Chapter 262 - Going Hunting Together (1/2)

Around noon, Zhu Junyang came back triumphantly with two hares and a pheasant in his hands. In the nearby thickets, there were many people who went there to pick up firewood, gather wild plants, so there wasn’t a lot of game around. By coming back with such a haul in such a short period of time, it showed that the young royal prince’s hunting skills were quite good.

For lunch, Yu Xiaocao made ‘salt and pepper rabbit meat’, ‘spicy wild pheasant’, ‘steamed egg with seafood’, ‘roasted garlic scallops’, ‘savory sandworms’, ‘sauteed eggplants with minced meat’, and ‘oyster tofu soup’. There were a total of six dishes and one soup, and the meal contained both seafood and wild game dishes. Everyone ate the food with great relish.

After finishing the meal, Zhu Junyang picked up his bow and arrows in preparation to enter the mountain.

Since the West Mountain was giant, the Yu Family was afraid that he wasn’t familiar with the terrain and might get lost. Furthermore, it was possible that he might accidentally step into the wrong area and meet something dangerous. Thus, they had the experienced hunter, Yu Hai, act as his guide.

Yu Xiaocao still didn’t feel comfortable with the arrangements, so she found an excuse to leave the house. She secretly followed them from behind as they entered the mountain.

Today, Zhu Junyang only brought Head Steward Liu along with him. As their guide, Yu Hai decided to bring the older adult and the youth on a loop around the outskirts of the West Mountains so they could hunt some wild deer, roe deer and other animals in order to satisfy the prince’s desires. However, Zhu Junyang had already guessed what the other man was thinking about. After encountering some smaller game, he didn’t stay put. His purpose today was to hunt some ferocious beasts in the mountains.

Yu Xiaocao, who was following the three of them from behind, started to find it was harder and harder for her to keep up as they went further within the mountainous trails. Right now the plants and weeds around her were waist high and she had to use a lot of energy for each step she took. As she watched the gap between them get wider and wider, fear settled into her heart that she would get lost behind.

“Father, Young Royal Prince, wait for me!!” Just as the three figures in front were about to disappear, Yu Xiaocao finally couldn't hold back and shouted towards them. Deep within the mountains there were trees all around, covering the sky and the ground. If she wasn’t careful, she would quickly get lost in the thickets. Yu Xiaocao was still a little girl who was quite inexperienced in this setting. If she was lost by the others, it would be hard for her to find her way back on her own.

The road in front of them was becoming steeper and steeper and the forest around them was thick. Head Steward Liu stayed alert this entire time in order to observe their surroundings. He absolutely could not allow his master to encounter a mishap. Suddenly, his ears moved. He stopped moving in order to listen more closely to the sound. He quietly talked to Royal Prince Yang, who was in front of him, “Master, do you hear that…”

Zhu Junyang thought that Head Steward Liu had heard a wild beast and immediately stopped and held his breath to listen…

“Father——Father——”

“Young Royal Prince——Wait for me——”

The thick forest muffled echoes in the area and the sound of the little girl’s voice was only carried into the three people’s ears by the wind. Yu Hai’s expression immediately changed and he hurriedly rushed back as he stated, “It sounds like Cao’er’s voice. That girl, she’s always been interested in hunting since she was a wee child. She must have secretly followed us!!”

Zhu Junyang also looked more solemn. He did his best to figure out the direction of where the sound was coming from and walked in the direction.

“Father...Young Royal Prince——Where did you guys go ah…” Yu Xiaocao was starting to get angry after shouting all this time. She didn’t know whether her father or the young royal prince could hear her. She lowered her head to carefully look at the footprints the men left behind but she didn’t realize yet that the more she walked, the further away she got from them.

Yu Xiaocao found a wide open space and sat down on a rock. She retrieved a small porcelain bottle from her chest pocket and dripped a drop of mystic-stone water into her mouth. Her throat immediately felt better and her exhausted body started to fill with strength again.

“Father——Young Royal Prince...where did you guys go? It’s Xiaocao ah…” Yu Xiaocao clumsily climbed up a crooked tree and sat at the bottom of the forked branches. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and started to shout loudly again.

Zhu Junyang had followed the sound of her voice over and looked around. He didn’t see Xiaocao anywhere. He turned around, raised his head, and was almost hit in the forehead by a pair of grubby, muddy, deer-skin boots. Luckily, his reactions were quite agile and he managed to avoid getting stamped by stepping back.

“You also know how to climb trees? Looks like you’re quite skilled ah!!” Zhu Junyang raised his head to look at Yu Xiaocao, who was sitting astride on the tree. Her hair had been tangled with stray branches and there was even a dried leaf sticking on her temples. He didn’t know whether the moisture on her face was from sweat or tears but she looked like a dirty little kitten. There were some holes in her clothing that had recently been ripped open. If he didn’t look more closely, he would have thought she was a little beggar!

“Young Royal Prince!” Yu Xiaocao almost wanted to cry tears of joy, “That’s great!! I finally found all of you!”

Zhu Junyang watched as the little lass clumsily climbed down the tree. She slowly scampered down. Because her boots were covered with mud, she didn’t have a good footing on the bark. She could only hug the tree tightly as she slowly slid down.

Zhu Junyang couldn’t stand watching her struggle anymore and sprung forward. He grasped the little lass’s collar and jumped back as the little lass screamed to high heaven.

The sudden weightless feeling made Yu Xiaocao think that she was about to fall down. She yelped mournfully as she gritted her teeth in preparation of the pain that was about to hit her bottom. Even when she was steady on the ground, with Royal Prince Yang supporting her up, she continued to holler shrilly with her eyes closed.