Marrying the Crown Prince

On the hunting grounds, as Chen Muchuan's arrow shot out, Li Changyuan followed the first-class soldiers out, jumped over the fence, mounted their horses, and galloped away.

While in the capital, Li Changyuan was forced to learn the Six Arts of a Gentleman by Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou, but as a pampered young nobleman, he naturally couldn't keep up with those who had struggled at the bottom.

However, Li Changyuan was well aware that taking first place was impossible.

He came to participate mainly to see the gap between himself and them.

Li Changyuan felt this gap from the very beginning—because he was the last one to mount his horse and charge out.

Seeing that the group of young men had all run out, Chen Muchuan then mounted his horse.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers who had not yet entered the hunting grounds cheered instantly, "General, victory is assured!"

"General, victory is assured!"

"General, victory is assured!"

……

Their cries were like the loudest thunderclap in summer, deafening.

Chen Muchuan was amused by them and turned around to look at them, after which their cheers grew louder.

Upon seeing this, he laughed loudly, then rode away without lingering.

Back to Li Changyuan, after running deep into the jungle, he dismounted, took his bow, and walked cautiously and slowly, afraid that he might accidentally disturb his prey.

He has excellent eyesight and spotted a target in no time.

Li Changyuan quickly hid behind a tree trunk, holding a bow in his hand.

He judged the distance between them, slowly exhaled two breaths, and calmed himself down.

After mentally preparing himself, Li Changyuan turned around, suddenly drew back his longbow, and his gaze sharpened.

An arrow was shot out, but the little white rabbit was completely unaware, preoccupied with eating.

And so, the arrow successfully landed right next to the little rabbit.

"Shh-"

The rabbit darted away like lightning.

Ugh!

Li Changyuan sighed.

Li Changyuan resigned himself to his fate.

Li Changyuan stepped forward, picked up the arrow, and put it back in the quiver.

Just then, a commotion arose. He turned around and saw three men chatting and laughing on horseback, with a cage next to them filled with game.

"Brother Zhou," they greeted Li Changyuan warmly, "why are you here all alone?"

Looking at the three who had returned with a full load of goods, Li Changyuan touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly, "Ah...yes."

"Shall we go together?" they greeted warmly.

If he could, he would certainly like to go with them.

However, Li Changyuan knew that the worst thing about hunting was being influenced by those around him, and he was the one who was influencing others.

He's thick-skinned enough that he doesn't care, but he's afraid of getting beaten up by them.

Thinking of this, Li Changyuan raised his face and smiled slightly, "No, I'll just wander around by myself."

Hearing him say that, the three of them didn't think much of it and said goodbye, "Okay, then we won't bother you any longer."

After parting ways with the others, Li Changyuan continued strolling leisurely, when an arrow flew by and grazed his cheek.

Li Changyuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.

He jumped down, cupped the horse's face in his hands, and said, "Good boy, you go hide over there first, I'll go see if that's a person or a ghost."

Hearing Li Changyuan's words, the horse did not move an inch.

"You can't go. You'll make too much noise and attract attention," he explained helplessly.

The horse remained still, silently watching him.

It can't speak, but the emotions in its eyes are crystal clear.

Li Changyuan: "..."

enough!

I feel sorry for myself.

He curled his lip and snorted, "Fine, follow me if you want."

Upon hearing this, the horse tilted its head, as if to say—I really don't understand why you're going to your death.

After showing its contempt for Li Changyuan, it quickly fled.

Li Changyuan: "..."

One day, I'll stew this thing.

He closed his eyes, composed himself, and then quietly and cautiously walked toward the direction of the feathered arrow.

The sounds of fighting grew louder and louder. Li Changyuan swallowed hard, glanced around at his surroundings, and finally settled on a tree.

He tucked the sword to his waist, and using both hands and feet, he hugged the tree trunk and slowly climbed upwards to pupate the pupa.

Finally, Li Changyuan reached a suitable position. He squatted down and, through the sparse leaves, saw the center of the fight.

It's an assassin!

However, the person who attempted to assassinate him was not him, but Chen Muchuan.

To be honest, Li Changyuan still hadn't seen Chen Muchuan make a move. In his opinion, Chen Muchuan, who looked fierce and was fond of burning incense and calligraphy, was probably a scholar-general and his martial arts skills shouldn't be that great.

As a result, Chen Muchuan wielded his knife with swift and deadly strikes, leaving almost no survivors.

This……

Quite unexpected.

Li Changyuan stroked his chin, watching with great interest.

Chen Muchuan's sword clashed with the assassin leader's, who then flicked his wrist, knocking the sword away.

Chen Muchuan remained calm, ducked to avoid the assassin leader's attack, drew a dagger from his waist, and stabbed him.

In close combat, the assassin leader's longsword was not as agile as Chen Muchuan's dagger, so he quickly retreated.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, an arrow shot out, as if to string them together like candied hawthorns on a stick.

At the last moment, Chen Muchuan barely dodged the arrow, which pierced the assassin leader's shoulder blade.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Chen Muchuan twirled the dagger in his hand and plunged it fiercely into his chest before quickly pulling it out.

The change happened so fast that Li Changyuan's eyes widened. He quickly reacted, hurriedly brushing aside the leaves in front of him, and finally saw that there was another person standing next to him—Xi Qiu.

She gripped the bow, a confident smile on her face, and aimed the arrow at herself.

He had just witnessed Xi Qiu's unparalleled archery skills, so Li Changyuan quickly shouted, "It's me, don't..."

Xi Qiu loosened his grip, and the arrow left the bowstring swiftly and powerfully, tracing an almost transparent trajectory in the air as it flew straight toward him.

The arrow flashed like a streak of light, giving Li Changyuan no chance to react before grazing his face and embedding itself in the tree trunk.

Blood gushed out instantly. He touched his face, feeling as if he had survived a calamity. Looking at the arrow again, he saw a green snake embedded in it.

The snake's head was pierced by a bullet, and its tail was writhing incessantly.

His legs went weak and he was about to fall to the ground when he suddenly remembered that he was in a tree and couldn't let his legs go weak, or he would fall to his death.

So, Li Changyuan, on the verge of tears, struggled to climb down from the tree again, using both his hands and feet.

When Chen Muchuan arrived and saw this, he hesitated to speak, then turned away, choosing to ignore it.

He climbed down from the tree and bowed sincerely to Xi Qiu, saying, "Thank you, Miss Xi Qiu."

Xi Qiu nodded slightly and smiled faintly, "It was nothing, Young Master Zhou, you're too kind."

Her smile was as sweet as ever.

This look is exactly like someone about to beat up their mother.

Li Changyuan swallowed hard and said, "Your archery skills are truly superb."

"Yes, the general taught me personally," Xi Qiu replied, her gaze gentle as she looked at Chen Muchuan.

Upon hearing her mention this, a hint of tenderness appeared in Chen Muchuan's usually cold and aloof eyes. "Yes."