In the vast mountain forest of Changkuang, a low horn suddenly sounded.

When the horn reached the camp tents outside the hunting grounds at the foot of the mountain, all the guards waiting outside changed their expressions.

Lu Tong sat in the tent and asked Lin Danqing, “What has happened?”

Lin Danqing suddenly stood up and looked toward Huangmao Hill. “…This is bad.”

“The horn blast…”

She murmured, “It means there’s an emergency in the hunting grounds.”

Just as Lin Danqing had said, within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a group of imperial guards came down from the mountain with tense expressions, heading straight for the Imperial Medical Bureau’s camp tent. Lu Tong and Lin Danqing stood up and heard the lead guard speaking to Chang Jin.

“His Highness the Crown Prince encountered a fierce tiger in the forest. The tiger has been shot dead and His Highness is unharmed, but many of the guards around him were injured. The chief medical officer requests that physicians be brought up the mountain for treatment.”

Chang Jin became extremely anxious upon hearing this. With matters concerning the Crown Prince, he dared not delay and immediately selected half the medical officers to go up the mountain with the guards. Ji Xun also went.

Since Lin Danqing and Lu Tong were newly appointed medical assistants, Chang Jin had them wait in the tent, as he could not send all the medical officers away at once.

After Chang Jin left, Lu Tong asked Lin Danqing, “How could there be tigers in the mountains?”

Before the summer hunt at Huangmao Hill, guards would sweep the mountains to drive away fierce beasts like lions, tigers, and bears to ensure safety on the mountain. After all, the summer hunt now was not as grand in military presence as it had been when the late emperor was alive.

There had been no lions or tigers appearing in the capital’s summer hunt for many years, and even leopards were rare. How could one suddenly appear and nearly harm the Crown Prince?

Lin Danqing shook her head with a worried expression. “I don’t know.”

Now the two factions in court were at daggers drawn, and the Crown Prince encountered this accident during the hunt, while the Third Prince happened to be present as well…

While they were silent, the tent flap was suddenly lifted from outside, and two more guards hurried in, saying, “The Censor-in-Chief fell from his horse and cannot walk. Please send two medical officers into the mountains for emergency treatment.”

The Censor-in-Chief was now forty-five years old, and at this age, legs and feet were prone to fractures—a fall was no trivial matter. Among the remaining newly appointed medical assistants, Lu Tong and Lin Danqing had the best results in the spring examinations. Upon hearing this, they said nothing more and immediately began packing their medical kits.

Lin Danqing put a roll of wound medicine into her medical kit, frowning as she spoke to herself, “Strange, it’s only midday, how are so many things going wrong at this year’s summer hunt?”

Lu Tong’s heart stirred as she looked toward the mountain forest, then quickly withdrew her gaze and said to Lin Danqing, “Let’s go.”

…

Dust flew in the forest.

The Dragon Martial Guards’ imperial army rode their horses at full gallop, silver blade light flashing as the shadowy figures hiding in the darkness rolled and fell one after another. In the next moment, Xiao Zhufeng swiftly struck, cold light sweeping past. The throat of a black-clad figure moved, and slowly, a trace of dark blood seeped from the corner of his lips before he collapsed motionless.

“General Commander!” a guard shouted. “They’re death warriors!”

Such decisive and resolute poisoning—they were undoubtedly death warriors.

Pei Yunying yanked on the reins and wheeled his horse around. “Protect the Third Prince, I’ll give chase.”

He charged straight into the forest.

Yuan Yao was protected by numerous guards as they retreated. This wave of death warriors was not large in number. Earlier, when the Dragon Martial Guards detected them and engaged in combat, after the rain of arrows, they were already no match. However, once subdued, they immediately bit down on poison hidden in their teeth and committed suicide, their breathing ceasing in an instant.

Bodies lay scattered all over the ground—some were Dragon Martial Guards, but most were death warriors. Pei Yunying had gone to chase the last one. Yuan Yao was protected as they fled to the flying spring outside the pine forest, when he heard the low, distant horn coming from the forest.

A horn?

The news of his assassination attempt here had not yet spread—why were they blowing the horn?

The sound of urgent hoofbeats approached again, and a black steed returned. The young man on horseback reined in his mount and looked back. Yuan Yao quickly looked toward him.

“How was it?” he asked urgently. “Did you capture any alive?”

Pei Yunying shook his head. “They committed suicide.”

Yuan Yao punched a rock and cursed under his breath.

The last living witness was also gone, meaning all evidence and witnesses were lost.

Duan Xiaoyan examined the corpses one by one and returned to Pei Yunying’s side. “Reporting to the General Commander, a total of ten death warriors, all committed suicide.”

