Baili Chen still wore that ambiguous smile, but he lowered his head and remained silent. Although he intended to provoke Emperor Mingxian, he would not actually cross that line. He was not someone who was completely indifferent to life. Perhaps he was before, but now that he had Yue'er, he would not die so easily. He was just trying to provoke Emperor Mingxian to give up the idea of caring about him.
Emperor Mingxian sneered, "Don't think I don't know what kind of tricks you're up to. This competition is extremely dangerous, and I forbid you from going!"
Baili Chen merely smiled faintly and remained silent, his gaze fixed on Emperor Mingxian. The wrinkles on his exquisite face shone brightly, causing Emperor Mingxian to momentarily lose his composure. A glint flashed in Baili Chen's eyes, and he slammed his hand on the table again with a "smack": "If you're courting death, I won't stop you. You'd better know your place and get out!"
Baili Chen's smile deepened: "Thank you for granting my request, Father. I wonder if you would like to issue an imperial edict explaining my intention to leave?"
Having gone too far, Emperor Mingxian glared angrily at Baili Chen and said, "Get out!"
Baili Chen seemed somewhat disappointed. He merely gave a slight bow, turned around, and strode away. Emperor Mingxian frowned upon seeing this, saying, "This scoundrel is becoming increasingly unruly." The old eunuch Fushun listened from the side but remained silent, as if he hadn't heard anything. After a while, Emperor Mingxian sighed and said, "Go and prepare. I need to draft an edict."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Fu Shun immediately withdrew.
Emperor Mingxian sighed, "I never expected that he would look more and more like you. It's a pity that I... It seems he has always blamed me."
Three days later, at the Royal Hunting Grounds outside the capital, the largest hunting ground in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Royal Hunting Grounds release tigers, leopards, wolves, and other prey every year. This Royal Hunting Grounds is never open to the public except for members of the Great Zhou royal family. Aside from the occasional visit by the Great Zhou emperor, large groups rarely enter the Royal Hunting Grounds due to the dangers within. In fact, the Royal Hunting Grounds are basically only open once a year, and the number of prey hunted each time is not large. Over the years, the prey in the Royal Hunting Grounds has accumulated to an astonishing level of ferocity and quantity. Using it as the venue for the final round of the beauty pageant is indeed exceptionally dangerous.
People from the five countries arrived early at the perimeter of the hunting grounds, where temporary structures had already been erected. The main grandstand was naturally occupied by Emperor Mingxian and other dignitaries from the five countries, who were personally in charge of the event. Therefore, the seven judges also sat on the main grandstand this time.
"Please welcome Miss Ouyang Yue, Miss Mu Cuiwei, and Miss Zi Si." Mr. Qi called out, and then the three of them, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, walked in. Ouyang Yue was dressed in a black tight-fitting outfit that covered her graceful body. Although she was only fourteen years old and her figure had not yet fully developed, she was already well-endowed in all the right places, with a slender and smooth waist. Her jet-black silk hair was tied up high, revealing her full forehead and delicate and beautiful face. She was full of energy, and her eyes were like the morning sun. She was vibrant and eye-catching from afar.
Compared to her, Mu Cuiwei was dressed much more elegantly, in a dark green long dress paired with tight pants. Her hair was adorned with a few hairpins, and her already beautiful face was lightly made up, making her look exceptionally pretty. On the other side, Zi Si was still dressed in purple, but this time she wore black gloves and her head was covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to tell what she was wearing.
"I have already explained the rules for the next round of the competition. Each of you may bring nine people into the arena. The hunting grounds will open after five days and four nights. Whoever has the most prey at that time will be the winner. Of course, if anyone wants to give up halfway, they can come to the gate and release this signal tube. However, giving up also means failure. Alright, now the three ladies may bring their people into the arena."
"Wait, I have an imperial decree to issue." Emperor Mingxian suddenly waved his hand and spoke.
The most distinguished person present was Emperor Mingxian. Even the Holy King of Miaojiang was much quieter today, and naturally no one spoke. Fushun immediately took the imperial edict and read it aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: ...I am deeply gratified that the Seventh Prince Baili Chen cares for the people of Great Zhou. Therefore, I hereby grant him permission to participate in the competition."
