“We’re going out of Han Shi Kingdom’s Capital City,” Wei Yijun said as he pointed to the South gate that was only a few meters away from them.
Wei Liuying nodded. “It’s magnificent.”
“This will be your first time getting out of the city. Second Brother, the world outside is much bigger than the capital city.”
“Really?” Wei Liuying was naturally curious.
Wei Yijun nodded. “There are so many things that you’ll see when you go outside. The different terrain and views are all very beautiful. However, it’s clearly the outside world that’s filled with much more danger than what you can possibly imagine.”
Weather, bandits, natural disasters, and many more.
Wei Liuying had heard many of them, but she hadn’t experienced any of those. After all, the capital city was safe. Aside from some thieves that she encountered or some bandits who sneaked in, there were nothing of the others in the capital city.
Though, having to face the nature’s wrath must be even scarier compared to facing human.
After all, the scale was thoroughly different.
Wei Hong showed a token and the gate was opened for them. As they stepped out, they could see the completely different world. Wei Liuying was not allowed to head to the wall because it was unsuitable for ladies, so this was truly her first time seeing the outer world outside the capital city.
There were grassland and obviously much more trees than what she ever seen before. In the faraway distance, she could see the silhouette of mountains that was covered in slight fog. It must be the South Plum Mountain where they would be holding their hunt this time.
As Wei Liuying marveled over the sight, Wei Yijun chuckled beside her.
“First Brother?”
“Your reaction is not any better than me when I first get out. Come on, don’t get left behind.”
“Yes, First Brother.”
The journey took longer than what Wei Liuying expected. She never knew that sitting so long on the horse back could be so tiring. Looking at the carriages, she wondered whether the young ladies were alright because of the bumpy road. It wouldn’t be that comfortable to stay in a carriage when the road was uneven like this.
Unlike the city, the road outside was a bumpier. Some places were higher while some were lower. It made her wonder why the road was never fixed. In case there was emergency, it wouldn’t be a smooth journey with this kind of road.
“Why don’t I see the others, First Brother?” Wei Liuying asked curiously.
“The Imperial Family always departed the last because they have the biggest number of people. As for the others, some is already far ahead while some are behind,” Wei Yijun replied. “We’re going to meet them soon when we reach the mountain’s area.”
“I see.”
“It’s time for lunch, so I’m sure that Father will stop the carriages for a while.”
Wei Liuying nodded. Not long afterwards, Wei Hong Zheng stopped their journey and ordered the servants to prepare for food. Looking around, Wei Yijun pointed to the East. “Shall we try to hunt some rabbits?”
“Are there any?” Wei Liuying asked.
“This is grassland and the tall grass can hide rabbits when they’re hiding, so who knows what we’re going to find. It’ll take time until the food is cooked, so let’s go.”
Wei Liuying looked at her first brother with doubts. She never knew that Wei Yijun was actually this kind and attentive to her second brother. It looked like their relationship was not what it seemed on the surface.
Swish!
With their martial arts, it was easy for them to head to the forest without making any sound. Huo and Wei Yijun’s servant was following from a distance away. It was not the first time Wei Yijun chose to separate himself from the crowd and it was unlikely that it would be the last time too.
Wei Liuying scanned the area around while Wei Yijun checked the ground to find traces of rabbit. He smiled brightly when he saw that there were some traces on the ground and quietly followed. As Wei Liuying had never hunted before, she chose to stay silent and followed from a distance away.
Wei Yijun prepared his bow and arrow as he leaned against a big rock. His eyes were looking to one direction as he quietly stayed still in his place, perfectly blending with the nature. His presence grew thinner and if one didn’t see him there, they would never expect that he was there.
Wei Liuying waited patiently from the side. Suddenly, she saw movement as a rabbit jumped out. Wei Yijun raised his bow and arrow in swift movement.
Dzing!
Wei Liuying waited patiently from the side. Suddenly, she saw movement as a rabbit jumped out. Wei Yijun raised his bow and arrow in swift movement.
Dzing!