Only ten death warriors—this number was not considered many.

But how these death warriors managed to secretly infiltrate this place, bypassing the hunting grounds, was quite thought-provoking.

If their methods were sophisticated, that would be one thing, but if there were traitors…

“Even without living witnesses, I know who it was.” Yuan Yao sneered coldly. “In this capital, who wants me dead most can be easily guessed.”

These words were quite explicit, and the guards around them lowered their heads and said nothing, pretending not to hear.

Yuan Yao and Yuan Zhen had been fighting openly and covertly, though previously it had only been in the court. Yuan Zhen was sinister, Yuan Yao arrogant. If Yuan Yao was convinced that this assassination was orchestrated behind the scenes by Yuan Zhen, then upon returning, the imperial city would likely face another bloody storm.

The surroundings were quiet. Xiao Zhufeng’s gaze fell on the young man’s left shoulder. “Do you want to treat your wound now?”

Pei Yunying glanced sideways and said, “It’s a minor wound, we’ll deal with it after going down the mountain.”

When the rain of arrows rushed toward Yuan Yao, he had pulled Yuan Yao to escape and was nearly struck by a cold arrow from behind. If he hadn’t dodged quickly, that arrow would now have pierced through his heart.

It only hit his shoulder, so the injury wasn’t severe.

Pei Yunying dismounted and walked up to Yuan Yao. “Your Highness, with this incident during the hunt, I fear there may be other ambushes in the forest. Perhaps we should halt the hunt and go down the mountain before making further decisions.”

Yuan Yao’s expression changed several times.

After experiencing the recent battle, how could he still be in the mood to continue hunting? He couldn’t wait to leave right now. Gone was his earlier insistence on reckless adventure, and he only faintly hummed in agreement, glancing at Pei Yunying. “We’ll do as General Commander Pei suggests.”

“Yes.”

Pei Yunying turned and instructed the guards behind him, “Take these death warrior corpses with us.” Then he mounted his horse again.

“Down the mountain!”

…

The horn echoed through the long mountain valley.

By the time it reached the depths of the dense forest, even the lingering sound had become faint.

Qi Yutai reined in his horse and looked puzzledly into the distance. “Is there some kind of sound?”

A guard beside him listened intently for a moment, his expression changing slightly. “It’s a horn sound, young master. There’s danger in the hunting grounds!”

“What danger?”

Qi Yutai was dismissive.

He participated in the summer hunt every year, and each time it was peaceful and calm. This was the first time Qi Yutai had heard a horn sound. However, what could go wrong during a mountain hunt? Most likely someone unlucky had encountered some rarely seen wild beast.

Qi Yutai glanced at the numerous guards surrounding him.

With so many guards, and the two most skilled guards from the Grand Tutor’s manor right beside him, not to mention Qinhu as well.

Qinhu…

Qi Yutai looked ahead.

After half a day of hunting, the gray hound had become increasingly spirited. Its gray fur had been almost completely stained red with blood, and its pair of eyes glowed eerily with cold light, waiting to bite to death any prey that might appear before it at any moment.

On the guards’ horses beside him, two large leather bags were already securely tied and full. Rabbits, badgers, foxes, deer… Qinhu seemed to have wolf blood in its bones—bloodthirsty and fierce. When encountering prey, it would bite down and hold on relentlessly until it dragged the prey to its last breath.

Qi Yutai stared at the abundant spoils on the horses with satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard faint voices from ahead. Looking forward, he was suddenly stunned.

Among the shadowy trees, several horses were stopped, with people coming and going around them. In the gathered crowd were two women wearing medical officer robes, one of whom had a beautiful jade-like face with a slender, graceful figure and a familiar appearance.

Lu Tong?

Qi Yutai’s heart stirred, and he beckoned a guard beside him. “How is she here?”

He hadn’t yet had someone bring Lu Tong up the mountain, deliberately sparing her for half a day to let Qinhu sharpen its claws first. He hadn’t expected to encounter her here.

The guard quietly withdrew and soon returned, whispering, “The Censor-in-Chief fell from his horse and called for Lu Tong to come up the mountain for treatment.” He then looked tentatively at Qi Yutai. “Young master, do you want to…”

Qi Yutai remained silent, his gaze falling on the heavily blood-stained leather bags on the horses. After a moment, he turned to look at the shadowy figures barely visible among the trees, stroking his chin.

“After running for half a day, the timing is about right.”

“Alright.”

He yawned, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

“Begin the hunt—”

…

Under the tree, Lu Tong was passing white silk to Lin Danqing.

