Kiyomi Tsuki et son renard

Chapitre 113

It turns out there was such a thing. It wasn't divine intervention that allowed Minglu to safely get through the most dangerous night. It was all because he had a few loyal friends.

Xi Ri looked up and gazed at the horseback riding not far away. Ming Lu was chatting and laughing leisurely with Xi En. Perhaps noticing her questioning gaze, he suddenly turned around, smiled at her, and Xi Ri's heart fluttered slightly. He was always someone you could genuinely trust and be sincere with. Even in her most vulnerable and dangerous moments, he was always willing to... She suddenly stopped herself from thinking further.

Minglu had already turned his head away and continued chatting and laughing with Xi'en.

Their friendship is truly enviable, and now that I am one of them, I feel nothing but happiness and pride.

At this moment, Fu Jin suddenly asked again, "Nalan, what if we hunt the male fox first? What will happen to the female fox?"

Nalan laughed and said, "I haven't encountered this situation before, but I've heard that some female foxes will run away on their own."

"How could this be?!" Xi Ri exclaimed in surprise.

"As expected, all the females are heartless and ruthless vixens," Fu Jin said bitterly.

Xi Ri was slightly taken aback, feeling inexplicably guilty. Why did it feel like it was related to her? ...Could it be because they were both female?

Then Nalan laughed and said, "However, we can't blame the mother fox, because she has to take care of her cubs when she goes back. What a mother can't let go of is her children. A mother fox without cubs would also die for the male fox."

Upon hearing this, Fu Jin said, "That's more like it. It's good that it has a conscience."

Can a fox be described with the word 'conscience'? Xi Ri couldn't help but wonder to herself.

At this moment, Nalan suddenly said to her, "Fifth Sister, don't you think we're not here to hunt at all, but rather to have some fun?"

"Hmm? What do you mean by this, Second Brother?" Xi Ri asked with a smile.

“Look at the speed at which this group is moving. They can’t even catch up with a pheasant, let alone a snow fox,” Nalan said.

Xi Ri burst out laughing.

At this moment, Fu Jin suddenly shouted and pointed his whip to the side, his expression trembling slightly with excitement. Everyone looked in that direction and saw two white figures flash by behind a snow-covered mound in the distance, one in front of the other.

Before anyone could react, Fu Jin laughed loudly, "It's like finding a needle in a haystack! Snow fox fur, eyeballs, pills, here I come!"

The other day, when I heard my fourth brother shout the words "eyeballs," I almost fell off my horse. It was a creepy thing.

Upon hearing this, Nalan shook his head vigorously, but his gaze was gentle and filled with a smile.

The group spurred their horses to gallop to the side in pursuit, with Xi Ri and Tian Shuang close behind. Ming Lu, who had been ahead, gradually slowed down and approached Xi Ri and Tian Shuang, while Fu Jin, who had been sticking to Xi Ri, had already eagerly galloped ahead.

Perhaps it was the chaotic sound of the horses' hooves that caused them to lose sight of the snow fox after chasing for a while.

Xi En, Nalan, and the four guards dismounted and carefully examined the marks on the ground, but found no snow foxes.

Xi En said, "There are many of us, so we need to split up to search. Fu Jin, Nalan, and Ming Lu, each of you take a group of men. Fifth Sister will go with Ming Lu." Seeing the others nod, Xi En raised her hand and said, "Disperse!"

As soon as Xi En finished speaking, everyone immediately and automatically divided into groups. Xi En headed north, Nalan went west, and Fu Jin whipped his horse and galloped south. Ming Lu turned to her and said, "Come on."

Xi Ri nodded, pulled on the reins, and followed behind Ming Lu. Tian Shuang followed behind, with two guards following behind. Together they headed east.

The group had been searching for a while; perhaps they were the least attentive, as Minglu seemed to have no real interest in finding the snow fox. He chatted idly with Xiri along the way, but just then, Minglu's gaze fell upon a corner where a white figure was crouching and sniffing something. Minglu raised his hand, and everyone immediately reined in their horses. Just as Minglu was about to dismount and quietly approach the snow fox, someone tugged at his collar.

