Lu Zhuo left too quickly. Before Wei Rao could stop him, he had already dashed off, forcing her to remain perched in the tree. She watched as he moved through the mountainous forest as effortlessly as walking on flat ground, heading straight for the black bear still rubbing itself against a tree.
Since hunting the bear was now inevitable, Wei Rao decisively drew three sharp arrows from the quiver on her back. She shifted to the center of a forked branch, leaning against the sturdy trunk while keeping an eye on Lu Zhuo’s movements. She tested various angles for shooting and surveyed her surroundings, memorizing the terrain so she could swiftly assist Lu Zhuo if the bear charged in another direction.
In her line of sight, Lu Zhuo drew closer and closer to the black bear, soon entering within three hundred paces—a distance detectable by the bear’s keen hearing.
Though Lu Zhuo stood head and shoulders above most men, in the eyes of that black bear, he likely posed less threat than a wild boar.
Wei Rao watched him intently, wondering how he planned to lure the bear.
Suddenly, Lu Zhuo changed direction, moving farther away from both the bear and her. At times, the trees obscured her view, and after he disappeared once more, he reappeared on a slope diagonally above the bear. If he continued northward, the mountain wind would carry his scent directly to the bear...
Wei Rao frowned deeply. Where exactly was Lu Zhuo trying to lead the bear? She was clearly positioned to the south.
Just then, the bear rubbing against the tree lowered its thick front limbs to the ground and tilted its round, bulky head warily in Lu Zhuo’s direction.
Wei Rao’s heart clenched with anxiety for him. If he got himself killed, how would she explain it to the Duke of Yingguo’s Manor? Even Emperor Yuanjia might blame her for causing the loss of a key general of the Divine Martial Army.
What happened next, however, took her by surprise. Instead of charging at the intruder, the bear shifted its mountainous body and began moving toward Wei Rao’s location.
Could it be that this black bear was actually afraid of humans?
This thought bolstered her confidence. If the bear was timid, then she had less to fear from the dark, formidable creature.
Wei Rao adjusted her stance, aiming her arrow at the approaching bear.
But when the bear was still over two hundred paces away, it suddenly veered westward, attempting to escape in another direction.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuo shot an arrow toward the west side of the bear. Whether he missed on purpose or by accident, the arrow struck a tree directly in front of the bear. Startled, the bear tried to flee eastward—still avoiding the southern direction where Wei Rao was—so Lu Zhuo promptly shot another arrow to the east.
Wei Rao thought, Surely the bear will come toward me now?
Yet it did not. Instead, it charged northward, roaring as it ran, thoroughly enraged by Lu Zhuo’s provocations, and now intent on pouncing on him!
Lu Zhuo immediately turned and sprinted away!
He clearly carried a bow and arrows and possessed the ability to kill the bear himself. Even while being pursued, was he still determined to lure the beast toward her for the hunt?
The bear raced like a speeding black hill, flattening swathes of wild grass in its path. From her perch, Wei Rao witnessed its terrifying speed. Lu Zhuo, running ahead, seemed like a child fleeing a strong laborer—it was only a matter of time before he was caught. Anxiously, she shouted to him, "Shoot your arrow, Young Master!"Lu Zhuo had no intention of shooting the arrow. He wanted Wei Rao to hunt the black bear alone. Since she loved hunting so much, if she could take down a black bear—a creature she had never encountered before—she would likely remember the glory of this day for the rest of her life. After all, this was a black bear, a beast that roamed only in the deepest, most remote forests. Not even Cloud Mist Mountain, let alone all the peaks in the outskirts of the capital, could boast of harboring one.
Though the black bear was swift, Lu Zhuo had the skill to protect himself.
However, after dashing a great distance in one breath, Lu Zhuo suddenly sensed something amiss. Turning back, he saw that the black bear had abandoned its pursuit of him and was instead charging toward Wei Rao, following the sound of her movements. What chilled Lu Zhuo to the bone was that Wei Rao, likely out of concern for him, had leaped down from the tree!
