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

Tang Ling was momentarily lost in thought. Why had Qi Xiao returned? Was it out of filial piety or righteousness? If he were truly intelligent, he would have sought advantage and avoided harm, and cherished his life.

During today's hunting, Qi Xiaosheng was very good-looking. He even dared to hide the little white snake and rejected the fifth prince in front of His Majesty and everyone. He really didn't know how to cherish his life.

Tang Ling sighed and laughed, then stood up and took two steps to look at the little white snake: "Qinglan, bring some raw meat."

"Oh." Qing Lan was reluctant and brought the pottery jar containing raw meat to Tang Ling. "Sir, let me do it. This snake's venom is very strong. A bite would be very serious. I'm afraid the herbs I have can't cure it."

"It's okay." Tang Ling took the pottery jar, took a thin bamboo stick, strung two pieces of raw meat on it, and passed it through the gap in the bamboo cage to feed the little white snake.

The little white snake was quite clever. At first, it circled the bamboo skewer, staring at it for a long time without eating. It licked the piece of meat with its tongue, and after a long time, it tore the meat off the skewer and swallowed it. If Tang Ling hadn't been so patient, the little white snake would have gone hungry.

Tang Ling skewered two more pieces of meat and fed them again, saying, "Trust is hard. Even a small snake needs some patience, let alone a human."

Qinglan frowned. Tang Ling wasn't talking about Little White Snake, but Qi Xiao. But what he didn't understand was, was the trust Tang Ling was talking about Qi Xiao's trust in them, or theirs in Qi Xiao? In any case, Qinglan privately had no good feelings towards Qi Xiao, let alone trust.

Tang Ling didn't feed the little white snake much, just four slices of meat. She placed the pot beside the bamboo cage, looked up at Qing Lan, and asked, "Qing Lan, if your son were trapped in a trap and in danger of his life, and Ye Huai wasn't around, and Master Huang and the envoys couldn't find him, who would you turn to for help?"

"Young Master has the Xingluo Guards secretly protecting him, how could he be in danger?"

"I mean if."

Qinglan thought about it and shook his head.

"Go find Qi Xiao."

"Sir?"

"Qinglan, I'm tired and want to sleep." Tang Ling smiled, turned and went inside, extinguishing the candle. Qi Xiao was very good, and he didn't need to explain too much. Qinglan just needed to know that Qi Xiao was trustworthy.

***

On the second day of the Baiyan Mountain hunt, it suddenly began to rain heavily, and by the morning of the third day, there was no sign of it stopping. Heavy rain in the mountains usually results in some water accumulation and mudslides, but the Baiyan Mountain hunt was a royal tradition, and the camps were located on elevated ground, with canals dug throughout the camp. Apart from a bit of mud, there wasn't much of a problem.

Qi Xiao stood at the entrance of the tent, staring at Yu Luo in a daze.

The sky was dark, the rain was falling and the wind was blowing. The camp was silent except for the faint sound of armor rubbing against each other in the distance. It was the imperial guards patrolling the camp.

Qi Xiao suddenly recalled Fenglin Mountain over a year ago. The scene back then bore striking resemblances to this moment. Disguised as a mountain hunter, he was brought into Lu Fangjin's camp, serving as his guide. That day, too, was stormy and dark. Lu Fangjin's troops were well-trained, and the camp was hushed and solemn. The only audible sound amidst the pouring rain was the clatter of armor rubbing against one another, a cold, harsh sound.

Fenglin Mountain's rainy season is long, lasting almost half a year. Due to its vast size, torrential downpours in the west and scorching sun in the east are commonplace. The Lu army received an imperial decree to march to Fenglin Mountain to suppress bandits, but months of heavy rain had coincided, making the mountain difficult to navigate. It was impossible for the army to march into the forest to suppress the bandits, so they had to find a flatter area to set up camp.

Fenglin Mountain is densely forested and people can hide almost everywhere. Not only are there wild beasts and poisonous creatures, but it is also easy to get lost. Therefore, Yuanzhou Prefecture has been "suppressing bandits" for several years with little success and can only ask the court for troops.

