Chapter 394: Tacit Understanding

The snow on Fragrant Hills had only recently melted. On the slopes, the accumulated leaves, still damp with melted snow, produced a soft, muffled sound under the horses' hooves.

A squirrel on a branch, clutching a pinecone, cautiously watched as the Crown Prince galloped past beneath the tree.

Mr. Liao rode beside the Crown Prince, blowing a bamboo whistle to direct the Eastern Palace attendants in driving game from their lairs.

Over ten Eastern Palace attendants shouted war cries and struck their iron stirrups with their sabers. The clang of metal startled the wild animals, sending them fleeing into the valley. Though armed with bows and arrows, they did not shoot; instead, they slowly tightened their circle, trapping the panicked beasts in the valley!

Mr. Liao stood on the hillside with the Crown Prince, silently observing the enclosed hunting ground in the valley.

He removed the bamboo whistle from his mouth and smiled, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness! We've cornered a black bear. Starting the hunt with a bear is befitting your status!"

The Crown Prince nodded slightly.

Mr. Liao blew the bamboo whistle again. Upon hearing the command, the Eastern Palace attendants immediately opened gaps, slowly releasing rabbits, weasels, lynx, and sika deer from the enclosure, leaving only the black bear inside.

Whenever the black bear tried to break out, the attendants would strike their iron stirrups with their sabers, startling it back with the clang of metal.

Mr. Liao took a longbow from his saddle and handed it to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, it's disoriented. You may begin the hunt!"

"A 60-jin birch bow won't be enough to pierce it; you'll need a 90-jin black horn birch bow!"

The Crown Prince took the black horn birch bow, urged his horse down the slope, and halted within twenty paces.

He raised the bow and nocked an arrow.

The first time the Crown Prince drew the bowstring, veins pulsed in his neck. He only managed to draw the 90-jin bow halfway before his breath gave out, and the longbow returned to its original state.

Mr. Liao reassured him, "No need to rush, Your Highness. It won't escape!"

The Crown Prince breathed lightly, his eyes fixed on the black bear. "I've neglected my training. Two years ago, I could still draw a 90-jin horn bow, but not this year!"

Mr. Liao stroked his beard and smiled faintly. "Leave these crude matters to us, Your Highness. Your concern should be the affairs of the realm. Why worry about how many jin a bow you can draw?"

The Crown Prince calmly replied, "The House of Zhu established this empire through their own abilities. How can their descendants neglect martial arts? Upon my return, I must make time to practice! Should the Jing Dynasty ever besiege the city, I too can fight alongside my soldiers!"

Mr. Liao praised him, "Your Highness's broad-mindedness and courage are a blessing to the Ning Dynasty!"

The Crown Prince drew his bow and nocked an arrow again.

This time, he drew the longbow fully, but his hand trembled uncontrollably, causing the arrowhead to sway left and right, pointed at the black bear. He hesitated to release the arrow.

Seeing this, Mr. Liao beckoned for an 80-jin hard bow from an attendant. With a casual pull, he drew it to a full circle.

If that iron-tipped arrow were fired, it would surely pierce the bear's belly!

Yet, despite the Crown Prince's trembling hand, his voice was calm: "I'll do it myself!"

Mr. Liao slowly lowered the hard bow, saying nothing, and waited quietly.

Just then, rapid hoofbeats approached from behind them.

Mr. Liao looked back and saw Prince Fu galloping toward them.

As his horse rose and fell, the mountain wind filled Prince Fu's black robes, making them billow like agitated dragon whiskers, a formidable sight.

Prince Fu laughed heartily, "Your Highness, why are you trembling so much trying to draw a bow? Let me lend you a hand!"

His warhorse, carrying the momentum of the downhill charge, galloped straight towards the Crown Prince, as if intending to knock him off his horse.

Mr. Liao's expression changed. He raised his hard bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Prince Fu: "The Crown Prince is here! Do not presume!"

But Prince Fu, facing the black iron arrow, still did not dodge. He laughed loudly, "Do you think I'm made of mud? Go ahead and shoot, and I'll exterminate your whole clan!"

Mr. Liao's face turned ashen. He dared not truly release the string and could only urgently warn, "Your Highness, avoid this madman!"

The Crown Prince did not avoid him; instead, he rotated his arrow and released the string, which snapped with a thunderous sound!

The black iron-tipped arrow flew from the string, heading straight for Prince Fu's face!

Prince Fu seemed truly unafraid, not even blinking as the arrow pierced through his winged coronet, just above his head!

His courage was extreme!

Prince Fu arrived in an instant. He reined in his horse sharply before the Crown Prince, and his magnificent black warhorse reared up, its hooves seemingly blotting out the sky!

Mr. Liao tried to pull the Crown Prince off his horse, but the Crown Prince calmly watched the hooves descend: "Let him come."

