"I haven't forgotten."
Jun Wuyuan held the reins with one hand and encircled Ling Shan's slender waist. With the other hand, he gently stroked the corner of her eye.
"Don't be angry, Shan Shan. How could I forget? I'll hunt a wild boar for you right away later, okay?"
[What else can I say? My Consort Zhao must be doted on by myself. What else can I do?]
Ling Shan's eyes sparkled. "Your Majesty, you're so kind. Shan Shan likes you the most!"
The slight annoyance in Jun Wuyuan's heart dissipated at this soft voice. He tightened his arm, making the cute little girl lean closer. Then he planted a kiss on her snow - white neck.
"Your Majesty—"
The sudden peck sent a shiver down Ling Shan's spine, and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
"Shan Shan, you smell so good—"
[I don't want to hunt anymore. If only I could set up a tent in the dense forest...]
"Your Majesty!"
Ling Shan's cheeks flushed. She even wished she could take out a hammer and hit him on the head to dispel the dirty thoughts in his mind.
"You really do smell good..."
Jun Wuyuan slowed the reins. The guards behind them had always kept a proper distance, neither too far to be unable to protect the emperor in time nor too close to hear the flirtatious conversation between the emperor and the consort.
Ling Shan wasn't as thick - skinned as he was. Seeing his kisses going lower and lower, she couldn't help but elbow him secretly.
With a muffled groan, Jun Wuyuan stopped his action. His deep laughter was like a feather floating into Ling Shan's ear.
[Hmm, my Shan Shan is really strong. Good. She can help carry the wild boar later. Not bad, not bad (snickering)]
Ling Shan: "..."
She wondered what to say.
The excitement and exhilaration of riding a horse for the first time faded. Ling Shan felt that coming to this place was a mistake.
Carry the wild boar?
Only Jun Wuyuan, this heartless guy, could come up with such an idea.
Ling Shan began to doubt whether hunting wild boars was meant to torture Jun Wuyuan or herself.
Ling Shan sat up straight angrily. Even the back of her head seemed to be saying, "I'm very angry. Someone should come and comfort me."
Jun Wuyuan was just teasing her on purpose. Moreover, he couldn't always indulge in the gentle embrace (although he really wanted to)!
So, Jun Wuyuan softened his tone and hugged her, whispering words of comfort.
"Alright, alright. Shan Shan, don't be angry. I was just joking with you. Come on, hold on to me tightly. I'm going to speed up and hunt that wild boar for you—"
Before he finished speaking, Jun Wuyuan mischievously clamped his legs on the horse's belly. Benxiao immediately let out a neigh and rushed out like an arrow from a bow.
Ling Shan glared at Jun Wuyuan, that scoundrel, but still reached out and hugged his strong waist.
Closing her eyes, she silently cursed that scoundrel in her heart.
The horse's hooves went up and down, and the ups and downs were just like her heartbeat. Ling Shan hadn't slept well last night. As the horse swayed, her head gradually drooped, and she fell asleep.
Feeling the little head on his chest nodding, Jun Wuyuan's heart softened like water.
She was really so cute.
Jun Wuyuan's free hand subconsciously reached up to hold Ling Shan's shoulder and carefully supported her face to make her sleep more comfortably.
The hunting forest was very large and was divided into inner and outer forests. The prey in the outer forest was all gentle and harmless. The most aggressive one was the wild boar.
As for the inner forest, Jun Wuyuan had been there once or twice secretly before. There were countless tigers and flying birds in it, and it was extremely dangerous.
The hunting in the Great Yan Dynasty had always been carried out only in the outer forest. The guards had guarded the hunting ground so tightly that not even a fly could get in.
Therefore, when the roars like tiger howls rang out, Jun Wuyuan was stunned for a moment.
Not to mention the hidden guards and the Feather Forest Guards who had been following at a proper distance since entering the forest. At first, they really thought they were hallucinating.
But soon they reacted, drew their swords, and surrounded them. Dark clouds had gathered above their heads at some unknown time. Mixed with the seemingly close - at - hand tiger roars, it carried a solemn atmosphere as if the dark clouds were pressing on the city and about to crush it.
Jun Wuyuan pulled the reins to stop the horse. His originally gentle peach - blossom eyes suddenly turned cold and fierce.
He had personally arranged the defense of the hunting ground and inspected it himself.
Fierce beasts like tigers lived deep in the dense forest and would never easily appear in the outer forest, let alone attack people for no reason.
The appearance of a fierce beast in an unexpected place was definitely not an accident.
In an instant, more than one tiger leaped out of the forest. Standing on the rocks, they looked down condescendingly. Their amber eyes were menacing and filled with a fierce killing intent, as if they were choosing their prey.
"Your Majesty, you and the empress should leave first. Your subordinates will hold them off!"
Everyone knew that today would be a tough battle. Maybe they would be devoured by the tigers the next moment, and not even their corpses would be intact.
But the Feather Forest Guards and the hidden guards who were loyal to the emperor were not afraid at all. As long as the emperor could be safe, it was okay to sacrifice their lives.
"Scatter!"
Jun Wuyuan could immediately tell that the two tigers in front were ill - intentioned. They were even aiming at his life.
At this moment, the little heartless girl on his chest was still sleeping soundly and didn't know that danger was approaching.
Jun Wuyuan couldn't tell what he was feeling. Most of all, he felt a clear sense of regret.
If he had known earlier, he would never have brought Shan Shan out today.
It seemed that those people really wanted him dead and had gone all out.
His thoughts raced in his mind. As soon as he finished speaking, Jun Wuyuan tightened the reins and urged the horse to rush in a certain direction, followed by two or three hidden guards and Feather Forest Guards.
The tigers were extremely lethal. Standing together would only cost more lives.
Scattering and looking for shelters to shoot cold arrows at the right time was better than close - combat.
Moreover, Jun Wuyuan had a guess in his mind...
Roar—
The violent tiger roars were deafening. Ling Shan was startled awake. Before she opened her eyes in a daze, a thought popped into her mind.
Could she be so unlucky as to meet a tiger?
She couldn't be that unlucky, could she?
Unfortunately, before Ling Shan could comfort herself, thinking it was just a dream, she heard Jun Wuyuan's inner thoughts.
Her heart was pounding with the horse's hooves. As soon as she opened her eyes, she almost shed tears from the jolts.
The tiger roars behind them seemed to shake the mountains, with an all - conquering momentum. It seemed that the tigers could pounce on them and tear them apart at any time.
Ling Shan's body immediately stiffened.
She had just had a dream. How could she wake up to be chased by a tiger?
"Your... Your Majesty..."
Ling Shan's voice trembled slightly.
"Are you awake? Don't be afraid, Shan Shan."
Jun Wuyuan hugged her tightly and comforted her gently. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Rumble—