"Huh? What does Emperor Mingxian mean by this edict?"
"The Seventh Prince is also participating. This is a beauty pageant! Although the Seventh Prince is incomparably handsome, he is still a man. Could it be that the Seventh Prince was actually a woman in disguise?"
"Smack!"
"Are you stupid? How could the Emperor not know whether it's a man or a woman? I just can't understand why the Seventh Prince is participating in the beauty pageant. Is he too confident in his looks, so he wants to compete with the three young ladies for the title of the most beautiful woman in the world?"
The speculation grew increasingly absurd until Baili Chen appeared with Leng Caiwen, Dai Yu, Xuan Yuanchao, and others. Then everyone suddenly realized the truth. Not only Baili Chen and his group, but also Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si's team members emerged. Baili Chen and his nine companions wore black, the same color scheme as Ouyang Yue's. Although Baili Chen's attire was more ornate, embroidered with exquisite patterns, it couldn't be denied that he was Ouyang Yue's team member. Mu Cuiwei's team members, like her, wore green, and Zi Si's team members wore purple. It's worth noting that among these nine members were Zi Er and Zi San; the other six were all men, though their faces were plain, yet they exuded a chilling aura.
As for the nine people led by Mu Cuiwei, five of them were Baili Cheng's men, each with a cold and sharp expression and a chilling aura. They were clearly highly skilled in martial arts. Even though the other four were slightly less imposing, their killing intent was still undeniable.
In comparison, although Ouyang Yue's group attracted more attention, the presence of Baili Chen and Leng Caiwen immediately revealed their relative abilities. Baili Chen, the seventh prince, was frail and sickly from childhood, often coughing up blood after just a few steps; his complexion was never considered rosy. As for martial arts, no one had witnessed it, so its skill level was unknown. Leng Caiwen was a notorious playboy; although he was a talented writer, his martial arts skills were unheard of. Dai Yu, the Minister of Rites and one of the Three Talents, was also known for his talent; he might have some martial arts skills, but his proficiency was clearly not high. Of all the people present, Xuan Yuan Chaohua was the most eye-catching. Xuan Yuan Chaohua was the number one general of the Great Zhou Dynasty. His generals and soldiers had already made a name for themselves in the Langya Continent. His talents in both literature and martial arts were renowned throughout the Langya Continent. There were two other women. One was Dong Xue, Ouyang Yue's personal maid. The other had a somewhat unfamiliar and cold face. She carried two swords on her back and was named Leng Chan. Next were Baili Chen's guards Leng Sha, Leng Han, and Leng Shi. There was also Xuan Yuan Chaohua's follower, Xuan Yuan Bo, a burly man.
Compared to the people brought by Mu Cuiwei and Miao Si, the young masters and ladies brought by Ouyang Yue seemed to be on a leisurely outing. They were accompanied by only a few guards, making it look like a child's game. Many people were already showing displeasure. Judging from this, Miss Ouyang Yue might lose. Although Baili Chen was the Seventh Prince, which would attract some attention during the competition and benefit Ouyang Yue, that was all. Perhaps her competition would be hindered by the Seventh Prince.
Seeing this scene, many people pondered the betting game. They had been hesitant about who to bet on before, originally intending to bet everything on Ouyang Yue after her outstanding performance in the previous rounds. However, seeing this scene, they had other ideas. It seemed that the bet should also be placed on the other two young ladies. Many people left their seats. Not far from the stands, several tents were set up, selling tea, steamed buns, and snacks. Of course, there was also a betting stall. Today's betting game was very simple. Only the names of Mu Cuiwei, Ouyang Yue, and Zi Si remained on the betting board.
“I’m betting fifty taels on Miss Mu Cuiwei.”
"Twenty taels of purple."
"..."
"Let's bet five taels on Miss Ouyang Yue."
"Alright, remember all the work." A bearded man sat at the gambling stall, a long scar running from his forehead to the corner of his eye, looking somewhat ferocious. But since everyone in the casino looked tough, no one noticed. After everyone had placed their bets and left, the bearded man stroked his beard: "If Ouyang Yue doesn't win this time, she'll lose big time. But for the money, this daughter will win."
