Lu Zhuo left too quickly for Wei Rao to stop him. She could only stand in the tree, watching him move through the mountain forest as if walking on flat ground, heading toward the black bear that was still scratching itself.
Since they were destined to hunt the bear, Wei Rao pulled three sharp arrows from the quiver on her back in one swift motion. She moved to the center of a three-pronged branch, leaning her body against the solid trunk. While keeping an eye on Lu Zhuo’s figure, she tested various shooting angles and even observed the surrounding area. If the black bear chased in another direction, having memorized the terrain, she could provide timely support to Lu Zhuo.
Within her field of vision, Lu Zhuo drew closer and closer to the black bear, about to enter the three-hundred-pace distance within which the bear’s ears could detect him.
Lu Zhuo’s height was outstanding among men, but in that black bear’s eyes, Lu Zhuo probably posed less threat than a wild boar.
Wei Rao stared intently at Lu Zhuo. How was he planning to attract the black bear?
Suddenly, Lu Zhuo changed direction, moving farther away from both the black bear and her. Sometimes trees blocked her view so that Wei Rao couldn’t see him at all. After Lu Zhuo disappeared for a while, when he appeared again, he was actually on the slope diagonally above the black bear. If he continued forward to the bear’s direct north, when the mountain wind blew, carrying his scent to the black bear…
Wei Rao frowned. Where exactly was Lu Zhuo trying to lure the black bear? She was clearly to the south.
Just then, the black bear scratching against the tree suddenly put its two thick front limbs on the ground, its round head alertly tilting toward Lu Zhuo’s direction.
Wei Rao immediately broke into a cold sweat for Lu Zhuo. If he got himself killed, how would she explain to Duke Ying’s mansion when she returned? Even Emperor Yuanjia would probably blame her for causing the downfall of a Shenwu Army general.
The next scene left Wei Rao stunned. After discovering someone’s presence, the black bear didn’t pounce to kill, but instead moved its mountain-like body toward Wei Rao’s direction.
This black bear was afraid of people?
This guess gave Wei Rao confidence. Since the black bear feared humans, she wasn’t so afraid of this pitch-black beast anymore.
Wei Rao adjusted her position, aiming her arrow at the approaching black bear.
However, when the black bear was still over two hundred paces away from her, it suddenly turned west, preparing to run in a different direction.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuo shot an arrow toward the bear’s western side. Whether he deliberately missed or shot wide, the sharp arrow struck a tree directly in front of the black bear. The black bear was startled and tried to run east, but refused to come south toward Wei Rao’s location. Lu Zhuo immediately sent another arrow to the east as well.
Wei Rao thought to herself that now the black bear would surely come her way.
But the black bear didn’t. It went north instead, roaring as it ran wildly, apparently thoroughly enraged by Lu Zhuo and intent on pouncing on him!
Lu Zhuo immediately turned and ran!
He held a bow and arrow in his hands, and clearly could shoot and kill the black bear. Even while being chased by the black bear, was he still thinking of luring it over for her to hunt?
The black bear rushed like a speeding black mountain, trampling down patches of wild grass wherever it passed. Standing in the tree, Wei Rao witnessed the bear’s speed firsthand. Lu Zhuo, running ahead of it, looked like a child before a strong man—being caught was only a matter of time. Unable to help herself, she shouted to Lu Zhuo: “Heir, shoot your arrow!”
Lu Zhuo didn’t want to shoot. He wanted to let Wei Rao hunt this black bear alone. She loved hunting so much—if she could hunt a black bear she’d never seen before, she might remember today’s glory for the rest of her life. This was, after all, a black bear that only appeared in deep mountain forests. Forget Yunwu Mountain—even searching through all the peaks near the capital, you couldn’t find a single bear.
Though the black bear was fast, Lu Zhuo had the skills to protect himself.
