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

Qinglan went back and forth without even taking the time to sip his tea: "Sir, the King of Chu has returned."

"Hmm..." Tang Ling looked at Qing Lan, but Qing Lan pretended to be confused. Didn't she just ask him to take a look and confirm whether he had returned? Tang Ling didn't give any other instructions.

Tang Ling held her breath and said, "Please ask the King of Chu to come over."

"……Yes."

Qinglan pursed her lips and accepted the order to go out, but in her heart she wanted to encourage Ye Huai to beat Qi Xiao up.

Not long after, Qinglan came back and said, "Sir, the King of Chu is not able to come."

"Inconvenient?" Tang Ling frowned and slammed the book in her hand on the table. Qi Xiao must have done this on purpose!

"Yes, that's what the Chu King's guard said."

Tang Ling stood up and said, "Okay, if it's not convenient for him to come, I'll go over there."

Is it because of an injury or a cold?

Tang Ling went as soon as she said she would. She walked quickly to the front of Qi Xiao's tent and felt a little regretful. He was never a person who lost his temper. What happened?

Tang Ling was about to turn back when Qing Lan stepped forward and said, "My young master wishes to see His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu."

The guards in front of the tent saluted Tang Ling respectfully: "Young Master Tang, please."

Tang Ling entered the tent, but Qing Lan was stopped behind her: "I'm sorry, the prince only instructed that Master Xu Tang could come and go as he pleased."

"Qinglan, go back first. There's no need to wait."

"Son..."

The curtain fell, blocking Qinglan outside the door.

The tent was empty; neither Zong Sheng nor Bai Xiqiao were there. Qi Xiao's voice came from the inner room: "Come in."

A trace of hesitation flashed through Tang Ling's mind, but her feet walked inside involuntarily. When she entered the inner room, the thick, warm steam immediately hit her in the face.

In the white mist, Qi Xiao's clothes were disheveled, his upper body was still naked, he had just grabbed a clean underwear in his hand and had not had time to put it on, his hair was wet and disheveled, his black hair made him look like an elf in the mountains, seducing her directly, standing in front of Tang Ling so openly and without any concealment, letting Tang Ling stare at him in a daze.

Qi Xiao has been practicing martial arts for many years and is used to being wild. He has a strong and sturdy body. He is not at all like the delicate and tender skin of princes and nobles. Instead, he is more like a fierce general in the military camp, resolute and upright.

Tang Ling was stunned for a moment and remained silent for a long time.

Qi Xiao had been squatting in the forest for a day and a night, his body covered in mud and dirt. He had originally planned to clean himself up before going to Tang Ling, but unexpectedly, Tang Ling came to him first. Qi Xiao hadn't meant to tease Tang Ling, but seeing him dazed, he impulsively walked up to Tang Ling and said, "When we first met, Zi Yi said that men in the Great Zhou Dynasty were beautiful for their strength and robustness. Do I look good in this state?"

When Tang Ling heard this suddenly, her ears started burning. She tilted her head and took two steps back. She coughed dryly and seemed to have suddenly become speechless and unable to speak.

Tang Ling had been marching with his father since he was twelve. He was used to seeing shirtless, rough-hewn men running around the camp, but why was he so nervous and at a loss when facing Qi Xiao? He wasn't the one without clothes, so why was he so embarrassed?!

Qi Xiao slowly stretched out his arms and put on his clothes, swaying in front of Tang Ling. Even if Tang Ling didn't peek, it would be hard to miss him.

Tang Ling hurriedly turned around and retreated outside. She saw the teapot on the table and drank two cups of tea in a row before she calmed down a little.

Seeing Tang Ling's panic, Qi Xiao grinned silently. Seeing the usually gentle and dignified Tang Ling flustered was a pleasant surprise. Qi Xiao had initially been a bit unsure, worried that Tang Ling was calm and resolute, and that due to her social status, she might refuse to accept him even if she had some affection for him. Now, it seemed Qi Xiao could rest assured. Tang Ling had more than just some affection for him.

Qi Xiao was delighted and quickly changed into new clothes and dressed himself up. However, he did not have time to dry his hair, so he tied it up casually with a hairband.

