Why are you not obedient?
Beilu Weichang
Gu Jinghong quietly returned to the hunting grounds through another, more concealed exit.
Just as I finished tidying my clothes and brushing off the dust, preparing to return to a safe area, I suddenly heard a suppressed growl from a wild beast and a panicked cry from not far away!
Gu Jinghong's heart tightened, and she immediately hid behind a tree, looking in the direction of the sound. She saw a large, spotted leopard arching its back, baring its teeth, and poised to attack.
Before her stood a young man dressed in magnificent hunting attire, roughly the same age as her.
The man was clearly terrified; the bow in his hand had fallen to the ground, and he was staggering backward, about to trip.
The leopard seemed startled, let out a low growl, and pounced!
At the critical moment, Gu Jinghong almost instinctively raised his hand and shot out the short arrow hidden in his sleeve.
With a "whoosh," the arrow grazed the leopard's forepaw precisely. Although it did not cause serious injury, it successfully attracted the leopard's attention.
The leopard, in pain, immediately locked onto a new target with its amber-colored, menacing eyes.
It abandoned its prey that was within reach, growled, turned towards Gu Jinghong, and pounced.
Gu Jinghong deftly sidestepped the sharp leopard claws, simultaneously drawing a dagger from her boot and slashing at the leopard's belly with her backhand.
The dagger was sharp, leaving a bloody gash. The wounded leopard became even more frenzied, lunging and biting repeatedly, but Gu Jinghong narrowly dodged each attack thanks to his agility and anticipation.
After a few rounds, Gu Jinghong spotted an opening and kicked the leopard in the jaw with precision. As the leopard recoiled in pain, Gu Jinghong fired a second hidden arrow, which struck the leopard's foreleg joint.
The leopard let out a mournful howl, its movements suddenly slowing down. It glared fiercely at Gu Jinghong, but in an instant, Gu Jinghong fired another hidden arrow, and with a "thud," the leopard's eye was hit.
It let out a mournful cry, and finally dared not linger any longer. It turned and darted into the deep forest, disappearing from sight.
Gu Jinghong breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the still-shaken man: "Are you alright?"
The man's face was pale, his chest heaving violently, but his eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at Gu Jinghong, filled with relief at surviving such a close call and incredulous excitement: "I-I'm alright! Thank you so much for saving me, brave warrior! I am Gongsun Cheyuan, from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. If it weren't for your intervention, I'm afraid I would have been devoured by a leopard today!"
Gu Jinghong raised an eyebrow—The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo?
Gu Jinghong said calmly, "It was nothing. This place is dangerous; Your Highness should return to a safe area as soon as possible."
After she finished speaking, she put the back of her finger to her mouth and with a "whoosh," a reddish-brown horse galloped over.
Under the sunlight, the red mole at the end of Gu Jinghong's eyebrow fluttered.
Gongsun Cheyuan's alarm clock suddenly flashed an image of a woman in a white outfit, and his brow twitched.
Judging from his stature, this person did not appear to be a strong man, but rather the girl he had met at the entrance of Medicine Master Valley that day, named Jinghong...
His eyes suddenly lit up with fervor, and he rose and stepped forward: "...Brave warrior?"
Gu Jinghong didn't seem to mind him addressing her that way: "What is it?"
A simple smile appeared on Gongsun Cheyuan's face: "Your skills are better than any of the guards I've ever seen! Truly... truly admirable! May I ask your esteemed name, brave warrior?"
Gu Jinghong was about to make up a name to get away from this troublesome place when a cold shout pierced through the woods: "Ah Hong!"
Ah Hong? Jing Hong?! It really is her!
She froze, then slowly turned around toward the voice.
Xiao Chengyan had returned sometime earlier and was standing in the woods not far away. His dark cloak made him appear even taller and more imposing. His face showed no dramatic emotion, remaining as calm as ever, but his deep eyes were frighteningly dark. His gaze first locked onto Gu Jinghong, then coldly swept over Gongsun Cheyuan, who was standing beside her with an eager look in his eyes.
Gongsun Cheyuan instinctively felt a chill, but the excitement from before hadn't subsided, so he didn't immediately notice the turbulent undercurrent beneath the calm surface. Instead, he spoke with the excitement of being rescued.
"Your Highness King Jin! Your guard is truly remarkable! Just now, a leopard suddenly pounced, posing a great danger. Fortunately, this... this brother is exceptionally skilled and repelled that beast, saving my life!"
His words were full of effusive praise, and his eyes shone as he looked at Gu Jinghong again.
presumptuous!
Gongsun Cheyuan's gaze was pure, intense, and undisguised, yet it was extremely piercing.
Xiao Chengyan strode closer, his gaze fixed on Gu Jinghong's face: "I told you to stay where you are, why did you leave?"
For some reason, Gu Jinghong seemed to smell a faint scent of blood on Xiao Chengyan.
Xiao Chengyan reached out and grabbed Gu Jinghong's wrist, pulling her to his side and using his body to separate her from Gongsun Cheyuan.
It was powerful yet natural, as if it were always meant to be this way.
Gu Jinghong's wrist was slightly sore from his grip, and she could feel the burning heat from his fingertips through the fabric and the force he was trying to suppress.
She knew in her heart that he was truly angry this time.
Gongsun Cheyuan finally realized, belatedly, that the atmosphere was strange.
His Highness King Jin exuded a cold and intimidating aura, and his eyes were unfathomable, instantly cooling down Jin's enthusiasm as if it had been doused with a bucket of snow water.
