Chapter 453: Falling from a Horse is a Common Affair

Duan Rong hid sideways in the dark shadow of the stable, looking toward a clean and tidy horse shed not far away.

The horses in that shed were all brushed to a bright, glossy coat, with stirrups and bridles neatly arranged. At this moment, two grooms were leaning against wooden posts under a dim lantern, arms folded, dozing off.

Duan Rong flicked his sleeve, and a puff of powder was pushed over by the force of his palm.

Those two grooms only felt a gust of wind pass by and felt a bit chilly, so they shrank their necks; the next moment, their bodies suddenly went limp, and they collapsed to the ground in a faint.

The instant they fell, Duan Rong's figure appeared like a ghost, dragging the two of them into the shadows nearby, and then he stood in the shadows, staring intently at the second horse to the east.

In fact, under the sweep of his Divine Sense, Duan Rong had already seen that horse clearly; not only was the position correct, but the horse's features were exactly the same as what Zhu Peng had described—it was precisely Li Shensi's horse for tomorrow's Autumn Hunt ceremony.

Duan Rong's body lunged, and he was already standing not far behind the horse. With a flip of his hand, he held a piece of black cloth. His figure flickered, and he flashed past the front of the horse's head; the black cloth in his hand had already covered the horse's eyes.

He was afraid that if his upcoming operation accidentally startled the horse, it would be counterproductive.

After the black cloth covered the horse's eyes, Duan Rong stood to one side of the horse, and his Divine Sense instantly gathered on the stirrup at the horse's flank.

That stirrup was polished and shiny, and the surface was even engraved with patterns to prevent slipping.

Duan Rong pinched the knuckle of his index finger with his thumb, and at the tip of his index finger, Qi flickered slightly.

With Duan Rong's Mental Power and his cultivation realm, his control over Qi had already reached an extremely exquisite and subtle level.

At this moment, the Qi flickering from his fingertip was merely a wisp, like the awn of a wheat stalk.

Duan Rong used this slender Qi to tap at the connection points on both sides of the stirrup, tapping the connection until it was riddled with holes; it could not be seen on the surface, but in reality, the inside was full of tiny, dense holes.

After Duan Rong finished all this, he suddenly snatched away the black cloth covering the horse's eyes, his figure flashed, and he darted out of the horse shed.

The moment he darted out of the shed, he flicked his sleeve, and a puff of Medicine Powder was scattered in the dark corner where the two unconscious grooms were.

Duan Rong's figure had already disappeared into the pitch-black night, and the two grooms crawled up from the shadows. The two looked at each other, a flash of confusion in their eyes.

"How did you fall asleep?"

"Don't talk about me; didn't you fall asleep too?" The two crawled out of the shadows almost at the same time.

"Sigh! It's all from being tired out these past two days tidying up these horses for the Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven..."

The two sighed randomly for a bit, then counted and checked the horses again. Finding nothing wrong, they continued to fold their arms and doze off under the lantern.

The next day was the day of the Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven.

Of these three days of sacrifice, the rituals of the first day were the most grand.

Last night, while it was still the middle of the night, there were already vast crowds of people heading out toward Wuji Mountain, arriving early around the Heavenly Altar to grab a good spot to watch the ceremony.

Especially the poor families, who went even earlier. The spots they stood in could not only be sold, but if they snatched any sacrificial prey, that could also be sold to others.

The civil and military officials gathered at the South City gate at the third quarter of the Mao hour. Following the grand honor guard and the sound of horns, the dense crowd moved along the Official Road toward Wuji Mountain.

Behind the honor guard, leading the hundred officials were Prefecture Master Wang Maochun and the five high-ranking officials of the One Command Four Ministers; they rode on tall horses, dressed in neat official robes.

It was no wonder Zhu Zhengfu was unwilling to participate in the hunting ceremony; wearing official robes and having to draw a bow to hunt was truly somewhat inconvenient.

The honor guard did not walk fast; the times were all calculated. They had to arrive at the foot of Wuji Mountain at the auspicious hour, first sacrifice to the mountain, then enter the mountain to hunt, and afterward use the prey to sacrifice to Heaven.

Every step of the timing and ritual had ready-made procedures.

