But for some reason, she could never draw it in one stroke, and the strokes of the talisman would always be accidentally broken at some point.
Wei Jiaoniang was not discouraged and continued to practice again and again, over and over again...
She herself didn't even know how many times she had practiced. She only gradually felt that her strokes in drawing talismans were becoming more and more fluent and skillful.
Just a little bit more...
This little bit took her more than an hour.
I don't know how far I have walked, but I can hear the sound of a spring flowing faintly in front of me. However, Wei Jiaoniang was unaware of it. Her index finger moved on her left palm for the hundred and first time, and the last stroke was placed at the base of her palm.
In an instant, she felt as if something had suddenly dawned on her, as if a voice inside her heart was telling her that this time it would work.
really!
Her palm lit up slightly, and the next moment, a tiny wound on her fingertip that had just been scratched by a branch healed.
Wow! That's amazing!
Wei Jiaoniang looked at the tip of her left ring finger in disbelief.
The skin on the tip of the ring finger was intact, soft and delicate, as if the three-centimeter-long scratch had never existed.
"Yan Fei, I succeeded!"
"Look, I succeeded!"
Wei Jiaoniang cheered excitedly, as if she had obtained some rare treasure.
"Jiao Niang, you look so happy," Lu Qin and the others came over after hearing the sound. From a distance, the sound arrived before the people arrived. "Did you hunt some ferocious beast?"
"..." Wei Jiaoniang froze instantly.
She was busy learning how to draw talismans all the way, and except for the pheasant and a badger she hunted at the beginning, she didn't hunt any other prey.
So, from the moment she met Lu Qin and others until they left the hunting ground together, Wei Jiaoniang received a lot of caring looks and inquiries along the way.
"Eh? My dear, are these the only two you hunted?"
"My dear, you are not lucky today!"
"Did you just fall asleep in the mountains?"
“…”
In the open space outside the hunting ground, acquaintances came one after another to talk to Wei Jiaoniang, and soon, seven or eight people surrounded her.
Seeing that Wei Jiaoniang gained so little this time, many people felt a little strange.
They have known each other for many years and come here for winter hunting with Wei Jiaoniang every year. Wei Jiaoniang has some of her ancestors' style, and the harvest of each winter hunt is always among the best.
"No, no, I think the prey in the mountains are rushing to leave because they are afraid of us..." A petite girl in green clothes said playfully, causing everyone to laugh again.
The young boys and girls knew each other and often went out to play, so they spoke without restraint. They teased Wei Jiaoniang one after another, and their hearty and cheerful laughter echoed in the air.
The afternoon sun was high in the center, and people were coming and going around. Many of them had come out of the hunting ground earlier than Gu Yanfei and the others, and they gathered in twos and threes to talk and laugh, making it quite lively.
Facing the teasing of the crowd, Wei Jiaoniang did not take it to heart, and smiled generously and said: "I am giving you the opportunity."
As she spoke, she secretly hooked her little finger with Gu Yanfei's little finger. The little finger hooked together meant that this was their little secret.
We made a promise and will not change it for a hundred years.
Apart from pinching his cat's paws, Gu Yanfei hadn't done anything so childish in a long time. It felt extremely interesting.
She gently hooked Wei Jiaoniang's little finger, meaning, okay, they agreed.
Wei Jiaoniang raised her head and looked around. Half of the sheds around her were empty. All the noble ladies were gone. Only a few servants were left, cleaning and tidying up something.
Wei Jiaoniang didn't care and casually asked a few friends, "Has anyone hunted any powerful beasts?"
Lu Qin's fourth brother, Lu Si, immediately revealed a mysterious smile and said slowly, "Not yet."
"What do you mean?" Lu Qin grabbed Lu Si's sleeve and urged, "Don't keep us in suspense."
"I heard that someone found a tiger." Lu Si said with a smile.
Tiger?! Gu Yanfei, who was feeding candy to the horse, was also aroused by the sound.
Wei Jiaoniang and the others also had their eyes lit up at the same time, and their eyes were sparkling like lit lanterns.
Lu Si was quite pleased with the result. He took the tea from his sister Lu Qin and said slowly, "Several imperial guards who were exploring the hunting grounds found a tiger by a river near the foot of Wufeng Mountain. Many people went there after hearing about it. Some wanted to hunt the tiger, and some wanted to watch the tiger being hunted."
Wei Jiaoniang seemed to be thinking about something. She glanced at Yu Chaoyun's tent again, nodded her chin towards it, and asked, "Are they also going to watch the fun?"
"Yes, they went into the woods an incense stick ago." Lu Si nodded, "If I hadn't been waiting for you, I would have gone over to watch the fun."
At the end, Lu Si couldn't help but complain to them.
As she said this, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, making the others laugh so hard that they fell over.
