Chapter 48
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Xue Yao suddenly heaved a sigh of relief.
If the bow was given by this warm baby [heating pads], then it made sense.
“I was just joking.” Xue Yao held the bow in his hand and caressed the handle. “This bow is truly beautiful. I will practice hunting diligently and not let Your Highness down.”
The Sixth Prince suppressed a smile.
The Seventh Prince turned his head indifferently, first looking at the horned bow and then at Silly Yaoyao.
Because it was the Crown Prince who led the team to personally teach hunting skills, the Second Prince, who had been staying in the tent for ages, appeared in the hunting grounds for the very first time.
The Second Prince also changed into a white hunting attire matching his older brother’s. He still fanned himself with a folding fan, partially covering his face, while slyly squinting his fox-like eyes as he watched his elder brother.
Then, they saw the Eldest Brother taking the Seventh Prince out and personally guiding him step by step, patiently repeating the demonstrations.
Gradually, the Second Prince, with his fox-like eyes, turned green with jealousy!
When the elder brother announced the split training, the Second Prince, once again, came teasing the Seventh Prince with a sly smile, seeking “revenge.”
After nine years, the Second Prince’s magic tricks had long been exposed by the Seventh Prince, leaving nothing but embarrassment. Now, he employed more straightforward tactics to tease his little brother.
The Second Prince would entice the Seventh Prince’s reader-in-waiting to play with him.
Over the years of their rivalry, the Second Prince gradually discovered the Seventh Prince’s “soft spot.”
The Seventh Prince was a child who preferred solitude, except for his reliance on his own reader-in-waiting.
For instance, when the reader-in-waiting patted the Sixth Prince’s head, the Seventh Prince would go out of his way to do something praiseworthy, hoping to earn Xue Yao’s affection as well.
As long as this balance was disrupted, the Seventh Prince would become flustered.
The Second Prince took great pleasure in seeing the Seventh Prince’s bewildered expression.
He was quite the mischievous fox!
Thus, while following the warm baby and the chubby cub on a hunting trip, Xue Yao suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder with a fan.
He turned around to find those smiling fox-like eyes, gazing at his mysteriously.
“Your Highness?” Xue Yao didn’t have much interaction with this reclusive Second Prince, but on a few occasions during royal outings, the hermit prince always liked to strike up a conversation with him.
It was quite weird.
“What’s the point of following the Sixth and Seventh Princes to hunt wild rabbits? I’ll take you to the west to hunt deer,” the Second Prince made a direct offer.
“Not going,” the Seventh Prince firmly replied on behalf of Xue Yao.
“Let Xue Yao decide for himself.” The Second Prince smiled enticingly at Xue Yao. “My younger brothers are still small, and you won’t learn much from them. It would be so much better to go deer hunting with me. Don’t waste the Crown Prince’s fine bow.”
Xue Yao: “……”
What did he mean by “the Crown Prince’s fine bow”?
Wasn’t this bow given to him by the warm baby?
His phoenix-like eyes widened as he looked down at the horned bow in his hands.
This bow had actually been used by his idol, the Crown Prince!
Xue Yao struggled to contain his excitement and didn’t start licking the bow right there.
“How about it?” the Second Prince asked, seeing him looking rather bewildered.
“Not going,” the Seventh Prince spoke on Xue Yao’s behalf again, “The younger brothers have grown up enough to teach Yaoyao. Don’t be fooled by his age. Second Brother has never caught anything larger than a wild rabbit.”
Nearby, the Sixth Prince let out a chuckle, knowing that Second Brother and Seventh Brother’s annual quarrel was about to begin.
Although his chubby seventh brother’s behavior and speech were a bit different from others, when it came to teasing people, he often hit the bullseye, making their arguments particularly entertaining.
The Second Prince folded his fan and argued confidently, “How have I never caught anything larger than a wild rabbit? You ate lamb for breakfast…”
“It was Second Brother who cried and begged Eldest Brother for it,” the Seventh Prince heartlessly exposed Second Brother’s habit of lazing in the tent and waiting for Eldest Brother to distribute the game.