However, after Lu Zhuo ran a great distance, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Looking back, he saw that the black bear had actually abandoned chasing him and was instead rushing toward Wei Rao following the sound of her voice. What made Lu Zhuo’s heart turn cold was that Wei Rao had jumped down from the tree, probably out of worry for him!
Only three hundred paces separated him from Wei Rao, but the black bear was closer to her and could pounce on her in mere moments!
“Get up the tree!” Lu Zhuo commanded Wei Rao sternly. No longer caring about who would make the kill, he nocked an arrow to his bow while turning to chase the black bear.
Wei Rao had been frightened the moment the black bear changed direction to chase her. Only when she truly became the black bear’s prey did Wei Rao realize how terrifying it was. Without Lu Zhuo’s reminder, she turned and ran toward the thickest nearby tree that would never be knocked down by the bear. Though it was only about twenty paces away, the distance seemed as far as the horizon amid the thunderous footsteps that shook the earth. Wei Rao’s legs began to weaken, but her desire to survive gave her strength, and she leaped up with her body’s agility.
Before she could steady herself, an angry roar suddenly came from behind. Wei Rao turned around with a pale face to discover the black bear was just over a zhang away from this tree! A feathered arrow had struck its rear, and two arrows that had missed lay on the ground nearby. Wei Rao looked up to see Lu Zhuo standing a hundred paces away with a face like ice, sending three more arrows flying simultaneously!
The black bear finally understood that the hunter behind it was not to be trifled with. Its huge, pitch-black eyes glanced toward Wei Rao, then it prepared to flee.
In the black bear’s gaze just now, Wei Rao felt a bone-chilling coldness, more heart-stopping than the icy water that had once nearly drowned her.
Did it want to kill her?
Someone was already plotting against her life—must she now be resented by a black bear as well?
Wei Rao’s heartbeat was still drumming rapidly, but her body stopped shaking. As the black bear leaped up, she drew an arrow and pulled her bow. With two swooshing sounds, her arrow and another arrow flying from the other side almost simultaneously penetrated the black bear’s massive body—one struck the bear’s left flank, the other hit its hind leg.
The intense pain brought the black bear crashing to the ground. Wei Rao, occupying the high ground, shot another arrow at the bear’s exposed neck.
The black bear thrashed for a while, then went still.
Wei Rao leaned against the tree trunk, lowering her raised bow and arrow amid rapid breathing.
Lu Zhuo didn’t look at the black bear but hurried toward the tree.
Wei Rao’s arms and legs began shaking again. Seeing Lu Zhuo approaching, not wanting him to notice, she quickly sat in the hollow of the tree, pretending to be more concerned about whether the black bear was truly dead. Facing the bear’s direction, she said: “I’m fine. Heir, go check on that black bear—make sure it’s not playing dead.”
Though her white brocade robe and loose hem concealed her trembling legs, her profile was pale as snow as she huddled motionlessly in the tree hollow, unable to fake strength and composure no matter how hard she tried.
Lu Zhuo leaped up, landing on a branch beside her.
Wei Rao turned her head away.
Lu Zhuo grasped her shoulder, and her trembling could no longer be hidden.
“Let go.” Wei Rao angrily shook off his hand. Despite the recent danger, Wei Rao hadn’t forgotten that before hunting the black bear, Lu Zhuo had suddenly embraced her up into the tree. That embrace had already violated her propriety, and later, when she pressed against him to maintain balance, the feeling of her chest being compressed was so obvious that Wei Rao didn’t believe Lu Zhuo hadn’t noticed.
Her beautiful eyes blazed with fury, not the tears he had expected. This reassured Lu Zhuo.
Being angry was good. Great anger could help her forget the fear of being chased by the black bear.
Lu Zhuo withdrew his hand and looked at her reproachfully: “I told you to hide in the tree. Why did you jump down? If I couldn’t handle the black bear, jumping down would only have cost you your life in vain.”
Wei Rao had jumped down naturally because she was worried about him, thinking that two people together would have better odds against the black bear than he alone. Who would have thought that when Lu Zhuo returned, he would start finding fault with her?
