The mother and daughter had just discussed a major event during their meal.
Neither of them knew at the time that their conversation would completely change the way the people of Northern Chu lived.
It was also from this point that Northern Chu embarked on the path to prosperity and strength.
Of course, that was a story for another day. After lunch, Yu Jing wanted to find Chu Yu, but was told by her subordinates that he had ridden into the mountains.
"Ah, how could he go?" Yu Jing was anxious and stood up abruptly.
After giving a few instructions outside, someone quickly brought a pure white mare.
Yu Jing mounted the horse and touched her waist. She hadn't planned to go into the mountains today, so she didn't have a riding crop.
Su Xiaoqi's heart stirred, and she remembered the riding crop Du Yiyi had given her.
Without a word, she took it out of her spatial storage and handed it to Yu Jing.
Yu Jing lowered her head and was stunned to see the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar riding crop.
"Where did you get this?"
Su Xiaoqi smiled and told her that Du Yiyi had given it to her.
She also mentioned how capable she was when she was a child.
Yu Jing laughed heartily upon hearing this.
She said it was fate, and that she and her daughter had already established a connection.
Yu Jing sighed, then turned and cautioned Su Xiaoqi not to jump around, saying she would find the person.
Although Yu Jing did not explicitly state who she was looking for, everyone knew that she was not only looking for the ruler but also helping Su Xiaoqi find Shen Yun.
Yu Jing's skills were excellent, and her horsemanship was even better. With a few flicks of her wrist, she disappeared.
Su Xiaoqi stood in the wind, watching Yu Jing leave with her entourage. She had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
But she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
She summoned Zhang Yu and asked her to follow on horseback to see what was happening.
However, Zhang Yu shook her head and said she wouldn't go. She had to stay by Su Xiaoqi's side.
After Su Xiaoqi was kidnapped last time, Zhang Yu now considered Su Xiaoqi's safety to be paramount.
She absolutely would not let what happened before happen again.
Therefore, she would not go out to find Shen Yun and the others.
"Master has Zhang Lei and Zhang Feng with him, so Madam need not worry. Moreover, Master should have everything under control."
Unlike Su Xiaoqi's doubts about Shen Yun, Zhang Yu had great confidence in him.
Her intuition told her that their Master would be fine.
Let alone Su Xiaoqi asking her to leave her side, she wouldn't even be willing to leave half a step.
Su Xiaoqi was helpless, but she also knew that Zhang Yu's concerns were valid.
Now, all she could do was wait.
While Su Xiaoqi was anxiously waiting, she didn't know that Shen Yun was indeed facing a life-and-death struggle, with every punch and kick landing with force.
When he was in Daliang, he often accompanied Emperor Yongxing on horseback riding and hunting in the walled grounds.
These activities were now trivial in his eyes.
It was just that he hadn't yet figured out whether the ruler of Northern Chu wanted him to win or lose.
But he would soon find out.
Because after entering the deep mountains, someone suddenly attacked him.
Although it wasn't a killing blow, they didn't hold back either.
Shen Yun, therefore, resisted with all his might.
He consecutively defeated two groups of attackers.
Later, he took advantage of the gap to shoot and kill a black bear.
After displaying this skill, those who had been surrounding him and wanting to compete with him immediately rode off in other directions.
They all admitted that none of them possessed his archery skills.
With just this one shot, he had felled a lively black bear.
One had to know that its hide was tough, and ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate its strong armor.
In the past, only their ruler could achieve this. But now, he had done it!
The leader of the guards, who had been signaled by Chu Yu, cast a deep glance at Shen Yun. With a wave of his right hand, his subordinates obeyed and quietly withdrew.
These individuals were not someone they could afford to provoke.
Thus, Shen Yun's hunting journey proceeded smoothly.
Besides the black bear, he also captured two rabbits, two pheasants, and hunted three roe deer.