When Qi Xiao walked out, Tang Ling was sitting there drinking tea with a normal expression, as if the person who had just escaped in a hurry was someone else.

"Why are you so anxious to come to me? Is there something wrong?" Qi Xiao sat down opposite Tang Ling.

Tang Ling glanced over, then lowered her eyes again, seemingly concentrating on her tea. She spoke slowly, "I'm not in a hurry. But I heard you spent the entire night in the woods, and returned to camp to pay your respects to His Majesty. I guess you must have caught something lucrative, right? I'm curious about the mystery of the carved bird, so I thought I'd ask."

"Oh..." Qi Xiao drew out the sound, pouring and drinking tea slowly, without saying anything for a long time.

"What's the answer?" Tang Ling only got a piece of wood carving, which looked like the body of a bird, without a beginning or an end. She looked at it for less than a cup of tea before giving it to Qi Xiao. No matter how smart she was, she couldn't guess what the prize arranged by His Majesty was.

"A night heron."

"Night heron?" No wonder Qi Xiao went into the forest so early in the morning and didn't come back all night. Night herons are nocturnal, so they are impossible to find in broad daylight. It's been raining a lot these days, so even in the morning, evening, and night, there's little chance of finding one.

Qi Xiao nodded, put down the teacup, stood up and walked to the low cabinet next to him and brought the three brocade boxes on it to Tang Ling.

The three brocade boxes were exactly the same. Tang Ling recognized them at a glance as the ones given by His Majesty that day, and one of them was his.

Tang Ling opened the brocade box, and all three pieces of wood carvings were there, which together formed a wooden carving of a night heron.

"Where did you find this third wooden sculpture?" When Tang Ling received the wooden sculpture, she guessed that no one would help Qi Xiao except herself.

"Shen Lanchuan gave it to me."

"Prince Consort Shen?"

Shen Lanchuan is the third princess's consort and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. He is a first-class writer and scholar. Horse racing and hunting are just games to him. He came to Baiyan Mountain to hunt only because he had to obey the emperor's decree.

"I only have two wooden carvings in my hand, so someone must be left alone. After entering the forest yesterday, I squatted on the side, waiting for the destined person to come."

"Just waiting for Prince Consort Shen?"

Qi Xiao curled his lips into a smile, then shook his head and said, "Yes and no. The Baiyan Mountain hunting has always been a chaotic battle between the princes and the military, with everyone else just coming to join in the fun. This time is no exception. Aside from the Fifth and Seventh Princes and the military, everyone else gave up the prize when they received this brocade box and went into the woods just for fun. Prince Consort Shen and several other young masters from aristocratic families were together. I had people follow them for a while, and only went after I learned they all had the tail of the Night Heron."

Tang Ling took a sip of tea. Qi Xiao always had a new trick up his sleeve. Tang Ling had researched every name and surname involved in the Baiyan Mountain hunt. Even if she didn't know much, she could still make a rough inference. Given Tang Ling's personality, she'd definitely plan carefully before taking action.

When Tang Ling asked Ye Huai to carve wood for Qi Xiao, she had expected Qi Xiao to come to her and ask for help, so she could get to know her opponent first and then choose a helper for herself. However, she didn't expect Qi Xiao to be completely unconcerned and just plunged into the woods.

"If you ask for it, will Prince Consort Shen give it to you?"

"That's about right. He has no reason not to give it to him."

As Shen Lanchuan was, he wasn't afraid of the Fifth and Seventh Princes. But it was better to have less trouble than more. Why bother getting into trouble for Qi Xiao? Qi Xiao's victory wouldn't benefit him at all.

Tang Ling didn't believe it. Qi Xiao smiled and shook his head, but didn't say much. In the forest, Qi Xiao took advantage of Shen Lanchuan's absence to approach him, startling him. He then kindly asked Shen Lanchuan to borrow the Night Heron Tail. The Night Heron Tail didn't originally belong to Shen Lanchuan, but Shen Lanchuan agreed to lend it after a brief consideration, saving Qi Xiao a lot of trouble.