"Dongfang Heng, more than two hours have passed, and you haven't caught a single prey. This round is probably over!" Nangong Xiao waved his folding fan, gazing at the sky, his tone light, a deep mockery gleaming in his wicked eyes. If Dongfang Zhan became the commander of the Imperial Guard, Dongfang Heng might be in trouble…
"It's too early to draw conclusions!" Dongfang Heng stood against the wind, dressed only in a white undergarment, his handsome appearance and unparalleled elegance captivating all.
Nangong Xiao's gaze sharpened. Dongfang Heng was the cunning and ruthless war god of Qingyan, with an unpredictable mind and never playing by the rules. It was indeed impossible to make any rash judgments before the results were in.
He snapped his folding fan shut and lowered his voice mysteriously, "Did you have a backup plan?"
Dongfang Heng glanced at him without saying a word, then turned to look at Shen Lixue, who had flown out of the trap and landed beside him: "Lixue, how are you?"
"It's all done!" Shen Lixue bent down and covered the trap with grass, then took Dongfang Heng's arm and strode forward. Looking at the darkening forest, she blinked and said, "Two hours are almost up. I have a good idea to catch the most prey in a short time!"
Nangong Xiao raised an eyebrow. He had racked his brains but couldn't come up with a way to catch more than ten prey in a short time. Shen Lixue had thought of it.
He leaned closer with great interest, a wicked glint in his eyes. He covered his mouth with his folding fan and whispered, "What method?"
Shen Lixue looked at the lush forest and smiled mysteriously: "The forest is so big, with many animals, there must be a water source!"
Nangong Xiao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He snapped his folding fan shut and clapped his hands hard. "That's right! What a great idea! How come I didn't think of that? Animals like to drink water at the river in the early morning and late evening. Sunset is the perfect time to catch prey."
Dongfang Heng stopped and gazed at Shen Lixue, a graceful smile curving his lips: "I'm already using this method to catch prey!"
"Really?" Shen Lixue was surprised. She heard a faint sound of flowing water. She lightly touched the ground with her feet, and her slender figure, like a startled swan, drew a beautiful arc in the air and floated down dozens of meters away.
The babbling brook is crystal clear, its water tinkling as it flows slowly forward. Green grass sways gently in the water, creating a truly enchanting scene!
Shen Lixue stood by the stream, watching the guards carrying animals back and forth busily. She pouted, thinking she was the first to think of spraying medicine in the water, but Dongfang Heng's mind worked even faster than hers, having already thought of it: "Dongfang Heng, where did you get the medicine?"
Looking at the clear stream, Dongfang Heng smiled and said, "I got it from the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang. He said it works very quickly!"
Nangong Xiao strode forward with a folding fan in hand, looking at the prey of all sizes scattered on the ground, almost piling up like a mountain. He raised an eyebrow. No wonder Dongfang Heng had no animals in his hands and was not in a hurry. It turned out that he had already set up a plan and sent his guards here in advance to wait for the prey to come to him.
"Dongfang Heng, you have quite a few prey, but whether you can outnumber Dongfang Zhan is hard to say!" Dongfang Zhan's archery skills were superb, and the ten Imperial Guards he led were also highly skilled archers. They charged forward recklessly, cleverly using all sorts of methods to capture prey, and their catch piled up like mountains.
Dongfang Heng looked up, his sharp gaze piercing through the small gaps in the leaves to the setting sun: "Carry the prey out of the forest and bring it before the Emperor, and the outcome will be decided immediately!"
As the sun set and the evening glow painted most of the sky red, the guards quickly counted the various game hunted by the princes and soon concluded: "Your Majesty, the Third Prince hunted the most game!"
The emperor put down his teacup and looked at the ground. The princes had each taken a pile of their prey, which were laid out separately. The princes' archery skills varied, and the number of prey they had taken also varied. Some had only a few, while others, like the crown prince, had more than thirty.
Looking around Zhan Wang, the prey was piled up like a small mountain. A quick glance revealed forty or fifty animals. What was even more peculiar was that some of the small animals, though wounded, were still moving with their eyes open.
A rare hint of appreciation appeared in the emperor's sharp eyes. Two hours was not a long time. If one person relied on their own abilities, they could not hunt the most prey. In other words, the Imperial Guards assigned to the princes were not meant to assist the princes, but to be commanded and led by the princes. Whoever hunted the most prey would have the strongest leadership.
"And there are so many small animals still alive. Zhan'er's archery skills and leadership abilities are truly impressive."