Although he didn't understand the specifics, he instinctively felt fear, and his previous excitement vanished, leaving only unease.
Xiao Chengyan glanced at him coldly, his tone distant: "The young master was frightened. Now that you are alright, someone—"
The hidden guard, who had been concealed in the background, suddenly appeared and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Your subordinate is here."
"We escorted the prince back to his camp to rest and calm his nerves."
"Yes." The guard turned to Gongsun Cheyuan, raised his hand in a businesslike manner, "Your Highness, please."
Gongsun Cheyuan opened his mouth, but under Xiao Chengyan's icy gaze, all the words stuck in his throat.
Finally, he could only awkwardly bow and say, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I will take my leave now."
Only the two of them remained in the woods.
Xiao Chengyan did not loosen his grip on Gu Jinghong's wrist; instead, he tightened it even more.
He looked down at her, his eyes as deep as the night, churning with anger and even more complex emotions.
As if sensing his intention to leave, Gu Jinghong reminded him, "Your Highness, this is the hunting grounds..."
Xiao Chengyan suddenly leaned down and fiercely sealed Gu Jinghong's cold lips with a rather aggressive gesture.
As he drew closer, the faint smell of blood emanating from him grew stronger.
Gu Jinghong was dressed as a man this time. If someone with ulterior motives were to discover her here and report it to His Majesty, wouldn't Xiao Chengyan have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor?
She struggled to push him away, but she couldn't overcome his strength.
After a long while, the downpour subsided, and the anger in his heart seemed to finally calm down a bit.
Xiao Chengyan stroked Gu Jinghong's face with one hand, his voice extremely low: "Gu Jinghong, why are you being naughty?"
After speaking, Xiao Chengyan stared intently at that delicate little face—he almost wanted to laugh at himself.
In fact, the corners of his mouth had unconsciously turned up slightly.
She laughed at him for still making such "unreasonable" demands on her at this point.
She was the chief of the Qianyuan Pavilion and a master of mechanical devices. She was different from other women, and this difference had been with her since childhood. Why would he expect her to be obedient?
Sure enough, Gu Jinghong's face was a mix of emotions; for a moment, she was unsure what the prince meant.
She blinked. "Your Highness...should I talk to it first?"
Xiao Chengyan was both amused and annoyed, and gently tapped her on the head: "Ah Hong's skill in pretending to be deaf and dumb with such seriousness is becoming more and more refined, hmm?"
Gu Jinghong laughed first, and then Xiao Chengyan couldn't help but smile as well.
Their eyes were full of smiles.
After a moment, Gu Jinghong stopped laughing and walked towards the horses.
The faint smell of blood emanating from Xiao Chengyan, mixed with his unique sweet pine scent, seeped into her nostrils.
He was with the Emperor just now, and it's not dark yet. There's no way he would leave the Emperor to come looking for her. The only possibility is that the Emperor has also returned... He went with high hopes but returned disappointed... The Emperor must be injured.
Why was the emperor injured? It could have been by a person or by an object.
If it were a human injury, the hunting grounds should be filled with guards arresting people now, but it is so peaceful. Therefore, it must be an injury caused by an object.
What caused the injury?
Considering the current situation, it must be a ferocious beast... However, Xiao Chengyan has an extremely strong foundation in martial arts, and ordinary ferocious beasts simply cannot defeat him. Moreover, he is not the only one present who knows kung fu.
The only explanation is that the smell of blood on him is the Emperor's.
It is speculated that all of this occurred in the blink of an eye.
"Your Highness, how is the Emperor...?"
Xiao Chengyan looked down at her, seemingly surprised, but then his expression returned to understanding and calm: "It's alright."
Just then, an old yet steady voice broke in: "Cheyuan? What are you doing here? I was very worried when I heard you were in danger."
Both of them were stunned—hadn't he just left? How much did he...see?
Before she could think any further, Gu Jinghong looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in the everyday clothes of a duke, with a refined face but sharp eyes, walking slowly towards her.
His gaze, gentle yet sharp, swept over Gongsun Cheyuan before naturally settling on Xiao Chengyan and Gu Jinghong. After a couple of glances, it then fell upon the slightly darker stains on Xiao Chengyan's robes.
Gongsun Lie's gaze lingered on the bloodstains for a fleeting moment, so quickly it was almost an illusion, before returning to the gentle demeanor of an elder.
Gongsun Cheyuan felt as if he had found a pillar of support and hurriedly stepped forward, "Father! I am alright, thanks to this..." He looked at Gu Jinghong, not knowing how to address him for a moment.
Gongsun Lie turned to Xiao Chengyan, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Your Highness, my son was unruly and mistakenly entered a dangerous place. Fortunately, Your Highness and this righteous man under your command came to his rescue. Gongsun Lie is extremely grateful."
He spoke tactfully, but in his mind he had already pondered the appearance of the "brave warrior" beside Xiao Chengyan, and then came to a conclusion—this person...could he be a woman?
If she is not a woman, why is she of such a stature, and why is she so delicate in appearance?
He subconsciously touched his beard—everyone says Xiao Chengyan is not interested in women, but it turns out he deliberately does so to avoid leaving any evidence against him… Heh, how cunning!
Moreover, there was a secret report from the southwest that Xiao Chengyan had captured Zhao Qian in front of everyone and then carried away a girl... Now, with this situation, could that girl be the "righteous man" in front of us?
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