The Dingyuan Army is stationed in Fenglin Mountain all year round, so there is no need to go far away and let Lu Fangjin lead his troops. The Huwei Army is good at water battles and is not familiar with the mountains and forests. When Lu Fangjin received the imperial edict, he was confused. When he arrived in Yuanzhou Prefecture, he learned that the Dingyuan Army was confronting the Qi Army on the southwest side of Fenglin Mountain. The two sides have been in a stalemate for several months, and the mountain bandits in Fenglin Mountain are suspected of collaborating with the enemy. If they are not eliminated as soon as possible, it may endanger the Dingyuan Army defending the border.

Lu Fangjin was unfamiliar with the place and needed a guide, so Qi Xiao was brought over. He spoke Yuanzhou dialect which hurt Lu Fangjin's ears and almost drove Lu Fangjin out.

"Zongsheng, this is so boring." The heavy rain made hunting impossible, and Qi Xiao had no interest in playing games like Cuju with Old Five and Old Seven. He wanted to go find Lu Fangjin, but Qi Xiao and Lu Fangjin had apparently just met in Wanqinzhai, so they weren't very familiar with each other, and they had to "avoid suspicion," which made it even more boring.

In the misty rain, someone came out from a tent not far away, with an open oil-paper umbrella covering his face. The person walking into the rain was like a drop of ink in a landscape painting, becoming a trace of spiritual charm in the silent world, exuding an ethereal fairy air.

The corners of Qi Xiao's mouth lifted up involuntarily as he waited for someone to come closer.

Tang Ling walked up the stairs and arrived at the tent, and Qinglan put away the umbrella.

"How did you come?"

"When I have nothing to do, I come to play chess with you."

"Mr. Tang knows that I am not good at chess, so you are bullying me, aren't you?" Even as he said this, Qi Xiao had already stepped aside and lifted the curtain to invite Tang Ling in.

When Bai Xiqiao saw Tang Ling, he stood up and looked at Qi Xiao and couldn't help frowning.

The chess game was set up, with Qi Xiao playing the black pieces first, and his aggressive moves were still evident. Tang Ling also played steadily as always, and refused to fall for Qi Xiao's tricks.

Qi Xiao played with the black piece in his hand, hesitated for a while, looked up at Tang Ling and said, "You won't give in to me again, will you?"

Tang Ling just smiled. Qi Xiao's chess skills were good, but Tang Ling had at least a 70% to 80% chance of winning. Winning would require more thought.

Qi Xiao made a bitter face and shook his head repeatedly: "Ah, this is so boring."

"what happened?"

"What's wrong?" Qi Xiao rolled the black piece and snatched the white piece from Tang Ling's hand. "If I ask you to duel with me, would you find it interesting?"

Tang Ling laughed: "If you let me win, it would be quite interesting."

Hearing Tang Ling say this, Qi Xiao couldn't help but laugh and stuffed the white piece back into Tang Ling's hand: "Alright, I'll let you go."

Qinglan couldn't help rolling her eyes as she listened to this. Qi Xiao was such a shameless guy. He wasn't very good at chess but he still had the nerve to say that he was giving the young master a break. Even if he lost, he was justified. She really didn't understand why the young master was looking for trouble.

But there was no unhappiness on Tang Ling's face, she was obviously very happy. Qinglan felt even more uncomfortable and anxious. His own master was usually very calm and hated people who tried to be clever. Why did he treat Qi Xiao so leniently, as if no matter how Qi Xiao acted like a rogue, it was okay?

The chess game was suddenly interrupted by a visitor. Zong Sheng came to report: "Master, the Fifth Prince, General Lu, Young Master Qin, and Young Master Lin are here."

"So many people?" Qi Xiao didn't even have time to ask who Qin Lin and the other two were before he stood up and went to greet them personally. The others didn't matter, but he couldn't afford to neglect the Fifth Prince, Qi Li.

Tang Ling stood up and followed him out.