Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"By the way, I didn't notice anyone following us in the forest. He must have been lying when he said Xuan Ji was lurking in the forest, but I'm afraid he wasn't a secret guard, but had mixed in with the hunters. He could be Yao Yishan's men, or even Yao Yishan himself. You must avoid people when you meet Lu Xiulin."

"Lu Xiulin won't be able to get away anytime soon. The Xuanji Camp can't stop me." Bai Xiqiao pressed Qi Xiao's shoulders, forced him to sit down, and glared down at him. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm talking to you about Tang Ling. Since you don't have any feelings for him, stay away from him."

Qi Xiao was stunned for a while, then suddenly laughed: "If that's what you mean, can you get closer to him?"

Bai Xiqiao's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and he said viciously, "Say it again."

Qi Xiao stopped joking and kept his head down without saying a word.

Bai Xiqiao sat down next to Qi Xiao and said, "Xiao'er, have you heard the story of the herbalist and the snake?"

Without waiting for Qi Xiao to respond, Bai Xiqiao continued, "A herbalist went up the mountain to collect herbs and found a wounded little snake. He rescued it. The little snake seemed to understand human nature and was very affectionate to the herbalist. It liked to coil around him and even crawl into his clothes. Gradually, the herbalist got used to the little snake's company and liked to hold the little snake in his arms, eating, living, and sleeping with it. This went on for more than ten years. The little snake grew into a giant python, but it still relied on the herbalist. Until one day, the herbalist who was supposed to go out to deliver the herbs didn't show up. The villagers went to look for him, only to find that the herbalist had disappeared, and the snake was in the herbal medicine field behind the house. Its belly was bulging several times, and it swallowed the herbalist whole."

Qi Xiao glanced at Bai Xiqiao and really disliked his story.

"It turns out the snake wasn't sleeping with the herbalist coiled around him every day out of affection, but was constantly measuring its own length to see if it could swallow its prey."

"Tang Ling is not a snake." But Qi Xiao himself said that the little white snake looked very much like Tang Ling, beautiful but highly poisonous.

"Just because he doesn't bite you now doesn't mean he likes you. When he bites you, everything will be over."

Qi Xiao sighed and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly: "Senior Brother..."

"Alright." Bai Xiqiao raised his hand to interrupt Qi Xiao and sighed deeply, "You are smarter than me, senior brother. Think it through yourself."

Bai Xiqiao stood up, looked at Qi Xiao intently, then turned and walked out. Qi Xiao lowered his head again and couldn't help but sigh softly.

***

At 3:00 p.m., the second hunting round began. The envoys from the Zhou State were drawn into this group, and Tang Ling was among them.

Tang Ling's figure was much thinner than the generals and soldiers who took part in the hunt. He sat on his horse with a calm expression. The young masters from the noble families around him were all full of energy and were already excited before entering the forest. However, Tang Ling looked like someone who was out for an outing. His casual eyes followed the wind and looked at the horizon, the clouds, and the dense forest. Suddenly, he turned and looked at Qi Xiao.

The moment their eyes met, Tang Ling smiled gently. Although they were a little far away, Qi Xiao could still see it clearly. The slightly slanted sunlight was much more beautiful than in the morning, shining on Tang Ling's body, and along with his moon-white robe embroidered with silver, layers of light appeared, like waves and scales, and she seemed more like the little white snake, very beautiful.

The sound of golden gongs rang out, and Tang Ling rode her horse into the dense forest with the others. Qi Xiao then slowly withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to drink tea.

During the two hours of hunting, other people on the training ground naturally had other games to play, such as pitching pots, kicking balls, polo, etc.

