Shen Xi’s gaze fell on the hare at her feet, her expression calm and impassive as she glanced briefly at Yun Zhao. Her voice gave nothing away: “I won’t take it—you have it.”
Yun Zhao’s steps paused, and he finally turned his head slightly.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves cast dappled shadows across his stern profile. His brow arched slightly, as if he had heard something inappropriate. His fingertips still held the arrow, its silver-patterned fletching gleaming coldly in the light: “Are you instructing me on what to do?”
“Your Highness—how could I dare?”
Shen Xi smoothed the folds of her sleeves, and when she looked back at Yun Zhao, a perfectly measured smile played at her lips—neither flattering nor timid. “Your Highness’s archery is unparalleled. I venture to propose a contest: let us see who can hunt more game. Would Your Highness condescend to teach me?”
Yun Zhao’s fingers paused on the arrow, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment before he spoke. His voice was cooler than morning dew in the woods: “I fear beating you would be no fun at all.”
“Perhaps Your Highness is afraid to accept?”
“Using reverse psychology?” Yun Zhao’s gaze swept over her.
He turned and walked deeper into the forest, the hem of his dark robes brushing through the undergrowth, leaving a cold, sharp silhouette in his wake. Just as Shen Xi thought he would not respond, his crisp voice drifted back, carrying unyielding certainty.
“We settle this in one hour.”
Watching his retreating figure, Shen Xi’s smile spread from her lips to her eyes as she called out loudly: “A prince’s word is as good as gold. The loser must grant the winner one condition.”
Before her words faded, she had already turned to retrieve her quiver, moving swiftly toward the dense woods to the west. The tip of her bow brushed against low branches with a soft rustle, and her form soon merged with the shadows of the trees.
Yun Zhao’s steps paused behind a tree up ahead, but he did not turn back. With a flash of dark fabric, he vanished into the deeper forest.
Only Yuan Zhilan remained, still clutching the bow she had dropped in fright and picked up again. She looked toward where Shen Xi had disappeared, then at the path Yun Zhao had taken, opening her mouth to speak only to find both were already gone.
Wind swirled fallen leaves around her feet, and the forest was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat.
After a long pause, Yuan Zhilan finally stamped her foot in frustration: “Hey! You two… did you forget about me completely?!”
Her shout echoed through the woods, drawing only the flutter of startled birds in response. Looking at the forgotten hare on the ground and the empty space around her, she planted her hands on her hips in a huff—those two had actually left her behind!
She fumed for a moment, but when no one answered and she looked at the thick woods surrounding her, a flicker of panic crept into her heart. She had been so focused on following Shen Xi that she had paid no attention to the path; now alone, the forest felt eerie and menacing.
The morning mist had not yet cleared when Shen Xi followed a deer’s tracks to an open clearing.
Her toes touched a bluestone as she spun gracefully through the air, the silver ornaments in her hair chiming as she drew her bow: “This stag is mine.”
Even as she spoke, the arrow flew like a shooting star—but the white deer seemed almost spiritual, twisting aside at the last moment so the arrow grazed its ear and buried itself in the earth.
From behind a tree came the muffled twang of a bowstring, more subdued than Shen Xi’s. Yun Zhao’s dark form was almost indistinguishable from the shadows; he did not even glance up as he released his arrow.
The sharp whistle of his arrow collided with Shen Xi’s second shot mid-air, and both fell to the ground together.
“Is Your Highness so afraid I’ll win that you’re rushing to stop me?”
Shen Xi landed in a smooth spin, a playful glint in her eyes as she nocked another arrow.
She darted forward a dozen paces, releasing another arrow at the hesitant stag—this one flew faster still, cutting through the mist.
Yun Zhao remained unflappable, his sleeves billowing in the wind to reveal wrists as rigid as iron. Without even looking at the trajectory of her arrow, he judged its path by sound alone and lightly released his own bowstring.
