Chapter 45
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Xue Yao looked down upon his own chubby cub with disdain, simultaneously instructing him on archery posture and lamenting that the Seventh Prince rarely participated in archery practice.
“When the Eldest Prince was your age, he had already caught wild rabbits,” Xue Yao reproached him, casting a sideways glance at the Seventh Prince. “In the past few hunting seasons, have you ever caught any game?”
“Hehe…” The palace maids behind them suppress their laughter, knowing that the Seventh Prince had caught a whole nest of rabbits when he was just nine years old!
“Occasionally caught a few,” the Seventh Prince quietly admitted, pulling an arrow from behind his back. “Maybe one or two.”
Xue Yao: “……”
He couldn’t even hold a bow properly, yet he was claiming to have caught “one or two.” This chubby cub had started boasting!
He was becoming quite the dishonest chubby cub!
Xue Yao began to question without any mercy, “Your Highness, have you caught any game? Rabbits, perhaps? Alive?”
The Seventh Prince, with a shy smile and a glimpse of his small white teeth, admitted, “They were dead. Fifth Brother stunned the rabbits for him to shoot, alright?”
“You should say, ‘Fifth Brother stunned the rabbits for me to shoot,’ Your Highness, you got it wrong again!” Xue Yao sternly corrected the cub’s improper address.
At the age of twelve, the chubby cub’s perspective was still remarkably unbounded.
When it should be “I,” His Highness often slipped and said “he.”
“For your grandpa to shoot.” The Seventh Prince reverted to the universal self-reference to avoid mistakes.
After nine years of companionship, Xue Yao’s impression of this little guy had permanently frozen as “a hopeless fake Long Aotian” in his memories.
Hence, without the slightest doubt about the Seventh Prince’s pretense of incompetence, Xue Yao grumbled discontentedly, “How can you count stunned animals as a catch? Your Highness, you should practice archery with me.”
“Have Yaoyao ever shot something from afar?”
Missing the sarcasm, Xue Yao responded, “Hmm. I’ll take Your Highness hunting, consider it practice, and the outcome won’t matter.”
“Your grandpa doesn’t want to lose,” the Seventh Prince said. “Yaoyao wins one.”
A fatherly determination ignited inside Xue Yao. He couldn’t let his chubby cub down!
Striving to personally bring down a few rabbits to save face, Xue Yao patted his chest and declared, “Your Highness, get ready to witness my skills.”
Reclaiming his bow from the Seventh Prince, Xue Yao instructed the attendants to fetch the prince’s specialized horn bow.
“A’Yao, what are you up to?”
Xue Yao turned around to see the Fifth Prince proudly displaying a white wild rabbit, dashing towards them from a distance.
The Fifth Prince couldn’t wait to show off to everyone!
Xue Yao joyfully approached and loudly praised him, “To catch one so quickly, Your Highness indeed has great skill!”
The Fifth Prince relished the loud praise, held the rabbit by its ears, and handed it to Xue Yao with confidence. “There! Consider this one yours!”
Without hesitation, Xue Yao graciously accepted the rabbit. “Thank you for your gift, Your Highness.”
The Seventh Prince, not pleased with the situation, immediately activated his broken record feature, echoing Xue Yao’s earlier promise, attempting to deter him from accepting the Fifth Prince’s gift.
Ignoring the chubby cub’s displeasure, Xue Yao seized the opportunity to recruit the Fifth Prince. “Why don’t you join our team and participate in the hunting competition?”
“A hunting competition?” The Fifth Prince looked at Xue Yao with curiosity.
Xue Yao pointed towards the group of readers-in-waiting not far away and explained the rules of the competition.
“Interesting!” The moment for the Fifth Prince to show off had arrived. He waved his hand, beckoning the group of readers-in-waiting over, and declared, “A stake of ten taels is too trivial. How about this? Five of you form a team, A’Yao and I will form another. By the hour of the Rooster, we’ll compare the number of hunted animals. For each animal less, you owe us ten extra taels.”
“Two people in a team?” The Seventh Prince cast a dissatisfied sidelong glance at his Fifth Brother.
“How about three people?” Xue Yao quickly appeased the chubby cub, pleading with the Fifth Prince, “Take the Seventh Prince with you. He might just manage to hit something by chance!”
“By chance?” The Seventh Prince turned his head, glaring coldly at Silly Yaoyao.