"Enter!" With Mr. Qi's call, three teams of thirty horses entered the royal hunting grounds side by side, followed by cheers from the crowd.
Ouyang Yue whispered, "After we go in, we should keep our distance so that we can't be attacked by the two of them."
On the other side, Mu Cuiwei had already instructed her subordinates: "Once inside, immediately surround and attack Ouyang Yue. Don't give them a chance to breathe. Kill them directly!"
Another person said, "But the Seventh Prince is still inside."
"Hmph, Seventh Prince, his life will naturally be spared. But it doesn't matter if you accidentally kill him. There's still Zi Si, isn't there? She's from Miao territory. If we kill her too, there will be no witnesses, and we'll be the ones to say what happened." Mu Cuiwei's face turned cold. The five men sent by the Crown Prince also turned cold, their eyes flashing with killing intent. Baili Chen had always been very arrogant and had even caused the Crown Prince to suffer. If they could take this opportunity to kill him, it would indeed be a good thing.
Zi Si didn't say much and just walked forward quietly. Suddenly, Zi San behind her said, "Line up and encircle them!" The entire ten-person team, like a purple ribbon, instantly split into two groups and flanked the enemy from behind.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Yue immediately said, "Run from the side!" After all, this was Ouyang Yue's competition, and Baili Chen and the others who came with her naturally had to obey her orders. Of course, most of the ten people in the team understood the relationship between Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue, and Leng Caiwen, Dai Yu, and Xuan Yuan Chaohua were also willing to come along, so they had no doubts. The ten people scattered in all directions like swords released from a bow.
Seeing Zi Si make the first move, Mu Cuiwei was stunned for a moment, then led her people to surround them. She saw that Ouyang Yue's group had retreated in a very scattered manner: "Good opportunity, kill them, kill them all!" Mu Cuiwei shouted excitedly, and her squad also quickly dispersed to encircle and kill them.
In an instant, both Mu Cuiwei's and Zi Si's teams attacked Ouyang Yue's team. Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si's eyes met in the air, and Mu Cuiwei smiled: "So it's Miss Zi Si. Ouyang Yue has a grudge against me and you too. How about we cooperate and take care of her first?"
"Alright!" They both thought to themselves, "Anyway, I'm going to kill you in the next moment."
"Surround and annihilate Ouyang Yue!"
"Surround and annihilate Ouyang Yue!"
Then the two shouted at the same time, and each of their teams of five raised their arrows and shot them at Ouyang Yue and the others. Originally, Ouyang Yue thought that Mu Cuiwei and the others would have to walk a little further before making a move, but who knew that Zi Si was in such a hurry, and made a move as soon as he turned the corner, as if he wanted to deal with them here.
Ouyang Yue suddenly waved her hand, and Dongxue immediately took out a large round fan from her backpack. At this moment, Leng Chan also took out a bundle and opened it directly. Dongxue immediately fanned the bundle, and a cloud of scattered white powder filled the sky.
"Retreat!" Zi Si shouted as soon as she saw the thing, and her squad immediately retreated. Mu Cuiwei was a step slower. The two people she had borrowed from Fu Meier did not pay attention to the white powder and continued to charge forward with their swords. Then, the next moment, Leng Sha suddenly threw a tinderbox at her.
"Whoosh!" One of them, who was more covered in flames, felt a sudden heat as a burst of fire shot up. Startled, he immediately fell to the ground in pain, writhing and trying to extinguish the flames. However, the fire spread too quickly, and within moments, the man was engulfed in flames. The other man, luckily unaffected, was terrified and rolled towards Mu Cuiwei. The burning man struggled, crawling on the ground as if a ferocious fire dragon was leaping across his body. No matter how desperately he screamed, it was too late to save him now. Moreover, they were on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, where there was no water. In just a short while, the flames rose even higher, and the entire fire cloud engulfed the man. The fire gradually swallowed his words, and he was burned alive.
Mu Cuiwei's face turned pale. She wasn't stupid and naturally understood what Ouyang Yue's stuff was. The white powder had made the fire even bigger and cut off any chance of putting it out. Zi Si also looked unwell. At this moment, Zi San said anxiously, "Oh no, Ouyang Yue and the others are gone. They must have run away just now."