Fortunately, he had brought Zhang Dian and Zhang Lei with him. Seeing that the sky was getting late and he was worried about Su Xiaoqi, he threw the game to Zhang Lei and the others and rode back.
Only halfway there did he hear the sound of piercing the air.
Someone was shooting arrows, and it wasn't just one or two arrows for hunting game.
It was a dense volley of arrows.
Shen Yun raised his hand, signaling Zhang Lei and the others behind him to be quiet, and indicated for Zhang Feng, who had the best Qinggong, to go and investigate.
He was shocked by what he saw.
Zhang Feng returned after a few breaths.
He said nervously, "Master, the ruler of Northern Chu is being surrounded and attacked ahead."
Shen Yun asked, "Did you see who attacked?"
"It should be the Gu family." Zhang Feng was extremely meticulous. Shen Yun didn't need to say much; he had already investigated these matters himself.
Shen Yun looked at him with appreciation and said, "With Chu Yunwei under house arrest, it's understandable that the Gu family couldn't sit still."
When Shen Yun had seen Chu Yu deal with Chu Yunwei, he had wondered why the Gu family wasn't dealt with at the same time.
Leaving them there would eventually become a disaster.
He hadn't expected it to manifest so quickly.
"Master, should we go and save him?" Zhang Lei stepped forward and asked in a low voice.
As Shen Yun's close attendants, they had witnessed the attitude of the ruler of Northern Chu, Chu Yu, towards their Master.
Now, they felt like hiding and watching the show.
Shen Yun glared at him, "What are you thinking? The Gu family dared to attack the ruler of Northern Chu during the hunt; they must have planned this for a long time, with archers leading the charge.
Judging by the sounds, the imperial guards are about to be overwhelmed.
Let's go, follow me."
Shen Yun waved his hand, and the three Zhang brothers immediately dropped their prey and gathered around him.
Zhang Lei mumbled that the ruler of Northern Chu looked down on them, but they still had to save him.
They should have waited until he was half-dead before rushing out.
Zhang Dian gave Zhang Lei a glare, "You idiot.
If Master rushes to save him now, it's a perfect opportunity to impress your future father-in-law.
Don't you realize why the ruler of Northern Chu looks down on us? It's because he fears that Master's abilities are not enough..."
As the two spoke animatedly, their words struck a chord with Shen Yun, and he didn't stop them at the time.
However, as they approached the battlefield, he stopped them.
He stood on the periphery and took a general look.
He discovered that the archers sent by the Gu family were all skilled, and their arrows never missed.
Chu Yu's guards were numerous and held shields, suffering heavy casualties. Moreover, those being attacked had no way to fight back.
The safety zone was constantly shrinking, and Chu Yu's perimeter was becoming smaller and smaller.
If no one could break this deadlock,
after the guards protecting Chu Yu on the outside were shot dead, he too would be in mortal danger.
Shen Yun saw the situation clearly; it was indeed very critical.
He glanced at the positions of the Gu family assassins and, with a few hand gestures, four people moved out in different directions.
They quietly crept up behind the assassins and silently eliminated a large group of them with their daggers.
The rain-like volley of arrows suddenly weakened.
Seizing the opportunity, Chu Yu looked up and noticed something amiss.
He roared, "Reinforcements have arrived, counterattack!"
The royal guards, who had been suppressed by the arrow rain and were filled with rage,
had no way to retaliate.
Now that they had an opportunity, they all moved like dragons, wielding their sharp weapons and charging directly at the assassins hiding in the grass.
"Ah..."
Shouts of battle echoed from all sides.
Within a quarter of an hour, the battle ended with the defeat and death of the black-clothed assassins.
Chu Yu looked around and found that the reinforcements he had expected had not arrived.
Only Shen Yun and his three attendants had come.
He understood somewhat, but asked unyieldingly, "Was that you just now?"
Shen Yun nodded calmly. His eyes were clear, his expression placid, with no sign of pride.