Chapter 282

Having spoken, everyone present began to act, sending their own servants to lead out horses. After all, these people were all from prominent families; whose household would lack a fine horse?

Not long after, the servants of each family led their horses over one by one. Looking around, the scene was exceptionally lively, with horses of all colors dazzling the eye.

Among them were not only snow-white white horses and glossy black horses, but also chestnut-colored steeds. Yet the most eye-catching was undoubtedly Qianqian's little red horse.

It was agile in posture, its coat bright as blood, like a burning flame, standing out brilliantly among the many horses.

Once everyone had mounted their respective steeds, Eunuch Sun's loud and clear command rang out: "This competition officially begins now!"

At this order, like a thunderclap splitting the sky, it instantly ignited the tense atmosphere on the scene. Some reacted swiftly, like arrows leaving the bow, and without hesitation spurred their horses into a gallop upon hearing the command;

others, because the road ahead was too crowded, wisely chose to wait a moment, lest they fall into the chaotic crowd; while Qianqian and Yan Wang were clearly unwilling to compete with others for the crowded road, setting off leisurely at an unhurried pace.

When all the participants had set out on their journey, those left behind were not idle.

Some sat together, savoring delicious dishes and drinking heartily; others gathered in small groups, enthusiastically engaging in heated discussion. And from time to time, someone would cast curious glances toward the direction of An Wang Fu, seeming full of concern for the situation there.

At the same time, at the other end of the racecourse, Qianqian, Yan Wang, and Ai Jiao set off together. However, not long after leaving the starting point, they decided to go their separate ways, each heading in a different direction.

Qianqian rode her beloved little red horse southward, galloping with heroic bearing; Yan Wang galloped northward, his figure growing ever more distant; while Ai Jiao chose the east as her route. Worth mentioning is that the horse Ai Jiao rode was a small brown horse named Xiaohui.

Although Xiaohui was relatively small in stature, its steps were steady and strong, its speed in no way inferior to other horses. At this moment Ai Jiao shouted confidently: "I must win first place this time! You all cheer on too!"

Hearing his voice, Qianqian's stubborn and unwilling-to-lose nature was instantly ignited; she raised her willow brows and widened her apricot eyes, retorting without yielding: "Hmph! When was I ever not the better one in past contests? This time's first place must also be mine!"

The words had not yet fallen when both urged their mounts on, galloping away like arrows leaving the bow, beginning this fierce hunting journey.

Yan Wang without hesitation galloped toward his chosen direction, leaving behind rolling dust. At the same time, Qianqian rode her beloved little red horse, trotting forward all the way.

Not far gone, a plump wild hare suddenly appeared ahead. It was leisurely nibbling grass, completely unaware of the danger approaching.

Seeing this, Qianqian was overjoyed, quickly took out her bow and arrow from behind, aimed at the target, and drew the bowstring hard; only a "swish" was heard as the sharp arrow flew out like lightning.

In the blink of an eye, the arrow struck the hare accurately; the poor little creature didn't even have time to struggle before falling stiffly to the ground.

Qianqian dismounted skillfully, quickly walked to the hare's side, bent down and picked it up. Then she untied a thin rope from her waist and firmly tied the hare to the horse's back.

Looking at her first spoils of war, Qianqian nodded in satisfaction, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, revealing a confident smile. Immediately, she leapt onto the little red horse in one motion, tightened the reins, and prepared to continue deeper into the forest to find more prey.

Perhaps the heavens favored Qianqian especially today; not long after, she actually discovered a flock of pheasants foraging. A full five of them! They gathered together, chirping incessantly.

Qianqian thought to herself that if she shot an arrow rashly, the other four would surely scatter in fright upon being startled. Thinking this, she had a sudden inspiration and decided to shoot three arrows at once.

No sooner said than done, Qianqian held three feathered arrows in her right hand, nocked them on the bowstring, took a deep breath, and then exerted force suddenly. In an instant, three cold glints split the sky, carrying sharp whistling sounds as they shot toward the flock of pheasants.

Only two dull thuds were heard; two unlucky pheasants were hit on the spot, flapping their wings as they fell to the ground. However, the third arrow, lacking sufficient force, finally struck the grass to one side.

Just as the other three pheasants heard the sound, they were like frightened birds, scrambling to run and fly away desperately. That speed was faster than the wind; in no time they vanished without a trace. Seeing this, Qianqian couldn't help but feel some regret, after all she had only successfully hit two pheasants.

Despite this, Qianqian quickly dismounted and skillfully tied the two pheasants to the horse's back with rope. Then she turned and continued forward, calculating in her mind to hunt more prey to take back.

However, after Qianqian had walked a further distance and was preparing to find more prey, suddenly a heart-rending cry came from ahead.

This sudden cry instantly alerted Qianqian; she dismounted without hesitation and signaled Xiao Hong to stay in place and quietly eat grass. Then, she moved lightly and carefully toward the direction of the sound.

Fortunately, the terrain ahead was either tall dense trees or lush grass, providing excellent cover for Qianqian.

She crouched down, moving forward slowly like a nimble cat. Because she acted extremely cautiously, she actually made not a sound, so that no one noticed her approaching.

Finally, Qianqian slowly approached the scene. At this time, she clearly heard a little boy crying out with a sobbing voice: "Eldest Brother, get up quickly! You're so capable, you'll surely be fine!"

At the same time, not far from them stood a black-clothed person, who also seemed to have suffered no light injury. He clutched his chest tightly and crawled up from the ground with difficulty.

The man lying on the ground, enduring the pain, comforted: "Chen Chen, don't cry, Eldest Brother is fine..."

Though he said so, when he tried to stand, due to his severe injuries, he fell heavily to the ground again as soon as he rose. Just then, the black-clothed person had already stood upright, holding a long sword, and step by step approached the two brothers.