Chapter 49

If this were through a screen, Ji Weiqiu would have called the black panther cute, adorable, awesome... but without a screen, facing this apex predator, Ji Weiqiu's mind was blank except for a single thought: 'Holy shit.'

A layer of goosebumps had already erupted on his back. It was an instinctive reaction, impossible to stop. He had to bite the tip of his tongue just to remain standing here relatively calmly, meeting its gaze.

It wasn't that he didn't want to run, he just had no confidence he could outrun this black panther. Turning your back on it was more dangerous than facing it—that was common sense. He deeply regretted thinking it was just a short walk and not bringing the Qingxuan Guard. Who would have thought a huge black panther would be hiding here so silently!

Zhang Er had excellent eyesight and naturally saw it too. They had come over for convenience and weren't carrying bows and arrows, only a dagger strapped to their legs. 'Calm down, calm down, I definitely can't fight a panther with a pathetic dagger!'

Climb a tree? Useless. Not only could panthers climb trees, but their climbing speed would make them question their very existence. He quickly calmed himself and said, "I'll come down in a moment, and I'll shout loudly. The Qingxuan Guard will arrive soon. I'll be fine, at worst I'll get a little injured, you hear me!"

Ji Weiqiu didn't refuse. The two of them had set out together and encountered danger together. If something happened to him, it wouldn't matter if Zhang Er was Prime Minister Gu's brother or even the Empress Dowager's brother. He said, "Shout loudly the moment you jump down."

The black panther across from them nearly melted into the darkness among the tree shadows, with only its pair of golden eyes gleaming with a sharp, wild light. Zhang Er jumped down. He certainly wasn't going to shout useless things like 'look here'; panthers couldn't understand human speech. He only let out a great roar: "Men! Guards—!"

It had been staring intently at Ji Weiqiu, but it suddenly lifted its head at the sound. Seeing the small black kitten in Zhang Er's hands, it let out a roar and lunged towards Zhang Er without hesitation.

Ji Weiqiu seized the opportunity to draw the dagger from his boot. He grabbed Zhang Er, yanked him aside, and flung the dagger straight at the black panther. Although the panther didn't know what it was, its body instinctively swerved in mid-air to dodge.

Ji Weiqiu snatched the little black kitten from Zhang Er's hands and, right in front of the panther, tossed it into the bushes. The black panther's gaze uncontrollably followed the parabolic arc. By this time, the Qingxuan Guard had already arrived. Seeing the menacing crowd, the black panther turned and dove into the bushes.

In that instant, Ji Weiqiu and Zhang Er were surrounded by guards. He let out a huge sigh of relief and slapped Zhang Er on the back of the head. "Grabbing, grabbing, what's with grabbing a kitten? Haven't you ever seen a cat before! Is that a cat?!"

In those few breaths, Zhang Er had broken out in a cold sweat, his face deathly pale. He was, after all, just a young master. The most thrilling scene he had ever witnessed was a hunt, but that was always with friends and surrounded by guards. When had he ever faced a panther head-on? He staggered, knowing he was in the wrong, and stammered, "How was I supposed to know..."

Who could have imagined a panther would be lurking so close?!

In fact, it wasn't just him; the Qingxuan Guards' faces had turned ashen. The hunting ground's Ding Guards, who were usually in charge of guiding the nobles, looked as if disaster had struck. They all knelt in a circle to plead for forgiveness. Ji Weiqiu took a breath to calm himself and waved his hand. "All of you, get up."

Only then did everyone rise. Ji Weiqiu and Zhang Er returned to the camp and sat down. They exchanged a look, both feeling their legs go soft. After filling their bellies with more wine and meat, they had no heart for hunting anymore and decided to leave the forest directly.

After such an incident, although Ji Weiqiu didn't blame them out loud, he couldn't help but glance at the Qingxuan Guards a couple of times. To be honest, this wasn't the first time the Qingxuan Guard had failed in their duty to him. Even if it wasn't the same group, an assassin got close last time, and a black panther got close this time. Patrolling and guarding was their responsibility... 'Could their organization be full of traitors?'

Ji Weiqiu sighed. He and Zhang Er rode back slowly on their horses. Halfway there, they suddenly heard the sound of dogs barking up ahead, growing closer and closer. Everyone's spirits lifted at the sound. Sure enough, after a few breaths, a white shadow shot out from the woods, followed closely by several hounds that charged after the white shadow without a second glance.

The sound of hooves approached from a distance. A magnificent black horse leaped out of the forest, followed by several riders. The man in the lead drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The muscles on his smoothly lined arms bulged, and the arrow shot through the air. The next moment, the white shadow was struck and tumbled a few times on the ground before lying still.

Ji Su lowered his longbow and looked over, his expression cool. He said, "So it's you."

He hadn't thought Ji Weiqiu would enter the forest again. After all, he had raised this child to be quite delicate, and his legs were already chafed. He had assumed Ji Weiqiu wouldn't subject himself to such hardship again. It was only later when he heard the signal that he knew he'd entered the forest. He had thought he was just strolling around and didn't expect to meet him this deep inside.

The riders behind him also reined in their horses. The hounds brought back the fluffy white bundle, and only then did Ji Weiqiu and the others see clearly that it was a white fox.

Zhou Ruhui bent down, grasped the arrow, and lifted the white fox. It was already dead. Zhou Ruhui held it upside down by its two hind legs, no different from carrying a chicken or a duck.

Ji Weiqiu really couldn't be bothered to get down. He cupped his hands in salute from his horse. "Imperial Elder Brother, Second Brother Zhou."