The several high-ranking officials rode their large horses, swaying as they walked.

Prefecture Master Wang Maochun looked at Li Shensi and Jiang Zhuoyun and smiled: "Lord Li, Lord Jiang, this is your first time participating in this Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven Grand Ceremony. Lord Jiang goes without saying; as the Grand Protector and head of the military generals, you will certainly participate in the hunting ritual. I just don't know if Lord Li has any interest in this art of archery and hunting?"

Li Shensi laughed upon hearing this and said: "I won't hide it from you, Prefecture Master Wang, my ancestors were hunters by trade. Today when I left the house, I even prayed for the ancestor-master to possess me, so I could shoot a few more good pieces of prey!"

Li Shensi's words made the others all laugh.

Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Chen Shanmeng said: "The so-called Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics—the Six Arts. Archery is also one of the Six Arts, and it is an elegant pursuit."

Wang Maochun smiled: "Lord Chen, your words are very true. It's just that I fear the hunting grounds will be very lively this year. In past years, you, Lord Chen, have always taken the top spot among the civil officials. I see that with Lord Li here this year, I fear you will have to yield the position."

Chen Shanmeng said: "On the hunting grounds, there is no room for sentiment; the capable shall hold the position."

Li Shensi said: "Lord Chen has great spirit! That is how it should be!"

When the vast honor guard reached the foot of Wuji Mountain, the sky was already bright. One could see that the trees on Wuji Mountain were already dotted with sparse black spots; those were the commoners who had come early to climb the mountain. Some were at the mountainside, and some were already about to reach the summit.

When the honor guard reached the foot of Wuji Mountain, the sacrificial ceremony to the mountain began with the sound of distant, sonorous horns.

Three sacrificial animals were offered to worship the Mountain God!

The hundred officials knelt and kowtowed to request the opening of the mountain!

Following the end of the cumbersome rituals, nearly an hour had passed, and only then did the crowd head up the mountain along the winding mountain road.

This Wuji Mountain was a cliff on one side and surrounded on three sides, so the mountain terrain was gentlest on the south side. A large area from the mountainside on the south to the summit was enclosed as the dedicated hunting ground for the sacrifice to Heaven.

The honor guard split into two groups at a platform on the mountainside. A few people remained as the honor guard for the Autumn Hunt ceremony, while the majority of the honor guard continued upward toward the Heavenly Altar at the summit to prepare for the Sacrifice to Heaven Grand Ceremony.

The officials participating in the Autumn Hunt ceremony also stopped here, holding bows and carrying Arrows, preparing to enter the hunting grounds.

Among the crowd of officials, Li Shensi's eyes were as bright as stars; he was truly somewhat excited to hunt in the sacrificial hunting grounds.

After all, this could be considered the highest-level hunting ground in Qingzhou.

The sound of horns rang out, and the thick wooden gate of the hunting ground was moved aside by the soldiers!

Great drums beat to boost morale!

After three blasts of the horn, the sound of horses neighing rose, and the officials and soldiers at the entrance surged into the hunting grounds like a tide!

Chen Shanmeng was familiar with the path and immediately headed toward the edge of the dense forest. Sure enough, he saw the shadow of a deer appearing and disappearing at the edge of the woods. Chen Shanmeng suddenly stood steadily on the horse, feet pressing on the stirrups.

His body rose and fell with the horse's running, yet he stood straight and tall, as steady as Mount Tai.

"Whoosh!"

Following the sound of an arrow piercing the air, the arrow entered the forest, though it was unknown if it had hit anything.

Several accompanying soldiers had already rushed into the forest leading hunting dogs, and before long, they came out carrying a large deer.

"It hit!"

"Lord is mighty! It is an adult male elk!"

Following the cheers of the soldiers, the crowd that had not yet dispersed all turned their heads to look toward this spot.

Li Shensi praised: "Good archery! Good eye!"

Li Shensi had hunted since he was a child, so he naturally knew the weight of this Arrow from Chen Shanmeng. Chen Shanmeng had not seen it with his eyes; he had judged the trajectory of that elk based on the deer's shadow that appeared and disappeared, which was why he was able to hit it with one Arrow!

No wonder, this Chen Shanmeng was the top civil official every year; he was truly formidable!