This anger made Wei Rao forget her recent fear. Her body stopped shaking, and she replied coldly: “If I hadn’t come down, and the Heir had ended up in the bear’s jaws, how could I face the Lu clan when I returned to the capital alone? The spittle of the capital’s citizens alone could drown me.”
Lu Zhuo pressed his lips together.
He had thought she jumped from the tree because she was worried about his safety, but behind this concern was fear that his death would bring her much trouble.
“Miss is overthinking. It’s just a black bear—it can’t harm me. I wouldn’t risk my life just to make you happy,” Lu Zhuo said with a bland smile, slinging his bow over his back.
Seeing his fake smile infuriated Wei Rao, and she shot back: “The Heir need not make me happy. You just wanted to show off your heroic bearing. Unfortunately, your confident bear-luring turned into playing with fire and getting burned. Such fine skills should not be displayed lightly in the future, lest others see and laugh at the spectacle.”
Lu Zhuo was about to say something when he suddenly saw Zhao Song and Zhao Bai hurrying through the forest, probably having heard the bear’s roar from a distance.
Lu Zhuo had to suppress his anger and looked at her: “Shall I help you down?”
The look Wei Rao shot him was no longer just disdain: “In the future, regardless of purpose, without my permission, the Heir had better not touch me with even a finger.”
Having said this, Wei Rao jumped down from the tree herself. After steadying herself, she skillfully tugged at her robe, smoothing out the wrinkles in the fabric.
Though she wore men’s clothing, Wei Rao didn’t like binding her chest, finding it uncomfortable. Thus, when she smoothed her robe, her form became obviously apparent there.
This scene was perfectly observed by Lu Zhuo, who was staring at her from the tree.
The soft, peach-like pressure seemed imprinted on his chest. Under this unfamiliar stirring, Lu Zhuo’s turbulent emotions suddenly calmed.
The bear hunt had indeed been his impulsive decision from the start, and his recklessness had put her in danger. She had every right to be angry.
Lu Zhuo came down from the tree.
Wei Rao didn’t even look at him, walking directly toward the black bear.
“I’ll go.” Lu Zhuo blocked her path, drew an arrow, and quickened his pace toward the black bear.
Wei Rao watched him poke the arrow into the bear’s neck. The black bear remained motionless, clearly dead.
“The Heir hunted a black bear?”
The Zhao brothers finally ran over, excitedly approaching the black bear.
Lu Zhuo looked up, his gaze meeting Wei Rao’s. Seeing her disdainfully turn her face away, Lu Zhuo smiled and explained: “This bear was hunted by the Young Madam, not my achievement.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai both looked toward Wei Rao.
Wei Rao didn’t believe she could hunt a black bear alone. She didn’t even recognize black bears and knew nothing about their nature. If Lu Zhuo hadn’t been there to explain, and she had approached the black bear thinking it was a wild boar, she might already have become the bear’s meal.
“If the Heir hunted it, then the Heir hunted it. Why give me that empty glory? Do you take me for someone who covets fame?” Wei Rao didn’t even want to continue the act, turning to walk back.
Zhao Song and Zhao Bai were greatly shocked. Why did the Young Madam seem so angry?
The brothers looked toward their master in unison.
Lu Zhuo said shamefully, “I underestimated her. You two transport the bear down, I’ll go after the Young Madam.”
Before he finished speaking, Lu Zhuo had already given chase.
Zhao Song and Zhao Bai saw their master staying by the Young Madam’s side, apparently saying many conciliatory words, none of which the Young Madam accepted.
Zhao Song: “First time seeing our master act so humble and submissive.”
Zhao Bai kicked the black bear at his feet, saying with relief: “Fortunately, the Young Madam doesn’t have the skill to hunt bears, or we’d have to worry about our master.”
Even tigresses can’t beat bears. If the Young Madam could kill a bear single-handedly, wouldn’t she be even fiercer than a tigress?