Zhang Er didn't have that kind of courage. He obediently dismounted with the other Qingxuan Guards to salute. "Your subordinates greet Your Majesty."

"You may rise." Ji Su's gaze lingered on Zhang Er for a moment before he turned to Ji Weiqiu. "Planning to head back?"

"We were planning to head back... You just killed it like that?" Ji Weiqiu's focus was completely off. He stared at the white fox dangling from Zhou Ruhui's hand. If he remembered correctly, this was an auspicious sign sent from some prefecture, wasn't it? He remembered that the prefect had praised it effusively in his memorial, complimenting the white fox's spiritual beauty and speaking of how the Emperor's grace bathed all corners of the land. He recalled it being sent to the Beast Garden afterward?

White foxes were rare. After all, there was no selective breeding for them back then; they relied entirely on natural genetic mutations. And Ji Su just... killed it with one arrow?

Huh?!

That was an auspicious sign!

Ji Su followed his gaze to the white fox in Zhou Ruhui's hand and said, "I wasn't paying attention."

He paused, then added, "I'll have someone make a scarf for you when we get back."

Ji Weiqiu was stunned. This wasn't a matter of whether he liked it or not. What kind of good emperor hunts auspicious signs?! Huh?! But since he had already said it, he couldn't just throw it back in Ji Su's face, could he? He could only express his gratitude.

After thanking him, Ji Weiqiu finally remembered the important point. "Imperial Elder Brother, just now Zhang Er and I encountered a black panther with a cub. Imperial Elder Brother should be careful too."

Ji Su didn't seem to care and just grunted in acknowledgment. Suddenly, he added, "Follow me."

Ji Weiqiu was full of question marks. They were still hunting, so why did he want them to follow? To hunt together? But once Ji Su had spoken, there was no room for negotiation. The two groups merged into one and began to gallop again. In front of so many people, Ji Weiqiu didn't dare to grimace in pain and could only pretend to be calm as he rode along.

The hounds darted out again, having apparently found new prey. Zhang Er, who had been frightened earlier, was now full of confidence, probably because he was with Ji Su and Zhou Ruhui. He became lively again. Feeling it would be inappropriate to compete for prey with Your Majesty, he decided to tag along with Zhou Ruhui to get in on the action.

Ji Weiqiu, following Ji Su, felt a bit like Zhang Er—his confidence had returned! He cursed himself for being so pathetic, but since it was a rare chance to have fun outside, he was happy nonetheless. He watched as Ji Su drew his bow and fired in one fluid motion, hitting the mark almost every time, and was secretly amazed.

If Ji Su were like Zhang Er, he wouldn't think much of it. After all, a person can't be bad at everything, right? They must have one or two specialties. But Ji Su... had far too many specialties.

Ji Weiqiu never hesitated to praise Ji Su's looks, but Ji Su's imposing presence had grown over the years. Every time they met, he was either being scolded or lectured, or it felt like an exam. Who would be in the mood to notice such things? But today was different. He gave Ji Su a mental thumbs-up. 'If he didn't see Ji Su as his own brother, and if they were strangers in the modern world, he would have totally made a move and asked for his WeChat!'

Ji Su shot two more wild rabbits. One was even shot through the ear, pinning the rabbit to a tree trunk where it kicked its legs in vain. Ji Su saw Ji Weiqiu staring at the rabbit, wondering what he was thinking. He urged his horse over, but before he could speak, he heard Ji Weiqiu mutter, "One roasted, one stir-fried..."

Ji Su shook his head inwardly. Was he lacking for food and drink in the palace? Why was he drooling over two rabbits like that?

They spent another hour in the forest. It was now deep autumn, and the sun was beginning to set. They probably had another half an hour of fun before it was time to head back. Ji Su called for a halt by a small stream, and everyone dismounted to rest. Ji Weiqiu dragged his old, injured legs step by step to the stream, washed his face with the water, and let out a long sigh of relief after sitting down.

He really felt like his stamina was shot... He had to build it back up when he returned!

Ji Su suddenly said, "Raise the curtain."

Several Qingxuan Guards came forward with long silks, using wooden poles to create a simple enclosure by the trees. Ji Su pulled Ji Weiqiu inside. Ji Weiqiu was completely bewildered. He hadn't even noticed when they put up the curtain. Was his brother going to change his clothes? Did he want him to hand him his clothes?

Just as Ji Weiqiu was getting ready to take the clothes, he suddenly heard Ji Su say, "Take it off."

Ji Weiqiu: "...?"

Ji Su gestured towards his leg with his eyes. Ji Weiqiu understood and quickly refused, "No, no... I've already applied medicine. It's not that serious. I can take care of it when we get back!"

Ji Su said flatly, "I won't say it a second time."

Hearing that tone, Ji Weiqiu knew there was no resisting. 'We're brothers anyway, it's not like we haven't bathed together. What's there to be shy about?' He placed one foot on a tree trunk and untied his leg bindings. A faint smell of blood wafted out. He looked down and saw that his thigh was covered in blood.

He himself was shocked. Although it hurt a little, he hadn't expected it to be this severe.

Ji Su also saw the bloody mess and frowned. The sash on Ji Weiqiu's riding attire today was not easy to remove, so he simply rolled up his pant leg. When it reached his thigh, it became tight and pressed against the wound. He sucked in a sharp breath. "...Hiss."

Ji Su ordered, "Bring a basin of water and more medicine."

A Qingxuan Guard outside answered, and soon, a basin of water and medicine were brought in.

Ji Weiqiu said sheepishly, "I can do it myself..."

The author has something to say:

Modern Ji Weiqiu: "(winks) Hey! Brother, you've got some real style, don't you? Let's add each other on WeChat, alright!"