The moment the arrow was shot, Wei Liuying could see it dashed violently towards the rabbit. In but a moment, the rabbit was down on the ground as Wei Yijun dashed to the rabbit.
“It’s dead,” Wei Yijun said proudly. He looked at his servant while holding the rabbit up. “Bring this back to the others, we’re going to have an additional meal today.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Rabbits were considered the most common target for hunt. There were many wild ones too, so if they journeyed outside, they would be able to encounter rabbits and possibly hunted some for their own fill.
“Would you like to try, Hong Zheng?”
“Sure. I’ll do even better than you, First Brother.”
Wei Yijun merely smiled at Wei Liuying’s boastful words. As someone who was close with Wei Hong Zheng, he knew how competitive Wei Hong Zheng could be.
Afterwards, Wei Liuying tried to find traces of the rabbit like what Wei Yijun did. She managed to find one and crouched down in the grass, waiting for her prey. Her eyes were watching intently to the front with her bow and arrow ready.
“He’s getting even better in learning,” Wei Yijun commented on the back. Usually, Wei Hong Zheng would take a long time to adapt, but today, he was much faster.
Huo merely glanced at Wei Yijun but chose not to comment. The one in front of them was not Wei Hong Zheng but Wei Liuying. It was quite natural for him that Wei Liuying learned at a much faster rate as he had seen for himself how smart she was.
It was truly incomparable with Wei Hong Zheng.
Dzing!
The arrow was shot. Wei Liuying frowned when she saw the rabbit was still moving. She took out another arrow and shot it towards the rabbit once more. This time, the rabbit was no longer moving.
“Two arrows, not bad,” Wei Yijun praised.
Wei Liuying was satisfied, but she had to act like she was not. “I still need two arrows. It’s incomparable with you, First Brother.”
“When I first try, I can’t even hunt one. Let’s bring it back. I’m sure that the others would be waiting for us.”
“Alright.”
Wei Liuying didn’t pull out the arrow yet because she knew that it would just make the blood flow out. She didn’t want to stain her clothes with blood because they still need a few incense sticks time before they could possibly reach the mountain.
The two of them returned back to the camp when they heard sudden yell. From afar, they could see that the ladies were quarreling with each other.
“So what if you’re the main daughter? It doesn’t mean I have to be the one to serve you! Go get your own servant!”
Concubine Chou was yelling at Wei Xiao Hua with her face flushed red. From the way it looked like, she was suffering heavy grievances as her finger was pointed at Wei Xiao Hua. Her body was trembling in anger.
Wei Xiao Hua looked at Concubine Chou. “I didn’t ask you to serve me, Madam Chou, but to serve Father.”
“When you two are eating together?” Concubine Chou sneered. “Why would I even want to do that?”
“Don’t you know that…”
The two women were still going on and on. Wei Hong clearly didn’t want the two of them to quarrel, but he couldn’t find any chance to insert words. It was hard for him to keep his composure when he saw the two of them continued to argue.
Wei Liuying looked at Wei Yijun at the same time he looked at her. The two of them seemed to come into a tacit agreement as they headed to the kitchen servant’s area. This was not the first time Wei Xiao Hua got into argument with the concubines. Unless it was their mother, they would just ignore it.
Why should they poke their head into each other’s business?
“Ah, Young Master, you also hunt?” A servant asked in delightful tone when he saw the rabbit that Wei Liuying handed over.
Wei Liuying nodded. “Process this one. We’re going to eat it.”
“Of course, Young Master.”
It was not uncommon for some young masters to hunt for their own food. The servants have been following Wei Yijun before, so they knew that Wei Yijun also liked to have rabbits’ meat to eat. After all, it was delicious.
Wei Liuying chose not to return back and even Wei Yijun was also watching the servants cooked with great interest. It was as if this was his first time seeing them skinned the outer skin then chop off the meat. The two of them simply watched the process while waiting for the commotion to die down.
“It seems complicated,” Wei Liuying commented.
The servant laughed. “It’s not, Young Master. We only need to clean up the meat before cooking. Also, we can’t drink the blood and have to dispose it far away because it can attract other beasts such as wolves.”
“Ah.”
