Green Mountain

Chapter 526 389: Tacit Understanding (Part 2)

Without waiting for the Crown Prince's reply, he turned his horse and said, "Today, you won't catch any prey. Return empty-handed to the Imperial Capital to pay respects to your ancestors."

...

...

Red Leaf Villa.

Chen Ji was in the stable, selecting the wildest warhorse and saddling it up.

The warhorse was initially restless, but as soon as Chen Ji's hand touched its neck, it gradually calmed down.

Slowly saddling his horse, Chen Ji intended to observe the movements of the "Jiefan Guard." If they followed the Crown Prince and Prince Fu, they wouldn't need to take a detour, but would return to the Imperial Capital directly while the others entered the mountain.

Yet after the Crown Prince and Prince Fu had been in the mountains for ten minutes, those Jiefan Guards still remained inactive.

Zhang Xia approached him and whispered, "We can't delay any longer; if we do, it might arouse their suspicion."

Chen Ji nodded, "Let's go now."

Zhang Xia turned to look at Qi Zhaoning, Qi Zhenzhu, and others outside the stable, "What about them? Leaving them at Red Leaf Villa might be troublesome if those Jiefan Guards take them hostage, they might even resort to murder to keep secrets."

Chen Ji replied nonchalantly, "We are already in danger ourselves; how can we worry about others' lives?"

Leading his warhorse outside, he saw Qi Zhaoning smiling brightly, "Chen Ji, you are sure to win today and receive His Majesty's reward. If you win, I shall..."

Suddenly, Yangyang came leading the Longevity Army men to the stable to fetch horses, bluntly countering, "With my Longevity Army here, if he wins, I'll write my name backward!"

Zhang Zheng rolled his eyes, "If you write your name backward, you're still Yangyang?"

Yangyang glared at him, "We've been good brothers for over ten years, why do you always side with strangers?"

Zhang Zheng laughed, "If you didn't harbor such hostility, we could have been friends."

Yangyang retorted disdainfully, "I don't make friends with those who falsely claim battle achievements."

He turned to Zhang Xia, speaking gruffly, "Axia, come with me today. I'll help you win, and see if His Majesty is willing to grant you the Ning Dynasty's first lady peerage."

Zhang Xia replied with a blank face, "When did women participate in the spring hunt? They can only observe; their catches don't count."

Yangyang paused, "Huh? Really? Then watch me win..."

Zhang Zheng laughed heartily, "Yangyang, what gives you such confidence?"

Yangyang raised his eyebrows, "In horse riding and archery, who can compete with me today?"

He looked at Chen Ji, "You don't really think this kid can win, do you? Hey, kid, let's compete today. If you win, I'll give you my ancestral horn bow. If you lose, you don't need to give me anything, how about it?"

Chen Ji ignored him and directly mounted his horse.

There were two narrow paths leading into the mountains here: one to Mei Valley and another to Xuanqiu Forest. He deliberately avoided the Crown Prince and Prince Fu's direction toward Mei Valley and headed for Xuanqiu Forest.

Yangyang sneered, "Look, he doesn't even dare to accept the challenge… Axia, wait a moment."

Watching Zhang Xia spur Zaozao to follow Chen Ji into the forest, he hurriedly called the Longevity Army to mount and follow.

Once in the forest, Chen Ji observed the terrain while heading to Xuanqiu Forest.

Looking back, he only saw Yangyang leading the Longevity Army discreetly following, with no sight of the Jiefan Guards, which gave him some relief.

Qi Zhenzhu, unaware of the impending danger, was still searching for prey, "Had I known winning today could earn a title, I should have invited Duobao and the others. It's just the two of us; how can we compare with the Imperial Three Camps? They coordinate the hunt, everyone drives the prey, allowing one person to hunt."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Qi Zhenzhu continued to mutter, "Show them a skill, Master; it's good to quell the arrogance of these Longevity Army people."

Chen Ji didn't explain much, only saying they hadn't reached the site yet.

At that moment, a wild pheasant flew by, and Qi Zhenzhu raised a hundred-pound hard bow and shot.

Though a playboy, Qi Family had taught him the six noble arts from a young age, and his archery was not bad. The arrow shot like thunder toward the wild pheasant, about to pin it to a tree.

Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred, as Yangyang's bow sounded like thunder, and an iron arrow arrived later yet shot through Qi Zhenzhu's arrow, splitting it and pinning it to the tree, its tail feathers quivering incessantly.

This display of archery was far beyond Qi Zhenzhu, explaining his arrogance.

Qi Zhenzhu's expression changed, "What the hell are you doing?"

Yangyang casually held the reins with one hand, tucked the hard bow under his arm, and leisurely rode past him, "Is this the Yulin Army's archery? You didn't survive returning from Guyuan by mere luck, right?"

Qi Zhenzhu was furious but knew he was less skilled, so he was angry without retort.

Chen Ji glanced over, thinking this Longevity Army member was like a peacock showing off.

He looked back at the Red Leaf Villa at the foot of the mountain and whispered to Zhang Xia, "The fortress I tower should be out of sight here, let's go."

Zhang Xia nodded.

Chen Ji called to Qi Zhenzhu, "Follow me, we're heading back to the capital."

Qi Zhenzhu was surprised, "Not hunting now?"

Chen Ji threw out a "It's dangerous," and with a forceful squeeze of his horse's belly, leaned forward and galloped towards Xuanqiu Forest, regardless of whether Qi Zhenzhu was willing to follow or not.

They passed Yangyang without looking back.

Yangyang shouted behind them, "What, retreating after failing?"

But Chen Ji didn't heed his provocation.

Seeing this, Yangyang turned and called to his Longevity Army comrades, "Follow them!"

Suddenly, birds were startled on the side, circling above the forest.

Chen Ji's peripheral vision caught sight of this, and his heart sank. He turned to Zhang Xia and said, "That's not the direction the Crown Prince and Prince Fu went; someone else is entering the mountain, targeting either the Crown Prince or Prince Fu."

He accelerated again, as they dashed headlong through the forest, just as they passed Yingshi Rock, where suddenly the sound of tearing wind was heard, and three crossbow arrows flew at them.

Chen Ji abruptly drew out two arrows from his arrow quiver, without waiting for the others to react, he had already mounted and shot them.

Yangyang was startled by Chen Ji's swift bow handling.

His eyes followed the flying arrows and saw two arrows collide mid-air with the three crossbow arrows, smashing them into fragments before they flew into the forest on Yingshi Rock, where someone cried out in pain and fell from the rock edge, cloaked in a straw coat.

Of the three crossbow arrows, those aimed at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia were intercepted; the one aimed at Chen Ji was dodged by his quick head-turn.

Yangyang looked at the forest above, then at Chen Ji's sixty-pound birch bow, suddenly angrily shouted, "Ambush! Chen Ji, switch bows!"

As he spoke, he actually tossed his hundred-pound horn bow to Chen Ji from across the air, and Chen Ji, without hesitation, tossed his birch bow backward.

The moment both caught the other's longbow, they coordinated precisely, drawing strings and mounting arrows, shooting towards Yingshi Rock's side.

As if prearranged, Chen Ji aimed higher and farther, Yangyang aimed lower and nearer, and with several bow sounds, a number of Jiefan Guards fell from behind trees, showcasing tight coordination.

The crossbow arrows ceased, and their archery cooperation managed to pin more than twenty Jiefan Guards behind trees, not daring to show their heads again.

Zhang Xia lay over Zaozao, solemnly said to Chen Ji, "Careful, they're not targeting the Crown Prince and Prince Fu, they're after you!"