In the long pavilion at the entrance to the hunting grounds, Lu Tong’s expression grew cold as she watched Qi Yutai in the mounted procession.

Qi Yutai had come too.

He sat atop a tall red stallion, wearing a gold-threaded sapphire blue riding outfit, appearing gentle and composed as he smiled and joked with young masters from other families, looking quite refined.

Lu Tong laughed coldly in her heart.

Qi Yutai was at risk of epileptic attacks and should normally avoid overly stimulating activities. A place like the hunting grounds should have been strictly avoided, yet he had deliberately come.

He truly didn’t know what was good for him.

She gripped her medical box strap tightly.

The mountain forest was dense with trees and rocks – in such a place, accidents were common. Before coming out, she had packed several poison jars in her medical box. If she could kill him here…

Her thoughts stirred, but when her gaze fell on what lay ahead, she couldn’t help but frown.

No, there were too many people.

Several red-clad guards followed closely around Qi Yutai, protecting him tightly. One might have been manageable, but with so many, it would be difficult to lure them away.

She would have to give up.

Beside her, Lin Danqing pursed her lips: “Why did they bring that mad dog again?”

Lu Tong: “Mad dog?”

“Look.” Lin Danqing jutted her chin forward.

Lu Tong looked carefully.

Behind Qi Yutai’s horse indeed followed a grey hunting dog. The hound was massive, much larger than ordinary guard dogs seen on the streets. Its coat was glossy and well-groomed, its eyes tinged with a bloodthirsty red. If not for the golden collar around its neck, it would have looked like a fierce hungry wolf, its mere appearance making one’s flesh crawl.

“That’s Qi Yutai’s beloved dog,” Lin Danqing said. “He brought it to help with the hunt.”

Lu Tong understood.

It was common for noble youths to bring hunting falcons and hounds to assist in the hunt.

“Qi Yutai treasures this dog. I heard it gets fresh beef tenderloin daily, a big bowl of fresh cow’s milk, seasonal fruits, bird’s nest desserts… They say even its kennel is inlaid with jewels and has dedicated servants…”

Lin Danqing’s tone was indignant. “Look at that golden collar around its neck – I’ve never worn gold that pure. In this world, humans are worth less than dogs.”

Lu Tong asked: “Why do you call it a mad dog?”

“That dog bites people everywhere – what else would you call it but mad?”

Lin Danqing snorted: “Sometimes the Qi family servants take it out for walks. The mad dog is too strong, sometimes the servants can’t control it, and people inevitably get hurt. Earlier, a little girl had half her face eaten by this dog. Her mother begged everywhere for justice, sewed a petition for grievances onto her back, and carried her child to their door crying—”

Lu Tong listened, stunned: “What happened in the end?”

“The end?” Lin Danqing smiled mockingly. “They only cried for one day before stopping. They said the Grand Tutor’s mansion compensated the little girl with a large sum of money, enough to cover her expenses until marriage. People outside even praised the Grand Tutor’s mansion for being generous, and that family expressed endless gratitude. But with injuries like that, how could she possibly live until marriage age?”

After these words, both fell silent.

After a while, Lin Danqing spoke again, her tone somewhat gentler: “Don’t worry, the dog is being held by someone, and this is the hunting grounds – there’s no need to fear it biting people. I suppose Young Master Qi is just afraid of returning empty-handed from the hunt, so he brought a dog to save face.”

Lu Tong looked up. The greyhound had gone forward with Qi Yutai’s horse, blocked from view by the Dragon Guards behind them, gradually disappearing.

She withdrew her gaze and gave a very soft “mm” in response.

With the Dragon Guards and noble young masters in position, the hunt would soon begin.

Lu Tong stood in the Medical Office’s tent, watching as the ceremonial official stood on the hunting ground’s high platform and blew the horn.

The mountain forest was vast, and the horn’s long sound echoed, startling countless birds into flight.

Crown Prince Yuan Zhen rode to the front of the hunting grounds. An attendant presented him with a gold-inlaid bow and arrow. Yuan Zhen held the arrow, drew the bow, and suddenly shot at the red silk target at the front of the hunting grounds—

The hunt began!

The Crown Prince went first, followed by various guards accompanying the imperial procession, heading toward the forest. Then came the Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince, followed by Prince Ning, various nobles and marquises, and officials of the third rank and above…

The initial path leading to the forest for the hunt wasn’t very wide. Groups proceeded in order, but at the front, two groups seemed to collide, neither yielding, creating quite a confrontational situation.

Lu Tong watched the person who had stopped at the forest path entrance at the same time as Pei Yunying, and asked Lin Danqing: “Who is that person?”

