Siyan County was in the south, where summers were relatively hot and even the night wind carried a sweltering heat. But no matter how hot it was outside, it had nothing to do with the coiled Panlong Mountain that rose majestically into the sky. Within the mountain, a forest breeze stirred on its own, carrying a bone-chilling chill as it wove through the ridges and brushed against the spreading branches and leaves.
Rustle, rustle.
"Hiss—" Song Xingzhi let out a sharp breath, covering his face with a mournful groan. "Damn it, my face. What if this leaves a scar?"
When his words fell, no one responded. Only the sound of wind rustling through the leaves and the chirping of cicadas kept him company in his awkwardness.
Song Xingzhi's mouth twitched, and he turned his head to look to the side.
A tall, handsome man stood holding a candle flame, the dim yellow light flickering on and off, illuminating his sharply chiseled profile. He stood rooted to the spot, brows furrowed tightly, his expression cold and hard.
Under Song Xingzhi's gaze, the man suddenly turned his head, his pitch-black eyes devoid of warmth as they looked at him.
Song Xingzhi dropped his playful expression and turned serious. "Your Highness, the terrain of Panlong Mountain is treacherous, and there are countless wild beasts within. We've searched for so long without finding any leads. Perhaps we should return to rest and regroup, then send more men in. Your safety is of the utmost importance."
This wasn't Song Xingzhi making excuses. Just standing here, wolf howls were hidden within the howling mountain peaks. Wild boars and leopards had appeared frequently along the way. Even now, perched on the branches above his head, an owl with red eyes hooted endlessly.
Though Song Xingzhi was a carefree dandy who usually seemed frivolous and unreliable, he wasn't afraid of hardship. Going into the mountains at night wasn't something he was doing for the first time.
But if he lost an arm or a leg, that was a small matter. If the man before him got bitten, that was a big one.
As the only heir who had just been found by the current emperor, if anything happened to this man, Song Xingzhi's life wouldn't be enough to compensate.
When he'd been assigned this task, Song Xingzhi had already sensed trouble. This prince, who had grown up outside the palace, was clearly a thorny one. Now that he was out here, Song Xingzhi was even more certain.
What kind of proper prince went deep into the mountains for no reason? With so many wolves and leopards around, this man still looked like he wouldn't stop until he'd traversed the entire mountain.
Qi Zheng quietly watched Song Xingzhi. Under the firelight, his expression flickered, making Song Xingzhi feel a bit guilty.
Alright, Song Xingzhi did admittedly want to slack off a little. The mountain was so vast—who knew how long it would take just the few of them to search it? Better to send more people to search directly. After all, that thing was in the mountains and couldn't run away.
He felt that this prince, who had grown up among the common folk, was a bit too earnest. He wasn't yet accustomed to his high position and didn't understand how to use people.
When subordinates could be used, you used them. Otherwise, what were they for?
Qi Zheng didn't speak. He simply raised his hand, and under Song Xingzhi's guilty gaze, a leaf on his fingertip stiffened and shot past the top of Song Xingzhi's head like an arrow.
With two soft hoots, the owl above spread its wings and fled in panic. A moment later, a dark shadow fell.
Startled, Song Xingzhi turned his head to look. A bamboo viper the size of a thumb hung limply on his shoulder, foul-smelling blood dripping from it.
"Ah, mother!" He yelped in fright, leaping up and clinging to a tree trunk nearby, hugging it like a skinny monkey climbing a tree. There was not a trace of the capital's carefree dandy about him.
The guards beside him turned their heads away, trying not to let their smiles show too clearly.
The prince was the person they were meant to protect, but Song Xingzhi wasn't someone they could afford to offend either.
Still, their turned heads already said everything. Song Xingzhi's face stiffened. He closed his eyes deeply, took a moment to compose himself, and jumped down from the tree trunk, pretending nothing had happened.
"Ahem, I didn't expect Your Highness to be so skilled in martial arts. Xingzhi was blind not to see it…"
Before he could finish, Qi Zheng's expression suddenly changed, and he cut him off.
"Shut up."
Song Xingzhi froze, confused. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, a tiger's roar came from the distance.
A single roar echoed through the valley.
What was terrifying was that after the first roar, another tiger's roar followed.
Some near, some far. Birds in the branches took flight in alarm, and beasts in the forest scattered in panic.
The tiger's reputation as king of the forest was not undeserved.
It could dive into rivers and climb trees.
Qi Zheng extinguished the torch in his hand with a cold, stern expression. "Put out the fire. Climb the trees."
Song Xingzhi said, "The sound sounds far away. We shouldn't be that unlucky."
Qi Zheng barked, "Now!"
Song Xingzhi didn't dare say more. The other guards were even more vigilant and protective of their lives. The group quickly scrambled up a massive tree nearby.
Qi Zheng dismissed the suggestion that he climb first. Only after they had all climbed to a certain height did he ascend the tree as gracefully as if he were walking on flat ground, landing on a branch beside Song Xingzhi. He held a short sword in his hand, his expression cold and grim.
The howling around them gradually faded. Song Xingzhi swallowed hard. "Sh-should be fine now, right?"
Qi Zheng shook his head. His expression grew colder and heavier, the killing intent in his eyes mounting as he said in a low voice:
"They're coming for us."
Song Xingzhi shivered. "N-no way."
Qi Zheng only said, "Quiet."
It was as if a mute button had been pressed over the mountain. The chirping of insects vanished, the calls of birds dissipated, and even the wild beasts seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Not a sound remained.