Only three hundred paces separated him from Wei Rao, and the bear was even closer to her. In just a few moments, it could pounce on her!
"Get up the tree!" Lu Zhuo commanded Wei Rao sharply, no longer caring about who would make the kill. He swiftly drew his sword and nocked an arrow, turning back to chase the bear.
Wei Rao had been terrified the moment the bear changed direction and came after her. Only when she became the bear’s true prey did she realize how fearsome it was. Without waiting for Lu Zhuo’s reminder, she spun around and sprinted toward the nearest, sturdiest tree—one that would never be toppled by the bear. Though it was only about twenty paces away, the distance felt endless amid the thunderous footsteps shaking the ground. Her legs began to weaken, but her will to survive fueled her strength. With agile grace, she leaped upward.
Before she could steady herself, an enraged roar erupted behind her. Wei Rao turned, her face pale, and saw the bear just a few yards from the tree! An arrow had pierced its hindquarters, while two others lay wasted on the ground nearby. Glancing up, she spotted Lu Zhuo standing a hundred paces away, his expression icy, as three more arrows flew through the air!
Finally realizing the hunter behind it was not to be trifled with, the bear cast a massive, dark-eyed glance toward Wei Rao and prepared to flee.
In that fleeting look, Wei Rao sensed a cold, chilling malice—more unnerving than the icy waters that had once engulfed her.
Did it want to kill her?
Someone already coveted her life; must she now earn the hatred of a black bear as well?
Her heart still hammered like a war drum, but her body no longer trembled. As the bear reared up, she drew her bow and released two arrows. Almost simultaneously, her arrows and another from the opposite side sank deep into the bear’s massive frame—one piercing its left flank, the other its hind leg.
Agonizing pain sent the bear crashing to the ground. Seizing the advantage of her position, Wei Rao delivered a final arrow to its exposed neck.
The bear thrashed for a moment, then fell still.
Leaning against the tree trunk, Wei Rao lowered her raised bow, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Lu Zhuo ignored the bear and hurried toward the tree.
Wei Rao’s limbs had begun to tremble again. As Lu Zhuo drew nearer, she didn’t want him to notice. Quickly settling into the hollow of the tree, she pretended to be more concerned about whether the bear was truly dead, calling out toward it, "I’m fine. Young Master, go check on the bear. Make sure it’s not feigning death."
Dressed in a white brocade robe, the loose hem concealed the shaking of her legs. Yet her profile was as pale as snow, and she remained curled motionless in the tree hollow—no pretense could mask her fragility or feign composure.
Lu Zhuo leaped nimbly, landing on a branch beside her.
Wei Rao tilted her head to look at him.Lu Zhuo grasped her shoulders, and her trembling could no longer be concealed.
"Let go." Wei Rao angrily shook off his hand. No matter how perilous the situation had been, she hadn’t forgotten how Lu Zhuo had suddenly lifted her into the tree before hunting the black bear. That embrace had already offended her. Later, when she pressed against him to maintain her balance, the sensation of her chest being compressed was so obvious that Wei Rao refused to believe Lu Zhuo hadn’t noticed.
Her strikingly beautiful eyes blazed with fury, devoid of the tears he had expected. Strangely, Lu Zhuo felt relieved.
Anger was better—the fiercer her rage, the more likely she would forget the terror of being chased by the black bear.
Lu Zhuo withdrew his hand and looked at her reproachfully. "I told you to hide in the tree. Why did you jump down? If I couldn’t handle the bear, your leap would only have been a pointless sacrifice."
Wei Rao had jumped down out of concern for him, believing that two people fighting the bear together stood a better chance than one. How could she have expected that Lu Zhuo, upon his return, would immediately criticize her actions?