One must know that they were not allowed to use internal energy while hunting in the hunting grounds this time, so the speed of the Arrow was not fast.

Moreover, this kind of wooden-shafted, iron-headed Arrow could not withstand the infusion of True Qi at all.

Hearing Li Shensi's praise, Chen Shanmeng cupped his hands and replied, "Luck! Luck! I just happened to see a deer as soon as I came in."

Seeing that Chen Shanmeng had gained the first advantage, Li Shensi's competitive spirit immediately flared up, and he immediately whipped his horse and headed into the forest, with a pair of soldiers following him as they dashed into the woods.

Li Shensi was, after all, someone who had hunted since childhood; in the forest, it was as if he had a sense of smell, and he could judge the general direction of the prey just by looking at the droppings and the environment.

In just over an hour, he had already shot four or five large catches in a row; it could be said that the harvest was quite abundant.

A soldier leading a yellow dog laughed, "My Lord, with our haul, it is more than enough to suppress Lord Chen Shanmeng. It seems that this year's top civil official will undoubtedly be you, My Lord!"

Li Shensi sat on his horse and laughed, "Kid! Open your eyes! Your father is the ancestor of hunting! Since I have come, I am the number one in the hunting grounds! What top civil official! I don't care for that!"

"Yes, yes, yes! My Lord is mighty!"

As this hunting party walked away, beside an Arrow head stained with blood, a figure suddenly jumped down from the tree canopy; he looked at the hunting party appearing and disappearing in the forest, his eyes flickering.

This person was Duan Rong, who had arrived last night and slept in that tree canopy.

Duan Rong's figure flashed, and he was already shuttling through the tree canopy in the forest, while at the same time, his Divine Sense was completely released, shrouding the surroundings entirely...

In the blink of an eye, another hour passed; looking at the position of the sun, it was about to reach the Wei hour. And at the third quarter of the Shen hour, the Sacrifice to Heaven ceremony at the Heavenly Altar would begin.

By calculation, there was only one hour left for the Autumn Hunt ceremony.

Li Shensi had already bagged more than ten large catches, and the number of small prey was countless, but he felt it was still not enough.

Just at this moment, Li Shensi suddenly stared at a pile of fresh droppings on the ground not far away, his eyes brightening. "It's a rhinoceros, there is a rhinoceros nearby!"

"Quick!" Li Shensi shouted. "Release the yellow dog for me."

After the soldier let the yellow dog sniff the droppings and was just about to let it go, suddenly, a gray shadow darted past not far away in the forest.

Li Shensi's heart grew hot. "There! Block it for me!"

He whipped his horse and charged over, and those soldiers also began to ride their horses to surround it.

Very quickly, that rhinoceros had been driven by the soldiers to charge toward Li Shensi's side.

Seeing the rhinoceros charge out of the dense forest and rush diagonally toward him, Li Shensi gave a contemptuous smile, suddenly stood up on his horse, bent his bow like a full moon, and the Arrow moved along with the running rhinoceros.

He was very certain that he could hit the rhinoceros's neck vital point with one Arrow, and shoot the next Arrow at its belly! This rhinoceros would not be able to run far before it had to collapse!

Just as the Arrow in Li Shensi's hand was about to be released, what his ears heard was not the "whoosh" of the Arrow piercing the air, but a slight "pop," a crisp snapping sound.

His right foot actually stepped into empty air, his body suddenly tilted, and the Arrow was shot out at almost the same time!

But this Arrow was definitely unable to hit the rhinoceros!

Just at this moment, Duan Rong, who was hiding in the distance, had a startled look in his eyes; this was the opportunity he had been waiting for, and suddenly he leaped continuously, as fast as a ghost, and at a suitable position, he activated his intent, and a semi-finished Soul Piercing Needle shot toward Li Shensi.

Duan Rong had not refined this Soul Piercing Needle into a finished product, because he did not want to shoot Li Shensi until his Divine Soul shattered and he died on the spot at this time.

Here, he could not destroy the body and erase the traces; a powerhouse who had practiced the Womb Treasury Sutra would know upon checking Li Shensi's Divine Soul that he had been hit by a Soul Piercing Needle and died with a shattered Divine Soul!