Qi Zheng's pitch-black eyes stared into the distance, his heart growing heavy.
Closer.
Closer still.
If he were alone, he could simply leave. At worst, he could deal with them slowly. But there were so many people behind him, and they had all come into the mountain because of him.
Qi Zheng couldn't possibly abandon them.
As for a fierce tiger, even with deep internal energy, it's not easy to deal with—after all, no matter how profound one's internal energy, one is still a mortal of flesh and blood. A single swipe of that tiger's claw, and if you're not careful, it's a broken arm or leg.
What's more, the night was deep, and there wasn't just one tiger in these mountains—it was a whole pride. Tigers are mostly solitary creatures with extremely strong territorial instincts, but occasionally, kin will stick close together, and this mountain range was clearly such a case.
Qi Zheng gripped the short blade in his hand, listening to the increasingly distinct sound of the tiger's approach, the killing intent in his eyes growing sharper.
Suddenly, a roar sounded again, rattling everyone's ears. It seemed the tiger was fighting something, its snarling making the very ground tremble.
Time stretched on, yet also seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
The surroundings quieted down.
A quarter of an hour.
Half an hour.
A full hour passed, and Song Xingzhi didn't dare let out a single breath.
Against men, he could still use his silver tongue to negotiate and scheme, but against a tiger, no matter how eloquent he was, it would only take one claw. At this moment, he was so tense his legs had gone weak.
"You all wait here."
Beside him, Qi Zheng's expression turned serious. Without waiting for them to speak, he lightly descended from the tree and followed the tracks to a spot about a li away.
The grass here was churned up, clearly having been heavily pressed down. Looking closer—
Qi Zheng frowned, following the trail of blood to a certain spot. He lowered his gaze to the grey-skinned animal torn to shreds, his expression unreadable.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Song Xingzhi and the others hurriedly followed. Having Qi Zheng cover their retreat was already a grave disrespect, and letting him scout ahead alone—just the thought made their necks feel cold. They immediately rushed over.
"A wild wolf? No, this… this should be a wolfdog." Song Xingzhi's expression shifted slightly. He stepped closer immediately, not minding the blood and gore dripping from the wolfdog, and examined it with his hands, even turning out its stomach. He said with certainty, "It was raised by humans."
And in mountains like these, what kind of person would raise such a vicious hound?
The answer was obvious.
Qi Zheng crouched down, pinching the fine silver powder clinging to the dog's fur, and flipped out a silver ore the size of a fingernail. He turned his gaze toward the depths of the forest, his voice low and heavy: "Continue scouting."
This time, even Song Xingzhi had no objections.
If they were just stumbling around blindly, that was one thing, but with the clue right before their eyes, they had to see it through.
Song Xingzhi: "Your Highness's person is too valuable. Let your subject take the lead."
Qi Zheng's gaze flicked over his slightly trembling legs. Without a word, he strode forward boldly, leaving the others behind in no time.
Song Xingzhi: …
**
Watching the group regroup and continue advancing into the mountains.
Song Jin sat perched on a branch in the distance, using a crude telescope to watch them quickly disappear into the forest. At their current speed and direction, they'd reach the place in about two more days.
As for whether they could handle the people there—
She put away the telescope, squinting, recalling the aura of the man she'd just seen. This man's internal energy was profound; he should have no problem. If that was the case, the rest had nothing to do with her.
Song Jin curled her lips, jumped down from the tree, and landed on her tiger daughter, who was rolling around with a thunderous rumble. She pinched its ears.
"Huanghuang, good job. Raising you wasn't a waste after all."
The ambush, the acting, the fake fight—all done in one smooth flow. Huanghuang was a born actress of a tiger. Getting her to act was far easier than teaching her to hunt back then.
Huanghuang coquettishly mewed: "Mew~"
She hadn't slept all night, yet she was still full of energy. If Song Jin hadn't stopped her from getting close, she would have gone ahead and led the group herself.
"Good girl."
Song Jin squatted down on the ground, leaning her back against the tree, sitting there to play with her tiger daughter.
The branches here were sparse, and the bright moonlight poured down, draping over the golden Huanghuang like a layer of silver frost. Huanghuang turned and snapped at the moonlight twice, catching nothing. She then got up and chased after the moonbeams, darting back and forth, agile and swift, just like a kitten pouncing at butterflies.
Song Jin curved her brows, hands resting behind her head, gazing at the stars and moon above, savoring this leisurely moment.
Compared to her previous life, this was what living truly meant—unhurried, unbothered.
Hmm?
Unhurried?
Song Jin shot to her feet in a flash, then scrambled up to the treetop. Looking up at the moon that had already drifted toward the west, the smile on her face instantly froze.
From her home to this place, even flying, it would take two hours. Two hours there, two hours back, plus another hour or two of delays in between—
She closed her eyes in agony, then dropped back to the ground in a whoosh, frantically activating her lightfoot technique to fly off. Before leaving, she didn't forget to point at the dog carcass in the distance and instruct her tiger daughter.
"Huanghuang, don't run around, and don't go looking for those people, got it?"
With that, she stepped off the branches and flew away.
Leaving Huanghuang, who had been rolling around, to shake her head and stand up. She blinked her round eyes, looking dazedly at her mistress's retreating figure, then at the dog carcass she'd pointed at, then tilting her head toward the place she'd worked today.
Her eyes lit up. She let out a sweet "mew" and ran off in the opposite direction.
"Roar~"