No!
How could that be?!
Why had these dogs stopped?!
Ling Chuhan lost his earlier calmness. Thinking of the sound he had just heard, he felt somewhat incredulous.
Aside from himself, how could there be a second person who knew the whistle used to train these dogs?!
He was uncertain and suspicious, yet at the same time he saw Qi Yuan already galloping to Shen Jialang and the others. She then neatly flipped down from the saddle and, without stopping, strode straight toward Shen Jialang and Qi Yunzheng.
His expression stiffened.
Someone beside him exclaimed, “Miss Qi’s horsemanship is truly astonishing! No wonder she took first place in the polo match, just look at how she dismounted, you can tell her riding skills are extraordinary.”
But at this moment, only a few people noticed that.
Because far more people were still frightened by the hunting dogs just now.
It had truly been terrifying!
In the noble circle, bringing hunting dogs along for hunts was something nine out of ten households were accustomed to.
But no one had ever heard of hunting dogs turning around to attack their masters.
Just now, Xiang Jie had tried desperately to drive them away, and all the Xiang family’s dog handlers had come as well, yet it had been completely useless.
These dogs had gone mad.
What exactly was going on?
If this wasn’t clarified, who would dare keep dogs in the future?
They kept dogs for hunting, for prestige.
Not to feed themselves to the dogs!
Xie Ying had already stood up. Seeing Qi Yuan dismount, still shaken, he cupped his hands toward her: “Miss Qi!”
Qi Yuan had already taken everything in at a glance. Of course she saw that Xie Ying and Xiang Jie had done their best to help, so she nodded heavily: “Young Master Xie’s great kindness, I will certainly repay it!”
By now, Xiang Jie had also helped Qi Yunzheng off the horse. His face showed relief after surviving disaster. Only when he walked to Qi Yuan did he realize his legs had gone weak: “Miss Qi, I’m truly sorry… it was our household…”
This really was a major mistake on their part!
Normally, hunting dogs were trained; even when encountering a startled horse, they wouldn’t react so extremely.
He had hunted for many years, and bringing hunting dogs along was common, yet this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
It was simply shocking!
Seeing the many servants from his household who had originally rushed to help but were now injured, his face turned pale.
Qi Yuan pulled Shen Jialang up with one hand. When she noticed his torn robe, her gaze turned cold: “You’re injured?!”
She immediately lifted his robe and saw at once that his boot had been bitten through.
There were several puncture wounds on Shen Jialang’s calf, blood still flowing continuously!
They had been caused when the mad dogs leapt up to bite the horses.
No one knew how much willpower and courage Shen Jialang had used to keep from falling off.
Even Xie Ying’s pupils trembled at the sight.
These injuries were not light!
Shen Jialang was young, but very steady. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head: “Sister, I’m fine. I’m not afraid.”
How could he not be afraid?
When he spoke, his upper and lower teeth were still chattering.
Xiang Jie shivered, goosebumps rising all over: “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll go get someone to help…”
Qi Yuan nodded, then said in a deep voice, “Brother Xiang, please have someone invite a doctor. I still have something to tell you.”
Xiang Jie immediately understood. He turned and ordered the servants to fetch a physician, then remained where he was: “Go ahead.”
He was already prepared.
When something like this happened, the host could not avoid responsibility no matter what.
However angry Qi Yuan became would be justified.
But Qi Yuan did not get angry, nor did she lose her temper. She only said calmly: “This was not an accident. Someone did it deliberately.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Xiang Jie and the nearby Xie Ying immediately turned toward her.
In fact, it wasn’t just the two of them.
Others also reacted, staring at Qi Yuan in surprise.
What?
If this wasn’t an accident, then what was it?
The startled horses frightened the hunting dogs, the dogs lost control, and then the sight of blood made them even harder to restrain, if that wasn’t an accident, then what was it?
Could it really be man-made?
Someone instinctively refuted, “That’s impossible! If it’s not an accident, then what is it?! Just now, all the Xiang family’s dog handlers came, and even they couldn’t control the dogs. If it’s not an accident, could it still be intentional?”
Xiang Jie’s expression was complicated, yet unlike the others, he did not immediately assume Qi Yuan was lying.
He knew her capabilities too well.
This girl never spoke carelessly, she always had reason behind her words.
Since she said so, there must be a reason.
He couldn’t help asking, “Miss Qi, what evidence do you have?”
Qi Yuan spread open her palm and revealed the whistle in her hand. Raising her brows, she said, “Brother Xiang, when the incident happened just now, when your servants rushed over, they had already blown this whistle.”
As she spoke, she looked toward the surviving dog handlers and extended the whistle toward them: “Is this your whistle?”
The situation earlier had been too sudden and too chaotic; everyone had been badly frightened.
Especially the dog handlers, whose hearts had nearly leapt out of their chests.
Those attending the Whole Deer Banquet were all nobles and officials, each extremely important.
If anything happened to even one of them, the first to suffer would be these dog handlers.
So they had immediately blown the whistle, but since it didn’t work, they had no time to worry further.
Now seeing it again, they all nodded: “Replying to Young Master, this is indeed our dog-training whistle.”
Ling Chuhan frowned slightly, his heart suddenly skipping a beat. The way he looked at Qi Yuan turned sharper.
This woman actually knew about dog-training whistles!
He suddenly recalled the sharp, distinctive whistle he had just heard and felt uneasy.
Xiang Jie didn’t quite understand: “But didn’t the whistle fail?”
If it failed, didn’t that mean the hunting dogs had lost control?
What did that have to do with someone acting deliberately?
Qi Yuan smiled lightly: “Yes, the whistle failed. Why do you think that is?”
Her gaze swept across the crowd before she calmly asked the dog handlers, “When you train dogs, does your whistle normally always work? Do different whistle sounds represent different commands?”
The handlers hadn’t expected this fierce young woman to know about dog training. They hurriedly nodded: “Yes. Those of us who train dogs all have our own whistles. Different sounds represent different commands. Under normal circumstances, they should not fail.”
Qi Yuan smiled and asked in return: “Then what if the hunting dogs before you are not the ones you originally trained?”
Huh?
The handlers were stunned.
Xiang Jie and Xie Ying also looked at Qi Yuan at the same time, then turned to look at the pack of dogs in the distance.
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