“You’ll definitely hit something!” Xue Yao obediently changed his tone and tousled the Seventh Prince’s hair. “Don’t worry, anything I hit will count for you!”
The Seventh Prince quirked a corner of his lips. “Your grandpa is waiting.”
Xue Yao: “……”
Lately, he couldn’t help but feel that the chubby cub had a somewhat inscrutable attitude.
It must be his imagination.
On the other side, the readers-in-waiting turned pale as they stared at Chang Shun, who seemed to have lifted a stone to smash his own foot.
Xue Yao had unexpectedly paired up with two princes, and the wager had increased to ten taels of silver per lost animal. This could spell financial ruin for them!
Regrets were too late now as the Fifth Prince announced the start of the competition.
The group of readers-in-waiting immediately scattered into the deep woods, searching for game, in an attempt to minimize their losses.
With the Fifth Prince by his side, Xue Yao felt no pressure. He wandered through the woods with the chubby cub, almost as if they were on a leisurely outing.
“Animals seems rather scarce in this part of the forest,” Xue Yao, who hadn’t spotted a single rabbit, commented while holding his bow, feeling a bit useless.
The Seventh Prince beside him snorted.
“Your Highness, what’s so funny?” Xue Yao asked, casting a wary sidelong glance at the chubby cub.
The Seventh Prince raised his hand and pointed to the southwest thicket.
“What’s going on over there?” Xue Yao noticed the emptiness in the thicket.
“Is there wind?” the Seventh Prince reminded him.
“I don’t feel any.”
“Are the grasses moving?”
Xue Yao focused and noticed a slight swaying of the grass tips. “Yes, a bit… Ah! There must be a wild rabbit in there!”
The Seventh Prince made a gesture of invitation.
Xue Yao immediately nocked an arrow and dashed off in pursuit!
However, the wild rabbit, disturbed by the sound of footsteps, was faster than Xue Yao. It darted away in the blink of an eye.
“Aiya! It got away!” Xue Yao lamented, clenching his wrist in frustration.
The Seventh Prince suggested, “Let Fifth Brother stun a rabbit for you to shoot.”
“No need!” Xue Yao sternly educated the chubby cub, “What’s the point if it’s stunned? In hunting, one must rely on their own skills.”
“Then, find a deaf rabbit first,” the Seventh Prince delicately hinted, alluding to the loud noise he had just made.
“Your Highness, what do you mean?” Xue Yao became cautious, wondering if he was mocking his hunting skills!
Lately, this Long Aotian cub seemed to be getting naughtier. Was this comment deliberate?
But when he thought about how the Seventh Prince had grown up happily under his care, Xue Yao believed the chubby cub would never turn into the scheming little demon from the novel.
It must be him imagining things!
The Seventh Prince arched an eyebrow, tilted his head, and appeared innocently. “Huh?”
Xue Yao: “……”
It really must be him imagining things!
The old father, filled with joy, continued the search for wild rabbits with his chubby cub.
On their end, having not even spotted a single real prey, the Fifth Prince returned once more, proudly carrying a wild rabbit to show off.
“How about you two? How many have you caught?” Seeing that the attendants on the side had no game in their hands, the Fifth Prince guessed that Old Seventh hadn’t caught any yet and promptly reclaimed his dignity as the older brother.
“We haven’t seen a single animal,” Xue Yao sincerely marveled, “Your Highness, you are truly amazing. You have caught another one in the blink of an eye!”
The Fifth Prince modestly replied a few words and then turned to the Seventh Prince. “Old Seventh, why haven’t you started yet?”
“Not very skilled,” the Seventh Prince admitted.
“Hahaha, you’re kidding!” The Fifth Prince was amused by his younger brother’s response, thinking he was just joking. “If you don’t start soon, I’ll kick you out of the team.”
The Seventh Prince, feeling upset, pouted and turned to Xue Yao, seeking comfort. “Hmm~”
“No, no!” Xue Yao immediately smoothed the chubby cub’s hair. “The Fifth Prince is just joking. We would never want to exclude Your Highness!”
It was understandable that Xue Yao spoiled the chubby cub. Children with emotional communication disorder needed to avoid stress and feelings of rejection before reaching adulthood, as the impact on their psychological well-being was more severe than for typical children.
“What are you up to, brat?” The Fifth Prince didn’t quite understand the play Old Seventh was acting out. He started instructing Xue Yao on hunting and archery techniques.
