Chapter 22 Autumn Hunt
After the arrival of autumn, the Cloud Recesses always hosts an autumn hunt. Unlike ordinary night hunts, this one emphasizes the collaboration and adaptability of the disciples from various aristocratic families. It serves as both a training opportunity and an opportunity for communication among the various families.
At dawn that day, Si Zhui followed Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to the hunting grounds. The hunting grounds were located in an enclosure in the mountains behind the Cloud Recesses. The forests were dense, with occasional deer and rabbits darting by, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass, trees, and earth.
The disciples of various noble families had already gathered at the entrance. Lan Jingyi was pulling Jin Ling and gesturing at something. Seeing Si Zhui coming over, he immediately waved, "Si Zhui! Over here!"
Wei Wuxian patted Sizhui's shoulder and said, "Go ahead, team up with them. Remember, the autumn hunt isn't about who kills the most prey, but about who can protect the others and keep the prey's spirit core—that's a valuable resource."
"I understand, Daddy." Si Zhui nodded and turned to walk towards Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling.
Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen stood on the high viewing platform, watching the energetic young men below. Lan Qiren twirled his beard, his gaze fixed on Sizhui. "This kid is actually more sociable than Wangji was at the same age."
Lan Xichen smiled and nodded, "Yes, he has Wei Ying's agility and Wang Ji's steadiness, which is rare."
When the Autumn Hunt signal arrow was launched, the teams immediately dispersed. Si Zhui, Jin Ling, and Lan Jingyi formed a group and chose the dense forest on the west side. Lan Jingyi was responsible for tracking, Jin Ling was the main attacker, and Si Zhui was the rearguard, responsible for both defense and record-keeping - this was the division of labor they had agreed on last night.
"There are traces here!" Lan Jingyi pointed at the hoof prints on the ground, his eyes shining, "It looks like a spirit fox, the spiritual power fluctuations are not weak!"
Jin Ling drew his sword and said, "Let's go, follow me."
The three of them followed the hoof prints deep into the dense forest, but lost their tracks in front of a valley. Lan Jingyi was scratching his head when Si Zhui suddenly pointed at the vines at the entrance of the valley and said, "Look here, there are traces of rubbing on the vines. The spirit fox must have entered the valley."
As soon as we entered the valley, we heard a rustling sound. A fiery red fox darted out from behind a tree, followed by three furry cubs. Seeing us, the fox immediately arched its back and let out a threatening growl, clearly protecting its cubs.
Lan Jingyi was about to draw his sword when Si Zhui stopped him: "Wait."
"What's wrong?" Lan Jingyi was puzzled. "The spirit core of this fox spirit is of top grade!"
Si Zhui shook his head. "It has cubs to protect. If we kill it, the cubs won't survive either. The purpose of autumn hunting is training, not extermination." He looked at Jin Ling. "We can just take some of the shed tail hairs from the spirit foxes. That's also an ingredient for the alchemy, so it's more than enough."
Jin Ling was silent for a moment, then sheathed his sword. "You're right."
Although Lan Jingyi felt a little sorry, he nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Si Zhui took out the jade bottle and carefully collected some fox tail hair. The fox seemed to sense that they had no ill intentions and gradually lowered its guard, taking its cub deeper into the bushes.
The three continued walking deeper into the dense forest. Not long after, they heard cries for help from the front. Following the sound, they saw several Nie clan members trapped by a black bear demon. Although they were not injured, they were in danger.
"Help!" Jin Ling rushed forward first, drawing his sword.
The black bear demon's skin was thick and tough, and ordinary sword moves couldn't hurt it at all. Lan Jingyi's talisman only stirred up a few black fur when it struck it. Seeing this, Sizhui suddenly remembered the "Ice-Splitting" technique taught by Lan Qiren and said in a deep voice, "Jin Ling, make it raise its head! Jingyi, use the Immortal Binding Rope!"
The two men immediately understood. Jin Ling feinted an attack on the black bear's abdomen, forcing it to raise its head and roar. Lan Jingyi seized the opportunity to unleash his talisman, instantly wrapping the binding rope around the black bear's forelimbs. Si Zhui then concentrated his spiritual power and stabbed the white fur on its chest—the creature's weak spot.
The black bear demon roared in pain, and its huge body fell to the ground with a bang, turning into a black gas and dissipating, leaving only a white spirit core.
"Amazing, Sizhui!" Lan Jingyi patted his shoulder, his face full of admiration. "How did you know where its weakness was?"
Si Zhui smiled and said, "It's written in the Record of Strange Beasts that the black bear demon's spiritual power is weakest in the white hair on its chest."
The Nie clan members hurried forward to express their gratitude, including Nie Wuwei. He looked up at Sizhui and said, "Brother Lan, you are amazing!"
Si Zhui patted his head and said, "It's okay. You guys should be careful too."
As the sun set, the autumn hunt concluded. Each team returned to the gathering point. Although Sizhui and his team didn't hunt any top-tier spiritual creatures, they did bring back a number of useful spiritual materials and even saved a member of the Nie family, earning them public praise from Lan Xichen.
Lan Qiren looked at the record book Si Zhui handed over. It not only recorded in detail the spiritual creatures he encountered, but also marked their habits and distribution. The handwriting was neat and clear, and he couldn't help but nodded: "Not bad." Although it was still these two words, the tone was much gentler than usual.
On the way back, Wei Wuxian put his arm around Lan Wangji's shoulders and said to Sizhui with a smile, "Not bad, kid. You didn't embarrass your father and me."
Si Zhui felt a warm glow at the sight of the faint smile on his father's face. He knew that the harvest of the autumn hunt wasn't just the spiritual materials and praise, but also the tacit understanding of fighting alongside friends, the heart that remained true to one's heart when faced with decisions, and the direction that gradually became clear through experience.
Moonlight streamed down the path home, lengthening the figures of the three. Sizhui walked in the middle, listening to his father's occasional conversations. He suddenly felt that growing up was like this autumn hunt: the tension of the chase, the hesitation of the decision, the joy of the harvest, and the constant companionship. These would become his most precious treasures in the years to come.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