Zi Si's face darkened, and Mu Cuiwei was immediately enraged: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and chase after them!"
The tall man sitting on horseback beside her had a gloomy face and cold eyes as he watched the gradually receding fire: "No, if we chase after them like this, we might fall into Ouyang Yue's ambush. She might be waiting to kill us on our way. Moreover, that white powder can make the fire grow faster, and we won't have time to treat them. It will only send our men to their deaths in vain."
Mu Cuiwei was about to retort, but seeing his cold expression, she immediately pursed her lips. This person was sent by Baili Cheng and was the leader of the five people. Even she dared not offend him easily, but she was still unconvinced: "Are we just going to give up on Ouyang Yue like this? This is a good opportunity. If she runs into the hunting grounds, we will be in trouble."
This royal hunting grounds cover a vast area, the second largest in the entire capital after the imperial palace. It stretches as far as the eye can see, seemingly boundless. Moreover, due to its age, the forests are lush, and there are mountains on either side. If Ouyang Yue hides within these mountains, it will be extremely difficult to find and kill her. That's why they chose this place to ambush and kill Ouyang Yue. If they kill Ouyang Yue, they'll be part of Zi Si's group. Both groups will die, and victory will be theirs regardless of the outcome of the hunt. Why bother with all this trouble?
“Of course we can’t give up.” Ling Rui squinted at Zi Si, then rode over on his horse: “You’re the leader of this squad.”
Zi Si's eyes flashed across Ling Rui and Mu Cuiwei's faces. Mu Cuiwei's expression changed. What did Zi Si mean by that look? How could Ling Rui dare to deny her thoughts? Of course, he understood that Ling Rui was the real leader of Mu Cuiwei's team: "It's me."
“Ouyang Yue has strange white powder in her hands, and she is prepared. If we rush in, we may not only be ambushed, but we may also be wiped out. But it’s different if our two teams cooperate.” Ling Rui stated his intentions directly.
Zi Si smiled slightly and remained silent, but Zi Er said, "How do we cooperate? Why should we trust you?"
Ling Rui scoffed, "Believe it or not, what does it have to do with me?" Zi Er choked, and Zi Si said, "How exactly do you want to cooperate?"
"Have two teams of archers clear the way, find out where Ouyang Yue and her group are, and then work together to kill her." Zi Si thought for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Okay, let's do it this way. Archers, get ready."
There's no reason to go hunting without arrows, so naturally, both teams would bring archers. And these archers were all highly skilled, capable of hitting the bullseye from a hundred meters away, though not by much. Moreover, not only the archers, but everyone also carried quivers on their backs, filled with quite a few arrows, which made sense.
The two teams immediately regrouped and lined up on either side. The ten archers at the front fired arrows to clear the way, and as they passed, they would retrieve the arrows to use again. For the time being, there were no losses. However, as they walked, Mu Cuiwei frowned and said, "Logically speaking, Ouyang Yue and the others have just left, so they shouldn't have gone very far. How come we haven't found a single trace of them along the way when we chased them on horseback?" Mu Cuiwei asked in confusion after walking a long distance.
Zi Si waved his hand, and Zi San immediately jumped off her horse to check. She lay on the ground with a very serious expression, but a cold light flashed in Ling Rui's sharp eyes. This was actually someone who was very good at tracking. Such people were usually royal guards. There were also such people in Miao Jiang. Ling Rui became thoughtful.
However, Zi Si and her group continued forward, while Zi San followed behind, constantly observing the footprints and other traces. After a while, Zi San said with a serious face, "There are two possibilities. When Ouyang Yue and the others left, they were afraid of being tracked by us, so they covered up their tracks. But in fact, this method of covering up tracks is an external force, and it will leave some flaws. However, I have observed that there are no flaws. Unless they can walk on snow without leaving a trace, I really can't imagine it. Another possibility is that they ran away in the chaos just now, but they didn't actually go forward as we thought, but didn't come here at all."
“How could that be!” Mu Cuiwei immediately retorted, but thinking about Zi San’s words, she couldn’t find any other words to refute him.
Ling Rui squinted: "This is the royal hunting ground. The Seventh Prince has been here a few times. It's possible that he took some side paths that other people don't notice."