Lin Danqing looked: “Commander Yan Xu of the Privy Council, Lord Yan.”

Yan Xu?

Lu Tong’s mind stirred.

Wasn’t that Pei Yunying’s mortal enemy?

Under the tree shade, the young man reined in his horse and looked at the man blocking his path.

“Lord Yan,” he smiled, “the path is narrow, mind the slippery road.”

The mounted man was about forty years old, wearing an ink-grey riding outfit, with a thin build. His appearance was quite ordinary, except for a pair of shrewd, intelligent eyes that were now staring at him with a murky expression.

This was Yan Xu, Commander of the Privy Council.

Everyone in the court knew of the antagonism between the Privy Council and the Palace Guard, and Yan Xu and Pei Yunying had years of old grudges, each viewing the other as a thorn in their side. Whenever they appeared together, they would always try to trip each other up.

Today was no exception.

Yan Xu glanced at him and spoke pointedly: “Lord Pei follows the Third Prince very closely, rather like the Qi family’s hunting hound.”

The Privy Council cavalry following him burst into laughter at these words.

During the mountain hunt, the imperial guards were different from those noble youths – they needed to protect the various princes. He hadn’t followed the Crown Prince but instead followed the Third Prince.

And Yan Xu was now close to the Crown Prince.

Pei Yunying smiled, seemingly ignoring the sarcasm in the other’s words: “Before ascending the mountain, His Majesty specifically instructed me to protect the Third Prince’s safety, just as Lord Yan protects the Crown Prince’s safety. The two brothers love and respect each other, and we are both alleviating His Majesty’s worries. If we’re talking about hunting assistance, Lord Yan is no less devoted.”

He shot back without any courtesy.

Yan Xu stared at him and sneered: “The Commander is young, I wonder if you’ve heard an old song.”

Pei Yunying looked at him impassively.

The man lowered his voice: “A foot of cloth can still be sewn; a measure of grain can still be pounded. But two brothers cannot get along.”

The young man’s eyes flickered slightly.

The next line of that song was: How much less can they share the vast world under heaven…

Yan Xu glanced at his expression, smiled with satisfaction, and then spurred his horse, leading the Privy Council cavalry into the forest.

Lu Tong watched the confrontation at the forest path entrance. Though she didn’t know what had happened, from the expressions of the Palace Guard cavalry, it seemed Yan Xu had said something that displeased Pei Yunying.

Only after Pei Yunying had also led his guards into the forest, his figure no longer visible, did Lu Tong withdraw her gaze.

She recalled that rumor.

Before entering the Medical Office, Miao Liangfang had told Lu Tong everything he knew about the twisted relationships in the capital’s official circles, including about Yan Xu.

This Lord Yan of the Privy Council managed the state’s military affairs and border defense policies, wielding immense power. However, what made him the center of private gossip wasn’t his power or his cold-heartedness, but rather his past affair with the late Lady of Marquis Zhaoning.

It was said that many years ago, Yan Xu had proposed to the then-unmarried Lady of Marquis Zhaoning, but was rejected. At that time, Yan Xu didn’t hold his current official position, but after the Lady of Marquis Zhaoning married, his career advanced rapidly. Some said Yan Xu was trying to make the Lady of Marquis Zhaoning regret her decision out of spite.

Later, when the Lady of Marquis Zhaoning was taken hostage by rebel forces, Pei Di captured the rebels without regard for his wife’s life. Thus a great beauty met her jade-shattering, fragrance-extinguishing end – how ironic. Whether the Lady of Marquis Zhaoning regretted her choice before death was unknown, but Yan Xu’s deep hatred for the Pei family from then on was crystal clear.

According to Lin Danqing, the Palace Guard and Privy Council already had a poor relationship of mutual checks and balances. After Pei Yunying joined the Palace Guard, the conflicts intensified, with the two sides often fighting life-and-death battles at court.

She had originally thought these words might contain elements of rumor, but seeing today’s events, it seemed they weren’t entirely fabricated. Between Pei Yunying and Yan Xu, there was indeed significant friction, otherwise they wouldn’t have confronted each other in front of so many people at the hunting grounds.

Just as she was thinking this, Chang Jin’s voice came from the front, calling the medical officers back to wait in the Medical Office camp.

The medical officers all waited in the tent, ready to treat any injuries either by going into the forest for emergencies or waiting in the tent for bandaging. Generally, they only entered the forest for critical situations, spending most of their time waiting in the tent.

Lu Tong raised her eyes and looked once more toward the forest path.

Almost everyone participating in the hunt had entered the mountain, with only a few scattered guards following behind. There was no sign of Qi Yutai.

