TGCFNM -Chapter 524 Deeper Into the Dense Forest

About half an hour later, a eunuch came to deliver the imperial summons. Chu Ling and the others followed Lu Shi to meet the Emperor.

At the hunting grounds, the Emperor casually said a few encouraging words before allowing everyone to enter the forest to hunt. However, he himself seemed somewhat exhausted. After speaking, he sat down in a soft chair.

At the Emperor’s signal, Eunuch Zhang brought over a bowl of tea with a noticeably darker color. After the Emperor drank it, he seemed to become several years younger in an instant, and his eyes looked much more energetic.

Lu Shi glanced at this quietly, then calmly turned his head and looked at the tea placed in front of him.

Beside him, while refilling the tea, Lu Chong asked in a low voice, “Are you sure we don’t need to go keep an eye on those kids?”

Lu Shi shook his head slightly. “If you go, they’ll only become cautious and restrained. Just wait here.”

Lu Chong acknowledged with an “Ah,” finished pouring the tea, and stepped aside.

Meanwhile, after Chu Ling and the others rode into the forest, they gradually drifted away from the main group—and even farther from Fu Qingyu.

The group looked more like they were on a leisurely outing. They wandered along casually, avoiding the paths others had taken and instead choosing a rougher trail. Before long, they stopped, tied up their horses, and prepared to continue deeper into the forest on foot.

Bai Su floated upward to survey the surrounding terrain. After taking a look, she descended again.

“I’m familiar with this place. We won’t get lost—just follow me.”

Chu Ling suddenly raised her head and pretended to calculate something with her fingers.

“You guys just follow me. My intuition has kicked in again.”

The experienced Wan Sanjin nodded immediately.

“Alright then, my lord—you lead the way.”

Chu Ling hummed in acknowledgment, pretending to think while secretly turning her head toward Bai Su.

Bai Su simply walked ahead to guide them while explaining along the way:

“The animals in this forest are all docile creatures raised by people. They’re only here to entertain the imperial family and noble clans. There’s nothing dangerous.”

“In that case,” Ghost Scholar said while staring ahead with narrowed eyes, “if a fierce beast suddenly appears… wouldn’t that origin be suspicious?”

Chu Ling pondered this. Besides assassins dressed in black, another possibility would be a ferocious beast suddenly bursting out of the forest and attacking the Emperor. If an investigation later revealed that the beast had been deliberately released, the Emperor would certainly be furious.

“M-My lord!” Wan Sanjin suddenly shouted in terror. “A tiger!”

Chu Ling responded casually, lowering her gaze.

“If a tiger suddenly appears, then that definitely wouldn’t—”

“A tiger?”

Chu Ling abruptly raised her head.

Sure enough, a tiger was staring at them in a frenzy. Its tiger eyes were filled with ferocity, saliva dripping from its mouth. It cautiously stepped forward once, judged the distance to be right, then suddenly leaped forward and charged straight at the five of them.

Chu Ling and the others gasped in alarm, their screams stuck in their throats. Without even managing to shout, they turned and ran.

But Xiao Hua stepped forward to meet it head-on, wearing a pair of gauntlets. With a fierce strike, she punched the tiger squarely in the forehead.

The tiger was stunned for a moment from the blow. With a low growl, it charged at Xiao Hua, enraged that someone dared challenge it. It opened its massive jaws wide, a foul stench rushing out, as if it wanted to bite off Xiao Hua’s neck in one snap.

Xiao Hua stepped backward onto a large rock. As the tiger lunged up, she threw another punch, striking the exact same spot as before.

The tiger howled in pain and staggered back a step. The hostility in its eyes faded slightly, and it even began retreating in fear.

Seizing the opportunity, Su He ran forward and scattered a packet of medicinal powder at the tiger. Before it could go berserk again, he lit a stick of incense and handed it to Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua held a thin stick of incense in her left hand, pointing it at the tiger. At the same time, she clenched her right fist and glared at the fierce beast as if threatening it, shouting, “Don’t come any closer! If you do, you’re getting beaten!”

The tiger snorted, stretching one paw forward. Its powerful, perfectly built body tensed as if ready to pounce. But in the very next moment, its forelegs suddenly went weak and it collapsed onto the ground.

Taking the chance, Xiao Hua moved the incense even closer. The tiger opened its mouth wide, but its eyes gradually grew unfocused until it finally slumped limply on the ground.

Chu Ling’s eyes widened. She carefully crept closer, standing behind Xiao Hua, and cautiously poked the tiger.

“Did it faint?”

Xiao Hua reached over and casually touched it. “Yep. Out cold.”

Chu Ling immediately grew bolder and reached out to stroke it repeatedly, laughing with uncontrollable excitement. “Seriously, when would we ever get a chance to pet a big tiger like this?”

Wan Sanjin thought the same, so he also reached out and touched the tiger’s tail. His excitement was visible to the naked eye. “I touched a tiger’s tail!”

Seeing how excited they were, Ghost Scholar couldn’t help reminding Chu Ling, “When this beast first appeared, it was clearly enraged. It might have been deliberately provoked.”

Chu Ling immediately relayed this to the others, then said, “So someone intentionally released a tiger here to harm people. That’s really awful. Let’s steal the tiger out of here.”

Wan Sanjin nodded vigorously. After a brief discussion, they found a place where they could hide the tiger.

Xiao Hua planted the incense stick at the cave entrance so the tiger wouldn’t wake up. And if anyone came looking, they would also be knocked unconscious by the smoke.

Zhang Dong even found some materials to cover the cave entrance. It now looked just like the surrounding terrain, so unless someone examined it closely, they probably wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

After everything was taken care of, the group erased their traces and left.

As for how many people later wandered into the area and collapsed on the ground, Chu Ling and the others had no idea. After leaving, they went to find Wan Xing and had him secretly transport the tiger away.

After dealing with the tiger, Chu Ling and the others continued deeper into the forest with relaxed steps.

Following Bai Su’s directions, they began lighting incense in various hidden spots—on tree branches, between cracks in large rocks, and on secluded little slopes.

They would light the incense and immediately leave, never waiting around. Because of this, anyone trying to track them couldn’t find a trace of their whereabouts. It was as if they had vanished into the dense forest…

By the time they had only three sticks of incense left, they had reached the center of the forest. There, they finally saw one of the animals kept for the hunt: a deer peacefully grazing.

Chu Ling clicked her tongue in disdain. “This is the imperial hunting ground? Isn’t this a bit too shabby?”

Ghost Scholar smiled helplessly. “This hunting ground is meant for the imperial family and noble houses. Why would they release dangerous beasts that could injure them? They just let out some docile animals so they can ride horses and enjoy themselves.”

Chu Ling nodded slightly, then looked at the others and suggested, “How about we work together and catch one to turn in?”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes lit up, eager to try.

Just then, the deer suddenly seemed startled and dashed away.

Bai Su instantly sensed something was wrong and grabbed Chu Ling. Chu Ling reacted immediately, pulling the others with her as they slid down behind a small dirt slope. They lay quietly among the prickly wild grass, holding their breath.

Bai Su stood on top of the slope. She soon saw three men dressed in black suddenly appear in the dense forest. After a brief discussion, they quickly hid themselves within the towering tree canopy, as if waiting for something.

“Someone has set up an ambush. I don’t know who they’re planning to kill,” Bai Su said.

Just as her words fell, a group of riders slowly approached through the forest.

It was Fu Qingyu and his group.