Song Yihuan was awakened by a tantalizing aroma of roasted meat.
Since she had fallen off the cliff the previous day, she hadn't eaten for a long time. The smell made her stomach growl, rousing her from sleep due to hunger.
Opening her eyes, she saw the damp cliff wall and the vines climbing on it. Memories of the previous night flooded back, and she instantly woke up. Propping herself up, she found that she was lying on a thick layer of leaves, covered with a man's robe.
Wasn't she tightly held by Ji Lingchuan last night and fell asleep beside him?
The alluring smell of the meat wafted into her nostrils again. Song Yihuan looked up and saw Ji Lingchuan sitting beside the fire, his side facing her. He held a stick in his hand, roasting a juicy rabbit over the fire.
The man was only wearing an inner robe, and his outer robe was now covering Song Yihuan.
Hearing the sound, he looked up at her. His face was as calm and solemn as ever. He said to her, "Are you awake? It'll be ready to eat in a while."
Song Yihuan stared blankly at him, clutching the robe on her body.
His reaction... Did he still remember what he had done to her last night?
Although she had already mentally prepared herself to face him, now that she was really facing him, her heart started to pound. Turning around to tidy her hair and clothes, Song Yihuan got up and said to Ji Lingchuan,
"I... I'll go fetch some water from the stream."
Ji Lingchuan said, "It rained last night. The mountain path is slippery. Be careful."
Song Yihuan lowered her head and quickly walked out of the cave. She washed her face with the stream water and finally calmed down.
Taking a few deep breaths by the stream, Song Yihuan regained her composure. She picked some herbs for treating bruises and some fruits by the stream before returning to the cave.
When she got back, Ji Lingchuan had already finished roasting the rabbit.
Song Yihuan put down the herbs in her hand and sat down opposite Ji Lingchuan. He wrapped half of the rabbit in a leaf and handed it to her, saying, "Eat."
Taking the hot roasted rabbit meat, Song Yihuan said in a low voice, "Thank you, Young Master."
The rabbit was roasted to perfection, with crispy skin and tender meat. Song Yihuan's eyes lit up after taking the first bite. She was really hungry, and in this situation, she didn't have the luxury to be picky. So she ate without hesitation.
The two of them sat by the fire and ate. After filling their stomachs, they both felt that their strength had returned. Song Yihuan handed the fruits she had picked to Ji Lingchuan, her eyes full of concern.
"Young Master, how do you feel now? Does your wound still hurt? You had a high fever last night. Do you still feel unwell anywhere in your body?"
Ji Lingchuan looked at her and replied, "I'm fine. You're very good at taking care of people. If it weren't for your care, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
Song Yihuan lowered her head to avoid his gaze and said, "Back in the Marquis Mansion, when my stepmother was pregnant, I took care of her. After she passed away, it was just Xuan'er and me. I had to take care of Xuan'er, so I'm indeed more experienced in this regard than others."
She had a tough life before.
Ji Lingchuan's eyes softened a little. Remembering what had happened the previous day, and now that they had finally escaped danger, Ji Lingchuan finally had the chance to ask, "What exactly happened yesterday? Do you recognize the identity of the person who was chasing you?"
Here it comes. Song Yihuan clenched the sleeves of her robe and looked up at him, saying, "I don't know who he is. I only know that he was ordered by someone else to kill me. My maid, Fuling, was shot dead by him in order to protect me."
Ji Lingchuan didn't tell Song Yihuan that Fuling was still alive. His brows furrowed.
Song Yihuan was a young lady from a good family. Although her reputation had been affected by her stepmother before, she didn't seem to have actively offended anyone. Who would want to get rid of her during the autumn hunt?
The change during the autumn hunt was within his expectation. As he had expected, the person who was chasing him was a Beidi person. The Beidi people didn't recognize her. Why would they target such a weak woman?
"Young Master, what happened to the person who was chasing me? Is he still alive?" Song Yihuan asked cautiously.
Ji Lingchuan said, "I shot an arrow at his vital part. Normally, he shouldn't have a chance to survive. After that, in order to save you, I also fell off the cliff. I don't know what happened to him."
This meant that even Ji Lingchuan didn't know whether the person was dead or alive.
If the person was dead, it would be fine. But if he survived, he might come back again in the future.
"You're quite brave, jumping off the cliff without hesitation like that," Ji Lingchuan said calmly. "Weren't you afraid of falling to your death?"
Song Yihuan gave Ji Lingchuan a bright smile. "A good person has his own good fortune. Didn't you come to save me, Young Master?"
Dazzled by her brilliant smile, Ji Lingchuan coughed twice and pretended to be serious. "When we're outside, what should you call me?"
Song Yihuan obediently called out, "Brother Ling."
Remembering something, she took out a bamboo whistle from her bosom and handed it to Ji Lingchuan with a solemn look. "Brother Ling, someone tampered with my bamboo whistle. It won't make a sound."
Ji Lingchuan took the bamboo whistle from her palm. His face turned cold. "It's not just you. My bamboo whistle also stopped working. Someone also tried to shoot me with a poisoned crossbow arrow. If I'm not wrong, the sacrificial altar may have been attacked too."
Song Yihuan was shocked. She stood up. "Xuan'er is still there! No, we can't waste any more time here. We have to go back as soon as possible!"
Ji Lingchuan grabbed her and made her sit down again. "Don't worry. This whole incident is under the control of His Majesty and me. The situation in the hunting ground should be under control by now. Xuan'er, my mother, and the others will be fine."
Song Yihuan still looked worried. "You've already guessed who's behind all this? Since you've already guessed, why did you still hold this year's autumn hunt?"
Ji Lingchuan stirred the firewood in the fire and patiently explained to her. "Do you still remember the crazy horse we met in the market before?"
How could Song Yihuan forget? That crazy horse had helped her a lot.
"That was actually His Majesty's horse. That day, we went out of the palace to investigate something, but unexpectedly, his horse went crazy and ran amok in the market."
Song Yihuan immediately reacted. "Someone around His Majesty tampered with the horse?"
Ji Lingchuan gave her an approving look. "Smart. His Majesty's incognito visit out of the palace was a very secret matter. Only less than three people knew about it. It's easy to find out who did it. Their purpose was to stop this year's autumn hunt."
Song Yihuan didn't ask him why. Instead, she followed his train of thought. "The autumn hunt is a major national event. The last one was in the 16th year of Jinghong. However, the late emperor was seriously ill, so it was postponed. The autumn hunt is the most important ceremony for the royal family to pray for the blessing of the nation. If the autumn hunt can't be held, it means that the current emperor is not a wise one. Am I right?"
A smile flashed across Ji Lingchuan's eyes. His little friend was really smart.