She withdrew her gaze and walked toward the tent.

…

The mountain forest paths were steep and treacherous.

Ancient trees towered over the sky, blocking out the scorching sunlight, and keeping it trapped between the branches. A waterfall’s rushing sound flowed past the stream bank – Huangmao Ridge was quiet and cool in summer.

Qi Yutai sat on his horse, with Qi’s family guards following closely behind.

He didn’t take the busiest forest path, instead choosing a direction with fewer people. This wasn’t for any particular reason other than fear of others seeing his poor riding and archery skills.

The Qi family had only one son, and unlike the consumptive son of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, he couldn’t avoid the Summer Hunt that all sons of nobles and powerful ministers had to attend – if he alone didn’t come, it would inevitably invite criticism behind his back.

However, his father had discouraged him from too vigorous activities since childhood, and he had only roughly learned horseback riding and archery, never mastering either. Every year during the hunt, the young masters and nobles all looked forward to this opportunity to display their prowess and compete for prey. He couldn’t let others see that his prey was caught by guards and hunting dogs, so he could only avoid people.

Fortunately, Huangmao Ridge was vast – if one wanted to avoid others, it was easily done.

Tiger crouched low, carefully sniffing the soil beneath the trees. A guard beside him spoke softly: “Young Master, that female doctor is now in the camp at the foot of the mountain. Should we lure her here now?”

Qi Yutai’s eyes flickered.

“No.”

He stared at the greyhound: “It’s still early, let Tiger sharpen his teeth first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the hunting dog suddenly darted forward, plunging into a nearby thicket. In a flash, it caught a rabbit in its mouth.

“Good!” Qi Yutai was immediately delighted.

The hound barked wildly, throwing the white rabbit it held in front of Qi Yutai’s horse. The rabbit’s neck was severed by the hound’s sharp teeth, its blood staining its fur red. Its legs kicked weakly a few times before its chest gradually fell still.

Qi Yutai took out a piece of fresh jerky from his leather bag and threw it to the hound, which swallowed it in one bite before darting back into the forest ahead.

Qi Yutai felt elated.

Strangely, whenever he saw Tiger hunting prey, he felt immensely satisfied, as if it wasn’t the hound biting through the rabbit’s neck, but himself.

He greatly enjoyed seeing such weak prey struggle helplessly before a stronger predator. The thrill of the hunt excited him – an excitement different from taking Cold Food Powder, but equally pleasurable.

A pleasure from deep within.

Unfortunately, his father kept strict control over him, and he always had to consider the Qi family’s status and face in his actions outside. At home… he had to observe the old rules set by his father. Only here, in these mountains and forests, through Tiger’s sharp teeth, could he taste the momentary joy of bloodthirsty violence.

The tiger was alert, its ears pricking up as if it had discovered something else. It suddenly darted into the woods. Soon, the sound of struggling and shrieking beasts came through, like death throes.

Satisfaction grew in Qi Yutai’s eyes as he called out: “Good, good!”

The more prey killed, the fiercer the hound became. After Tiger had torn through a few more rounds, when its bloodlust was fully aroused, then they would lure Lu Tong to this place…

That fragile body would be torn to pieces in an instant.

That would be the most exquisite prey of all.

Thinking of this, Qi Yutai’s eyes grew red with excitement, feeling his blood surge through his whole body, and he shuddered with anticipation!

“Let’s go!”

He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

…

“Whoosh—”

An arrow shot out from the forest, suddenly piercing through a leaping body. With a “thud,” a wild deer fell, splashing blood everywhere.

“Wow—” a youth called out in delight, dismounting to drag the deer over and tie it up. He loaded it onto his horse’s back, patted the deer’s body, and exclaimed: “This deer is so fat!”

The deer was plump and sturdy, heavy with meat – perfect for making deer meatballs, diced deer meat, deer dumplings, deer rolls… and it would boost qi, help yang, nourish blood, and dispel wind. The youth licked his lips.

On the black stallion, the young man put away his bow and arrow, glanced at him, and asked: “Enough?”

“More than enough.”

Duan Xiaoyan smiled: “Neither too conspicuous nor too shabby, just right to earn a moderate reward without stealing the spotlight from the princes. Two words to describe it – perfect.”

He was like a setup man for a joke. Pei Yunying glanced at him and raised his whip to urge his horse forward.

As soon as the hunt began, the sons of various families competed with bow and blade, calling falcons and shooting arrows, eager to pile their horses with prey to claim the top honors when rewards were given.

But Pei Yunying remained disinterested throughout.