Minglu turned his head and saw Xiri shaking her head at him with a pleading look in her eyes. He smiled faintly, sat upright on his horse, and whispered to her with a smile, "I won't chase after her."

Just as Xi Ri was about to smile, she heard someone galloping up behind her, shouting, "Ming Lu, have you found any trace of the snow fox?"

The two of them turned around and saw that it was Fu Jin.

Minglu immediately shouted back, "No!"

Xi Ri glanced into the distance and saw that the snow fox had vanished without a trace. She exchanged a knowing smile with Ming Lu.

Although they didn't catch any snow foxes that day, they didn't mind and still managed to bring back some game. On their way back to Phoenix Peak, they heard the mournful cries of animals. Following the sound, they happened to encounter Suoge and his group.

Xi En and the others intended to go forward and exchange pleasantries, but they realized that something seemed amiss.

Soge was standing on the snow, holding a bow and arrow, looking ahead with a furrowed brow and a grim expression, seemingly unaware of the arrival of his party.

Ahead, beneath a pine tree lay the carcass of a snow fox, an arrow lodged in its body. Another snow fox was pounding its head against the tree, emitting mournful cries like a human. The pine tree, not particularly thick, swayed violently from the snow foxes' blows, nearly snapping. Suddenly, Suoge said, "Kill it," his voice cold and resolute.

Just as a guard was about to step forward, Princess Ningxiang cried out, "Brother, let it go."

Whether it was because of the scene or because Princess Ningxiang was also present, Fu Jin's eyes showed disgust, and he whispered to Minglu beside him, "I'll go first."

Minglu glanced at him and was about to nod when Xiri said, "Fourth Brother, I'll go with you. I really can't stand this voice anymore."

Minglu said to Nalan, "We'll go ahead first."

Nalan nodded slightly, glanced at Ningxiang, then at Fujin, casting an ambiguous look at her. Fujin responded with a disdainful snort.

The group broke away from the group and planned to return to the summit of Fengfeng Peak first.

Before leaving, the group couldn't help but look back again and again, just in time to see the snow fox that had crashed into the tree being killed by the guard with a knife. The snow fox seemed to have no fear at all, and when it saw the guard swinging his knife, it actually closed its eyes.

Along the way, Fu Jin used four words to describe Suoge: cold-blooded, ruthless, cruel, and utterly cruel! The last one was rather unoriginal, but he didn't care, still saying it through gritted teeth. He didn't seem to realize who had just been excitedly shouting about the snow fox's fur and eyes. He was probably just jealous; after all, Suoge had hunted a snow fox, while he hadn't.

Minglu and Xiri both tacitly remained silent.

I wondered to myself whether the fox was male or female. Later, I asked Nalan Fang and learned that the fox that was trying to kill itself was female, because if it were male, it would have launched a fierce attack on the person who killed the female fox, and would not stop until the person was dead.

We spent the night sleeping on the mountaintop.

At the summit of Fengfeng Mountain, the moonlight was bright, making the snow sparkle. The mountain wind, carrying snowflakes, occasionally whistled past, stirring up wisps of silver. Many bonfires were lit around the summit, and people sat around a large fire in the center, roasting wild game, laughing loudly, and drinking heartily. Although the weather was cold, it only made the place more lively.

The campfire cast flickering light on people's faces; I had drunk some wine the other day, and felt warm all over.

Her third brother's eyes flickered as if he was deliberately looking at her. She did not look away, but looked back at him. She heard her third brother say gently, "Fifth sister, come with me."

What's the matter? Seeing the flicker in her third brother's eyes, Xi Ri couldn't help but feel suspicious, but she still got up with him and followed him to the edge of the cliff at the top of the mountain. When the others saw Ming Lu walking towards the edge of the cliff with her, they also tacitly stopped drinking and talking, and came to the edge of the cliff with them, looking into the distance together.