Her anger flared so intensely that she forgot her earlier fear. Her trembling ceased, and she retorted coldly, "If I hadn’t gone down and you had ended up in the bear’s jaws, how could I face your Lu Family alone upon returning to the capital? I’m afraid the gossip of the city’s people would drown me."
Lu Zhuo pressed his lips together.
He had thought she jumped from the tree out of worry for his safety, but was her concern merely rooted in fear that his death would bring her endless trouble?
"You worry too much, miss. A mere black bear cannot harm me. I would not risk my life just to please you." Lu Zhuo slung his bow over his shoulder and smiled faintly.
Wei Rao was infuriated by his feigned smile and shot back, "Why would the Young Lord need to please me? You merely wished to flaunt your heroic prowess. Unfortunately, your confident plan to lure the bear backfired, turning into a case of ‘playing with fire and getting burned.’ Such remarkable skill—perhaps it’s best not to display it so readily in the future, lest others witness it and mock you."
Just as Lu Zhuo was about to respond, he spotted Zhao Song and Zhao Bai hurrying through the forest, likely drawn by the distant roar of the bear.
Suppressing his irritation, Lu Zhuo looked at her and asked, "Shall I help you down?"
Wei Rao’s glare was more than just disdainful. "From now on, no matter the reason, without my permission, you’d better not lay a finger on me."
With that, Wei Rao jumped down from the tree herself. Once steady on her feet, she deftly straightened her robes, smoothing out the wrinkles.
Though dressed in men’s attire, Wei Rao disliked binding her chest, finding it uncomfortable. As she adjusted her clothing, the distinct shape of her bosom became apparent.
This scene was caught by Lu Zhuo, who was still watching her from the tree.
The memory of that soft, peach-like pressure against his chest resurfaced, and beneath the unfamiliar stirring in his heart, Lu Zhuo’s turbulent emotions suddenly calmed.
The bear hunt had indeed been his own impulsive idea, and his recklessness had put her in danger. She had every right to be angry.
Lu Zhuo descended from the tree.
Wei Rao didn’t even glance at him and strode directly toward the black bear.
"I’ll go." Lu Zhuo stopped her, drawing an arrow as he quickened his pace toward the bear.
Wei Rao watched as he drove the arrow into the bear’s neck. The bear remained motionless—clearly, it was already dead.
"Young Lord, you actually managed to hunt a black bear?"
Zhao Song and his brother finally arrived, rushing over to the bear in excitement.
Lu Zhuo lifted his gaze, meeting Wei Rao’s eyes. Seeing her turn away scornfully, he explained with a smile, "This bear was hunted by the young madam, not by my efforts."Upon hearing this, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai both turned to look at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao did not believe she had the ability to hunt a black bear alone. She had never even seen a black bear before and knew nothing about their nature. If Lu Zhuo hadn’t been there to explain, she might have mistaken the bear for a wild boar and approached it, only to end up as the bear’s meal.
“What the Young Lord hunts belongs to the Young Lord. Why give me that empty reputation? Do you take me for someone who craves fame?” Wei Rao didn’t even bother pretending anymore and turned to leave.
Zhao Song and Zhao Bai were taken aback. Why did the young lady seem so angry?
The brothers once again looked at the Young Lord in unison.
Lu Zhuo said apologetically, “I underestimated her. You two take care of the bear. I’ll go after the young lady.”
Before his words had fully faded, Lu Zhuo had already rushed after her.
Zhao Song and Zhao Bai watched as their Young Lord stayed by the young lady’s side, seemingly saying many soothing words, but she remained unmoved.
Zhao Song remarked, “I’ve never seen the Young Lord humble himself like this before.”
Zhao Bai nudged the black bear at his feet with his foot and said with relief, “It’s a good thing the young lady doesn’t have the skill to hunt bears. Otherwise, we’d really have to worry about the Young Lord.”
Even a tigress can’t defeat a bear. If the young lady could kill a bear alone, wouldn’t she be even fiercer than a tigress?
OpenNovel