“I never begged. Big Brother willingly gave it to me!” The Second Prince took pride in sharing his catch with his big brother, as it was a unique sign of favor.
The Seventh Prince immediately vividly imitated Second Brother’s act of begging the eldest brother for the animal, acting all teary-eyed, “What if Father Emperor asks about it later?”
One could say it was an advanced version of a tape recorder!
Xue Yao was surprised. “So, you can get a share of the Crown Prince’s catch like this? The Crown Prince usually appears stern, but I didn’t expect him to be so lenient with the Second Prince.”
The Second Prince grinned with satisfaction. These words hit him right in the heart.
The Seventh Prince didn’t hesitate to spill the beans, “Two years ago, Second Brother went hunting in the western hunting grounds and was chased by a wild boar for five miles. He ran from the northern hills all the way to the eastern hunting grounds, seeking Eldest Brother’s help. He even lost his shoes. Eldest Brother couldn’t bear to scold such a person, so he allowed Second Brother to stay in the tent from then on.”
Xue Yao burst into unexpected laughter, unable to save face for the Second Prince!
The Sixth Prince couldn’t contain his laughter either. “Hahaha, hahaha, Old Seventh, don’t bring this up again, hahaha…”
The Second Prince was furious. “I got separated from the group while tracking the prey, and I ran out of arrows. What else was I supposed to do?”
The Seventh Prince turned to explain to Xue Yao, “A bucket of thirty arrows, all used up, not a scratch on the wild boar’s hide. Would you practice running for your life with Second Brother or practice hunting with your grandpa?”
The Second Prince immediately argued, “Today, I’ve caught eight wild rabbits. In terms of archery, I can’t lose to you, can I?”
The Seventh Prince smiled dismissively, turned to lift the cloth covering his horse’s back, glanced at it, and realized he had caught only six wild rabbits in total, two less than Second Brother.
The Seventh Prince immediately covered the cloth and turned back without saying a word.
“Realize you can’t beat Second Brother?” The Second Prince grinned, his fox-like eyes squinting. “If your archery skills aren’t up to par, don’t mislead the younger generation.”
“Is getting chased by a wild boar for five miles a sign of good archery?” The Seventh Prince still refused to let go of Silly Yaoyao.
The Second Prince chuckled. “Don’t accept it? How about a competition?”
“What kind of competition?” Xue Yao’s eyes lit up. “A martial arts competition?”
This was indeed a golden opportunity to prove oneself!
“A martial competition?” The Second Prince laughed. “Isn’t that just picking on Seventh Brother? If someone ends up crying, Big Brother will blame me.”
The Seventh Prince asked him seriously, “Will he blame you for crying too loudly?”
“I mean you’re the one who’s going to cry!”
The Seventh Prince coldly smirked. “You can try.”
So, the two brothers indeed decided to have a martial arts competition.
They even set a wager. The winner could claim two of the other’s catches.
The rules for winning and losing were proposed by the Sixth Prince: the first one to fall flat on their back would be the loser. They couldn’t use weapons, and the match would end with a simple touch.
Xue Yao was uncertain, feeling that the chubby cub might be knocked down in an instant by the Second Prince, with no chance of hitting the abdomen!
After pondering for a while, Xue Yao decided to act as the referee, and caused chaos during the match between the two brothers. He would pretend to protect the chubby cub and block the Second Prince’s attacks with his hands, forcing the Second Prince to use his feet.
In Xue Yao’s plan, as soon as the chubby cub entered the fray, jumped up just two centimeters, and quickly became defenseless, he would step in to protect him. He would restrain the Second Prince’s arms, compelling him to use his feet.
In theory, the chubby cub should not be able to bear watching his old father get beaten up and would step in to interfere. However, in the heat of the moment, punches and kicks could land in unintended places. The chubby cub might accidentally achieve victory!
With this plan in mind, Xue Yao joyfully announced the beginning of the martial arts competition.
However, what unfolded during the competition was quite different from what he had imagined…
The Seventh Prince turned around and ran away, with the Second Prince hot on his heels!