After laughing for a while, Wei Jiaoniang said with emotion: "I didn't expect there would be a tiger in the hunting ground."
Although they had agreed to hunt tigers and wolves before the winter hunt began, in fact, this area belonged to the hunting grounds of Shanglin Garden, and the emperor would come occasionally. For the safety of the emperor, the beasts had long been driven deep into the mountains and forests, and the imperial guards would come to clean up the hunting grounds every now and then, so there were basically no beasts. No one expected that a tiger would actually appear.
"Let's go take a look too." Wei Jiaoniang suggested excitedly, "I should know the river you mentioned."
She had hunted eagles, wolves, and wild boars, but had never hunted ferocious beasts like tigers and bears!
"This is a must." Lu Qin said, and before he finished speaking, he had already jumped on the horse.
As soon as the group came out of the forest, they turned around and headed towards the hunting ground again.
Several horses galloped out like the wind, their hooves flying, stirring up a cloud of dust and grass.
Along the way, their topic revolved around the tiger:
"Brother Lu, do you know how big that tiger is? What does it look like?"
"Where did it come from? I heard there haven't been tigers in this area for several years."
"I don't know if we can catch any leaks if we go there now..."
Lu seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, and he selectively answered everyone's questions.
As for the unknown, Lu seemed to just pass by and only answered what he knew. He said that the tiger somehow came to a nearby village and not only stole chickens, but also killed a child and injured several adults.
The villagers chased the tiger with hoes together, and the tiger fled into the forest. This forest was the royal hunting ground, so the villagers naturally did not dare to chase it anymore and had to give up.
Lu Si continued, "...the vicious tiger injured someone, and when the eldest prince heard the news, he personally led people into the forest."
When Gu Yanfei and his companions entered the forest again, they felt that the atmosphere inside had become a little different.
Every few steps along the way, you would see some tall, strong and majestic imperial guards patrolling the woods. Others had also heard about the tiger and were heading towards Wufeng Mountain.
Gu Yanfei also learned more information from these people, saying that even King Kang Chuyou and Baili Yin of Yue State had gone to the foot of Wufeng Mountain, and that Baili Yin was determined to get the tiger.
Wei Jiaoniang was anxious, fearing that they would be too late and miss the fun, so she increased the speed of the horse a little.
With her leading the way, everyone arrived at their destination after an incense stick of time.
"Go further down and you will reach the foot of Wufeng Mountain. There is a river there." Wei Jiaoniang raised her hand and pointed to the southeast, saying affirmatively.
“Ouch!”
As if in response to her, a ferocious roar came from the front, full of murderous intent, and even the surrounding air seemed to vibrate.
This is the deterrent power from the king of beasts.
Lu Qin's eyes lit up and she said, "We caught up! We still have time to watch the fun..."
"Young Master Yi," Baili Yin's sharp and flamboyant voice came from the front, full of vigor and vitality, "This tiger's eyes are fierce, it must have just eaten a human."
Then, Chu Yi's voice, as gentle as the collision of jade and stone, rang out: "Third Prince Baili really has a keen eye."
"Hahaha!" Baili Yin laughed triumphantly, "I have been hunting with the saint since I was six years old. I have heard a lot and seen a lot."
Gu Yanfei, Wei Jiaoniang and others immediately went over to look for the sound.
After passing a lush bush, I saw a crowd of people not far ahead. Standing in front of the crowd were Chu Yi and Baili Yin. The two young men with different temperaments were riding on tall horses respectively, one gentle and the other arrogant.
King Kang Chu You rode a black horse and stood behind Chu Yi on his left, seemingly watching or in deep thought.
All the sons of military families and noble families looked down at the foot of the mountain ahead with brilliant eyes, rubbing their hands ready to fight.
They had been in the hunting ground for half an hour, following the traces in the woods and mountains, and finally found the tiger.
“Ouch!”
More than sixty feet away, a tall and mighty tiger was wandering by a small river at the foot of the mountain, howling loudly in protest.
The crowd stood on the mountainside, occupying the perfect geographical position, and could see the tiger below clearly from a high vantage point.
It was a snow-white tiger with a huge body. When it opened its mouth and roared, its sharp white teeth were exposed in its bloody mouth.
There was still some flesh and blood between the teeth, which were as sharp as blades, making people feel creepy just by looking at them.
A circle with a diameter of one hundred feet was formed around the white tiger. The imperial guards and imperial guards were either holding swords or drawing bows, all of them were on high alert. They did not dare to get too close, but had to be on guard at all times so as not to let the vicious tiger escape.
"Young Master Yi," Baili Yin's cynical voice sounded again in the front, revealing a bit of confidence, a bit of joking, and a bit of provocation, "Not only does this prince have a good eye, but he also has a good hand. Do you dare to compete with me?"
"Whoever kills the tiger first wins."
(End of this chapter)
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