"Father, you flatter me!" Dongfang Zhan said modestly, his eyelids darkening and a cold smile appearing on his lips. He had to thank Dongfang Heng for reminding him to send back the living little animal.
His sharp gaze swept around, but he didn't see Dongfang Heng. The cold smile in his eyes deepened, and he feigned ignorance, saying, "Father, Prince An hasn't returned yet. Should we send someone into the woods to check?"
The old minister in charge of the examination frowned as he looked at the sun setting behind the mountains. Prince An was always punctual, so why was he so slow today? "Two hours will be up soon. If Prince An does not appear by then, the time limit will be exceeded, and he will be considered to have forfeited!"
Crown Prince Dongfang Hong glanced at Dongfang Zhan's large pile of prey, then looked towards the forest exit: "Father, Prince An should be arriving soon, let's wait a little longer!"
Dongfang Zhan smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Brother, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. If it's set at two hours, then it must be two hours. Time waits for no one!" If Dongfang Heng doesn't return by the time is up, then we've lost.
An hour ago, Dongfang Heng was empty-handed and had nothing. Even if his archery skills were superb, it would be impossible for him to have hunted a mountain of prey in such a short time. The reason he hasn't returned for so long is probably because he was concerned about his reputation and was greedy for more prey, which delayed him.
Dongfang Hong glanced at Dongfang Zhan, then looked worriedly into the dense forest. Two hours were almost up. Would Dongfang Heng be able to make it back in time?
"Prince An has been stationed in the military camp for a long time, and military orders are absolute. He should be able to return within the stipulated time..."
"But look at the incense in the burner, it's almost burned out, and we haven't even seen a glimpse of him yet..."
"Could something have happened...?"
"This is the royal hunting grounds. Prince An is highly skilled in martial arts. What could possibly happen to him..."
The crowd gathered in twos and threes, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
The incense in the incense burner burned quietly, the wisps of smoke drifting and fading. Under Dongfang Zhan's sharp gaze, the last bit of incense burned to ash, and the smoke slowly dissipated.
Dongfang Heng hasn't returned yet; he's doomed!
With a cold laugh, Dongfang Zhan was about to remind everyone that two hours had passed when a sudden exclamation rang out: "Look, Prince An is back!"
The group, each with their own thoughts and whispers, instantly snapped back to reality and turned to look. Dongfang Heng walked out of the woods, striding forward, his white brocade robes fluttering freely in the wind, exuding unparalleled elegance.
The guards behind him dragged and pulled a large pile of prey onto the open ground in front of the VIP seats, piling it up like a mountain.
Dongfang Zhan turned to look at the incense burner. The last bit of ash that had gathered on the incense fell into the burner and disappeared. Two hours had just passed!
Dongfang Heng walked out of the forest right on time, damn it!
Seeing the prey in the hands of the Imperial Guards, everyone's eyes lit up. Prince An had also hunted a lot of prey. They wondered who had more, Prince An or Prince Zhan.
The senior minister in charge of the examination personally supervised the guards' inspection, and after a short while, he reported the results: "Your Majesty, the number of prey hunted by Prince An and Prince Zhan is equal."
Uh! Everyone was stunned. Prince An and Prince Zhan were equally skilled in archery and had very similar leadership abilities. How could they possibly determine a winner?
“Prince Zhan returned early, while Prince An returned late. Strictly speaking, Prince An lost this round!” Li Youlan muttered to herself as she looked at the two piles of prey. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the emperor and the nearby old ministers to hear.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "His Majesty has set two hours, so we should make full use of those two hours. Prince Zhan could have hunted a few more prey and returned on time like Prince An!" Returning early and hunting fewer prey, and ending up in a draw with Prince An, is his own fault for being too confident and arrogant. He has no one else to blame but himself.
Li Youlan's smile froze. She frowned as she looked at the large pile of prey at Shen Lixue's feet. She had followed Dongfang Zhan all the way and had witnessed how he ordered all ten Imperial Guards to capture the prey and then drove a large number of animals into the trap at dusk, which was how he managed to hunt so many animals.
How did Dongfang Heng manage to hunt so many prey in just one hour, without the aid of traps?
Suddenly, the prey's slightly black mouth came into view. Li Youlan squeezed her eyes shut and looked closely. The animal's mouth had indeed turned black. A surge of joy welled up in her heart. No wonder they had hunted so many animals in such a short time. They had used a despicable and shameless method.