heard his question, she answered without hesitation, "I'm worried about how you're going to kill me."
Qi Jingyan: “…”
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The author has something to say: Here it is, this is Tuesday
In order not to affect the ranking, there will be no update in the early morning on Wednesday, and it will be updated after 23:30 in the evening.
I will correct the typos tomorrow. Thanks to the babies for catching bugs.
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