The two were already standing very close to each other. Song Yihuan was extremely delighted after shooting the rabbit. She jumped up and down in excitement. When they finally came to their senses, they realized that her hand was resting on Ji Lingchuan's shoulder, while his hand had instinctively supported her waist, almost pulling her into his arms.
Song Yihuan quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned. Then she broke free from his embrace and lowered her head, whispering, "Thank you, Brother Ling, for teaching me. I've already learned how to control my strength."
Suddenly, his embrace felt empty. The cold mountain wind rushed in, leaving Ji Lingchuan with an indescribable sense of emptiness.
He twirled his fingers but didn't mention their intimate moment just now. "Go and claim your spoils," he said.
Song Yihuan skipped forward to pick up the dead rabbit. A bright smile reappeared on her face.
Seeing her so happy, Ji Lingchuan said, "I thought you'd be too soft - hearted to shoot the rabbit and would ask me to spare it. Aren't you girls naturally more compassionate towards these little animals?"
Song Yihuan looked at the rabbit with its eyes closed in her hand and replied non - committally, "The law of the jungle is the way of nature. Besides, we had rabbit for breakfast. Isn't it hypocritical to show mercy now?"
Her words sounded honest and straightforward.
Ji Lingchuan continued walking forward. "The three - day hunting period isn't over yet. Maybe you still have a chance to compete for a good ranking. Let me see how well you've mastered archery."
Song Yihuan laughed and chased after him.
After walking for a while, Song Yihuan spotted a pheasant in the forest. This time, she didn't need Ji Lingchuan's personal guidance. Instead, she recalled the feeling when she shot the rabbit. She drew the bowstring to its full extent and aimed at the pheasant.
She released the bowstring, and the arrow whistled through the air. This time, it didn't miss the mark but shot straight at the pheasant. Although the pheasant managed to dodge, a few of its feathers were shot off.
Song Yihuan was overjoyed. She proudly showed off her achievement to Ji Lingchuan. There was a hint of a smile in Ji Lingchuan's eyes. "You've made progress. Keep it up, good student."
Along the way, Song Yihuan focused on improving her archery skills, while Ji Lingchuan made bows and arrows for her. Gradually, her accuracy improved from hitting one target out of ten arrows to three out of ten. Her control of strength was getting better and better.
Her spoils gradually increased, from rabbits and pheasants to flying birds in the sky, and even a red fox. She had truly reaped a rich harvest.
Although the autumn hunting ground was very close to Yangjing Mountain, Song Yihuan had fled deep into the forest to escape and then fallen off a cliff. It wasn't easy for them to get out smoothly. By the time it got dark, they still hadn't left the area of Yangjing Mountain.
They found another cave to spend the night. This time, Ji Lingchuan could move freely, so it was a bit more comfortable than the previous night.
Song Yihuan gathered a lot of firewood and asked Ji Lingchuan to start a fire. Song Yihuan had hunted a lot, so they roasted the pheasant. The delicious aroma spread far and wide, making their mouths water.
After filling their stomachs, the night grew darker. They had walked a long way on the mountain road and hunted a lot of prey that day. Song Yihuan was exhausted and soon felt drowsy.
She sat by the fire to keep warm. As soon as she closed her eyes, she started to fall to one side. The next moment, a big hand caught her. Ji Lingchuan gently pulled her into his arms and took off his outer robe to cover her.
The wound on his back throbbed painfully due to the movement, but Ji Lingchuan ignored the pain. Instead, it made him more awake.
He wasn't unaware that she was deliberately getting closer to him, as if she had forgotten their current relationship. But was that really what she thought in her heart?
He didn't know what she was up to, but he would also help her in his own way.
He looked up at the entrance of the cave.
The night outside was dark and heavy, just like everything they would face in the future.
The next day, when Song Yihuan woke up, she found that Ji Lingchuan's outer robe was still covering her, but Ji Lingchuan was nowhere to be seen.
The fire in front was still burning. Song Yihuan gently stroked the patterns on the robe with her fingers and lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
After a moment, she hugged the robe in her arms and got up to walk outside. She looked panicked. "Brother Ling, Brother Ling, where are you?"
"Brother Ling, don't leave me alone."
She paced back and forth at the cave entrance, shouting in all directions. Her face was full of anxiety. Soon, there was a sound from the west. Ji Lingchuan's tall and straight figure appeared at the end of the path. Song Yihuan immediately ran towards him.
"Brother Ling!"
Ji Lingchuan had just returned after scouting the way when he saw her running towards him in a hurry. The mountain path was steep and full of strange rocks. Because she was running too fast, she accidentally bumped into a protruding rock on the ground. She let out a scream and fell to one side.
Ji Lingchuan quickly stepped forward to catch her. Frowning, he said, "Don't run around. Be careful not to fall."
When the girl in his arms looked up, his heart ached at the sight of her tear - streaked face and pale complexion.
"I thought you had left me alone," she said in a low voice, lowering her head to avoid his gaze.
These words revealed all her hardships and panic. Remembering the Lesser Fullness Day when they had made an appointment to meet and all that had happened to her that day, Ji Lingchuan felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped. He tightened his hold on her and said,
"Don't be afraid. I just went to scout the way. I've found the way out of the valley. At our speed, we'll be out of this forest in another hour."
"Really? That's great," Song Yihuan said with a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She still looked very disappointed.
After a short rest, they set off again with their spoils.
Song Yihuan still walked behind Ji Lingchuan, but this time, she didn't show the same enthusiasm for hunting with the bow and arrow as the day before. She was very silent. Ji Lingchuan looked back at her several times, asking her with his eyes, but all he got was a forced smile from her.
Ji Lingchuan was a straightforward person. Seeing her like this, he felt more and more annoyed. He didn't understand what was wrong with her. He had already explained everything to her, so why was she still so listless?
When they reached the exit of the valley, Ji Lingchuan suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Song Yihuan, what on earth is wrong with you?" he asked. "If you're dissatisfied with me, just say it."
Song Yihuan tightened her grip on the bow and arrow in her hand. She tilted her head slightly to look at this man who was much taller than her. There was something in her eyes that made Ji Lingchuan's heart skip a beat. She moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, which made Ji Lingchuan can't help but look forward to it.
But the next moment, she just shook her head. "I'm not dissatisfied with you. I just..."
She forced a smile and said, "Brother Ling, let's go back. We've been missing for three days. I'm sure His Majesty, the Princess, my sister, and Xuan'er must be very worried about our safety."
After saying that, she walked past him and took the lead. Ji Lingchuan looked at her slightly desolate back, and the annoyance in his heart grew stronger.
At this moment, he suddenly had an idea.
He wanted to take her and disappear into the world, finding a place where no one knew them and living a life just the two of them.