Xue Yao: “……”
Indeed, his chubby cub was still the same as the unimpressive Long Aotian cub.
However, after a quarter of an incense stick’s worth of time had passed, Xue Yao had to admit that this little guy was surprisingly fast!
Despite his baby fat not having receded, he had a surprisingly agile frame. He ran a few steps, then turned around, taunting the Second Prince while effortlessly evading him.
The Second Prince chased him around the forest for several rounds, fanning himself with a folding fan, hands on his hips. “Seventh Brother! What kind of skill is running away? If you don’t dare to fight, just admit defeat. Before I left today, I calculated a divination for you, and it advises you to surrender!”
The Seventh Prince curled up the corners of his lips, suddenly feigning panic, mimicking the panicked look of Second Brother when he was chased by a wild boar that year, “Big Brother! A wild boar is chasing me! It’s huge!”
The Second Prince, furious and embarrassed, sprinted after him!
The Seventh Prince, seeing him lose his composure, immediately licked his lips with excitement. He lowered his eyes, precisely timing Second Brother’s steps, and suddenly kicked a stone he had secretly chosen to aim at…
The Second Prince, filled with anger, chased forward without noticing the rolling stone underfoot. “Aah!”
Losing his balance, the Second Prince tumbled backward!
Just like that, the martial arts competition ended unexpectedly, with the Second Prince on the ground, and Seventh Prince victorious.
The Seventh Prince grinned, turned and sauntered over to Xue Yao, commanding with determination, “Speak.”
Xue Yao reflexively responded, “Your Highness is truly amazing!”
“That doesn’t count!” The Second Prince jumped up like a startled fish, pointing at Seventh Prince’s back and shouted, “We agreed not to use weapons, how could you ambush Big Brother? Let’s start over!”
The Seventh Prince paid no attentio. He pulled Xue Yao towards Second Brother’s horse to pick some rabbits. He even pointed to a little white rabbit too frightened to move and told Yaoyao, “This one looks just like you. Your grandpa wants it.”
“……” Feeling that his imposing image as an old father had been trampled upon, Xue Yao snapped back to reality, realizing that his plan hadn’t been put into action yet. He immediately spoke solemnly, “The Second Prince is right. Your Highness just violated the rules of the competition. Let’s start over!”
The Seventh Prince paused, turning his head to stare at him with an expressionless face.
Xue Yao felt a bit nervous. Would saying this damage the chubby cub’s dignity?
The Seventh Prince let out a slight hum, returned the little white rabbit, and turned to his Second Brother. “Wanna bet on eight rabbits?”
Xue Yao: “……”
Floating away, the fake Long Aotian cub swelled with pride!
The Second Prince naturally accepted the challenge.
This time, Xue Yao declared the start of the martial arts competition. The Seventh Prince didn’t dart around, but instead gracefully maneuvered around the Second Prince, evading his attacks as if waiting for an opening.
Seeing the Second Prince repeatedly failing to touch the chubby cub, Xue Yao grew anxious, with his heart racing.
Fearing that the chubby cub might pull off some surprising move and defeat the Second Prince in an instant, Xue Yao couldn’t wait any longer. He took action in advance, launching a sudden attack and rushing towards the chubby cub!
The specific situation was as follows.
The Second Prince charged at the Seventh Prince from the front, while Xue Yao charged from the flank. Both of them reached their destination simultaneously!
Xue Yao was about to throw himself at the Seventh Prince, but he was pushed aside with a “snap” by the Seventh Prince, who smoothly executed a graceful shoulder throw…
The Second Prince found himself lying on the ground!
Xue Yao, whose plot had backfired: “……”
Did the chubby cub manage to KO both him and the Second Prince simultaneously?
It must be a dream, no doubt.
This wasn’t the fake Long Aotian cub he knew!
Why was the grassy ground so warm?
When Xue Yao looked down, he realized he was pressing down on the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince, probably feeling some pain, smiled with a hint of helplessness, squinting his left eye and said, “You didn’t get hurt, did you, A’Yao?”
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