First, as Commander of the Palace Guard, he couldn’t steal the princes’ spotlight – that was the rule. Second, he had no interest in such competition to begin with, just going through the motions was enough.

Even with his riding and shooting skills, claiming first place would have been effortless.

Along the way, he only had Duan Xiaoyan hunting whatever fox, rabbit, or other game caught his eye, with the black dog Zhizi following behind – it was a rare chance for time off duty, might as well take advantage of it.

Third Prince Yuan Yao had gone ahead – he disliked having Pei Yunying at his side. As soon as they reached the mountain, he indicated that Pei Yunying needn’t stay too close.

Duan Xiaoyan wore an “I understand again” expression: “Think about it, brother, with your magnificent bearing and brilliant archery, who wouldn’t feel inferior walking in front of you? If I were the Third Prince, I wouldn’t want you by my side either – you steal all the glory, it’s irritating.”

“Oh?” Pei Yunying raised an eyebrow: “So the one following him is for…?”

“Of course, to make him look better!”

The two fell silent as they looked at the person bustling around the Third Prince’s side.

The person accompanying Yuan Yao was the youngest son of the Court Gentleman for Consultation.

This young master was delicate and graceful, just like his father. It was said his father was initially only a sixth-rank official of mediocre talent, but that year when his superior’s elderly mother accidentally slipped and broke her leg, he would wake up before dawn every day to care for her, personally handling her toilet needs for an entire year, showing more care than her son. Later…

Later, he was rapidly promoted to his current position as Court Gentleman for Consultation.

The Court Gentleman’s son had inherited not only his father’s looks but also his father’s way with officials. In less than half a day, he had already gotten the Third Prince in high spirits. Indeed, his small and delicate figure next to the Third Prince made the latter appear even more handsome and tall.

Of course, the Third Prince, being of imperial blood, probably wouldn’t notice such details, let alone deliberately use him as a foil.

Ahead, a waterfall cascaded down the cliff face. The Court Gentleman’s son pointed to a dense pine forest near the waterfall: “Here! During last year’s Summer Hunt, Commander Wang of the Military Bureau saw a white wolf here, but unfortunately missed the shot and it got away. I remember clearly, it was this pine forest!”

White wolves were rare to see. Yuan Yao’s eyes lit up, and he was about to lead people in.

Pei Yunying rode his horse to Yuan Yao’s side, speaking to stop him: “The pine forest is dense, the cliff walls steep. Your Highness, perhaps allow this official to search the forest first…”

“Commander Pei,” Yuan Yao impatiently interrupted him, “if we wait for you to go in first, the wolf king will be scared away. What would be left to hunt?”

Pei Yunying paused.

Hearing this, the Court Gentleman’s son also laughed: “Exactly, exactly. The hunt is meant to be flexible and spontaneous – Commander, your suggestion would spoil the fun. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

Before Pei Yunying could respond, Yuan Yao raised his whip and charged into the pine forest first.

Pei Yunying frowned. Xiao Zhufeng, who had caught up, shook his head helplessly. The two said no more, leading the guards to quickly follow into the pine forest.

The pines of Huangmao Ridge grew thick, layers of forest covering the foothills like a heavy green cloud overhead. Their horses’ hooves startled insects and animals as they crossed the grassy ground.

After running half a circle, there was no sign of the white wolf, but they did spot a small wild boar.

The half-grown boar ran fast. Yuan Yao excitedly drew his bow and chased after it. The arrow flew like lightning, hitting the boar’s hindquarters. The beast squealed and ran even faster. Yuan Yao laughed loudly, nocking another arrow to his bow. He released, and the arrow shot straight at the boar!

The Court Gentleman’s son behind him couldn’t help praising: “Excellent! Your Highness’s archery is superb!”

Pei Yunying smiled, riding to catch up, just about to offer some perfunctory praise when he suddenly sensed something wrong.

The sharp sounds of arrows cutting through the air came one after another, but not just from Yuan Yao’s bow.

Pei Yunying’s whole body tensed. Disregarding his mount, he drew his sword and leaped forward: “Your Highness, be careful!”

“There’s an ambush in the forest—”

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

From deep in the pine forest, dozens of arrows came like a sudden rain. Yuan Yao was still chasing the fleeing boar. Caught by the sudden change, he forgot to dodge in his panic. The arrow rain was about to pour down on his head—

At this critical moment, someone yanked him aside. A bright silver sword light flashed, crashing into the arrow rain with a bang, cleaving the incoming arrows in two!

Yuan Yao breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up, and his eyes widened in terror.

The young man was protecting his side, but behind him, a silver arrow came through the air, aiming straight for his heart!