Chapter 43 (1/2)

Chapter 43

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

She lifted her head and took a deep breath, swallowing all of her emotions. She tried her best to calm down and not think about it. The night was pitch black. With a sudden thud, a white dove landed on the snowy ground. It was looking at Chu Qiao from afar, inching closer as its head tilted to the side.

This was a wild dove. Unlike domesticated messenger doves, it was still afraid of humans. It must be curious as to why this person was sitting alone and was motionless for so long. It wanted to take a closer look. Chu Qiao raised her head and took notice of the little bird and grinned. She reached into her pocket to take out the horse feed that she had brought along, scattering it on the ground.

With thick snow covering the land, it was hard to find food. When the dove saw the food, it let out an excited chirp as it spread its wings and flew hurriedly towards Chu Qiao. However, at the same time, two sharp arrows shot towards the dove from afar, piercing through its abdomen. In a swoosh, blood spewed all over the ground.

Thunderous hooves sounded in an instant. Two quick horses galloped ahead of the pack, one was red and the other was black. The man on the red horse was twenty-five to twenty-six years old, and he looked defiantly at the teenager sitting on the ground. Without speaking, he took another arrow and pulled his bow, shooting an arrow straight towards Chu Qiao's heart!

With a swish, Chu Qiao burst up like a cheetah, supporting her weight with one hand as she got up. Her actions were strong yet graceful. Her right hand swept past her body, grabbing the arrow firmly in her palm. A gust of wind billowed as the young girl's coat fluttered in the air, like the wings of a flying eagle. Her gaze was as cold as ice, staring directly at the people galloping towards her.

”Whose slave are you and why are you wandering in the hunting arena?” a cold voice sounded from the man riding the red horse. Although he had tried to attack her without reason, he showed no signs of regret. He was dressed in a coat made from an arctic mink. Despite his graceful stature, he exuded an unspeakable aura of icy eeriness.

With a thud, the man on the black horse leapt to the ground. He too was around twenty-five to twenty-six years old. He had bronze eyes and a dark complexion. He ran towards the dove that was shot and picked it up. As he was examining it, he said, ”Muhe Xifeng, how do we count this?”

The man on the red horse glared coldly at Chu Qiao, then turned towards the other man and said, ”Zhalu, I shot at its throat. Naturally, I win.”

The man frowned and raged, ”How can you tell that your arrow is the one in its throat? It's not like our arrows have our names engraved on them.”

”It shot from my hand, I would know.”

”Hmph, that won't do.” Zhalu said, ”Let's go again.”

Muhe Xifeng picked at his brow and said, ”How do you want to compete?”

”We'll aim at her.” Zhalu pointed at Chu Qiao and said, ”Isn't she a slave? Let's just shoot her.”

Chu Qiao's brows furrowed as she squinted at Zhalu. Zhalu did not even notice as he climbed onto his horse and said to her, ”Run, quick. Run far.”

Chu Qiao sized up both of them, her brow tightly knit. She said in a deep tone to Muhe Qingyun, ”I am not a slave.”

Muhe Qingyun raised his brow as he heard it, as though he was interested in her. He said, ”So what?”

Yes, so what? Even if she was not a slave, these aristocrats could kill anyone they wanted without reason.

Chu Qiao said nothing as she turned and walked towards Yan Xun's tent. With a swoosh, an arrow embedded itself in the snow, inches away from her feet. Zhalu shouted, ”I told you to run, did you not hear me?”

Engulfed in the cold wind, the girl suddenly turned and shot a cold gaze towards Zhalu. The Lord Zhalu of the northwestern felt a chill shooting up his spine, and swallowed the curses that he wanted to say.

”If I was riding a horse, could the two masters shoot me?”

Muhe Xifeng gave her a smirk but did not say a word. Zhalu raged, ”Give her a horse.”

A war horse that had jet-black fur was brought before her. Chu Qiao patted its head gently as she turned and glanced at the two men. The wind was strong that night, whipping up snow from the ground and painfully hitting their faces as if it were sand.

Suddenly, the girl flung her body onto the horse, brandishing a dagger from her waist as she stabbed it into the horse's buttocks without hesitation. The war horse let out a loud neigh and galloped away with incredible speed. Before anyone could react, she had vanished from their sight.

Zhalu was dumbfounded as his eyes widened in shock. After a while, he turned and said to Muhe Xifeng, ”She just left like that?”

Muhe Xifeng turned his horse as he steered it towards the sounds of chatter. He said casually, ”Otherwise, what do you think she did?”

Zhalu was filled with rage, and irritable voices cried behind him. Muhe Xufeng flashed them a sharp and cold gaze.

Even before nearing the camp, a troop was galloping quickly towards her. Chu Qiao stopped her horse as she frowned, looking into the distance. She saw figures coming closer and closer. It was Yan Xun and AhJing leading a troop of guards.

”AhChu!” When Yan Xun saw Chu Qiao, he pulled his reins and ran towards her. In a deep voice, he asked, ”Are you okay?”

”I'm fine,” Chu Qiao said as she shook her head, then asked, ”Has the night hunt ended? Why are you back so soon?”