This arrow was faster than the last, carrying an unyielding force that struck the tip of Shen Xi’s arrow head-on.
A sharp clink rang out as both arrows veered off course—one scraping the deer’s back to lodge in a crevice between stones, the other sinking into a pile of rotting leaves.
“Hey!” Shen Xi stamped her foot in exasperation as she lowered her bow, her skirt rustling through the grass. “If you keep stopping me, I’ll start putting pebbles in your quiver!”
“Your aim is three parts off.”
“Three parts off?” Shen Xi burst out laughing, rushing forward to try to snatch his bow. “Then show me—what counts as ‘not off’?”
Even her father and brother had praised her archery, yet he dared say her aim was lacking!
“Watch carefully.” His voice was flat, but his movements were astonishingly fast.
Shen Xi caught only a flash of cold light as the arrow pierced through the branches, striking precisely through the split of a wild fruit. The flesh burst open even as the fletching trembled gently on the branch; a sparrow fluttered up in alarm, but not a single feather was harmed.
“This is what I mean by ‘three parts aim, three parts restraint,’” Yun Zhao said as he retrieved his bow, casually brushing his fingertips over the patterns on the string. “Your arrows are too hasty—you leave no room for adjustment.”
She stared in awe at that stunning shot. She had not expected his archery to be so fast, precise, and controlled—even better than her brother’s or father’s.
After a moment, she blinked and suddenly slapped her thigh: “Incredible shot.”
Yun Zhao showed no sign of being impressed.
But Shen Xi’s eyes sparkled with mischief. While he was looking down to adjust his bowstring, she suddenly lifted her bow and turned, releasing an arrow like lightning toward the bushes diagonally ahead.
A soft thump sounded as the arrow embedded itself firmly in the trunk of a hazel tree, its fletching humming with vibration. She turned back with a smile: “Your Highness—tell me, does this shot show I’ve grasped the idea of ‘restraint’?”
Following the arrow’s path, they saw a wild fox with its ear pierced, cowering behind the roots of the tree, trembling but unharmed.
The arrow had clearly been aimed at the fox’s head, yet at the last moment had veered half an inch—enough to stop it from fleeing without taking its life.
“Clever trick.”
Soon enough, the two were competing once more through the woods…
On the other side of the forest, Yunxiao and Yun Zilan walked ahead carrying their game, while Yuan Jingxian followed carefully behind, lifting her skirt to pick her way over the ground.
Suddenly her foot caught on a dead vine. She cried out, stumbling forward to fall to the ground, her elbow striking a tree root hard. She gasped in pain, her eyes instantly reddening with tears.
“Miss Yuan!” Yunxiao turned back immediately, striding over to kneel beside her. He reached out to help her up, then saw blood seeping from her elbow and his brow furrowed with concern. “You’re bleeding—I have healing salve here. Let me apply it.”
Yuan Jingxian looked up in delight—her feigned distress had not been in vain.
Yunxiao pulled a small porcelain jar from his robes, pouring some green ointment into his palm to warm it before applying it to her wound. Then he held out his hand: “Let me help you up.”
Yuan Jingxian lowered her eyes, hiding the calculation in her gaze to leave only timidity and gratitude. She placed her hand lightly in his; when her fingertips touched the calluses on his palm, she trembled slightly, like a startled bird.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Her voice was soft and sweet. As he pulled her to her feet, she “stumbled” again, leaning slightly against him. Just as her nose was about to brush his robes, Yunxiao stepped back half a pace imperceptibly, keeping a steady hold on her arm instead.
“Take it slow,” Yunxiao said gently, his eyes on her bandaged elbow. “This salve is strong—you’ll stop feeling pain in half an hour.”
Seeing this, Yun Zilan teased: “Your Highness is always so patient with young ladies, yet all we brothers get are glares.”
Yunxiao was about to speak when Yun Zilan suddenly straightened up, squinting toward the dense woods to the side: “What’s going on over there?”