Zi Si squinted: "So that means they didn't come over at all during the chaos, but instead took a shortcut and left, fooling us."
All nineteen people had somber faces and remained silent. Mu Cuiwei gritted her teeth and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and chase after Ouyang Yue."
Zi Si gave a cold laugh, but pulled out a strangely shaped object about the size of a thumb from his pocket: "No, maybe they predicted we would come, and are waiting to ambush and kill us."
"Beep beep..." she said, putting the thing in her mouth and blowing out strange, unpleasant sounds. Mu Cuiwei covered her ears and complained, "Stop it! It sounds awful! Stop it!"
"Hiss hiss!"
Just then, Mu Cuiwei suddenly heard a chilling sound. Turning her head, she saw the ground suddenly crawling with things: emerald green tongues, dark green, cold snake eyes, and constantly flicking red tongues that made her shudder. Not only that, but some bright red scorpions also crawled out. After they crawled out, Zi Si's whistle suddenly changed, and the snakes and scorpions immediately turned and crawled back the way they came.
Seeing that Mu Cuiwei still understood something, he frowned and said, "Why didn't you boast about these things earlier? My men wouldn't have died in vain."
Zi Si stared coldly at Mu Cuiwei, then suddenly gasped, keeping her mouth tightly shut and not saying a word. Naturally, she didn't notice that Zi Si had blown the whistle, and a crack appeared at the mouth of the whistle, which she immediately put back into her bosom: "Follow them. They can not only help us find Ouyang Yue, but also take the opportunity to poison a few people. It's impossible for Ouyang Yue to escape under these circumstances."
The two teams of nineteen immediately turned around and followed.
After burning one of Mu Cuiwei's members to death, Ouyang Yue and her group quickly passed through a side path. There were hundreds of towering trees in this royal hunting ground, and there were also grasslands and mountains nearby, making it easy to hide for a few days. Moreover, Ouyang Yue was not just hiding. She initially avoided being surrounded by Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si because she did not want to confront them head-on. She had also expected Mu Cuiwei and her group to make a move. Although it was a little faster than she expected, it was about the same. Even if her ten people were all skilled, the people brought by Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si would not be too bad either. A head-on confrontation would only make her suffer.
What she wants is to block and eliminate the threat, but first she needs to conserve her energy.
Ouyang Yue's ten-person team first ran through a small forest, and then came to the foot of a mountain. At this time, Leng Shi immediately took out a medicine bottle from his body, sprinkled some medicine powder on the ground, and formed a circle around the group. The ten people immediately dismounted.
Xuan Yuan Chaohua said, "Although this plan is good, it's hard to guarantee that there aren't skilled trackers in their team. Sooner or later, they'll discover something amiss."
Ouyang Yue nodded: "That's right, so we'll just stay here for now. Afterwards, we'll go into the mountains, rest up, and then wait. We'll ambush anyone who comes out of the exit and rob them." Ouyang Yue's method was actually somewhat insidious; it was a wait-and-see approach. They wouldn't actually hunt any animals during these five days and four nights. They planned to accumulate strength and then wait at the entrance on the last day. Whether it was Mu Cuiwei or Miao Si and the others, they would rob them of their prey as soon as they came out. It was no different from robbery, but it was the most advantageous method for them.
Since Mu Cuiwei and Miao Si clearly intended to cooperate, a direct confrontation would only result in heavy losses for them. Even the best of them would not be wise to be besieged.
Baili Chen said, "However, it's hard to guarantee they won't turn around and hunt us down, so we need to come up with another plan."
Ouyang Yue naturally thought of the same thing and nodded: "Then there is another possibility: they will realize something is wrong and come after us. In that case, a tough battle will be inevitable. So we will have to trouble General Xuanyuan for this. You are a famous general of the Great Zhou and are most skilled in military campaigns. Therefore, we need you to set up a formation here to prevent them from getting close. This mountain will be our talisman, and we can launch a surprise attack when the time comes."
As Ouyang Yue spoke, her eyes brightened and sparkled. Xuan Yuan Chaohua looked at her without blinking and nodded slightly, saying, "It is indeed a good plan. I will take care of it right away."