Qi Xiao, once an inconspicuous prince, was now mentioned repeatedly by the Emperor, leaving him wanting to hide but with nowhere to hide. The hunt had barely begun when the Fifth and Seventh Princes invited Qi Xiao to play polo. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qi Xiao couldn't refuse his two brothers, so he had no choice but to play the role of brotherly love. Before leaving, Qi Xiao caught a glimpse of Lu Fangjin's smirk, and a sinister idea struck him: he simply invited Lu Fangjin along. He couldn't bear the blame alone; everyone would have more fun together. He wasn't worried about the Fifth and Seventh Princes secretly plotting something shady. The Emperor was intentionally promoting him during this hunt, and if he had an "accident" at this moment, it would undoubtedly be a slap in the face of His Majesty, and they wouldn't dare to do it even if they had ten times the courage.

***

It was not until night when a bonfire was lit outside the tent and a barbecue feast was prepared that Qi Xiao had the chance to sit with Tang Ling.

Originally, everyone was supposed to roast their own prey for dinner, but in order to win, Qi Xiao only hunted small animals. Although there were quite a few field mice and birds, they were troublesome to deal with and not enough to feed so many people. Tang Ling and the others hunted neither too much nor too little, including goats, wild boars, hares, and deer, which gave Qi Xiao the opportunity to come over and eat and drink for free.

When Bai Xiqiao heard Qi Xiao say that he wanted to go over for dinner, he was so angry that he hummed and would rather eat dry bread in the tent than come. If they were not in Baiyan Mountain and under the emperor's nose, Bai Xiqiao would definitely beat Qi Xiao up.

Qi Xiao ignored Bai Xiqiao and took Zong Sheng and other guards to eat meat and drink.

"We hunted a lot." Qi Xiao roasted two wild rabbits over and over while chatting with Tang Ling.

Tang Ling smiled and asked, "Is Your Highness disappointed that I can ride a horse and hunt?"

"Surprise, it's a surprise." Qi Xiao laughed and corrected Tang Ling.

"It's not a high score, but it's definitely enough for tonight."

Qi Xiao tilted his head to glance at Tang Ling, his lips curling slightly. Tang Ling had, as expected, been eliminated from the afternoon hunt. He'd taken down a wild boar and a roe deer, which had consumed all twenty of his arrows, along with many of his two guards' arrows. While his results were last, they were substantial, as if they'd been specifically meant to allow for more meat for dinner.

Tang Ling couldn't help but feel greedy when she smelled the meat. After taking two sips of wine, she felt even more greedy. She asked repeatedly, "Is it cooked?"

Before Qi Xiao could respond, Qing Lan came over with a plate of mutton: "Young Master."

Tang Ling took it, turned around, and handed it to Qi Xiao. Qing Lan saw that it was too late to stop him, and he was so angry that his teeth itched: "Master, I'll bring you another plate."

"No need, Qinglan, you can eat it yourself. I have enough here. The rabbit meat looks almost ready. Go ahead."

"..." Qinglan was depressed. Before leaving, she glared at Qi Xiao, but Qi Xiao pretended not to see it.

Tang Ling held the mutton and said to Qi Xiao, "I'll roast the rabbit. You can have some first."

"It's okay, you eat first."

Tang Ling stopped persuading him, took the mutton back, took a piece and put it directly to Qi Xiao's mouth.

Qi Xiao was startled, then he opened his mouth and bit off the mutton, chewed it slowly twice, and secretly looked back at Tang Ling.

Tang Ling was drinking with his head half tilted back. His jawline was firm yet had a gentle curve. His cheeks and neck were slightly pink, perhaps because of the bonfire or the smell of alcohol. This removed the subtle coldness from Tang Ling and made him suddenly feel warm.

Tang Ling noticed Qi Xiao's sidelong glance, and after finishing her glass of wine, she looked down at Qi Xiao with a wide smile. Tang Ling always seemed to have a faint smile on her face, but that smile always carried a sense of distance and indifference. It was as if, just at this moment, Tang Ling's smile shone like fireworks, suddenly bright, suddenly brilliant, and suddenly Qi Xiao couldn't get enough of it.

"Why are you looking at me?"