At the critical moment, Prince Fu nudged his stirrup strap, and the warhorse's descent suddenly veered, its hooves landing mere inches from the Crown Prince.

A Crown Prince and an Imperial Prince, neither flinched! The Eastern Palace attendants were aghast. Forgetting the black bear hunt, they rushed to surround Prince Fu.

Zhou Kuang and the men from the Five Armies Camp, who were behind Prince Fu, also stepped forward, creating a tense standoff.

Prince Fu suddenly laughed heartily, "Very good, the Zhu family has no cowards! You dared to shoot that arrow just now, and I won't hold it against you. But if you hadn't dared and had hidden behind this Mr. Liao, I would have despised you!"

He smiled, pointing his horsewhip at the Crown Prince, "Do you know why I haven't contended with you all these years?"

The Crown Prince remained silent.

Prince Fu continued with interest, "I didn't contend because I believed you were more like an emperor than I, and more suited to be one! Before you were made Crown Prince, you used those dirty tricks to tarnish my reputation. I didn't hold it against you, because I figured if I were emperor, I probably couldn't handle the sordid affairs of those civil officials. If you're emperor, then *they* should be the ones with headaches! As long as you can protect the Zhu family's empire, what does it matter if you sit on the throne?"

Prince Fu gazed at the Crown Prince: "But you've grown increasingly impatient over the years, and less tolerant of others! Don't you know that leaving a path for others is also leaving a path for yourself? My mother, the Empress, has always been generous in the palace and never harshly treated Consort Xue, yet you wished to put her to death. Now, your enemies are not just the Emperor, but me as well!"

With that, without waiting for the Crown Prince's reply, he reined in his horse and rode off: "Don't expect to bag any game today. Go back to the capital empty-handed to pay respects to your ancestors!"

Red Leaf Villa!

Chen Ji was still in the stable, selecting the fiercest warhorse and saddling it. The warhorse had been restless, but as soon as Chen Ji's hand stroked its neck, it slowly calmed down.

Chen Ji slowly saddled the horse in the stable, intending to observe the movements of the Jie Fan Guard. If they pursued the Crown Prince and Prince Fu, he and his group wouldn't need to take a detour; they could just return to the capital while the guards were deep in the mountains.

However, the Crown Prince and Prince Fu had been in the mountains for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, and the Jie Fan Guard remained inactive.

Zhang Xia walked up beside him and whispered, "We can't delay any longer. Any more delay might arouse their suspicion!"

Chen Ji nodded, "Let's go then!"

Zhang Xia looked back at Qi Zhaoning, Qi Zhenzhu, and the others outside the stable. "What about them? Leaving them at Red Leaf Villa could be trouble if the Jie Fan Guard seizes them. The guards might even consider killing them to silence them!"

Chen Ji said impassively, "We can barely protect ourselves; how can we worry about others' lives?"

He led the warhorse out, only to see Qi Zhaoning smiling radiantly: "Chen Ji, you'll definitely win today and receive His Majesty's reward! If you win, I'll..."

Before she finished speaking, Yang Yang, leading the Ten Thousand Years Army men, came to the stable to get horses. He openly retorted, "With my Ten Thousand Years Army here, if he wins, I'll write my name backward!"

Zhang Zheng rolled his eyes: "Wouldn't your name backward still be Yang Yang?"

Yang Yang glared at him: "We've been good brothers for over ten years, why are you always siding with outsiders?"

Zhang Zheng chuckled merrily, "If you weren't harboring such immense hostility, we could all be friends!"

Yang Yang scoffed, "I don't make friends with those who falsely report military achievements!"

He turned to Zhang Xia and said, "A'Xia, come with me today. I'll help you win, and we'll see if His Majesty is willing to grant you the Ning Dynasty's first female peerage!"

Zhang Xia said expressionlessly, "Since when can women participate in the spring hunt? We can only observe. Any game we catch doesn't count!"

Yang Yang froze for a moment: "Oh, is that so? Then just watch me win!"

Zhang Zheng laughed loudly, "Yang Yang, who gave you such confidence?!"

Yang Yang raised an eyebrow: "When it comes to mastery of bow and horse, who today can compare to me?"

He looked at Chen Ji: "You don't really think this kid can win, do you? Hey, kid, let's have a competition today. If you win, I, Yang Yang, will give you my ancestral horn bow. If you lose, you don't owe me anything. How about it?"

Chen Ji ignored him and simply mounted his horse.

There were two narrow paths into the mountains here: one leading to Plum Blossom Valley, the other to Autumn Splendor Woods. He deliberately avoided the direction of Plum Blossom Valley, where the Crown Prince and Prince Fu had gone, and headed towards Autumn Splendor Woods.

Yang Yang sneered, "Look, he doesn't even dare to accept the challenge... A'Xia, wait!"

Seeing Zhang Xia urge Zao Zao to follow Chen Ji into the forest, he quickly called for the Ten Thousand Years Army to follow on horseback.