The Censor-in-Chief wasn’t very old, but because he rarely exercised regularly, though not yet fifty, his body was as frail as that of a sixty-year-old, more fragile than glass—at the slightest touch, it would crack into pieces.

He sat under the tree with a furrowed brow and pained expression, saying one moment that his leg was broken, the next that his head hurt. Lin Danqing was busy bandaging while listening to his rambling complaints and offering comfort, so busy that her forehead was covered in sweat.

After finally finishing the bandaging, the Censor-in-Chief asked Lin Danqing to examine his horse to see if there were any problems, saying that the horse’s hooves had slipped for no reason, and the horse might also have a fracture, making the descent down the mountain risky.

Lin Danqing suppressed her anger and resignedly walked toward the horse. Just then, someone hurried out from the dense forest ahead—a guard who said to the two women, “My master is a Director of the Ministry of Works. He was just bitten on the right foot by a wild wolf. Which of you medical officers is available? Please follow me for treatment.”

Lin Danqing was holding a cloth and approaching the old horse when she heard this. She said to Lu Tong, “You go. I’ll handle things here.”

Staying here would just mean listening to the Censor-in-Chief’s unreasonable complaints—there was no need for both of them to be tormented.

After thinking it over, Lu Tong shouldered her medical kit, gave Lin Danqing a few instructions, stood up, and followed the guard away.

The mountain path was winding.

Lu Tong followed this person forward, and the path seemed difficult, quite rough and hard to traverse. After walking approximately several li, the surrounding forest gradually deepened, with wild grass and scattered rocks, yet still no sign of the injured person.

Lu Tong asked the guard leading the way, “Excuse me, how much farther is it to where the Director of the Ministry of Works is located?”

The guard said, “Soon, just ahead.”

Lu Tong frowned.

This same response had been given by this person a stick of incense ago.

She looked around at the surrounding steep cliffs that enclosed this forest grove. Directly facing the cliff face, a cluster of waterfalls rushed straight down with thunderous roar.

A trace of unease arose in her heart.

Lu Tong stopped walking.

Seeing her stop, the guard turned around curiously. “Why isn’t Medical Officer Lu walking anymore?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Tong’s heart gradually sank.

He knew her surname was Lu.

But from the moment this person appeared until she followed him to this place, from beginning to end, she had never mentioned her name or surname.

The air gradually carried a heavy, bloody smell, sticky and foul. Previously masked by the flying spring, now it was like a finely woven net, gradually enveloping her.

Lu Tong retreated two steps, suddenly turned around, and ran frantically back the way she came.

A huge gray shadow pounced from among the trees, knocking her to the ground.

…

The peaks were secluded and deep.

From among the trees, there seemed to be faint human screams, accompanied by several dog barks.

A medical officer wearing medical robes stopped and looked suspiciously toward where the sound came from. “What was that sound just now?”

Ji Xun put the last jar of wound medicine back in his box and turned his head upon hearing this.

Faint sounds of splashing waterfalls came from among the trees.

Another medical officer nearby said, “Nothing, just the sound of waterfall water.”

Ji Xun packed away his medicine bottle and helped an injured Dragon Martial Guard stand up.

The Crown Prince had suddenly encountered a fierce tiger in the forest—the incident was sudden. The Crown Prince was unharmed, but several Dragon Martial Guards around him were injured. A group of medical officers followed Chang Jin into the mountains to first treat the most severely injured Dragon Martial Guards. The remaining lightly injured would be bandaged by medical officers in the tents at the foot of the mountain after they descended with the Crown Prince.

With this sudden incident in the forest, Yuan Zhen’s expression had become extremely ugly. Protected by various guard units in the middle, his mood was unpredictable. The group of medical officers dared not even breathe loudly, fearing this anger might burn them.

Why would a fierce tiger suddenly appear on Huangmao Hill, which had already been cleared of dangerous beasts by the imperial guards, and why did it happen to be encountered by His Highness the Crown Prince…

Chang Jin cleared his throat softly, signaling the medical officers to get up. The Crown Prince had already gone ahead with the guards, leaving only the few medical officers and the severely injured Dragon Martial Guards behind.

With this incident occurring, the hunt naturally could not continue.

Everyone stood up to prepare for the descent. The medical officer who had spoken first scratched his head, still somewhat puzzled, muttering to himself, “I really thought I heard someone calling for help just now…”

After saying this, seeing that no one paid attention, he could only shoulder his medical kit and follow along.

Ji Xun looked up and glanced once in the direction that person had pointed to.

The dense forest was quiet, with only the sound of trickling water.

He listened carefully for a moment, confirmed there were no human cries for help, then picked up his medical kit and walked away.