dognovel Chapter 101 Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers
Chapter 101 Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers
With Yinzhi and his entourage by his side, Yinzhi naturally prioritized safety above all else. He said he wouldn't go deep into the forest, and that was absolutely true. He led Yinzhi, Yintang, and the others on horseback, leisurely wandering around the forest for half an hour. They symbolically hunted a few pheasants and rabbits, then had someone find an open area near the lake to set up a canopy, spread out blankets, and set out the fruit and refreshments they had brought. Instantly, the hunt turned into a spring outing.
"Sixth Brother, are you sure we're going to stay here for the rest of the time?"
Although Yinqi had never participated in a hunt before, he knew that a hunt would never be like this. Seeing that his first hunt was about to end like this, Yinqi was naturally unwilling. You see, he came with great ambitions. He didn't expect to hunt tigers or black bears, but at least he wanted to hunt deer or wild boars. He had only caught a few rabbits and pheasants. How could this be enough?
“What’s wrong with staying here? Look how beautiful the scenery is. Didn’t we just hunt some pheasants and rabbits? We’ll have someone clean them up in a bit, and then we’ll have lunch.”
Yinzhuo found two large trees, fixed the hammock there, lay down to test it, and since there was no problem, he simply didn't get up. He naturally knew that Yinzhi didn't want to stay there, but as the saying goes, safety comes first, and he felt that this was fine, at least safety was not a problem.
"Sixth Brother, may I take some people for a walk around this area?"
Yinzhi was still unwilling to let the first hunt end like this, so he decided to try again. Yinzhuo was worn down by him and finally had no choice but to agree to let him take a full number of people to patrol the area.
"Yin? Remember, just wander around this area and don't go far. Hatu, you go with this kid and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't go deeper into the woods!"
Upon hearing that he could go out for a stroll, Yinzhi's previously gloomy expression vanished, replaced by a beaming smile. He readily agreed to his sixth brother's instructions. However, Yinzhi also knew the saying, "A general in the field may disobey orders." Although he agreed readily now, he might not be so obedient once he was out there. Therefore, he decided to let Hatu accompany him.
Just as Yinzhuo had predicted, once Yinxi came out, he became uncontrollable, leading his men straight into the deeper parts of the forest. Hatu tried to dissuade him several times to no avail, so he could only mark the way and then send someone back to inform Yinzhuo.
“That brat, he really ignored what I said as soon as he went out. I’ll find him and teach him a lesson. You’re the boss here, so keep an eye on Yinzhi and Yintao. E’lu, you stay here and take some men to watch over them. If you find anything wrong, take them out immediately. Akshang, you take some men and come with me to drag that brat Yin’e back.”
Yinzhu led his men along the marks left by Hatu, but as they ventured deeper into the forest without finding any trace of Yinxi or the others, Yinzhu grew increasingly anxious. Just as he was considering splitting his men into smaller groups to search, he suddenly heard a tiger's roar coming from afar. Well, there was no need to search anymore; it was likely that Yinxi had run into the tiger.
"Akshang, can you pinpoint the exact direction from which this tiger's roar is coming and how far away it is from us? We need to take some men there quickly, or Yin'er will be in danger if we're too late."
Akshan had served Emperor Kangxi before and was very experienced in hunting. It was no problem for him to find his way in the forest. In no time, he confirmed the direction from which the tiger's roar came and estimated the approximate distance from here.
"My lord, it should be about three or four miles to the southwest. We will be able to take people there soon. Don't worry, this servant will risk his life to get you and the Tenth Prince out!"
Upon hearing Akshang's words, Yinzhu frowned. He remained silent, but instead spurred his horse and galloped towards the direction from which the tiger's roar had come. Akshang's estimation was correct; after traveling three or four miles, he indeed spotted Yinzhu's group in the distance. When he reached them and saw the situation before him, Yinzhu was nearly speechless with anger. Good heavens! They say a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, right? This Tenth Prince, upon encountering a tiger, not only did not run away, but he actually dismounted, took up his bow and arrow, and confronted the tiger.
"That brat, does he think he's going to die too slowly? He actually dared to dismount. If a tiger pounces on him, does he think he can outrun it?"
Yinzhi was facing off against the tiger. Fearing that making a sound would frighten him, and also that their sudden approach would startle the tiger, Yinzhi could only suppress his anger and stop on the spot, ordering his men to draw their bows and prepare for battle.
The tiger was enormous, with yellow fur and black stripes. Its eyes, like copper bells, gleamed with ferocity. Although Yinzhen appeared calm on the surface, a closer look at his hand holding the bow and arrow revealed that the bow and arrow were trembling violently. Yinzuo, of course, also noticed the trembling bow and arrow in Yinzhen's hand and knew that this wouldn't do. Just as he was getting anxious, the tiger, clearly impatient, saw the tiger poised to pounce on Yinzhen. Forgetting his anger, Yinzuo drew the bowstring taut and fired an arrow at the tiger. Yinzuo's archery skills were quite good; the tiger, in pain, roared and turned to charge at Yinzuo and his group.
"Yin? What are you still standing there for? Hatu, quickly help him onto the horse and run away with him."
Yinzhuo's shout did distract the tiger somewhat. Akshang seized the opportunity and led his men to shoot a few more arrows at the tiger. At this moment, with Hatu's help, Yinxi took the opportunity to mount his horse and gallop towards Yinzhuo.
The tiger was incredibly agile; despite being struck by several arrows, its speed did not diminish at all. It was about to rush towards Yinzuo and the others. Yinzuo had no choice but to brace himself and fight back, thinking to himself how he would deal with that brat, the Tenth Prince, when they got back.
Perhaps because Yinzhuo had wounded the tiger with an arrow earlier, the tiger was now fixated on him. It ignored everyone else and focused solely on attacking Yinzhuo. Yinzhuo didn't have many guards, and the tiger's attacks were too fierce. After several rounds of attacks, the horses were startled, and many guards were thrown off and injured. Just as the tiger was about to pounce on him again, Yinzhuo couldn't dodge in time and was slapped on the shoulder by the tiger. He felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground when he came to his senses. The reason the tiger didn't pounce was because Akshang stood in front of him with his sword.
"Sixth Brother, are you alright?"
Yinqi was indeed more trouble than he was worth. His voice immediately startled the tiger on the other side, which leaped up and pounced on Akshang and Yinzhuo again. Yinzhuo was injured and lying on the ground, making it difficult to dodge. He could only roll on the spot, trying not to hinder Akshang. Just at this critical moment, a sharp arrow came whistling through the air and pierced the tiger's head. Immediately afterwards, Yinqi's anxious shouts came.
"Yinzuo, how are you? Are you badly injured?"