Once in the forest, Chen Ji observed the terrain while heading towards Autumn Splendor Woods.

He looked back and only saw Yang Yang and the Ten Thousand Years Army stealthily following behind, with no sign of the Jie Fan Guard. He then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Zhaozhuo, unaware of the danger today, was still looking for game. "If I had known winning today could earn a peerage, I should have called Duo Bao and the others to come! With just the two of us, how can we compete with the three Imperial Guard camps? They all cooperate in the hunt, with everyone driving game for one person to shoot!"

Chen Ji ignored him.

Qi Zhaozhuo continued muttering, "Show them what you've got, Master, and curb the arrogance of those Ten Thousand Years Army rascals!"

Chen Ji didn't want to explain further, merely saying they hadn't reached their destination yet.

At that moment, a pheasant flew by in the forest. Qi Zhaozhuo picked up a 100-jin hard bow and shot.

Although he was a dandy, the Qi family's children practiced the Six Arts of a Gentleman from a young age, so his archery was not bad.

The arrow shot towards the pheasant like a bolt of lightning, about to pin it to a tree in an instant!

A sudden change occurred. Not far away, Yang Yang's bow twanged like thunder. An iron-tipped arrow, fired later, arrived first, splitting Qi Zhaozhuo's arrow mid-air. When it pinned to the tree, the fletching of the arrow trembled incessantly!

This display of archery was far superior to Qi Zhaozhuo's, no wonder he was so arrogant!

Qi Zhaozhuo's expression changed. "What the hell are you doing?"

Yang Yang, pulling his reins with one hand and holding his hard bow under his arm with the other, slowly rode past him: "This is the archery of the Feathered Forest Army. You lot didn't rely on luck to return alive from Guyuan, did you?"

Qi Zhaozhuo was furious, but knowing he was outmatched, he was too angry to speak!

Chen Ji turned to look, finding the Ten Thousand Years Army officer to be like a peacock displaying its tail.

He glanced back at Red Leaf Villa below and quietly said to Zhang Xia, "The fortress tower shouldn't be able to spot us here anymore. Let's go!"

Zhang Xia nodded.

Chen Ji low-called to Qi Zhaozhuo, "Follow me, we're returning to the capital now!"

Qi Zhaozhuo was startled: "No more spring hunt?"

Chen Ji threw out a brief "There's danger," vigorously squeezed his horse's flanks, and leaned forward, galloping towards Autumn Splendor Woods. He no longer cared whether Qi Zhaozhuo followed or not.

The group rode past Yang Yang, leaving without looking back.

Yang Yang called out loudly behind them, "What, running away because you can't compete?"

But Chen Ji wouldn't fall for his taunts.

Seeing this, Yang Yang turned and signaled his Ten Thousand Years Army comrades: "Follow them!"

Suddenly, forest birds were startled from the side, circling above the woods.

Chen Ji's peripheral vision caught this scene, and his heart sank. He turned to Zhang Xia and said, "That's not the direction the Crown Prince and Prince Fu went into the mountains. Someone else has entered the mountains, but I don't know if they're after the Crown Prince or Prince Fu!"

He sped up again. The group ducked and wove through the forest. As they passed Yingluo Rock, a whistling sound suddenly came from the rock, and three furious arrows whistled towards them!

Chen Ji suddenly drew two arrows from his quiver. Before anyone could react, he had already nocked and fired them!

Yang Yang was instantly startled by the speed with which Chen Ji drew his bow.

His gaze followed the arrows. He saw two arrows collide with two crossbow bolts in mid-air, shattering them, then fly into the forest on Yingluo Rock. A person in the forest cried out in agony and fell from the rock's summit, clad in a straw cape!

Of the three arrows, those aimed at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia were intercepted, while the one aimed at Chen Ji was dodged with a tilt of his head.

Yang Yang looked at the forest above, then at the 60-jin birch bow in Chen Ji's hand, and suddenly roared, "Enemy attack! Chen boy, switch bows!"

As he spoke, he tossed his own 100-jin horn bow to Chen Ji. Chen Ji, without hesitation, threw his birch bow behind him.

The moment both caught the other's longbows simultaneously, their movements were perfectly synchronized as they drew strings and nocked arrows, firing towards the side of Yingluo Rock!

As if pre-arranged, Chen Ji shot higher and farther, while Yang Yang shot lower and closer. With each twang of a bowstring, several Jie Fan Guards fell, demonstrating unparalleled coordination!

The crossbow bolts ceased. The two men, with their combined archery skills, had pinned over twenty Jie Fan Guards behind the trees, preventing them from showing their heads!

Zhang Xia, crouching on Zao Zao's back, spoke to Chen Ji in a low, serious voice: "Be careful, they're not after the Crown Prince and Prince Fu. They're after you!"