No one considered Ouyang Yue's sneak attack despicable. They all knew that entering the Royal Hunting Ground was extremely dangerous. Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si wanted to kill Ouyang Yue, and she knew that she couldn't be soft-hearted. Being soft-hearted would mean the death of her own people, and no one would be that foolish.
Leng Caiwen was eager to try his hand at it: "I can't wait any longer. It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles and bones. I feel like my body is a bit rusty. I'll take this opportunity to have some fun. Miss Ouyang can take a good look at me later. I do have some martial arts skills. Don't be dumbfounded later."
Ouyang Yue glanced at him: "I thought Young Master Leng's most powerful skill was sweet talk. I didn't know he had other skills. I really need to take a good look."
Leng Caiwen's lips twitched: "Then you should take a good look, and then feel ashamed of your past blindness for not carefully examining this person who is a hidden pearl."
Ouyang Yue chuckled lightly, Leng Caiwen raised an eyebrow and smiled, while Baili Chen watched without saying a word, his eyes merely shifting slightly.
After a while, Xuan Yuan Chaohua returned. Due to time constraints, only a simple formation was set up outside. However, it was enough to stall Mu Cuiwei and the others for some time. Once they could hold out for that time, it would be their chance.
"Hiss hiss!"
"Roar!"
Suddenly, everyone froze, and then the horses began to gallop wildly. They immediately stood up, only to see eerie green snakes and bright red scorpions crawling towards them from all directions. The ten men's faces darkened; seeing these creatures crawling towards them, they felt a chill run down their spines. Xuan Yuan Chao Hua's formation was very effective against humans, but it offered no resistance to these soft-bodied animals. However, the snakes and scorpions stopped just outside the powder Leng Shi had sprinkled. They seemed terrified of the powder, retreating while constantly flicking their red tongues, and the scorpions' kicks made eerie "crackling" sounds.
Dongxue stood tense, blocking Ouyang Yue's way, but as soon as she did, Baili Chen, Leng Caiwen, and Xuanyuan Chaohua also piled up in front of her like a human pyramid. Leng Shi said, "These powders are specially made by me to repel snakes, insects, and rodents. They are very afraid of and hate one of the powders, and under normal circumstances, they will never crawl into this circle."
However, as soon as Leng Shi finished speaking, the snakes and scorpions suddenly became agitated, constantly circling outside the circle, their eerie green eyes emitting a dark and cold light. Just as the first snake crawled into the circle, Ouyang Yue suddenly said, "Burn them to death and force them out of the circle."
Leng Chan immediately opened the bundle. She and Dong Xue, each wearing a white glove, grabbed the items and scattered them outwards. White powder flew through the air, but not a single speck was left, all of it landing outside the circle. "Crack! Boom!"
The next moment, a burst of fire shot into the sky, the snakes emitted sharp hissing sounds, and the scorpions made eerie noises. However, these sounds gradually subsided, and most of the snakes and scorpions were burned to death in an instant. The others retreated in fear, but the next moment, the snakes seemed to be injected with stimulants and slowly crawled over again. At this moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind them.
"Oh no, Mu Cuiwei and the others are catching up." Dai Yu frowned.
Soon enough, Mu Cuiwei, Zi Si, and the others rushed over. Seeing Ouyang Yue and the others trapped inside, they immediately sneered, "Kill!"
Mu Cuiwei and Zi Si's two teams of ten immediately rode out, but after only a few steps, they heard a "thud" and then "whoosh whoosh whoosh" as arrows suddenly shot out from the sky and flew towards them.
"Oh no! There's a formation here! Retreat quickly!"
"Pfft, bang!"
However, they realized it too late; three people had already fallen. Mu Cuiwei had one on each side, and Zi Si had two on the other. This immediately made the two of them frown. Zi Si coldly smiled as he looked at the snake and scorpion corpses lying on the ground. Suddenly, he took out the strange whistle from his pocket and put it in his mouth and blew it. The snakes that were crawling clearly sped up, and many more snakes and scorpions suddenly appeared around him, their density even greater than before. However, Zi Si's face grew paler and paler.
However, facing the encirclement of snakes and scorpions, Ouyang Yue and her group were in the most difficult situation. At the same time, Ling Rui suddenly shouted, "Release the arrows!"