The Fifth Prince believed that the Seventh Prince could fend for himself, so he didn’t personally offer guidance.
Usually, once the hunting began, the Seventh Prince would complete the required quota of game set by Father Emperor within an hour, report back to the tent, and engage in a game of chess with himself.
This time, it was a rare occurrence for Xue Yao to join the autumn hunt.
The Seventh Prince had developed an interest in remaining in the hunting grounds.
After learning some techniques from the Fifth Prince, Xue Yao nodded confidently. “I’ve got it! Your Highness, watch me!”
Both imperial princes were eager to “watch him.” They split up to help Xue Yao locate a game. At the slightest sign of movement, they would point out the exact location of the prey to the “hunting blind” Xue Yao, eagerly awaiting his archery display.
A gray rabbit was peacefully nibbling on grass. This time, Xue Yao refrained from alerting it prematurely. With precision, he nocked his arrow and aimed—
Something felt off. After a few moments of drawing the bowstring to full tension, he slowly released it. He shook his hand and re-nocked the arrow.
It still didn’t feel right. Xue Yao wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and once again raised the bow and nocked the arrow. He released it with a determined shot!
“Snap!” The sharp arrow sliced through the air and struck… the neighboring thicket!
The rabbit was frightened and fled.
“Agh!” Xue Yao stomped his foot!
The Seventh Prince beside him let out a low chuckle. In the blink of an eye, he nocked an arrow, his pale azure eyes suddenly sharpening. He raised his chin and let loose an arrow—
“Swoosh—“
The muffled sound of the arrow hitting flesh and bone.
The gray rabbit, which had initially escaped, was pinned to the ground by the Seventh Prince’s arrow, convulsing wildly.
“……” Xue Yao looked at the chubby cub in disbelief!
The Seventh Prince wore a surprised expression. “Hit it?”
Xue Yao: “……”
The old father’s face had nowhere to go. Xue Yao mumbled, “Your Highness is really lucky.”
The Seventh Prince laughed. “Yaoyao isn’t lucky?”
“I don’t need luck to hit it!” Xue Yao staked his pride and lifted his bow, ready to focus!
However, reality was harsh.
Xue Yao, determined, fired six more arrows with determination, finally turning to the chubby cub with a hint of desperation. “Your Highness, why don’t you shoot? Join me, won’t you?”
The Seventh Prince finally saw an opportunity. Tilting his head, he negotiated terms with Silly Yaoyao. “Your grandpa doesn’t know how to. Very tired. A wild rabbit for a pot of milk.”
“I’m not asking you to shoot for me!” Xue Yao became angry. “I just thought you might get bored! Even if you don’t help, I can still hit a rabbit!”
The Seventh Prince nodded and made a gesture of invitation.
Xue Yao, still somewhat frustrated, resumed his hunting!
The first arrow missed.
“The sunlight was blocked by that tree. I couldn’t see clearly!” Xue Yao immediately explained to the chubby cub.
The Seventh Prince nodded, signaling him to continue.
The second arrow missed.
“It seems like the accuracy of this bow and arrow isn’t very good!” Xue Yao found it uncomfortable, turned his head, and fixed his gaze on the chubby cub’s horn bow.
The Seventh Prince immediately swapped bows with Silly Yaoyao.
The third arrow missed.
“Wahahahaha…” The Fifth Prince’s laughter left his belly aching. “A’Yao, your archery is really lacking! Forget it, I’ll take over. You go practice by shooting at that tree stump over there for a while.”
“It’s not about lacking skill. There’s a reason,” the Seventh Prince refuted Fifth Prince’s judgment and looked sternly at Xue Yao. “What was the reason for missing this time? Your Highness still needs to hear Yaoyao’s excuse.”
Xue Yao: “……”
This unfilial brat!
Can’t he speak properly!
“Making excuses won’t help. You can’t even position your bow correctly!” The Fifth Prince, with a sense of helplessness, walked behind Xue Yao. He guided him step by step in archery technique, aiming at a nearby tree trunk and letting an arrow fly.
“You have to shoot like this! Do you understand?”
Xue Yao nodded and pondered it for a moment.
Xue Yao was about to follow the chubby cub when he suddenly heard the long-missed system notification sound!
【Warning: The side quest of Unblocking the Du and Ren Meridians has entered the three-month countdown. Exceeding the time limit will significantly affect Lu Qian’s future combat ability. Host, please continue making effort.】
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