Therefore, he was not going to kill Li Shensi here! Here, it was just a prelude, just like the foreshadowing of a story.

Every event that makes people believe it to be true must have a complete cause and effect.

If one wants to guide the direction of public opinion in the public sphere, the cause and effect are very important.

Only when equipped with a complete story chain will people believe it without doubt.

Therefore, this prelude is necessary and must not be missing.

That semi-finished Soul Piercing Needle, at the moment Li Shensi's Arrow was released, passed straight through his glabella like an invisible object!

The needle of the Divine Soul was silent and soundless, invisible to the naked eye!

Seeing his body tilt and the Arrow shoot off-target, Li Shensi was immediately annoyed, secretly cursing what kind of inferior stirrups the Privy Council had provided; this was delaying him from taking the number one spot in the hunting grounds!

Li Shensi was, after all, a Martial Artist of the True Qi Realm Fourth Layer; he was just preparing to steady his body and nock another Arrow to shoot!

Just at this moment, a sharp pain suddenly came from his skull, as if someone had thrown a red-hot iron nail into his brain.

Li Shensi let out a miserable cry, fell off his horse, and passed out.

Li Shensi's miserable cry startled those soldiers, and the crowd immediately surrounded him, only to see Li Shensi lying on the ground with a face as pale as paper and weak breathing.

The Deputy among the soldiers, upon seeing Li Shensi in this state, was immediately shocked!

If Li Shensi had an accident here, or even died, all of them who accompanied him would be implicated!

"Quick! Go find Lord Chen, Lord Ge, and Lord Jiang! Say that Lord Li Shensi has had an accident!" the Deputy shouted with an anxious expression.

Hearing this, those soldiers immediately understood and then mounted their horses, galloping in all directions.

Among the Prefecture Master and the One Command Four Ministers, the Prefecture Master Wang Maochun and the Grand Master of Palace Revenues Zhu Zhengfu were not participating in the Autumn Hunt ceremony and had already headed to the Heavenly Altar.

Those in the hunting grounds were the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Chen Shanmeng, the Advisory Grand Master Ge Hengtai, and the Grand Protector Jiang Zhuoyun who had just taken office this year.

However, before long, several horses galloped over, and upon seeing the hunting party here, three figures suddenly flew off their horses and landed not far from Li Shensi.

At this time, Li Shensi had already woken up, but his complexion was very pale, and his lips and hands were trembling...

Chen Shanmeng grabbed Li Shensi's hand and looked at him, asking, "Lord Li, what happened to you?"

Li Shensi's lips trembled, and he was unable to speak for a moment.

Ge Hengtai's eyes narrowed, and he glared at the Deputy who was supporting Li Shensi to the side, asking, "You speak! What happened?"

"Just now, when Lord Li was shooting a rhinoceros, the stirrup suddenly broke! Lord Li... he fell from his horse..."

"Fell from his horse?!" Chen Shanmeng and Ge Hengtai were both astonished upon hearing this.

Li Shensi was, after all, a Martial Artist of the True Qi Realm Fourth Layer; even if the stirrup broke, he shouldn't have fallen from his horse. And even if he had fallen, he shouldn't be in this half-dead state!

Chen Shanmeng was, after all, from a background in criminal law and was very attentive to the details of solving cases; he immediately walked over and examined the broken part of the stirrup.

Chen Shanmeng's eyes jumped. He saw that there were many small holes at the break of the stirrup, which was clearly extremely abnormal!

Chen Shanmeng directly took off the stirrup and held it in his hand, then turned his head to look at Li Shensi and asked, "Lord Li, the Sacrifice to Heaven ceremony is in an hour; can you still hold on? If not, I will send someone to take you back to the city to recuperate!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shensi waved his hand and stammered, "I... can... rest... that will be enough..."

Chen Shanmeng understood what Li Shensi meant; after all, he had only been in office for two months, and this was such an important grand ceremony, not to mention that the ceremony's procedures included his etiquette, so how could he be absent?

"Very well, Lord Li, then you rest here for a while. In one hour, we shall go up to the Heavenly Altar together."

Upon hearing this, Li Shensi nodded.

Chen Shanmeng, however, looked at the stirrup in his hand with a profound gaze once again.

(End of this chapter)