Xiao Rongyan threw his bow and arrow to the ground in frustration. Such a small catch could definitely not be presented to his imperial father.
A guard ran over to pick up the fawn that had been shot in the hind leg. The moment he turned around, an adult doe without antlers charged fiercely at his back.
Watch out. The calm expression on Duke Zhenguo's face instantly turned as cold as eternal ice. His longsword left its sheath, bringing with it a blinding flash of white light.
Just as the deer's head was about to crash into the guard's lower back, the sharp blade pierced its neck. Boiling hot blood spewed out, and the doe fell to the ground, twitching twice before losing its life.
Seeing Duke Zhenguo slay the doe with a single strike while it took him two arrows just to hit a fawn, Xiao Rongyan suddenly felt he had lost face.
He drew the sword hanging from his saddle and looked at the herd of elk watching from a distance, dark currents surging in his eyes. You wait here. I am going to kill a stag and bring it back.
Duke Zhenguo, who had just saved the guard, looked even more displeased. He rode his horse to block Xiao Rongyan's path.
Your Highness Prince Ying, if you want a stag, I will personally catch a live one for you another day. There are steep slopes near the fir forest, currently hidden by the snow. It is best not to ride around recklessly. The herd is too far away; they will run as soon as you approach, and you won't be able to hunt them.
Xiao Rongyan frowned in dissatisfaction, believing that Duke Zhenguo was looking down on him.
His frustrated gaze noticed the other soldiers who had followed them, making him feel even more humiliated.
He raised his chin and declared loudly to the crowd, Who says I cannot hunt one? During last year's spring hunt, let alone a stag, even a black bear was nothing to me.
Duke Zhenguo's thick black eyebrows twitched incessantly. Was it really you who hunted it?
The guards had completely surrounded the black bear, and you just went up and added an arrow. Not to mention that the black bear had three arrow wounds on its body, and it was only the third arrow that was fatal.
Watching Xiao Rongyan gallop toward the elk, Duke Zhenguo closed his eyes in exhaustion and waved his hand, signaling the other soldiers to follow.
It was truly eight lifetimes of bad luck to be stuck with such a prince, and to have him forcefully shoved into his military camp. Arrogant and unaware of his own limits, he was nothing but trouble everywhere he went.
Xiao Rongyan couldn't catch up to the startled herd at all. In the end, he broke out in a cold sweat, his sword-holding hand frozen stiff. He didn't even manage to touch an antler before the herd vanished without a trace.
Helpless, Xiao Rongyan had to turn his horse around and return. Looking at the already frozen doe on the ground and the fawn that was still bleating, he felt a surge of irritation and, as if venting his anger, raised his sword and chopped off the fawn's head.
The cries instantly ceased, and the fir forest fell into an eerie silence.
The others looked at Duke Zhenguo in dismay, only to see that Duke Zhenguo, whose boot had been splattered with blood, had a face as dark as ink.
Just as Xiao Rongyan's guard bent down to pick up the fawn's corpse from the ground, everyone gradually felt the ground begin to shake, the intensity growing stronger and stronger.
Duke Zhenguo abruptly looked up and ahead, only to see white waves churning on the distant mountainside, surging forward like a massive beast.
Run, it is an avalanche!
The anger on Xiao Rongyan's face vanished without a trace the moment he saw the avalanche. Under Duke Zhenguo's shouts, everyone turned their horses to flee.
A streak of orange and black suddenly appeared beside Xiao Rongyan. It snatched the fawn's corpse from the ground and ran off, its speed so fast that no one had time to react.
Neigh! The horse was startled, rearing its front hooves high into the air. Xiao Rongyan, riding on it, was caught off guard. His lower body was thrown into the air, and as the horse's hooves landed and it bolted in the opposite direction of the fleeing leopard, he fell heavily back onto the saddle.
He let out a muffled groan, a sharp pain in his ribs. He felt as if his internal organs had been shattered.
The sudden accident made Duke Zhenguo turn pale with fright. He immediately spurred his horse and chased after Xiao Rongyan.
Lean down, hug the horse's neck!
With the wind howling in his ears, the panicked Xiao Rongyan couldn't hear Duke Zhenguo's instructions at all. He pulled hard on the reins, trying to make the horse stop, but the more he did so, the faster the horse ran.
Seeing this, Duke Zhenguo had no choice but to whip his horse hard to catch up.
The cascading snow rushed into the fir forest like an unstoppable tsunami. Fortunately, there were enough trees in the forest to slightly divert and block it, slowing the avalanche's speed.
After catching up, the two horses ran side by side. Duke Zhenguo kicked hard with his legs and leaped into the air.
He landed on Xiao Rongyan's horse, snatched the reins from his hands, and pressed him down against the horse's back to lower their center of gravity. Meanwhile, he continuously pulled the reins hard to one side, trying to reduce their speed and bring the horse to a halt.
Under Duke Zhenguo's relentless efforts, the startled horse finally began to calm down. Just as the two of them were about to breathe a sigh of relief, their bodies suddenly hung in the air, and a strong sense of weightlessness washed over them.
The elderly Duke Zhenguo was so angry he wanted to curse. He had told him there were steep slopes, and now they had really fallen.
The horse let out a long, mournful neigh as its four hooves buckled, falling into the snowbank and rolling downward. In a matter of moments, it disappeared from sight.
Lord Duke! the soldiers who had caught up shouted in horror, their eyes bulging.
Xiao Rongyan's guard stood frozen in place, completely stunned.
His veins bulging, his arm bore the weight of two people. In a moment of desperation, Duke Zhenguo had grabbed the branch of a fir tree with his left hand, preventing them from rolling down with the horse.
His other hand was tightly gripped by Xiao Rongyan, nearly dislocating.
Stop yelling and hurry over to save us! Duke Zhenguo roared upwards.
Hearing his voice, the soldiers snapped back to reality, hastily dismounted, and rushed over.
The tremors caused their bodies to sway. Everyone turned to look to their right, only to see torrential waves of snow surging towards them, about to bury them alive.
The tree trunk swayed, and a crisp cracking sound rang out. Duke Zhenguo glanced down at Xiao Rongyan and used his right hand to forcefully pull him to his side.
Hurry up and climb up!
At this moment, not a trace of color could be seen on Xiao Rongyan's face. His mind was filled with only one thought: survive.
To Duke Zhenguo's surprise, he had thought Xiao Rongyan would grab the branch after climbing up, but instead, the prince actually stepped on his shoulder and kicked off hard, jumping up to hug the tree trunk.
The impact nearly snapped his left hand that was gripping the branch, and he almost lost his hold.
Just then, the snow rolling down from the mountainside crashed over them, burying everyone under the white snow.
The massive impact broke the already cracked branch. Duke Zhenguo's sturdy figure was swept down along with the snow, not even managing to cry out for help.
The rumbling sound roared past.
After a long while, hands began to reach out from the snow one after another. Then, the soldiers broke through the snow and climbed out.
At a glance, the snow around them was more than twice as thick as before, and the sound of the churning snow waves was gradually fading.
Xiao Rongyan climbed out of the snowbank, still hugging the tree trunk.
Seeing Xiao Rongyan but not Duke Zhenguo, a soldier immediately panicked and shouted for the Lord Duke towards the place where they had just fallen.
The voice echoed through the entire forest. Hearing this title, Xiao Rongyan's expression changed slightly, and he turned his head to look at the vast white snowfield behind him.
Thinking back to how his desperate kick had felt a sinking sensation, his already bloodless face could only be described as deathly pale. His heart pounded wildly, as if it were going to leap out of his chest, vibrating so hard that his ears began to ring.
